Raul, Emeteria, William and Brella















Here is Brella holding up the "book" that they are just dying to see each morning. They scream "Bobeeeeee"!!!

William (like Bobby)

Shakira (like Aubbie)

Brella (like Ashee)

Brella and neighbor, Gionvani with G's pet.

View from back of my hut to hut above

Brella standing at the doorway to our home

Shakira posing with crayon

Brella (always smiling!)

The neighbors with Brella and William

This is an experience! Right now I'm writin from my bed??? that has a mosqito net surrounding me. I live in a thatched roof hut with mud floors. There's a latrine out back and an open shower (like M*A*S*H) but no running water, just a bucket. Everyone goes to bed shortly after 6 (as there is no current!) so I'm writing this by headlamp.

Today after language class, I bathed in the river with my Maya sister, Brella who scrubbed my back. I'll be here in Armenia for the next 5 weeks with my host family. Oh, did I mention that the parents, Raul (23) and Emetria (21) sleep on the other side of this only interior wall with their 3 children, Brella (5), William (3) and Shakira (2)? Their room can't be any larger than 6' x 8'. They are a lovely family that is taking their job as a Peace Corps host family quite seriously--three hot meals per day that always includes tortillas and rice and beans--so much for losing weight!! Raul speaks K'ekchi and Emetria speaks Maya (mopan) so the children speak Maya. My host mom and dad speak English very well. I learned two phrases in K'ekchi today--Ma sa aach ool? how are you? and Anih ak aba? what's your name? It's a very gutteral languange with some clucking. Quite interesting!

We're in the rain forest so the walk to class is in this thick, sticky, heavy mud. Needless to say, I had to purchase boots!

We have three chickens in the yard that know to stay there. Raul said when they first get purchased they stay in the backyard in a chicken coup for a couple days and then let them out and they just KNOW to stay in the yard!

I asked Raul how many brothers and sisters he has and he said, "I think 8 sisters and 7 brothers...I'm not sure."

You hear the rain all night (no windows or doors). The roosters start crowing around 4am and you hear dogs barking the rest of the night. I won't go into the dog situation right now. That's a whole story to itself. I roll over and go back to sleep until 5:30.

Hope this paints a picture...Enjoy your AC and lights at night! Better turn it in--it's WAY past my bedtime--almost 9pm! The family has been asleep since 6:30!

God bless Raul, Emetria, Brella, William, Shakira and us ALL!!! Tracy

postscript: It's Sunday, Aug 30 so I borrowed Raul's bicycle so I could ride about 30 miles (thanks Katrin!) into Belmopan so I could call my darling Ashley to wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! Her email address is ash1140@aol.com if you would send her a note to help me celebrate her big day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

off to armenia

Tomorrow, eleven of us leave for Armenia which is not too far from Belmopan. I will be staying with a host family for 5 weeks. This is when we really begin our cultural integration and hopefully get a grasp on my new language--k'ekchi. Technical training begins also so we will be spending time educating and building (most likely latrines) Our host families have been told not to speak any English as this will facilitate quicker learning and integration.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed right now but just have to trust that all is in perfect order. I worry that I'm too old and that my hearing is impaired enough to make learning the language even tougher. I miss all of you so much. So far, I haven't been one of the ones to get any dysentery. We have been warned about botflies and scorpions...so far the only dangerous creature I've seen is a tarantula. (As long as they stay out of my bed, I'm ok!!)

I've been told that the next five weeks we will be using an outside latrine for obvious purposes. It's likely that I'll be sleeping in a hammock (that's ok) and eating all kinds of new dishes...iguana, turtle, gibnut. (Nothing that Dino hasn't eaten!!!) This is really an adventure.

From what I can tell, these first six months are all about adaptation and integration into the communities or villages. Once we have established trust, it is then that we may make a difference that might last. I'm excited about the possibilities.

Internet service and satelitte connections will be spotty so this is probably the last blog for awhile.

Thought for the day...don't take running water and electricity and a nice comfortable bed for granted!!!

God bless us all....tracy

I mispoke

Correction on our history lesson. The hurricane that hit Belize City was Hattie in 1981. The government buildings were moved soon after to Belmopan. It's the smallest capital I've ever seen!

God bless us all! tracy

Today was culture day. We took a bus ride to San Ignacio and Benque and had dancers and a flutist perform for us at a local high school. Later, we traveled to the ruins at Xunantunich and hiked a mile up a road that led to the ruins and then climbed to the top. I'll enclose some pix at a later date when I have the help of a knowledgeable friend with me. Tomorrow is an off day (Sunday) and some of us are going to the river to wash our clothes in the river. I'm not sure I'll be losing weight as every meal is delicious and full of carbs! Every lunch and dinner has beans and rice or rice and beans. The people here are very kind. What impresses me the most is how there are so many different people speaking various languages and they all seem to respect each other. I've heard lots of Kriol, Spanish, English, and (get this) Chin-Italian. (All the business owners in Belmopan are Chinese descent. Speaking of Belmopan--Terri Stephens was partly right about Belize City being the capital. Apparently there was a big hurricane here back in the 80's and the capital was moved from Belize City to Belmopan. The government hoped this would bring business and industry to this inland town but it never materialized. The Peace Corps Belize office is here in Belmopan but it is a tiny town that never expanded other than a few government offices. There are about 4 roads, maybe 50 houses, a market place and a bus terminal.

We leave Belmopan Thursday and go to our prospective training center. My group (healthy communities) will be going to a town called Armenia. After five weeks we will all be sent to individual villages in the south(Toledo district) and will be quite remote so these blogs I'm afraid (mostly for me!!) will be fewer and further between. And Betty, half of the healthy communities volunteers are women and we will be going to these villages alone. I can only hope and pray that the people will be as kind as they are here and I'm sure they will be. Kekchi will be my new language.

Leaving to go have my eighth burrito for dinner (not alot of variety)

God bless us all. Tracy

I'm here!

We were wakened at 1 am this morning, flew to Miami (made me real homesick and wanted to jump as we passed Jupiter!) then flew to Belize City and arrived here at 10:30 am (12:30 your time.) Went through a brief orientation after a local lunch (which was awesome--but I haven't met too many foods I didn't like!) and then on to Peace Corps Hdqts. in Belmopan. There are stray dogs roaming everywhere, it's really hot, and I'm so tired I can hardly think. It's only 5 pm here but we've been up 19 hours. I'm sitting in a back alley internet cafe with my new best friend, Erica. She's 22 and doesn't mind hanging with an old fart. Anyway, I'm sure my outlook will improve with sleep. Miss all my buddies and especially my family...so much I could sob on the spot ...I'm just trying to focus on why I'm here and get grounded again. Long day and hot as poop!

God bless us all...tracy

Don't look back

As the pilot carefully navigated around the ominous thunderboomers, for the first time I was forced to look back at West Palm Beach. Until now I had done nothing but forge ahead...finish my jobs at Dr. Gandhi's and Dr. Harts, move my children into their new places, clear out my townhouse AFTER the big garage sale, get it ready for Ron and Cristina, sell my car, pay my bills, plan Aubrey's fiscal budget for next year, etc., etc. Don Henley sings "don't look back, you should never look back" and maybe that's bc you might second guess yourself. Right now, I'm hoping and praying I've done the right thing. I've had this itch for such and long time and this was the first time the window even cracked open a hair! But leaving my children and Dino and friends is quite difficult.

Because I've been so insanely busy, I've hardly took the time to thank you. I was honored that so many planned and so many attended 'going away get togethers. Thanks so much to Terri and Deb who planned the 'working girls' party. I learned more about Belize at Terri's than I have in all my reading! Thanks to Sue Brown and Carolyn for the Maryland visit...so great to see my good old friends! Thanks to Janet, Carol, and Professor for the Garden's tennis gathering! It would have been a crime to not play catch phrase one time before I left! Thanks to YoYo for doing the Ironhorse tennis get together...quite special as always. Nicole and Aubs planned the family get together and we all had such a great time at Ouzo Blue! And the last party was the poker party that Betty and Pete hosted with the mosted! And thanks everyone for letting me win that last game...that's gotta last awhile! All of you planned, prepared, paid, and positively perfected wonderful send-offs. It was so very kind and I'm deeply touched.

Thanks to Ron and Cristina for renting my townhome. Nobody in their right minds CHOOSES to move but they did this to 100% help me out--You both are gifts straight from heaven! Thanks to Sue Brown, Sue Beale, Carlene, Katrin, Sally, and Betty for their continued acts of kindness. You are such great friends and I'm totally indebted and grateful.

And now my children--Ashley, Bobby, Aubrey, Nicole, and Jeff--(here comes the lump in my throat) I could never do this if I thought you couldn't handle it. But you're all so strong and smart with deep roots in sensing what's right in life. And even tho you'd prefer that I not go, you were all 100% supportive. I so appreciate your open mind and broad vision of the world outside your own. I love you with all my heart. AUBS, what a Clydesdale! Here you have two weeks off from school and you choose to scrub floors, load garbage, pack and re-pack! I never could have done this without you

Thanks to both my brothers, especially Skip for help beyond compare. I will try to represent our family well in Belize!

Dino, I'm not leaving you, I'm fulfilling a dream. Thank you for your endless help in spite of a broken heart. I love you very much.

Ok, I must get back on track and forge ahead--"don't look back, you should never look back"--you better Belize it!

God bless us all---mom and Tracy

P.S. Love and hugs to Duchess and Chunk!

Countdown...six hours!

Finally, everything's in order... my bags are packed, I'm ready to go. Thanks to all of you that have been so kind and supportive...I feel so blessed. It's 1 am and I need to wake up at 5 am but I had to write my pre-journey entry and let you know how much I will miss you all but I've heard the calling and it's my time! I hope I'll have access to the internet from time to time and keep you updated. Let the adventure begin...

All my love,
Tracy