Merry Christmas!

With a belly full on pancakes I sit in Dangriga wearing my brand new Christmas pajamas compliments of Patty O'Neill. It's not a bad way to start Christmas morning. Being in Belize during the holidays is a bittersweet thing. It is the first time Danny or I have ever been away from our families at Christmas. I remember driving away from my mom's house on Christmas last year in tears because I knew how much I would miss it. I can't believe a year has passed since that night. Christmas has been everything I could have ever asked for here. We decorated our house in the village with Christmas lights and potpourri from Dad. Christmas Eve was spent relaxing on the docks in a hammock reading and joking around with a dear friend.

Our Christmas Eve eating included: cinnamon rolls, coffee, pizza, Doritos, coke, peanut butter cookies, jelly beans, peppermint bark, muddy buddies, lobster, mashed potatoes, green beans, fried chicken.....................and the list goes on and on.....I'm surprised we didn't get sick. It was glorious.

We are eternally grateful for our extended Belizean and Peace Corps family. We have been welcomed here with open arms and couldn't be happier to be right where we are. We miss everyone back at home like crazy, but the time flies by and we will be right back there before we know it.

Happy Holidays!

Kamiko-tan

We have a new addition to our little jungle family. She is a stray jungle kitty and her name is Kamiko.

Here is her story....

I chased Kamiko all over campus this summer but could never get close enough to pet her. She was very shy and spent most of her time in the bush. One day she came close to our house. I quickly went to the fridge and found some bread. I made a trail of bread crumbs to our door and to my surprise she fell for it! When Kamiko first came to our house she was so skinny and had patches of missing fur. She also had a gigantic tick on her neck.

Over the course of a couple weeks she began to trust us (or at least trust that we would feed her several time a day). With gloves and tweezers we removed her tick. That was perhaps the most disgusting thing I've ever done. A few days after that I gave her a bath in our little rain collection bucket. She was amazingly cooperative and I'm pretty sure she is the first cat in Belize to ever smell like lavender.

Now Kamiko is fluffly and healthy. She sleeps on our front step and occasionally snuggles with Danny in the hammock. She will never replace Rupee cat back at home, but we love her very much.

Celebrate good times-come on!

Hello Everyone!

Today is Danny's golden birthday and we celebrated last night with friends in Punta Gorda. Yesterday was also "t-gives" aka Thanksgiving in Toledo. I am thankful we have such great cooks in the Peace Corps! There was a traditional thanksgiving spread along with lobster and conch ceviche that one volunteer actually dove for in the ocean!

Things are going well in the village and in Belize in general. Danny and I have been very busy now that school is truly in full swing. One of the unexpected joys in my life is teaching 'life skills' to all four forms (grades). I teach a wide range of skills becuase anything really can be considered a 'life skill'. My two favorite lessons are conflict resolution and meditation and mindfullness. Both were eye opening experiences for both me and the students. I don't think the kids ever expected to do a 'eating meditation' with raison bran, but they were good sports. We talked about the interconnectedness of the sun, earth, water, etc and made a conscious effort to thank the universe for coming together to make the food we eat. The best part is, it fits in completely with the Maya Values they are taught growing up. The ideas of interconnectedness and interdependance are not necesarrily new to them, but practicing meditation as a way to gain deeper insight and awareness was certainly new.

I am also gearing up to facilitate a full day board leadership retreat for Tumul K'in's board, some PTA, student leaders, and management. It has been an incredible experience to condense all my knowledge of governance, community development, and leadership into one retreat. I keep having to remind myself that it is only a ONE DAY retreat! Once I get going on those topics I can't stop and I'm afraid if I'm not careful I might keep them there all night. It's a beautiful coincidence that I am able to volunteer at a Mayan NGO in 2012. It's a very important time here. Our organization sees it as a fresh start and a time to incorporate a new way of thinking and acting. Everyone I work with is excited to move forward and work towards realizing their vision for this community. It's an exciting time to be in this place and I feel very lucky to be a part of it.

A LONG LONG LONG overdue update!

Danny and I spent the summer finding our bearings and adjusting to life in the bush. People always ask us how we are doing out here and my answer is usually the same…”every single day life gets better and easier.” We had to learn so much in such a short amount of time and when I really stop and think about the past 7 months I realize that how far we’ve actually come.

Community based training, although only a few months ago, now seems like a distant memory. Since our plane touched down in Belize we’ve moved a total of 9 times between hotels and host families. We’ve lived with 3 Mayan host families making up a total of nearly 20 people. We’ve learned how to make Mayan food and how to say about 200 words in Q’eqchi. We’ve seen weather ranging from a cool 78 degrees to a scorching 115 degrees. We’ve logged countless hours on buses and I’ve read 17 books. I think of these numbers and many more and still can’t believe we’ve been here for 7 months. The time is going by so fast. We are thankful because we miss our families, but as the weeks fly by we are constantly reminded to live each day to the fullest.

Our site is nestled in the forests of Belize. As I was walking down the only dirt road that runs through the village, a blind man in our community walked by. He’s a former Tumul K’in student and I was fortunate enough to see him graduate in June. As we passed I called out “Yos, shikwe” and he said “gud aftanoon”. It still amazes me how quickly people switch between English, Mopan, Q’eqchi, Spanish, and Creole. I’ve listened to one conversation between two people that included all of those languages rotated with perfect fluency and ease. Anyways, as we passed I started to think about the sounds of the village. I am continuously in awe of the magnificence of the trees, river, thatch houses, etc., but I had never simply closed my eyes and listened. As I walked I paid special attention to the sounds of the village and this is what I heard: chickens clucking, ducks splashing in the mud, children playing, horses clomping on the dirt road, trees rustling, dogs barking, marimba music, a motorcycle passed, the river calmly swooshed under the bridge, crickets chirped, the list could go on and on. I realized that even though the village is small made up of only a couple hundred people, it is completely alive. The peaceful sound of people living simple happy lives is something that will stick with me forever. There is nothing like the sound of kids playing in the river. They are so happy and carefree. This is a great place to grow up.

Speaking of moments, sights and sounds that you never forget….last week I was teaching my “life skills” class to a group of 25 kids under a thatch roof when all of a sudden the rain started pouring down. I could never accurately describe what rain on a thatch roof sounds like, but it’s safe to say that it is one of the most peaceful and serene sounds in the world. It’s a sound that slows your breathing down and makes you stop for a moment to give thanks to the universe. Yes, it is that wonderful. So, there I was teaching Mayan high school kids the importance of setting goals and advocating for themselves while the rain pours down onto the thatch and drips down in perfect little beads off the edge of the roof. It’s hard to explain, but in that moment I gave thanks for all the people who helped me get to this place in my life. Life isn’t always easy here, but moments like that serve as a constant reminder that in the Peace Corps and beyond life is made up of those little moments. It’s our responsibility to notice them, appreciate them, cherish them, and live for them.

Danny is sick of me saying this, but I truly believe that “you see what you look for”. I am choosing to look for beauty and magic, and I see it all around me.

Rock Soup and Lemonade

I awoke to the melody of raindrops and the sound of my alarm clock rustling me awake in our dark bedroom.  Watching the heavy drops roll off our roof past our window and the subtle blue glow of the clock display, I opened the mosquito net that hangs over our bed and turned off the alarm.  Looking at how peacefully my wife was sleeping next to me, and staring down a wet, muddy and cold wait for the 5 a.m. bus, I decided to climb back into the still warm sheets of our bed.

You see, the night before, I got a wild idea: travel up to Belmopan for the final soccer match between the three PCV cohorts serving in Belize.  It was to be a farewell to the volunteers leaving next month, and more importantly, a chance to see everyone from the north and central districts that we live too far from to visit.  I was excited all evening after making my spontaneous decision, because it hadn’t rained for two days and the river that usually blocks our exit after heavy rain would not be flooding anytime soon.  I packed my bag, went to bed early, and grew more excited to see my friends.  Breezie decided against going, because she had been traveling all week, and wanted to relax at home.

You can imagine my dismay at the sight of the huge raindrops falling from our rooftop when I woke up the next morning.  After resigning myself to the bed once again, I found myself unable to go back to sleep, despite it being four in the morning.  I got out of bed after about ten minutes, when the rain stopped and I grew hopeful that maybe it hadn’t rained hard enough to flood the bridge (which lately seems more like a dam).  I showered, put together a small package of food and kissed Breezie goodbye. 

I walked down to the river, which is about a third of a mile from our house, and was delighted to see that it was only slightly flooded, but not nearly enough to stop the passenger bus whose driver’s family depends on its ability to cross such floods.  The driver comes from several villages out, and has much invested in crossing the bridge even when it is unsafe.

I walked back to my bus stop by the house, and after a mosquito-ridden  and muddy-footed wait, boarded the bus that would take me to a junction where I could head north to see the friends I hadn’t seen in months.  About five minutes later, the trouble started.

As the bus approached the bridge, I could see that in the five minutes between checking it that morning and now, it had flooded past the point of crossing.  I was very disappointed, because if I couldn't cross get into town, I couldn't catch the highway bus up north.  As I was ready to give up hope, one of the villagers from Santa Teresa (a village ten miles away from mine) mentioned to me that there was an important meeting that he and his village council needed to attend in town.  They had commissioned a farmer who lives near the river to take us across, two at a time, in his tiny canoe.  As I stood in the muddy marsh at the bank of the river, I watched nervously as the villagers crossed the rocky waters to the other side.  When it was finally my turn, I took a deep breath, and climbed into the canoe with my backpack.  To give you some idea of how shaky this canoe was, its height and width was roughly the size of a hollowed out watermelon, and probably about as stable. I didn't exhale until I was on the other side. 

Climbing out from the brush that surrounds the river, I hitched a ride into town in the back of a farming truck where I was hoping to catch the 8 a.m. bus to Belmopan.  At this point, I would miss the game, but still get to see my friends.  However, because of flood conditions elsewhere in the country, all buses had been cancelled until at least ten that morning.  Not having a ride back to my village, I decided to eat breakfast in town and wait out the weather.  I continued to monitor the flooding up north, and at 10 a.m., the bus service decided to let us board and travel north.  I put on my headphones and prepared for the five hour bus ride.

As we approached the Kendle Bridge (which I famously nicknamed the "Candle" Bridge, because it seems to go out after a single rain drop; although nobody seems to think this is as clever as I do), my heart sank (again) at the sight of 15 abandoned buses and twenty cars and trucks; the bridge had not gone down in time to cross.  As patiently as I could, I pulled out a book (a well-worn copy of "All the Devils are Here", a recap of the most egregious violations of public trust before and during the current financial crisis) and sat for two hours while the river went down.  Finally being able to pass, I just had three short hours until I reached my final destination.  I found out later that it took me twelve hours to cross 100 miles.

All in all, days like this remind us how frequently we need to laugh in order to keep from crying.  We face nearly daily setbacks in both our village and post, and have used humor and patience to get through it.  It is incredible how much you appreciate convenience when you get it (which is rare), and even more remarkable how much you appreciate small things like a good shower, a pleasant rainfall in the morning (when you don't have to travel) and the smell of fresh brewed coffee.  There are plenty of things to be thankful for during our Peace Corps experience, but I know that the person I am becoming will be most thankful for the days you have no choice but to dine on rock soup and make lemonade.

The Ring Incident

Despite this being the rainy hurricane season, it still gets quite hot here during the day, compounded by the humidity that accompanies all the rainfall.  A typical day here reaches the mid 90’s, and that hot, sticky air clings to your clothes (and to your back) and never lets go. 
During the rainy season, because of the rain (duh), our village river (the quaintly and inaccurately named Blue Creek), can be challenging to use as a utility.  The river serves as the town washing machine for clothes, the main water source, a fishing hole, and a playground to all the people of our village, us included.  When the rain falls on the mountains that tower over our small mountain village, the Hokeb Ha’ Cave floods, sending seasons’ worth of rainwater gushing down the stream.  This can create a rushing, rising river that quickly overtakes the bridge (which is conveniently enough the only way out of town) that is usually full of debris, negating its use as a cleansing source, and the current is too fast for fishing or swimming. 
I am telling you this because on the fateful day in question, none of these things happened.  For the first time in weeks, we had two solid days with zero rainfall, calming the river and clearing its water of debris.  The current was firm but pleasant, and most of all safe, for cleaning clothing, fishing, and swimming in the river.  On this particularly hot day, we decided to use our lunch hour to go to the river and, as the Mayans say, “take a drop” into the cool, clear water.  Among the lush hills and rainforest that surround our rural village, with the calling of exotic birds and friendly villagers splashing in the cleanest water on the planet, it is impossible to decline the opportunity.  This was a perfect day for swimming; very hot, but a (rare) dry heat that lacked almost any humidity.  It was to be a refreshing dip in cold, fast water that would mimic any nice summer day back home. 
Within minutes of submerging ourselves in the cool, rushing waters, a moment of panic struck me; I could not feel my wedding ring on my left hand.  I had stumbled slightly, and upon catching myself on a sturdy rock in the river, I realized that the current had slipped the band off my ring finger.
Four months ago, this would have been impossible.  Having lost as much weight as I have here (ahem, over forty pounds thanks to the equatorial heat, increased physical activity and Shaun T’s INSANITY Workout Plan ®), my fingers are no longer portly enough to keep my ring on my finger as securely as it once did.  Normally, this isn’t an issue, but if I am cleaning dishes or laundry, or apparently in the river, my ring slips off with ease and I need to remove it before any water-based activity).
So there I was, panicking in the most serene environment I’ll ever live in.  My lovely wife immediately reassured me that it was just an accident, and it was only a ring, and that we would find it.  However, we both knew that the rushing river around us belied the panacea of these thoughts.  We searched for nearly an hour, with the aid of one of the villager’s snorkeling mask, and found nothing.  I was crestfallen.  Although she was putting on a brave face to make me feel better, I knew that my wife was, too.  Our two year wedding anniversary is in six weeks, and this incident really put a damper on the anniversary plans we had been discussing earlier. 
After giving up hope and realizing how impossible it would be to find a small, gold ring in a rushing river that regularly isolates half of southern Belize, we left the river and began the long walk back home.  We sat around and quietly had lunch as we lamented the loss of a symbol of our love and wedding day, and altough the ring itself was unimportant, no replacement ring would ever be the one that she gave me on our wedding day.
It was still hot after work that day, so I suggested we go back to the river and at least enjoy the cool water that was lost on us as we searched the river that morning.  As we walked towards the river, we told every villager that passed that there was a $50 reward for anyone who found the ring and brought it back to us.  While the villagers were enthusiastic about both helping us and the reward, they looked at me with the sad bracing reality that with the river being as fast as it was, there was no way that my ring would ever be found. 
As we waded into the water, its pleasantly cold current washing over our mosquito bite-ridden legs, a glint of silver caught Breezie’s eye below the surface of the water.  She excitedly grabbed the villager’s diving mask and pointed down in the stream.  The metal she saw reflecting in the sunlight wasn’t silver at all; it was the white gold that made my wedding ring two years ago. 
We could not believe our luck.  Not wanting to jinx it, Breezie refused to reach into the current after it, for fear she might knock it loose from the mud and rocks that miraculously caught it from passing into the culverts under the bridge and sending it downstream.  Holding my breath, knowing full well that the only thing separating me from getting my ring back and losing it forever was the clumsy fingers that had lost it in the first place, I slowly reached into the water and pinned the ring against a stone with my index finger.  Slowly but surely securing it around my finger and thumb, I triumphantly lifted my ring out of the water with a Gollum-like enthusiasm to the cheers of local villagers washing in the stream nearby.  Knowing how damn lucky I was to have left the river for two hours after having searched for an hour with a diving mask, I didn’t press my luck.  I bounded out of the water to put my ring inside my Boston Red Sox hat next to my keys, securely on the shore.  It was time to enjoy our find and to cool off on such a hot day.
Walking home in the dusk of that evening, I realized the importance of the metaphor I had been given that day.  Although the things we search for can be right in front of our faces the entire time, sometimes we have to take a breather, put fresh eyes on an old process, and from that get something wonderful.  What an apt metaphor for our challenges as Peace Corps Volunteers; although a process may be heartbreaking and difficult, great things can happen by having persistence, hope, and a genuine belief that what you are supposed to find in life will find you when you least expect it, no matter how fast the world is moving around you.  And to have an awesome wife who is better at spotting shiny things than you are.

so far...

Well, we are all settled in to our new house in Blue Creek. Danny joked that we never had a three bedroom house before the Peace Corps. The funny thing about living in a house though is something always seems to go wrong. Our sink is backed up, the shower exploded water everywhere, the electricity regularly goes out, as well as the water.  Not to mention the critters of every size and shape that wonder into our home. However, I did fall in love with the little frog that visits us almost every night. His name is Sir Hops-a-lot. We've also sort of adopted a puppy that comes over regularly.

I'm learning so many things about home maintenance. It will be handy when I go back to the states!

The nice thing about our house is that it is right on campus. My walk to work takes about two minutes. That is certainly an upgrade over merging freeway lanes and fighting traffic. I like being able to walk and ride the bus to get where I need to go. I do miss my car, but I hope to use it less when I go back to the states.

Differences/Similarities

Morning Routine:

Differences: We wake up about 4:30-5 am without an alarm. Probably because we go to bed so early. We have to turn on all the lights and check for scorpions/spiders before we step on the floor. We have a lot of time to sit and enjoy coffee while listening to the jungle sounds or the rain. Our mornings are not rushed and we simply walk down the little path to get to work.

Similarities: Thanks to our amazing friends and family we have coffee from home. We also eat cereal or oatmeal for breakfast like we did in the states. Our host family fed us duck, fish, eggs, or pork with tortilla for breakfast. I think cereal is a little easier to make.

Afternoon:

Differences: We don't pack our lunch or eat fast food anymore. No more Safeway deli Chinese food for lunch. We mosey back to the house and make some beans w/ tortilla or ramen noodles. Maybe we will eat some soup or pasta. It's funny how much soup we eat despite the heat. It's a Maya thing. Lunchtime is peaceful, slow, and quiet.

Similarities: Not too many similarities here. Our daily routine is so much different from the states!

Evening:

Differences: Danny and I work out together every single day. We make dinner rather than ordering out or eating at a restaurant. I'm actually learning how to cook! We don't have cable or Internet at home so we enjoy reading or watching movies on our laptops. Sometimes we meet up with our coworkers and cook dinner together. Cooking is a great way to make friends. Plus, one of my coworkers makes the best curry chicken I've ever had-and I lived in India! She's going to teach me how to make it soon. The biggest difference is that we usually go to bed around 8:30-9pm.

Similarities: We watch a lot of the same movies/tv shows on our laptops that we used to watch on TV. Evening time was always a time to reconnect and talk about our day and we continue to do that. I always worked out after work and I still do that here.

Weekends:

Differences: We take the bus to Punta Gorda town to go shopping and see friends. The bus ride is about 45 minutes long and half the trip is on a dirt road. We have to plan ahead though because the road leading out of our village regularly floods. I used to enjoy hiking on the weekends, going to bookstores, jogging, and going for drives. Now, we must stay in Blue Creek on the weekends because the only bus into town leaves at 5:15am and returns at 11:30am. I spend my weekends relaxing, reading, cooking, working out, swimming in the river, and going on walks around the village.

Similarities: We've made so many great friends here. We usually meet up with people for breakfast on Saturday mornings. Weekends at home were relaxing and the same is true here.

One simple piece of advice a friend gave us before moving to Belize is "Remember that you are moving there, not camping for two years." Before I joined the Peace Corps my mind focused on the adventure an travel side of the experience. You forget that you will be building a normal life and routine. I never thought about the little things like doing dishes in my house, fixing clogged sinks, and sweeping out the spider grave yard that builds up after killing spiders all day. I never really thought about dressing professionally and going to work Monday through Friday. The best part of the two year commitment is the ability to build a life here. I care about this community because it is my home and the people who live here are my friends.

working on our new house!

message from Danny

June 25, 2011

Things are moving along in Blue Creek!  Tumul K'in has been a very welcoming community and we are excited to be here for the next two years.  Our counterparts are amazing and have been giving us lots of ideas to work with regarding capacity building and board development.  It is an exciting time to get to work with an NGO like this in Belize.

Living with a host family is coming to a close, and we will miss them terribly.  Between cooking and eating with the family of 12, watching movies and telling stories under the star-filled night sky has been a wonderful way to spend the evenings.  The Choco family has become a very special part of our lives.

Homesickness comes and goes, but our amazing families have been very supportive and sent wonderful packages (to our new address, listed above, *hint, hint*, and by the way, I love Starburst, ground Italian Roast Starbucks coffee, and letters from friends). 

We are so grateful to be a part of the Peace Corps in Belize and we hope to do great things here.  The friends we have made here are going to be lifelong, and we trust that the work that they do will be just as enduring.  I promise to get better at updating this blog, and as soon as things settle down in our new home (moving next week!) I'll try to get into the habit.  We are officially in "Peace Corps Blogs," so I don't want to let down our many fans.  Thanks for reading Mom!

Best,

Danny

New Address

Our new address is:
Breezie and Daniel O'Neill
General Delivery
Punta Gorda Town
Belize, Central America

It's expensive to send things down, but a little card from home is always a nice surprise!

Thank you everyone for your support and love! We miss you all.

Bridge to Service

Sorry for not posting for so long!!!

Danny and I found out that we will be living in Blue Creek Village in the Toledo district of Belize. It is a rural..and I do mean RURAL.. village. There are about 500 people in Blue Creek, the village itself is beautiful. I could never come close to describing the way it feels to take a shower outside and look up to see the stars shining bright. Nor can I explain the the way the mountains look in the morning as the fog lifts off the palm trees. We are very blessed.

We will both work at the Tumil Kin Center for Learning. Tumil Kin is a school that teaches kids Maya values in addition to traditional curriculum. I will support their board of directors, council of elders, and PTA. Danny will work with the Food Processing Unit to help them develop business skills.

One major transition for me is living 45 minutes away from a market or grocery store. We also live without refrigeration. It forces me to think in advance and plan ahead. Back in the states I never really thought ahead about my food and kind of lived day to day. I hope this transition will help me learn better planning!

Peace Corps Weekend

The past three days have been filled with an immense amount of excitement. Lets start with Saturday....

On Saturday the Q'eqchi speaking Bus/Org volunteers (Me, Danny, Melissa, and Mallory) hosted a day camp for 8-12 year olds. The camp was held at the Maya Mopan Resource Center and focused on teamwork and cooperation. It was a traditional camp full of silly songs (Banana Lovers Unite was the favorite) and games. We had 27 kids turned out and ended the camp with 200 water balloons. I am convinced a slight majority of them ended up hitting my head. All in all, a pretty successful camp!

On Sunday we had the opportunity to head down south to the Toledo District of Belize to a small village called Blue Creek. The special trip was made in honor of Maya Day 2011. Originally started by a local school, Maya Day invites the community to come out and celebrate Maya traditions and history. There was a stage for the qua (corn tortilla) making, firewood cutting, and best dressed competitions. And of course no Maya Day celebration would be complete without several vendors selling caldo chilan (chicken soup). Of course, I ended up finding the one vendor selling Indian food and feasted on some Dal Roti and Coco Tekari. I live with a Q'eqchi family and enjoy my fair share of caldo at home.

After enjoying the festival we went up the road to a trail. After hiking into the bush for a while we came to the most majestic cave I've ever seen. The land down in Toledo in unbelievably breathtaking. I truly could never describe the feeling of being dwarfed by giant palm trees at the mouth of a gigantic cave system. I am actually sad that I will never be able to describe the experience fully. Danny went swimming in the cave while I sat on the edge admiring the beauty of it all.

Today we went to a small village called Bermudian Landing. We met up with a volunteer who works with the Community Baboon Sanctuary. Her work is amazing and I am so inspired by her. She taught us about marketing then we went on a tour of the sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to 4,000 Howler Monkeys. As you might suspect, Howler Monkeys HOWL! Loudly! They howl because they are territorial and it is there way of communicating to other troupes. Each troup has one dominent male and up to 10 other females and babies.

We got up close and personal with a troup of monkeys and went off to visit the Flowers Bank Cohune Oil Group. It is a group of women who make their living producing Cahune Oil. The oil is great for cooking, baking, and evening works as a beauty product that can be made into soaps. After that, we ended the day with a nice swim in the river. Appearently, the river is also home to crocodiles, but a local man told us not to worry becuase the crocodiles are not aggresive and prefer murky waters with less current than the area we were swimming in. I'll take his word for it.

We are so blessed to live this wonderful adventure. Every day presents a new challenge, a new perspective, and new knowledge. I'm thankful for the beauty of this country, the warmth of our host families who prepare our food and treat us as one of their own, and the knowledge of our trainers who are doing their best to bring a group of 37 trainees up to speed in a country that is ever changing.

My host sister Clementina making Qua!

How to....

make refried bean stuffed tortillas!!

1) Combine refried beans with grilled onions and pepper. Fry it all together and let it cool completely.

2) Make the tortilla dough (flour, shortening, baking soda, salt, and water). Knead the dough and roll it into balls.

 

3) Use the flour balls to make a cup shape.

4) Put a spoonful of your refried bean mix into the cup.

 

5) Close the cup over the refried bean and let it sit out for five minutes.

 

6) Heat your comal on the stove.

7) Use your hands to flatten out the refried bean filled tortilla ball. Be careful not to let the beans out!

8) Cook your tortilla on the comal. Flip it like a pancake and it is ready to eat!

Tastes best with a little habanero sauce!

7 fun facts about Belize

1. The people of Belize have been very creative with the unique naming of their local species these include names like the Owl eye butterfly, the False Vampire Bat, and the Red Footed Booby Bird.

2. The people of Belize have folklore about a 3 foot dwarf with no thumbs by the name of El duende. El Duende who hangs out in the forest and eats children who try to destroy the wildlife.

3. Belize was a British Colony until 1981 when it gained its independence. They are now a part of the common wealth.

  

 

 4. Belize’s first capital was Belize City but a hurricane destroyed the City in 1961. The capital of Belize is now Belmopan.

5. Belize’s has 185 miles of barrier reef which is the largest in the Western hemisphere.

6. Did you know that the national dish of Belize is Stewed Chicken with Rice and Beans and Potato Salad also called 1, 2, 3?

7. Belize has one of the richest Mayan cultural history locations with more than 900 historic locations.

Nice little overview...

History & Culture of Belize
Belize is a small, friendly English speaking country south of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Unlike most of Central America, Belize has not suffered violent civil conflict or repression.
Indigenous people
The Maya were the first to inhabit the land referred to as La Ruta Maya, whose territory also included Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. From as early as 9000 B.C.E. they flourished as a master civilization, constructing impressive ceremonial centers and villages, until their mysterious disappearance in 1000 C.E.
Today, about 12% of the population of Belize are Maya. At the peak of the vast Mayan empire, archeologists estimate that 1 to 2 million Mayans lived within the borders of Belize.
Colonial history
The Spanish were the first to lay claim to the area now known as Belize, having colonized the area now know as Belize in the 16th and 17th centuries. The British, however, were the first to actually settle in the territory. Pirates sheltered inside the reef, using the small cayes as a base for attack against Spanish ships. By the late 1600’s many British settled along the coast, making their living cutting logwood. These British settlers came to depend on slave labor for the harsh logging work in Belize.

Many skirmishes between the British Baymen and the Spanish arose, for the Spanish still claimed control of the area. The showdown came on September 10, 1798, at St. George’s Caye when Baymen chased Spanish ships away from what had come to be known as British Honduras. The date is still celebrated as a national holiday in Belize.
Ethnically diverse culture
In the days of the Baymen, work crews of slaves accompanied their owners to the logging camps in the interior of Belize. According to a 1790 census, 75 percent of the territory’s residents were slaves, 10 percent were whites, and the rest were free blacks. Ignored by the census were the Mayan Indian communities.

Belize society today is ethnically diverse and culturally rich. Historically it is a country of immigrants, with even most of the Mayan tracing their roots to Mexico or Guatemala. The ancestors of the mestizo population lived at one time in the Yucatan. Both groups of Belizeans – the Creoles and the Garifunas – trace their origins to Africa by way of the Caribbean.

During most of this century Creoles were the largest ethnic group, followed by mestizos, Garifunas, and Mayas. As of the 1991 census mestizos outnumbered the Creoles. This multi ethnic country is also home to communities of German Mennonites, Chinese, East Indians, and immigrants from the Middle East.
Creoles
Belizean Creoles are the descendants of slaves brought from Africa and the West Indies. Generally to be Creole means to have some African ancestry, but is now used primarily to identify non-Indian, non-mestizo ways of life, with a set of social values derived from the Anglo-Saxon countries.
Garifuna
In the early 19th century the Garifuna created a niche in Belizean society. Scattered along the Caribbean coast, the Garifuna people initially came to Belize from Honduras. The Garifunas are a cultural and racial fusion of African slaves, Carib Indians, and a sprinkling of Europeans. It is traditionally claimed that they arrived on the shores of British Honduras on November 19, 1802.
Maya
Mayan communities are found in many parts of Belize. The Mopan Maya, of the southern districts, were historically a lowland group that inhabited Guatemala. Culturally, these Maya have much in common with the traditional Maya of northern Belize. Their economy is a mixture of subsistence crops and cash crops.

The Kekchi Maya also migrated to Belize from Guatemala to escape enslavement by German coffee growers. Clustered in the south, they are Belize’s poorest and most neglected ethnic group. Their language has few similarities with that of other Mayans. The Kekchi maintain contact with their ancestral communities in Guatemala.

Loving Maya Mopan

Today is my two week anniversary of living in Maya Mopan. My Q'eqchi is getting a lot better and I'm not making oval tortillas anymore! I love the slow pace of our community. I like coming home and napping at lunch. I like visiting in the evenings.

Sometimes Americans have a hard time adjusting to the slower pace of life here. We are used to getting things done and seeing the fruits of our labor. In the Peace Corps you must accept the fact that you probably won't see the results of your hard work. It's a humbling reality.

Yesterday I visited my host sister's sister Hilda. She has the most adorable thatch house. I want to live in a house like that some day. We also had an incredible sunset last night. This is a beautiful place.

Danny's First Entry!

Wow, the past two weeks have been busy.  Within that timeframe, we have fused tight friendships with 36 former strangers as we embark upon our training sites across Belize.  We have been exceptionally grateful for our wonderful host mother Delia, who has been teaching us Q’eqchi as frequently as she teaches us how to make our own tortillas (“wa”, pronounced “cwah” in Q’eqchi).  She has been a wonderful host and we are grateful to live with her.

I have been awed by the humanity with which we have been received by the Belizeans.  I have been reading excellent theses on humanity by Dr. Cornell West and James Martin, S.J., detailing working with the poor in conditions of duress.  It is impressive to be working with so many committed individuals from the states and even more impressive still the treatment we have gotten from our host country.  If we are to be promoters of compassion as citizens of the world (a group we are quickly discovering everyone truly belongs to), it is crucial that we practice compassion in our daily lives, including the work that we do.  We are truly honored to be charged with this work and will continue to do so with love and diligence for the people of Belize as we represent our home community.

Even while living in a nation where the poverty is as oppressive as the equatorial heat and humidity, Belizeans find ways both large and small to show love and goodness to one another.  It is truly remarkable that such a population exists in a place that can be, at times, so difficult to live a daily life. We consider it a great honor to serve the Q’eqchi people (an indigenous Mayan group) during our service in Belize.

I have promised my betrothed that I will be better about adding to our blog.  More from me later.

Solidarity

CBT

4/3 Exploring Maya Mopan

First thing first-I am terrible at Q’eqchi. I’m also terrible at making tortillas and washing my clothes by hand the proper way. Luckily, I have the best host sister in the world who is patiently teaching me the fundamentals of Q'eqchi life. She is so wonderful. I am thankful to live in her beautiful home. All weekend she introduced us to her family and showed us around Maya Mopan. She is related to almost everyone here. It was so hard to keep everyone straight! I am planning on helping her make a family tree so we can see how large her family is here.

It is so important to learn how people are related in a place like Belize. Human relationships are the most important resource in sustainable development.

Normally I have a terrible sense of direction. Danny jokes that we go ‘as the Breezie flies”. However, I am happy to say that I am getting much better at orienting myself to my surroundings quickly. I think two things have helped greatly- walking around all the streets (wandering) and making a community map.

The Peace Corps teaches us several methods of gathering data as part of a process called “Participatory Analysis for Community Action” (PACA). One of the methods is to create a community map. You do that with the help of several people who live here. It is important to ask all different kinds of people and be sure to ask both men and women. When creating a map people will put emphasis on the places that mean the most to them. You can compare the different group’s maps and use that information to see where the town’s resources are. You can also see what places are most important to the various groups who participate. In the course of making the map some interesting conversations can take place in a non-threatening way.

The Peace Corps gives us a little book outlining PACA tools. It is so incredibly helpful to get some idea of where to start gathering data in a culturally appropriate way. We even practiced how to introduce ourselves to all kinds of people in the community. For example, if we need to work with the village council we have to know how to appropriately approach them. I learned that in Belize you should ALWAYS use Mr. or Ms. when meeting someone for the first time. Also, it is important to be clear about who you are, what you are doing, and why you are asking them questions. Keep the conversation light and brief for the first time. It sounded easy but when I actually had to stand up in front of the group and introduce myself to one of the Belizean training staff who was pretending to be a village leader I got so nervous! I really don’t want to make a bad first impression!!

Tomorrow is the first day of Community-Based Training (CBT) with the Technical Trainers and the Language and Cultural Facilitators. We go from 7:30a-5pa. That is a LOT of training. Some people say that the first three months of PC is the hardest because there is so much to learn in such a short time. The good thing is everything we are learning can be instantly applied where we live. We practice using all the PACA tools and work on our language skills with our host family. That real-time practice is so important. I keep thinking about how lucky I am to be here. I don’t think there is any experience comparable to the PC experience. I read an interview today from a PC regional director. She was asked to sum up her PC experience into one word. Her word was ‘significant’. I couldn’t agree more.

Host Family

4/1 First Day with Host Family

We moved in with our host family today. Our host ‘mother’ is 25 years old. Her name is Dahlia. She lives in a cute house in Maya Mopan. The inside of her entire house is a beautiful bright blue/turquoise. The front of some Belizean houses are decorated with swans. I kept trying to ask Dahlia why people here like swans so much, but she didn’t understand what I was asking. After a few tries she realized what I was talking about and said “OH! The ducks! I don’t know, we just like ducks.” That made me laugh. She doesn’t have any kids, but she does have one dog named Shaggy. Her husband is in the Belizean Defense Force (BDF) and isn’t here right now.

Dahlia has a HUGE family. She has 9 brothers and sisters and a whole bunch of cousins, aunts and uncles. Almost her entire family lives in Maya Mopan. I already met several of her sisters, brothers, cousins, nieces, and nephews. I even met her neighbor, their kids, and their three dogs Tiger, Cindy, and Blacky. Our host mother’s dad is one of the local pastors. Her grandfather owns a horse that they use on the farm. I think I might get to ride it!

Today we learned how to make corn tortillas by hand. It took some practice but after a few tries my tortillas were ‘whistling’ and ‘puffing’ with the rest of them. I couldn’t work up the nerve to turn them by hand though because I was so afraid of burning myself.

At Dahlia’s house we have our own room, electricity, running water, a hammock, cable, and a modern kitchen with a stove and a refrigerator. She doesn’t have hot water, but I don’t think we will need it. Belize is HOT! I think we are very lucky to live in such a beautiful home. I couldn’t be happier with it.

This weekend we will relax and get to know Maya Mopan. I can’t wait to meet the rest of Dahlia’s family. On Sunday I think we will be able to go to her father’s church. The entire service is in Q’eqchi! On Monday we start our community-based training. It definitely feels like I’m back in school. We have a lot of homework and assigned reading. I think the hardest part will be learning Q’eqchi. There isn’t even a dictionary for it! However, it is a very important language to know in Belize. It’s also a beautiful language and I can’t wait to start learning it.

Community-Based Training

Danny and I will be living with a Mayan family in the area of Maya Mopan for the next 8 weeks. We will be learning how to speak Q'eqchi (pronounced "catchy"). I can't wait to meet the family this afternoon. For the next 8 weeks we will be living, training, and exploring a new community. Our training will include all the skills we will need to live and work successfully in Belize for the next two years.

Oh My!

Training has been a whirlwind of information. So far we've learned several ways to get diarrhea, how to use assessment tools, Kriol slang, and about a million other things. This week we are in the PC office from 7:30a-5p doing training everyday. On Friday we will move into a host family's home somewhere in Belize for the next 8 weeks. We will continue to train in the field and will travel back to the PC office every Friday.

One of the most helpful parts of training is talking to current Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) about their experience. There advice usually centers around patience and flexibility. PCVs celebrate SMALL victories and must live day to day.

I can't wait to test out some of the things we've learned in our new community!

Hello!

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for reading this blog. I am currently in the Peace Corps office in Belmopon where we have access to internet and air conditioning! In order to capture my story and share it with you, I need to journal as much as I can and then upload it when I get a chance.

Therefore, you might notice several entries at once. Sorry about that, but we only have access to the internet sporadically.

Danny and I truly love it here and we are excited to start our full week of training tomorrow. It is an amazing anmount of information to learn in such a short period of time, but we need it all to be successful for the next two years.

We love and miss all of our family and friends. Thanks for your support. Adios!

First Day of Training- 3/26

Yesterday was our first full day of training and I must say that I fully enjoyed it. By the end of the day I was pretty tired, but the actual training was very interactive and interesting. We learned about the core vs technical competencies, the five components of training, and the best part was the overview of the schedule for the next three months. It still blows my mind to compare this experience to abroad and think that my entire time in Thailand or India was only about 4 months. That is basically how long the training period is for PC. Study abroad shaped my life in just a few months. I am excited to see what kind of impact the PC will have!

Yesterday we were asked about our motivations for committing to the Peace Corps and how we will persevere when times get tough. It’s funny how hard it is to pinpoint my motivation for joining the PC. I honestly don’t think there is one simple answer to that. It truly feels like my whole life has been gradually building up to it. Perhaps one of the guiding factors is my early exposure to community service. Even participating in 4-H and Girl Scouts gave me an appreciation for service learning.  I also had the opportunity to travel at a young age (17) and I think I caught the infamous ‘travel bug’. Whatever the reason, I am so happy that my life story will include an adventure like the PC.

Today we are going to a coastal town for ‘culture day’. I am excited to have real local food and see the dancing and drum making demonstrations.  Last night we had Chinese food for dinner because almost all the restaurants around the PC office and our hotel are Chinese! I can’t complain though because I LOVE Chinese food. It’s just not what you expect when you go to Belize. Tomorrow we will have some down time and I look forward to exploring Belmopan. There is a road that is a 2.5 mile loop that I can’t wait to run.

We also got cell phones yesterday. It cost US $190 for two cell phones, two SIM cards, and a bunch of minutes and texts. I learned that most people text in Belize because it is less expensive that calling. It is a little reassuring to have a cell phone before we go to our Community Based Training (CBT) site. All of the sites are fairly close to the PC office, but it is nice to know they can contact us easily anytime on our cell in case anything happens. I also like to be able to call Danny if we ever get separated.

Alright, I’m going to read now. I’m reading the White Man’s Burden-Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good. So far, the book is excellent. I got it from the PC library. They have a whole lending library of books that other Peace Corps Volunteers have left over the years. Also, I accidently set me alarm an hour early and woke up at 5am instead of 6am. OOPS!

First Day in Belmopan

3/24 First Day in Belmopan

Today was exciting and exhausting. We checked out of our hotel in Dallas at 7:30am and went to the airport. There are 38 people in our group so we had to leave early to make sure everyone made it to the gate in time for our flight to Belize. We departed a little after 1pm and landed gently in Belize. The view of Belize from the sky is amazing. It was everything I imagined it to be complete with lush tropical forests with rivers snaking through the trees. When the doors to the plane opened a wave of humidity lofted  by, but nothing too serious. We waited in line to pass through customs and then we were greeted by a cheering group of Peace Corps staff and other PCVs. Seeing the Peace Corps banner outside of the airport was like a dream come true. I can’t believe I am here and that this dream is now my reality.

Everyone in our training group is so incredibly friendly and intelligent. I think the vast majority have graduate degrees. Tonight we spent time with other PCVs watching college basketball and drinking the ceremonial first Belikin beer. Tomorrow we will go to the Peace Corps office for our first full day of training. I’m so excited!!

all packed up

I've never seen such an amazing sight. Yesterday morning several trucks and a trailer pulled up to our house and before I knew it our entire apartment was packed up and heading south on I-5. I don't know what we would have done without the help of our family. Everyone has been so generous with their time, trucks, back muscles, and they even fed us pizza!

Danny and I will be staying with family for the next couple of days until we fly out of Seattle at 6am on Wednesday morning. I think it's safe to say that the whole Peace Corps experience is finally starting to feel real. When I saw my empty apartment it finally sunk in.

Saying Goodbye

For the past week we have been getting ready to go by packing up and saying our goodbyes. Today I said goodbye to my dad, step mother, and step brother. That was hard, but I feel like the next 27 months are going to fly by.

We packed our bags and I was pleasently surprised to learn that my heaviest bag is only 35 pounds. I'm taking one big backpack and a carry on size bag along with my purse. It was hard to decide what to pack, but luckily there is so much information and advice online to help.

So, this week we will focus on packing up the rest of the house and saying a few more goodbyes. Overall, we are completely excited to get on that plane. We fly into Dallas, TX for one day of orientation and then head to Belize. There are 38 people in our group. I can't wait to meet them!

We will try very hard to keep this blog updated for everyone! Thank you for keeping in touch!