Dylan's Visit

After more than six months apart, my boyfriend Dylan and I were reunited in July. He recently completed his PC service in Burkina Faso and came to Belize for two weeks before settling into life back in the U.S. We had a wonderful time catching up and reconnecting but, of course, the visit was too short. We really enjoyed just hanging out, swimming in the ocean, and playing lots of backgammon but also took a few trips and I was able to show him some of the amazing places in this country.

We started off his visit with a weekend in Caye Caulker. He met a few other PCVs that were around and we enjoyed a full day sail and snorkel tour that included three stop. We didn't actual see much snorkeling at the first but as we got back in the boat, three manatees approached the area we had just been swimming in. At the second stop, we jumped in the water among dozens of nurse sharks and sting rays. It was a little scary but very cool to be so close to them. The final stop was in the Hol Chan Marine Reserve where we saw a lot more coral and fish including a huge grouper that was about three feet long and a turtle.

After our weekend of fun in the sun, we enjoyed a few days back in Dangriga just hanging out while I had to work. Two more visitors then arrived. My good friend from college, Maren, and her husband, Mike, came to Belize for a week. It was their first trip away from their 14 month old son and a chance to really relax. We enjoyed a day touring Dangriga followed by a trip into Toledo in southern Belize. We visited two ancient Mayan ruins: Lubaatan and Nim Li Punit and enjoyed driving around rural Belize where we could see many small Mayan villages that people currently live in. Our last stop was Blue Creek Cave where we were in for a surprise. We somehow had misunderstood and thought the cave was right off the road and easy to get to. I had been warned not to climb in the cave now since there is a risk of flash floods. After hiking through the woods and crossing a river, we finally could see the cave opening. It was humongous and water was rushing out of it. There was no way we would try to enter the cave with those rapids! Dylan did enjoy trying to climb closer to the opening though while the rest of us enjoyed the view that didn't involve quite as much climbing over slippery rocks!

A few days after Maren and Mike left, Dylan and I traveled to Placencia for the biggest adventure during his visit. We had been talking for months about going diving and I had tried to get lots of research beforehand and picked out a company to go with. I've never dived before so needed to get certified and Dylan wanted to do a refresher course since he had only done a few dives and it had been several years. I thought everything was planned and would be great but of course thats not how anything works in Belize! Turns out there has been a weird algae growth throughout a large area of the reef near Placencia that means there is no visibility. The first company said they couldn't take us anymore but thankfully we found another company, Splash Dive Shop, that would take us north where visibility was still good and wouldn't charge any more. I think we actually lucked out since this company was so great and I would recommend them to anybody wanting to dive in Belize. They even gave me a great discount as a Peace Corps Volunteer. My dive certification was three days with the first day full of watching videos and taking quizzes. Not very interesting but I liked the instructor and was able to calm some of my fears about diving.

The next day Dylan was able to complete the refresher while I did my first couple dives. We went with a group out to South Water Caye where we first practiced using the equipment and did our first dive from shore. I had to do a lot of different skills testing that is required for certification including taking my mask off and putting it back on underwater, sharing a regulator (what you use to breath with), having my air turned off to experience what its like to run out of air, practicing an ascent when you're out of air, and many other things. They were a little scary but I guess the idea is to get practice now so its not so scary if you actually have an emergency.

The final day we went out to Tobacco Caye and Dylan was able to enjoy an awesome dive down to 90 ft and saw lots of cool stuff. I had to spend the time doing lots more skills tests but it meant that I was certified by the end of the day. Our second dive was very cool though and we were able to go together. We were supposed to only go to 60 ft but at one point I realized I was down to 75 ft. We saw lots of coral and fish and even a turtle. It was very cool and made me realize I want to see more. The batteries on my underwater camera died which I guess means I do need to dive again to get some pictures. Now that I'm certified, I hope to be able to do a couple more dives (if I can afford it!) before I leave Belize to get some more experience. I'm excited that this is something we both enjoy and can experience on future vacations!

One other outing we did while Dylan was here was a day trip to Blue Hole and St Hermans Cave. I've been to the Blue Hole several times now but always love it. We started off the day at St Hermans Cave. They have a great, well-marked path that you can follow pretty far into the cave with flashlights. When we turned the lights off, it was completely dark! We then did a long hike through the area and were so hot and sweaty by the time we reached the Blue Hole that the cold water felt especially amazing!

Sharks & Sting Rays

I've been fortunate to do a lot of traveling and had several cool adventures in the last few weeks. Pictures are posted and blogs will be coming soon. In the meantime, enjoy this video of a few of the animals Dylan & I saw while snorkeling in Caye Caulker.

Training of Trainers

Peace Corps Volunteers in Belize have been focused for the past several years on a project to increase the use of Belize's health and family life education (HFLE) curriculum. This is a new curriculum from the Ministry of Education that all primary and secondary schools throughout the country are required to teach weekly. Basically it is a sex ed curriculum but it incorporates a variety of lessons that also include self-esteem, building relationships, communication, and good touch/bad touch. Volunteers and the Ministry have found that teachers aren't using it though and often refuse to teach many of the subjects. Last year a group of volunteers completed a study to learn why teachers weren't teaching HFLE in their classrooms. The results weren't surprising but did give them a starting point to work towards implementing the curriculum more widely. Teachers said they were embarrassed and uncomfortable teaching these topics to students, they think its the parents job to teach their children, they state its against their religion, and they say they don't have enough time during the day to teach this along with all the required subjects.

A group of volunteers that have since finished their service put together a manual of activities and ideas on how to teach these topics. The curriculum provided from the Ministry is huge and overwelming without any specific ideas and lessons plans so the hope was this Peace Corps manual would enable teachers. Last year volunteers organized a training for a small group of teachers that went well. This year, the group met with the Ministry and together they agreed to train all of the upper primary school teachers across the country in using this manual and teaching the curriculum in their classrooms.

I became involved in the project soon after arriving and have enjoyed getting to know other volunteers, meet with folks from the Ministry, plan the trainings, and write lesson plans. Belize recently (I believe) became a recipient of PEPFAR funding (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and Peace Corps is able to apply for grants for projects. The group received funding to carry out these trainings since they contain a large HIV/AIDS component. The plan was to hold two separate two-day trainings in the north and south of the country for 5-10 teachers from each district that were identified as leaders and comfortable teaching these subjects. After these trainings, these teachers will turn around and train all of the other upper primary school teachers in their district during two days in August (hence the title training of trainers). Every August all teachers throughout the country must participate in two weeks of training. We felt very fortunate that the Ministry was allowing Peace Corps to use two of these days to educate teachers on using the manual created by Peace Corps Volunteers.

Last week was the first of the trainings. Monday and Tuesday we led the training in Belize City and then repeated the training in Dangriga on Thursday and Friday. Myself and five other volunteers facilitated the entire training and led discussions with the participants on how to teach HFLE. We had about 30 participants in each training which also included staff from district education centers and new Peace Corps Volunteers that will also work with this curriculum. Topics covered during the training included: self-esteem, dealing with feelings, sexuality, puberty, sexual anatomy, STIs, HIV/AIDS, and stigma and discrimination. We had an HIV+ individual as a guest speaker. He shared his personal story and how he never had anyone that believed in him, built up his self-esteem, or taught him about his sexuality. He also discussed issues of stigma and discrimination in this country. The teachers were then broken into small groups where they had to prepare their own lessons using the manual and present to the group.

Overall the trainings were a huge success. Reading through the evaluations we were amazed to see the biggest complaint was they wished the training was longer. This is after we were concerned teachers would refuse to attend during their one month vacation. We felt the teachers really opened up and were excited and willing to discuss many difficult topics. Some participants had a good deal of background knowledge while we found others really had a lot to learn in order to be able to share with other teachers and their students. Along with knowledge, we tried to provide teachers with resources they can use in the classrooms and information to answer questions their students may pose.

Pictures from the week are posted on my Picasa page.

So You Want to Join Peace Corps

Hilarious video that really sums it all up!

Graduation on the Banana Farm

A month or so ago I wrote a blog entry about the work I had been doing at one of the banana farms here in Belize. I taught a series of six sex ed classes to the older primary school students at the school located here. I thoroughly enjoyed these sessions but worried that this work wasn't sustainable and didn't really fit into the project plan. Basically I liked what I was doing but wasn't sure it was really the work I should be focusing on. It was rewarding though because the principal, teacher, and students all seemed to appreciate me coming.

Last week I was reminded that we never really know the impact we are making on the people we work with even when it seems we're not doing much. I was extremely honored to be asked by the principal at this school to speak at their standard 6 graduation (similar to US 8th grade). He said the students had voted and chose me to be their guest speaker. Another volunteer told our PC Country Director that I would be a graduation speaker and she said she'd like to come see the ceremony and hear me speak.

I received a ride into the farm with the PC country director that morning and we arrived on Belizean time (a little late) but the ceremony was just getting started. There were 12 students graduating and they all sat on stage in their caps and gowns. The ceremony included speeches from several of the students and the group sang a song as well. At one point, all of the students presented gifts to their families in appreciation of the support of their education. It was very moving and everyone was tearing up.

I was asked to speak for about ten minutes on the theme for the graduation, "Let us be the agent of change with the power of education." I read Dr. Seuss' book "Oh the Places You'll Go" and talked about how their education will take them far. I was concerned that the students may not be able to understand me well since English isn't their first language. Our director said she watched them as I spoke and many were nodding and following along. Afterwards several teachers and students said they enjoyed the speech so I think it was a success. The students presented me with a beautiful necklace and earrings set with green stones. I was so surprised but touched at their kindness.

This day was very special for the students and their families and I was thrilled to be a part. Many of the parents don't speak English and probably have received very little education themselves so this is a very important day to watch their children's success. The principal also announced that all of the graduating class would be continuing their education with a majority going to high school and a few going to the technical school. When I had last talked to the students, only about half thought they would be able to go to high school so this was great news! I am so honored to be included in their day and appreciate the opportunity I had to congratulate them and encourage their future successes.

Catching up with Karla

I was fortunate enough to have another amazing visitor recently. Karla, my closest friend and neighbor during my first year in Burkina, spent a week with me in Belize. We were able to see a lot of the country and also hang out with other PCVs so she could see what Peace Corps is like here.

We spent a day hiking at Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Reserve along with PCVs Alyson & Clifton. We took a different trail than I had gone on last time I visited the park. It was challenging and we felt like we've never make it to the end but the view when we reached was well worth the hike. The trail stops at the base of a large waterfall with pool of water. There is a short trail leading to another waterfall above the first and you can look down on the clearing below. We enjoyed having our lunches here and cooling off in the water before hiking back.

The next day Karla and I had a very relaxing day on the beach in Placencia. Its such a beautiful area and we had fun just laying in the sand all day napping and reading.

Later in the week we went to Belmopan for the Swearing-In of the newest group of volunteers in Belize. It was similar to swear-ins in Burkina and brought back memories of when we swore-in more than two and a half years ago. PC Belize has a great tradition here that after the ceremony, the just sworn-in volunteers play soccer against the older PCVs. I also heard its a tradition to let the newbies win but not sure if that was said just because they did this year!

That night we traveled north to the town of Orange Walk with a group of other PCVs. That night we went out to this little hole-in-the-wall place for beer and ceviche. It was the best shrimp and conch ceviche I think I've ever had and at a great price. I enjoyed hanging out with some other PCVs that I hadn't spent much time with before as well.

Karla's last full day in Belize was spent on a great tour. We left from Orange Walk in a speed boat to travel down the New River to the Mayan Ruins of Lamanai. The boat trip took about two hours and seemed much more enjoyable than the several hours you can alternatively travel by bus on a dirt, pot-holed road. Along the way our guide pointed out all kinds of wildlife including lots of different birds and iguanas. We saw a couple splashes that he told us were crocodiles and just the top of one's head. I was a little disappointed not to see more crocodiles but I wasn't up to his suggestion of jumping in the water to attract them! In one tree, the guide pointed out toucans to us. They were smaller than I expected and he explained that there are several different varieties that live in this area and we were seeing the smallest type. We also saw spider monkeys that were in trees overlooking the water. We floated right up next to them and the guide gave them bananas. One even jumped in the boat with us. When we got to the ruins, we also saw howler monkeys.

Besides wildlife, we saw several other sites along the river. This included a large sugar refinery. Northern Belize is a huge grower of sugar cane and therefore producer of sugar. Lately there has been a sugar shortage throughout the country and our guide explained it was because of some changes in parts at the factory we saw and they had to cut production as they figured out how to fix their machines. He also pointed out the rum factory along the river. When you've got a lot of sugar cane, you can also have a lot of rum! Finally, he showed us a Mennonite community that is the most conservative in the country. It has about 2000 people and they have shunned all outside luxuries including even rubber for their buggy tires. This is a huge contrast to the Mennonites in Cayo that often drive cars and use cell phones! We also learned that it is impossible to join this community and everyone is required to marry within the population so there are concerns for future generations.

The ruins were also impressive to see but as I've said before, they all seem very similar to me. The last few times I've been to ruins, I've looked around on my own so it was different to have a guide this time explaining to us what we were seeing. Lamanai was one of the oldest Mayan cities but it also continued long after most of the other cities in the region collapsed. One reason for this, our guide explained, was because of the location on the river. The city was able to sustain a large population without decimating the land like happened at many of the other sites. This reminded me of the book "Collapse" by Jared Diamond where he looks at ancient civilizations that reached their demise in a short period of time. He actually even looked at the ancient Mayans and discussed why the society fell apart before the Spaniards even arrived. Makes me wish I could re-read that chapter now that I'm living in the center of this civilization!

The tour ended with a return boat trip. Instead of enjoying the wildlife this time, we sat back and enjoyed rum punch! It was a fantastic end to the day and to Karla's visit. I had a great time catching up with her since it had been one and a half years since we hung out other than a short lunch at New Years. I also really appreciate the American goodies she brought me from home including shorts! I wasn't able to buy many new clothes when I was home in January since summer clothes weren't out then and its so hot here now that all I want to wear is shorts when I'm not at work!

Hurricane Season

As many of you may know, Peace Corps develops Emergency Action Plans (EAP) for each country that outlines what to do in a variety of safety and security situations. Last year while I was still in Burkina there were several terrorist threats and volunteers from several parts of the country had to be evacuated from their sites. I never worried or felt unsafe since I know my community was always watching out for me and Peace Corps had plans in place to take care of us and get us out of the country if needed. Since I left Burkina, there has been much greater safety and security concerns and many volunteers have been evacuated and/or put on standfast repeatedly since February. I don't want to go into the details about everything thats going on there but its basically been a lot of political instability with riots and protests against the government and current president. What I'm really trying to explain is that I was aware of potential problems in Burkina Faso and I felt very safe knowing that Peace Corps was taking care of us.

When I arrived in Belize five months ago, I had to go through a short training to inform me of differences between Burkina and Belize. One thing that really stuck out was my talk with the Belize Safety and Security Coordinator. We went through the EAP and I realized the biggest concern was hurricanes and floods. There was very low threat of terrorist activities or political instability like we faced in Burkina but a very high threat of natural disasters. I guess anywhere you go there are safety concerns; I find it interesting to see how different they can be!

June 1 is the official beginning of hurricane season and the day brought the first rain to Dangriga in a while with both morning and evening storms. For the next five months, Peace Corps Volunteers are supposed to be prepared for potential storms and the possibility of evacuation. Last year volunteers were consolidated (everyone brought together in Belmopan, away from the coast) five times I think because of potential storms. A category one hurricane did hit Belize and caused some damage but this was just a small storm. There is a lot of talk now about this hurricane season being a bad one. I've heard a couple different reasons. Someone told me this is an El Nino year meaning the weather patterns are set for potentially bad storms. Others have said that we should expect a larger number and more powerful storms. The most interesting reason I heard was that all of the worst hurricanes in Belize have hit in September of years ending in 1. It is 2011 so we'll see what happens this fall!

I heard the first potential storm is being watched near Jamaica already so I guess its time to pack my hurricane bucket. Thats right, Peace Corps Volunteers are required to prepare for any potential storms by putting together a hurricane bucket. We need to get a five gallon bucket called a pigtail bucket here since thats what usually comes in them! Pigtails are imported from the US where they are considered garbage but are a part of the traditional cuisine here. We're expected to have non-perishable foods, water, flashlight, clothes, money, and our passports ready to take with us when we get the call to consolidate.

I'm not sharing this with all of you because I'm really scared or to make you nervous; Peace Corps will get us out way before a storm gets close. I just find it fascinating and want to share what my life is like here in Belize. It seems that hurricanes are a big part of life here and there are lots of plans in place in case the big one hits. Every town throughout the country has developed a hurricane plan and most have hurricane shelters. Families know where they will evacuate to and are prepared to do this a few times each year.

Besides hurricanes, there are other big concerns during the rainy season. Flash floods are common and many rivers become impassable after a storm. A bridge on the main road south was washed out several years and now there is no way to travel north when the river becomes swollen. Travel becomes much more difficult from now until November. We faced many of these same issues in Burkina but I think they get a lot more rain here so the problems are multiplied.

I, of course, will update all of you of the situation in Belize. We'll see what the season brings. I'm looking forward to the rains putting out the many forest fires raging currently and cutting down on the dust on the road. Its also nice to get a break from the heat when a storm rolls through. Welcome to life in the tropics!