a wild navidad

LIfe in Antigua continues to go well.  It is absolutely beautiful here amidst the volcanoes and colonial architecture.  The city is also a hub for international travelers of all sorts, so I have had no shortage of people with which to share in Christmas cheer.  Honestly, I haven't even had to use Spanish all that much because of the mobs of foreigners, but I am OK with that, I am on vacation (my mantra of the week).

 

Christmas dinner was spent way up on a hill overlooking the city at a hostel/farm called Earth Lodge.  They cooked an excellent organic feast,complete with honey glazed ham that was raised on the farm.  It was excellent:garlic mashed potatoes, fresh bread, veggies,ham,and pumpkin pie for dessert.  Amazing!  The evening was capped back in town at a Irish pub just jammed packed with travelers.  The place stayed open until 3am so that all the lonely backpackers and expats could drink and dance the night away.  I didn't see santa, but I did see a an Irish man do a jig on a table with a bottle of rum in his hands. 

 

So today I will have another traditional dinner at the Black Cat and then turn in early.  Tomorrow is ladies night and wednesday I plan on hiking a volcanoe.  Enjoy a few select pics.  More to follow soon.

On the eve

Hello all and a Feliz Navidad

 

I made it to Antigua, bad Spanish and all.  It was not too dramatic,though I did have a bit of time changing money in Guatemala city.  I will update more completely later, but I am doing well and will spend this evening with peeps from the hostel, feasting on vegetarian delights and overlooking one of the most beautiful spots I have been to in Central America.

 

Best wishes

Ode to fruit

Pineapple is good.  Pineapple is very good when eaten in a hammock.  Pineapple is soooooo good when eaten in a hammock during a rainstorm.  I think I have gotten over plain old apples and moved on to bigger and better things.  Don't get me wrong, dear Gala's, nothing can ever replace the crispy goodness of an Eastern Washington apple right off the tree.  It's just that, well, the mushy imported fruits that call themselves apples here have forced me to explore, to experiment.  A new daily fruit to keep the doctor away, that's if there were a qualified doctor within 50 miles of me.

So my current obsession is in the sweet tartness of pineapple, but I have to give credit to the mango as well.  While noticeably absent in recent months due to the passing of Mango Season (Apr – Sep), the mango is not to be dismissed like a cabbie yelling white gyal.  Did you know that there are 13 varieties of mangoes available in Belize?  I'd be willing to bet that there are hundreds more, though my friends working hard over there in Africa would have to verify that one.  Some are sweeter, smaller, bigger, smoother, stringier, etc., etc, and everyone has their personal variety.  I'll let you know when they are back in season. 

Oh my gosh, I forgot the apple-bananas, a close runner up to the pineapple.  A miniature version of the regular banana, it really does have tart after-taste that splashes of Granny Smith.  These little things go quick at the market, so you have to be there pre-6am to get a good bunch, but man is it worth it.  So, to the Washington apples I so dearly miss, your taste is but a memory but your name lives on the fruit that keeps me being me.

Christmas Plans

To celebrate my sixth month anniversary of being in Belize I am leaving
Belize. No, not permanently, but even volunteers need a vacation every now
and then, es verdad? Instead of spending Christmas in the village, which I
am sure would be an interesting experience, I am traveling to Antigua,
Guatemala. Known for its location in the volcanic highlands and its
colonial architecture, it is a hot spot for backpacking
Euro-twenty-somethings. I'm not complaining.

I leave Belize via boat on the 23rd and return via boat on the 28th. Its
about 7 hours each way from Punta Gorda, which is only one hour more than it
takes me to get to Belize City. Not to mention it is cheaper for me to
travel across Guatemala than through Belize. My plans for the week are to
enjoy the vast array of foods and coffee products that are nonexistent in
Belize as well as attend Mass on Christmas eve. Did I mention that this
trip is solo? Well, turns out I have no friends. Just kidding. I probably
could have convinced someone to travel with me, but sometimes traveling
alone leads to adventures that would be impossible in the comforts of a
group. So look forward to pictures and stories from Shella's week abroad.

The truth is, this trip is planned as one big distraction, because I am
going to miss my family, friends, and the Pac NW so much. I love you all
and I can't thank you guys enough for all the wonderful goodies that I have
received. Feliz Navidad.

just call me coach

Much like the rest of the Latin world, futbol (aka soccer) is a pretty big thing here in Belize.  This fact has put me at a bit of disadvantage since I somehow missed the youth soccer boat as a child.  Never-the-less, I was appointed honorary coach of Team PCV Belize this past week.  In an effort to promote peace through male athleticism, a group of our peace corps volunteers travel from village to village playing local teams.  Why they asked me, I know not.  Perhaps it is because I was their only spectator at their first game, but for whatever reason I am in psuedo in charge. 

Our record is now 1-2, but we are hopeful that team jerseys and some conditioning will lead to better performances in our upcoming showings.  Check out the pictures from the last game against Laguna village.  They outplayed us 7 to 0 but we did get to play on the Belize National Field, quite the honor.  Now, back to the village after a week in Belize City, more to come later.

power of power

One week.  That is how long I lacked power.  In the states, if my house or apartment had lacked power for an entire week, I would have considered myself living under great hardship, but in Belize, one week is a miraculously short period of time to wait for a basic service.  But I did get electricity, in a most typically developing country fashion.

On Monday I dropped off my little signed piece of paper that showed that I had indeed had a a certified electrician hook up my single light and two outlets.  The lady at Belize Electricity Limited at first did not believe me, and accused me of trying to cheat the system, but after a call from the actual electrician, they decided to put my work order in their pile.  It should be just a couple of days, she told me.  Well, the rest of the week went by, no BEL.  In the meantime I lived a perfectly romantic life of candlelight cooking, dining, and reading.  Of course, I had to supplement with my headlamp, but for the most part I burned candles.

Friday came and I had almost given up hope of being able to flip my brand new light switch and get a response, when what should come cruising down the road but a BEL truck.  But wait, why didn't they stop?  They blew past my house at about 30 miles per hour, not even glancing at my disconnected meter wires. They weren't getting away this easy, and with my road being a one-way trip into the jungle, I knew that they would have to come back.  Sure enough, a little while later the truck appeared on the horizon and I flagged them down.  The driver stopped and listened to my plea about turning in my work order and living with no light.  Not so surprisingly, he hadn't heard a thing about it. It would only take him about 10 minutes to connect my house to power, but he didn't have any meters on him.  I smiled and thanked him and told him that I understood, and that I knew that he had a tough job.  Well, he said, maybe his partner that was reading meters would be able to help, and he would be right back.  5 minutes later they were back, connecting my lines without the meter and before I knew it they were on there way. They told me not to worry about telling BEL, that they would be back with a meter, but for now I had free electricity.  I guess the helpless woman act is universal.

Thanks Giving

Wrapped up in my colorful, Caribbean blanket, sipping my hot coffee and eating a bowl of oatmeal, I can almost imagine an Autumn day.  A bouquet of golden-fire hued foliage sent by a friend add to the illusion. By the by, the steaming coffee and oatmeal are simply a misguided attempt to recreate a Northwest November morning - I am really cold.

Over the past week Belize has been experiencing a formidable cold front. A month ago I would have scoffed at the idea of donning socks, pants, and 2 long sleeve shirts before crawling into my REI sleeping bag. But with lows dipping into the 50's at night, I'm doing my best to stay warm in my breezy house.

In addition to being Thanksgiving, it was also my first morning in my new home.  I call it my Blue Creek Studio.  At 12 by 18 feet, it's cozy, but holds anything and everything Missy and I could possibly want. A bed, a hammock, a table, bookshelf, stove, and mini-fridge.  Kind of like college sans the running water and glass windows. I had a wonderful experience with my host family, but having my own space allows me a speck of control of my schedule, diet, and music selection (except when the neighboring Pentecostal Church is having service, then it's synthesizer Holy Pop for 3 hours whether I like it or not).

So my life is good.  I ate my first solo Thanksgiving, well, solo.  I fixed a lovely meal of curried rice and stewed cabbage and ate by candlelight.  Not because it is romantic, though it was, but because I wont have electricity until next week. I wasn't even lonely.  Mostly I was thankful: for my health, for my food, and most of all for having the guts to do this whole adventure and for all the people in my life who support me along the way.  Love.

By the Carib Sea

Most days I forget where in the world I am located.  From my densely jungled vantage point, I could be in the middle of the Amazon or the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for as close as I feel to the actual Caribbean Sea.  Today I was reminded, that yes, I do live in a country that has a coast line, islands, and beaches that attract people from all over the world, and that I too can enjoy these awesome natural assets.

So at 10 am this morning I found myself snorkeling in crystal clear blue waters, in awe of the coral and fish, basking in the tropical sun, all for the bargain basement price of absolutely nothing.  How did I manage this, you ask? Well, turns out being a Peace Corps Volunteer isn't all about hardship and crazy diseases.  It is also about getting in with the right people, so that when a class trip from the U. of Belize has an extra space on the boat out to some fabulous marine reserve, you manage to get your American butt in that seat. 

So there I was, snorkeling for the first time, enjoying it beyond all expectations, when a sting ray the size of a manhole cover goes floating right by me, with three barracudas in tow.  I was later to learn that its not the sting ray I should worry about, but the barracudas.  Anyways, the point of this whole thing is that I wasn't even scared.  I even started to follow the ray, from a safe distance, just because I was so entranced by this whole underwater world.  I am even considering scuba as a feasible option, something that may shock all of my dear friends and family.  The best part about the day, I made it home in time for a nap and dinner.  Two hours from jungle to reef, what a life. 

medical evacuation

Last Thursday I had a pretty unfortunate day.  Over 4.5 months in a tropical climate, and I finally came down with my first strange illness.  It was quite a day, and for those who are interested, I will relate my version, but it is clouded by a really high temperature and severe pain, so I am attaching a link to my sitemate Jeff's blog and his capable words. http://www.jeffinbelize.blogspot.com/

Boo

Halloween has always been one of my favorite heathen holidays. There is really no other point to it  other than dressing up, having a big party, acting silly, and eating lots of sugar. Thankfully these things are also true here in Belize, at least in the world of Peace Corps volunteers who occasionally need a reason to gather and pretend that we are still Americans and that there is some normalcy to our crazy lives.

So me as the Belizean Tooth Fairy traveled to Cayo, 6 hours each way, to mingle with a coral snake, the Prime Minister (who had no pants on), superman, a witch, a few cross dressers, and a host of other weirdos.  I got the farthest traveled award, not to mention the best dental work done out of aluminum foil. 

Now it is almost November and there is a surprisingly refreshing breeze blowing through Toledo.  I got a little chilly last night as the temperatures dipped into the mid 70's, so I went out and purchased my first blanket.  Compared to last week of 100's, the mid 80's are feeling very very nice, and rumor has it that by Christmas I may see 60 degrees.  One can only hope. 

My sitemate, Jeff, was recently interviewed for his hometown newspaper in Manchester, Maine, and it was a nice article and worth a read. Here is the link
Taking to village life <http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/3254457.shtml>.

Chalk Dust

Someone must have slipped something into my tortillas this week.  On Monday, after a weekend of attending an all day meeting on co-management of a national park, I found myself teaching.  In a classroom, all day,  with 21 12-14 year olds in it.  It gets better.  I also did the same thing on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Temporary insanity, you assume, or a was it a clever plan to get on the good side of the primary school in Blue Creek in order to secure the vacant teacher's house for my permanent residence. 

Either way, I voluntarily agreed to take over the principals classes this week while he was at a workshop.  If I ever had any delusions of being a teacher, this thoroughly dismissed them.  It brought me back to the days when I had substitute teachers in school, because that is how I was treated.  I was rarely listened to, got a tongue or two stuck out at me, and was challenged to lash them by one of the students.  But other than that, it was fine.  Or at least it was fine by me that I couldn't understand what they were saying to each other because it was all in Maya.  It is too bad that they are not all that interested in learning, because the students are so far behind even other kids in Belize.  So I stuck it out and tried to help the students who really wanted to learn, and there were a few.

Now the week is over, thank God, and I am on my way to Cayo to celebrate a truly American holiday. I am going as the Belizean tooth fairy, all I need now is a grill (if you don't know, don't ask). 

Mi Gattito, Ms. Missy

I was planning on getting a cat from the day I signed up for the peace corps, so when my neighbor and friend, Ms. Ofelia, told me that her cat had kittens, I was thrilled.  How convenient, 4 little furry bundles to choose from just down the road from me.  6 weeks later, I eagerly picked one out and brought it home for my very own. 

I named her Missy, mostly because the Mayan word for cat is mis and the younger children don't speak any English and they like to point at her and say, "Bella, bella, mis, mis."  By the way, bella bella is what the two youngest have started calling me, which is pretty cute. 

So now I have a really really scrawny, scruffy, needy kitten.  I am sure it will get bigger and eventually become cute, but right now it looks like it has been through the ringer.  I have been catching it some sardines in the river for dinner and giving it eggs and bread for lunch.  I am going to try and make it a little bit fat, it for nothing else but the novelty of having a fat cat in a world of skin and bone felines.  I want to get her fixed, but I was told that if you take your animal to the vet in PG to get fixed, you have about a 50/50 chance of getting it back.  I'll put up some pictures of my little mis.

In other news, the heat is back, with a vengeance.  I don't know what it is, but after the weekend in PG, someone turned the thermostat up and I have been hiding indoors, sweating like a champ.  I am waiting, patiently, for this thing they call the cool season.  Let me tell you, doing yoga is tough when you are sweating so much that you are pooling on your mat.  Gross, is all I have to say.

Upcoming: Monday - my first community meeting with the entire village, kinda scary. Tuesday - begin teaching computer classes at the primary school. 2 computers, 1 teacher, 20 kids, you do the math.

 

A quick little update

I just returned from spending a week and a half in Belize City, which after 5 solid weeks in the bush is quite a culture shock of its own.  Three months ago I would have hardly called Belize City the center of civilization, but entering the bustling metropolis I couldn't help but recall Eddie Murphy's character in Coming To America (I didn't go out and buy any leopard print rugs or hot-tubs though). 

Staying out past midnight, eating pizza, good chinese (which is distinct from bad chinese in this country), and Indian food, and watching the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy all added to the mystic.  Not to mention that I was able to see my mother and step-dad as they were in the neighborhood thanks to Carnival Cruise Line.  They rewarded my 3 months in this crazy little country with a full suitcase of goodies, not least among the stash were two jars of fresh raspberry jam, which I am now selfishly hoarding until I am able to make pancakes. 

Now I am back in Blue Creek and rumor has it that I may soon have internet access, perhaps in my house.  I am not going to hold my breath, but it would be nice.  This week my agenda includes: meeting with the village chairman, the Alcalde (another leader), the PTA chairman, and the principal of the primary school.  I am planning a meeting with the entire village for sometime in October, which will most definitely include some primo use of PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) techniques.  Long term plans are starting to get more defined.  Here are some plans for Blue Creek and the future:
* Health and HIV education - you wouldn't think a Mayan village would need this, but with no knowledge of birth control and men seeking work in the resort towns, this has become a major issues.
* Adult literacy - I would venture to guess that at least half of the people in my village can not read or write.  Most adults never went beyond grade 6, so this will be a big task.
* Craft/women's group - Once I can bring the women together to talk about health, I want to raise the issue of forming a craft cooperative to take advantage of the tourism that frequents this place.
* Library - Like every good peace corps volunteer that has ever come before me, I will probably be working with the library.  Look forward to me begging for books in the near future.

Thanks for reading and I love you all.

Mayan Life

Tomorrow I will travel up to Belize City, the hub and bub of civilization in this tiny little country. To prepare, I faced a mountain of washing, which doubled when I opened up my second bag to discover that mold had begun to take over all of the “business casual” clothes that I had thoughtfully set aside. So I piled it all into my plastic “pig-tail” bucket, sprinkled it with powdered biodegradable soap and carefully made my way down to the flooded river. I wasn’t thrilled with having to wash my clothes in the brownish waters of last night’s rain, but as the Maytag Ferry Godmother has yet to plop a deluxe washer and dryer onto the steps of my hut, it seemed my only option.

Around the pig-pen and to the muddy trail that leads to the usually clear blue river. One step, no problem, two steps, a little slip, three steps and down I went. Soapy clothes and Shella slide down the muddy embankment. My Mayan mom giggles at my white girl awkwardness as I try my best not to swear. I attempt to regain my composure as I pile the clothes bag into the bucket, grab some more soap, and try it again. Success. I made it to my rock and washing can commence. Balancing in the rivers current up to my waist, grab a garment, sprinkle with more soap, and scrub scrub scrub against nature’s washboard. For particularly tough stains and to relieve some aggression, take a sturdy shirt and wail it against the rock repeatedly. This somehow knocks the dirt senseless or sends it running out of the collar and into the hills. Repeat the process for a good hour or until you are ready to pass out from the heat.

At this point I am rewarded by a quick submersion into the cool waters. Load everything up and brave the hill again, this time being extra careful not to spill my freshly washed wardrobe. Now I ready for my trip to the big city. First stop, Laundromat Land.

Vacation from my vacation

Sep. 15th: Someone convinced me to stay in town for the weekend. I was just going to come to PG for the night, but it being St. Georges Caye day on Monday, it turned into a three-day weekend. I don't really know much about the actual holiday except that there is a nifty song on the radio about it and it is about defending the country against those annoying Spanish Conquestadors. Highlights of the celebrations here in PG included a fire truck parade tonight (PG has one fire truck) and a greased pole. Don't ask me about the greased pole, all I was told is that they put a greased pole out in the ocean and people try to climb up it. I never did get to see the actual event, but the fire truck parade was the highlight of our mundane evening. One fire truck spraying water, two police cars with lights on, and a whole bunch of people on their beach cruisers (the bike of choice throughout Belize).

Other highlights of my holiday weekend include:
- showering in shower, with hot water non-the-less
- eating veggie burgers
- eating BBQ
- drinking real coffee
- socializing with volunteers from the Jesuit Volunteers International (JVI's)
- sitting at Dwight and Judy's house (older married PVC's) watching the ocean, drinking rum & coke, and eating fresh guac.
(If you notice a pattern of eating and drinking, that is no coincidence)

Now it is Friday and somehow another week has passed in Blue Creek. I met some more people and am in the process of planning several meetings and doing house-to-house surveys about the village in order to compile a profile for the community. It will be a busy next couple of months. Well, busy is relative, but I should at least have one or two things to accomplish on most days, and that is a big deal in my current life.

chickens on my mosquito net

Sep 9: I keep trying to write to this thing and it keeps sending back error messages and then erasing my fine writing. That really makes me mad because I have been writing such lovely messages about all the fun adventures and great things that occur in Blue Creek. For now I will say that life is splendid, three weeks and I starting to really know my way around the village. It is tiny, so that is not the hard part.

I am learning more about my project, and will be doing some actual research as part of my first three months in site by construction a profile of the village through interviews and focus groups. This will kind of baseline for the projects that I will be implementing with the village council.

Other than reading about potential projects and how to do my job, I am keeping busy by playing with the family, learning how to kill and clean chickens, washing clothes, and keeping the chickens from laying eggs in my room. This is a tough job, and I am surprised how persistent those things can be when they really want to hang out with me. The rain has also been tough. Well, not really the rain, since that comes mostly at night, but the mud. Instead of sand between my toes, I usually have a constant layer of mud covering my Chaco tanned feet. Thats fine, it keeps the bugs from biting them.

I'll write a more witty entry later, but time in is money, blah blah blah. Love from Toledo.

A Guilty Pleasure

I can honestly say that I enjoy tortillas, both flour and corn varieties, and have even made the effort to learn the art of making them.  If I do say so, I am not too bad at it either.  I am also a fan of beans: stewed, fried, and refried.  But there comes a time in every person's life when the tortilla-bean combo reaches the point of maximum utility, where no more pleasure can be obtained from this simple meal.  This point came tonight.  My family here in Blue Creek spoils me, they really do, and this particular evening I was served a couple of tasty pieces of fried chicken (which I discretely nibbled and fed to the animals due to the parasite that has taken over my intestines) along with tortillas, of the flour variety.  As I looked at that familiar source of carbs, I remembered when I used to relish this piece of flat bread when covered with peanut butter and honey.  Oh, but I have peanut butter and honey in my room, I conspired.  How, I thought, do I get this warm tortilla away from the table and into my room where I can secretly smother it in gooey peanuty sweetness?  The perfect opportunity came when my siblings went outside to greet a visitor and I hastily stuffed the tortilla under my shirt and walked casually, holding my stomach as one does when one is "stuffed" and walked back to my hut.  There I used the handle of my borrowed spoon to cover my stolen tortilla with my stashed spread.  Man, what goodness.  I sat in my hammock, licking honey off my fingers as I enjoyed my dinner, a little bit guiltily, knowing that what I had just done would have required too much explanation to make asking simply for the tortilla worthwhile. 

UPDATE: Since I wrote this account, they (being my host family) "discovered" my peanut butter stash.  I am not sure how they did this, I suspect hidden cameras, but they did.  I only discovered this in the morning, when they suggested I could use some of my peanut butter on my fry jacks.  I was a little paranoid, but I have already come to accept my total lack of privacy and have moved on with life.

March of the Ants

There are just some things that you cannot mentally prepare for when living in the jungle.  I was ready for bathing in the river, cooking over a kamal, taking malaria pills and sleeping under a net - but I was not prepared for the Marching Ants.  Saturday afternoon my brother Nester came to me and said, "Shella, the ants are blocking my way into the house."  Well Nester, can't you just brush them aside.  "No Shella, there are too many."  Well, this house that he speaks of is also the house that houses me and all of my worldly possessions, so I thought that this ant problem was worth a look.  I glanced over at his entrance, and sure enough there were tons of ants.  I opened my door, but did not see any in my room.  No problem, they didn't come inside.  I went about the afternoon and when I went back in to grab something, my room had been invaded. They were everywhere!  Marching up and down my walls, over my mosquito net, into my backpack - it was a nightmare!  The worst part was that they were chasing roaches all over the place and carrying the bodies of large insects along their line.  Great, not just ants, but killer ones. 

I didn't know what to do, so I grabbed my bike and raced over to Ms. Ophelia's, the women who I work with in Blue Creek and the owner of the "one stop shop."  She must have some ant killer, I thought.  I raced up her steps and started telling her about my problem.  Oh, she said, I have ant spray, but that wont help, they will just stay until they are done cleaning up.  She explained that they just keep going, cleaning up dead insects and chasing out roaches.  So I went back and surveyed.  There they were, in all of my things, going about their business and there was nothing I could do about it.  So I waited.  I went to the main house, went to river and bathed, ate dinner, and waited.  Sure enough, sometime before I went to bed, they disappeared.  Not one to be found.  They had moved on to some other house to do their cleaning, and all I had to show for their visit were two wicked bites on my foot where I had accidentally crossed their path. 

Just a lesson in patience from the bush.

Moving Day

By some freak of nature that I will not question, I am getting internet in my hut right now.

I write this from my little Mac, which is on a table in a room halfway between Punta Gorda and Guatemala.  Yesterday I arrived home and for the first time in 2 plus months unpacked my bag.  I put maps on the walls and set up some pictures.  I look out the window at jungle and a crystal clear turquoise river.  Things from now move slow, so all I can do is be patient and breath.

Thursday left Belize City and said goodbye to all of my companions of the first month and a half. When looking at a map of Belize, Toledo is the farthest district south and has the fewest roads, but the map cannot do justice to the actual distance and isolation that is Toledo.  By bus, it is 5-7 hours from Belize City to Punta Gorda and another hour to Blue Creek and three hours to Dolores. I should introduce my support system, the small group of people who live with me in what we have termed "The Toledo Cluster-f**k." 

* Jeff Frank – Fellow Blue creek volunteer and a heck of a guy.  Hails from Maine and writes like nobody's business.
* Nessim – Surfer from San Diego who will be our volunteer in PG and always speaks the truth.
* Mary Beth Carey (MBC) – Former Miss Teen Knoxville and the only female in this part of the country.  She is going to rock it out in Otoxjà (Oat-a-sha).
* Matty Whipshaw – Punk rocker/ long boarder who somehow ended up in San Lucas, Toledo.  His mission is to keep myself and MBC in check and entertained.
* Nick Choppy – Has the distinction of being the most remote volunteer out there in Dolores.
* Graham – Goes by just one name and has the best Tom Seleck mustache and Boston accent.  Will soon be known as the white guy on a horse in Jalacte. 
* Michael Norbeck – Of Chicago/MN, most commonly known as Fidel thanks to his hat and facial hair combo.  He's setting up shop in Big Falls, where the Southern highway becomes paved again.

So our group of 5 (3 are bound for Guatemala, bastards) loaded up all of possessions into the James Express Bus bound for Punta Gorda yesterday.  It was the first time any of us had used public transportation to move.  The ride was fine in the air-conditioned coach bus, made even more enjoyable by the tunes chosen by the driver, including the entire Celine Dion "A New Day" album.  Amy Johnson, you'll be happy to hear that he even repeated the song A New Day twice, I couldn't help but think of the time that the Tre Jenter sang that song in front of a few dozen incoming freshman as a way of stalling.

So this is getting long and I need to let my computer rest and go bath in the river.  I'll soon include pictures from the swearing in party and maybe more from my little village. 

I swear

To defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic...yadi yadi yadi.  Today is the day, 4.5 hours to go.  I already signed the piece of paper that says that I choose to be a volunteer and am ready to make this commitment.  Is this what marriage is like.  If so, I can totally relate to the cold feet. Pictures will soon come from tonight's debauchery, but I may not be able to post them for awhile because tomorrow I am in transit to my new home (slight pit in stomach there).  Til then.

Updates on my website

Greetings,

 

Back in Belize City for a few final days.  I have updated my mailing address under the Contact Me section as well as put some information on my job in Blue Creek.  Swearing in is on Wednesday, and then I am a real volunteer and will return to my village to live my life.  I wont deny that I am scared, who wouldn't be, but I think I am ready. 

Life in the Village

Well - I saw my village and spent my first two nights there.  It is amazingly beautiful there and the people are open and friendly.  I have put up a couple of pictures of my trip to San Pedro and my new home.  It is one room in a board house, the other room is shared by 4 of my host siblings.  The main house, a thatch roof home, is where the kitchen is and my parents sleep.  Ms. Benita is very kind and cooks excellent corn tortillas.  I have even managed to make a few that are round enough to puff up when they cook, which is how you know that they are done.  I still have to work on my griddle technique, since it is all done with a bare hand and my poor American fingers are a little sensitive to the heat.  I will live with the family for 3 months and then I will most likely look around the village for a house of my own.  The village has electricity, so I might even be able to acquire a hot pot and a toaster oven.  I am now on my way back to Belize City, with tonight in PG (Punta Gorda).  This a great little town and I hope that everyone who comes to visit is able to make it down here.  Thanks for all your love and support and I will send more news soon. 

Back from the Island

A weekend in San Pedro - all for the price of a water taxi.  Somehow I lucked out and was able to get a place to crash my head, along with 15 other volunteers on one of Belize's top tourist destinations.  Just watch out for the golf carts.  Many people will tell you, and agree with them, that it is more dangerous to be a pedestrian in San Pedro, the land of a 1000 golf carts, than in Belize City.  Something about jacked up 4-wheel drive carts with no speed limits that is really freaky and out of control. Now I am back in Belize City, feeling safe and thoroughly sunburnt.  6 weeks in country and my stomach and back saw sun for the first time yesterday.  Now I am possess a sweet tan and look like I have actually been living in the tropics. 

Tomorrow I catch the 5:30am express bus to PG (Punta Gorda) and see for the first time my village of Blue Creek and my new home.  I hear from several reputable sources that it is a great village que es muy bonita.  So look forward to a couple of beach pictures as well as some from the lovely Blue Creek, Toledo.

A week on the road

Technical Training: 8 days worth of mad traveling and mad PRA tools.  For everyone besides maybe 5 that are reading this and don't know what PRA (aka ABCD or PACA), it is the main modis operandi of the Peace Corps.  It stands for Participatory Rural Analysis and can refer to any one of a million ways to learn about a community or help them to understand their own assets and priorities when it comes to development. We were working in the village of Indian Church with a current volunteer, Greg.  He taught us how to work with small groups at the village level on how to prioritize and work better together.  It was really really great, and did I mention that this entire 4 days worth of PRA was done in Spanish?  Yeah, and I did surprisingly well.

 

Other things that have been great about training:

• Sitting on top of the ruin at Lamanai watching the sunset, viewing a pair of nesting Toucans and listening to the eerie growth of howler monkeys. (see pics)
• Doing the "human knot" ice breaker with a group of Spanish-speaking artisans.
• Taking a refreshing post-run shower by the light of headlamp.
• Placencia peninsula: the road leaves something to be desired, but it is beautiful.  It is a sad example, however, of mangroves being destroyed for the sake of million dollar resorts. 
• The best ice cream in Belize - The Tutti Frutti Gelataria in Placencia.  If you are thinking of going there now, too bad.  The owners just left for Italy and France for 3 months in order to think up new and wonderful flavors. 
• Swimming in the lagoon at Indian Church and in the Ocean at Placencia - finally I get to wear a swimsuit (first time in 5 weeks, I kid not).

And the adventure continues.  We have been traveling with 4 artisans from Greg's village as they seek markets for their crafts.  We have been seeing lots of nice resorts while sleeping on the floors of current Peace Corps volunteers.  Tonight we crash in Belmopan and tomorrow end in Belize City.  Friday I take off for San Pedro on Ambergis Caye to hang out at the Costa Maya festival with a group of current volunteers.  Not a bad deal since housing is free and I get to work the festival.  After that it is down to Toledo and my first peek at my village.  5 weeks in and it is still one big adventure.  Love and miss you all.

Where I will live.

I am going to a place called Blue Creek in the Toledo District.  I am about 21 miles West of Punta Gorda, which is really really south and really really really rural.  My village has a population of 49 households and does not have running water or indoor plumbing.  All of the houses are wood and thatch, though most have some sort of electricity.  I am going to be working with the village council on a ecotourism projects related to nearby caves and mountains as well as doing women's development.  My counterpart is actually the village mid-wife and is a community leader and advocate for life-skills training for the women.  The village is almost completely Mayan, so I will be learning at least one, if not two, of the indigenous Mayan langauges along with a little bit of Spanish, being so close to Guatemala.  I am actually really stoked about the local and there is another volunteer in my same village and a few people that I have made friends with in nearby villages.  We have a 3 month home stay once we get there, which is fine, so I will keep you posted.  We leave for technical next week, and I will be traveling for a couple weeks before returing to Belize City on Aug 10th for our last week then swearing in.

 

The Ocean and Punta

Yesterday we were finally able to get to the ocean.  Yes, three weeks in this country and I am losing my tan line and have not even dipped a toe into the Caribbean Sea.  The inland scenery is amazing though, so I don't really have too much to complain about.  So we went to Dangriga, in the Stann Creek District, home of the Garifuna ( read here for more).  We traveled down the hummingbird highway past some of the most amazing scenery I have ever seen and ended up on the coast.  We learned how to dance the Punta, a traditional and very sexy dance.  Click here for the video I took and put on Google. 

After the culture center, we saw how to make bread out of Cassava and then ate a wonderful lunch of fish sere (surray) and hutu (mashed plantains).  The house where we ate looked over the ocean, and it would have been a wonderful day for swimming had it not been raining for the past three weeks straight.  The rivers that feed into the sea in the area are all flooding and bringing tons of dirt into the water, so it was pretty dirty.  Instead, we stopped at the INLAND Blue Hole, which is a natural lagoon, and took a swim.  It was great and I have put some more pictures up, so enjoy.

3 days til I know my site!

On Sweating

So way back in the day I used to occasionly partake in a sauna for personal pleasure and for the many health benefits.  I also used to pride myself on my lack of sweat until the hottest rounds of these saunas.  This minimal sweating also once applied to my runs, which my dear roommates from PLU can attest to.  Well, no more.  I can now sweat with the best of them.  People here keep telling me that once your pores open up, you can not stop the sweating.  So that is what I do, day in and day out.  But no worries, I am not alone. 

In other news, life in Cayo is still great.  Rainy, but that is because it is the mango season and you take the good with the bad.  Bug bites are frequent but not that annoying and training days are long.  I really really love this country and all the other volunteers are great.  Check out our group blog at http://pcbelize.blogspot.com.

In Ruins

We had our first cultural day/field trip today. From San Ignacio, we went just a few miles towards Guatemala and stopped in Benque Viejo to learn about the Mestizo people in Belize (one of many cultures in the country). We had a little history lesson about the Maya in Belize, which I wont bore you with. If interested look it up on wikipedia.com. Anyways, after a great lunches of Bolles (kind of like tamales but wrapped in Plantain leaves), we headed out Xuanantunich, a local Mayan Ruin. Very cool, even though some of the guys were bummed that we missed the world cup game.

BTW - host family life is great. We did a little partying over the weekend for my host-mom's B-day and she is an excellent cook. I am living next to two other volunteers, Stan and Molly, and Molly and I have gone for runs the past two days in a row. Overall life is good and i have posted tons of new pics, so go to my zoto site at http://biallasa.zoto.com

Georgeville, Cayo District

Last night we moved in with our host families and all of the apprehensions that I once had are no longer.  My family is great and I am with another volunteer.  Our host mom, Miss Elizabeth is a great cook and she has promised to show me how to make homemade tortillas.  I am picking up a little bit of Creole and its aarite.

Today we traveled to Georgeville for our first little bit of independence.  So far our time has been very structured, but this gave us a chance to experience a very small village in a small group.  We were just given the name of the village and an assignment.  It was fun to find the bus, take the bus, find the village, meet people in the village and learn about the people.  It sounds hard, but the people here are so open that it was quite easy to find people willing to talk with us. 

I am trying to keep my photos updated, but sometimes it is hard to keep up with things and life.  Back to world cup soccer, this town is all about Brazil. 

San Ignacio, Belize

Well, I made it to Belize and am two days deep into training to be a Peace Corps volunteer.  I still don't have any idea where I am going in the country for my job site, but I will be updated my webpage rather than sending out mass emails too often.  Training has so far been an awesome experience and I have been meeting some great fellow volunteers.  Belize is a wonderful country and the people have been so welcoming.  

 

What I do know about where I am going to be  working is that it is going to be very very rural. Probably no regular electricity or indoor running water.  So much for evenings spent watching DVD's on the laptop.  I am really excited about the next few weeks here in San Ignacio, on the border with Guatemala.  We move in with host-families on Friday and then spend three weeks living and learning about the Kriol language before going out into the country for our job specific training.  Once we move into our villages, we must live with host families for the first three months, then we have the option to move out on our own.  As a small business developer, I will probably be working with an ecotourism project or cooperative in the southern part of the country, possibly Stann Crekk District (check a map).

I best be going.  This free computer in a bar is quite popular.  Much love and of course, peace.

 

Shella B.

Masters of Public Administration
Evans School of Public Affairs
University of Washington
Peace Corps Masters International
Belize: June 2006 - August 2008

http://students.washington.edu/shellab

Half-way there: Atlanta

Seven dollars is a small price to pay for wireless Internet access at my last stop in the United States.  I sit in the Atlanta airport with just 2.5 hours separating me from that flight that will take me to my home for the next two years.  The plan for arrival is a quick pass-through Belize City before heading on to San Ignacio, a small town on the Guatemala border where we will be doing our "basic" training for the next month.  After that, the 40 of us will be splitting into groups for our technical part of our training.  I will spending time with the 5 other Small business advisers as we travel around Belize learning to do our job.  Around that time we will be told what part of the country we will be living in and will begin the appropriate language training (note: Belize has 5 different major languages, with English being spoken by most). 

After the whole training experience, we move to our home village and will live with a host family for the first three months at site.  This will be a great opportunity to learn more about Belizean culture and to practice our language skills.  I am really looking forward to arriving in Belize and learning more about the people and culture, and maybe even do a little work.  I have some pictures of my 4 hours of site-seeing in Belize and as soon as my batteries are charged, I will post some random shots of me with a few monuments.  Unfortunately the president, despite his letter in my Peace Corps invitation packet, was not available to greet our group. 

By the way, my training group is a most excellent collection of committed folks, with a large cohort from Seattle including a fellow Pacific Lutheran alum.  Our time together in D.C. was very short, so I am sure as we get to know each other I will have more information to share and pics to post.  Best wishes.

Departure Confirmed

After a wonderful couple of weeks of sleeping late, eating home cooked meals, and cherishing micro-brewed beer, I have a departure date. I leave for staging in D.C. this Friday, the 23rd, at 10am.  We then depart for Belize on Monday, June 26th.  Yes, that means I will miss Hoopfest in Spokane, perhaps my favorite spectator event that this city has to offer.

I am mostly packed and ready to go, but I keep having these dreams that I am going to forget or lose something.  I will do my best to send out updates when I know where in the country I will be living and what I will be doing, as well as putting pictures up for all to enjoy.

It's Real

Yesterday I made my plane reservations to Washington D.C. for my Peace Corps Training.  Due the the miracle that is cross-country flight and a difference of three time zones, I must now leave on June 12th - 1pm to be exact.  While I am sad to leave my dear family a day early, lengthening my first trip to this nation's capital by a half day will be great.  I have grand plans of walking the Capital Mall, seeing all sorts of memorials, and locating one last free wi-fi hotspot before hopping on a plane to Belize City.  The best part is that I will have spent more time traveling from Spokane to Washington D.C. then it will take me to get to Belize, a mere 5 hours from the U.S. capital to Belize's. 

With only 25 days left, final preparations include getting a new license, seeing the dentist, shopping, packing, and giving a whole bunch of stuff away.  Not to mention this thing called school that still consumes most of my free minutes.  Saying goodbye to friends is starting to become real and all the little things that I enjoy now I am beginning to realize are soon going to be luxuries or non-entities: morning double tall americano, Trader Joe's, walking on the Burke-Gilman with the entire skyline of Seattle in view, quality beer, cell-phone, well-stocked library, and many many more things.  So of course I am now consuming too much coffee, beer and organics while spending as much time outside reading and on the phone as possible. 

Four and a half months

Mid-terms at the Evans School of Public Affairs and I should be stressed out. I'm not, but then again I am procrastinating my homework, dreaming about my future life as a community conservation volunteer in Belize. Four and a half months, it seems forever away, but will be here all too soon. I am not sure that I am will even be able to write or use a computer when I am there, but until then, oh how I will use this computer.