Peace Corps with Greg and Kevina

America, Adjusting, and Texts with Villagers

2011-12-27T14:26:00.007-05:00

Hopefully all of you out there can answer this question now.

Three Months in the Motherland:

Reflections...

Testing capacity of Greg's hammock

PCV Greg Casaletto

Our little buddy Seaford Everton Co (Steve)

The two crazies...Margarita and Greg

Letters:

I sneaked a few peaks at letters on the bus ride out of Belize, but gluttonously read the rest on the plane as I promised. They were long and detailed and had funny little stories and sad pleadings to return soon. Careful drawings were enclosed and precious stickers added. It took almost a month to write back to each of them, but the new role of pen pal has been established. I started to write my adult friends and just got a call from one saying she got her letter! Meredith has been most helpful by allowing me to send huge quantities to her so I don't have to pay 98 cents for each letter, thanks Meredith! But this is the 21st century and mail isn't the only form of communication...

Some of our letters

Texts:

We got phones after a week or so stateside. I brought my old sim card from my phone in Belize to get my numbers off of. The AT&T guy asked where I got a 'Digicel' chip from and found it funny that I had carried this tiny thing around so I could text my villagers. Any-who so I got most of my numbers off and sent out a text saying, "Good morning, this is my new phone #. I miss u, say hi 2 everyone! -Kevina"

Here are a few of the responses:

Ofelia:

1. Same with us we really miss you guys nice to hear from you

2. oh especially my mother in law she is always crying for u guys say. hi to greg

3. ok.so what are u doing now?? Armin alway asking for u guys. i told him that u guys went back to your country.

4 &5 texting me other villager's numbers

6. I know how u feel kevina all d people from here really everyone always ask if u txt us or cal we told them no maybe kevina do not buy her phone yet we...

7. told them

8. Ok. we join a project now we are try to make kosh'tal (*the maya bags*)

9. Yeah i am at d creek now u can just imagine how your creek looks

10. ok then. oh evet's baby dead again i hear they wil bury d body today

11. ok kevina we can chat later i am busy washing nw later.

Verginia:

1. Hello kev! i am doing fine. if u do receive my txt plz reply me back

2. oh ok. yes i wil do tel her. last week we had isqwa n lancha fish my dad was crying, he said he mis u both. so how is greg doing?

3. oh del hope when u both reach bak u can hav some. the teul's family mis u and say hi 2 u an greg. meredith is having a great time so far.

Angelica:

1. ok i mis u 2 everything is wit u?

2. I mis u 2 kevina i will do dat hw are u an greg?

3. yeah i knw me 2 i stil think like u are still wit my uncle Santi. so are u working nw?

Fermin:

1. hi kevin a its so nice to hear frm u guys. miss u both a lot! enjoying d laptop so far and we r all doing mighty fine jun got a job on a cement factory

2. yeah! did greg still got his job? wat was ur fmly reaction upon ur return? Armin is speaking fluent now i wil try to email greg dis wknd i hope it workout

3. ok kev i need to get inside case it start to rain ya i am at my wrk my kids r doing gud in their studies i am proud of den until 2marow sen ur fmly my

4. regards ok

Mr. Juarez at school:

1. Ya! I'm hapy 2 hear from u an greg

2. Sure pls take care c later

3. Tell greg hi from d family ok

Saturnina:

1. Same 2 u kev.i am very proud of u 2

2. same 2 u kev we really miss u a lot 2

3. ok is ur mother in law surprise 2 c u wen u guys reach bak?

4. I knew dat wil b a shock 2 her. i wil tx u later ms. kev we r at d river nw i dont had full service

As our phone numbers spread through the village we get more and more texts. I usually get a few a day, and most of my best friends text me at least once a week. It really helps feel like I am still there and a part of the village. Usually they want to know 'what nice I eat for lunch?' or what I am doing. During thanksgiving I had to explain that we eat turkey but that we don't 'piece it out' or cut it into chunks for a soup but leave it together and bake it. We have also had several phone calls from villagers and that is really nice and kinda surreal. We called the Coh family a few weeks after we got back and it was so good to hear their voices again! We are lucky to have served in the Peace Corps during a time where there are technologies like this to keep us close. Volunteers of years past have sometimes gone the rest of their lives without getting to speak to their villagers ever again, and that would be terrible.

Emails:

One of my final projects was to help get Internet at the school. We were able to get the modem through the telemedia company before we left but that was during break so I did not really get to see it in use. Meredith has been working with the teachers and standard VI students and much to my delight I opened my inbox to a slurry of village emails!! Here are a few of my favorites:

Dear Mrs.Kevina,
How are you ?
I hope everything is alright with you.In our village two weeks
ago,they had celebrated the sacrment of matrimony.
And they had a very big party.
Sometimes I get sad because I donot see you again.
Yesterday Orjelinda and me accidentally drop in the creek.
when Federico and I go to the farm we drop in the creekand we just laugh.
I am so happy too with the internet and I WISH you good luck and BYE
respectfully yours
Cynthia Pop.

silver creek village

Toledo district

Belize CA

November 22 2011

Dear kevina

how is your day now bad or good,

because in silver creek is very hot.

kevina i want to tell you that your

freind walter got marry on october 16 but the things is going in my life is very
good. we have a nice day thats only what i want to tell you.
have a nice day.

your freind,
Blanca Tiul

Silver Creek Village

Toledo District

November 24, 2011

Dear Miss Kevina

How are u doing in the state now miss Kevina? And I want to ask u.

And when is your Birth day .And what is your phone numer.

That’s why Iam wroteing my letter to u Miss K

Love Lorencia

Silver Creek R.C

Silver Creek Village

Toledo District

Belize C A

October 25 2011

Dear Ms Kevina,

I really miss you and everyone misses you,too.

I ate pumpkin with rice, yesterday. Devon was watching a movie

it was about a child's birthday. Devon wanted a birthday cake, too.

That was the funny story you missed. There is no exiciting things

in my family right now. However, there was a bad thursday holiday.

We buried, Yvette's baby and I buried my dog, the little black and

white, Fluppy. There is nothing much in town or farm, because I have not gone there lately. They said they let go a little turtle in the creek by the bridge. I am reading about Belize, it is about the environment, history, and geography.

Are you missing the caldos and much more? Did you read the letter I gave you on September 22nd, 2011? And have you sent a return letter? Did you send our pictures for the sleepover? We hope you will come back to our village.I, Seynida Coh really miss you.

Love,

xoxoxo

Silver Creek R.C School

Toledo District,

November 24, 2011

Dear, Miss Kevina,

How is living in the country of united states of America.

How is Greg? Aren’t you crying for me? Merideth is working with us on the

Internet and we are working on a tide project the principal will ask for tide

To take us to the Cayes if we win. When is your B day? My sistere say that

When school close she would take me to Belize City. When would you come

Back to the country of Belize?Silver Creek R.C School

Meredith's blog:

http://in-the-hodge-podge.blogspot.com/

In case you have fallen in love with the little village of Silver Creek, which you probably have, and you want to see what is happening now, you can check out the new PCV Meredith's blog. I know I will!!

The Loss of a Dear Friend:

We learned some very sad news a few weeks ago. Our host brother, Fermin Co died. Fermin was a true brother to Greg and I. He worked at Santa Teresa where my dear friend Amy (PCV) lived and would often bring her back to Silver Creek so she could visit with us and the wonderful Coh family. He has a wonderful wife, who is one of my best friends and two sweet children that have been left behind. His 3 year old son doesn't understand and has said he will buy a horse for his daddy. Fermin always loved to laugh and joke and was quick to throw an impromptu party for our visitors or just on a Friday. He died December 12th. He was the second son to die in two years for the Coh family. Please keep his family in your thoughts. We miss you Fermin.

The End:

This blog has served its purpose and is finally at an end. We live in America again, but now we are Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. I really appreciate all of you out there that have read and commented and emailed encouragement. I hope that, like Greg and myself, you have grown to understand another culture, and to appreciate a different way of life. I hope I never forget the lessons I've learned while serving and am truly grateful that we had the opportunity to be a part of 'Promoting World Peace and Friendship' through the Peace Corps.

Thank you to our families and friends who supported us through the good times and encouraged us at our bleakest moments. Thank you everyone for the letters, emails and calls over the years. Lastly, thank you to my fellow volunteers for the support, laughter, jokes, and camaraderie that surely will go unmatched. Thank you and goodbye.

~Fin~

Final Goodbye

2011-11-17T11:15:00.007-05:00

Last photo infront of our home of two years.

We wore our matching shirts that the village council made us.

The last day came, like any other day. I couldn't believe it had the nerve to just appear and pretend like it was just some normal day. We woke up after our few hours of sleep, Greg with a cold and me with tears to say our final and last goodbyes. We headed off to our respective schools for goodbyes and exchanges. Greg's best friend George drove out to pick up Greg (since our bikes were in the school storage for a latter raffle). Greg's school had a feast for him and gave him a beautiful cuxtal. Emails were exchanged and Greg's assistant principal offered to drive Greg back, and then escort us to the junction with our bags. I stopped in each class, said a little speach about how I loved and learned from each of them and that they must work hard to make the best of themselves.

Goodbyes to the students of Silver Creek R.C.

Saying goodbye to our little Godson, Devon(in my lap) and his preschool class.

I had a little bag from my staff gift and in each class kids would silently come up with neatly folded letters and notes for us to read on the plane. Several kids brought letters from older siblings in high school, over 60 letters total when the day was done. My school surprised me with a second pair of maya earrings...a tiny pair that I am still wearing (three months later). I couldn't believe it!

Surprise gift from the staff...tiny maya gold earrings!

Mrs. Delphine had to re-pierce my second hole, while Mrs. Susana admired them.

The Hardest Goodbye

Our final day had been mainly tear free, we shed a lot the night before so I was beginning to think perhaps I was cried out. Then I went home and Cecilia and I just stood in the house sobbing. Santiago came in and told us both that we had to be strong but I could barely hear him. It hit me, we were done and going, and this little hut in this little village would never be our home again. So many emotions were hitting me as Greg came home with Mr. Requena. Meredith came just in time to snap a final photo with our 'parents' of two years before we were hurried into the truck so as not to miss the bus at the junction. It was a quiet ride, with sniffling and small talk to the junction. We were unloaded, given best wishes and then sat for the final time in our little bus stop in the hot sun. Chris rode his bike out to say his final goodbyes and keep us company. It felt crazy, insane to be sitting here to go back to America. To not wake up and wash in the creek the next day. To sleep without the hum of insects.

Our ride to the junction...the end and the beginning.

You might be able to see me sobbing uncontrollably in the back.

We spent the rest of our 4th anniversary (19 hours of it) on school busses sitting shoulder to shoulder. After a relaxing few days of luxury in Mexico, thanks to our friend Erica's welcoming parents, we headed back to America forever.

Welcoming party at the RDU airport.

Our luggage. Two rice sacks, a bucket, backpack, and duffle.

Checkin out of the Peace Corps...PEACE!

2011-10-11T10:58:00.005-04:00

Peace Corps Headquarters

Belmopan, Belize

Peace Corps Belize

Wrapping up two years of service was no easy task, especially having been volunteering for a government organization. There were meetings, medical tests, more meetings, and lots of final signitures and documents to be done and submitted. We did our final VRF (volunteer reporting form) where we itemized and documented all activities we did/projects we've accomplished. There were also sections to talk about our Goal 2 and 3 work (teaching Belizeans about Americans, and Americans about Belizeans). This is a quarterly report that gets turned over to headquarters and gets compiled with all the other volunteers serving so that Washington can get an idea of what we're doing. It is always dreaded because it is a very complicated, multi tabbed, special JAR file downloading pain so it was exciting to do our very last one.

We also had our final medical interviews where we were given a folder of papers and had to initial as we went over about 15 forms that we'd need back in America. We also got a glimpse of our medical records. Mine was a 2 inch thick book...did I mention they think I had typhoid a month before I left...

First food after 7 days of salmonella/typhoid

any-who so yeah we can request those records and can claim any Peace Corps related problem for up to two years. Nurse Jackie (our PCMO or Peace Corps Medical Officer) took pictures with us and we spent a while after our interviews just chatting with her.

Me at the training office, first day of training 2 years ago

Greg climbing up the steps to the volunteer lounge entrance 2 years ago

When we actually left the office for the last time the entire staff gathered to see us off. We received our official signed copy of our DOS (see below), a thank you card signed by all the staff and many hugs. I was not expecting this and it was a very nice surprise. They also made a thank you sign that we were supposed to run and slap on our way out but I was so excited/caught off guard that I forgot:( Greg had a very funny man-hug with our PCMO's assistant Kent. They often would hang out while I was sick and Kent made Greg promise to send a picture of himself on his motorcycle.

Staff thank you and goodbyes leaving the office for the last time

So we did it, we signed up for two years and we finished it and I am glad we did it. We learned a lot about the world, the Maya people, hard work, and ourselves. Only half of our group made it to the end and with good reason. This was BY FAR the HARDEST thing either of us have EVER done in our lives and probably the hardest thing we will have ever done. I am so proud that Greg did it with me and that we made it through some of the toughest things a couple could face.

WE DID IT!

The final and biggest form we had to complete was our DOS (Description of Service). This will be our official record of our service to stay filed in PC Washington for evermore. We had 2 pages to sum up our entire Peace Corps service. I have put them below incase you feel like seeing two years squished down to two pages. After we checked out of the peace corps we actually went back to the village for 2 more nights. That is when the sleepover and the party happened. A little out of order, sorry. Without further adieu...

Peace Corps Belize

Description of Peace Corps Service

Gregory Casaletto

Belize, 2009-2011

After a competitive application process stressing technical skills, motivation, adaptability, and cross-cultural understanding, Peace Corps invited Greg Casaletto to serve as a Teacher Trainer in the Central American nation of Belize.

Pre-Service Training

Gregory Casaletto began an intensive 9-week pre-service training in Maya Mopan Village, a community located 5 minutes from the capital, Belmopan. The program consisted of language training, technical skills training, and cross-cultural studies training. Throughout the pre-service training program, Mr. Casaletto lived with a Belizean family, reinforcing his linguistic abilities and exposing himself to Belizean culture and traditions.

PC Belize’s Training program included 62.5 hours of formal instruction in Q’eqchi ,96 hours of core topics (history, politics, economics, cross-cultural, safety & security, and health) and 77 hours of technical project training

Primary Assignment

On October, 22, 2009, Gregory Casaletto completed training and was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. He was assigned to Big Falls Roman Catholic School, Big Falls Village, Toledo District.

During Mr. Casaletto’s service he worked with the teachers and the school administration of Big Falls R.C. School to facilitate the transition from hand written paper forms to electronic copies for all school documents. He also repaired computers to get the schools computer lab in working order. The computer lab and Internet had been set up by the Belize Rural Development Project and was not in full working order when he had arrived. Mr. Casaletto collaborated with the B.R.D.P. to attend and give workshops on there behalf on computer lab repair and maintenance. This enabled the teachers to use the computers and Internet as a teaching resource. The school library had been previously established by a past Peace Corps Volunteer and had become unusable after a large donation of books rendered the library useless as the boxes of books were taking up too much space. Mr. Casaletto, with the help of three other Peace Corps Volunteers sorted the books and organized the books and then encouraged self governance of the library and resources. The teachers then became accustomed to using the library themselves instead of relying on a librarian.

Mr. Casaletto worked closely with 15 teachers and two administrators as well as the PTA to conduct fundraising for the school that was done in two large fairs and soccer tournaments. He also conducted computer classes for 67 students over the course of two years. The classes that he taught were parts of the computer, basic computer skills, typing, internet research, and email. Teacher’s also received one-on-one trainings on some of the same topics but mostly focused on finding teaching resources and lesson ideas on the internet.

Secondary Activities

Gregory Casaletto immediately saw a desire from everyone to have and use computers in everyday life. When he arrived at Big Falls R.C. the computer lab had a few computers that were not in working order so with limited existing knowledge and very few resources he learned how to repair computers. News spread of his new found talent and he was soon contacted by nearby rural computer labs for technical assistance with computer systems and local area networks.

Mr. Casaletto learned what he could and then started conducting technical trainings and workshops in beginning computer skills as well as intermediate and advanced computer maintenance and repair. Over the course of two years he conducted five formal training sessions on computer maintenance and repair to 22 youth leaders and students who helped run rural computer labs.

Many people came to ask Gregory for help with their own computers so he performed many informal private tutoring on computer and Internet skills as well as repairing approximately 45 community members with personal computers free of cost. These free computer repairs helped sparked many young students interest in computers and as of now one neighbor of his has started schooling to become a computer repair technician.

Language Skills

Even though the official language of Belize is English there are many other languages spoken throughout the country. The Q’eqchi language is used mostly in the southern part of the country where Mr. Casaletto lived. He was able to acquire an understanding of the language and is able to communicate and understand basic needs and questions. Most Belizeans speak Belizean Creole which is a form of English. Mr. Casaletto found it necessary and was able to gain a very good understanding of this language. Most of his colleagues at the school where he worked would converse with him and each other in Creole so he was able to develop the ability to use this language on a daily basis.

Summary

Gregory Casaletto completed his Peace Corps service in Belize on September 23, 2011.

Pursuant to section 5(f) of the Peace Corps Act 22 U.S.C 2504 (f) as amended, any former Volunteer employed by the United States Government following their Peace Corps Volunteer service is entitled to have any period of satisfactory Peace Corps Volunteer service credited for purposes of retirement, seniority, reduction in force, leave and other privileges based on length of federal government service. Peace Corps service shall not be credited toward completion of the probationary or trial period or completion of any service requirement for career appointment.

This is to certify in accordance with Executive Order No. 11103 of 10 April 1963, that Gregory Casaletto served satisfactorily as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His service in Belize ended on September 23, 2011. He is therefore eligible to be appointed as a career-conditional employee in the competitive civil service on a non-competitive basis.

This benefit under the Executive Order entitlement extends for a period of one year after termination of the Volunteer’s service, except that the employing agency may extend that period for up to three years for a former Volunteer who enters military service, pursues studies at a recognized institution of higher learning, or engages in other activities that, in the view of the appointing authority, warrant extension of the period.

Peace Corps Belize

Description of Peace Corps Service

Kevina Casaletto

Belize, 2009-2011

After a competitive application process stressing technical skills, motivation, adaptability, and cross-cultural understanding, Peace Corps invited Kevina Casaletto to serve as a Teacher Trainer in the Central American nation of Belize.

Pre-Service Training

Kevina Casaletto began an intensive 9-week pre-service training in Maya Mopan a community located 10 minutes from the capital, Belmopan. The program consisted of language training, technical skills training, and cross-cultural studies training. Throughout the pre-service training program, Kevina Casaletto lived with a Belizean family, reinforcing her linguistic abilities and exposing herself to Belizean culture and traditions.

PC Belize’s Training program included; 62.5 hours of formal instruction in Q’eqchi, 96 hours of core topics (history, politics, economics, cross-cultural, safety and security, and health), and 77 hours of technical project training.

Primary Assignment

On October 22, 2009, Kevina Casaletto completed training and was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She was assigned to Silver Creek Village.

Kevina Casaletto’s teachers and work counterpart, Mr. Geraldo Baltazar greatly contributed to the success and completion of her projects through their willingness to try, implementation of strategies taught, and eagerness to share ideas and success. Kevina’s primary project mainly consisted of training in the field of literacy; specifically, diagnostic testing, teaching reading comprehension, and creative writing instruction from preschool to standard 6 (equivalent to eighth grade in the US Education system). These goals were achieved through a combination of observation, model lessons and workshops. She conducted four workshops on literacy at Silver Creek R. C. School on topics such as teaching comprehension strategies, reading and writing mini lessons based on student need, and writer’s notebooks. Additionally Mrs. Casaletto conducted eleven other workshops for six schools, other PCVs and PCTs, and Jesuit Volunteers across the nation. Kevina also conducted a literacy workshop for 28 Preschool teachers on literacy, reaching every preschool in the Toledo District. These trainings consisted of strategies in behavior management, diagnostic testing of reading, and reading comprehension strategies. Therefore, resulting in a total of sixteen workshops facilitated by Kevina Casaletto throughout her two years of service, training 89 teachers, 53 Peace Corps Volunteers, and one Jesuit Volunteer.

To supplement and support the strategies introduced in workshops Mrs. Casaletto demonstrated concepts by providing 23 literacy ‘model’ lessons in the classroom while the teacher observed. Teachers were able to share ideas and progress through continued observation and feedback through conferences. Teachers met with Kevina Casaletto after any observation or model lesson. Additionally three model lessons were demonstrated at Big Falls R.C. School on the use of graphic organizers in writing. Eight other model lessons were demonstrated at Silver Creek R.C. School focusing on math concepts, behavior management, and the use and management of classroom libraries, resulting in a total of 34 model lessons demonstrated by Kevina Casaletto over her two years.

Through administration of diagnostic reading tests in October 2009, 118 students (from Infant II through Standard VI, first grade through eighth comparatively in the US system), 48% were reading one or more grades below expected with 24% at two or more grades below, and only 8.5% reading above their grade. To address the issue of a large number of students working well below their peers Kevina Casaletto pulled 30 students (all students two or more levels below in reading) twice a week for intensive reading instruction. The following October the combination of workshops and model lessons on literacy instruction and the intensive extra classes proved successful. The results in October 2010 (with 117 students from Infant II to Standard VI) showed 32% one or more level below, 8.5% two levels below (with no students testing beyond two grades below) and 18% above the expected reading level. During the 2010-2011 Mrs. Casaletto worked with ten children intensively and by May 2011 only two were not on grade level. Through these intensive classes along with training of teachers on strategies to support literacy the majority of students were caught up to grade level allowing them to access information from their textbooks previously too difficult.

Additionally four faculty members were trained in basic operations of computers. Students from Standard I-Standard IV were given bi-weekly computer classes, with standard V and VI receiving weekly instruction along with 30 minutes per week of extra morning classes for typing instruction. Lessons were given in the classroom with teachers observing and then assisting in the computer lab as students practiced what they learned.

Secondary Activities

To further support her work with literacy at Silver Creek R.C. School Kevina also took on the library as her secondary project spending approximately 20% of her time on the following; networking to expedite construction of the library, facilitating three village meetings to discuss the course of the library, and being a main point of contact once the community decided to join the Belize National Library Service. She worked closely with the school, village and librarian to organize the inauguration of the library, school library days, and holiday activities including a stimulation month. Mrs. Casaletto has worked closely with the three librarians, providing support, advice, and accompaniment on a field trip to the district library in Punta Gorda.

Kevina Casaletto worked closely with Mr. Luis Cal, the Standard III and IV teacher (and football coach) on the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment’s freshwater cup project. They planned four activities including a creek clean up, researching water pollution on Encarta, and creating and presenting a PowerPoint to the 35 parents of his class in English and Q’eqchi. The project won first prize resulting in the donation of $1,000 Belize dollars worth of school supplies to the school.

Mrs. Casaletto also assisted in facilitating the painting of a six-foot by twelve-foot world map on the side of the library. The work was completed by 44 people ranging in ages from four to 48 years of age. The community decided they wanted to label the countries so several Standard VI students located and labeled all of the countries and major bodies of water. The map has been used several times by teachers lacking a world map in their class and by interested villagers.

Language Skills

In addition the 62.5 hours of Pre Service Training instruction in Q’eqchi Mrs. Casaletto also attended 15 additional hours of In Service Training. She has acquired a functional level of comprehension and speech allowing her to converse with children and women easily at about 65% fluency/comprehension (men at about 50%). This has proven greatly beneficial in gaining support of community members and also integration into the community of Silver Creek.

Summary

Kevina Casaletto completed her Peace Corps service in Belize on September 23, 2011.

This is to certify in accordance with Executive Order No. 11103 of 10 April 1963, that Kevina Casaletto served satisfactorily as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Her service in Belize ended on September 23, 2011. She is therefore eligible to be appointed as a career-conditional employee in the competitive civil service on a non-competitive basis.

Last Night: They Threw us a Party

2011-10-10T20:27:00.006-04:00

The 'parking lot' at our house at the start of our party

The Village Council Party

The last full day in our village also happened to be Belize's 30 anniversary of independence. The area representative gave money to each village for a village party. I had to pull myself away from packing and cleaning, and pull away my Commadre (Orianna's mother) who had been helping me scrub and clean all morning, to go to the village feast of chicken and rice at the chairman's house (Andres).

Santiago walking with Greg to the Independence Day feast

There were many hugs and talks of leaving. Women would rotate beside me taking their turns saying goodbye while the men were much more loud and vocal hailing greg from different ends of the house until Greg came to them. The chairman, who was standing at the rain barrel filled with ice and juice bottles would just announce to the whole party, "Eat Kevina! Eat Greg! It will be a long time until you eat food like this. We will miss you, what will you do when you're gone??" He would go off on little rants like this every few minutes or so. After we finished eating it was back to our house where the preparations had already begun for the second feast and party. You see, the village council met and decided to throw us a going away party. The picture below shows some members of the village council hanging out with greg, after the village party, waiting...or really not waiting for the second party to start.

The after party, or perhaps the pre party, so I guess the in-between party

My sisters

Ricky, Fermin, and Junior

Chatting with Sheldon's Godmother

Brother's unite! George and Cicley stopped by for final goodbyes

The Choc family came by (most of them) to bring us a sign the

two eldest daughters and mother made. It says Goodbye

Mrs. Kevina and Mr. Greg. We hope to see you soon.

Both our Godchildren and our Commadas were there all day and night. Evericio, Deyvon's father, had a funny story of our Godson. They went into town that weekend and Deyvon was insisting on a pair of 'shades' or sunglasses. His father had said no until when Deyvon perssisted by saying, "Like Wiyosh!!" (like Godfather). His father said he couldn't help but give him it then. Later on the bus in the evening he took off his shades and gave them to his dad. Evericio said he just folded it up and put it in his pocket. Deyvon complained, "no no like Wiyosh!" as he pointed to his collar for his dad to hang the glasses on his shirt like Greg always does. He kept the shades on the whole night of the party too.

"Like Wiyosh"

Our Godchildren Orianna and Deyvon

With Saturnina and her boys, Steve (with Greg) and Sheldon

Oh Morpheous

The night of the party, our house empty except odds and ends, the children had full rein of the space. Helmets were worn by different children all night. Lindsford wore the shirt Greg gave him, and it was common to see goggles, or our socks or any other little odds and ends walking around the party, usually worn incorrectly. Most times when I would stick my head in my house children would be running in circles, crawling under the bed, or sitting on the floor playing cards with helmets on. One time my door was shut, and I was sitting outside eating when the door opened and a sleepy faced 3 year old looked up at me rubbing his eyes, the bed (an old rice sack) in the middle of the floor. Babies were hung in their lo'pops from our rafters, it was no longer our house.

Just like his Godfather

Presenting us with our gifts:

Late at night, okay like 8:30 (our usual village bedtime) the village council rounded us up to present us with a 'small token of appreciation.' Since this party was hosted by the village council everyone who was there were our very bestest friends. So looking out into the crowd that gathered for the presentation I was so happy that they did this for us so that I could see all my best friends under one roof one last time. Evericio, our Compadre, was the Secretary of the Village Council and so presented a little speech and our gifts. They thank us for helping raise up Silver Creek, for teaching their children and them, and for bringing computers and internet to the village. They thanked Greg for his computer doctor skills, and for all the help he's given to Silver Creek and Big Falls, how he never missed a fajina (village clean up) and was always helping the men planting or with whatever they needed. They then presented us with matching professionally made shirts that had happy 4th anniversary, Silver Creek Village Council, on the front and the Belize independence day on the back. We also got matching hats with Belize on them. We both cried and Greg managed to say a thanks and how much we'll miss them. I however, couldn't even get out a little squeak so just left it at that.

Our Compadre presenting us our shirts and hats

I took a picture of the crowd looking at us

Accepting my shirt and hat

Greg accepting his

They had these shirts made for us!

Talking to Mr. Santiago and Vera about trying to live in the states

Let the dancing begin!!

After the presentation the focus became dancing. Mrs cecilia looked over to me and said, "Come Keveen, lets go dance." So we danced, and danced, and cried (but kept dancing) for two hours. We danced cumbia, Mrs. Cecilia's favorite and stood facing each other swaying back and forth like the traditional kekchi dance. At one point Cecilia started bawling I quickly gave her a hug and she just kept dancing and crying. I told her we could stop dancing but she just shook her head and swayed to the music with big tears falling on her cheeks.

Greg joined us for a little bit

Dancing with my Goddaughter

Dancing with Cecilia and Morpheous

Dancing the traditional harp dance with Steve

I will miss my little sister!

We danced until late late at night. The party went until the last beer was drunk and the last soda was passed out. People started to say their final teary goodbyes and slowly the party started to come to an end. Children littered the floor, sleeping from exhaustion, limbs flung akimbo with helmets, and socks on their hands. Greg suggested we slip in our house and go to sleep. At that point no one even noticed, it was 10:30. The party ended and the last thing I heard was my host dad, Santiago crying and sobbing, "Oh but brother Greg! Brother Greg is leaving us!" and Mrs. Cecilia consoling him and bringing them inside their house for the night.

Village First...GIRLS SLEEPOVER!!

2011-10-10T18:18:00.007-04:00

Sleepover behavior- a universal truth

Trying to do three things at once

To ease the transition (especially with the older girls) over to Meredith, and to spark a future girls club Meredith had the great idea of a Standard VI sleepover! Feelers were put out with parents, girls got excited, and official printed invitations were passed out. We had a meeting with the girls explaining that without their mother's signature they were not allowed into the house, and they must translate everything to ketchi! They were told to bring a dish, cup and some sort of thing to sleep on (most villagers sleep in their clothes so that was really about it).

Sumo fighting

Day of the Sleepover:

I was returning from Belize City from exit medical exams and so Meredith was on her own until I could reach from the junction, grab my hammock and pillow and peddle as fast as I could to help her. The girls were told to arrive after they ate dinner (so we only had to cook breakfast for them) and when I got there they were all there, bouncing around, looking EXACTLY like any other sleepover party!! This was the first time ever the girls have done anything like this and they loved it! They danced, giggled, pillow fighted and talked about boys. I showed them how to do hair wraps and ended up doing all 7 of them. I was just amazed and kept telling Meredith how crazy it was that it was the same as any sleepover, girls will be girls I guess.

Group shot

A Few Little Differences:

There were a few things that were different. First we slept 7 girls and two adults on one full bed, 1 regular sized foam and 1 toddler sized foam and a hammock. Instead of funny jokes keeping the girls up, the girls were making pig noises that they thought were just hilarious! We slept more like hamsters, with me swaying above them in the hammock. They all insisted on keeping both fans (one girl brought her fan) so we did get chilly in the night. In my slumber I reached down and pulled up a blanket, then I woke up to a little mew/moan from the shivering Darlene below me! I gave it back. Secondly we were asleep, all giggling finished, by 11:30 which was way way later than most of them ever stay up on any regular day. One girl, who's family wakes very early and usually goes to bed by 7 or 7:30 was sleeping on the bed at 8:00 unashamedly. Also, Meredith's new neighbor, my host sister Virginia spent a majority of the evening leaning in through the window watching 'a sleepover' and giving ideas and mainly staring at the spectacle of it.

Silly shot number 47

Giving Cynthia her hair wrap

Meredith and I with the girls

Up With the Chickens:

I heard the girls stirring, Larencia (whose family wakes early) was up at 4:30 and I got up a little before 5. Some of the girls slept until 5:30 but by 5:30 we were all awake rehashing stories from the night before, sweeping, cleaning and then making breakfast. The girls pretty much made breakfast, swept, and straightened up without any of our direction (another difference from an American sleepover) and they elected Darlene to fry the eggs (they are all skilled cooks for large groups by around age 10...these girls are 12-14). By 8am they were all home, the whirlwind was over, and we had a few hours to ourselves before the Independence Day celebrations began. We wrapped the girls hair in red, white, and blue for their 30th Independence Day (they have the same colors as us but they say 'blue, white, and red'.

'Supervising' breakfast, darlene with the eggs.

Tortillas and eggs and chocolate drink all made and cleaned up by the girls

Last Two Weeks in the Vill

2011-10-10T08:15:00.009-04:00

Let the Goodbyes Begin!!!

Greg being a boy with the boys...

Visiting: A Whole New Level

Our last few weeks visiting was our full time job. Every night our house was packed with people coming to visit and say their goodbyes. Women who usually don't walk in the village came over! We were showered with so much food we couldn't even begin to eat it all. People were walking to our house as soon as our door opened to bring us tamales, ducanu, bread, doughnuts, tortillas, and my favorite from Mrs. Cus a fried fish dinner!! Our earliest visitor was 5:00am and our latest 10:00pm. Our last two weeks we only cooked 2 or 3 meals for ourselves.

We didn't have enough seats or hammocks!

Mrs. Cus on the right who brought us a whole fried fish

dinner, there are 3 more ladies standing outside the door!

8:30PM Bedtimes were thrown out the window our last week!

Amy came after Megan left. Amy and I love each other's

villages so everyone was delighted to hang out with both of us!

Greg chasing Margarita around IN OUR RAFTERS!!!!

Lynette and I were watching and laughing below.

Not only were villagers visiting us like mad, but we were visiting them too. Greg and I decided to split up to maximize our visiting (and his guy friends are mostly single or work late and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go visit too). So Meredith and I set off each day from sun up to sundown (past sundown some nights) to try to visit as manny families as possible, me to say goodbye, her to say hello. We developed quite a little routine together. Switching off on jokes and talking about the three big topics, the earthquake (a small one) that we felt, the first Prime Minister's death, and my leaving. We managed to walk to around 50 households but unfortunately I didn't make it to the last 16. Many of those ones came to us the last night though to say goodbye and they said it was no problem and they understood.

Late night visiting with Ms. Choj who speaks no English

Me: "Ma ta wa picturic?" Do you want a picture?

Ms. Choj: "Nenow ta...marray?" I don't know...maybe?

Me: "Us us, kim sa'in, tao! Bar ta wa?" Good good come here, lets go! Where do you want?

Much combing and greasing of hair was done before each picture. Often times there was a wardrobe change too. Everyone wanted pictures. I chose a few of my favorites. I must thank Meredith for taking them for me (her camera is very nice) and also I would not have done this visiting by myself! Thanks xMere!!

The little Pop girls who LOVE Greg!!! Every time we walked by their house, "Hi Mr. Greg!!" or sometimes, "Bye Mrs. Greg!!! Bye BYE BYE MRS GREG!!!" from the young ones.

Myself and Meredith!! So glad she's my replacement!

Two of my best friends, Consuela and Fransisca!

Last dollar for ice cream...

Double scoop with a dollop on top, no extra charge for his #1 customer!

Last transaction with Greg's favorite person, the village ice cream man. Every day two buckets of ice cream, always different flavors, always 1 dollar a scoop. He used to stop and wait if our door was open, I had to go outside and tell him Greg wasn't home! When Greg told him we were leaving he put an extra scoop and a half on his cone and gave him a handshake. He said he was sad to see us go and that he will miss Greg.

Baby holding...my favorite!

The newest baby in the vill!! A little girl 8 pounds!

Antonio and Ludrick's family...they gave me flowers that smelled soo sweet!

And now a look at 'man-visiting'

Greg could barely leave the front step because all his best friends (who also happened to be most of the village leaders) were always coming by wanting to give greg a final Beliken. Most houses I visited the men were at the farm or work, but two houses the men specifically requested Greg come back and say bye. Mr. Saki said that Greg "was one cool guy. I just want to shake his hand before he leaves us." Another one treated him to a free coke at his shop and thanked him for all his hard work.

One house I was visiting had two other visitors from the neighboring village of Hicattee. We were all chatting about the earth quake and how I'm leaving and have been here for two years when I hear one of the visitors ask, "Ani Belom? Ma Computer Man?" (Who's her husband? Is it the computer man?) I piped up and said yes that was my husband. Greg had fixed their son's computer and always pointed greg out to them when he wrote his bike to school. They never met him but knew him as the, "Computer Man"

Chatting with Jessica and her little sister!

Goodbye lunch with our Commad and

Compad, our Godson and Seynida!

Vera, Cecilia and myself...my favorite washing companions!

I think I posted this picture before but this was a main topic while visiting the women. Common sayings while visiting, "Oh but Keveen, you will miss the creek!" or "But how the river Keveen, you will miss it?" Yes yes I will!!! The last week I barely had time to wash so Lynette was sent to help me wash. She obliged happily and we swam and played while scrubbing and chatting. I will miss her stories each night about high school and the rude boys.

I made a little photo board for the library (above)

and the school (didn't think to take a pic).

Goodbye lunch party from the Silver Creek R.C. staff. My favorite meal (I got to choose it like my last supper or something) of cahoon cabbage and stewed chicken with fresh lime juice and CAKE! They also got me a second pair of gold ear rings, the smaller size that I always wanted!! Mrs. Delphine put them in my second hold and EVERYONE was beside themselves with how 'beautiful' I was. I did not expect such a lovely gift! They also presented a certificate and a picture of the winning football team that took first place in the nation!

Greg's school planned a surprise going away party for him, however, since they didn't tell him (and we weren't going to school our last weeks) he missed it!!! They had another one and presented him with a beautiful cuxtal and food and many exchanges of emails! His best friend George, who also works at the school, wanted to have another goodbye party at his house but the time wasn't there...so he came to our going away party.

PUNCH BOARD!!!

We wanted to only take a small bag each home so we had a lot of little stuff to get rid of. Giving it away, as a past vollunteer warned me, can cause striffe with the villagers because obviously we don't have one thing for everyone in the village. Soooo...we decided to have a punch board, a belizean fair game where you write an item or a try again saying ("have a nice day" or "try again") on slips of paper, roll them up and shove them into peg board. Since none of the 4 villages around us had a punch board we made one from bristol board. My good friend Megan, from a neighboring village, came to help. Megan and Meredith were like our daughters for two days, cooking and cleaning for us while we packed and organized. Megan also helped tremendously once the punch board got underway, which was a crazy mad house!

The kids giving tips and critiquing my work!

Here are the children watching from the windows while we set up. We sold 90 items at 50 cents a chance (with about the same amount of 'try agains') making 97 dollars for the school which was used to buy two inks for our school printer! We did all of this in 47 minutes! It was madness inside and megan and I were moving non-stop the entire time. We ended up having to make a line for the children and a line for the women and took turns. Ofelia (my host brother's wife) at one point was yelling at me, "don't forget about your SISTER!!" trying to get her chance, while all my commadres were yelling, "don't forget your Comad!!" There were some funny moments, like when an 11 year old boy got nail polish and when little Morpheus won my rain boots and he could barely hold them up! As I visited the days after the punch board every home I went to had my item, freshly scrubbed, and displayed in a prominent place. Our Godson Devon won a picture frame and when we went there for lunch he had the picture from his baptism in it and took it with him as he played and to the table when he ate. He would look at it and point, "hehehe Greg!" *another bite of food* "Heehehehe Kevina, hehehe me!" It was very very cute. AND we got enough ink to last through report card printing and some of exam printint!

Which one will it be?

All of our 'big items' our bikes, stove and tank, fan, crock pot, toaster oven, big drum greg won, a camera, flip video camera, watch, etc we donated to the school to provide items to do raffles for several years. They plan on raffling 3 items per raffle and that should help get some money going into the school. Since I've been there we've had one fundraiser and my principal pays for the electricity and water out of pocket most of the time. I had a bunch of standard 3, 4, 5, and 6 boys come help me bring stuff to the school for storage and it turned into a little parade. The boy carrying the drum led the way (banging the drum the whole way) followed by a boy riding my huge bike, then one after the other caring assorted items as villagers came out to stare or peer from their windows at the goods soon to be for grabs. Belize loves raffles so I hope it brings in some good money!

2 Year Reunion Weekend

2011-10-09T23:59:00.004-04:00

Tobacco Caye, Belize

200ft wide and 400 ft long

To celebrate making it past the two year mark as volunteers we saved up our little pennies and headed out to Tobacco Caye, a very very tiny island with little rooms ON the water! It was pretty cheap and we took all the cabanas at Paradise Lodge. This was the first time in a while a large group of us, serving all over the country, got to get together. We were the only visitors on the island the first night, and the second night there were campers from a sailing tour.

The gang on Taylor's veranda

The very difficult group shot!

Family dinners!!

Included in the cost are three home cooked meals at set times each day. They ring a cow bell, and since the island is so small you can hear it from anywhere and we came a running!!! Adam, a fellow PCV bought a 25 BZE (12.50) lobster the guy just caught and they cooked it up for him no charge (about 3 pounds of lobster tail dripping in delicious garlic and butter). Adam swore it was the best lobster he'd ever had, and lobster is his favorite food so that's saying a lot!

The main dock

We spent most of our time here swimming in the clear waters, trying to stay away from 'Bite-ee' (the nurse shark that liked to hang under the dock) and swimming out to the sand bar. Floaty toys were bought in Dangriga and much fun, floating and swimming was had by all.

View of the cabaña, the coral comes right up to the veranda and you can watch puffer fish, stick fish and other little fishies swim around while you sip tea in your hammock!

Our last night we did a little kumbaya circle, turned share your funniest moment circle under the full moon. It was a very nice little break from the stress of leaving our villages and towns before many of us headed to Belmopan for our check out medical examinations.

The End is Here...More Numbes

2011-10-02T09:53:00.003-04:00

Our numbers:

Weddings: 8
Funerals: 3
Cell Phones: 5
Godchildren: 2
Killed: 1 Chicken
Visits to the USA: 3 (2 planned and one not)
Security incidents: ZERO
Books read: Greg-17 Kevina-67
Pig Tail Buckets: 5
Times 'dropping' on our bike: Kevina-ZERO Greg-twice
Computers fixed (Greg): Over 200
Letters handed to us before we left: 64
Bags taken home: 5 (Greg:book bag and duffel, Kevina: rice sack small, Rice sack big (with a set of weaving sticks) and one 2.5 gallon bucket)
Times people asked, "What's in the bucket?" 7
Serious illnesses: Greg-0 Kevina-4
Days living in a foreign country 758

Over two years ago leaving America

Arriving back on American Soil

Puch'uuk: To Wash Clothes

2011-08-24T16:52:00.004-04:00

"Marriage is about the most expensive way for the average man to get the laundry done." Burt Reynolds

Ch'ina Ha' (The Creek)

The blood of a village.

Where we bathe, wash, play, hunt and clean our game.

The spot for gossip, advice, and meditation.

Where bad spirits can linger, where snakes meander.

Morning meetings with the ducklings, fish, and dogs coming for fresh cool water.

Calm, clear, and blue some days...

Raging, brown, and repulsive on rainy days.

What I'll miss most,

this small spot in paradise.

The laughter will fade,

the feel of the smooth stones under my hands will slip away,

but I will always keep my creek tucked safely in my heart.

"Tao' se Ha' "

Let's go to the creek.

Yoos Commad...Godparents Again

2011-08-16T11:10:00.007-04:00

Little Orianna!

Left to right: Yolanda, myself, and Sandra

The night before the party all the ladies were preparing the food as usual. This was no ordinary party though we were making BBQ!!! Our preparations were much different since you can't make flour tortillas in advance so we cleaned beans (separated the rocks and bad beans), cleaned and marinated all the meats, and peeled onions and spices to add to the marinade. I was extremely tired since I stayed up late the night before in town and it seemed we were all giddy with over-tiredness. Greg plucked a pepper right from the drying rack above the fire hearth and ate it whole. All the women immediately stopped all production and commented and watched Greg (who began to sweat but muscled through it no problem). This then elicited many jokes from the ladies about how I shouldn't let Greg kiss me and what if tomorrow w my lip is huge and red from the pepper! They thought they were so funny (okay, I may have been prompting and adding fuel to the fire but it was too funny). After the excitement of the 'bird pepper' incident we got on the subjects of husbands. Specifically dating our future husbands. This came up because on our first 'date' Greg and I went to a burrito barn Flayming Amy's and he got the 'Flayming Amy'.

http://flamingamysburritobarn.com/

Before even tasting it he proceeded to flout his manliness by dousing the already very hot burrito in numerous hot sauces and a little 'Dave's Insanity'. I told this to the ladies and regaled them with the result of his actions, turning purple, sweating the rest of the night, and temporarily losing his hearing! They were cracking up. Yolanda then told me that when she would go with her future husband she was so nervous she couldn't eat and was too embarrassed to even ask for a coke! We were laughing so hard one of us pointed out we weren't even cleaning the beans, we had been just scooping all of them back into the bag!

Becoming Godparents Again

Dressing Orianna at our house

As is the tradition my Commad (goddaughter's mother) brought our Goddaughter to be dressed by me. Godparents buy the christening outfit and then change the child into it, some parents buy the suits themselves. Orianna was in a pretty good mood and seemed to like her new shoes so it went well. We then all walked together over to the Alcalde's house (Concepciona's (Orianna's mother) father to head over to the church two villages over. This was a baptist christening and we sat in the front row holding Orianna. She loves Greg and so mainly sat with him playing with his keys and his beard. We stood up with our commad and after we responded to a question in kekchi our portion was done in kekchi too. Another nice ride back to the village and the 'bashment' began!

Upon arrival back at the house we did our official "yoos commad" exchange with our Commad and Compad (he is a police officer so didn't make it to the church) and then also with her parents (the Alcalde and his wife). This was an added bonus so now we have 3 commadas and 3 compads! Afterwards we were seated at the table of honor and given a choice of BBQed meats: pork, chicken, deer, gibnut or pikeri. We choose deer and it was delicious! Soft drinks were quickly shuttled to our table and we ate as villagers rotated through the house dropping presents, eating, then returning to their houses. As Godparents we are expected to stay until the end so after eating we quickly found our places (with the ladies in the kitchen for me, and by the tree with the men for Greg) and settled in for the long day ahead.

The kitchen during the party

The man post!

There was much picture taking and passing around of Orianna and the first few hours were unremarkable. 'G' was DJing from the start and after a few hours, Mrs. Che and Mrs. Choco were trying to get my host mom Cecilia to go dance (they were playing Cumbia...her favorite). I jumped up and said lets go so all of us danced cumbia (even Greg for a song or two) to the blinding flash of cameras from all angles. These are all my favorite older ladies and it was very fun, a very old lady, the Choco grandmother spanked me and smiled as I walked by!

Commad and Compad (our Goddaughter's grandparents)

With our Commad and Compad and their family

(minus their son who wouldn't stop playing in the creek)

The party was really a lot of fun. We made it until 6:30 when we had our final long chat with our Commad and Compad and then were sent home with enough BBQ to last a week, tortillas, and beans. Oddly enough we discovered my Compad and I share the exact same birthday (he is one year older though) AND Greg and Commad are both December babies! Weird huh!

Hudut in Dump

Greg's teachers George and Cicily invited us over to learn to make Hudut, a delicious plantain and coconut fish dish of Garifuna background. We (Meredith too) all rode our bikes out to their house in Dump (named because there used to be a big hill there so they had to 'dump' dirt there to make the highway) around 9 and got to work. Coconuts were shelled, cracked, shaved and 'milked' (adding water to the coconut shavings then squeezing out the milk). The plantains were boiled then mashed with a coke bottle and finally the coconut milk was seasoned and used to boil the fish. The delicious resulting meal is below.

Hudut or HOOO DOOOO as Meredith would say:)

Greg sipping some coconut water

Having a go at shelling...not too hard

(I am now excellent at splitting the nut open

(three taps with the back of the machette!)

Anything But Easy

2011-08-12T13:32:00.003-04:00

Picture Post

The road into our village from the southern highway

Our bus stop at the junction

Looked up to this one day! Oh Maya.

Cabeneros selling goods walked across from Guat

Host family American dinner (spaghetti, pizza and apple pie)

My comadre showing me a trick with embroidering, Greg and compad putting music on his phone.

Best breakfast ever!!

My biggest workshop to date! 28 teachers 23 schools!!

Preschool workshop on literacy

"Life in the Peace Corps will not be easy. There will be no salary and allowances will be at a level sufficient only to maintain health and meet basic needs. Men and women will be expected to work and live alongside the nationals of the country in which they are stationed—doing the same work, eating the same food, talking the same language.

But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying. For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps—who works in a foreign land—will know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace."

John F. Kennedy 1961 - 1963

Master of None

2011-08-01T14:45:00.004-04:00

Greg has finally done it.

His own blog.

http://gustenhoff.blogspot.com

His own, very un-PC, PCV blog and beyond.

He wanted an outlet for all his random interests (he is a true jack of all trades) and there we have it!

PS. If you like that photo it was from a 'Johnny Depp-off' I arranged at a PCV BBQ with another volunteer. It was a tie, but I think Greg won...you be the judge:

COS Surveys and THE NUMBERS

2011-07-30T12:40:00.005-04:00

Before our COS conference I sent out a survey and then a poll to just gather some facts from our group. Here's what our group looked like by the numbers:

The Numbers:

23 COSing Volunteers (out of 40 sworn in)

17 female, 6 male

$83,775 USD were raised

48% took two showers daily

81.8% Had current in their house (electicity)

81.8% Had running water in their house (not us, unless you count our bucket greg put a tap on)

32% had a latrine

27% washed their clothes in a creek

14% had real washer AND dryers like from the states

45% had a cold shower/bucket

9% had AC in their house

18% had AC at their work

36% had been mistaken as Belizean at least once

4% as Jamaican

73% tried gibnut

50% tried iguana

36% tried armadillo

55% woke at 6am

50% went to bed at 10

50% slept under a mosquito net

47 weddings were attended

22 funerals were attended

56 cell phones were purchased

36% kissed a Belizean

4% were kissed by a Belizean

9% dated a fellow PCV (not counting married couples)

50% kissed a fellow PCV (excluding couples again)

23% came with a significant other back home

9% made it out with the same one

50 trips to the hospital, 3 nights

63.25 months on antibiotics

263 pounds lost

9 godchildren (two for us!)

11 animals killed (7 chickens, 2 pigs, and 2 turkeys)

4% attempeted slaughtering an animal

59% reported one or more security incident

695 books read

82% cried at least once during their service

41% cried too many times to count

68% kept a journal

86% owned at least one bucket ( we owned 5)

86%had a blog

50% have a pet

32% will take their pet back

73% jumped off a waterfall

14% ruptured an ear drum

41% were peed on by a child (4% defecated on)

18% lived in a thatch

68% can make their own tortillas

COS Survey:

Name: Gregory Albert Casaletto

Nick name/house name: Greg-pa-leg, Greg Coh/ Choc

Project Assignment: Primary Teacher Trainer at Big Falls R.C. School

Project Reality: IT expert for rural Toledo

Most Useful thing brought to country: Google search skills

Least useful thing brought to country: Germiphobia

Best “I know I’m in the Peace Corps” moment: When the guys I got drunk with the night before woke me up to go plant at 4:30am on the side of a mountain with only sticks

Funniest experience in country: Sure, I’ll share that. During training my host dad came home on his bike with about 40 pounds of flour and slightly drunk. He asked me if I wanted to go take a few beers. Since I had little “guy time” in training because my group consisted of Kevina, Grace, Amy, Carmalina as LCF and Ginnie as Tech Trainer. I was desperate.

We walked to one of the scary bars in Maya Mopan where everyone immediately started heckling the gringo, we took a nice late night walk through the dirt roads behind Belmopan trying to find another bar where “the girls are nice” but they were closed. Finally we went home.

I crawled under the mosquito net and woke Kevina up. She asked me how the night was, the only word I could think of was “weird”. I promptly fell asleep.

I was then woken up by Kevina crawling over me, she whispered something. I kind of brushed it off until I turned and saw my host dad sleeping next to me basically where Kevina was. I too got out of bed.

We stood outside the room and decided that we should try to sleep in the hammock. This was not easy with two people. Then after an hour of that we tried to grab another pillow from the bed my host dad woke up and realized what he had done. He apologized profusely as he went to bed and then got up and knocked on the door to apologize again. “I’m sorry Dreg, I’m so sorry Dreg”, is all we heard for a few minutes.

The next morning the first thing my host mom said to me was “What happened last night?”

Most memorable illness/injury: Getting bit by a dog and Kevina having to give me my last rabies shot. I know it’s boring but I’m pretty healthy.

Most Belizean habit to take home with you: Wiping off glass bottles and popping them with my finger before drinking them.

Most creative way to kill time in site: Motorcycle magazines and my ukulele

How have you changed? I used to wash my clothes, clean my dishes, scrub the shower, and toilet and now Kevina does all of that. I can now fix or at least pinpoint the problem of any broken computer. I am super patient with long bus rides. I eat meat now.

What will you miss 6 months from now? Walking to the shop for flower and eggs, coming back drunk with a can of Dak and a loaf of bread having only paid for the food.

The clear starry nights in the shower.

Kriol text messages.

Favorite Belizean clothing: Echo unlimited ¾ jean shorts and a mesh tank top

What won’t you miss? The heat, long staff meetings, people getting way too drunk to carry on a conversation, corn, teachers asking me to find a lesson on the three types of weather, the library, the heat, rum, corn, all the kids, latrine splash back, reporting “out of site”, being the only white person on a bus, looking like a tourist everywhere I go just because I’m white, slow internet, corn, having one spoonful of coleslaw be my vegetable for that meal, rats, mosquito net, wearing a helmet on my bicycle when riding through PG, corn, waking up at 5:30 am on a Saturday, corn, jock itch, and corn.

What’s next? 2007 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 custom with a blue and silver two-tone paint job. Going back to vegetarianism…and losing thirty pounds.

Number of trips to the US: 3

Number of guests who visited you: 6

Belizean phrase I will most likely still be using in 6 months: right now, maanin

Most interesting creatures found in your house: tarantula, large Mohawk lizard, feuding rat family,

Favorite Belizean food: cahoon cabbage

First thing I will eat in the states: the closest fast food restaurant to my connecting flight, and it will be awesome!

Favorite book read in PC (optional 3 sentence summary) Harry Potter #7

The movies suck don’t even bother watching them, read the books.

Experience that changed my attitude or perspective: Watching a group of white people come in and donate a shipping container of old/broken computers and children’s toys seemingly just to get pictures of them doing it.

I am most proud of: Teaching computers to people

I will most likely be remembered for: Loving dogs and teaching them how to sit and shake

Most important lesson learned: Life is hard, animals die, babies die, and people die and we are sheltered from most aspects of death in the states. Taxes pay for wonderful things like bridges. Next time I hear a little punk kid complaining about the U.S. I will tell them to move somewhere for a couple years, and if they still don’t like it, stay away.

Countries visited: Mexico, Canada, USA, Guatemala

After two years of service what I know for sure: I’m proud to be an American!

COS Survey:

Name: Kevina Casaletto

Nick name/house name: xKeveen, kev, kay, ma-na(literally translates to are you my mother?)

Project Assignment: Teacher Trainer at Silver Creek R.C. School

Project Reality: Teacher Trainer/ Library Facilitator/ Computer God

Most Useful thing brought to country: Hanging Shelves

Least useful thing brought to country: Chocos and American business casual

Best “I know I’m in the Peace Corps” moment: After a two-week stint in Belize for medical stuff we came home to a rat infested house. One night I felt a rat at the bottom of the bed. If you kick your feet they will run away, so I did a little shuffle with my feet. At this point Greg woke up, arms flung wide protectively and simultaneously scooted me back to the corner of our mosquito net while screaming, “WHAT’S A MATTER?” “IT’S OKAY!” WHAT’S A MATTER?” “IT’S OKAY!” in rapid succession. This continued until he had me safely barricaded behind his body in the corner and I could finally get out, “there was a rat but it’s gone.”

Funniest experience in country: During my sister’s visit we took a mini vacation in Placencia. We had a great night and went to bed early, around 10:00. We did not book in advance so we were in a tiny room with two twin beds, one tucked 3/4ths behind the wall of the bathroom. In the middle of the night kaylyssa woke up because there’s a light on. At first she tries to ignore it, then finally looks around and realizes it is not our room’s light but the hallway’s!! She immediately sits up (choosing not to make a sound) and realizes there is someone in the bathroom. After carefully counting and recounting the four legs in the twin bed across from her she deduces it is indeed an intruder (again choosing not to make a noise). She later told me her plan was simple. Wait until the person comes out, give him a ‘what –the –f” stare and he, realizing he’d made a terrible sleep walking mistake would simply turn and go onto his own room.

The door knob begins to turn and she fashions her face and hands in her WTF stare. As the intruder (tall white male in only boxers) enters the room he stops for one second and then proceeds to try to get into bed WITH my sister! She feebly starts to say “what? What? No no!” as she slaps her hands in a doggy paddling motion in front of her face. Finally, since there is a little ruckus now Greg wakes up. Now here’s where it gets interesting. Instead of making or saying ANY normal action/thing he begins to flap his arms up and down fully extended starting from his thighs up way above his head fingers rigged and hooked while screaming, “RRRAAAAHHHHHHHAHHH! RHHHAHHAAAAAHHHHH!!!!” (Picture a tyradayctle impersonation). This wakes me up and I think that sound is some intruder trying to have his way with my sister and I start to go bizzerk jumping up and down and from bed to bed trying to swing at him saying “GET THE F OUT!” in an ultra sonic voice. I however, cannot get any his in because greg is flapping all in his face (actually he pushed the man down ontop of kaylyssa). The man is clearly frightened out of his mind and in shock, his eyes are the size of saucers, his mouth is completely open and his hands are up in defense as the two of us surround him. Finally Greg lurches back, grabs the dude by his shoulders and throws him in the hall shutting the door. The battle of two primal brains, appear larger, make loud sounds vs. fight or flight.

Most memorable illness/injury: Doctor diagnosing my kidney infection by punching me in it, my face being paralyzed, and having to run out of the hospital to vomit as the pharmacist explains how to take a pill every 8 hours (mainly how you don’t start over with 1 when you get to noon, you just keep counting).

Most Belizean habit to take home with you: Thanking everyone at the table after meals.

Most creative way to kill time in site: Pouring cup after cup of water into the desert cracks during the dry season

How have you changed? I’m not lazy anymore, for the first time in my life I know what hard work is. And I kill and eat animals for food.

What will you miss 6 months from now? Swimming in the creek every day, hammock time, the sweet smell of scrubbed people on the morning bus, interacting with so many people each day.

Favorite Belizean clothing: ‘Ninja turtle’ skirt also, all cabañerous clothes

What won’t you miss? Everyone assuming I’m an expert in EVERYTHING

What’s next? That is the question...language school, beyond that ???

Number of trips to the US: 3

Number of guests who visited you: 6 (my sister came twice though)

Belizean phrase I will most likely still be using in 6 months: right now, jo'wan (wait in ketchi)

Most interesting creatures found in your house: Bat, cat, duck, chicken, scorpion, baby human, lizard, and a puppy.

Favorite Belizean food: rice and beans with stewed chicken (with fresh coconut milk) and cahoon cabbage (the center of a cahoon palm tree)

First thing I will eat in the states: that salad with pears, blue cheese, walnuts, apples, and the raspberry vinaigrette!!! Also all cold weather fruits; pomegranates, grapes, apples, strawberries, and squash.

Favorite book read in PC (optional 3 sentence summary):

Stiff: the curious life of cadavers by Mary Roach. Talks about the many interesting uses and history of cadavers; from fertilizer to test dummies.

Experience that changed my attitude or perspective: After shouting, “good try” to one of my girls playing volleyball she turned and told me, “but I missed the ball, Miss!” Perhaps we praise a little too much in the states. Do we really need to tell kids they are doing a good job sitting??

I am most proud of: My husband for sticking it out and being so integrated! He is THE man in the village, "Yeah Mr. Greg!"

I will most likely be remembered for: Falling through our village bridge in front of everyone.

Most important lesson learned: Development is a very tricky field and looks totally different to the people being ‘developed.’

Countries visited: Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, USA

After two years of service what I know for sure: is that I have an unending amount left to learn. It is always better to listen for a long time before voicing your opinion, or choose not to say anything. 'Doing good' isn't always so 'good.' Also, there are always two sides to every story.

HAIKU CORNER

“No Want to buy?”

Wangla, panades,

Casava, donuts, pan tul

Watermelon, ik

-Greg

To be more, meet more

I am part of those I’ve met.

To meet more, go more.

-Amy

corn, corn, corn, corn, corn.

Children everywhere I look

Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn

-Lilly

Da wat you meh say?

Dis da one crazy fun time!

Soon gwen from here

-Emily Allen

Where visit and walk

Are one and the same, where all

The kids shout my name

-me

Chickens, dogs, children

All roaming in my front yard

But none belong here

-Cali

COS: Close of Serivce

2011-07-28T13:18:00.007-04:00

Peace Corps Volunteers

2009-2011 Belize

All 41 one of us moments after arriving in Belize at the airport.

The 23 that remain. As of today there are 20 of us left.

We made it!

Checking in with the COS committee!!

Similar to a blue packet I got over two years ago...

COS was a 3 day whirlwind of activities and meetings. We had all the paperwork involved in ending our service in the Peace Corps and also we had to begin to reflect and make an 'exit strategy' so we don't disengage and ignore the fact we're leaving forgetting proper goodbyes. There were sessions on the benefits we receive and have available as RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers), panels, discussion about final medical exams (you have to poo in a cup three days in a row!) and so much more. On top of all this we had a great COS committee that organized activities for the rest of our waking time at COS. We had scheduled pool time, random fact, white elephant exchange, superlatives, jeopardy (which turned into a heated 2 hour hotly debated event), kumbaya circle where we shared what we felt and then tied a friendship bracelet on the person to our right. Lastly, my favorite was the PROM!! We had a PC Prom with a garifuna drummer and EVERYONE danced!! We bought special outfits and put on make up and did it right! The drummer was impressed by our dancing abilities and even passed the drum to Greg for a song or two as he danced with us! Greg amazed us all as we forgot it was him that was drumming...he was that good! There were slide shows, videos, cake, tears and laughter. A bitter sweet end representing the last time we will all be in one room together. I sure do love my fellow PCVs and couldn't have made it without them.

Our accommodations,

not unlike home but with a/c and a 4 channel TV.

There were pools!

Starting the goodbyes...

Pizza party with the Kibs!

Saying goodbye too our first host family.

So what are we doing this summer...

1. Spending entire days fixing things.

(and I mean an entire day)

A trip to the waterfalls during Amy's visit...Sheldon wearing my lem (ketchi for glass/mirror)

2. Trip, after trip to the waterfalls to swim and eat watermelon.

18 pounds of watermelon...no problem!

3. Hanging around with Steve

4. Working with Yvette on the library stimulation month.

At the start of movie night. We made 44 dollars!

G sitting as they bring back 3 desktop computers from death!

5. Fixing computers!

'G' AKA Alberto Choco Jr., Greg's little apprentice/ protegee came to us the other night asking for a reference letter to the technical college IT Vet for entrance into the computer program they offer. He has been a constant at Greg's side these past two years whenever Greg is working on computers. quietly watching, helping, and fixing along side Greg. I am so proud of Greg because yesterday at the creek he beamed as he told me, "I got it keveen, I am doing computers!" He was accepted after his interview and will start the two year computer technologies and repair courses this August! So proud of Greg!

This guy jumped in over our gate,

the same night a bat got trapped in our house.

Oooh living in a thatch.

*Hopefully I will post more photos and stories from COS soon, time permitting...78 days!*

Bits and Pieces

2011-07-08T09:16:00.005-04:00

Goal 2: Teach host country nationals about Americans.

Lindsford, one of Greg's little proteges, came over the other night (as he does every day) to tell Greg about his trip to the San Miguel Internet Lab. "Mr. Greg when I was on the Internet, I typed in 'motorcycles' into google and there were so many clean pictures!" (clean means cool in Belizean). Greg's motorcycle magazines have now been placed on our game shelf and it is not unusual to see 2-6 boys in a circle on our floor with a few of the mags out between them silently flipping the pages.

Lynette the 'modern maya' cleaning her beans

Life in a Cartoon

It's fourth of July, and Greg is on a mission to attempt to find relish for our 4th hot dogs. His fruitless search is coming to an end, as he has tried the only 3 shops in town that might carry such fancy substances. Well it is the rainy season, not raining at the moment, but puddles abound. Greg is on Erica's bike, and is approaching a large puddle. He looks back and checks if she has a fender, she does not, so he slows down right before riding in the puddle. Thank goodness he did. As he entered the puddle he quickly realized it was not some surface puddle on the road but a huge waist deep hole filled with water! He rode both tires in, sunk the bike up to the seat, AND lost both shoes in the mud at the bottom. It had to look like a cartoon, a man riding up to a puddle, disappearing IN the 'puddle' then spending 10 minutes retrieving all his belongings from the bottomless mud pit. *see below*

Our table-scape and Greg, myself and Erica!

You Must Tell Them Your Name:

I was visiting with Ms. Ico the other day and we were on one of the villages' favorite topics, illness (the top conversation topics being weather, food, and sickness (other people's sickness too). She brought up my 'face sickness' and said that I most likely caught obia that was left for someone else. Obia is like black magic, evil spirits, that is attributed to most illnesses. Two people have moved from this village while I've been here due to obia. She said that what I could have done was when I first came, tell the 'ancients' my name. She said an old belief/tradition is that whenever you traveled away from your home you would find out some of the ancient names and call them, say your name, what you are doing on their land, and apologize if you have to defile it in any way (such as bathing in the creek, or relieving yourself on their land). I told her I thought that is a pretty nice thing to do in general, so I have taken it up and think it's a good idea all over this world. She said I should say something like this, "Ancients of this land, my name is Kevina Casaletto. I just came to this place to do some works, I won't be staying here forever. Please let me leave as I have come."

My 'works' Almost all the cloths

Comparing all the work

I No Want Tell You Keveen:

You may remember when, several month ago we traded one of Dobby's remaining puppies for a chicken. Our chicken was brown and gold and beautiful. Since I came back from Canada I haven't seen it, there are about 35 chickens that live at our house so I thought I just wasn't paying good attention, or it was wandering far for bugs and worms. Wrong. Mrs. Cecilia came to my door the other day and said, "Keveen, I no want to tell you from long, but your chicken, she's gone." She explained about the chicken sickness that is sweeping the village. Chickens are fine and eating one day then dead the next morning! Villagers have been slaughtering troves of chickens 10,14, 20 at once to get food out of them before the sickness gets them. They don't get sores or weak just good one day, dead the next. I told her I understood and that it was okay. They said they didn't want to tell me because they know I 'cry after puppies' and since Ms. Cecilia cries when her chicks or chickens get killed (not by her hand) she thought I surely would be distraught too. She said they never did find my chicken, they went all around the village looking and asking after her, but I assured her it was okay. She said my chicken had laid just 4 eggs, just starting her life, and she wanted to try to roost her and see if she was a good mother hen or not. "I ma tink maybe keveen da have plenty chicken." (I was thinking maybe kevina would have lots of chickens.) Alas, no more chicken.

I Hope My Wasp Isn't Dead

Over the past few weeks we have developed a certain fondness for this one little wasp. Greg discovered it while bathing one day gathering wood pulp from the top board of our shower. Greg would watch it, research how mud wasps build their nest, then bring me out at 6:00am to show me and explain his little actions. He would carefully point out the tracks the wasp has made slowly chewing the wood into a pulp and mixing it with his spit to form a little ball which he then caries between his chin and chest to a clothespin on our line he's chosen to build his nest. We've carefully tracked his progress over the days, spending many minutes together in the shower standing, our faces inches away from the little wasps busily doing his hard work. Now his work is finished, and he's gone.

Double Digit Count Down

Our official COS (Close of Service) date is October 14th! Two years, it is a long time, a long long time and now we are nearly finished. The villagers only talk about this; when I'm leaving, how I will feel, will I come visit, and don't I want to just find work here and stay. I have so many different feelings. Excitement about being back in the states, convinces, and most of all family and friends. Sadness about never living here again, about leaving my rock at the creek, about the children forgetting us, about forgetting hard work. This time in our life is nearly finished, two whole years! The 22nd of this month we will have spent exactly half our marriage as Peace Corps Volunteers. The hardest thing we've ever done in our lives.

Email from our friend Rachael: "I was totally reminded of this while reading Kevina's description of your puddle incident:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PA1J0oDphc

Did you see any manatees while diving for your shoes?"

"Kevina, rocks are heavy!"

2011-07-02T09:39:00.010-04:00

July: Library Stimulation Month!!!

Yvette and I

With school being out the library has become kinda my main project. Meredith and I have been meeting with Yvette and with our three brains combined we have come up with some pretty amazing things! First of which the inaugural year of 'Library Stimulation Month' to be held hence forth every July. So far the main events are:

-Women's Craft Day

-Library Beautification Day

-MOVIE night

(to be held in the community center with pop corn and juice for sale)

There are lots of other projects for the month in the works and we've already had great success with the first activity! We were all in the library on Thursday, even several women and teenage girls, discussing the Craft Day. Between Meredith and I the weekend was totally out so it was suggested we just do it for the next day. We wrote up a little invitation letter and sent out two girls to scour the village to see if any women would come. Eight said yes that day! However, I wasn't getting my hopes up. Well, come 2:00 there were already two women with their children waiting with their 'ring' (embroidery hoop) to start making the signs! By 2:30 we had 13 women all working and chatting. There was much joking and teasing. Women were constantly asking to see each other's sign, asking if their's was good, and giving tips and lessons to one another. Yvette thought it would be good, after much hinting by the ladies, to treat everyone to a soda. She has collected quite an amount of money from fines and I think the cloth for the section signs is awesome and worth a little soda each. The women were very grateful and worked hard up until 5:00. We hastily cleaned and cut off pieces of thread to finish our signs and went home agreeing to meet later to turn in and do a final compare of all our signs (we did 21 signs total!)

First day of holiday hours!

Look at Amir in the bottom right, he is 4 and comes every day.

Tearing the cloth into sections

I love how Ms. Che brought her 'lem' (glasses)

Choosing thread

After sewing for 3 hours here's what we got so far:

A. (adult) Fiction, Local, ?

C.(children) Poetry, C. Reader

C. Adventure, C. Fairy Tales

C. Sci Fiction, C. Conc

Y. A. Fiction, C. Humor

Everyone agreed to take it home as homework and set Wednesday at 2:00 as the due date.

Ladies Trip to the Farm

Lynette invited me to join them on a short trip to the farm to get more stones for their fire-hearth. Since it is vacation time I jumped at the opportunity. We packed our bags (I was the only one that brought water). We started walking down farmers road towards their farm. Lynette chatted with me pretty much the whole time. We stopped briefly to look at the late Estevan's house (her son). Cecilia told me of her days, "when I first start life, only rice and pig and work" She would help harvest rice, beat it and cook it. She says she doesn't know why her children are so lazy now, they don't even have hard work (this on the way to pick and carry back 10-30 pounds of rock each).

Right past the village there is this lovely creek, both going and coming back we stopped to play. Even Cecilia was frolicking and we were all swimming around playing in all the different waterfalls. The water was crystal clear and cool.

lynette on the way back

Lynette finding a good rock

On the way back with each of us 'backing' a few rocks each lynette, after I just rearranged the corn sack protecting her back from the rock, "Kevina, rocks are very heavy." I had to laugh.

Boston to Belize: By Greg

2011-07-01T15:42:00.002-04:00

Backstory:

Several months ago two women from a University in Boston came to Belize and found one of the students at Big Falls who could not speak. She is in the preschool class but is six years of age. They did a few speech therapy sessions with her while they were in country. They had a meeting and I was asked if I could facilitate video chat to provide further speech therapy sessions. It took a while to get the materials necessary (web cam and a mic). However, once school finished, this became one of my main projects. For the last fourmonths I have been working with the mother on a crash course on computers. She had never touched a computer, has only a standard 6 education and is very young (early twenties). So over those four months she learned how to operate a computer on her own, how to set up and maintain an email account, and how to activate a video chat on gmail. She would come to school once or twice a week for her lessons.

Yesterday, I made the arrangements with the speech therapist, Ms. Chris, through emailing to coordinate times and dates for therapy. Today, July 1^st we had our first session. It was a success and I am looking forward to more sessions. The mother was able to get to gmail and gchat by herself!!! Then the session lasted about 10 minutes before the little girl got scared or overwhelmed and started to cry. We then made arrangements for next Tuesday (including some homework for myself and Kevina…printing things in town, and Kevina making letter cards). Hoping Tuesday goes just as well or better.

Hello My Name is Oscar

2011-06-27T12:12:00.005-04:00

Trip to Santa Teresa for a Wedding!!

Amy showing me how to make the x and o bracelet

Waiting for food after the wedding

Oh Amy how I love to visit thee and Santa Teresa. Where howler monkeys scream while I bathe at the pipe in the dark.

While visiting Amy we took a walk through half the village. Little kids were running up screaming, "Miss Amy! Miss Kevina!" We go to each other's villages often so most people know us. Well not one little boy:

Little boy: "Miss Amy, how she name?" (ref to me)

Amy: "Ask her."

Boy: "Ohhhh Oscar." (nodding and total acceptance on his face)

Me: "No! ASK ME!"

Boy: "Ohhhh Askme."

Me: "No my name is Kevina!"

So just call me Oscar from now on.

Karaoke time with Big Falls teachers

Juan and Florintina walking to the church

Calabash bowls of cacao before being served caldo

Our TIDE board, trophy table, and the 'big screen'

Victory Motorcade "Hey Greg"

Oh boys.

Ronaldo and Greg's best friend 'G' aka Alberto

Watching the slide show

"We WIN WE WIN!!"

Famous girls on the wall!!!

Right before the presentation, the stars dressed and waiting in the seats of honor.

The river right before we crossed it.

Can't be the End

2011-06-25T10:41:00.003-04:00

"Silver Creek All The WAY!"

Silver Creek R.C.'s Female Football team came in FIRST in the NATION!!!! They also took first place in the district in another competition hosted by TIDE. Not only that, but the environmental project we did won us first place!!! We got 1000 dollars worth of supplies! So of course with all that what did our village leaders decide? To through a huge victory party for the girls the last day of school! All village leaders were present,representatives from Tide, Sports Council, and the local Area Representative (who also donated 100 pounds of chicken to feed the girls and the village).

"These girls are very small,but they are full of TALENTS!"

Oh Canada

My grandmother passed away after dealing with Alzheimer's for many years. She was 83. She lived with us for some time while I was younger. She, like many ladies of her time, never drove. While living with us, since Charlotte was so spread out and we were all working or in school, she decided it might be time to get a learners permit. Those were the scariest and funniest months of my life , she never did pursue her license and was content walking many miles to wherever she needed to go. Or, riding with one of my uncles on their motorcycles. She was our last remaining grandparent on either side. Greg and I were able to go back to be with family and say goodbye. Since my mummy is from a family of 8 there were quite a lot of cousins and aunts and uncles that met Greg for the first time. It was Greg's first time in Canada. My cousin Nathan informed Kaylyssa and I that they passed a new law and we are now Canadian citizens!

Citizenship by Descent:

For those born after February 14th, 1977:

The critical date is the date of birth of a person who claims to be a Canadian citizen. The person must be born after February 14th, 1977. If you were born after February 14th, 1977 to a Canadian mother or father, you are a Canadian citizen by descent.

My grandmother: Leila Agnes McIntosh

My grandmother, Nanny, loved animals. She loved genealogy, detailed documentation on the back of photos, her children, card games, hard work, and hugs. She was born on a farm in Montana in 1928. She will be missed.

Life goes on
While we were in Canada the new group of 37 volunteers swore in, including Miss Meredith! June is also graduation month so every weekend there were parties to go to. We went to three the Saturday before my Grandmother passed, missed 2 the following week, and came back and got right to work helping bake and butcher pigs for the next one.

On father's day a man in the village drank *Gramoxone and sadly, the following day sucame to the effects leaving behind five children and a wife. I, Meredith and some of the staff went to the funeral Tuesday. His two oldest girls, left without a father and provider, were inconsolable. Two days later at the victory rally the village leaders and area representative vowed to do anything possible to keep this family in Belize. The family came to Belize from Guatemala 7 years ago. Both girls played on the championship team and the Chairman said that since they have done so much to bring a good name to Silver Creek it is their duty to try to keep them from having to return to a Guatemala they left so ago.

Primary school graduation was a first for me (Peace Corps did a mock hurricane consolidation practice last year) and it was really great and slightly sad watching these kids graduate. The Guest Speaker, Mr. Renaldo Choc gave the guest speech. I loved it, and when I went to tell him afterward and he gave me his copy! So Enjoy!

A pleasant good afternoon!
I am indeed honored and privileged to be here this afternoon as your guest speaker at this memorable occasion. I have never felt more important in life before, but today I feel like a celebrity.

Today is a very important day. I witnessed two sets of students marching up proudly to the stage to celebrate the completion of one level of education. Congratulations to you the Preschoolers and the Standard 6 Students. The preschoolers are now moving to begin their eight years of primary education, and you the standard 6 six students will be entering high schools.

The eight years you spent at Silver Creek R.C. was merely an introduction to the skills, information, and attitudes necessary for proper adjustment to your community and to the society. It is important that as of today you begin dreaming of what you want to be in the future. It is always good to dream. Many of us will dream of being a doctor, teacher, lawyer, or to be next Prime Minister. Are all of these possible? Yes of course, but it will require dedication and a lot of hard work, studying, reading , and completing logs of assignments.

When I was a primary student like you many years ago, my teacher would write above her chalk board this statement, "education is the key to success" at that time the statement didn't mean anything to be me. As I grew up , I realized that the statement was a strong one. It is only through obtaining a solid education that people are able to communicate and write well. it is only through education that people can hold a good job.

Students, education is easily accessible today, compared to when I was going to high school. Let me give you a little history. Twenty years ago there were no free school buses. That year when I started high school, the only transport to high school was by Mr. Pedro Cucul. It was not free of course, you needed to pay at the end of the month or you can't ride the bus again. Students from other villages seek lodging in Punta Gorda. During the rainy season the Big Falls Bridges would go under water. So we had to cross in a dory so we could meet the bus on the other side. To make things worse we traveled without lunch. Corn tortilla with salt and pepper and if our parents had money then we would buy a tin of sausage. Regardless of the hardship we went through to obtain our diplomas we didn't give up. We had a dream and we made sure that it was reached.

Today, it is more accessible and affordable, schools are equipped with computers, your homes are now electrified, you have free transportation to schools and at least 4 high schools to choose from. As you venture into secondary education, be thankful to your parents, appreciate the little that they will give you. Don't get upset when they can't give you a dollar to buy a soft drink.

At high school you will meet many people. Be careful whom you choose as your friend. Some will want to see you shine like a star, while some will want you to become like the, LOSERS. Do not hang around bad companies, there will be students who will influence you to use drugs (alcohol or marijuana), miss classes, steal or fight with other students. I wouldn't want any of you to drop out of school because of these reasons , then your future is over.

Do your best to obtain high grades, because you will have a better opportunity to receive scholarships to attend the University. Use your education to make positive changes in your community. You are our future leaders. A U. S. President, the late John Kennedy, during his inauguration speech in 1960 said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." You have the potential to make silver creek a better tomorrow. Do not be the one to give it a bad name. As a matter of fact you have already begun making silver creek a famous community. The female football team brought home gold medals from the recent football tournament sponsored by the Ministry of Sports,and your championship title from the TIDE'S freshwater cup. Continue that way. Do as much as you can for your community and one day you will get your reward. look up to people, who you know will guide you in the right directions. Some are out there waiting to see you fall. Parents thank you so much for the support you have shown your children. Continue to support them. Be proud of their success.

Cary out yourself respectfully and people will respect. Eight years from now when these preschoolers are graduation from standard 6 I will hope and pray that one of you will be the guest speaker at their graduation exercise. You will be selected because of some positive motivations or good qualities that you display. by the, you will already be working either as a teacher or other professions or you have become an entrepreneur,you have your own business to manage.

In everything you do, Fear God. When you fear god you will find out that no matter what difficulties or trouble you encounter God will take care of you. When you Fear God you will not want to disobey your parents, when you fear God you will not want to follow bad friends, when you fear God you will make right choices, you will realize that getting involved in fights or using drugs is bad for you. It does not matter which religion you belong to, always find time to praise our Heavenly Father. Only through Him are all things possible.

As I conclude,remember that your success is in your hands, your parents are giving you the opportunity to embrace it. Use your education wisely to help people especially the helpless and the poor. and not to abuse or hurt them. Congratulations! I wish you all good luck and success as you further your education. Thank you.

Seasons of Belize
by: Kevina Casaletto
Three. Dry, rainy, kite.
Fiery sun, then soggy feet
Tangled strings in trees

*In suicide (information from Wikipedia)

A large majority (93%) of fatalities from paraquat(Gramoxone) poisoning are cases of intentional self-administration, i.e., suicides. In third world countries, paraquat is a "major suicide agent".^[12] For instance, in Samoa from 1979–2001, 70% of suicides were by paraquat poisoning. In southern Trinidad from 1996–1997, 76% of suicides were by paraquat.^[13]

The reason paraquat is such a widely used suicide agent in third-world countries is due to its widespread availability, low toxic dose (10 ml or 2 teaspoons is enough to kill) and relative low cost. There are campaigns to control or even ban paraquat outright, and there are moves to restrict its availability by requiring user education and the locking up of paraquat stores.

Now that school is out I hope to post some pictures and videos and deeper thought on the end of our second and last school year in Belize. More to come...

Meet my Replacement

2011-06-03T09:56:00.005-04:00

There's a New *Shan Saq' in the Vill!

*Ms. White

Meet Miss Meredith!!

Here's some fun facts:

*She has her undergrad in Psychology and Masters in School Counseling

*We are the same age and were both living in NC before Belize

*She is excited to work with the school garden and HFLE (health) program

*Her dad has pet sugar gliders (flying squirrels)

*She loves art but can't draw

*She was also a vegetarian before she came to Belize!

Meredith and 37 other volunteers arrived March 24th to their new home of Belize.

Finally, after nearly two months of training, their site for the next two years was reviled! There were three people in Education learning Ketchi, and our money was on Meredith, we were right! They let all the PCT's (Peace Corps Trainees) come to their future site for a four day whirlwind visit. Starting with a counterpart workshop and a bus strike.

I was asked to come and speak on a panel with my principal about how we communicate and work together during the workshop, so we got the 6am village bus to town. After arriving we heard every radio and every TV blasting the play by play of the first national bus strike. Soon after, the texts came in from our PC warden (fellow volunteer Nate) we are now on 'Standfast' and not to move or leave our site. Burning tire blockades effectively slammed all transportation to a screeching halt. The toledo James bus drivers agreed to participate in the strike but refrain from setting ablaze any barricades.

The workshop forged on and Greg and I got a ride with TFABB back to the vill. I immediately went over to Meredith's future host family to check out the digs and see if they were excited about meeting her. I wanted her to make her own bonds and have space so I went home before she arrived. We met up at night and made our plans for the four days. Her host mom, Ms. Florintina, quickly 'fixed' her name. "I fix your name, xMary." In kriol the 'th' is pronounced 't' so her name proves very tricky. Mostly it sounds like Mereda, or

“I agree with the bus man dehn because dehn man mortgage, dehn wife and pickney dehn just di get pitch weh. Ah mean Novelo’s slip down with this thirty-five million and all ah that stuff [and] dehn man ya step up to the plate. Ah mean the minister mih need dehn now because this other guy step up now dehn wah pitch weh dehn man ya. No man that outta order, di minister wrong mein.”

http://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/55057

Top 5 Questions Villagers Asked While Showing Around Meredith:

1. What is her name again?

2. When are you leaving?

3. How old is she?

4. Does she have babies?

5. Is she married?

Here's a recap of her first four days:

Saturday:

-5:30am go and make tortillas at the Saki's

-1:30-4:30 meet all village leaders

Sunday:

-First rain storm of the rainy season

-1st holy communion

-Catechist announces 'Ms. Mary' as the new Peace Corps

-Principal introduces her to the entire Catholic community

-Meet the staff for the first time over snacks provided by the parents

Monday:

-Principal presents her to the school, explains psychology as 'reading minds'*

-Yvette introduces herself as the librarian, and asks for volunteer assistants for the summer

-Observe Preschool, Infant I and II, Standard I, and Standard II

-Girls football team wins district championship

-Ride bikes to Big Falls and eat lunch at Colemans

-Go to Big Falls Lodge, tube down the river then walk and swim back up it

-Swim in a real pool then play bananagrams with the owner

Tuesday:

-Meet during the living rosary and discus the breakdown of the Belizean school year

-walk and look at some potential houses, talk to Ms. Yatz in Ketchi, eat choco-bananas

-Observe Standard III and IV, and Standard V and VI

-Catch the bus to Lubaantun, hang out on the ruins chatting

-Play with ancient whistles found on site, bounce rubber ball (from rubber tree), walk to San Miguel

-Enjoy snacks, ride the bus back, stop at the Baptist preacher's wife's house, visit at two other houses

-Say our goodbye's

Wednesday:

-Catch the early early bus out back to Belmopan

*Yvette confesses she is scared to work with her, "is it true Mrs. Kevina that she can look in your eyes and read your mind?" Great. Knew that would be lost in translation.

Welcome to the village Meredith, I know you'll do great work and look forward to the next 5 months!

22 Months: Feels Like Home

2011-06-02T15:44:00.004-04:00

Cute Child Infestation

By: Kevina Casaletto

Silent blank faces

Observing and unnerving

Watchful, even now

States: "Is that real life?"

2011-05-14T17:20:00.007-04:00

Easter with HUNTER!!!

We flew into Raleigh at 10:30pm with both sets of parents waiting there (minus my dad)! We spent almost the first week in Raleigh eating up time with our nephew, Hunter and everyone in the family. Entertaining ourselves with stories and antics, photo-shoots, continuous awesome food (even though my mother-in-law is down to one good hand) and so much laughing. I literally gained a pound a day for 5 days straight.

After not seeing most of the family for a year it was surprising how you just slip back into life, into America and into proper english. Well all except saying me for I (kriol) which drove Uncle Bob CRAZY! I had to catch myself when speaking to Hunter, I interact with most babies in Ketchi and that's what would come out, "kanab"-stop, "jowan"-wait, ect. After getting some (never enough) quality time with the Casaletto side we headed down to Wilmington for some friend/Hughes time.

Wilmington-Home Sweet Home

My favorite night was camping with our friends on north end (the north end of Carolina Beach). Kaylyssa and her boyfriend Mike came from Charlotte and Anthony came with us so it was just DELIGHTFUL!

We played telephone, shared our favorite point in history (Mike's idea), and sang mormon girls camp songs. Tell me that doesn't sound like the greatest night out!

Kaylyssa and Mike in their residence.

Kaylyssa and her graduation present!

We were so tricky with her grad present. After some facebook coorespondence with her boyfriend it was agreed a new bike would be awesome and confirmed that she was not sentimentally attatched to her old bike. Operation- custom bike began. We decided to build a custom bike for her from http://www.republicbike.com/ and to get the colors she would like I asked her for her top five favorite colors (that she'd want together) in order of most liked to smallest liked. She thought, as I had carefully planned she would, that I would be sweating and breaking my back weaving a hand made bag, cuxtal, for her with said colors. Oh how wrong she was, we sure got her when we wheeled in, okay carried in with a sheet over it, her bike! She loved it, we were happy.

Talking at a schools:

-"Do they go to school every day?" Grade 5

-"I killed a chicken" -me "oh no! why did you do that?" -school child "Pause...Because that is where meat comes from." -me

-“is that real life” in response to telling them about Belize's hour for lunch where children walk home

Children in the states thought the chores (and division of said chores) were the most interesting part

Chores of states: Chores in Belize Girls Boys

Do homework Iron all uniforms clean pig pen

Make your bed make tortillas chop fire wood

Put away your toys wash dishes haul water

Unload dishwasher wash clothes and little siblings

Sweep houses

Take in clothes, fold and put away

Feed the chickens

Shell corn

So What's New in the States:

1. Airport's full body scan: just talking about it last year, now I am personally aquainted with it, thanks Miami

2. The back of the US penny

3. No air hand dryers in airports (can you confirm, are they being discontinued??)

4. $1 taco night is now TWO to THREE DOLLAR TACO NIGHT!!!! NOOOO!!!!!!!!

5. Everyone, like EVERYONE has smart phones (see photo below)

6. No ticket booth at the movie theater, had to buy at the concession counter *select theaters

7. 3D TV!!!! REALLY? Okay it is confirmed we are now in the future.

Charlotte

Bowling buddies

Charlotte was all about baby sister, her awesomeness and now (university confirmed) smartness! She graduated Saturday with a GPA of 3.81. We are so proud of her!

Greg taking names

Dad showing us how it's done!

The family after graduation (minus Greg...hot and totally done with photo shoots)

CONGRATULATIONS baby sister!

Na'- Mom

2011-05-08T08:23:00.003-04:00

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

What better mother's day present than a graduation!

We love you Mummy!

Only at my mother-in-law's would I gain a pound a day!

We love you Mama!

"Ma-ma-MAAA!" We love you Kristen!

Happy mother's day!

March Madness

2011-04-01T12:58:00.016-04:00

Workshops, Weddings, and Preschools OH MY!

Computer Workshop:

Greg with the 6 guys and a crowd of onlookers

Greg is doing weekly workshops with some youth and young men in the village. We are amping up, trying to get internet and a real computer lab by the end of our service, we'll see! He taught them how to instal programs, run virus protection and how to play the flash games. The training is meant to be for people who will run/assist in the lab. He'll cover how to partition a hard drive, restore, and fix computers (basic repair) over the next few sessions.

Installing antivirus software

Greg does house calls: Greg at my teacher's house showing her husband how to scan his flash drive.

She tells me her kids fight for the computer now!

Comprehension Workshop in Belize City:

Trinity Methodist School

Gathering myself before I start...

Tools of the trade; books, shop paper, and markers

On right: teachers practice visualization by drawing a passage I read

10 teachers and a non teaching principal...lucky

Gotta love documentation

Wedding and Engagement Party:

In ONE Weekend

23 five gallon buckets of corn were ground for poch

The afternoon before the wedding, making poch.

The rings the godparents buy, and the house ready for reception

We were more involved in this wedding than any other that has happened in the village (this being the 6th wedding here in our 1.6 years). The groom was my teacher's little brother and the godparents of the wedding were our host parents. We were involved like family and I was able to solve some lingering mysteries about the routines and traditions to a Maya wedding.

Greg putting the finishing touches on Pablo's tie

The morning of I went over and helped pin the veil in place. Greg was sent for to tie the tie (this is the only occasion they wear one...well, that and death, so it is not a skill many have). My preschool teacher laughed when I told her this, explaining that they couldn't find anyone who knew how at her wedding so her husband just folded it over.

Before the wedding photo shoot

The cake, we actually got a piece this time!!

First wedding cake we've actually got to eat in the village!

Lynette and Margarita

Sovia threw the confetti at the audience on both sides

before leaving...to the observers delight

Annistazia and Pablo

Cecilia and Santiago, the wedding's godparents and the now married and bound couple

Walking through the decorated arch after it being blessed with smoke and prayer

Consuela Gets Engaged!

Consuela and her now fiancee

The night before the wedding (after finishing the poch and eating the pig entrails caldo) we headed over to Consuela's for her engagement party! She is 19 and the boy is around that age too. They met in high school, he lives a few villages over. I helped her family bake and make poch at 5:30 that morning and couldn't wait to come back and see what this old tradition looks like.

We got a seat of privilege inside the house with the boy's family!

The woman's family prepares food and a table for the boy's family. Three packed trucks came over at 7 and unloaded their food for her family and drinks for everyone (coke and bottle juice). It was COMPLETELY silent while awaiting for the boy's father to speak. Once everyone was settled the boy's father addressed Consuela's father giving a long speech which I got some of. Something about if there is happiness here, or if she is happy in this village than that's good. Later I found out that when a family comes to engage a girl if they have the money they will set a date then, if not they sometimes bring her back that night to start living with her in-laws. It was agreed that they would wait for the wedding which was set for August! That would be wedding number 7 in the village, in case you lost count!

After that was out of the way drinks were served and food passed out, each family serving the other. There was much baby holding and smiling and loud music.

Preschool stimulation Month

Pablo Choco: Alcalde with his 'Alcalde stick'

Telling preschoolers to stay in school

We were able to visit the alcalde where he told them to study hard and be good, he then showed them his handcuffs and stick. Very effective. Afterwards they fed all the preschool and us rice and beans with stewed chicken...I ate it all and went home full and happy! Later a mom told me her daughter came home crying that day saying she didn't want to leave 'that house' aka the preschool. She said the alcalde said some boys and girls have to leave their school if they're bad and she didn't want to leave her preschool!

Preschool 2011

Best day ever...sports day/popping balloons!

Relay race...antonio was good at getting his arms through the sleeves.

Tug-o-war!

Visiting each preschooler's house on 'Family Day'

Herding cats

Oh Shaunna's hair!

Closing day parade through the village

MEXICO

We booked an efficient trip up north combining workshops, doctors, and Mexico! We spent 3 days 2 nights in the boarder town of Chetumal.

About to cross onto foreign soil!

We took a bus from Belize to Mexico, everyone herding off to go through Belize customs, back on, then back off again on the Mexico side. After a quick fumigation of the bus we were on our way to the motherland! Immediately after crossing the boarder we went from a two lane 'highway' with no curbs or lights to a 4 then 6 lane beautiful highway with lights every few yards!

A protest in the park

Much different than belize, meat hanging in the market and sidewalks

(that fit two or more people) with perfectly manicured shade trees!

Our hotel: UCUM (pronounced you-cume)

There was a mary statue behind bars at the head of the pool.

Scandalous double cement slide into the sea...

took lots of government money and workers and many didn't see the point.

School in Chet.

There is a mall, with a food court and a two story THEATER!

We gluttonously saw two movies in english with spanish subtitles!

Random:

On the way back from town on Pay Day,

Morpheuous and Katherine were tuckered out!

OUR Chicken!

We own one chicken, we got it in trade for our first most beautiful white puppy. We have one more chicken (for the brown puppy) yet to be delivered. Greg got the chicken when I was up in Belmopan meeting the new group. His brother called and he untied the chickens feet and set it down, asking Jr. if that was okay, "NO GREG! You'll never see that chicken again!" at which point greg had to quickly hang up with Anthony to help junior chase down that chicken. Junior caught it (that is a skill that takes years of learning) and they put it under a basket with a rock on it. Cecilia immediately said she would take care of it like her own and we could have the eggs and of course eat her when we wanted. She put a little cloth marker on her foot and after a day staying in the coop was allowed to roam free around her new home. She is pretty and still young so no eggs yet. We'll eat her when we leave to thank Cecilia for all the chickens she's given us!

Peace Corps Family Tree: Part 2...The 60's

2011-03-18T22:04:00.006-04:00

Great Uncle George Cooper

Peace Corps Volunteer

Malaysia 1966-1968

"Tens of thousands of Malaysians have never seen any

Americans other than these Volunteers, Their understanding

of Americans rests on two thin pillars: The synthetic

image of frequently rich, idle and somewhat scandalous

Americans portrayed in Hollywood movies, and the reality

of young Americans in their own backyard, living simply,

working hard, and being friendly toward all."

-Peace Corps Director James Gould

(taken from the Peace Corps Fiscal Year 1966 Congressional Presentation)

Uncle George with one of his colleagues

Volunteer Life:

Uncle George was stationed in the southern part of Malaysia in the state of Johor. He worked in the capital Johor Bahru at a secondary vocational school, Sekolah Menengah Vokeshenal. He taught technology classes, the big new technology being televisions. He was an electrician by trade and also taught in that field. When I spoke to my great aunt on the phone she told me that Uncle George taught "computer classes, electrician courses and at night enjoyed teaching and playing softball." She said he had a pretty good grasp on Malay the local language.

Uncle George in the background with two of his students

"Since achieving independence in 1957, Malaya, which

joined with Singapore and the Borneo states of Sabah and

Sarawak in 1963 to form the Federation of Malaysia, has

doubled its school system, established an entirely new

system of rural health facilities, doubled the amount of

land under irrigation, and made similar advances in many

other fields, The great emphasis is on developing the

rural areas which suffered most during the twelve-year

Communist emergency that followed the end of World War 11,

This expansion is being accomplished with remarkable

speed, but the nation is critically short of skilled man-

power to staff the expanded facilities. It is this need

that the Peace Corps is helping to fi l l until such time as

the new universities, teachers colleges, nursing schools,

technical institutions, and the educational system as a

whole can catch up with the demands for human skills that

have been created. "

-Peace Corps Director James Gould

(taken from the Peace Corps Fiscal Year 1966 Congressional Presentation)

Meeting my Aunt Christina:

My Uncle George was introduced to Yit (Christina) by her friend who was an occupational therapist. Yit was a clinical instructor for the nurses in a psychiatric hospital. George's time was almost up with the Peace Corps, so he decided to extend. The following year they married in Malaysia April 7th, 1969. When she got pregnant they decided to move back to the states, "landing in NY,NY February 1, 1970." Christina became an American citizen in 1973 choosing to give up rights to Malaysian citizenship. After a few years in the states she took the necessary steps to become certified in the states in the nursing field. She worked all over the US in psychiatric wards finally retiring in 2007. She was married to Uncle George for 34 years when he passed away in 2003. They have three children and have returned to Malaysia three times since leaving in the seventies (twice to see her mother and once to see her sister).

Peace Corps Volunteers hanging out...Uncle George is third from the left

Unfortunately I never met Great Uncle George. I didn't even know my dad had an uncle in the Peace Corps. It came up when getting contact info for my cousin that served! My mom tracked down his wife's number and after several phone conversations with my mom I got a call here in Belize from Great Aunt Christina! She's 81 and AWESOME! She finished high school in Malaysia then went to university in Singapor (by herself!) and furthered her education for three additional years in Scotland. She is fluent in Malay, Chinese (a few dialects) and English. So I broke the Peace Corps tradition of extending two years and marrying a national. But, as Mrs. Consuela said, "Greg is getting more Belizean every day!"

FYI:

Here's another interesting story of a group of Peace Corps Volunteers from Niger in 1966 five of which went back to revisit their sites in 2008. There is a movie, I haven't seen documenting their stories.

http://www.niger66.com/

Peace Corps Family Tree: Part 1

2011-03-04T16:42:00.008-05:00

Cousin Linda Zietlow

(My father's sister's daughter)

Returned Peace Corps Volunteer

Ambato, Ecuador

Special Education Program 1984-1986

Rory, Linda, and Audrey

Service: In Linda's Words

A few years before I went to Ecuador, Peace Corps had started a Special Education program in rural areas in Ecuador, but it apparently didn't go well for one thing, in sparsely populated areas there weren't very many students with disabilities to serve. Another thing, they apparently found, was that handicapped people in rural Ecuador in the 80s were doing just fine. They could serve their communities and families by working the land, working with the animals, helping on the farms

So, the volunteers in my program all worked in cities where there were schools and students who could benefit from newly developed programs. My main project was to develop classrooms for students with learning disabilities in public schools. I lived with two other special ed volunteers and we always were involved in each other's projects, so what I did there went further than just my own work. One of my roomates was establishing a special education resource library at the special education school in Ambato. I would often hang out in her library helping her catalog, write grants, translate materials, etc. The other roomate was first a business volunteer, and did an extension project at the special ed school. He started an agriculture program, a small garden and small animals ("food" animals in Ecuador). Besides growing vegetables and raising chickens and rabbits, they also went to the market every Monday to sell their products, so that's where the whole business end of it came in. We also all three together taught a sign language class to teachers and parents. Which was really fun. Not one of us was fluent in sign language or had any formal training in it, but, there was a volunteer in Ecuador who was deaf and because of our friendship with him, we all became quite adept at signing.

Cousin Linda on the left at the National Handicap Awareness Day opening event (actually a 2 day event)

My favorite project was one that the three of us, along with many Ecuadorean teachers and many other Special Ed. volunteers from around the country worked on together. We held a National Handicap Awareness Day (actually 2 days) in Ambato, in the public park. The Coca Cola Company lent us kiosks (and delivered them, put them together, took them down, and hauled them away). We had a kiosk for a each of a number of different "handicapping conditions". Each kiosk was manned by Ecuadorean professionals who worked in that field. We had tons of information on hand about the condition itself, where and how to find services, etc. We also had many "awareness" activities going on throughout the weekend. You could nagivate an obstacle course wearing special vision impaired or blind eyewear, try to get around the park in a wheelchair, take a "dislexia" test, walk around "deaf". We even had a wheelchair basketball games. There was a real wheelchair basketball organization....one of their teams came down from Quito and challenged non-wheelchair users to wheelchair basketball. It was great fun to watch and everyone was a good sport. One of our greatest accomplishments from this event was that the very first ever wheelchair access ramp in Ecuador was installed in the municipal building in Ambato and unveiled at this event. It was a huge catalyst for the spread of accessibility throughout Ecuador. One of the funniest things is.....I have to preface this a bit first.....this project took place about halfway through my second year there. At that time I was very comfortable in Ecuador and with speaking Spanish. I was full of confidence and believed that I just blended in with the natives, spoke like a native, etc. Well, Xavier video-taped me making opening remarks for the kick off of this awareness weekend in a public park in Ecuador, with the mayor there, the media, tons and tons of people. We watched that video at the end of the day and I was mortified!! I spoke Spanish like a gringa! HUGE American accent! It was a shocking eye-opener for me and very humbling!

One of her classes at Liceo Cevallos

Communication in the 80's:

When I was in Ecuador there was no email, there were no cell phones, we didn't even have a land-line in our house. I wrote letters to my family and friends and they to me. But, mail delivery in Ecuador was shady and sometimes I didn't ever get what was mailed to me. To call home I had to go stand in line at the phone company....pick a number, wait for my number to be called, wait for the employee to dial the number, hope it would go through, the connection was always horrible, it cost a ton of money. And it wasn't really all that long ago....okay, it was 25 years ago, but still! As I was writing the Handicap Awareness Day stuff above I was wondering, trying to remember how we got ahold of all those people and got them together. We managed somehow, obviously!

Cousin Linda's roommates Lisa and Parmer

Volunteers hanging out at the training center

Ecuadorian PCV's 1984-1986:

I entered Ecuador as one of a group of 48 volunteers. There were only 26 of us at the Close of Service Ceremony. Of the 22 who didn't finish most returned to the states for health reasons, either their own or a family member. A few (three if I remember) were kicked out for breaking some rule or other (for example...one guy was kicked out because he had been caught driving a motorcycle without a helmet right when the leadership was having this huge helmet safety thing. (They made an example out of him, which was too bad). An older woman was really struggling with learning Spanish and so, was transfered to somewhere where she wouldn't need to learn Spanish. The most heartbreaking was the death of a good friend of mine, Audrey Copeland. She drowned in a river in the jungle the day before Easter of our first year of service. There is a photo of her above.

Life After Peace Corps:

I am married to an Ecuadorean man I met while in the Peace Corps, Xavier Gonzalez. We got married in Ecuador right after my COS (Close of Service). We went to Cleveland for about 8 months or so and then returned to Ecuador for 2 more years, went back to Cleveland after that for 4 years or so and have been out here in Woodinville since 1994. Xavier is a doctor and works in medical research (cardiology and pulmonary research). I am a teacher. I do tutoring with at risk youth and tons of volunteer work.
Our oldest son, Gary, was born in Ecuador and though we left when he was just 5 weeks old, he's very proud of his Ecuadorean birth. The Peace Corps has had a huge influence on everything in my life. I have always sought work that serves a bigger purpose than just a paycheck. I do a lot of volunteer work and advocacy with immigrant populations in Woodinville, mostly through the schools. I stay involved with the Return Peace Corps Volunteer organizations, the one in Cleveland when we were there and the one here in Seattle. We travel back to Ecuador often because we have family there. My children speak Spanish, love to travel, and have a keen sense of community development. They've been involved in projects such as gathering and donating soccer gear to underpriveleged kids in Ecuador, holding after school soccer camps here with low income students, etc. I really want to join the Peace Corps again. Xavier and I plan to sign up once the boys get out of college and are on their own.

Thanks so much Cousin Linda for taking the time to share your story and dig up some photos! I hope you all enjoy a little peep into Peace Corps past!

Did you know that?

I was born the same year Cousin Linda entered the Peace Corps

She was serving during the 25th anniversary of Peace Corps and I am serving during the 50th!

AND the anniversaries were both during our second year of service!

Now you know!

*bonus points if you got the reference to Bill Nye the Science Guy*

Bell's Palsy: Grounded in the City

2011-03-04T09:49:00.008-05:00

Day 3

After getting ready for school I looked in the mirror and saw this (see above). After a frightening call to the Peace Corps nurse and some comfort and hugs from Ms. Delphine we rushed off on the next bus to get to the city and see some doctors. We took the 6 hour bus ride to Belmopan mostly in silence, the only conversation being Greg comforting me and reassuring me that it was going to be okay. We were met in Belmopan by the Peace Corps nurse and her assistant and they drove us to Belize City straight to the neurologist and then the ENT doctor. My ear infection was still 'pretty bad' even after a week of antibiotics, I was still completely deaf in that ear at the time. Diagnosis: the very bad inner ear infection spread to my T7 facial nerve causing paralysis, oh and too boot the hearing loss might be from damage to the T8 nerve and might be permanent. What a Monday.

Emily assisting with my eye patch

After putting me on a slew of drugs I was grounded for observation in Belize city. My face got worse, slurring words, being a human sprinkler when attempting to drink from a straw. Oh and I couldn't wiggle that ear or taste on that side of my tongue. Peace Corps Washington got involved. Medicines were checked, more tests ordered, grounding extended.

Keeping a happy face

Finally after a week and a half punishment we were released after several more doctor appointments and lots of Peace Corps paper work. We finally got to go home and came in Thursday night. We noticed the sweet fresh smell of the jungle (as opposed to the rancid, open sewers of Belize City) they grated the road while we were gone. When we got to the house everyone was there waiting for us. Mrs. Cecilia teared up and they all wanted to see my smile and reassured me it wasn't so bad. Cecilia cried over me a lot while I was gone, I got gut wrenching texts from Ofelia and Amy telling me how she cries for me. I stopped in at school on Friday and turns out the whole school had been praying and saying Hail Mary's for me. They also made me a multi page butterfly 'get well' card that the whole school signed. It was good to be back.

Update: Face is coming along, I don't have to sleep with a eye patch anymore, and Greg found some exercises that seem to be helping with my embarrassing sprinkler problem. Lots of villagers have worriedly expressed concern about me going to the creek so early. They believe if no one has passed yet bad spirits can lurk there. To soothe them I now wait until at least 6:30 to wash.

During our 10 day grounding we were able to watch the big La Ruta Maya race on the TV and went to the finish in the City! There were three Peace Corps teams participating (each with a support crew) and also the HIV/AIDS committee following doing outreach each day of the race.

La Ruta Maya 2011

A 170 mile canoe race through the Macal and Belize Rivers

The crowds

Meet the three Peace Corps teams!

Mixed Team 1: Mallory, Matt and Dan

1st place in the Peace Corps crowd

The all girls team the three with hats: Kathryn, Kaitlyn and Heather

Finished 3rd out of the PCV teams

Mixed Team 2: Christen, Owen and Kevin

Second PCV team!

Heather, a Peace Corps HIV/AIDS committee member doing outreach

50 Years: Happy Birthday Peace Corps

2011-03-01T10:10:00.007-05:00

View of the full moon through our roof.

On March 1st, 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 10924 establishing a new government organization that had three simply stated goals:

Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

And there you have it, the birth of the Peace Corps! Watch it happen here:

Time line:

October 14, 1960 2am Presidential Candidate John F. Kennedy challenedged students at the University of Michigan to volunteer two years of their lives in developing countries.

March 1st, 1961 Executive order is issued starting the Peace Corps on a temporary basis

March 1961 R. Sargen Shiver is appointed the first director of Peace Corps. 11,000 applications were received during just the first few months. Over his five year service he developed programs in 55 countries where 14,500 volunteers served.

August 30, 1961 The first group of Peace Corps Volunteers (51 of them) arrive in Ghana to serve as teachers

September 22, 1961 (Our anniversary!!!) Congress approves legislations for the Peace Corps and gives it the mandate "to promote world peace and friendship"

1964 National Geographic features PCVs on the cover

1966 15,000 PCVs serve in the field, historically the highest number to serve at once

September 1985 For the first time more women are entering Peace Corps than men

1988 Barbara Jo White a PCV in the Dominican Republic creates the first World Map Project (Which continues today and my village is a part of)

World map project in Silver Creek

December 1995 Peace Corps Response is born, a short term humanitarian aid service

September 2005 Volunteers are deployed domestically for the first time as PC-Response to the Gulf Coast following both Hurricane Katrina and Rita

2010 The total number of Americans who have served in the Peace Corps surpasses 200,00

Fast Facts:

History

Peace Corps officially established:

March 1, 1961

Total number of Volunteers and trainees to date:

200,000+

Total number of countries served:

139

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:

Volunteers over age 50:

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%

Budget

Fiscal year 2010 budget:

$400 million

Fiscal year 2011 budget:

$400 million*

Peace Corps Director

Aaron S. Williams (Dominican Republic 1967-70)

Peace Corps Deputy Director

Carrie Hessler-Radelet (Western Samoa 1981-1983)

Proud to be a part of the Peace Corps

Coming soon: Peace Corps Family Tree

A spotlight on my Great Uncle George Cooper who served in Malasia in the 60's and my Cousin Linda Zietlow who served in Ecuador from 84-86!

In Sickness and in Health

2011-02-21T14:14:00.006-05:00

Greg with all the puppies following him to the shower.

In Health:

Greg's trip to Cayo. Greg went up with his best friend George and his family (wife and 7 kids) to Cayo. All in one truck. I stayed back to attend and show support for our host family for the one year anniversary outdoor mass of their son Estevan's death. Erica came out to keep me company and see the village for the first time and was shocked at how we constantly had an audience of 3-7 kids even when we were just writing letters. We went on a walk through the village and visited some of my favorite families. We met Ms. Rosita on the road and she invited us to come look at her garden. We went home with 4 huge green tomatoes and fried them up for everyone to try (sending some back with her daughter). The tomatoes were a huge hit, they do a similar thing with bananas so it wasn't too far a stretch. As soon as they came out keith, erica, or I were gobbling them up. She left before the mass which was really nice. I didn't feel out of place, I knew the ketchi songs and my lady friends all sat beside me. It was a full mass, outdoors, with candles and naked bulbs suspended from the USAID tarp providing shelter for our benches. We kneeled in the grass and prayed that Estevan's soul would be at rest. Afterwards we all ate caldo and drank cacao. Around a hundred or so people came to show their support. At least someone from every family in the village...people lined the surrounding buildings and road to sing and cry. Death may happen a lot here but it is not insignificant or forgotten easily.

The back of the truck

Meanwhile Greg left early for Cayo and had to bundle up in the back of the truck due to the rain and wind. He stayed at Cicily's brother's house and they all got along great! He said the food was wonderful with the women constantly cooking something. The highlight was a day trip into Guatemala. George and his wife both speak great spanish so Greg had fun keeping up. He even showed them up at a restaurant where no one could remember the name for toothpick in spanish. Greg whipped out his phone and slyly googled it and much to their surprise was able to provide the answer: palillo de dientes. Afterwards everyone did a little shopping, which was the point of the trip (buying supplies and a dress for his eldest daughter's quincinera). Greg bought a pair of fashion jeans, two pairs of socks, and 2 nice boxers (that will last longer than four scrubbings on a rock) for 40 BZE!!! Just the pants would have been 50 BZE here. He also bought a fan. We haven't had one for 6 months but it is about to get hot again so better to prepare. Two very different weekends but two very fun times!

Greg wants to get our portraits done by this artist.

Spanish ladies know how to cook!

Steve in the sweater Kristen sent! Thanks Kristen it fits great!

In Sickness:

This month Greg got sick for the first time EVER during his PC service. For 6 days he had fevers and chills at night, feeling relatively fine during the day. We were sent to the local polyclinic for malaria testing and blood work. When he went back to check on the blood results the nurse frightenly said he needed to immediately go to the emergency room for observation and would only say his 'platelets were low'. After speaking to a doctor in the ER he determined that it either wasn't his blood or someone had messed up the test, platelets that low would have someone bleeding from their eyes, mouth, and nose...AKA dying! So the Peace Corps nurse crossed off that hospital/clinic as a place to get blood work done and went ahead with treatment for malaria (results not in yet). We are getting his dengue test now to be sure. Greg thinks it is probably just a virus, there was one going around the village that presents like a slightly weaker version of malaria with not as high fevers and only lasts a week (instead of 15+ days). He is feeling all better now, thank goodness.

I had missed some school checking on him, making sure he was eating and resting and didn't think anything of a little 'fresh cold' that was developing. I celebrated my birthday the day Greg got better (best present I could ask for). I had a wonderful birthday, no more attempts at throwing a Belizean party because I had no time to prepare. However the staff surprised me with a most wonderful day. They had an assembly and the whole school sang happy birthday. Then I was given cards and little gifts throughout the morning. AND for lunch they threw a surprise feast! Rice and beans with stewed chicken and coleslaw WITH two fat tamales each! Top that off with coke, cake and another birthday song by just my teachers (ended with, 'for she's a jolly good fellow') and there you have it. Only to go downhill from there...

My cold got worse, I couldn't hear when I helped with our booksale (we made 75 dollars on a rainy day!) and then Friday night the pain came. My ear was throbbing waking me up and forcing me to the hammock for the remainder of the night. Peace Corps wanted to fly me up to see an ENT doctor but the altitude would hurt too much...I had to wait to take the express the following day. That night my ear reached a new pinical of pain and then (I later found out) I met some relief as my ear drum ruptured. Spare the gorry details but it was kind of nasty. However I got to see the specialist, the hole is small and I should have my hearing back in a week! Insult to injury, I was already feeling old what with the birthday and now I've lost my hearing to boot! But hey it is all on the upswing now:)

Some of my cards.

Birthday feast!

The boy puppy.

Dear Diary

2011-02-04T10:53:00.004-05:00

Journal Time:
One of my resolutions this year was to write in my journal every day. After about a year in country nothing seemed so crazy and weird anymore. I didn't feel the need to 'go write this down before I forget!' So... I have missed a few but I have been trying to write something each day. Here are a few entries (these were not shortened). I don' t know what other people write about...perhaps their feelings. But me, well I just write it what I see.

All the kids 'helping' Greg wall the dog house.

October 6^th, 2010 Wednesday 5:50 pm

Played volleyball until 5:20. It was very fun. I nicked named Carla ‘patti cake carla’ because she slaps the ball instead of setting. It was frustrating having 1 ball.

Our house with my newly planted garden!

Dec. 3, 2010 Friday 11:30am

Got to finally meet letticia to set up her email so I feel better about that. We also bought 6 baskets. I emailed Jon about the computer donations, just need to email Parham about shipping. Got a thanksgiving package from Greg’s mom!

“I’m smart with you miss.” -Margarita

Dobby with the 7 pups that we came home to...4 remain

January 16, 2011 Friday 8:10 am

Pen is dying.

Jan 22^nd 2011 9 months left Saturday 12:00pm

Greg walled and floored the dog house this morning. I washed 2 buckets, the dishes, the latrine and bathed. The police will soon arrive and we will eat with them.

Things that made me smile:

-“I like to touch you keveen. I like you.” –Morpheus

-Ofelia and I talking all through an entire bucket of washing

-Kids playing in the dog house

*I got the idea of adding what made me smile to my journal entries from my friend Amy.

5:00 update: Everyone (Nina, Andres, Vera, Fer, Ofelia, Mrs co from next door, Sofia, and 7 or so kids came to stare at our freshly finished dog house. We saw Andres chasing Vera, he said he was so tired from diving for fish last night he wanted her to back him home. Greg was quick and responded, “bwai you da get fat, Kevina can back me!” At which point he began chasing me around the little thatched house as I squealed, “noooo!” Much to the delight of everyone watching. He is faster and so quickly caught me, jumped on my back and turned and waved at Andres who was now doubled over laughing and slapping his knee. Everyone was laughing so hard, except the kids who could not understand this so un-adult-like behavior. After he recovered he took off after Vera and threw her on his back and galloped off laughing.

Phase one of thatching a dog house

Jan 31, 2011 Monday 9pm 528 days

Yesterday was great! Met Greg at the junction, rode our bikes to Columbia and had BBQ with Albina, stopped in San Miguel on the way back (impressed the shop keep with our ketchi) Greg worked on Martin’s computer and they gave us delicious veggi filled caldo. Then we stopped by Rositas on the way and they gave us juice and pan tul (banna pudding/bread) and we arrived home to our Godson and his sister with a bag full of Coconut crusts!

Today was not so great, it stunk. Two teachers were out, back to no librarian, and there were visitors and high schoolers at the computer lab. FINALLY going to bed.

Sunday funday in the neighboring village with Tracy. We bartered a haircut for a massage.

*My friend Erica told me she keeps track of how many days she's been in country. She said she was always keeping countdowns and that it was better to stop always looking forward to something. Just live your life.

Feb 4 2011 Friday 9:00am rainy 532 days

On the 22^nd of July 2011 we will have spent exactly half our marriage as Peace Corps Volunteers.

Kids working on their freshwater signs for their football team.

Feb 5^th 2011, 10:30pm Peter visiting

Ofelia “what happened to your ear ring?” to Virginia

Virginia “what?”

Ofelia in a whisper “ Look at greg’s cup!”

-Everyone laughed because this was all said in ketchi and the bit about the ear ring was to distract us about her making fun of greg’s broken and chipped mug he was using!

Kids using beer bottle taps for manipulatives to learn division.