Dios
Have been trying to get a blog on for awhile now but have not had opportunity.
We have been challenged by living conditions as we talked about in the last blog. Our wonderful Associate Peace Corps Director saw the real challenge of our living conditions and we have made a change.
We have been moved to a one bedroom cabana complete with flush toilet. We don't even know what to think as it is quite surreal after living in villages for three months. We will be moving forward with building our own thatch in the village. Even with flush toilet we are very excited to have our own place and start working in the village. Yes, we will give up the flushing excitement but we will also be able to have a place of our own.
Our village changed administrations last May after Peace Corps volunteers were requested. Now the current village leaders really don't know what to do with us. We have been told this is very common. Even though we are there for the benefit of their health and hygiene their main concern is a village telephone and school expansion.
We have tried to make in roads into working at the school. Again, even the principal and teachers seem very very passive about assistance. We went to the school to help cover government provided textbooks. An interesting program....up til now students in school...primary or secondary...have had to pay for their texts. There is much uproar about these truly paperback texts that must be in perfect condition at the end of the school year or they must be paid for. In this humid climate anything paper is subject to deterioration.
But cover the books we did. Since we are quite an anomaly in this community we attract way more than our share of attention...and it is attention these children crave. At times children were five deep hovering over us to the point we couldn't move and creating quite some chaos. Their curiosity is boundless and to sit and stare at us for an unprecedented amount of time. They don't care if you have to "knock" them out of the way (which we didn't). It is not only the children the adults will stop and stare also. It is something that we have become used to but the leaving no breathing room went over the top. We have learned to make boundaries. Just our walking by classes in session can disrupt the learning process. Peace Corps teacher trainers say the lack of classroom control/discipline is a very common occurrence. These children are basically allowed to do whatever they want.
Our living situation in the village was interesting. We were living on the second story over a store/pool hall owned by our host family. There was a cement deck with no railing. Children of all ages from 1 - 17 came up to be in our presence. The little ones sometimes not only carrying machetes and or knives and coming precariously close to the drop off point. There is no concern among the adults or very young caretakers....one child had already fallen off down to the washing stones two weeks before we moved in. Children play with these sharp tools, crawl in animal excrement and it isn't given a second thought except by us.
We lived in a 10x10 cement room with barred windows with wood shutters. A double bed filled most of the room. As we were moving in the whole family would try and cram into the room to watch our every movement. In the evenings we shut the windows to keep the flying critters out and in the morning upon opening there would be faces waiting for us. It is considered impolite to close windows and doors during the day as the Mayans will be suspicious of what is going on. If it started raining and we had to retreat from the "deck" to our room the children would get umbrellas and watch us from outside as we did finally give them outside boundaries to our space.
These are just "isms" and despite the challenges we will be happy to build our own thatch next to our host family. We did notice a little of our novelty was wearing off but we have been told that all PCV's have to be assertive and set parameters. Since the Mayans don't even have sealed homes we have been told to make sure our space is not peep proof.
We are learning about the local inhabitants of our area. We do have a black tailed snake currently living under our house. We are told that is a good thing as they eat the venomous tommy goff (sp?) snake in these surroundings. Two coral snakes have been found near our current abode. We have asked the animal spirits to spare us the visit! We have seen beautiful blue butterflies the size of our hands or bigger. There are many beautiful flying species around here and we love to wake up to their music. Bats fly in an out of the house...only to hunt and leave. Still remember we currently have a flush toilet...not only flushing but clean!!!
That's all for now
til later
keep looking for photos as our wonderful Nathan will get them attached to the website. Hopefully with the captions
all our love
m&k
Friday, August 24, 2007
Dios Dear Friends,
It is hard to know where to begin this blog as so much has happened and not happened.
Our last days in Medina Bank were fun filled. We (the volunteers) held a health fair for the villagers. Almost the whole village put on their Sunday best and showed up for fun and games - mostly for the children. We had self-esteem building activities, a nutrition store and the Manleys had the race from the pigpen to the cotelebal (latrine) with a handwashing event between each stage. It was a crowd pleaser. We were all so pleased at the turnout of the villagers. Much laughter was shared by all.
We left our village almost 3 weeks ago. We will miss our host families very much as they are now part of us. The past couple of weeks were there,the other volunteers as well as many of their family members joined us for nights of spades and hearts. Our little plywood home would be full of us sac i quinks (basically white folk) and many more Mayans. We played in the candlelight til late nite...at least 9:00pm or later. Woohoo!
Our village thru us a good-bye part in the form of a Mayan Marimba evening in traditional garb. The instruments were all hand hewn. A "guitar", "harp" and "fiddle". The music started and a young couple in Mayan colors began the dance. After that it was time for the village to watch the white folks dance and sweat. Many of the elder woman would join in but it took about an hour and a half for the shyness to wear away and then we were all dancing. By that time we were literally dripping and wringing water out of sweat rags. The gathering lasted about two and a half hours and we all gave in before they did.
The sac i cuinks threw a dinner for the host families. We made fajitas for 65 people. All of us gathered in one thatch - made cua(tortillas) - cooked chickens, peppers and onions over the fires. We also made guacamole and beans. They did seem to enjoy it but one never knows as there is very little emotion ever shown. Still it was fun. Again they wanted the white folk to dance to music but none of them participated. We had learned our lesson and that particular fiesta didn't last as long. We left this village with a little tear in our eye.
Since then basically our backpacks have rarely been off our backs. We spent three days in our new village before the first evacuation. Off to Belmopan to ride out "Dean". After that we were sworn in as official volunteers. We headed back to Punta Gorda on Friday (couldn't begin to know what date) and spent the night. We had much business to attend to such as opening a bank account and gathering some essentials for our permanent stay.
After our first three days at our new home we had to discuss the food situation as we were not going to maintain well at the level of lard we had been receiving. One egg would be scrambled and cooked in three inches of oil. Won't bore you with other eating dishes as it is all basically the same. After what we thought was a positive gathering which culminated in lets cook together (18 people and no less at a meal) and share what we eat and teach nutrition. This resulted in confusion and then no food! So, that didn't work. Meanwhile, we hooked up with TOLCA (Toledo Children and Adolescents) and have begun to go to other villages as well as our own and teach nutrition and hygiene. Much inspired we returned to our home and have attempted to cook meals with our family in very small quarters with multiple species of animals biting and eliminating in the same arena...from pigs, ducks to children. We will just say "challenge". ....Michael has came up with a way to rat proof our sleeping area and we think we have it conquered. "challenge"...want to say all in a day's work .... since our village has the highest rate of worms the head of our PC project is going to help us facilitate a change. xoxoxoxxoxox
This past Monday as you know we were evacuated again...just as we had fixed a breadfruit salad for dinner that night. (sort of a potato salad with lots of veggies) We will never know if they liked it. Did get a few duck bites cooking over the fire and piglets nibbling on the toes!!!!!!????
Off to Belmopan we go again. As Felix "Petered" out it did flood a few areas in the Toledo district where some of us live so, those of us living in that area didn't get to leave Belmopan until yesterday.
We have stopped along the way and are spending two days in Hopkins with Bertie one of the volunteers. We are in a little cabana watching the manatees float by in the blue green Carribean Sea. This morning a "flotilla" of dolphins silently passed by. A welcome relief. We will be heading home tomorrow and waiting out the change that must be made. Will fill you in later.
Meanwhile, we have made many friends and are anxious to be working and productive. It was very fun going out to the villages deep in the jungle to teach the nutrition classes. Heard the howler monkeys from Aguacate. Very cool. Overall, our job is to teach nutrition, hygiene and help with latrine building. Seventy-five percent of the homes in our village do not have latrines. They use the bush. It will take time to effect change...as they don't see that as an issue but request help with adding on to the school. Time............
Much love to all
us
It is hard to know where to begin this blog as so much has happened and not happened.
Our last days in Medina Bank were fun filled. We (the volunteers) held a health fair for the villagers. Almost the whole village put on their Sunday best and showed up for fun and games - mostly for the children. We had self-esteem building activities, a nutrition store and the Manleys had the race from the pigpen to the cotelebal (latrine) with a handwashing event between each stage. It was a crowd pleaser. We were all so pleased at the turnout of the villagers. Much laughter was shared by all.
We left our village almost 3 weeks ago. We will miss our host families very much as they are now part of us. The past couple of weeks were there,the other volunteers as well as many of their family members joined us for nights of spades and hearts. Our little plywood home would be full of us sac i quinks (basically white folk) and many more Mayans. We played in the candlelight til late nite...at least 9:00pm or later. Woohoo!
Our village thru us a good-bye part in the form of a Mayan Marimba evening in traditional garb. The instruments were all hand hewn. A "guitar", "harp" and "fiddle". The music started and a young couple in Mayan colors began the dance. After that it was time for the village to watch the white folks dance and sweat. Many of the elder woman would join in but it took about an hour and a half for the shyness to wear away and then we were all dancing. By that time we were literally dripping and wringing water out of sweat rags. The gathering lasted about two and a half hours and we all gave in before they did.
The sac i cuinks threw a dinner for the host families. We made fajitas for 65 people. All of us gathered in one thatch - made cua(tortillas) - cooked chickens, peppers and onions over the fires. We also made guacamole and beans. They did seem to enjoy it but one never knows as there is very little emotion ever shown. Still it was fun. Again they wanted the white folk to dance to music but none of them participated. We had learned our lesson and that particular fiesta didn't last as long. We left this village with a little tear in our eye.
Since then basically our backpacks have rarely been off our backs. We spent three days in our new village before the first evacuation. Off to Belmopan to ride out "Dean". After that we were sworn in as official volunteers. We headed back to Punta Gorda on Friday (couldn't begin to know what date) and spent the night. We had much business to attend to such as opening a bank account and gathering some essentials for our permanent stay.
After our first three days at our new home we had to discuss the food situation as we were not going to maintain well at the level of lard we had been receiving. One egg would be scrambled and cooked in three inches of oil. Won't bore you with other eating dishes as it is all basically the same. After what we thought was a positive gathering which culminated in lets cook together (18 people and no less at a meal) and share what we eat and teach nutrition. This resulted in confusion and then no food! So, that didn't work. Meanwhile, we hooked up with TOLCA (Toledo Children and Adolescents) and have begun to go to other villages as well as our own and teach nutrition and hygiene. Much inspired we returned to our home and have attempted to cook meals with our family in very small quarters with multiple species of animals biting and eliminating in the same arena...from pigs, ducks to children. We will just say "challenge". ....Michael has came up with a way to rat proof our sleeping area and we think we have it conquered. "challenge"...want to say all in a day's work .... since our village has the highest rate of worms the head of our PC project is going to help us facilitate a change. xoxoxoxxoxox
This past Monday as you know we were evacuated again...just as we had fixed a breadfruit salad for dinner that night. (sort of a potato salad with lots of veggies) We will never know if they liked it. Did get a few duck bites cooking over the fire and piglets nibbling on the toes!!!!!!????
Off to Belmopan we go again. As Felix "Petered" out it did flood a few areas in the Toledo district where some of us live so, those of us living in that area didn't get to leave Belmopan until yesterday.
We have stopped along the way and are spending two days in Hopkins with Bertie one of the volunteers. We are in a little cabana watching the manatees float by in the blue green Carribean Sea. This morning a "flotilla" of dolphins silently passed by. A welcome relief. We will be heading home tomorrow and waiting out the change that must be made. Will fill you in later.
Meanwhile, we have made many friends and are anxious to be working and productive. It was very fun going out to the villages deep in the jungle to teach the nutrition classes. Heard the howler monkeys from Aguacate. Very cool. Overall, our job is to teach nutrition, hygiene and help with latrine building. Seventy-five percent of the homes in our village do not have latrines. They use the bush. It will take time to effect change...as they don't see that as an issue but request help with adding on to the school. Time............
Much love to all
us
Friday, August 10, 2007
Dios
We have just met our Peace Corps counterparts from the village we will be living in. We met the village chairman and the alcalde.
Village politics:
There is a village council
Village Chairman
Vice Chairman
Village Secretary
Vice Secretary
Village Treasurer
Vice Treasurer
These people handle all the non-judicial issues of the village.
Alcalde
Deputy Alcalde
3-4 policeman
These folks handle all the judicial issues...fights..."thieving"...etc. If it is very serious the erroring parties are sent to P.G. to jail/court.
There is a village waterboard that takes care of the village water supply if there is one.
These entities are not always functional but good news!!!
We will have running water and electricity in our new village. We don't know if it will be all working all the time...but it will be a first for us since we have come to Belize. We are very hopeful!!
In our current village the rains last weekend raised the river almost 15 feet. Even the spring was flooded out and muddy. Since the waterboard at this village is dysfunctional the whole village was without any clean water for several days. Fortunately, the spring became clear within a couple days and we were at least able to get a river bath and some laundry done. The PC is great about supplying us with drinking water. It does however, suck to be without water.
We will be leaving this village next Thursday and despite the hassles we will greatly miss our family. There have been nightly card games with them and the other volunteers. All quite fun. Had a visitor last nite....SNAKE (c'anchi) coming up the wall in our abode. Long and skinny...never saw the end of him before he went back to his hiding place. He was searching for pelpels (frogs). All is well...never saw him again. We have been lucky on that front...everyone else has had rats(cho'), scorpions (xooc) and turantulas (??? can't remember).
Signing off...we are getting a gourmet vegetarian meal tonite compliments of the PC. Can't miss it.
Anyone wanting to send some CUTTER's ADVANCED down to us we would be most grateful. If we had 20 - 25 bottles of it - it wouldn't be too much.
Flush a toilet for us!
howan chic
We have just met our Peace Corps counterparts from the village we will be living in. We met the village chairman and the alcalde.
Village politics:
There is a village council
Village Chairman
Vice Chairman
Village Secretary
Vice Secretary
Village Treasurer
Vice Treasurer
These people handle all the non-judicial issues of the village.
Alcalde
Deputy Alcalde
3-4 policeman
These folks handle all the judicial issues...fights..."thieving"...etc. If it is very serious the erroring parties are sent to P.G. to jail/court.
There is a village waterboard that takes care of the village water supply if there is one.
These entities are not always functional but good news!!!
We will have running water and electricity in our new village. We don't know if it will be all working all the time...but it will be a first for us since we have come to Belize. We are very hopeful!!
In our current village the rains last weekend raised the river almost 15 feet. Even the spring was flooded out and muddy. Since the waterboard at this village is dysfunctional the whole village was without any clean water for several days. Fortunately, the spring became clear within a couple days and we were at least able to get a river bath and some laundry done. The PC is great about supplying us with drinking water. It does however, suck to be without water.
We will be leaving this village next Thursday and despite the hassles we will greatly miss our family. There have been nightly card games with them and the other volunteers. All quite fun. Had a visitor last nite....SNAKE (c'anchi) coming up the wall in our abode. Long and skinny...never saw the end of him before he went back to his hiding place. He was searching for pelpels (frogs). All is well...never saw him again. We have been lucky on that front...everyone else has had rats(cho'), scorpions (xooc) and turantulas (??? can't remember).
Signing off...we are getting a gourmet vegetarian meal tonite compliments of the PC. Can't miss it.
Anyone wanting to send some CUTTER's ADVANCED down to us we would be most grateful. If we had 20 - 25 bottles of it - it wouldn't be too much.
Flush a toilet for us!
howan chic
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Dios
We are in Belmopan just finding out where we will be stationed for the next two years!!! We are very excited about our placement...it is very close to the ocean!!! We will be working with the local health workers, the school and TOLCA (Toledo Children and Adolescents) A very amitious organization trying to upgrade the schools with such things as flush toilets and play grounds. Around here that is a very ambitious goal. They also want to create "healthy beginnings" for children from 0 - 8 and promote prenatal and post natal care. We have made some great connections to individuals who requested personally that we be involved in this process. Michael will be going into town 1 -2 times a week while I work with the local health worker and school principal. There will be more to tell when we get on the job. We leave for our sites on August 16 for 3 days and then back to Belmopan for a few days to be sworn in as official Peace Corps volunteers at the American Embassy on August 22. We then head to our jobs for two years.
Yesterday - we got a playday and went to Hopkins with our tech trainer! We spent an beautiful day in the sun and ocean. A sleepy little Garifuna community where some of our trainee sisters are working. We spent the day at a lovely resort called Parrot Cove! We hope to get back to make a weekend visit there. It was lovely, small, CLEAN and initmate. It even had a small pool but the ocean was our choice. The beautiful Carribean blue was too hard to resist.
One of the trainees within our group of 6 got giardia and ecoli. He was getting rice meals three times a day sometimes with ketchup. YUMMMM! His health went very downhill...he is doing fine now and has moved in with us. As I got a little sun sickness our host parents have worried that they served us something that might have caused it. At the time even I wasn't sure as the food in our household is meager. A chicken neck and chicken feet just don't cut it for us. The whole village went on alert unbeknownst to us when I got ill. It's like an instant telegraph when there is anything changing the status quo. Our food situation still didn't change until Rob moved in with us. Now we get papaya, avocado and vegetable soup for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is very meager however but after breakfast and lunch we don't care. Fruit and Vegetables are provided by the PC weekly for now. Broccoli has now been introduced to the Mayans!!! They are not in love with it. We however, are very greatful for the color green in our diet. Michael has lost 10 pounds.
We are both well and healthy. The bugs are about the only thing that gets tough. We look a little like we have chicken pox. No matter how much we try they seem to help themselves to a meal on our body. We weren't going to use the DEET but it is now our friend. We have however just been introduced to Cutters Advanced...sent especially to one of our volunteers by her family who says it is better than DEET...it is a soldier against chiggers without using the dreaded DEET! It will be our next offense in the battle. If it works we will be asking for buckets of it from back the U.S.
Das all for now folks!
love to hear from ya
howan chic
We are in Belmopan just finding out where we will be stationed for the next two years!!! We are very excited about our placement...it is very close to the ocean!!! We will be working with the local health workers, the school and TOLCA (Toledo Children and Adolescents) A very amitious organization trying to upgrade the schools with such things as flush toilets and play grounds. Around here that is a very ambitious goal. They also want to create "healthy beginnings" for children from 0 - 8 and promote prenatal and post natal care. We have made some great connections to individuals who requested personally that we be involved in this process. Michael will be going into town 1 -2 times a week while I work with the local health worker and school principal. There will be more to tell when we get on the job. We leave for our sites on August 16 for 3 days and then back to Belmopan for a few days to be sworn in as official Peace Corps volunteers at the American Embassy on August 22. We then head to our jobs for two years.
Yesterday - we got a playday and went to Hopkins with our tech trainer! We spent an beautiful day in the sun and ocean. A sleepy little Garifuna community where some of our trainee sisters are working. We spent the day at a lovely resort called Parrot Cove! We hope to get back to make a weekend visit there. It was lovely, small, CLEAN and initmate. It even had a small pool but the ocean was our choice. The beautiful Carribean blue was too hard to resist.
One of the trainees within our group of 6 got giardia and ecoli. He was getting rice meals three times a day sometimes with ketchup. YUMMMM! His health went very downhill...he is doing fine now and has moved in with us. As I got a little sun sickness our host parents have worried that they served us something that might have caused it. At the time even I wasn't sure as the food in our household is meager. A chicken neck and chicken feet just don't cut it for us. The whole village went on alert unbeknownst to us when I got ill. It's like an instant telegraph when there is anything changing the status quo. Our food situation still didn't change until Rob moved in with us. Now we get papaya, avocado and vegetable soup for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is very meager however but after breakfast and lunch we don't care. Fruit and Vegetables are provided by the PC weekly for now. Broccoli has now been introduced to the Mayans!!! They are not in love with it. We however, are very greatful for the color green in our diet. Michael has lost 10 pounds.
We are both well and healthy. The bugs are about the only thing that gets tough. We look a little like we have chicken pox. No matter how much we try they seem to help themselves to a meal on our body. We weren't going to use the DEET but it is now our friend. We have however just been introduced to Cutters Advanced...sent especially to one of our volunteers by her family who says it is better than DEET...it is a soldier against chiggers without using the dreaded DEET! It will be our next offense in the battle. If it works we will be asking for buckets of it from back the U.S.
Das all for now folks!
love to hear from ya
howan chic
Monday, July 30, 2007
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
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
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