But How do you NOT Have Babies...End of Summer

World Map Project

A paint supplier, Papi's Paint in Belmopan, in partnership with Peace Corps donated paints for communities interested in the World Map Project. We started at the end of July and found many eager helpers each time we went out. We quickly learned many things:

1. The sun shines on the west side (the map's side) of the library.

2. The wind blows from east to west in the afternoons.

3. A roller is better than a brush...we had to buy more white.

4. Oil paint does not come off children.

5. Everyone loves a projector.

6. Egg cartoons and coconut shells make great paint pallets.

7. Tell the girls at the creek when you'll paint next...they bring high schoolers!

Lynette: "Kevina...I don't think you should have the little kids draw out the world."

Me: "Why?"

Lynette: "You probably need some high school girls, those kids are not neat."

Me: "Okay Lynette, you can help."

Lynette: "Good Kevina, Sofia and I will do it! High school girls are very neat."

Denver waiting in the shade to paint. (Photo by Margarita)

When we brought the projector we borrowed from Anne (THANK YOU SO MUCH!) to the village you could feel the excitement. Kids were humming around my door and whispering about the projector that they looked and sounded like a swarm of bees. We ran the extension cord from the shop (they wouldn't let us give them any money for the current...they said it was for the school so it was okay). We were short and within 10 minutes we had two more extension cords from villagers. The crowd of observers grew and we had every age from infant to 5o+ present. A young man about twenty something was standing near the map watching intently as the kids carefully sketched the lines. After a while he asked if I had another pen, "I just think I can draw out the top for you." Delightedly I found him a marker and he diligently got right to work not stopping until we'd finished the map. He even called me over a few times to make sure he was tracing the right parts. It was pretty quiet as everyone stood around watching people trace. We had a 'security guard' 10 year old Adelma guarding the projector with her life to make sure no babies bumped it. Then William held the small fan on the projector that likes to overheat and cut off. The street was lined with about 10 young to old men quietly chatting as they watched the progress. We finally made the last checks around 7:30 and then watched 45 minutes of a Jackie Chan movie...The Spy Next Door. In shades of green (the projector's display was not working too great). When the computer shutdown we took it as a cue to call it a night...we packed up and trecked home with smiles, and a tail of kids begging to finish' "ilock Jackie Chan Miss!" -watch Jackie Chan Miss.

Sand break (Photo by Margarita)

Sweaty Shaunna (Photo by Margarita)

Girls painting Africa

It was so hot I got a bucket of water and two shilling bags of ice for the kids.

Carla (Photo by Margarita)

(Photo by Margarita)

Only two days and every country is finished. We just have to outline and finish some of the territories. Since it's the rainy season we had to start painting the countries in the afternoon, on seemingly the hottest day. Who knew when it would start to rain. So, much to my surprise about 12 kids came running over as soon as they saw me open the library. We were all dripping sweat. I brought my umbrella and several kids were huddled under it still painting. I had the bucket of water and had to FORCE them to take water breaks in the shade. I made them stop after an hour and a half much to their dismay. I love it here.

Belize is the little light blue one...learn it, love it, I will quiz all of you later. (photo by Margarita)

Now everyone who has painted or watched can identify where Belize is in the world. First guess? China, Russia, all of Africa. When I showed Margarita 'which country was mine' she said, 'your country chancy miss!" Kriol for...well... for example if a cab is supposed to be 5 dollars but he charges you 7 you say, "you chancy bwai."

We also had fun checking each other's shirt labels and finding where they came from!

Life as we Know It.

Our 12 gallons of FREE paint for our new library! Thanks Belize National Library Service!

Greg getting a trim by Alex while sheldon looks on.

All the villagers complement him on his new trim.

The other two puppies died...these are the newest four and they are doing really good. They bathe them once a week and feed them milk.

Me: "Ms. Cecilia your puppies look pretty!

Ms. Cecilia: "Yes Kevina." -Pause- "I love them."

We have had so many visitors...Kevin and his girlfriend from the states stayed a night with us. We had a great time staying up late with Margarita and Lynette playing bananagrams! I got recent pictures of my nephew in the mail from my Mother-in-Law a little while ago. I was delighted to savour each one and when I turned them over I saw yet another reason why I have the best mother-in-law...typed notes on the back of each photo (her hand is in a cast and she can't write) but she still put the comments! :)

After almost 20 hours of work I have finally finished my first (jointly made) cuxtal! Mrs. Pop is sewing it right now so I will have a new school bag come September!

Since we have all those puppies roaming around and Dobby (our some what adopted dog) we...Okay I decided Greg should build a gate. There was a family visiting from San Miguel and they all came in to watch as I separated yarn for my cuxtal and greg attempted to cut boards longways with a hand saw. Sofia (the high schooler next door) and Letticia from down the way came over to speculate too. Lynette helped me ball the yarn as everyone commented on how the gates will look. Greg, soaked in sweat with little to show for his hard work called up a friend and rode off to big falls to borrow a skill saw and drill. We only had wood enough for 3 vertical slates and all the animals came right in so greg chopped down a palm branch and fashioned an impenetrable...if ridiculous gate. The ladies had quite a time laughing at our 'jokey gate' but we were happy as not only did the animals not 'urine' on our floor...but now the children all had to ask to enter!

Greg has been quite the handy man he also installed a spigot on our shower so now we can wash our dishes outside...and when it's cold we can take a bucket bath and pour in a pot of hot water!! Behold his other Bob the Builder ways:

Mr. Miguel our PTA chairman and his family and us finished 6 shelves in just a few hours. This is with Miguel sawing the wood with a handsaw too! We now have all 10 shelves finished and ready for our new classroom libraries. Several villagers stopped by to inspect our work and comment on how it was good the school is getting shelves. And, also to comment on how dirty I was. I got paint on my lip and all over my arms. When I came home I said I was very messy and Mr. Santiago said, "Just like me, I haul cement all day. But, the sun is too hot Kevina." I responded 'xin ty'a we' (I tell you) and went to bathe.

TFABB: Off Roading in Silver Creek

Mica and Anne and Amy came out to the village to deliver all the books to the school (see below). Well we got them unloaded in approximately two seconds due to the boys and men that helped and you might say why even bother telling the world about unloading boxes of books...well for the 3 hour aftermath of our decision to pull up to the school...with no road...in the rainy season. The tale begins innocently, we began to back up fine and then that whirling, mud flinging .... lets face it AWEFUL sound of a car digging it's grave was heard. At first we tried to talk Mica through it, Mr. Rash and another man guiding us with ideas. After a few attempts the van's tires were now between mountains of mud and the men took over. Boys were sent with a wheelbarrow to collect rocks to put in the muddy trench for traction. We tried going forward, backward, pushing...even pulling (don't ask). The sun was going down and women and children gathered to watch our futile attempts at escape. We tried tying the van to another truck (but the truck almost got stuck to)!

It is now dark, the guys are covered in mud and I am pacing around muttering to Amy how this is the worst thing ever... if we leave it overnight surely it will be up to the windows in mud with the nightly rain storms. At this point there is crazy talk of getting one of the buses to try and pull us out...I panic and someone goes for Andres and Mr. Santiago...they recruit a few more guys and within 10 minutes they've pushed it safely to the road with all the women and children cheering and hooting them on!!! Junior said, "Greg, I eat mud!" with a big muddy smile on his face. Beers and sodas...and soap were bought for all and Andres said, "looks like a pretty good Saturday!" Greg had fun with his 'mud brothers' and there was much talk of sending in these pictures to 'Dirty Work' AKA Dirty Jobs.

Laughing at our ridiculously fun Saturday outside the shop

TFABB orders and collects books all year for a mass shipment. I added my four boxes and after a month and a half delay at customs we finally got our books. Much to my horror about 800 books were damaged when they were left outside overnight during a rain storm...the tarp blew off. What do you do? I almost cried as I forced apart pages of my favorite books, or tried unsuccessfully to even open a mold covered book...I walked away and had to let others sort through the possibly salvageable table. I couldn't do it. But, sorting all the ones that had made it... thousands of books, I felt better. We sorted them for each TFABB focus school and then stamped and sorted for each class and school library. It was very fun and reminded me of when I used to play librarian with my sister when we were young.

At the week long TFABB preschool workshop...it was so much fun.

On the left is Marjory with slime we just made and the right is Consuela blowing bubbles for bubble printing.

San Miguel's Children's Computer Camp

Greg has a very motivated IT mentee in San Miguel. He is in high school and greg has gone out to train him on virus prevention and general maintaince/ troubleshooting on computers. Greg got a text one weekend saying that he (Mauricio) was going to be holding a 3 week computer camp for kids! Greg helped out, meeting them early the first day to go over the game plan and giving them a curriculum for computer classes. The next day all the activities were based from the curriculum and the kids were loving it. They taught them mouse control by kid pix and then taught them how to search on google. After asking them to think of something they're interested in:

-types of animals

-types of movies

-types of birds

They quickly saw a need to refine and narrow searches. Greg got the 'types of movies' boy to settle on searching for Rambo. The kids learned about email, and set up their own accounts where they all had to email Greg then they could ask their friends for their email address. The next day after they sent emails to their friends they were introduced to g-chat and would type messages then run over to their friend to see their message. The youngest girl in the class was 6 and sent Greg an Email that said, "hello my fen is mar." Which translates to "Hello my friend is Marie." At the end of the workshop they all got a certificate, a coke, and a sweet. We want to do one in Big Falls and Silver Creek next summer or over a break (I just wish we could get internet and more than 4 computers that work...but I digress and we will make it work).

Greg 'babysiting' Seaford and Greg as a Ninja

Pretty much since our visitors have all gone home, we have been just visiting like mad ourselves. We went a week without cooking dinner, and our fridge has stayed packed with corn, avocado, is'wa, and fish (yup we got sent home with two raw fish after visiting one home). It has been a lot of fun and everyone in Silver Creek is so funny and 'jokey.' One time when I was visiting with a lady friend by myself (it was just us sipping coffee and eating bread) when she asked a usual question.

"ish Keveen, how come you no have babies?"

"I can't while I am here, Peace Corps will send me home."

"Uh huh, but how you no have babies?"

This led into a discussion on birth control and she told me about her last pregnancy and how it nearly killed her. I told her I'd get some more information for her and found out there is a Belize Family Life Association that gives various types of birth control for below market cost the cheapest being $3.50 BZE for a month pack or injection. So you never know what will happen when you're visiting.

Looking forward:

(August at a glance)

15th Kennrick's Christening party (they want Greg to kill the pigs) -3 pigs

22nd Tieul Wedding -8 pigs, 150 pounds chicken

25th Greg's dad comes!

28th Silver Creek Football marathon

29th Peace Corps Football Game vs. Trio Village

31st Greg's dad leaves :(

September 1st- School Opens!