Life Goes On...

Hi All, The weather here is wonderful, cool breeze, temp in the 70's, and sun not so strong. The Belizeans are freezing in this weather but I'm lovin' it! Of course, they all warn me that the next few months will be HOT, HOT, HOT! Actually, I now feel up to it - the first months here were surely a test of my endurance and stamina and I survived!

Kimberly mentioned in her comment about lice, well, it's pretty close to it - little, itty-bitty bugs are a constant companion with me biting my legs and probably in my hair. Fortunately, bug spray and keeping my place clean help control the population. My hair is getting long but not sure about cutting it - I can't decide what is easier to handle: long or short.

This weekend was exciting. A major Belizean event: The La Ruta Maya canoe race. Over 80 canoe teams paddle over 175 miles in the Belizean River over a four-day period. The river winds through the rain forrest/jungle and, of course, filled with crocs, starting in San Ignacio with

stops at Banana Bank, Bermuda Landing, Burrel Boom villages and finally ending in Belize City. On Friday my counterpart, Mr. Lopez, treated me and the office assistant, Jacklin, to see them come in at Banana Bank .

Jacklin's brother was on the police canoe team and, actually, the team did well. Pictured here is the canoe team and Jacklin. These were taken the next day at Burrel Boom village-

photos also show the food booths. Here the locals set up tables selling food, ie. bean and rice, chicken, bbq, etc. The president of NAVCO had a table selling bbq turtle - yeah, I tried it...as with all other exotic meats, it tasted like chicken. Peace Corps had a canoe team too and came in around 60th which is pretty good for newbies to the race. Peace Corps also had a Aids/HIV booth - photo of the booth here too.

My Spanish classes are fun - a good group of mates, Belizeans, Nigerians, and a Russion student. One student is a retired American - he lived in New York City and made a couple of comments about the States that disturbed me. He conveyed images of American life as negative based on his living in NYC - I felt he was giving the wrong stereo type image of American life and Americans. Our country is HUGE and so diverse that NYC is not America. I can see why Peace Corps' objective is to give the country a true image of Americans and living here for two years gives us a true image of Belizeans. I am learning and appreciating the experience of living in this country - some aspects not so positive but I ultimately have a better appreciation and acceptance of both Belize and the States. Most Americans that live here (ex-pats) - some disgruntled with living in the States, some to live cheaper with US money, some to make money - I get the feeling that these ex-pats are here for personal gain and not to help Belize but to take advantage of this country. Is this typical American capitalism at work here?

I did meet other countrymen such as the British, Nigerians, and Canadians who work for non-profit organizations or institutions to help this country. They seem to live here for a long duration to help with projects or internships. An example is the one I will be working with as a secondary project - two British women training primary school teachers on conflict resolutions. It's a pilot project here in Belmopan with the primary schools - if it successful, they hope to get funding to expand the training to all teachers in other districts. Most of the Americans (missionaries, churches, schools) who come here to help the country just come for a couple of weeks, do their stuff, donate a bunch of stuff, then leave thinking what a great thing they did. I know I'm generalizing and that's wrong but thus far this is my personal experience. The villagers appreciate the contributions especially with building schools and latrines but some projects happen then stop after they leave because there is no one to maintain the project. A prime example is the internet cafes that are built and equipped with computers but the villagers have no clue on how to maintain the cafes.

In a couple of weeks, I'm on my first outing to a resort. I'm meeting up with three of my close friends from San Francisco at Caye Caulker, an island off of Belize City. I'll play tourist for the weekend, and I hear that in itself is quite a contrasting experience.