"Kevina is it true what the Mayas said about 2012?"

Random Tid Bits of Life

Our world map is nearly complete! The kids wanted to label the countries, so they each got a section and had to use the map to find the countries then label...very educational for me too!

The $400 wedding cake, the most expensive wedding cake seen in Silver Creek. This is right after the ceremony where everyone waits to congratulate the couple and give their gift. You then go outside and sit on a bench and someone will bring you food and a drink. You leave after that, or stay sitting if you want a beer/ rum.

The 10 yard walk from the church to her in-laws house.

Brides parents from the neighboring village of San Miguel.

Repairing the freshly cleaned mosquito net before my Father-in-Law comes.

For computer classes!

I am a huge dork/ love shop paper.

The inside of the library before.

Outside world map...before.

Front entrance before.

We had help painting from many peace corps volunteers, Greg's Dad, Luis (the teacher who lives in the village), Christina (the future librarian) and 4 high school students. It was kind of surreal listening to Billy Joel while painting with high schoolers in the middle of a jungle.

Front AFTER!

School side AFTER!

Inside facing side door. Future children's section.

Facing main door, by the window will be Christina's librarian desk/area!

The view from Christina's desk...the adult section.

View from front door.

My summer workshop...Reading and Writing Launch!

Here teachers are watching videos of themselves doing read alouds last year...we discussed what we liked from each and teachers jotted down ideas to use with their own read alouds.

Looking through books and choosing 'I remember' books for the first two week's read alouds.

We then planned a mini lesson for reading, 'good readers ask questions' and a writing mini lesson on good writers get ideas from what they know, 'I remember' prompt

A review from my workshop... I think this was my best one so far if I do say so myself...and the longest (3 hours)

My injury from the 2 ft hole in our bridge. This happened the same day as a wedding and Christening party... everyone was talking about it and after I went home Greg said there was much debating about my fall and what should be done about the bridge. Greg said they were upset that I got hurt. The chairman came over while I was cleaning it and demanded, "let me see your leg." He gasped and said he was sorry that happened and two days latter we had ourselves a brand new bridge!

Greg with Steve/ Seaford...Our favorite baby!

Lynette and I working on posters for our village football marathon.

Our first baptist wedding. The girl only spoke Spanish and the groom ketchi (he knows some Spanish) the translations of the ceremony were quite funny.

The rainstorm INSIDE our house.

Lets talk about rain:

Every evening x-men like clouds (huge flickering masses of dark billowy clouds) roll in from the East to descend upon and scare the daylights out of the villagers. Thunder is not like in the states. There is none of this 1-Mississippi, 2 Mississippi nonsense...you can't even say 'one' before the crack rips the air. The lightning and thunder are continuous and the thunder sounds like it is ripping space/time itself. I have literally JUMPED straight up in bed TWICE and onto Greg from fear. Was I ever scared of thunder back in the states you ask? No, but then again I had more than a net and leaves over my head. Villagers often ask if we have thunder in the states. I try to explain that yes, but we don't hear it as well because all our houses are sealed up, impossible image to portray to my friends here. So I don't know if it's the sound rebounding back from the Maya mountains, or that the storms are worse, or if we're just closer to the heavens but storms in Belize are unlike anything I've experienced anywhere else...here's to another night 'restful' sleep where we will undoubtedly wake up to a beautiful dawn with chicks chirping like it was all a bad dream.

Me and the women making Poch (ground boiled corn packed onto a waha leaf, folded up and boiled.

Frying pig skin...chi chiron what we all eat the day before the wedding/party when we help bake. (man's work)

Man's work.

Right downstream from where I wash...yummy.

Shaving the pig with hot water and knives...it has already been slaughtered.

So there are some glimses into our lives...Greg is playing a football marathon on Friday with the Silver Creek team so look forward to that! Final story:

Mr. Choc, who owns the shop across from the world map, said he really likes to see how we painted the world map, he'd never seen a world map before. He also said, "Mr. Greg I have a lee piece of land you could have and build a thatch and a garden on. That way you could stay as long as you and kevina want."

Seriously considering it.