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.