Dios
Here we are again in Punta Gorda. We are still in training and we are getting anxious to be done and move to our permanent sites. We find out where we will be going at the end of this week.
We are working hard on our Ke'ekchi but it is very tough however, a little does seem to be coming thru to the neurons.
It has been very hot all over Belize and the rainy season seems to be lighter than normal according to the locals based on the flooding. Most of the rains hold off until the middle of the nite and the incredible crashing boomers just wake us out of our sleep enough to make us want to head for cover but we go right back to sleep.
The river flooded so bad last week that our fresh water spring was even covered up. It doesn't take long for it to go down enough for the fresh water to flow again thank goodness. We are seldom without children on our heals - anywhere from 3 - 7 little ones needing attention and the curiosity doesn't end. Some can sit and stare at us forever. They follow us to the rok i ha (spring) strip down, slide down the mud into the water laughing and screaming into the water. We try to use the river for our exercise space but some of the older kids will not leave us alone tugging and pulling at us the whole time. SPACE!!!!
Our diets are still challenged but the PC continues to bring us a supply of greens and fruits weekly. The other day we were served cua (tortillas) with a bowl of broth containing a chicken neck and chicken feet. We couldn't do it - it was like looking at the Wicked Witch of the West's hand coming out of the soup. The good news is the rest of the chicken was BBQ'd the next day and it is some of the best we have ever had.
The bugs are loving us and we look like we have chicken pox. We are working on different solutions and it is really the only thing that is frustrating. OK the toilet situation will always be an issue but it doesn't leave marks!
The jungle blooms all the time - right now we enjoy birds of paradise. It is forever green and very beautiful. We want to learn the names of all the plants but the locals don't seem to know. We have eaten hearts of palm (koon cabbage in these parts) and a dubious protein but sometimes it is better to leave it unidentified.
Gotta run
Trust all is well with ya'll
luff
us
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Dios
Just a quick note to let you know we are doing well and sweating away a few pounds but we manage to find a sweet treat now and then.
We have taken two trips to Punta Gorda for training purposes. The health department met with us and today we will be meeting with NGO groups and TOLCA - Toledo Children and Adolescent group. Their aims are high and ambitious and they are asking for PC assistance for sustainable living assistance for the families and children with needs.
Many here live without flush toilets, drinking water etc. The infant mortality rate is higher in this area, prenatal care & post natal care is very scarce. We see many children running around with pink eye, coughs, and little to wear. The are quite a delight in their being - and very curious. We can barely swim/bathe in the nima (river) without a couple at our elbows. The play and frolic with such delight.
Our diets are lacking quite a bit in the basic food departments. Sometimes a meal is a tortilla and a chicken wing or a tortilla and a bit of salsa....or a tortilla and broth with a chicken wing. We are finding that being grateful we are eating is the best way to look at it. The PC just sent down some fruits and veggies and we are all ravenous for them. They are taking steps to make it a bit better. They do take great care of us.
The scenery from our village is so beautiful. We look out over the Maya Mtns. thur the jungle from our school. We have a spring behind the school that is rather large that runs such pure water we even drink it without event! The river when it is high runs swiftly with the runoff from upstream. We are so grateful to have one spot with such wonderful ha' (water).
Have to sign off
WE LOVE the letters we have received in the mail. How we have all missed the written word.
Thanks so much
hugs to all
ho'wan
Just a quick note to let you know we are doing well and sweating away a few pounds but we manage to find a sweet treat now and then.
We have taken two trips to Punta Gorda for training purposes. The health department met with us and today we will be meeting with NGO groups and TOLCA - Toledo Children and Adolescent group. Their aims are high and ambitious and they are asking for PC assistance for sustainable living assistance for the families and children with needs.
Many here live without flush toilets, drinking water etc. The infant mortality rate is higher in this area, prenatal care & post natal care is very scarce. We see many children running around with pink eye, coughs, and little to wear. The are quite a delight in their being - and very curious. We can barely swim/bathe in the nima (river) without a couple at our elbows. The play and frolic with such delight.
Our diets are lacking quite a bit in the basic food departments. Sometimes a meal is a tortilla and a chicken wing or a tortilla and a bit of salsa....or a tortilla and broth with a chicken wing. We are finding that being grateful we are eating is the best way to look at it. The PC just sent down some fruits and veggies and we are all ravenous for them. They are taking steps to make it a bit better. They do take great care of us.
The scenery from our village is so beautiful. We look out over the Maya Mtns. thur the jungle from our school. We have a spring behind the school that is rather large that runs such pure water we even drink it without event! The river when it is high runs swiftly with the runoff from upstream. We are so grateful to have one spot with such wonderful ha' (water).
Have to sign off
WE LOVE the letters we have received in the mail. How we have all missed the written word.
Thanks so much
hugs to all
ho'wan
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Dios
Dios
The casual greeting for the Ke'ekchi. You have to love it.
We are settling in our new home nicely. It is very humble indeed...but many are living with even less. Considering our host family took time to build it for us (something they will be able to use when we leave) makes it even more special. We are liking our new village very much. It is cleaner, smaller and closer to the are we want to be.
Our day consists of school in the am- 3 hour bank when we hit the river-then back to school til 4pm. Then it is back to the river for bathing and washing clothes on the stones. We do a little wash each day to keep up. We are learning to live with very few clothes. This way maybe what we brought will last for the whole 2 years we are here.
The rains are starting to come mostly at night. No rain occurs without the perverbial thunderstorms which are so amazing. You can't imagine the deep-throated roar it creates and when it is dark the brilliant lightning is endless. Lightning bug light the ground around us. The rain is so intense it is impossible to sleep when it pours. It can fill a 5 gallon bucket in no time at all. Along with the rain comes the frogs. One has never heard such a screaming chorus!!! It is very difficult to sleep thru it all. Our roof happens to be tin-we are grateful as critters live in the thatch-which will come. You have to experience the decibel level. Don't which is louder the rain or frogs. If frogs, as some believe are becoming extinct, we think they just moved to Toledo in Belize. Some of the PC trainees here are expeiencing rats - every so grateful that hasn't been our experience yet. Our family has a cat and dogs. MJ you wouldn't be able to handle the treatment they get. It's hard for all us sac i cuinks. White people! However, the lack of rats, turantulas and scorpions is a wonderful benefit.
Every family in Belize has many chickens - along which come many roosters. They are the earliest alarm clock, but we are managing to sleep thru their song. Tough when it's outside your window.
Our family here had 13 children....they have 46 grandchildren, one on the way and hoping to make 50!
We are rubber boot wearin', river washin' , bush (they never say jungle) lovin' folk. We had our first 'halau' yesterday which is a critter hunted in the bush called gibnut. Have been told it looks a bit like a dog. Glad we didn't see it. Our family hunted for about 8 hours to get it and made a not too bad soup with it. Soon we will be getting armadillo we are told. Guess what it all basically tastes like???
It is tough here and now that the river is rising it is muddy. There is a spring close by that remains clear as the muddy waters pass but it is muddy getting to it. We still haven't figured out now how to wash our clothes as all washing stones are covered up but we can bathe ever so carefully.
So, if you weren't grateful before be grateful now!!!
We hope to be getting to Palencia (sp?) about half way down the coast of Belize on a Peninsula during our training. It is supposed to be a beautiful new area being built with lovely sandy beaches. Check it out if you are thinking of visiting in the next two years. San Pedro in the northern Cayes is the most popular but hearing that Palencia is much better.
Have to say goodbye for now. We love hearing from y'all.
howan xic (til later - )no formal word for good-bye
hugs
The casual greeting for the Ke'ekchi. You have to love it.
We are settling in our new home nicely. It is very humble indeed...but many are living with even less. Considering our host family took time to build it for us (something they will be able to use when we leave) makes it even more special. We are liking our new village very much. It is cleaner, smaller and closer to the are we want to be.
Our day consists of school in the am- 3 hour bank when we hit the river-then back to school til 4pm. Then it is back to the river for bathing and washing clothes on the stones. We do a little wash each day to keep up. We are learning to live with very few clothes. This way maybe what we brought will last for the whole 2 years we are here.
The rains are starting to come mostly at night. No rain occurs without the perverbial thunderstorms which are so amazing. You can't imagine the deep-throated roar it creates and when it is dark the brilliant lightning is endless. Lightning bug light the ground around us. The rain is so intense it is impossible to sleep when it pours. It can fill a 5 gallon bucket in no time at all. Along with the rain comes the frogs. One has never heard such a screaming chorus!!! It is very difficult to sleep thru it all. Our roof happens to be tin-we are grateful as critters live in the thatch-which will come. You have to experience the decibel level. Don't which is louder the rain or frogs. If frogs, as some believe are becoming extinct, we think they just moved to Toledo in Belize. Some of the PC trainees here are expeiencing rats - every so grateful that hasn't been our experience yet. Our family has a cat and dogs. MJ you wouldn't be able to handle the treatment they get. It's hard for all us sac i cuinks. White people! However, the lack of rats, turantulas and scorpions is a wonderful benefit.
Every family in Belize has many chickens - along which come many roosters. They are the earliest alarm clock, but we are managing to sleep thru their song. Tough when it's outside your window.
Our family here had 13 children....they have 46 grandchildren, one on the way and hoping to make 50!
We are rubber boot wearin', river washin' , bush (they never say jungle) lovin' folk. We had our first 'halau' yesterday which is a critter hunted in the bush called gibnut. Have been told it looks a bit like a dog. Glad we didn't see it. Our family hunted for about 8 hours to get it and made a not too bad soup with it. Soon we will be getting armadillo we are told. Guess what it all basically tastes like???
It is tough here and now that the river is rising it is muddy. There is a spring close by that remains clear as the muddy waters pass but it is muddy getting to it. We still haven't figured out now how to wash our clothes as all washing stones are covered up but we can bathe ever so carefully.
So, if you weren't grateful before be grateful now!!!
We hope to be getting to Palencia (sp?) about half way down the coast of Belize on a Peninsula during our training. It is supposed to be a beautiful new area being built with lovely sandy beaches. Check it out if you are thinking of visiting in the next two years. San Pedro in the northern Cayes is the most popular but hearing that Palencia is much better.
Have to say goodbye for now. We love hearing from y'all.
howan xic (til later - )no formal word for good-bye
hugs
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Sahil Ch'olejel - formal Ke'ekchi greeting meaning "goodness in your soul"
We are currently in Dangriga on the coast in a combo "internet cafe" and landromat. While our laundry is being done for us we work in a cell block (cooled by fan) with 4 other people connecting to the "other world."
Tomorrow we head deeper into the jungle. The village is called Medina Bank you should be able to find it on any map. It is on the main highway thru Belize heading south. We are told it is Mayan village of apprx. 150 people. They have never hosted Peace Corps folk before and it is all quite new to them. Our biggest concern is getting clean water as boiling water for 3 minutes is something that has never been a concern for them. These 6 gringos however, may be a little more sensitive to the "beings" sharing our water. We are attempting to strengthen our systems with what little we have left of our supplies from the states.
We will miss our Mayan family in Armenia - Cruz, Santa, Alexander, Irma, Brian and Geovannae (what a charmer that one is). Hopefully we will be successful getting pics out but I do hear Michael swearing over there despite the noise of the fans. It is a slow process from here.
Some of the Maya in our new village have backed out of the hosting process as they are fearful they will not take good enough care of us but apparently others stepped up. We will have one solid week of language training in the village school house (school is out for now in Belize). After that it will be 24 hours a week.
The Maya wake at 3:00am to begin their day (????) so, our classes will beging around 5:00am in the morning. Our training day will end around 3:00-4:00pm and then shuteye around 7:00pm. In these latitudes the sun begins to smile around 5:00-5:30am and closes its eyes around 6:30-7:00pm.
The weather is somewhat cooler as we are in rainy season. We get the ocean squalls that dump about an inch of rain and then clearing. No special frequency - we actually had two days of no rain and we were grateful to not be picking up 2 lbs of mud (each shoe and legs) as we trekked to the bus stop from our home. It's everywhere. We have purchased knee high boots 'cause in the jungle down south the rain frequency exponentiates (si that a word?) to the 'nth' degree. Always having to check in the a.m. for the perverberial turantula or scorpion. Always be grateful for what you have or don't have!
Our training will be intense but in the midst we will get to travel to Punta Gorda (on the sea) a couple of times as it is not too far. Also, we will be taking a boat, from where we are not sure, to Placencia, also on the sea (a tourist area on the peninsula if you are looking at a map). We will check out future vacation places.
The reason we are in Dangriga as this is typed - is - we had one day of freedom - we chose to go to the coast. A noisy hour and a half bus ride in the dark with some rain and maybe an alcoholic or two. All good. We stayed at a resort last nite right on the water. Our last hoorah for many months to come. It was such a nice getaway we were not sure if we should have done it...but we are not complaining as we realize how fortunate we are. It was in Belizean terms way more than we should afford on our salaries but again we give thanks....and needed the space.
Our experiences will increase now and we will try and get word out as we can. Punta Gorda has an internet cafe we are told - but our time is limited for now.
Much love and many hugs
m&k
excuse all grammar and spelling or made up words!
We are currently in Dangriga on the coast in a combo "internet cafe" and landromat. While our laundry is being done for us we work in a cell block (cooled by fan) with 4 other people connecting to the "other world."
Tomorrow we head deeper into the jungle. The village is called Medina Bank you should be able to find it on any map. It is on the main highway thru Belize heading south. We are told it is Mayan village of apprx. 150 people. They have never hosted Peace Corps folk before and it is all quite new to them. Our biggest concern is getting clean water as boiling water for 3 minutes is something that has never been a concern for them. These 6 gringos however, may be a little more sensitive to the "beings" sharing our water. We are attempting to strengthen our systems with what little we have left of our supplies from the states.
We will miss our Mayan family in Armenia - Cruz, Santa, Alexander, Irma, Brian and Geovannae (what a charmer that one is). Hopefully we will be successful getting pics out but I do hear Michael swearing over there despite the noise of the fans. It is a slow process from here.
Some of the Maya in our new village have backed out of the hosting process as they are fearful they will not take good enough care of us but apparently others stepped up. We will have one solid week of language training in the village school house (school is out for now in Belize). After that it will be 24 hours a week.
The Maya wake at 3:00am to begin their day (????) so, our classes will beging around 5:00am in the morning. Our training day will end around 3:00-4:00pm and then shuteye around 7:00pm. In these latitudes the sun begins to smile around 5:00-5:30am and closes its eyes around 6:30-7:00pm.
The weather is somewhat cooler as we are in rainy season. We get the ocean squalls that dump about an inch of rain and then clearing. No special frequency - we actually had two days of no rain and we were grateful to not be picking up 2 lbs of mud (each shoe and legs) as we trekked to the bus stop from our home. It's everywhere. We have purchased knee high boots 'cause in the jungle down south the rain frequency exponentiates (si that a word?) to the 'nth' degree. Always having to check in the a.m. for the perverberial turantula or scorpion. Always be grateful for what you have or don't have!
Our training will be intense but in the midst we will get to travel to Punta Gorda (on the sea) a couple of times as it is not too far. Also, we will be taking a boat, from where we are not sure, to Placencia, also on the sea (a tourist area on the peninsula if you are looking at a map). We will check out future vacation places.
The reason we are in Dangriga as this is typed - is - we had one day of freedom - we chose to go to the coast. A noisy hour and a half bus ride in the dark with some rain and maybe an alcoholic or two. All good. We stayed at a resort last nite right on the water. Our last hoorah for many months to come. It was such a nice getaway we were not sure if we should have done it...but we are not complaining as we realize how fortunate we are. It was in Belizean terms way more than we should afford on our salaries but again we give thanks....and needed the space.
Our experiences will increase now and we will try and get word out as we can. Punta Gorda has an internet cafe we are told - but our time is limited for now.
Much love and many hugs
m&k
excuse all grammar and spelling or made up words!
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