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.

Belize Family Life Association

My Peace Corps assignment in Belize has me working with Belize Family Life Association (BFLA), the local affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. The organization's headquarters are in Belize City but they have offices in all six districts throughout the country. I am working at the Dangriga office where the organization was originally formed 26 years ago. The objective of this organization is to provide comprehensive and high quality sexual and reproductive health services to Belizean families. Clinical services are similar to what you would expect at a Planned Parenthood clinic in the US such as Pap smears, breast exams, pregnancy tests, HIV tests, diagnosis & treatment of STIs, and a variety of birth control options.

Along with clinical services, the organization has an advocacy and education branch that focuses on outreach work to continue the mission of BFLA to contribute to a healthy and productive nation. Outreach activities include satellite tables in the community, going door to door handing out brochures, health education sessions in schools, and a wide variety of youth activities. The majority of my work is with these types of activities.

The BFLA office in Dangriga has two staff members, a nurse and a youth officer, along with myself. They have worked with other volunteers in the past including most recently a Japanese (JICA) volunteer that left about a year ago. Both staff members are fairly new with the nurse beginning about a year and a half ago and the youth officer joining four months ago. With the large amount of turnover in the office, it appears that its been difficult to have much continuity in the programs being carried out.

The Dangriga office has a small clinic as well as a "youth space." I had envisioned this to be a youth center but in reality its a small office with two desk for the youth officer and myself as well as a computer hooked up to the internet. It is open all day throughout the week for youth ages 14-24 to stop in and hang out. They are free to use the internet if we don't need it. I think the long-term goal is to have an actual space for youth to hang out in that has more room and doesn't feel so much like an office but we are dealing with whats available in the meantime.

There are two youth groups that I have begun working with through BFLA. The first is the Youth Advocacy Movement, also called the YAM Club. In order to join YAM, youth must first complete 40 hours of training on life skills and sexual & reproductive health. We are hoping to begin the training next month since there hasn't been a group trained in Dangriga in about two years. YAM has meetings every Friday evening that those interested in joining and current members are required to attend. Other criteria for membership include completing regular community service, attending church, continuing training, and referring other to the BFLA clinic. I was surprised at these numerous requirements but not surprised to hear that they are having trouble finding youth to follow through and become certified members. Unfortunately it seems there is little flexibility in these requirements so now I am trying to find youth that have the time and willingness to participate. I do believe that participants will gain leadership and communication skills and have heard it looks very positive on resumes and applications as older youth try getting into college and find jobs but understand why youth may not want to participate. Last weekend, YAM completed a community service project at a local park. We painted the bandstand with the help of many neighborhood kids that were excited to participate.

The other youth group that I have started working with is Peer Educators. BFLA has a program to train peer educators in the two high schools in Dangriga. Again this hasn't been done recently and there has been no follow-up with those trained over a year ago so I have begun to work with this group. It seems that these are the leaders in the school and they are excited to participate in more activities and continue training sessions. I will be meeting with the group at one high school weekly and hope to start at the other school soon once I get permission. Hopefully we will also hold a training for younger students that want to join soon.

I am trying to find ways to stay busy and get involved in the community. Its been a huge change for me to have an actual office and set hours that I'm expected to be sitting at my desk compared to my experiences in Burkina where I considered any time in village my work and only spent a few hours every morning at the health clinic. The other challenge has been fitting into a structured program that has many restrictions on organizing and planning new activities. In Burkina I basically could do anything I came up with as long as I could locate resources and participants. Here, I have to get activities approved by several people, make sure that it fits into BFLA and IPPF's vision and program plan, and often use already prepared materials and presentations. It is definitely a change but probably much more like the real world that I will experience once I grow up and get a real job!

Diversity

Belize is the most diverse place I've ever been other than a few cities in the U.S. I'm amazed at all the different colors of people and languages spoken on the street and the general acceptance there seems to be for everyone.

I have seen many different ethnic groups represented in Belize and this is just my understanding after a few weeks here. These ethnicities include:

• Creole (Kriole) - often mixed race, originated with escaped slaves intermixing with native Carib Indians
• Garifuna - also descendents of escaped slaves & natives but now a different ethnicity
• Mayans - usually broken into 2 groups - those from Mexico & those from Guatemala
• Mestizos - mixed Mayan & European ancestry
• Hispanics - often migrant workers from Honduras and around Central America that work in citrus fields, similar to Mestizos but recent arrivals to Belize
• Chinese - have been here several generations, often own the grocery stores & small shops
• East Indians - not to be confused with the West Indies, often own appliance & clothes shops
• Lebanese - also own shops
• Mennonites - live in secluded communities but often seen in town selling produce, make great ice cream & other dairy products
• Ex-Pats - retired Americans that want to live somewhere warmer that is English-speaking
• Tourists - yeah I see a lot of these too & I hope to not be confused as one

Although English is the official language of Belize each of these ethnic groups has their own language that can commonly be heard including: Creole, Garifuna, Spanish, 2 Mayan languages (Kekchi & Mopan), Chinese, Hindi, and Low German (spoke by the Mennonites).

There also is a wide diversity in religions with Christianity being the majority but not always Catholicism. It seems to me that there are many more Protestant faiths represented than in the rest of Central America. I've heard a lot about Jehovah's Witnesses that come here and have created large groups of followers.

Of course there are some stereotypes about different groups and I am sure some discrimination but overall I am learning it is very common for individuals to marry outside their ethnic group and many groups work and live together. The one discrimination I have often heard of is migrant workers from Honduras and Guatemala that often only speak Spanish and may have trouble communicating in Belize. They are often working in jobs that Belizeans won't do and paid very little. Since they aren't citizens they don't have many of the rights that other groups have in Belize. Sounds similar to the U.S. huh?

Sweet Waters

My new home for the next year is the town of Dangriga. It is on the Caribbean Sea straight south of Belize City and southeast of Belmopan. It is the third largest city in Belize but still only has about 15,000 people. It has a small town vibe and you can walk anywhere in town in less than a half hour. It is the capital of the Stann Creek district and this creek along with a few others run through the town so there seems to be water wherever you go.

The drive from Belmopan to Dangriga is one of the most beautiful routes I've ever seen. Its called the Hummingbird Highway and alternates between winding through dense jungle and citrus fields. Along the road there are large trucks full of oranges going to the two factories that process the fruit for export. Part of the drive is through the valley with views of the Maya mountains in the background. There also are numerous bridges over small creeks and rivers. The first thing I noticed was just how green it is everywhere!

Dangriga is one of several Garifuna settlements in Belize. I'll have to write another blog later to tell about this ethnic group once I learn more. Anyways Dangriga means "sweet waters" in Garifuna referring to the mouth of the creek in the middle of town that opens into the ocean.

Dangriga is known as the music capital of Belize. It is the home of punta rock, a local style that incorporates traditional African drumming with more modern sounds.

I am living with a host family for the first month before I find a house and will be on my own. Miss Beverly is the librarian in town. The library is small but nice with about 5000 books. Its located right on the coast and the front doors look out on the ocean. What an amazing place to work but she says she doesn't get to enjoy the view. She has two daughters aged 28 and 18. Samatha works in the tourism industry on a party boat on one of the northern islands. Cassandra is in her final year of high school.

Training - Belizean Style

I arrived in Belize about 10 days ago and have been running around the country ever since. Peace Corps Belize had organized a packed training schedule for me. Normally training takes 2-3 months but because I already served in Burkina, they are cutting it down to 10 days!

I have spent several days in Belmopan, the capital of Belize, at the Peace Corps office in meetings with the staff to learn about PC Belize, medical concerns, safety and security, culture and history, and about the health sector's project plan and goals. I even had a short lesson in Belizean Creole which most people speak here. Its based on English but I can only understand about every fifth word!

Belmopan is a tiny city and its hard to believe its the capital. I heard that the capital was Belize City until a huge hurricane wiped it all out in 1961. It was decided to move the capital inland to avoid the same problem in the future. It seems that most people who work here still commute from Belize City which is about an hour or so away. Belize City is much larger and I've been told very dangerous in many parts. This is where the airport is located and where cruise ships land but of course, that section is cleaned up and very nice.

I also spent a day and a half in Belize City at the headquarters of my organization, Belize Family Life Association. This is the local affiliate of International Planned Parenthood Federation. They've been in Belize over 25 years and are a well-established and respected organization. I will be working at one of their district offices.

I was lucky enough to do a three day shadow visit to see how a real PCV in Belize lives and works. KC lives in the town of Independence and has been in Belize since last March. We had a great time hanging out and talking about our Peace Corps experiences. She live right on the coast and there is a 10 minute water taxi from her town to Placencia, a well-known tourist village. The ride was great and we enjoyed an afternoon on the beach! Absolutely gorgeous! I also saw where she works at the polyclinic, very similiar to my health center in Burkina but with way more resources and services.

I then spent two days at my new site before returning to Belmopan today to finish up training. I move in tomorrow and start work for real on Monday.

Throughout my time in Belize I have been able to meet many other PCVs and have been impressed at how welcoming they have been. Its a smaller group here than in Burkina and it seems they are very close.

I've heard that volunteers here say that PCV stands for Paid Caribbean Vacation. Not too bad for a third year assignment! If I can go to the beach during training, I am more than happy!

Keeping in Touch

I now have a phone number in Belize. Call me at:

+ 501 636 0026

If you're calling from the U.S. remember to dial 011 before the number.

Turns out Belize is so small that you don't even have to rent a PO box here. Letters and packages can be sent general delivery to the post office in my town and I can go ask for any mail sent to me.

So my address is:

Kirstin Krudwig
Peace Corps Volunteer
Dangriga
Stann Creek District
Belize

If you send any packages, please please please write a very low value on the customs form. Belize charges something like 40% of this value in import taxes as well as another fee. I also might have to open packages there in front of them. Take stuff out of the wrapping so it looks used. One idea is to write educational materials or food on the customs form and put a value of $5-10.