Little Updates

A new group of trainees has arrived in Belize so after only two months here, I'm no longer the newbie! My life has been a little crazy for the past few weeks as I've been discussing with Peace Corps how to improve my working situation. Not working during this time has allowed me the opportunity to experience some great parts of Belize. I've enjoyed several nice bike rides around Dangriga and swimming in the ocean from several different beaches in town. I've also spent a while in Belmopan at the Peace Corps office so have had a chance to get to know some of the new training group and answer a few of their many questions. I don't know a lot about Belize yet but I know the basics and think I do understand Peace Corps well. I'm able to participate in some of the more interesting sessions since I never went through training here. Last week they had a panel on politics and the local government of Belize. I realized that I've learned nothing about either of these during my time here. The panel included three volunteers that work with local government - one with a mayor, another with a village council, and the last with the National Association of Village Councils. They also had two Belizean women speak about their experiences. They were from the two opposing political parties but both are working to focus beyond political parties and look at the needs of the country. One is an employee that works with the association and the other is an elected official. She originally was elected to her village council, became chair, then asked to serve on a district association, and also is serving as a Senator. She's currently wearing all these hats at once so representing several different populations depending on which role she is working in at the time. They were very honest with us and explained how animosity between political parties can have a debilitating effect within Belize. It sounded very much like my own country! Today I'm back in Belmopan to attend a session on the history and government of Belize. Senator Hulse, who represents the business community in Belize, gave the lecture. He's a great public speaker and did a fantastic job making this topic interesting. Belize is a young country (30 years in 2011) and the senator could tell us stories from before independence up until today and many of the challenges the country has faced. He also shared the history of Europeans arrival in Belize and why it is so different than the rest of Central America. Since the arrival of Europeans, it has been considered more a part of the Caribbean than Central America but because of its location on the mainland and the large coral reef that prevented large ships from easily attacking, early settlements were fairly secure. I also was invited to participate in Culture Day, an annual tradition in Peace Corps Belize held at the very beginning of training. The group travels to an area of the country to spend a day learning about one of the local cultures. This year the focus was Garifuna and everyone came to Dangriga. We had a tour of the National Garifuna Museum, lectures on spirituality and the use of plants for medicinal purposes, a tour showing the process of making cassava bread, visited Pen Cayetano's art gallery, ate a traditional lunch, watched a drum-making demonstration, and enjoyed dance and drumming performances. It was a fun day and covered lots of information. I had met and spoken with most of the individuals that presented activities during the day but its always different hearing their formal presentations. Last week I did a little traveling to learn more about activities that other Peace Corps Volunteers are doing. I spent a day in Georgeville, a village in the Cayo district west of Belmopan, visiting PCV Jenna. The village has about 500 people in it I believe but is right on the main highway and in a popular tourist area. Cayo is very mountainous and beautiful and Jenna has a gorgeous house on the top of a hill with a great view of the village and countryside below. She works at a small primary school in the village as a teacher trainer and has done a lot of work with the school library, has reading groups, and started a running and exercise club. I enjoyed interacting with young kids since I haven't had many chances to be around children since I left Burkina! Later in the week I traveled to the very north of Belize to visit PCV Holly in Corozal. This is a large town near the border with Mexico and has a much larger Mestizo population than in my area. Its a beautiful town as well and feels so different than southern Belize. Its amazing how diverse this country is for being so small. Holly is a youth development volunteer but also works in a primary school as well as with other activities in the community. I've posted pictures from some of these recent activities so check them out!

The Garifuna

The Garifuna are an ethnic group found in Belize and Dangriga is often referred to as the heart of the Garifuna people. This group has an interesting and well-preserved history describing how they settled along the shores of Belize. The story begins before European arrival when there were two distinct ethnicities living in the Caribbean and more specifically on the island of St Vincent: the Arawak and the Carib which later melted into one group. In 1635 two Spanish ships carrying slaves from Nigeria where shipwrecked in the Caribbean. Some of the captives were able to swim to the shores of St Vincent and settled among the local populations. The indigenous people and new arrivals did not always get along at the beginning but eventually theses separate groups intermarried and formed a new ethnicity known as the Garifuna.

One hundred and fifty years after the marooned slaves arrived on St Vincent and mixed with the Caribs, the Garifuna were the largest and most powerful group on the island. At this time St. Vincent, along with many Caribbean Islands, was under British rule and they began building slave plantations. The British were unwilling to accept a free black population so close to their slaves and wanted to gain control of the island so repeatedly fought the Garifuna.

In 1796, after a year of bloody fighting and the killing of their chief Joseph Chatoyer, the Garifuna surrendered. Months later the British decided to put an end to free blacks in St Vincent so rounded up the Garifuna killing many in the process. British records state that around 4300 individuals were deported to the island of Balliceuax, just off the St Vincent coast. Half of the remaining population died within a few months because of lack of food and yellow fever. The survivors were once again rounded up and deported this time to the island of Roatan, one of the Bay Islands off Honduras. Survival continued to be a struggle and many died here. Shortly after their arrival, the Spanish took the remaining 1700 Garifuna to mainland Honduras. They settled here for 20 some years before war came to Honduras. The Garifuna supported the losing side and were again persecuted so once again had to move this time to British Honduras (which later became Belize).

History states that on November 19, 1832, the largest group of several hundred Garifuna landed at Stann Creek (located in Dangriga). They were led in their travels by Elijio Beni (who happens to have a park named in his honor next to my house). Other Garifuna had arrived in small number prior to this and even more came later. After 200 years of travelling, the Garifuna finally found a new homeland.

November 19 is a national holiday in Belize called Settlement Day. It is celebrated throughout the country with some of the biggest festivities in Dangriga including a re-enactment of the first ships arriving at Stann Creek.

The Garifuna were traditionally fishermen along the coast of Belize and did some farming. These people sought out ways to advance themselves and focused on education. They moved into the professional class throughout the country and are known as being very successful. It is very common to find Garifuna teachers, principals, and medical professionals.

Today the Garifuna continue to keep their tradition and culture alive. There is a National Garifuna Council that have wrote a dictionary, hold conferences, run a primary school, and opened a museum to share their story with visitors. The Garifuna language is still widely-spoken though there is talk about it being a dying language. In my experience, many young people have not learned it and are uninterested in doing so. It is mostly older generations that I hear speaking Garifuna. Traditional dances and drumming are still performed and many older women can be seen in town in their traditional clothing. These dances remind me of dancing in my village in Burkina Faso and I can see how they probably originate from the same traditions.

In the past twenty years or so, younger Garifuna have developed a new style of music called Punta Rock that has a base in traditional music but with a quicker beat and other instruments besides traditional drums. There are many well-known Punta Rock artists in Dangriga but two of the most famous are the late Andy Palacio and Pen Cayetano of the Turtle Shell Band. Pen is also a painter and he and his German wife Ingrid have a beautiful studio in Dangriga showcasing their work.

Other Garifuna traditions remind me of what I saw and learned in West Africa. There is a strong belief in ancestry worship and that spirits are all around us. Some people say that this involves voodoo and black magic but I’d like to think of it more as traditional religion and beliefs that are still practiced here as well as in Africa. One tradition is for a large event that is held every several years when an ancestor or spirit tells someone they need to hold this event or party. The spirits require that everyone in the family attend so it often takes a long time to plan. People have family that have settled all over and everyone must come including those in the United States. The event includes singing, dancing, and lots of food and continues for several days I believe. At the end, the spirit can say that they didn’t do a good enough job and they have to plan and throw a whole other event. This doesn’t usually happen though since it is such a huge expense for just one. I’ve also heard that there are many traditions surrounding death and funerals but I don’t know the specifics.

Please note that this is just my understanding of what I've read in several guidebooks and heard from the folks at the museum and other Garifuna in the community.

Women's Month

As many know, March 8 is International Women's Day and 2011 was the 100th year this holiday has been celebrated. At home very little is done on this day though it originates in the United States. In Burkina it was a huge deal and there were pagnes (fabric) put out each year and everyone got outfits made. In the city different events were planned but in village it mostly involved a female soccer game and lots of talk about how the men would cook for their wives even if it was never followed through. I was excited to hear that Michelle Obama held a ceremony for this holiday and two young girls from Burkina Faso were invited to attend. One girl even had the honor of introducing the first lady!

Hear in Belize I've discovered the holiday is taken to a whole other level with the entire month of March recognized as Women's Month. The Women's Department which is somehow a part of the federal government has offices in each of the six districts and these offices organized most of the events along with partner organizations. I sat on the committee for Stann Creek which involved going to a few meetings to discuss the events going on here. The theme for this year is "Valuing Ourselves: Promoting Shared Responsibilities."

We kicked off the month on March 1 with an art gallery opening with a display of artwork by local women. Pen Cayetano is a world famous artist who is Garifuna and from Dangriga. He and his German wife own a studio in town displaying their artwork and donated space for this month-long event. They also put on a very nice event for the opening. The focus of the exhibit was a portrait Pen did of a pregnant woman that was hanged about 40 years ago after being convicted of killing her common-law husband. The story is she was in an extremely abusive relationship and after having enough one day she poured petrol on the outhouse. When he went in to do his business and lit a cigarette, it blew up killing him. The gallery display was in honor of this woman and all victims of domestic abuse.

Another event for the month was the Community Spirit Award which recognized about twenty older women in the community for their volunteerism and involvement in the community. My landlady/neighbor received this honor so I went to take pictures for her. It was fun to see how thrilled all of the recipients were to be recognized.

This past Saturday was a bike rally beginning at 6 am. About 40 people met at a monument on the edge of town and biked as a group throughout town to a park. We then did some stretching together and prizes were given to participants. It was a fun outing involving both men and women that encouraged exercise and healthy living.

My organization is focusing on the theme for this year about promoting shared responsibility and encouraging men to take their young children to school for the last week of the month. There are specific gender roles in this culture including that the raising of children is a woman's responsibility so this activity is trying to encourage parents to share this responsibility.

Other activities for the month include a weekly radio show focusing on a variety of women's issues, a fair at the end of the month featuring community organizations, open house at the women's department and a documentary about sexual abuse created by a survivor of incest. I heard that the U.S. embassy had an award ceremony recognizing women from around Belize for their work.

It was excited to see the many events being offered in our community to focus on women and recognize them for the work they do in creating a productive society. I've heard comments from men about why a whole month needs to focus on women and asking when is men's month. Of course the answer is that the rest of year focuses on men so its important for us to take time to celebrate women until the day when their is true equality.

Home Sweet Home

I moved into my own place last weekend after a month living with my host family. I'm loving my new home and having more privacy. I'm also so excited for all the modern conveniences. I have a one bedroom place on the first floor of a two story home and my landlady lives upstairs.

Not only do I have running water, I have a shower shocker which gives me pretty warm water to bath with (no more bucket baths)

Not only do I have a bed, I have an extra mattress for guests (no more hard cot)
Not only do I have a living room, I have a couch and two chairs (no more sitting on the ground)

Not only do I have a stove but also an oven and fridge and a counter (no more cooking by headlamp)

Not only is there a breeze to dry clothes, I have access to my landlady's washer (no more hours of scrubbing)

Not only do I live in a coastal town, I now live right on the beach (no more desert).

Thats right, I can exit my house, cross the street, walk through a small park, and I'm in the water. Its not a beautiful beach but its thirty seconds from home! I've gone swimming twice this week and am sure as it gets really hot in the next few months, I'll enjoy this even more.

Check out pictures of my new house!

And my excitement goes beyond my home, I'm also discovering great new things about my town. We have multiple grocery stores including a new one that opened that is the same size as Marina Market, the largest supermarket in Ouaga that was always on my list of things to do when I made it to the big city. There are lots of restaurants with a variety of food. The most common is Chinese which are known for their great fried chicken but I also enjoy the more traditional fried rice.

I hope Americans realize how much they take for granted. I've heard too many foreigners (including other Peace Corps Volunteers) complain about Belize being a third world country and all the things they miss from home. I'm constantly amazed and thankful for all that is available to me here and appreciate living the good life in Belize!

Anyways, like I said I have a spare bed and Dangriga is easy to get to so I'd love visitors. Belize is only a two hour flight from the U.S. so no excuses about not having time! Please let me know if you're thinking about visiting and when you think you might come. I look forward to showing you a great time!

Happy Birthday Peace Corps!

Fifty years ago today Peace Corps was officially established when President John Kennedy signed an executive order to form an international volunteer organization. The idea of a Peace Corps was first raised while he was campaigning for president and had a middle of the night campaign stop at the University of Michigan. This small dream has become a huge program with over 200,000 former volunteers that have served in 139 different countries around the world. I'm proud to play my small part in this organization.

Here are a few fast facts from the Peace Corps website:

Volunteers

Current number of Volunteers and Trainees:

8,655

Gender:

60% female, 40% male

Marital Status:

93% single, 7% married

Minorities:

19% of Peace Corps Volunteers

Average Age:

28

Volunteers over age 50:

7%

Education:

90% have at least an undergraduate degree

Countries and Projects

Current number of countries served:

77 countries

Volunteers by Work Area

• Education: 37%
• Health & HIV/AIDS: 22%
• Business Development: 14%
• Environment: 13%
• Agriculture: 4%
• Youth Development: 5%
• Other: 5%

Where Volunteers Serve

• Africa: 37%
• Latin America: 24%
• Eastern Europe/Central Asia: 21%
• Asia: 7%
• The Caribbean: 5%
• North Africa/Middle East: 4%
• Pacific Islands: 3%

Jaguar Reserve

Last Saturday I visited Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Reserve which is about thirty miles from Dangriga. This is the world's first jaguar reserve created in the early 1980s and currently has a population of more than 70 jaguars along with many other animal species. Belize has one of the largest populations of jaguars and other cats in all of Latin America because they have put so much land into protected reserves and national parks.

This reserve is a basin (hence the name) surrounded by the Maya Mountains and hills so its a protected area. One of the mountain peaks is supposed to look like a cock's comb (the head of a rooster) hence the rest of the name. There are numerous trails throughout the reserve so its a great place for hiking through the jungle. I met my friend KC at a small Mayan village outside of the reserve and took a taxi to the visitors center. The village used to be in the park but was moved when the reserve was created. The women have set up a crafts cooperative and restaurant to generate income from the many visitors.

KC and I looked around the visitors center where we learned more about jaguars and then listened to the ranger talk about the different trails. We decided to start with an easy one hour hike that looped back. Somehow we took a wrong turn and kept walking and walking. It started to rain really hard but fortunately we had brought rain jackets and while low in the basin, the canopy actually prevented us from getting very wet. We made it to a small waterfall and pool where visitors often like to swim. In that weather, we decided against it though. We continued hiking on the trail and started climbing out of the basin so got wetter as there was less canopy cover. We still thought we were on the easy trail and couldn't understand how it had already taken us over two hours and how rough and steep the trail was getting. The vegetation was so thick that we couldn't tell how much farther we had but it kept seeming after every turn that we were almost at the top so had to be done climbing. When we were thinking we couldn't go any further, we finally reached the top of Ben's Bluff. The view from there was amazing with the whole basin visible below us and the Maya Mountains on the far side. It was misty when we arrived but cleared off as we ate our lunches. Victoria's Peak, the second highest mountain in Belize and most difficult climb, was visible through the mist in the distance.

We climbed down again and found a sign that showed we were actually on the "rigorous hike" so felt a little bit better about ourselves. We located the "easy nature trail" so finished up our day with a short walk around the basin floor before heading back to meet our taxi and catching a bus to Independence where KC lives. Hot showers were greatly appreciated that evening after a day in the rain. I actually didn't mind the weather since it kept it cooler and added to the adventure.

Its rare to actually see a jaguar since they are mostly out at night and are very good at staying hidden but we did see animal trails, one paw print, and scratch marks on the tree where they sharpened their claws.

The next day we planned to take the water taxi over to Placencia for a day on the beach so were praying for better weather. Thankfully it was sunny and hot so made for a great relaxing day following our strenuous day of hiking. I even discovered that an Italian woman has opened a gelato shop! Placencia is a gorgeous beach and I can't believe I'm only a few hours away.

There are so many great places to visit in Belize, many within an hour or so of Dangriga, and I hope to see as many as possible during my year here. Its a great break to enjoy nature after my week working in an office!

First Belize Pics

I've uploaded pictures from the past month to Picasa. See link to the right.

There are some pictures from two events for work. First was a video shoot with Supa G, one of the most popular Punta Rock artists in Belize who just happens to be from Dangriga. He recorded a song for BFLA called "Its All One" for a health and wellness program we are doing along with the Ministry of Education. We stopped by his studio and watched part of the recording my first day at work in Dangriga. A few days later he recorded a video for the song with young students from the area. I thought they did a great job and was impressed to see this famous musician interacting with the kids. The second event was painting at the park with our YAM youth group.

Also there are pictures from my short weekend getaway to Cockscomb Basin and Placencia.

In other news, I bought a bike and am so excited to have my own set of wheels again. Unfortunately its not a Trek! In Burkina, Peace Corps imports bikes for volunteers because they realize we need good quality mountain bikes to get around since many of us didn't have transport to and from our sites. In Belize, transport is easy and bikes aren't seen as such a a necessity so volunteers that want a bike must buy one themselves with money provided for settling in. The only bikes available here are Beach Cruisers. They are one speed with foot brakes so its taking me some time to get used to riding.