Field Trips, Holidays, and Random Belizean and P.C. Info...

Saturday September 19, 2009
Today is CARNIVAL! The best party in Belize! We have a day off!
Today I slept in until 7:30! It was so nice! I got up and made tortillas… I am becoming quite a cook lol!
I asked Mrs. Kus for all her recipes. She gave me her recipes for Ideals, Flour Tortillas ( because I like those much more than corn tortillas), chicken, rice and beans, and banana bread!
We also practiced a lot of new K’ekchi words and phrases! J
I did my laundry as well! It was raining all morning and I was nervous that I would not be able to do my laundry. However, I it got sunny around noon. So I got to accomplish my laundry.
Mrs. Kus then made Kriol bread. I helped make banana bread and (banana cupcakes), which turned out very well!
We watched Cinderella in Spanish. Greg and Kevina came over for some bread just for a bit. They had a long day at the farm… getting corn. What a story… I cant wait to read it in the Toucan Time newspaper… it was sooo funny!
In the evening I went to Mrs. Kus sister house. That was awesome… I had lots of fun socializing with the local maya mopan gyals! They were preparing food for their church people.
At Mrs. Kus’s oldest sister’s house (Maria) they have soo many animals. I thought the Kus’s had many animals, but her sister has way more! Chicken (some with no feathers L), turkeys (some that sit in the trees), hens, roasters, swans, ducks, dogs, cats, birds, horses, pigs and gibnuts… I’m sure I am missing a few more. The horses are sometime just tied to a rope or let to run freely. The dogs are often stray dogs and walk around just like people do.
After we came home I had some rice beans and kriol bread. Then Maura and I played scrabble and braided each other’s hair.
Today was a GREAT/ relaxing, but fun day off!
Random information that I want to mention:
- Mr. Kus is off work for two weeks. He works at the hospital as an attendant. When he was sweeping… he accidently got pricked with a needle. They gave him medicine… so that he doesn’t get HIV/AIDS because that is a huge issue in Belize. (The family is praying that their father is going to be okay.) It is really scary.
- They do not use silver wear that often. Mrs. Kus told me a story that she did not know how to use silver wear until she was sixteen years old and went to a restaurant for the first time.
- Peace Corps has been in Belize for 42 years!
- Independence Day is this week. Belize has only had their independence for 28 years!
- People here speak lots of language… there are about 13 different languages in the country.
- Mrs. Kus and her kids speak K’ekchi, English, and a bit of Spanish. Mrs. Kus’s sister speak English, K’ekchi, Spanish, Maya, and Kriol. I find that soooo awesome! I just want to be able to speak at least one new language by the end of my service.
- Lorenzo (my 2 year-old host brother) just opens the front door and pees right there. (He is potty trained very young… Mrs. Kus said) I get a kick out of it!
- I sometimes take rain showers. There is no roof on the outside shower where I take bucket baths. Therefore, when it rains the rain cleans me… lol!
- There are no screens on any of the windows or doors. So there are many bugs that get into the house. (Big cock roaches and the grass hoppers are huge!) I have only seen a tarantula outside by the road where the Peace Corps Headquaters. However, Greg and Kevina had one in their host family’s house! I do not want to see one in my house!
- We get lots of frogs in our house. (I brush them away with my brush).
- I sleep with mosquito nets… so no bugs get me.
- Lilly told me a story that there a big rat curled up on her bed in Armenia. I was very grossed out. I told Mrs. Kus that story. Then she told me that Mr. Kus sets up traps every night to kill the rats. She said for the past seven nights they have caught one rat every night…. Ahhhhhh! She said they come from the neighbors thatch house.
- We sweep the house regularly. Do dishes by hand… with buckets.
- We have close lines hung up in the house… for when it rains.
- Belize is in the rainy season… but, they say we are actually having a dry rainy season (yet, I think it rains a lot haha)
- I have been doing my DVD workouts regularly again! I am so glad I am finding time. The kids come and join me! (So fun) The only slight dilemma is that the floor of the house is all cement. Therefore, it limits me a bit… with some of the jumping around moves.
- The Peace Corps informed the host family that we need a banana a day. So my host family fridge is always stocked with bananas. I am glad I like bananas greatly.
- This week we had a special fruit. It was watermelon (my favorite) it is definitely better and fresher than the states.
- I have tried so many things that I would have never tried in the states… and I am finding it fun and delicious!
- I am awoken by roasters every morning. It does not bother me at all. But, it does drive Greg (the other trainee in my group crazy) he thinks roasters have turrets or something. He hates them. I think it’s cool!
- I am surrounded with so many fruit trees of all kinds (blueberries, orange, lime, lemon etc) Also, there are so many cool palm trees that I have never seen before.
- I love the Punta music!!! It is fast beat and great fun!
- When we greet people at night… we say good night… I always say hi... it took some time to get used to.
- Boot leg movies are very cheap here. You can get movies for about $5… and they are good quality boot leg. (The pcv’s said we get the movies sometime faster than they come out in movie theaters in the U.S.)
- The Toucan Times is the Peace Corps News paper. It is very funny, but also informative.
- At the Peace Corps Headquaters there is one computer for all the volunteers to use. (I am so glad I brought my lab top). The internet is not the best there. It goes in and out. Facebook is the worst because of all the applications it is the slowest. They turn the internet off from 9pm to 7am (I think that is stupid… but, oh well).

Sunday September 20, 2009
Mandatory Fun Day! Field trip to Blue Hole: swimming and hiking… I am soooo pumped!
We are hiking on the trail today! We are also going swimming in the blue hole lol! Lastly we will probably explore in the caves (Ms. Ginnie told us to bring flash lights, bathing suits, bug spray, water bottles, and lunch!)
***It is raining all morning… we are waiting until eleven (when we were supposed to go to Blue Hole at 9:30am) if it does not clear up by 11am we are going to cancel our fun day L I really hope it stops raining!!!!
It did stop raining and we all enjoyed ourselves!!!


Monday September 21, 2009
Independence Day in BELIZE! All day to participate in the cultural festivities!
Today ended up not being a good day. I slept in because I felt awful. I woke up feeling sick to my stomach and some back pain again. I called Nurse Jackie and she said to discontinue the new antibiotics she put me on, and that there was nothing I could get or do because every where is closed. So I did discontinue my medicine, but I still felt like I was going to vomit. Therefore, I did not eat all day.
I had a craving to go on the internet, since I haven’t been on it in a few days. My host mom did not want me to go (which I should have listened to her L) I took a cab to the P.C. headquarters and it cost six dollars. When I got to the headquarters wireless internet was not working! So I really got nothing accomplished. I thought I was going to puke the whole time I was there… and there were a couple other trainees there not feeling well either.
I took a cab home. It stinking cost me 15 dollars…. HE totally took advantage of me. I tried to debate that I always pay 7 dollars. He insisted and argued hard … so I just paid it L
After that happened… I decided to call friends from home that I have not talked to in a while to cheer me up… I got in touch with Paula, Mary Margaret, and Andrew! It was good talking to them.
After that I lay down for a bit… and then watched movies the rest of the night with the kids… until bedtime!



Tuesday September 22, 2009
Today was a much better day!!! I felt well. It was a drastic change from yesterday!
8-12 Language and Culture Review
1-3 Session with Erin. We went to Armenia to see the healthy community trainees. I loved seeing their gardens and the latrine they built. It was a good experience.
I also had this delicious strawberry smoothie! We went to a really great stationary store… where I got my host siblings some gifts! They loved them.
3-3:30 Daily Chat
3:30-4:15 Share lesson plans and homemade resource.
This went well. I learned some new things that I would do in a Belizean classroom.
4:15-5:15 PACA Debrief … easier than expected! I learned it will be a useful tool to use when I get to my new site!
Work on presentation for tomorrow… wish me luck!
Mrs. Kus and I had about an hour and a half debate on heaven. She doesn’t believe in heaven… and I do.


Wednesday September 23, 2009
8-8:30 Daily Chat
8-3:30 Trainee-Facilitated Sessions (I give my presentation on how to set up a library in Belize!) I gave my presentation on how to set up a classroom library. Also, activities to do in a library!

Individual interview with Austin 1-3pm


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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.