The One Month Mark

I’ve officially been in Belize for over one month, and Friday will be one month at my training site.  It’s really weird to think about what I was doing two months ago, or three, because my life is so drastically different now.  Every aspect of my life has changed, really.  Here a few that instantly come to mind:

• I’ve become accustomed to a diet of rice, beans, and tortillas, supplemented with mangos and avocados.  (No complaints, here; the tortillas are made fresh every morning from real corn over a wood burning stove. The produce grows in the backyard)  
• I live in a house with four rambunctious kids and their grandmother, who are so earnestly welcoming that I am humbled every single day.  I know it will be difficult to leave in a month as I relocate to my permanent site.  
• I’m getting used to walking anywhere I need to go and hearing my name as I make my way to school.  (Have I even met those people, yet? How do they know my name?)
• I have instantly formed friendships with 18 other volunteers.  Each of them has such a unique background and perspective.  Everyone brings different assets to the Rural Family Healthcare Project, and I am always impressed by the cumulative knowledge and skills of our group. 
• One of the harder things to adjust to is being responsible for my professional performance 24/7.  There are quite a few Peace Corps rules and regulations that are constantly changing.  It can be a little exhausting, but I just have to remember these expectations and rules exist to keep volunteers safe and effective.
• Being a student again has been one of the more fun aspects of training.  We have 40 hours of instruction per week.  All the PC staff is extremely competent, and they truly make an effort to keep classes interactive.  We have gotten to the heart of the health technical training, now.  So far, we have had classes about prenatal risk factors, warning signs, and nutrition, neonatal care, and breastfeeding.  I find the information so interesting! 
• My Spanish is coming along; the progress is a little slower than at first, though.  I speak Spanish at my host family’s home, and we have Spanish class 2-4 hours per day.  I’m certainly picking up some health technical terminology, which is great.
• Most of all, I marvel everyday at how beautiful Belize and the people that live here are.  The landscape is so green and lush.  The open space is not exploited, and people live pretty sustainably, growing most of what they eat.  Also, there are so many different ethnic and cultural groups, and everybody coexists without wasting too much time thinking about how they're different.  It’s common to find people that speak three to four languages, which is impressive when secondary education is not always a guarantee.  

Belize is still a developing country.  They simply do not have some of the infrastructure that we take for granted in the US.  For example, you may have to boil your water before drinking it.  Also, you could live hours from even a primary healthcare provider.  Doing development work here is exciting, though, because the projects are largely successful.  The people are welcoming and receptive, and they’re invested in their family’s future as well as their country’s.  

Love always,

Jess