COS Surveys and THE NUMBERS

Before our COS conference I sent out a survey and then a poll to just gather some facts from our group. Here's what our group looked like by the numbers:

The Numbers:

23 COSing Volunteers (out of 40 sworn in)

17 female, 6 male

$83,775 USD were raised

48% took two showers daily

81.8% Had current in their house (electicity)

81.8% Had running water in their house (not us, unless you count our bucket greg put a tap on)

32% had a latrine

27% washed their clothes in a creek

14% had real washer AND dryers like from the states

45% had a cold shower/bucket

9% had AC in their house

18% had AC at their work

36% had been mistaken as Belizean at least once

4% as Jamaican

73% tried gibnut

50% tried iguana

36% tried armadillo

55% woke at 6am

50% went to bed at 10

50% slept under a mosquito net

47 weddings were attended

22 funerals were attended

56 cell phones were purchased

36% kissed a Belizean

4% were kissed by a Belizean

9% dated a fellow PCV (not counting married couples)

50% kissed a fellow PCV (excluding couples again)

23% came with a significant other back home

9% made it out with the same one

50 trips to the hospital, 3 nights

63.25 months on antibiotics

263 pounds lost

9 godchildren (two for us!)

11 animals killed (7 chickens, 2 pigs, and 2 turkeys)

4% attempeted slaughtering an animal

59% reported one or more security incident

695 books read

82% cried at least once during their service

41% cried too many times to count

68% kept a journal

86% owned at least one bucket ( we owned 5)

86%had a blog

50% have a pet

32% will take their pet back

73% jumped off a waterfall

14% ruptured an ear drum

41% were peed on by a child (4% defecated on)

18% lived in a thatch

68% can make their own tortillas

COS Survey:

Name: Gregory Albert Casaletto

Nick name/house name: Greg-pa-leg, Greg Coh/ Choc

Project Assignment: Primary Teacher Trainer at Big Falls R.C. School

Project Reality: IT expert for rural Toledo

Most Useful thing brought to country: Google search skills

Least useful thing brought to country: Germiphobia

Best “I know I’m in the Peace Corps” moment: When the guys I got drunk with the night before woke me up to go plant at 4:30am on the side of a mountain with only sticks

Funniest experience in country: Sure, I’ll share that. During training my host dad came home on his bike with about 40 pounds of flour and slightly drunk. He asked me if I wanted to go take a few beers. Since I had little “guy time” in training because my group consisted of Kevina, Grace, Amy, Carmalina as LCF and Ginnie as Tech Trainer. I was desperate.

We walked to one of the scary bars in Maya Mopan where everyone immediately started heckling the gringo, we took a nice late night walk through the dirt roads behind Belmopan trying to find another bar where “the girls are nice” but they were closed. Finally we went home.

I crawled under the mosquito net and woke Kevina up. She asked me how the night was, the only word I could think of was “weird”. I promptly fell asleep.

I was then woken up by Kevina crawling over me, she whispered something. I kind of brushed it off until I turned and saw my host dad sleeping next to me basically where Kevina was. I too got out of bed.

We stood outside the room and decided that we should try to sleep in the hammock. This was not easy with two people. Then after an hour of that we tried to grab another pillow from the bed my host dad woke up and realized what he had done. He apologized profusely as he went to bed and then got up and knocked on the door to apologize again. “I’m sorry Dreg, I’m so sorry Dreg”, is all we heard for a few minutes.

The next morning the first thing my host mom said to me was “What happened last night?”

Most memorable illness/injury: Getting bit by a dog and Kevina having to give me my last rabies shot. I know it’s boring but I’m pretty healthy.

Most Belizean habit to take home with you: Wiping off glass bottles and popping them with my finger before drinking them.

Most creative way to kill time in site: Motorcycle magazines and my ukulele

How have you changed? I used to wash my clothes, clean my dishes, scrub the shower, and toilet and now Kevina does all of that. I can now fix or at least pinpoint the problem of any broken computer. I am super patient with long bus rides. I eat meat now.

What will you miss 6 months from now? Walking to the shop for flower and eggs, coming back drunk with a can of Dak and a loaf of bread having only paid for the food.

The clear starry nights in the shower.

Kriol text messages.

Favorite Belizean clothing: Echo unlimited ¾ jean shorts and a mesh tank top

What won’t you miss? The heat, long staff meetings, people getting way too drunk to carry on a conversation, corn, teachers asking me to find a lesson on the three types of weather, the library, the heat, rum, corn, all the kids, latrine splash back, reporting “out of site”, being the only white person on a bus, looking like a tourist everywhere I go just because I’m white, slow internet, corn, having one spoonful of coleslaw be my vegetable for that meal, rats, mosquito net, wearing a helmet on my bicycle when riding through PG, corn, waking up at 5:30 am on a Saturday, corn, jock itch, and corn.

What’s next? 2007 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 custom with a blue and silver two-tone paint job. Going back to vegetarianism…and losing thirty pounds.

Number of trips to the US: 3

Number of guests who visited you: 6

Belizean phrase I will most likely still be using in 6 months: right now, maanin

Most interesting creatures found in your house: tarantula, large Mohawk lizard, feuding rat family,

Favorite Belizean food: cahoon cabbage

First thing I will eat in the states: the closest fast food restaurant to my connecting flight, and it will be awesome!

Favorite book read in PC (optional 3 sentence summary) Harry Potter #7

The movies suck don’t even bother watching them, read the books.

Experience that changed my attitude or perspective: Watching a group of white people come in and donate a shipping container of old/broken computers and children’s toys seemingly just to get pictures of them doing it.

I am most proud of: Teaching computers to people

I will most likely be remembered for: Loving dogs and teaching them how to sit and shake

Most important lesson learned: Life is hard, animals die, babies die, and people die and we are sheltered from most aspects of death in the states. Taxes pay for wonderful things like bridges. Next time I hear a little punk kid complaining about the U.S. I will tell them to move somewhere for a couple years, and if they still don’t like it, stay away.

Countries visited: Mexico, Canada, USA, Guatemala

After two years of service what I know for sure: I’m proud to be an American!

COS Survey:

Name: Kevina Casaletto

Nick name/house name: xKeveen, kev, kay, ma-na(literally translates to are you my mother?)

Project Assignment: Teacher Trainer at Silver Creek R.C. School

Project Reality: Teacher Trainer/ Library Facilitator/ Computer God

Most Useful thing brought to country: Hanging Shelves

Least useful thing brought to country: Chocos and American business casual

Best “I know I’m in the Peace Corps” moment: After a two-week stint in Belize for medical stuff we came home to a rat infested house. One night I felt a rat at the bottom of the bed. If you kick your feet they will run away, so I did a little shuffle with my feet. At this point Greg woke up, arms flung wide protectively and simultaneously scooted me back to the corner of our mosquito net while screaming, “WHAT’S A MATTER?” “IT’S OKAY!” WHAT’S A MATTER?” “IT’S OKAY!” in rapid succession. This continued until he had me safely barricaded behind his body in the corner and I could finally get out, “there was a rat but it’s gone.”

Funniest experience in country: During my sister’s visit we took a mini vacation in Placencia. We had a great night and went to bed early, around 10:00. We did not book in advance so we were in a tiny room with two twin beds, one tucked 3/4ths behind the wall of the bathroom. In the middle of the night kaylyssa woke up because there’s a light on. At first she tries to ignore it, then finally looks around and realizes it is not our room’s light but the hallway’s!! She immediately sits up (choosing not to make a sound) and realizes there is someone in the bathroom. After carefully counting and recounting the four legs in the twin bed across from her she deduces it is indeed an intruder (again choosing not to make a noise). She later told me her plan was simple. Wait until the person comes out, give him a ‘what –the –f” stare and he, realizing he’d made a terrible sleep walking mistake would simply turn and go onto his own room.

The door knob begins to turn and she fashions her face and hands in her WTF stare. As the intruder (tall white male in only boxers) enters the room he stops for one second and then proceeds to try to get into bed WITH my sister! She feebly starts to say “what? What? No no!” as she slaps her hands in a doggy paddling motion in front of her face. Finally, since there is a little ruckus now Greg wakes up. Now here’s where it gets interesting. Instead of making or saying ANY normal action/thing he begins to flap his arms up and down fully extended starting from his thighs up way above his head fingers rigged and hooked while screaming, “RRRAAAAHHHHHHHAHHH! RHHHAHHAAAAAHHHHH!!!!” (Picture a tyradayctle impersonation). This wakes me up and I think that sound is some intruder trying to have his way with my sister and I start to go bizzerk jumping up and down and from bed to bed trying to swing at him saying “GET THE F OUT!” in an ultra sonic voice. I however, cannot get any his in because greg is flapping all in his face (actually he pushed the man down ontop of kaylyssa). The man is clearly frightened out of his mind and in shock, his eyes are the size of saucers, his mouth is completely open and his hands are up in defense as the two of us surround him. Finally Greg lurches back, grabs the dude by his shoulders and throws him in the hall shutting the door. The battle of two primal brains, appear larger, make loud sounds vs. fight or flight.

Most memorable illness/injury: Doctor diagnosing my kidney infection by punching me in it, my face being paralyzed, and having to run out of the hospital to vomit as the pharmacist explains how to take a pill every 8 hours (mainly how you don’t start over with 1 when you get to noon, you just keep counting).

Most Belizean habit to take home with you: Thanking everyone at the table after meals.

Most creative way to kill time in site: Pouring cup after cup of water into the desert cracks during the dry season

How have you changed? I’m not lazy anymore, for the first time in my life I know what hard work is. And I kill and eat animals for food.

What will you miss 6 months from now? Swimming in the creek every day, hammock time, the sweet smell of scrubbed people on the morning bus, interacting with so many people each day.

Favorite Belizean clothing: ‘Ninja turtle’ skirt also, all cabañerous clothes

What won’t you miss? Everyone assuming I’m an expert in EVERYTHING

What’s next? That is the question...language school, beyond that ???

Number of trips to the US: 3

Number of guests who visited you: 6 (my sister came twice though)

Belizean phrase I will most likely still be using in 6 months: right now, jo'wan (wait in ketchi)

Most interesting creatures found in your house: Bat, cat, duck, chicken, scorpion, baby human, lizard, and a puppy.

Favorite Belizean food: rice and beans with stewed chicken (with fresh coconut milk) and cahoon cabbage (the center of a cahoon palm tree)

First thing I will eat in the states: that salad with pears, blue cheese, walnuts, apples, and the raspberry vinaigrette!!! Also all cold weather fruits; pomegranates, grapes, apples, strawberries, and squash.

Favorite book read in PC (optional 3 sentence summary):

Stiff: the curious life of cadavers by Mary Roach. Talks about the many interesting uses and history of cadavers; from fertilizer to test dummies.

Experience that changed my attitude or perspective: After shouting, “good try” to one of my girls playing volleyball she turned and told me, “but I missed the ball, Miss!” Perhaps we praise a little too much in the states. Do we really need to tell kids they are doing a good job sitting??

I am most proud of: My husband for sticking it out and being so integrated! He is THE man in the village, "Yeah Mr. Greg!"

I will most likely be remembered for: Falling through our village bridge in front of everyone.

Most important lesson learned: Development is a very tricky field and looks totally different to the people being ‘developed.’

Countries visited: Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, USA

After two years of service what I know for sure: is that I have an unending amount left to learn. It is always better to listen for a long time before voicing your opinion, or choose not to say anything. 'Doing good' isn't always so 'good.' Also, there are always two sides to every story.

HAIKU CORNER

“No Want to buy?”

Wangla, panades,

Casava, donuts, pan tul

Watermelon, ik

-Greg

To be more, meet more

I am part of those I’ve met.

To meet more, go more.

-Amy

corn, corn, corn, corn, corn.

Children everywhere I look

Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn

-Lilly

Da wat you meh say?

Dis da one crazy fun time!

Soon gwen from here

-Emily Allen

Where visit and walk

Are one and the same, where all

The kids shout my name

-me

Chickens, dogs, children

All roaming in my front yard

But none belong here

-Cali