Tour de Belize 2015

Almost immediately following the village health fair, I was on a bus with some other PCVs on my way to San Antonio, where I would see my family for the first time in a year.  Along with them was my aunt from Ireland, who I haven’t seen since we traveled through France two years ago.  I got there about an hour before them, giving me time to plot my surprise entrance as well as ask a member of the resort staff if there was anyone that could do some laundry for me.  I hadn’t done laundry for about two weeks, so the only “clean” clothes I had were the ones I was wearing.  All of the clothes I had in my bag were in need of a good wash.

When my family finally arrived, it was, again, this bizarre feeling that two worlds were colliding.  I was seeing them in a setting where I had never imagined them before.  Not only that, but I was also their source of guidance throughout the vacation, something that had rarely happened before.  Usually, I’m the one that relies on them for information, such as how to get from point A to point B or where it was exactly that we were going.  This time, the roles were reversed. 

Their arrival also brought about this weird feeling that I hadn’t really been gone that long.  Yes, a year is a long time, but since I’ve been in Belize, I talk to my parents more than I used to when I was in college.  I know what’s going on in their lives, more or less, and even get to see their faces occasionally through Skype.  I was expecting to see them and be surprised about their changes in appearance and even spend the first few days getting caught up on their lives, but outside of my brother’s new look and catching up some with my aunt, that wasn’t really the case.  This, ultimately, was a blessing in disguise.  Instead of focusing on all the things I’d missed over the past year, we got to spend our time in the present.

The first day of the adventure, we went out to Rio Blanco National Park, just a short ride down the road from the resort.  After five minutes or so of hiking we came across the Rio Blanco falls, probably one of the larger waterfalls in the district.  Just to the left of the falls, there’s a cliff that’s probably some 20 feet over the surface of the water where you can jump in if you’re feeling up to it.  It was awesome!

There was also this sign, which we all got a good laugh from. 

The next day was a day that I’d been looking forward to for months: the day that I could take my family to my site.  I had set up a charter to pick us up from the neighboring village, where I heard the bus would stop, and take us into my site; however, as things sometimes go in the village, the charter had forgotten, so we were forced to do the three and a half mile walk through the hills.  Luckily we arrived around 8:00 AM so it wasn’t too hot yet and, really, outside of increasing our heart rates some on the up-hills, it wasn’t too bad.

Once we arrived, we went by the school, simply for the fact that it would be a comfortable spot to relax after our hike.  Naturally, I was a little surprised when the principal told me that the school would be having an assembly to welcome in my family.  This gave the teachers and students some time to speak about some of the work that I’d been doing at the school so that my family would have a better idea of what exactly I’ve been doing here.  It also allowed my family the opportunity to meet the people that I’d told them so much about over the phone.  It was a great welcome to the village!

After that, we went to my house in the village and met my host family.  It wasn’t long before everyone was talking, laughing, and eating hot caldo.  There was a bit of a learning curve for my family, but by the time we finished they were using the tortillas as spoons, just like the Maya.  Once we finished our lunch, we went on the grand tour of the village.  We stopped by houses where I spend a lot of time, and my mom was even asked to take some pictures for people that she could send back once in the States.  Then, in an effort to avoid getting soaked by a threatening rain cloud, we made our way back to the school where we spent the rest of our time in the village.  Overall, it was an awesome trip! 

The Standard V/VI class even wrote notes to me thanking me for a good year and helping with their health class.  I think some of the kids think I’m leaving for good, so those were fun to read.  I wonder how the kids will react when they see me back in the village. Anyway, gonna miss those kids for the next week and half.

The next few days consisted of zip lining and just kind of relaxing at the resort and touring the grounds with the owner.  Then, come Sunday, we were off to Hopkins.  I had never been there before, so I was really looking forward to seeing something totally new.  The cool thing about Hopkins is that, even though it can be touristy, it is still a Garifuna village first where people go out every day to fish for their dinners and where cassava is king.  My family was also very excited because this was the first place that we stay on the trip that had AC.

On our first full day in Hopkins, we decided to take a boat out with a guide and go snorkeling.  The reefs were amazing and we saw all sorts of colorful fish.  In the afternoon, we went out to a reef that was a little deeper.  This gave use the opportunity to see larger fish and more of them.  We saw two or three schools of fish and even a huge sting ray.  It was probably 3-4 feet in diameter with its tail protruding another 3-4 feet from the back of its body.  You could also sit facing out from the reef and look out into empty ocean, something that left me with a bit of an eerie feeling, especially when I imagined a shark swimming up. 

The following day, my mom, aunt, and I took a guide out to Cokcscomb Reserve.  The first part of the hike was mostly used to search for animals, with the obvious goal being to find a sleeping jaguar.  Unfortunately, no jaguar was to be found… We did, however, see a coati, a small raccoon like animal, as well as tapir tracks and even one small jaguar print.  After this we decided to do a more difficult hike up to an observational point that was incredible.  One the way down, we even stopped to swim some in a little stream with a small waterfall. 

After a final, relaxing day at Hopkins used to take in some sun/allow our sunburns to heal, we made our way up toward Belmopan.  We stayed at another forest lodge that, again, had no AC.  This little detail caused some tension among the family, but I’m very happy to say that they toughed it out and didn’t let it put a damper on the trip.  Soon after arriving at the resort, we made our way into the Belmopan and made a quick stop by the Peace Corps office so that my family could meet the PC Staff.  It was a great visit and allowed my family to see all the work that goes into making sure that I am well trained, safe, and doing my job. 

The next morning, we made a trip out to Xunantunich.  Even though I’d been there before, it was still awesome to see.  It’s crazy to me to hear about how the Maya lived so many years ago.  I can’t even imagine how their lives would have been or how they were able to do the things that they did, such as build a temple that still remains the tallest building in the country.

To finish up the vacation, we stopped by to see my host family in Armenia.  It was great to see them and how they interacted with my family.  We made the mistake of giving a Chic-Fil-A cow to one of the boys while the other one was asleep.  When the sleeping one woke up, he refused to participate in picture taking until his brother gave him the cow.  Thankfully, they worked out an agreement and everyone was a part of the photo shoot. 

The final night was spent in a nice, AIR CONDITIONED hotel that we all loved.  It was, ironically, the first hotel that I stayed at when I came into Belize.  I remember thinking a year ago how it was just like any other hotel, but after spending a year in the jungle, I realized that what I originally thought was just a hotel was in fact paradise, equipped with AC and over 100 channels.  It was a great way to spend the last night with my family and top off an unforgettable vacation!  

Thanks for everything guys!

Ac Yuam

Life at site over the past two months can be described best as nonstop.  I’m not just talking about working at the school or having lessons in the village, but there have also been some very important events that took place, and I was lucky enough to be a part of them.  I was invited by the village Chairman to attend the first communion and baptism of his five youngest children as well as dine with them afterward.  Then, just a few weeks after that, I was also invited to the high school graduation in PG and asked to come eat with two of the students’ families.  In each case, the main dish was pork; however, I don’t eat pork, so I was a little concerned about the possibility of having to refuse the food.  Somehow, though, each family had heard of my dietary habits and cooked a chicken just for me.  There may have been times in the past when I didn’t feel that I was integrating into the village as well as I would like, but after these celebrations, I’m starting to realize that people are slowly beginning to adopt me as a member of the village.

The largest celebration, though, came when my host brother got married.  The week prior to the wedding, people were already arriving.  By the eve of the wedding, there were over 100 people there to help cook and celebrate the event.  One group of people that came was from a village where there was another volunteer, so she came up to be a part of the celebration as well.  It was great to have her company, too, because nothing feels lonelier than being the only American surrounded by, what would eventually be, 250 Q’eqchi strangers.

The day of the wedding was awesome!  Buses had come from three or four other villages bringing family and friends of the couple.  At one point, I was speaking to someone and the conversation went something like this:

"Daniel, are you ready for the couple to tie…"

"…the knot?" I said, being the American that I am.

"No, tie their necks," my acquaintance informed me.

Yes, that is correct.  They do not, in fact, tie the knot in Q’eqchi weddings.  Instead, they tie their necks.  Now if you are like me, you may have the image of this couple walking down the aisle on their way to the gallows (and really, at this juncture in my life, I feel like a trip down the aisle and a trip to the gallows are synonymous); however, the neck tying was nothing like that.  As the couple stood in front of the packed church and said their vows, the preacher put a loosely fitting rope in the shape of an infinity symbol around their necks to signify unity and a connectedness that would last for eternity.  After the kiss (which came as a shock to my friend and me considering how much we know about the lack of affection that many Q’eqchi people show) everyone moved next door to my house where beef was served with a side of poch.  Overall, it was a great experience and something that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Aside from my busy social calendar, I have also been able to make time for work.  Most of my work continues to be at the school.  The world map that the students drew and painted is finally finished in the library.  Yes, there are still some little things that need to be completed, but those are only minor details.  The bulk of the map is finished.  I won’t lie to you either.  Going into this knowing that the map would be drawn by a bunch of adolescent boys, my expectations were pretty low; however, now that the map is complete, I can say that I am shocked.  Never in my mind would I have expected it to look as good as it does.  The students did an excellent job!  They have been able to leave a lasting legacy at the school through this project.  The principal, who will be switching schools next year, even liked it so much that he asked for the resources to do it at his next school! 

Side note: for anyone interested, this is not a project that is strictly Peace Corps.  This project can be done by anyone in any country.  It can be used to teach children about the world and even the different cultures around the world.  If this is something you’re interested in, let me know and I can try and get you the information.  It’s something that I definitely want to take back with me to the U.S.

 

Another school activity that I was fairly involved in was helping to train the boys football (like soccer football, not American football) team in preparation for the district finals.  Really, what this meant was going out and playing football with the boys every day after school for about two weeks.  Tough work, I know.  The kids had won the zone tournament but still needed a lot of work to be competitive in the districts, especially since they are pretty small. 

Training had been going well until the day before the tournament, three of the kids decided to disrespect the principal.  The principal quickly told the students that they would not be going to PG the following day and gave them back any money they had donated to help fundraise the vehicle.  It was immediately obvious that these kids were crushed.  Two walked out of the meeting on the verge of tears.  I decided I should probably go out and talk to them to make sure they were alright.  One of them is extremely smart and has loads of potential, but since he’s 14 he could technically drop out whenever he wants.  I really just wanted to make sure that he wasn’t planning on “sticking it to the man” by dropping out of school and ruining his future.

When talking to the students, they told me that they were just planning on going to the tournament on the bus the following morning separately from the team.  We talked more about it and decided that it would probably be best if they at least got the principal’s approval instead of just trying to show him up the next day.  They came up with a heartfelt apology and quickly went to the principal to get approval to support the team.  More tears were shed during this apology, and by the end, the principal was fully convinced that the kids would never disrespect him or any other authority figure again.  They did, however, also have to apologize to their teammates.

The next day, the whole team was off to PG to compete.  The boys won the first game easily but would have to wait five hours in the sun until their next match against a team that was much bigger and had had a first round by.  The boys came out nervous and gave up two quick goals in the first five minutes.  They held them for the final 15 minutes (the games were only 20) but they weren’t able to ever put a goal.  It was an unfortunate way to end the season but the kids brushed it off quickly as kids usually do and were joking around by the time we’d reached the car.  Still, though, to come from the back o’ bush and finish top 5 out of the 50 plus teams in the district is something to be proud of.  That being said, though, you better believe that I will make sure training starts much earlier next year.

Aside from these mini projects, my main work at the school was in giving lessons on the prevention of non-communicable diseases.  This was something that I had been working on for a few months with the goal of having the students present what they learned at the health fair.  In order for this to happen, though, it was obviously important that my CHW and I were able to set up a health fair.

Originally, we wanted this fair to be at the end of May, but due to questions in the budget, the date continued to get pushed back.  The last possible day for the fair was on June 9, the day my family came into town.  Well, we were finally able to nail down this date a week and a half beforehand giving me very little time to get out invitations.  At one point, I was on the bus and had to give a letter to a villager of a different village and have her pass it off to a nurse in that village.  It was quite a stressful time.  I didn’t have confirmations until the day before the fair, and that wasn’t including the nurse in the neighboring village.  By that point, though, I decided what would be would be.  I could no longer do anything.  Luckily, there were four other volunteers who said they would help, so worst case, we would have three stands on diarrheal disease and hygiene. 

Luckily, though, all but one person invitee came.  Even the nurse from the neighboring village showed up.  The topics of the fair varied from vector control to diarrheal disease prevention to birth control and family planning.  We were even able to do cooking demonstrations for the children and members of the community.  By far, though, the biggest success, in my mind, was the fact that we had 34 women of childbearing age come and for an hour, they stood crowding around the birth control and healthy pregnancy booth.  About 60% of the village is under the age of 20.  This means that people are having a lot of babies and there are a lot of tweens that are going to be popping out kids soon.  To me, maternal and child health as well as family planning is one of the major targets for my CHW and me.  I was stoked to see so many women interested in the topic. 

Then there’s the latrine project.  Yes, that is still in full swing.  It’s a long process and I find myself constantly telling the villagers to just have patience, supplies are on the way.  There have been some major developments, though.  The first came when my CHW and I got a group together that would be in charge of the funds.  The name of the group is Ac Yuam Development Project.  Ac Yuam (pronounced Ak Tyuam) means New Life in Q’eqchi and was something that really resonated with me when brainstorming with my language coach about a name.  The goal of this group is not just to fundraise for latrines but for any needs that they see in the community.  Essentially, this group will hopefully bring new life into the community in a sustainable manner.  The next step in the process is to open up a bank account for the group.  I’m hoping that this can be done by early July.  At that time, we can begin to buy supplies and build latrines.  Expect details to come soon on how to donate to the cause!

All of your support, not necessarily for the projects but also for me, helps more than you can know!  Thanks for everything!