My family not only sells tortillas, but they also have a Popsicle cart. They rig it up quite nice with the bicycle horn, and on hot days they rope the umbrella on a stick to create their own shade. The Paletas are tasty, especially the chocolate covered banana ones. It's a real banana flavor, not the fake taste. Yum Yum!

Belize City!

What a day, what a day! I wasn't expecting to go to Belize City so soon and would have rather gone for fun, but either way, I made it there and back. I was so nervous yesterday when told I would have to brave the bus ride by myself, but luckily I have the best host mom ever and she offered to go with me. She even went over to my Language and Culture Facilitator's house early early this morning to clarify what was going on and seeing if she should go with me. It was so great to have someone with me, and I think I'll be able to go on my own when I go back in a few weeks. The doctor visit was nothing major, just checking out the hole in my ear drum. I guess it's in a good spot, should heal on it's own, is not infected, and there's no permanent hearing loss. It's just uncomfortable. But yeah, I love my host mom. She takes care of me, going above and beyond anything I could have asked for, giving me motivation to learn K'ekchi. I want to express how grateful I am, but all I could do was give her a hug and say "tojo'kre" once we got home. Also, when we made it back I had pictures on my door. One on the outside from Jose', with High School Musical stickers and a speech bubble that said, "I love Amy as my friend." Then on the inside, Mario drew me a nice race car. I'll keep them both forever. When I was telling them about going to Belize City and also the trip I'll be taking tomorrow, they always ask, "You'll be back?" I'm already wondering what I will do when the answer is no... On a brighter note, I've noticed my family speaking more directly to me. I usually have a blank stare as my response, but sometimes I'm able to pick up on a few words. How exciting!
Technical training has been great as well. We went to interview the principal at the school here and she is quite the woman. Most principals here also teach or substitute which is what she was doing the past couple years, but now, since the school has grown, she is able to focus more on her administration. I have yet to understand what all that involves, but was amazed to hear she still has time to privately tutor a boy who had never been to school before and wanted to learn. She didn't want to put a 14 year old in with the Infant 1 four year olds so she took it upon herself to teach him. Wow, wow, wow! Plus she does training for all her teachers. I would like to follow her around for a day and can only hope the principal at the school in my placement site has half that ambition. Next week we'll get to observe a classroom, then take a student and do a diagnostic reading test.
Hope all is well with all of you.
Loves and Hugs! ~Amy

Host Family

While driving from Belmopan to Maya Mopan, I kept thinking to myself, "I don't want to be the first person dropped off," so of course as soon as the vehicle stopped I heard, "This is Amy's house." While unloading my bag I was also heard, "She doesn't speak English." What?!? I won't be able to talk to my host mom until I learn K'ekchi?!? Agh! But she did greet me in the most appropriate way, with a hug. Luckily my host sister knows English pretty well, and my host brothers know a little less, but they are all great teachers! My first lesson was counting to five and Mario was all over having me repeat it and trying to count on my own. Carolina is my pronunciation pro. We laugh a lot about all the words I can't say correctly. I just know I'm saying something completely different when I pronounce something wrong. Jose' kept pointing out things and telling me the K'ekchi word while I was washing my clothes on Sunday. Yes, I am hand washing my clothes, taking outdoor showers, using a latrine, and sleeping under my mosquito net.
Every meal is also an experience, not knowing for sure what I'm eating. Last night there was a hunk of this white substance on my plate. I took a big bite, leaving me with a mouthful of spongy cheese. I've quickly learned to take smaller bites. This afternoon I had some soup with vegetables and what I first thought was boiled chicken, because I really couldn't see what it was. As I went to get a piece my spoon easily cut through and came out yellow. First I was frightened, but then I realized it was just an enormous egg! Not only do we have dogs and chickens in our backyard, but also turkeys. Oh! And tul (banana) and mank (mango) trees. Overall the food has been fine, plus, my family owns a tortilla shop, so I have all the fresh corn tortillas I want with every meal.
It took me awhile to figure out who all lives at my house, but I think I know now, even though I'm not sure I've met everyone. It's hard to keep track because there are so many people that stop by and hang around, especially when the TV is on or we're playing cards, Pass the Pigs, or hide and seek. I love to play! Anything! It doesn't matter if you speak English, K'ekchi, Spanish, or Kriol; you can still have fun.
The days seem to be getting better and better. I've felt relaxed ever since being in Belize, but recently not so comfortable. It's hard for me not being able to communicate with those around me. I have to write down what I want to say to my host mom, like things as simple as asking to pack a lunch. I am starting to feel more comfortable though, especially when I remind myself I haven't even been here a full week. Last night was so great! I went to my host sister's house across town. She had four little boys and all they would do was smile. The oldest one started talking to me, asking if I knew Spanish. I told him I wanted to learn Spanish AND K'ekchi. His response, "Let's learn now." I was glad I had brought my language manual and I started by reading a story and asking him to translate it. Again, my pronounciation was off, which made it hard for him to know what I was saying. He told me to "Go home and just say the words over and over and over." I mentioned my brain hurting after learning so much which he didn't understand because learning was easy for him, "When I was born I had English and Spanish and K'ekchi all in my head." Haha! I'll never forget him saying that, or his laugh.

CBT

Community Based Training starts tomorrow!!
I'm so nervous to meet my Mayan family who is told to only speak to me in K'e Kchi! Agh! I'm learning K'e Kchi! I'll be moving to a village just outside the capital with three other education volunteers. I'm so excited! I'll be there five weeks learning to live as Belizean's live- hand washing my clothes, possibly using a latrine, sleeping under a mosquito net, etc. Right now I should be back in my hotel room soaking up my last few hours of AC, but instead I'm going to a children's center to help sew school uniforms. I haven't used a sewing machine for a few years, but I'm sure I'll find some way to help. I've been completely surrounded by other trainees and PC staff for the past week. I'm excited to have an opportunity to be around some locals. I love walking to the Peace Corps office every morning as the children in the community are walking to school, each wearing a nice uniform and a bright smile. During my program interview, the program manager asked if I would be interested in helping with activities outside of training teachers. Of course I was all over that. I want to be involved in my site as much as possible and would so love helping with those extra-curricular activities. Another side note. I was feeling a little down last night, but after a conversation with my roommate, I realized I was lacking in the hug department. She mentioned needing 15 hugs a day for emotional health, so I'm going to be more proactive in that area. Luckily, most of the other trainees enjoy hugs as much as I do.

Just letting you know...

I made it to BELIZE! Woot woot! Crazy how fast time is going already. Have I seriously been out of the country for 5 days, okay, now that I say that it doesn't seem like very long, but I feel I have adapted to the "taking it easy" lifestyle quite quickly. As soon as we arrived in Belmopan I felt this wave of relaxation, reassuring me that this is where I'm supposed to be.
Quick update on how I got here. I flew out of Omaha last Tuesday to get to DC before noon to check out the sites. On my shuttle van to the hotel I met three other soon to be Peace Corps trainees all getting ready to go to the Middle East. While in DC I was able to check out the museums and walk around the National Mall. I don't remember the Reflecting Pool being full of water or the fountain by the WWII Monument, both very beautiful. I don't know what it is with me and water, but I always am amazed. I think too, it was nice spending an extra day in our capital, being reminded of the greatness of the US. In the Museum of American History I saw the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. While it was right in front of me I had to take in a few heavy breaths to soak up the moment. I also went to Union Station, which brought back fun memories of elephants marching down the street. For supper I had my much wanted Reuben sandwich. While ordering I got a call from Eli, my Peace Corps buddy from Nebraska going to the Dominican Republic. I was excited to hear from him and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel, funny we didn't confirm we were staying at the same Holiday Inn. It all worked out though, we ended up meeting at the Washington Monument the next morning. Staging was informative, from the icebreaker to the departure logistics. Right away I knew I was going with the best 40 people, and having half of them as Facebook friends before meeting in DC helped a lot with names. After staging I went with a group of girls to a nice restaurant before calling it an early night, as we had to be up and in the lobby by 1:30am. I had a crazy dream that I was with a friend who was going to be waking up early to leave and I would then go back to sleep. When I woke up I realized I was the one leaving in the middle of the night. After that my stomach turned and I was more nervous than I had ever been. Maybe I was anxious about the flights, but the feeling was new and a little scary. Both flights were quick and I was able to sleep. On the layover in Miami I was able to cancel my cell phone and call family. My mom did really well up until saying good-bye when I heard her choke up a little. Before landing in Belize, I looked out the window and saw the beautiful coastline. I stared out the window until we landed and once on the ground another volunteer said, “Welcome home!” Ahhhh.... for the first couple days all I could do was say “Belize” over and over in my head, trying to convince myself I was actually here. And it didn't take me long to adopt the “take it easy” lifestyle. I feel so relaxed and reassured that this is where I'm supposed to be. We were greeted at the airport by staff and current volunteers who then joined us for lunch at an open air cafe'. I so love the rice and hot sauce! The conversation was great, too. One of the current volunteers sat across from me and gave us tips on what to expect. I'm excited to see them again, as I really didn't get the chance to meet many of them even though they stayed in Belmopan that evening because I was too tired to function. We had training again on Friday. I learned the 5 ways to stay healthy: don't get bit, don't get hit, don't get lit, don't do it, and don't eat sh**. I also found out the PCV in any other country stands for Peace Corps Volunteer, but in Belize it stands for Paid Caribbean Vacation. I'll keep telling myself that once I get to my site and start bathing and hand washing my clothes in the river. But really, right now I still feel I am on vacation. This weekend we went to a Mayan ruin and went swimming in the river-with a cliff to. Jump off of and a rope swing. So fun! The river was so clear with a rocky bottom, just beautiful. The ruin was spectacular. On Saturday we were also entertained during lunch by tradition Mayan and Mestizo music and dances. I need to look up the woman that was represented by a doll dancing around with a man inside. I was able to talk to the dancer, wanting so badly to ask to put the doll on myself and dance underneath it, but decided it wouldn't be a good idea especially after he offered to teach me Spanish if I married him. Not quite the conversation partner I was looking for. Haha! After river time on Sunday, we played kickball in the field across the street until dark. I still can't get over how early the sun sets- 6:30p. This makes me very sleepy very early and I constantly tell myself it's not time for bed yet. I woke up this morning around 6a without an alarm clock which is good, because I'm still not able to get mine to work. While listening to the lecture on development I was reminded of my reasons for coming. So far we've been pampered with nice beds, indoor plumbing, AC, and some even have warm showers. This will change on Thursday when we head to our Community Based Training Sites. I'll still be pretty close to Belmopan, but will be living with a host family. I'm starting to get a little nervous, especially since I don't know how we'll communicate. I guess the families were required to have children who know English, but I may end up in a home where the adults only speak their native language-I'm still not certain what that will be. I hope I'm able to deal with not being able to express myself clearly. We had our first survival Kriol lesson this afternoon, but I don't think that's the language I'll be learning during CBT. Learning a new language will be fun and exciting and humbling. I keep thinking back to the times I was in Mexico and then in Croatia, thinking of Samantha and Maya both, and how even though we couldn't talk to each other, we could still communicate and they felt they could approach me. I'm so thankful for that gift of approachability, now it will just be my frustration of not learning fast enough that will get in the way forming relationships. So I feel like I just wrote a lot and none of it makes sense, but all in all, I am a great place. Oh! And I think I'll get a cell phone tomorrow already. Yippee!