Merry Christmas to YOU!

It's uncharacteristically cold for Belize. I slept in a sweatshirt, pants and socks and under two blankets last night. It has rained a lot these last few days as the temperatures plummeted. I'd say a forty degree drop is substantial especially since these last four months have been so incredibly HOT... It must be VERY cold back home.

With Christmas only three days away, I am imagining what you all have been going through...the preparation, the shopping, the traffic, the crowded stores and malls and the PRESSURE we feel to buy more than what we should. I know...I did it every year since Ashley was born over 29 years ago...And once Bob was gone, I tried to double up and make up for the fact that there was no dad...

As you might imagine, this year is very different...few lights, no Christmas trees, no shopping, and little music. But the gifts I've received have been so heartfelt and meaningful...

Since coming to Belize, I've reconnected (via email) with a friend from junior high school. David was afflicted with polio (born a few months before the vaccine was discovered in 1953). David and I were great friends--I remember visiting him many afternoons after school while he was recovering from back surgery and in a full body cast lying in a horizontal supine position for months on end. When he graduated with us from Bowie High School in 1971, there was a standing ovation and not a dry eye in the auditorium. David wasn't expected to live to see graduation. Many years have passed and I assumed he was gone and was glad that we all lost touch so I didn't have to hear about it. But David is alive and making a difference in other handicapped peoples' lives. He had a stroke 10 years ago and has been in a nursing facility but still has that HUGE heart to try to help others. He even remembers me talking about the Peace Corps WAY back in high school! What a gift for me to find David again!

Another gift has been that YOU have been actively participating in my Peace Corps adventure. Your caring about me has kept me going when times were trying or when I was feeling alone. As I told Cynthia, you are all Peace Corps volunteers. Thank you so much.

I have been blessed by hearing from my wonderful nieces...beautiful notes, encouraging words, and touching sentiments. I'm grateful for this opportunity to discover their depth and beauty.

I received an incredible package from Ashley, Bobby, Nicole, and Aubrey. They replaced the camera that had been broken and added a myriad of other niceties and necessities. But the best part was Ashley's phone call where she could hardly contain her excitement about being able (after 22 years of school) to buy presents. It was crystal clear that she was experiencing the true joy of giving.

My children are all going to try to get here at least once over the 27 month period. Last night as I slept in my sweatshirt and blankets, I also cuddled around my darling, Aubrey and we shivered together and laughed. WHAT A GIFT!!!

These are my moments of Christmas, 2009. This Peace Corps life is beautifully simple. No glitz, no parties, no presents. The only gift I have for you is this simple advice...seek out what is important in life and the treasure it.

For me, it is the knowledge that many years ago, a little baby boy was born in a manger. Allelujah!!!! And having you as my family and friends!

God DOES bless us all...tracy

Perspectives-K'ekchi Style!

Birthdays and Holidays

Everyone in the family knows when someone's birthday is coming. But when Yadira turned two on Nov 21, there were no songs, no cake, no presents, not even a 'Happy Birthday, Yadira' wish (except from me) We just knew that on that day, she was two!

Christmas is right around the corner. Sometimes I hear a radio playing a Christmas song, usually reggae. Again, there will be no presents! What there is however, is the singing in the two local churches that can be heard from anywhere in the village. (One Catholic and a House of Prayer) Services have picked up from three times a week to every night in anticipation of the birth of Christ! Last night, they were still going strong until 2:30 am! (The regular service lasts for over 2 1/2 hours!)

Feet

I wear rubber soled shoes everywhere but my feet always seem dirty. I feel the sharp rocks on the road poke through the soles of my shoes. My host mom, Juvena, walks these roads in excess of 3 miles to our farm BAREFOOT like a speed walker! The soles of her feet always look clean and I KNOW they're tough!

Projects--Plan ahead!

Make sure you have everything you need BEFORE starting a project. If you forgot something, it's an hour bus ride into town at only certain times of the day. But I'm lucky in San Miguel! My PC friends, Sam and Stephen only have bus service two times a WEEK and it leaves their village at 3 am and takes over two hours!

DOGS

Dogs are tools. You know how we might bang a wrench on a workbench when it's stuck? Dogs are kicked when they don't do exactly what the owner wants. They never see a vet, all look underfed (probably have parasites), never are allowed inside, females are in a constant state of pregnancy, and generally, look either sad or vicious! They are utilized as watchdogs and hunting dogs. The two dogs at my host family's house--Bones and Bingo--look better than most. But, yes, even the 2 yr. old kicks them. So when I started doling out affection to these dogs, they lapped it up (and the family called me "crazy Tracy"!) Every time I would come home, they would run and jump on me to greet me. (Totally unacceptable behavior here though, warranting a lashing or kicking!) I went over to my host family's house this past Tuesday and the dogs were SOOO happy to see me! The family told me that when I moved out of the nest, that Bones and Bingo did not eat a morsel for over two days. I've decided that dogs, in general, are truly moral. They ALWAYS want to please and do the right thing and NEVER mean any harm...even the dogs in Belize despite their cruel treatment.

Hard Days Work

I used to consider a full work week was 40 or so hours. The men in San Miguel leave on their bikes for their farm or their construction job at 4:30 or 5 am. Sebastian (host dad) returns at night around 10 pm. I'll do the math--17hrs/day 6 days/wk--102+ hours a week! Occasionally they work on Sundays, too!

Integrity

Speaking of morals, I think dogs have way more integrity than K'ekchi children. I won't condone it but I do understand it!

Recently, while teaching dental health in the roman catholic primary school, I was passing out balloons for each correct answer on the review. After the review, I asked for a show of hands from the ones that didn't get a balloon so I could give them all one. Half of the balloon winners said they didn't get one. Even when challenged by me and their peers, these kids looked me in the eyes and lied! These children are great children and are taught honesty and integrity everyday in their church lessons. Why lie? Maybe it goes back to the first paragraph of this blog being the havenots. It's too much temptation when you want THINGS especially when you have NO THING (s)??? Still, no excuse!

Privacy

It is common practice to keep doors open during the day in the village. In fact, it would be considered rude to close them other than when you're not home. So children wander in and out and like to pick up and handle everything I have--books, journals, pens, water bottles--it's just what they do. Even at my host family's home, my host sisters would come in my room and pick up my journal or my cell phone and read my notes or my messages.

Recycling

The K'ekchi are innovative when it comes to re-using items. Plastic bags are "gold" here and come in handy for a myriad of uses. When I forgot to buy teflon tape for the seal of my PVC faucet, my neighbor just tore off a piece of plastic and voile!--it sealed the threads! String and rope are useful items too...and used over and over. When I came home from Punta Gorda with 2 gallons of paint (to seal my dusty concrete floor) seven village women individually asked me if they could have the gallon bucket when I was done. I could only oblige two! I would be the most popular lady in the village if I painted the whole house using LOTS of buckets! Apparently, they make good containers for carrying 'masa' from the corn mills. So when you're using string, plastic bags, rope, or containers--think about how lucky these people think you are!!!

Just some insights into the K'ekchi...

God bless the people of San Miguel and us all...tracy