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.