Holding up mummy's welcome sign...after a practice run with the wrong plane
Flying in with Alex...Tropical Storm Alex
My mother said early on she didn't want to do all the 'touristy' stuff (she sees enough of that on the ship) so I planned an action packed itenerary in the village, in total we visited 25 different families some multiple times...in 8 days! Staying in the village was great for us too since it was the first week of holiday and we saw many families we haven't met with yet. We learned the tedious, back breaking work of cuxtal (the mayan bag) making, made tamales, ate gibnut and watched Silver Creek's football team obliterate Columbia's team 6-2. We went to two BBQs (one in my mom's honor) and visited until 8:40 at night. The preschoolers called her mummy, as in, "goodnight Kevina, goodnight Greg, goodnight MUMMY!!" We took a half day mini vacation to Greg's village where we swam in chlorinated water and sipped sodas poolside, then rode over to the school for some internet (Greg carring me on the bike like real Belizeans...except we wear helmets).
Here is how most of our visits went:
1. "So this is your mom."2. "How old is your mom?"
3. "But she's still young!"(in response to question number 2)
4. "How long will she stay?"
5. "How does she like it in Belize?"
6. "Where is her husband?"
"Miss Coffee..." -Mummy's village name (Kathy) or also Kat-tea
"Ya! Da true because she is ur best mom in d world!" -Text from Letticia we got on the bus ride to Belize City after I told her I was sad to leave my mummy
"Greg, you hammock, me run!" Sheldon to Greg telling him to play with him
Time for the much awaited for VISITOR SURVEY!!1. Dates of visit: June 26th-July 6th
2. Itinerary: All village all the time, with a trip to Belmopan to see the old host family and a night in Belize before the flight.
3. Weather: After Tropical Storm Alex on the day of my arrival, sunny and HOT!
4. Money spent: $293 BZE or $142.50 USD
5. Souvenirs taken back: Cumal, 2 tortilla cloths, sweat rags, cuxtal, 2 baskets, Uuk and po'ot (skirt and shirt) and cacao mix
6. Something that surprised you: How
much I absolutely fell in love with living in a thatch! AND I never saw any bugs (except some small ants) or rats in the house.
7. Something you learned: How to make flour tortillas from scratch and
how to wash clothes
in the creek.
in the creek.
8. Something you wish was in America: How the majority of moms stay home with their children.9. Favorite part: Relaxing in the hammocks after lunch each day and swimming/ playing in the creek at the end of the day.
10. Hardest part: Seeing all the skinny, un-loved dogs.11. Funny story: The first time Kevina took me to the creek to wash clothes. We finished washing and we were diving in to rinse off and when I came up I saw a SNAKE headed right for me! I grabbed onto Kevina screaming, "what is that!?" getting the attention of all the ladies and Kevina calmly swims over to it and replies, "it's a stick mom." much to everyone's delight.
12. Celebrity spotting: None
13. Other Peace Corps Volunteers you met: It seems like all of them. But Amy and Rion stand out because they came out to the village. Nate, Michelle and Mallory let us stay in their house, and Erica was the first Peace Corps Volunteer I saw (besides Greg and Kevina).14. Illnesses or injuries: None in Silver Creek the entire time I was there. The last
couple of days in Belize I got a doctor fly
bite and my ankle swelled up.
15. Thoughts on your visit: The Toledo
District has some of the warmest, most welcoming people I've ever been exposed to. I was happy to see Kevina and Greg so accepted and loved in their community and to witness the great friendships with both Belizeans and their fellow Peace Corps Volunteers. I can truly rest at ease that they are well taken care of and happy in Belize.16. Advice for the next visitor: Corn tortillas are supposed to be smaller than flour tortillas. Be prepared to buy TEN sweat rags (even though Kevina only let me buy 3).
Mother learned a lot while in the village...Lynette gave her a 99% her first time washing and she was a good sport about being laughed at for darting out of the water when a fish touched her leg. The lady on the left in the yellow shirt is the Alcalde's wife, she eagerly put on this, her wedding outfit, for us to see. She wore this very outfit when she was just 14 years old.
The ladies loved my mother, showering her with food and gifts. Far left is Mrs. Choc who gave my mom her cuxtal. The lady in blue is Ms. Florintina and she is showing us how to split the unspun yarn into two balls to then make cuxtals.
Making tortillas for mummy with the ladies and Greg and mom enjoying cacao uuk (drink)!!!
Ms. Tiul wanted to give us two huge pieces of ut'z ak (sugar cane) but we insisted one four foot stick would be plenty.
My mom even tried to 'touch' the cumal or put on the corn tortillas, they are tricky but she got her first one with a sprinkle of beginners luck.
Mommy brought all the kids in our host family a used storybook each. We would come home from the creek to see margarita carefully turning the page whispering the words to herself.We also rode our bikes by the rice mill!
Mini vacation...2nd time in a pool in a year!
Just like riding side saddle.
Thanks for a wonderful visit mom. You would make a great mayan woman. I, Greg, and all the villagers, will miss you until your next visit! Taquil aquib (take care of yourself).
I loved my visit so much that I feel like I was leaving my old home in the country. It's hard to explain how peaceful it is to stretch out in the hammock and watch the thatch roof reflect the sun in beautiful shades of gold. The first night I spent in your thatched home it rained some and the wind blew and it was the best night sleep I'd had in years. ... except for when I heard breathing and thought it was an animal outside the thatch, only to discover later that it was my daughter breathing!
ReplyDeleteI miss you guys sooooooooo much! xo