Happy Washing of Hands

October 15th was Global Hand Washing Day and to celebrate, Santa Teresa R.C. School dedicated a whole week to the cause and even had a parade! Throughout the week the teachers added hand-washing activities to their instruction and let their students get creative by making posters and singing songs. My favorite was the Infants, to the tune of Happy Birthday, "Happy washing of hands, happy washing of hands, cleaning all my little fingers, happy washing of hands."

PSE Writing Class

This year instead of helping Florentina with the math evening classes I will be leading my own session on writing. I wasn't sure how much I liked doing a class on my own because I really liked the set-up last year of co-teaching with Florentina, but I decided just to go with it and I've really enjoyed it so far. I was reminded that if I ever was to teach it would be the middle grades and I realized that I like teaching writing more than math because there really are no wrong answers. We talked about class expectations right away and they came up with their own, "communication and cooperation." I was really impressed with this and have found those two words to be quite inclusive when I refer back to them. The first week I had them write a letter to themselves and this really threw them off. "You want me to do what?" They thought I was crazy, but still did it anyway. My favorite was one who introduced himself, "My name is.... I am .... I live in....." But really, that's how they start their friendly letters so I understood where he was coming from. The second week I gave them a quote to journal about which was also a foreign concept but they gave it their best shot and my favorite from that was the following.
"This quote means to me that may be this "let the beauty we love be what we do" is telling us to love the beauty in what we do and the beauty will love us in what we do too. I find beutifull is by loving one another. and it would be one loving each other."
What we could all learn from 12 year old boys! I'm finding myself excited to plan the lessons and looking forward to class. What a pleasant surprise. If you have any fun writing games, send them my way. They really liked paper trail.
Loves and hugs!

Happy One Year as Volunteers!

I can't believe I've been in Belize over a year now, and this got me thinking...

You might have been in Belize too long
~when it's 75 and you're wanting a blanket for your afternoon nap.
~when you go to visit a neighbor and as soon as you walk in the house, start dancing to the marimba music playing on the radio without thinking twice.
~when you get excited about the Apple for Amy facebook group because you think you'll be sent real apples to TASTE test.
~when you can whistle by squeezing your bottom lip together and call that an accomplishment.
~when you state the obvious as a question.
~when you wonder what it feels like to not be itchy all the time.
~when you can drink a cup of powdered milk.
~when the latest news you have to share is the huge snake you saw while walking down the road and you feel the need to tell everyone in your village.
~when you fi.nally know the bus schedule. (well, I'm still working on this one :P)
~when you're wanting to learn how to make more and more so you can buy less and less.
~when you have a suitcase full of letters from home.
~when someone asks you to sing the national anthem and you start with, "O Land of the Free..."
~when you automatically look for a shilling bag hanging to throw your trash away. Agh! When you call a plastic bag a shilling bag.
~when you're making a list of favorite Belizean songs and have to take one off the list because you realize it's by Akon.

Whatever will I do when I come back to the States?

Loves and hugs!

More of Life

~While walking down the road I saw my neighbor walking from the corn mill with a container full of masa and since the thing to do here is ask obvious questions, I've picked up on it quickly, (so please excuse me if I bring this back with me to the States) I asked, "Are you going to bake?" She replied, "Are you willing?" We'll just say I've baked on a many banquet. And to clarify, baking is what they call flattening tortillas and a banquet is a low round table we sit around. I really like my neighbors to the west. The three girls are in their late 20s, only one is married with a baby and they all take care of him, what a lucky little boy. I always love to go visit them and see all their interactions with each other. The baby was born when I first arrived in Santa Teresa, now a year old. He's getting so big!
~Of the books I've read this past year, here are a few of my favorites: A Million Miles in A Thousand Years by Donald Miller, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, LAMB by Christopher Moore, Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, Belize, A Novel by Carlos Ledson Miller, and My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Currently I'm reading: Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins, Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, and The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw by Bruce Barcott. Plus I found a book of 365 prayers, blessings, and meditations from around the world so of course I'm enjoying that. My favorite so far, "Let the beauty we love be what we do."
~Along with the TFABB visits in October, January, and March, my mom and Jerry are also visiting in January, then Joanna and Beth in March, and maybe Justine in May. When are you coming to visit? :P I'm quite excited!
~While out visiting and tasting a golden plum for the first time a little boy told me, "You can try everything in Belize, not like in the States." A couple days later, Carlos, the same boy came to my house at lunch time, inviting me over, "We have something nice for you, Miss Amy." And indeed they did. Carlos and his father had went hunting the night before, getting a large gibnut. I think he thought I hadn't tried that yet either because he really wanted me to come. I guess while he was eating his own he remembered he wanted to invite me so left his bowl of caldo to come by my house and get me. And I'm so glad he did, how I love halau.
~Louisa knows everything like a good mother should. For example, I couldn't find my flashlight which made me sad because I was just without it for a week or so after taking it to town and having a mix up. She asked if I had taken it visiting but all I could think was no, because I hadn't been able to find it. In the middle of the night though I woke up thinking, "maybe I forgot to take it out of the bag I had been taking to visit" and Tada! There it was! So even though you didn't know I was without a flashlight yo can worry no longer. And if you're wondering how I got by, just know I'm well taken care of in my village. If ever I was visiting too late I was always escorted home, usually by nine year-olds.

More Little Bits

~If anyone wonders where I get my positive outlook on life, they need to meet my mother.
~I finished testing each student's reading level in record time, and not only do I already have pull-out reading groups set up but there are two teachers interested in learning how to administer the test! All I did was share the results and they were curious so I promised to show them the day I am in each one's class. Woot woot! Goal number one: Transfer of Skills! I had planned to do a tutorial workshop last year but it never happened. To me this is way better because the interest is there. I thought that would be the hardest part, even chatted with Kevina a bit on how we could get the teachers to see the results of the test were important enough to motivate them to learn how to then use the MICO DRA. I figured I had a year to work on this so when Mr. Pop asked aoubt the test I saw my in and thought, "yeah." Then when Mr. Ical wondered too, I thought, "oh yeah!" And back to reading groups. I'm downsizing the number of students to work with, and after Kevina's workshop have a better idea of what I'm doing. The reading will take place during gardening, allowing me to then help there when we finish. "Nab'al nab'al lix q'atz'ol." (we read a lot) from the song Mr. Chub wrote.
~I'm helping with the Peace Corps 2010 Annual Report we will distribute to stakeholders, counterparts, potential counterparts, Washington, current volunteers, etc. Peace Corps Belize used to make a year book which was more for the volunteers but that was a few years back so this is a first and I'm pretty excited about it. Our theme for the booklet is, "Because we work together," so we're collecting success stories plus trying to get volunteers to inform the committee of upcoming events to come take pictures, videos, and interviews. Our goal is to show the importance of building relationships in country and not only are we making a difference in the lives of Belizeans, but being here has a huge impact on our own lives, which is what I'm experiencing and am remided of everyday.
~Anne Marshall, a TFABB Volunteer working with the preschool came back to Belize a month before the workshop to spend July sharing the beautiful country with her family. I didn't think I would get to see her when they first came in, but because of Tropical Storm Alex, we were not able to stay in Placencia for Lobsterfest so instead I was in town and got to spend a whole Sunday with Anne and her two children. I just have to say I enjoyed it so much, maybe because it was unexpected, but it was so nice. What great kids she has! I feel very lucky to be working with TFABB, not only because it's great for the school, but also the wonderful TFABBers I've been able to get to know.
~I have a problem leaving umbrellas. If I would buy one everytime I lose one and carry it with me in case it would rain, who knows how much money I would waste. Instead I'll wait until it is raining, if there's noone around to share nor a shop to buy one quick, I'll either get wet or stay where it's dry. So I guess umbrellas aren't as important as I thought they would be here.

San Lucas Visit

One night I asked Petrona, my host mom's sister if she would like to walk with me in the morning since it was her week off - she works at the Health clinic every other week. She was happy to walk with me then remembered she wanted to visit her aunt in San Lucas so invited me to go along. Of course! We planned to leave at 9:00 am which ended up being... 9:10, very good. It seems to me that people in Santa Teresa usually show up when they say they will. We decided to take our bikes which I was very happy we did because our travel time was cut in half at least. It ended up taking about an hour to bike the 4 miles or so to San Lucas. When we reached Petrona's aunt's house we rested and had our coffee. We then walked down to the creek to see the raxiru ha' (clear blue water). It was so beautiful and peaceful to put our feet in to cool off. While sitting beside the creek Petrona mentioned wanting to imporve her English and asked if I would help her. She wanted to be able to understand "big words" and felt even just talking with me would be beneficial as it has been a long time since she was in school and she doesn't have the chance to practice while at home because they always speak Ke'kchi. I told her I would want to learn more Ke'kchi. We both like to hear the other speak their home language and hope spending time together we'll improve our secondary ones by exchanging what we know and simply having conversation. Petrona thought we should start son and she would come over every evening she can around 7:00. I'll teach her English one night and she'll teach me Ke'kchi the next. What a great idea! I hope it works out as well as I think it should. Yippee! After our rest by the creek we went back to her aunt's house where I got to see someone using the grinding stone for the first time. The masa was so easy to flatten after being passed through the stone and I was happy to bake in San Lucas. We ate our chya (like kalaloo)(like spinach) with corn tortilla, rested again in the hammocks this time, then were on our way back to Santa Teresa. I wasn't sure how long the visit would be when I agreed to go along, but the timing was perfect, a total of four hours, including the two hours to get there and back. Petrona told me she would ask me again when she goes to visit. We both agree it's better to ride alongside someone else. Loves and Hugs!

Little Bits of Life

~I absolutely love, love, love that I still have at least one letter waiting for me when I go to the post office. Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement, and prayers. I could not be doing what I'm doing if I felt I was doing it alone. I have a few very loyal penpals and enjoy random notes like from my new friend from the Philippines and even Nebraska's very own US Senator, Mike Johanns.
~I tried out my new pumice stone I picked up in Barranco awhile ago. I did an experiment, only scrubbing one foot and wow, there was quite a difference. After I did my own I asked Hillaria if I could wash her feet. I couldn't believe all the scars and roughness and she's only eleven. I actually was surprised she let me was her feet and how much I enjoyed doing it. I hope some of the ladies will let me, too. I'll just have to take along my stone when I go to visit. After I finished Hillaria's scrub, I put some lotion on her feet. "sununk" - smells nice. While leaving my house she was cute saying, "Thanks Amy" and " I won't dirty my feet now, I will wear my slippers." Which was what she did after carefully walking to find them. That girl makes me smile more than anything.
~Both Alejandro and Martha will be attending high school. I was a little nervous at first because comments were made that there might not be enough money to send them both but Martha will try her best at Corazon Creek Technical High School and Alejandro will finish his last year at Julian Cho. He finished first in the construction department last year. Way to go! So happy I'll be here to see him graduate.
~I always say "Bless you," when someone sneezes although in Belize it is believed that someone is asking for you. I forgot how to say this correctly in K'ekchi so I asked the young girl I was with what to say when someone sneezes. Her response, "Tyok'at chi atisimak." Which confused me more as I must have been way off. I asked her to translate since it sounded different than the little I remembered. She said, "You are sneezing." Of course that is what you would say!
~I've been visiting families I hadn't had a chance to yet and it's been so great! I'm always reminded Santa Teresa is full of sweet people and I'm lucky to live here. It helped me get over my year slump that's for sure.

LIBRARY!!!

That was quick! After the consolidation I was excited to get back and ask Mr. Chub if he heard from the Library Service. Better than that - they came to Santa Teresa for a meeting and luckily the community members were already assembled by the Alcalde. Everyone is on board and they have high hopes of a large library and someday computer lab that would even serve surrounding communities as Santa Teresa is a very central location. I couldn't keep from smiling while Mr. Chub was telling me this, with chills up and down my spine and goosebumps covering my arms and legs. I was just SO happy! Woot woot! All of these are future plans, of course, but the steps to be taken now are underway. A few men from the village were interested in being librarians and after looking at qualifications and stability one was chosen. Mr. Teul was a teacher in Jordan but is no longer. The Library Service liked how he had the educational experience and is established in the community. He's already taking part in librarian training in Belize City. Wow! Wow! Wow! Next, we will box up our books and send them to be labeled and cataloged. Mr. Chub has asked me if I could be in charge of email connections with the Library Service and a group who is wanting to build a library. I guess they had told him before but at the time he had his focus elsewhere. I'll find this group from Tennessee, if not, look for another interested party. Yay! I think the best part of all this was that I had a very small role. 1) Believing it would happen,, 2) Connecting people, and now 3) Encouraging the follow through. Three Things I LOVE to do! And again, here I am, things falling in my lap, leaving me to just celebrate all the good that's happening in Santa Teresa. Loves and Hugs!

I never travel alone...

...I always meet a friend.

One thing I love about traveling by bus throughout Belize is all the people I have met, and it seems like I meet more people when I'm making a trip by myself for one reason or another. I'm not sure you'll enjoy reading this entry as much as I'll enjoy writing it, but if anything you'll realize, if you didn't know already, how much I enjoy meeting new people and finding connections. Once while waiting for the bus in Independence I met a couple volunteering in Antigua. Within minutes not only were we chatting about our nice stay in Placencia but were already sharing for sure, snacks we had just bought at the shop. One was from London and the other Argentina. I loved hearing about their organization which focused on training Guatemalans in business development. Awhile later a man from Montana joined us answering questions about his own life story and was curious to hear each of ours. He was a researcher, spending much time out in the wild. One thing we all had in common was our daily breakfast of oatmeal which brought a few laughs and suggestions one what to add to spice it up a little. The best part, none of us knew what time the bus would reach, nor were we too stressed about it. We ended up waiting quite a while. I feel like this wouldn't happen in the States, first of all, you wouldn't wait at a "bus stop" (the sidewalk in front of a store) for an hour and a half and maybe that's the biggest difference. I did enjoy, too, seeing another volunteer through a different organization I had met once in Punta Gorda on her way north to Belize City while waiting for the bus south. She opened her window to talk to me and I was reminded of Belize's smallness and how much I love being here for that reason. Then once I finally got on the bus I ended up sitting next to another white girl. I was curious to ask about her stay in Belize, feeling talkative after such a fun wait and found out she lived with her family outside PG. They run an outreach center, putting on a camp each summer. They also own a coffee house next to the University, which I have yet to go to. I guess they put Bible verses on their take-out boxes as they use the place for their ministry. The Antigua couple were wondering about the water taxi and I did all I could to help and make sure to point them in the right direction once we got to town, which reminds me of another time being on the bus with some volunteers from Germany traveling a bit during their stay in Guatemala. We talked about the wonderfulness of home-stay families and I just loved how before we made it to Punta Gorda, they knew all they needed to know about the Toledo District, luckily a PCV who lived in town was there to give them the whole scoop. I do have to say Peace Corps appeals to a certain group of individuals that are more willing to go out of their way to help others, but being in Belize encourages this even more. Everyone here is amazingly helpful. Helpful and inviting.
I'll never forget sitting next to a girl on the last bus from Belmopan to PG. I always seem to start the conversation with, "You coming from Belize (City)? / Going all the way to PG?" And from there the responses are limitless, usually finding out more information than I would have asked for. This girl was heading home for her sister's wedding after a week of work at the hospital in Belize City. She told me about her about her year studying nursing in the States, how nice the family was that she stayed with and how it would be great to visit again, but there was no place like home. I was curious which hospital she worked at, feeling I knew Belize Heath Care Partners facility quite well having been there my fair share of times and that's exactly where she worked! Before I knew it I was invited to her sister's wedding. Ha ha! Now that's Belize!
Another waiting for the bus conversation was with a guy from Guatemala now living in Red Bank. He talked up the beauty of the village and all the scarlet macaws and went on to share his education hardships. I must have a sign on me that says, "Talk to me. I'm listening." And I hope that never goes away because I love it! Like another time riding the express from Belmopan to PG I sat next to Calvin Choco from San Miguel and couldn't believe how talkative he was, then saw him in town a few days later. I won't see him much because he works at a resort in Cayo which I heard all about. I was able to throw in some K'ekchi and he was surprised to find out I knew how to make kuxtals.
And now for a couple marked bus experiences. One morning a young girl from Blue Creek sat next to me, telling me all about her visit to Silver Creek, her family, her friends, school, anything and everything. I think she tested my K'ekchi vocabulary and if only I always traveled with cards, we would have played cards, too. It's amazing all you can do during a bus ride. She was the sweetest little girl that Vivianna Ack and before getting off at Dump she said, "I will always remember you," which she actually might. I was getting off the bus another time and while walking past her window she opened it to say hello and once while in Blue Creek I went to the shop and found out it is her family that owns it. She again asked if I knew her, of course I did. The other was on the way back to Santa Teresa on the Poite bus. One of the high school girls from Poite was in the seat across from me and asked if I was the Peace Corps in Santa Teresa. We talked about the Mas boys, my host brothers she went to high school with and Miss Lilly, her best friend. And apparently this five minute conversation made us best friends as well because the next time I saw Lilly she had a message for me from her. "May God bless all your friends as you are traveling to Belmopan for your meeting and especially may God bless Miss Amy in Santa Teresa." Are you feeling the love that I am? I need to write a whole post about how wonderful it is to visit other villages and know the people there, namely Poite and Silver Creek and soon Barranco, I'm sure.
With all these fun experiences one can only expect I was looking for conversations when traveling for my visit home. I was sure to talk to those sitting next to me on each plane ride, the first flight sat next to Belizeans living in New York with high thoughts of Peace Corps. Once in Houston on my way back to Belize not only was I wishing for conversation, scoping out the passengers wondering who I would sit next to, I was also looking for people I knew which seemed crazy, but I did end up seeing a preschool teacher from Toledo. I never got the chance to talk to her but did enjoy seeing a familiar face. I did however guess who I would be sitting by. I noticed a 20 something guy with long curly hair and a guitar and thought to myself, "that's who I want to sit by," and sure enough! Ha ha! Miguel was from California and doing a work exchange somewhere in Cayo. I got a little nervous for him while he was explaining the situation and latest contact with the place, but felt much better before getting off the bus in Belmopan, leaving him to keep going on to San Ignacio. So anyways... there are more stories for sure, but I think you've had enough for now.
Loves and Hugs!