Day 7

Wednesday August 26, 2009

Today we again got up for training. It is our seventh day in Belize!!! On my walk today to the Peace Corps Head Quarters it was very muddy because it rained that night. I took a couple pictures of the roads to the P.C. office head quarters… for of course memories! I took some pictures of local school girls in their uniform. Many of the children hear wear uniforms to school. School started a few days ago for the Belizeans.
When we arrived we had an avocado burrito for breakfast. Then I had my first Hepatitis A. shot. It wasn’t so bad. Then we discussed stages of adaptation into our community and culture of Belize. How we start with “Honey Moon” phase (which I am in right now) where everything is great, new, and exciting! Then all of us will enter the “Crisis Phase” where we begin to get the culture shock. Then we enter the “readjustment phase” where we begin to settle in, but not yet adapt. Then lastly we will enter the “adaptation phase” and this all happens at different times for everyone and sometimes it repeats itself over and over.
Then we discussed “community assessments and tools” which was very interesting which I will probably use at my site! After that session we learned about Education in Belize… which is sooo sad. I was really into this lesson, especially as an education major! She talked about how education is rooted in slavery and the British. Also, how most kids just drop out because they can’t afford the books or those that fail are not allowed in this country to repeat a grade.
Later in the day we talked about our homestay with our host family. We played jeopardy and found out what sites we are going to be training in. I will have my five weeks of training in Mayan Mopan. We then got the logistics of dropping our luggage off at 7am and then train from 8am to 1pm and then off to meet my host family!


Disclaimer
This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.