The Chicks
So one of my host mom’s entrepreneurial efforts is to raise chickens. She got 100 chicks from the Mennonite community and if tended properly, they will be ready to sell in 6-8 weeks to sell for $10 each (which is a lot of money!). Problem is, they are frail things – as my mom says “if it rains, they die; if it gets hot, they die; if they get scared, they die”. Nowhere near as hardy as the local chickens, who are scraggily and take much longer to grow but are indestructible.
Anyway, first night, rats killed 6 of the chicks – we think they were trying to get to the food because rats don’t eat chickens. So we moved into Uber Chick Protection Mode. For three nights, we could catch all 96 of them (and as I have mentioned, chickens are FAST), put them in various buckets and bins and bring them in the house. Then we would put a fan on them, make sure they had water, food.
Her father-in-law fixed up the coop so we were able to leave them outside at night but the first night of that as I went to the latrine, I saw a cat crouching by the side. She couldn’t get in but if one of them wandered too close, she would have been able to grab it. So, back to Uber Chick Protection Mode: my host mom and I put up plastic and bed sheets around the chicken wire to help keep the cat away and tied up the dog (yes, Duffee, my best friend or novio as the 4 year old says LOL) right outside. So far, so good but keep your fingers crossed for those chickens. And, yes, I am struck by the irony of doing all this, helping with all this for the chickens to be killed in a few weeks. Thankfully, I won’t be here for that.
The Bus
Twice a week we are up at sunrise to catch the 6am bus. Goes for 40 minutes into a town, San Ignacio, then we take another bus to Belmopan which takes an hour an a half regular bus or an hour “express” bus. Each bus has 48 seats, or 96 people. Then they allow anyone to stand in the isles which gets us to a total of 115 or so adults, or up to 125 or 130 if it’s kids.
Then, someone pushes their way down the isle to collect the bus fare which is $3BZ ($1.50US) for each leg. It’s quite entertaining to try to maneuver to allow this person to go by without putting all your front or back business in the face of someone seated. And I don’t need to worry about lack of human contact while I’m here in Belize – we get rubbed on plenty just taking the bus with this exercise. So far, nothing inappropriate but I’ll give that time.
The best part is the bus stops anywhere. Anywhere. Whenever you want to get off just give a hoot and it will stop. Even better, is it will stop where ever you are to let you on – the other day, a person got on, the bus went literally 5 feet, stopped, another person got on, went 5 more feet, another person got on. Why those people didn’t just walk over in the time it took for the bus to roll up and stop for the next, I’ll never know.
The Tea
Turns out, when the British left, they took all their tea with them! Can only find Lipton. So if you send snail mail, thanks for including a package or two of tea
Headed into a long weekend for Independence Day and, more importantly, International Day of Peace, and most importantly, my birthday (LOL). We’re having a piñata for the kids, (well, OK, it’s for me) and I’ll be sure to send photos.
Best from Belize!!
Manissa
Anyone can see photos at this link: (updated as of 9/9/09, newest photos start with #31)http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=102016&id=640467317&l=4965dba765
Friday, September 18, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
not even here 2 weeks!
See photos at: (updated as of 8/26/09)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=102016&id=640467317&l=4965dba765
But it feels like 2 months already - it has been so jammed packed! With all the various lectures from 8a-5p each day, my favorite being "Let's Talk About Bowel Movements" which is about WHEN we get diahhera, not IF. My head is spinning with info overload. And then we were shipped off to our CBT (Community Based Training) sites.
I’m now living in a small village, San Antonio, which is about 1.5 hours to the Guatemalean border by bus and 3 hours to the coast. So I'm in the middle of nowhere/middle of Belize. It's a pretty here at least, located in the mountains. There about about 1000-3000 people here. Seems like it’s barely 100 people, which is great, you really get to know your neighbors. But, there is no a/c and no running water. We do have electricity so I have a fan I can run at night which allows me to fall asleep. Staying asleep is another matter. Average temp is mid 90s. All the time. Even when it rains. Which is often.
And my first night here I woke with a start because someone was knocking on my window. Couldn't even breathe or hear anything because my heart was pumping so loudly. Turns out, the "tap tap tap" sound comes from a gecko. A bleeping geecko. Yes, jungle noises are FUN.
So I have my own room, sorta – the house is one large square about 26 feet wide by 32 feet long. My room is in the southwest corner, by the "kitchen" (which has a sink with no facuets and an electric stove/oven). It is an 8’x10’ space made out of boards supported by bungee cords and a credenza. It is open at the top to the ceiling (about 3’ of open space) so I can see the geckos when they come in from the roof. The family sleeps in another "room" caty corner to mine. There is a "living room" with a TV and DVD player, not sure if either work.
We have a latrine in back by the pigs (there are 9 of them, one is pregnant), which is past the chicken coops, about 100 feet away from the house. There are three dogs, one is pretty protective and my host mom has been very worried he would go after me. So I haven’t gone out at night for the bathroom. But I’ve started bringing him a cracker each time I do out during the day and I think he’s almost decided I’m OK so I might be able to go at night now.
My host mom, Antonia, is a very hard working woman. She takes care of her family (2 kids under the age of 4 and her husband who is gone quite a few days a week for work at a local resort which is 2 hours away) and is involved in the Women’s Group in town. They make clay products, embroider, jewelry but are struggling with power politics. The founder doesn’t want to share information and after 7 years it’s starting to grate on the others. Ahh, so good to know issues of power and control and the resulting nonsense is the same world over.
I help Antonia to wash the dishes (after each meal) - we use rain water and a lot of Dawn. I sweep the floor and learned how to do laundry on Sunday. Happily and luckily, she has a machine that agitates the clothes which then we double rinse in bins by hand then the machine does a spin cycle. Then it only take about 20 minutes for the clothes to air dry on a clothes line, if it’s not raining. Which it does. Often.
During the day, we (there are 5 volunteers here) are in “school” six days a week (about a 20 minute walk) with language (spanish) in the am starting at 8a and Tech Training in the pm, til around 4p. The language is a little too remedial for me but that's OK. I usually read ahead or look up vocab. The Tech Training is pretty good – things like how to do conduct community assessments in a way that will build trust. Includes SWAT and other tools and approaches I’m very familiar with. So all that feels easy.
Just not sure about the rural living for 2 years. It's just as tedious and wearing as I remember from India and Africa. But my final Site Assignment remains a question, won't know that until Oct 2, then I really know what's in store for me ... though I could guess based on the community based/practice run I'm going through right now.
One of the best parts of San Antiono is the daughter here at my host family. Julissa aka Julie. She’s adorable, four years old, a lovely Kamryn (my USA niece) substitute. My language skills are right at her level, we can have quite lengthy conversations. Especially about naming body parts and animals, counting, colors, etc. And my Spanish is pretty darn good if I may say so myself. At least it seems so in my head/to my ears. My host mom even said “sometimes when I hear your Spanish, it’s quite good”. That was after I had just said something to the 2 year old, ha ha ha.
The town is very religious. Of the 7 churches, 5 are Penecoastal. There is one Catholic Church and one Jehovah Witness temple. For the Penecoastals (my family) Fridays is church for the ladies. Sunday for the men. Wednesday for the kids. Saturday for the youths. A lot of church but at least I get to "practice" my Spanish by listening to it. Oh, and everyone here (and pretty much all of Belize) speaks at least four langugages: English, Mayan, Spanish, and Kriol (Garifuna is closer to the coast and German in the Mennoite communities). And they code switch without blinking any eye. Makes it real fun to try and keep up.
Food is OK - mostly beans and rice. Or rice and beans. With tortillas (homemade yum). Or rice with veggies. Or rice and a sort of stir fry. And hot dogs. With eggs. Or a veggie burger which is a bun with lettuce and tomato. Quite an array of fruits and veggies - squash, cassava, plantains, watermelon, mango, avocado!!!!, papaya, peanuts, sweet limes, starfruit, grapefruit, and a bunch of others I'm still learning. We can eat the fruits right off the tree...
Es una vida simpatica, y facil, mas or menos. Having the predictable moments of frustration and irritation but they pass. Would give anything for a hot shower (yes, my usual refrain) and mail since internet is hard to come by {hint LOL}
Adios, con mucho amor y besos y abrazos
MJP
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=102016&id=640467317&l=4965dba765
But it feels like 2 months already - it has been so jammed packed! With all the various lectures from 8a-5p each day, my favorite being "Let's Talk About Bowel Movements" which is about WHEN we get diahhera, not IF. My head is spinning with info overload. And then we were shipped off to our CBT (Community Based Training) sites.
I’m now living in a small village, San Antonio, which is about 1.5 hours to the Guatemalean border by bus and 3 hours to the coast. So I'm in the middle of nowhere/middle of Belize. It's a pretty here at least, located in the mountains. There about about 1000-3000 people here. Seems like it’s barely 100 people, which is great, you really get to know your neighbors. But, there is no a/c and no running water. We do have electricity so I have a fan I can run at night which allows me to fall asleep. Staying asleep is another matter. Average temp is mid 90s. All the time. Even when it rains. Which is often.
And my first night here I woke with a start because someone was knocking on my window. Couldn't even breathe or hear anything because my heart was pumping so loudly. Turns out, the "tap tap tap" sound comes from a gecko. A bleeping geecko. Yes, jungle noises are FUN.
So I have my own room, sorta – the house is one large square about 26 feet wide by 32 feet long. My room is in the southwest corner, by the "kitchen" (which has a sink with no facuets and an electric stove/oven). It is an 8’x10’ space made out of boards supported by bungee cords and a credenza. It is open at the top to the ceiling (about 3’ of open space) so I can see the geckos when they come in from the roof. The family sleeps in another "room" caty corner to mine. There is a "living room" with a TV and DVD player, not sure if either work.
We have a latrine in back by the pigs (there are 9 of them, one is pregnant), which is past the chicken coops, about 100 feet away from the house. There are three dogs, one is pretty protective and my host mom has been very worried he would go after me. So I haven’t gone out at night for the bathroom. But I’ve started bringing him a cracker each time I do out during the day and I think he’s almost decided I’m OK so I might be able to go at night now.
My host mom, Antonia, is a very hard working woman. She takes care of her family (2 kids under the age of 4 and her husband who is gone quite a few days a week for work at a local resort which is 2 hours away) and is involved in the Women’s Group in town. They make clay products, embroider, jewelry but are struggling with power politics. The founder doesn’t want to share information and after 7 years it’s starting to grate on the others. Ahh, so good to know issues of power and control and the resulting nonsense is the same world over.
I help Antonia to wash the dishes (after each meal) - we use rain water and a lot of Dawn. I sweep the floor and learned how to do laundry on Sunday. Happily and luckily, she has a machine that agitates the clothes which then we double rinse in bins by hand then the machine does a spin cycle. Then it only take about 20 minutes for the clothes to air dry on a clothes line, if it’s not raining. Which it does. Often.
During the day, we (there are 5 volunteers here) are in “school” six days a week (about a 20 minute walk) with language (spanish) in the am starting at 8a and Tech Training in the pm, til around 4p. The language is a little too remedial for me but that's OK. I usually read ahead or look up vocab. The Tech Training is pretty good – things like how to do conduct community assessments in a way that will build trust. Includes SWAT and other tools and approaches I’m very familiar with. So all that feels easy.
Just not sure about the rural living for 2 years. It's just as tedious and wearing as I remember from India and Africa. But my final Site Assignment remains a question, won't know that until Oct 2, then I really know what's in store for me ... though I could guess based on the community based/practice run I'm going through right now.
One of the best parts of San Antiono is the daughter here at my host family. Julissa aka Julie. She’s adorable, four years old, a lovely Kamryn (my USA niece) substitute. My language skills are right at her level, we can have quite lengthy conversations. Especially about naming body parts and animals, counting, colors, etc. And my Spanish is pretty darn good if I may say so myself. At least it seems so in my head/to my ears. My host mom even said “sometimes when I hear your Spanish, it’s quite good”. That was after I had just said something to the 2 year old, ha ha ha.
The town is very religious. Of the 7 churches, 5 are Penecoastal. There is one Catholic Church and one Jehovah Witness temple. For the Penecoastals (my family) Fridays is church for the ladies. Sunday for the men. Wednesday for the kids. Saturday for the youths. A lot of church but at least I get to "practice" my Spanish by listening to it. Oh, and everyone here (and pretty much all of Belize) speaks at least four langugages: English, Mayan, Spanish, and Kriol (Garifuna is closer to the coast and German in the Mennoite communities). And they code switch without blinking any eye. Makes it real fun to try and keep up.
Food is OK - mostly beans and rice. Or rice and beans. With tortillas (homemade yum). Or rice with veggies. Or rice and a sort of stir fry. And hot dogs. With eggs. Or a veggie burger which is a bun with lettuce and tomato. Quite an array of fruits and veggies - squash, cassava, plantains, watermelon, mango, avocado!!!!, papaya, peanuts, sweet limes, starfruit, grapefruit, and a bunch of others I'm still learning. We can eat the fruits right off the tree...
Es una vida simpatica, y facil, mas or menos. Having the predictable moments of frustration and irritation but they pass. Would give anything for a hot shower (yes, my usual refrain) and mail since internet is hard to come by {hint LOL}
Adios, con mucho amor y besos y abrazos
MJP
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