Checkin out of the Peace Corps...PEACE!

Peace Corps Headquarters

Belmopan, Belize

Peace Corps Belize

Wrapping up two years of service was no easy task, especially having been volunteering for a government organization. There were meetings, medical tests, more meetings, and lots of final signitures and documents to be done and submitted. We did our final VRF (volunteer reporting form) where we itemized and documented all activities we did/projects we've accomplished. There were also sections to talk about our Goal 2 and 3 work (teaching Belizeans about Americans, and Americans about Belizeans). This is a quarterly report that gets turned over to headquarters and gets compiled with all the other volunteers serving so that Washington can get an idea of what we're doing. It is always dreaded because it is a very complicated, multi tabbed, special JAR file downloading pain so it was exciting to do our very last one.

We also had our final medical interviews where we were given a folder of papers and had to initial as we went over about 15 forms that we'd need back in America. We also got a glimpse of our medical records. Mine was a 2 inch thick book...did I mention they think I had typhoid a month before I left...

First food after 7 days of salmonella/typhoid

any-who so yeah we can request those records and can claim any Peace Corps related problem for up to two years. Nurse Jackie (our PCMO or Peace Corps Medical Officer) took pictures with us and we spent a while after our interviews just chatting with her.

Me at the training office, first day of training 2 years ago

Greg climbing up the steps to the volunteer lounge entrance 2 years ago

When we actually left the office for the last time the entire staff gathered to see us off. We received our official signed copy of our DOS (see below), a thank you card signed by all the staff and many hugs. I was not expecting this and it was a very nice surprise. They also made a thank you sign that we were supposed to run and slap on our way out but I was so excited/caught off guard that I forgot:( Greg had a very funny man-hug with our PCMO's assistant Kent. They often would hang out while I was sick and Kent made Greg promise to send a picture of himself on his motorcycle.

Staff thank you and goodbyes leaving the office for the last time

So we did it, we signed up for two years and we finished it and I am glad we did it. We learned a lot about the world, the Maya people, hard work, and ourselves. Only half of our group made it to the end and with good reason. This was BY FAR the HARDEST thing either of us have EVER done in our lives and probably the hardest thing we will have ever done. I am so proud that Greg did it with me and that we made it through some of the toughest things a couple could face.

WE DID IT!

The final and biggest form we had to complete was our DOS (Description of Service). This will be our official record of our service to stay filed in PC Washington for evermore. We had 2 pages to sum up our entire Peace Corps service. I have put them below incase you feel like seeing two years squished down to two pages. After we checked out of the peace corps we actually went back to the village for 2 more nights. That is when the sleepover and the party happened. A little out of order, sorry. Without further adieu...

Peace Corps Belize

Description of Peace Corps Service

Gregory Casaletto

Belize, 2009-2011

After a competitive application process stressing technical skills, motivation, adaptability, and cross-cultural understanding, Peace Corps invited Greg Casaletto to serve as a Teacher Trainer in the Central American nation of Belize.

Pre-Service Training

Gregory Casaletto began an intensive 9-week pre-service training in Maya Mopan Village, a community located 5 minutes from the capital, Belmopan. The program consisted of language training, technical skills training, and cross-cultural studies training. Throughout the pre-service training program, Mr. Casaletto lived with a Belizean family, reinforcing his linguistic abilities and exposing himself to Belizean culture and traditions.

PC Belize’s Training program included 62.5 hours of formal instruction in Q’eqchi ,96 hours of core topics (history, politics, economics, cross-cultural, safety & security, and health) and 77 hours of technical project training

Primary Assignment

On October, 22, 2009, Gregory Casaletto completed training and was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. He was assigned to Big Falls Roman Catholic School, Big Falls Village, Toledo District.

During Mr. Casaletto’s service he worked with the teachers and the school administration of Big Falls R.C. School to facilitate the transition from hand written paper forms to electronic copies for all school documents. He also repaired computers to get the schools computer lab in working order. The computer lab and Internet had been set up by the Belize Rural Development Project and was not in full working order when he had arrived. Mr. Casaletto collaborated with the B.R.D.P. to attend and give workshops on there behalf on computer lab repair and maintenance. This enabled the teachers to use the computers and Internet as a teaching resource. The school library had been previously established by a past Peace Corps Volunteer and had become unusable after a large donation of books rendered the library useless as the boxes of books were taking up too much space. Mr. Casaletto, with the help of three other Peace Corps Volunteers sorted the books and organized the books and then encouraged self governance of the library and resources. The teachers then became accustomed to using the library themselves instead of relying on a librarian.

Mr. Casaletto worked closely with 15 teachers and two administrators as well as the PTA to conduct fundraising for the school that was done in two large fairs and soccer tournaments. He also conducted computer classes for 67 students over the course of two years. The classes that he taught were parts of the computer, basic computer skills, typing, internet research, and email. Teacher’s also received one-on-one trainings on some of the same topics but mostly focused on finding teaching resources and lesson ideas on the internet.

Secondary Activities

Gregory Casaletto immediately saw a desire from everyone to have and use computers in everyday life. When he arrived at Big Falls R.C. the computer lab had a few computers that were not in working order so with limited existing knowledge and very few resources he learned how to repair computers. News spread of his new found talent and he was soon contacted by nearby rural computer labs for technical assistance with computer systems and local area networks.

Mr. Casaletto learned what he could and then started conducting technical trainings and workshops in beginning computer skills as well as intermediate and advanced computer maintenance and repair. Over the course of two years he conducted five formal training sessions on computer maintenance and repair to 22 youth leaders and students who helped run rural computer labs.

Many people came to ask Gregory for help with their own computers so he performed many informal private tutoring on computer and Internet skills as well as repairing approximately 45 community members with personal computers free of cost. These free computer repairs helped sparked many young students interest in computers and as of now one neighbor of his has started schooling to become a computer repair technician.

Language Skills

Even though the official language of Belize is English there are many other languages spoken throughout the country. The Q’eqchi language is used mostly in the southern part of the country where Mr. Casaletto lived. He was able to acquire an understanding of the language and is able to communicate and understand basic needs and questions. Most Belizeans speak Belizean Creole which is a form of English. Mr. Casaletto found it necessary and was able to gain a very good understanding of this language. Most of his colleagues at the school where he worked would converse with him and each other in Creole so he was able to develop the ability to use this language on a daily basis.

Summary

Gregory Casaletto completed his Peace Corps service in Belize on September 23, 2011.

Pursuant to section 5(f) of the Peace Corps Act 22 U.S.C 2504 (f) as amended, any former Volunteer employed by the United States Government following their Peace Corps Volunteer service is entitled to have any period of satisfactory Peace Corps Volunteer service credited for purposes of retirement, seniority, reduction in force, leave and other privileges based on length of federal government service. Peace Corps service shall not be credited toward completion of the probationary or trial period or completion of any service requirement for career appointment.

This is to certify in accordance with Executive Order No. 11103 of 10 April 1963, that Gregory Casaletto served satisfactorily as a Peace Corps Volunteer. His service in Belize ended on September 23, 2011. He is therefore eligible to be appointed as a career-conditional employee in the competitive civil service on a non-competitive basis.

This benefit under the Executive Order entitlement extends for a period of one year after termination of the Volunteer’s service, except that the employing agency may extend that period for up to three years for a former Volunteer who enters military service, pursues studies at a recognized institution of higher learning, or engages in other activities that, in the view of the appointing authority, warrant extension of the period.

Peace Corps Belize

Description of Peace Corps Service

Kevina Casaletto

Belize, 2009-2011

After a competitive application process stressing technical skills, motivation, adaptability, and cross-cultural understanding, Peace Corps invited Kevina Casaletto to serve as a Teacher Trainer in the Central American nation of Belize.

Pre-Service Training

Kevina Casaletto began an intensive 9-week pre-service training in Maya Mopan a community located 10 minutes from the capital, Belmopan. The program consisted of language training, technical skills training, and cross-cultural studies training. Throughout the pre-service training program, Kevina Casaletto lived with a Belizean family, reinforcing her linguistic abilities and exposing herself to Belizean culture and traditions.

PC Belize’s Training program included; 62.5 hours of formal instruction in Q’eqchi, 96 hours of core topics (history, politics, economics, cross-cultural, safety and security, and health), and 77 hours of technical project training.

Primary Assignment

On October 22, 2009, Kevina Casaletto completed training and was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She was assigned to Silver Creek Village.

Kevina Casaletto’s teachers and work counterpart, Mr. Geraldo Baltazar greatly contributed to the success and completion of her projects through their willingness to try, implementation of strategies taught, and eagerness to share ideas and success. Kevina’s primary project mainly consisted of training in the field of literacy; specifically, diagnostic testing, teaching reading comprehension, and creative writing instruction from preschool to standard 6 (equivalent to eighth grade in the US Education system). These goals were achieved through a combination of observation, model lessons and workshops. She conducted four workshops on literacy at Silver Creek R. C. School on topics such as teaching comprehension strategies, reading and writing mini lessons based on student need, and writer’s notebooks. Additionally Mrs. Casaletto conducted eleven other workshops for six schools, other PCVs and PCTs, and Jesuit Volunteers across the nation. Kevina also conducted a literacy workshop for 28 Preschool teachers on literacy, reaching every preschool in the Toledo District. These trainings consisted of strategies in behavior management, diagnostic testing of reading, and reading comprehension strategies. Therefore, resulting in a total of sixteen workshops facilitated by Kevina Casaletto throughout her two years of service, training 89 teachers, 53 Peace Corps Volunteers, and one Jesuit Volunteer.

To supplement and support the strategies introduced in workshops Mrs. Casaletto demonstrated concepts by providing 23 literacy ‘model’ lessons in the classroom while the teacher observed. Teachers were able to share ideas and progress through continued observation and feedback through conferences. Teachers met with Kevina Casaletto after any observation or model lesson. Additionally three model lessons were demonstrated at Big Falls R.C. School on the use of graphic organizers in writing. Eight other model lessons were demonstrated at Silver Creek R.C. School focusing on math concepts, behavior management, and the use and management of classroom libraries, resulting in a total of 34 model lessons demonstrated by Kevina Casaletto over her two years.

Through administration of diagnostic reading tests in October 2009, 118 students (from Infant II through Standard VI, first grade through eighth comparatively in the US system), 48% were reading one or more grades below expected with 24% at two or more grades below, and only 8.5% reading above their grade. To address the issue of a large number of students working well below their peers Kevina Casaletto pulled 30 students (all students two or more levels below in reading) twice a week for intensive reading instruction. The following October the combination of workshops and model lessons on literacy instruction and the intensive extra classes proved successful. The results in October 2010 (with 117 students from Infant II to Standard VI) showed 32% one or more level below, 8.5% two levels below (with no students testing beyond two grades below) and 18% above the expected reading level. During the 2010-2011 Mrs. Casaletto worked with ten children intensively and by May 2011 only two were not on grade level. Through these intensive classes along with training of teachers on strategies to support literacy the majority of students were caught up to grade level allowing them to access information from their textbooks previously too difficult.

Additionally four faculty members were trained in basic operations of computers. Students from Standard I-Standard IV were given bi-weekly computer classes, with standard V and VI receiving weekly instruction along with 30 minutes per week of extra morning classes for typing instruction. Lessons were given in the classroom with teachers observing and then assisting in the computer lab as students practiced what they learned.

Secondary Activities

To further support her work with literacy at Silver Creek R.C. School Kevina also took on the library as her secondary project spending approximately 20% of her time on the following; networking to expedite construction of the library, facilitating three village meetings to discuss the course of the library, and being a main point of contact once the community decided to join the Belize National Library Service. She worked closely with the school, village and librarian to organize the inauguration of the library, school library days, and holiday activities including a stimulation month. Mrs. Casaletto has worked closely with the three librarians, providing support, advice, and accompaniment on a field trip to the district library in Punta Gorda.

Kevina Casaletto worked closely with Mr. Luis Cal, the Standard III and IV teacher (and football coach) on the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment’s freshwater cup project. They planned four activities including a creek clean up, researching water pollution on Encarta, and creating and presenting a PowerPoint to the 35 parents of his class in English and Q’eqchi. The project won first prize resulting in the donation of $1,000 Belize dollars worth of school supplies to the school.

Mrs. Casaletto also assisted in facilitating the painting of a six-foot by twelve-foot world map on the side of the library. The work was completed by 44 people ranging in ages from four to 48 years of age. The community decided they wanted to label the countries so several Standard VI students located and labeled all of the countries and major bodies of water. The map has been used several times by teachers lacking a world map in their class and by interested villagers.

Language Skills

In addition the 62.5 hours of Pre Service Training instruction in Q’eqchi Mrs. Casaletto also attended 15 additional hours of In Service Training. She has acquired a functional level of comprehension and speech allowing her to converse with children and women easily at about 65% fluency/comprehension (men at about 50%). This has proven greatly beneficial in gaining support of community members and also integration into the community of Silver Creek.

Summary

Kevina Casaletto completed her Peace Corps service in Belize on September 23, 2011.

Pursuant to section 5(f) of the Peace Corps Act 22 U.S.C 2504 (f) as amended, any former Volunteer employed by the United States Government following their Peace Corps Volunteer service is entitled to have any period of satisfactory Peace Corps Volunteer service credited for purposes of retirement, seniority, reduction in force, leave and other privileges based on length of federal government service. Peace Corps service shall not be credited toward completion of the probationary or trial period or completion of any service requirement for career appointment.

This is to certify in accordance with Executive Order No. 11103 of 10 April 1963, that Kevina Casaletto served satisfactorily as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Her service in Belize ended on September 23, 2011. She is therefore eligible to be appointed as a career-conditional employee in the competitive civil service on a non-competitive basis.

This benefit under the Executive Order entitlement extends for a period of one year after termination of the Volunteer’s service, except that the employing agency may extend that period for up to three years for a former Volunteer who enters military service, pursues studies at a recognized institution of higher learning, or engages in other activities that, in the view of the appointing authority, warrant extension of the period.

Last Night: They Threw us a Party

The 'parking lot' at our house at the start of our party

The Village Council Party

The last full day in our village also happened to be Belize's 30 anniversary of independence. The area representative gave money to each village for a village party. I had to pull myself away from packing and cleaning, and pull away my Commadre (Orianna's mother) who had been helping me scrub and clean all morning, to go to the village feast of chicken and rice at the chairman's house (Andres).

Santiago walking with Greg to the Independence Day feast

There were many hugs and talks of leaving. Women would rotate beside me taking their turns saying goodbye while the men were much more loud and vocal hailing greg from different ends of the house until Greg came to them. The chairman, who was standing at the rain barrel filled with ice and juice bottles would just announce to the whole party, "Eat Kevina! Eat Greg! It will be a long time until you eat food like this. We will miss you, what will you do when you're gone??" He would go off on little rants like this every few minutes or so. After we finished eating it was back to our house where the preparations had already begun for the second feast and party. You see, the village council met and decided to throw us a going away party. The picture below shows some members of the village council hanging out with greg, after the village party, waiting...or really not waiting for the second party to start.

The after party, or perhaps the pre party, so I guess the in-between party

My sisters

Ricky, Fermin, and Junior

Chatting with Sheldon's Godmother

Brother's unite! George and Cicley stopped by for final goodbyes

The Choc family came by (most of them) to bring us a sign the

two eldest daughters and mother made. It says Goodbye

Mrs. Kevina and Mr. Greg. We hope to see you soon.

Both our Godchildren and our Commadas were there all day and night. Evericio, Deyvon's father, had a funny story of our Godson. They went into town that weekend and Deyvon was insisting on a pair of 'shades' or sunglasses. His father had said no until when Deyvon perssisted by saying, "Like Wiyosh!!" (like Godfather). His father said he couldn't help but give him it then. Later on the bus in the evening he took off his shades and gave them to his dad. Evericio said he just folded it up and put it in his pocket. Deyvon complained, "no no like Wiyosh!" as he pointed to his collar for his dad to hang the glasses on his shirt like Greg always does. He kept the shades on the whole night of the party too.

"Like Wiyosh"

Our Godchildren Orianna and Deyvon

With Saturnina and her boys, Steve (with Greg) and Sheldon

Oh Morpheous

The night of the party, our house empty except odds and ends, the children had full rein of the space. Helmets were worn by different children all night. Lindsford wore the shirt Greg gave him, and it was common to see goggles, or our socks or any other little odds and ends walking around the party, usually worn incorrectly. Most times when I would stick my head in my house children would be running in circles, crawling under the bed, or sitting on the floor playing cards with helmets on. One time my door was shut, and I was sitting outside eating when the door opened and a sleepy faced 3 year old looked up at me rubbing his eyes, the bed (an old rice sack) in the middle of the floor. Babies were hung in their lo'pops from our rafters, it was no longer our house.

Just like his Godfather

Presenting us with our gifts:

Late at night, okay like 8:30 (our usual village bedtime) the village council rounded us up to present us with a 'small token of appreciation.' Since this party was hosted by the village council everyone who was there were our very bestest friends. So looking out into the crowd that gathered for the presentation I was so happy that they did this for us so that I could see all my best friends under one roof one last time. Evericio, our Compadre, was the Secretary of the Village Council and so presented a little speech and our gifts. They thank us for helping raise up Silver Creek, for teaching their children and them, and for bringing computers and internet to the village. They thanked Greg for his computer doctor skills, and for all the help he's given to Silver Creek and Big Falls, how he never missed a fajina (village clean up) and was always helping the men planting or with whatever they needed. They then presented us with matching professionally made shirts that had happy 4th anniversary, Silver Creek Village Council, on the front and the Belize independence day on the back. We also got matching hats with Belize on them. We both cried and Greg managed to say a thanks and how much we'll miss them. I however, couldn't even get out a little squeak so just left it at that.

Our Compadre presenting us our shirts and hats

I took a picture of the crowd looking at us

Accepting my shirt and hat

Greg accepting his

They had these shirts made for us!

Talking to Mr. Santiago and Vera about trying to live in the states

Let the dancing begin!!

After the presentation the focus became dancing. Mrs cecilia looked over to me and said, "Come Keveen, lets go dance." So we danced, and danced, and cried (but kept dancing) for two hours. We danced cumbia, Mrs. Cecilia's favorite and stood facing each other swaying back and forth like the traditional kekchi dance. At one point Cecilia started bawling I quickly gave her a hug and she just kept dancing and crying. I told her we could stop dancing but she just shook her head and swayed to the music with big tears falling on her cheeks.

Greg joined us for a little bit

Dancing with my Goddaughter

Dancing with Cecilia and Morpheous

Dancing the traditional harp dance with Steve

I will miss my little sister!

We danced until late late at night. The party went until the last beer was drunk and the last soda was passed out. People started to say their final teary goodbyes and slowly the party started to come to an end. Children littered the floor, sleeping from exhaustion, limbs flung akimbo with helmets, and socks on their hands. Greg suggested we slip in our house and go to sleep. At that point no one even noticed, it was 10:30. The party ended and the last thing I heard was my host dad, Santiago crying and sobbing, "Oh but brother Greg! Brother Greg is leaving us!" and Mrs. Cecilia consoling him and bringing them inside their house for the night.

Village First...GIRLS SLEEPOVER!!

Sleepover behavior- a universal truth

Trying to do three things at once

To ease the transition (especially with the older girls) over to Meredith, and to spark a future girls club Meredith had the great idea of a Standard VI sleepover! Feelers were put out with parents, girls got excited, and official printed invitations were passed out. We had a meeting with the girls explaining that without their mother's signature they were not allowed into the house, and they must translate everything to ketchi! They were told to bring a dish, cup and some sort of thing to sleep on (most villagers sleep in their clothes so that was really about it).

Sumo fighting

Day of the Sleepover:

I was returning from Belize City from exit medical exams and so Meredith was on her own until I could reach from the junction, grab my hammock and pillow and peddle as fast as I could to help her. The girls were told to arrive after they ate dinner (so we only had to cook breakfast for them) and when I got there they were all there, bouncing around, looking EXACTLY like any other sleepover party!! This was the first time ever the girls have done anything like this and they loved it! They danced, giggled, pillow fighted and talked about boys. I showed them how to do hair wraps and ended up doing all 7 of them. I was just amazed and kept telling Meredith how crazy it was that it was the same as any sleepover, girls will be girls I guess.

Group shot

A Few Little Differences:

There were a few things that were different. First we slept 7 girls and two adults on one full bed, 1 regular sized foam and 1 toddler sized foam and a hammock. Instead of funny jokes keeping the girls up, the girls were making pig noises that they thought were just hilarious! We slept more like hamsters, with me swaying above them in the hammock. They all insisted on keeping both fans (one girl brought her fan) so we did get chilly in the night. In my slumber I reached down and pulled up a blanket, then I woke up to a little mew/moan from the shivering Darlene below me! I gave it back. Secondly we were asleep, all giggling finished, by 11:30 which was way way later than most of them ever stay up on any regular day. One girl, who's family wakes very early and usually goes to bed by 7 or 7:30 was sleeping on the bed at 8:00 unashamedly. Also, Meredith's new neighbor, my host sister Virginia spent a majority of the evening leaning in through the window watching 'a sleepover' and giving ideas and mainly staring at the spectacle of it.

Silly shot number 47

Giving Cynthia her hair wrap

Meredith and I with the girls

Up With the Chickens:

I heard the girls stirring, Larencia (whose family wakes early) was up at 4:30 and I got up a little before 5. Some of the girls slept until 5:30 but by 5:30 we were all awake rehashing stories from the night before, sweeping, cleaning and then making breakfast. The girls pretty much made breakfast, swept, and straightened up without any of our direction (another difference from an American sleepover) and they elected Darlene to fry the eggs (they are all skilled cooks for large groups by around age 10...these girls are 12-14). By 8am they were all home, the whirlwind was over, and we had a few hours to ourselves before the Independence Day celebrations began. We wrapped the girls hair in red, white, and blue for their 30th Independence Day (they have the same colors as us but they say 'blue, white, and red'.

'Supervising' breakfast, darlene with the eggs.

Tortillas and eggs and chocolate drink all made and cleaned up by the girls

Last Two Weeks in the Vill

Let the Goodbyes Begin!!!

Greg being a boy with the boys...

Visiting: A Whole New Level

Our last few weeks visiting was our full time job. Every night our house was packed with people coming to visit and say their goodbyes. Women who usually don't walk in the village came over! We were showered with so much food we couldn't even begin to eat it all. People were walking to our house as soon as our door opened to bring us tamales, ducanu, bread, doughnuts, tortillas, and my favorite from Mrs. Cus a fried fish dinner!! Our earliest visitor was 5:00am and our latest 10:00pm. Our last two weeks we only cooked 2 or 3 meals for ourselves.

We didn't have enough seats or hammocks!

Mrs. Cus on the right who brought us a whole fried fish

dinner, there are 3 more ladies standing outside the door!

8:30PM Bedtimes were thrown out the window our last week!

Amy came after Megan left. Amy and I love each other's

villages so everyone was delighted to hang out with both of us!

Greg chasing Margarita around IN OUR RAFTERS!!!!

Lynette and I were watching and laughing below.

Not only were villagers visiting us like mad, but we were visiting them too. Greg and I decided to split up to maximize our visiting (and his guy friends are mostly single or work late and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go visit too). So Meredith and I set off each day from sun up to sundown (past sundown some nights) to try to visit as manny families as possible, me to say goodbye, her to say hello. We developed quite a little routine together. Switching off on jokes and talking about the three big topics, the earthquake (a small one) that we felt, the first Prime Minister's death, and my leaving. We managed to walk to around 50 households but unfortunately I didn't make it to the last 16. Many of those ones came to us the last night though to say goodbye and they said it was no problem and they understood.

Late night visiting with Ms. Choj who speaks no English

Me: "Ma ta wa picturic?" Do you want a picture?

Ms. Choj: "Nenow ta...marray?" I don't know...maybe?

Me: "Us us, kim sa'in, tao! Bar ta wa?" Good good come here, lets go! Where do you want?

Much combing and greasing of hair was done before each picture. Often times there was a wardrobe change too. Everyone wanted pictures. I chose a few of my favorites. I must thank Meredith for taking them for me (her camera is very nice) and also I would not have done this visiting by myself! Thanks xMere!!

The little Pop girls who LOVE Greg!!! Every time we walked by their house, "Hi Mr. Greg!!" or sometimes, "Bye Mrs. Greg!!! Bye BYE BYE MRS GREG!!!" from the young ones.

Myself and Meredith!! So glad she's my replacement!

Two of my best friends, Consuela and Fransisca!

Last dollar for ice cream...

Double scoop with a dollop on top, no extra charge for his #1 customer!

Last transaction with Greg's favorite person, the village ice cream man. Every day two buckets of ice cream, always different flavors, always 1 dollar a scoop. He used to stop and wait if our door was open, I had to go outside and tell him Greg wasn't home! When Greg told him we were leaving he put an extra scoop and a half on his cone and gave him a handshake. He said he was sad to see us go and that he will miss Greg.

Baby holding...my favorite!

The newest baby in the vill!! A little girl 8 pounds!

Antonio and Ludrick's family...they gave me flowers that smelled soo sweet!

And now a look at 'man-visiting'

Greg could barely leave the front step because all his best friends (who also happened to be most of the village leaders) were always coming by wanting to give greg a final Beliken. Most houses I visited the men were at the farm or work, but two houses the men specifically requested Greg come back and say bye. Mr. Saki said that Greg "was one cool guy. I just want to shake his hand before he leaves us." Another one treated him to a free coke at his shop and thanked him for all his hard work.

One house I was visiting had two other visitors from the neighboring village of Hicattee. We were all chatting about the earth quake and how I'm leaving and have been here for two years when I hear one of the visitors ask, "Ani Belom? Ma Computer Man?" (Who's her husband? Is it the computer man?) I piped up and said yes that was my husband. Greg had fixed their son's computer and always pointed greg out to them when he wrote his bike to school. They never met him but knew him as the, "Computer Man"

Chatting with Jessica and her little sister!

Goodbye lunch with our Commad and

Compad, our Godson and Seynida!

Vera, Cecilia and myself...my favorite washing companions!

I think I posted this picture before but this was a main topic while visiting the women. Common sayings while visiting, "Oh but Keveen, you will miss the creek!" or "But how the river Keveen, you will miss it?" Yes yes I will!!! The last week I barely had time to wash so Lynette was sent to help me wash. She obliged happily and we swam and played while scrubbing and chatting. I will miss her stories each night about high school and the rude boys.

I made a little photo board for the library (above)

and the school (didn't think to take a pic).

Goodbye lunch party from the Silver Creek R.C. staff. My favorite meal (I got to choose it like my last supper or something) of cahoon cabbage and stewed chicken with fresh lime juice and CAKE! They also got me a second pair of gold ear rings, the smaller size that I always wanted!! Mrs. Delphine put them in my second hold and EVERYONE was beside themselves with how 'beautiful' I was. I did not expect such a lovely gift! They also presented a certificate and a picture of the winning football team that took first place in the nation!

Greg's school planned a surprise going away party for him, however, since they didn't tell him (and we weren't going to school our last weeks) he missed it!!! They had another one and presented him with a beautiful cuxtal and food and many exchanges of emails! His best friend George, who also works at the school, wanted to have another goodbye party at his house but the time wasn't there...so he came to our going away party.

PUNCH BOARD!!!

We wanted to only take a small bag each home so we had a lot of little stuff to get rid of. Giving it away, as a past vollunteer warned me, can cause striffe with the villagers because obviously we don't have one thing for everyone in the village. Soooo...we decided to have a punch board, a belizean fair game where you write an item or a try again saying ("have a nice day" or "try again") on slips of paper, roll them up and shove them into peg board. Since none of the 4 villages around us had a punch board we made one from bristol board. My good friend Megan, from a neighboring village, came to help. Megan and Meredith were like our daughters for two days, cooking and cleaning for us while we packed and organized. Megan also helped tremendously once the punch board got underway, which was a crazy mad house!

The kids giving tips and critiquing my work!

Here are the children watching from the windows while we set up. We sold 90 items at 50 cents a chance (with about the same amount of 'try agains') making 97 dollars for the school which was used to buy two inks for our school printer! We did all of this in 47 minutes! It was madness inside and megan and I were moving non-stop the entire time. We ended up having to make a line for the children and a line for the women and took turns. Ofelia (my host brother's wife) at one point was yelling at me, "don't forget about your SISTER!!" trying to get her chance, while all my commadres were yelling, "don't forget your Comad!!" There were some funny moments, like when an 11 year old boy got nail polish and when little Morpheus won my rain boots and he could barely hold them up! As I visited the days after the punch board every home I went to had my item, freshly scrubbed, and displayed in a prominent place. Our Godson Devon won a picture frame and when we went there for lunch he had the picture from his baptism in it and took it with him as he played and to the table when he ate. He would look at it and point, "hehehe Greg!" *another bite of food* "Heehehehe Kevina, hehehe me!" It was very very cute. AND we got enough ink to last through report card printing and some of exam printint!

Which one will it be?

All of our 'big items' our bikes, stove and tank, fan, crock pot, toaster oven, big drum greg won, a camera, flip video camera, watch, etc we donated to the school to provide items to do raffles for several years. They plan on raffling 3 items per raffle and that should help get some money going into the school. Since I've been there we've had one fundraiser and my principal pays for the electricity and water out of pocket most of the time. I had a bunch of standard 3, 4, 5, and 6 boys come help me bring stuff to the school for storage and it turned into a little parade. The boy carrying the drum led the way (banging the drum the whole way) followed by a boy riding my huge bike, then one after the other caring assorted items as villagers came out to stare or peer from their windows at the goods soon to be for grabs. Belize loves raffles so I hope it brings in some good money!