America, Adjusting, and Texts with Villagers

Hopefully all of you out there can answer this question now.

Three Months in the Motherland:

Reflections...

Testing capacity of Greg's hammock

PCV Greg Casaletto

Our little buddy Seaford Everton Co (Steve)

The two crazies...Margarita and Greg

Letters:

I sneaked a few peaks at letters on the bus ride out of Belize, but gluttonously read the rest on the plane as I promised. They were long and detailed and had funny little stories and sad pleadings to return soon. Careful drawings were enclosed and precious stickers added. It took almost a month to write back to each of them, but the new role of pen pal has been established. I started to write my adult friends and just got a call from one saying she got her letter! Meredith has been most helpful by allowing me to send huge quantities to her so I don't have to pay 98 cents for each letter, thanks Meredith! But this is the 21st century and mail isn't the only form of communication...

Some of our letters

Texts:

We got phones after a week or so stateside. I brought my old sim card from my phone in Belize to get my numbers off of. The AT&T guy asked where I got a 'Digicel' chip from and found it funny that I had carried this tiny thing around so I could text my villagers. Any-who so I got most of my numbers off and sent out a text saying, "Good morning, this is my new phone #. I miss u, say hi 2 everyone! -Kevina"

Here are a few of the responses:

Ofelia:

1. Same with us we really miss you guys nice to hear from you

2. oh especially my mother in law she is always crying for u guys say. hi to greg

3. ok.so what are u doing now?? Armin alway asking for u guys. i told him that u guys went back to your country.

4 &5 texting me other villager's numbers

6. I know how u feel kevina all d people from here really everyone always ask if u txt us or cal we told them no maybe kevina do not buy her phone yet we...

7. told them

8. Ok. we join a project now we are try to make kosh'tal (*the maya bags*)

9. Yeah i am at d creek now u can just imagine how your creek looks

10. ok then. oh evet's baby dead again i hear they wil bury d body today

11. ok kevina we can chat later i am busy washing nw later.

Verginia:

1. Hello kev! i am doing fine. if u do receive my txt plz reply me back

2. oh ok. yes i wil do tel her. last week we had isqwa n lancha fish my dad was crying, he said he mis u both. so how is greg doing?

3. oh del hope when u both reach bak u can hav some. the teul's family mis u and say hi 2 u an greg. meredith is having a great time so far.

Angelica:

1. ok i mis u 2 everything is wit u?

2. I mis u 2 kevina i will do dat hw are u an greg?

3. yeah i knw me 2 i stil think like u are still wit my uncle Santi. so are u working nw?

Fermin:

1. hi kevin a its so nice to hear frm u guys. miss u both a lot! enjoying d laptop so far and we r all doing mighty fine jun got a job on a cement factory

2. yeah! did greg still got his job? wat was ur fmly reaction upon ur return? Armin is speaking fluent now i wil try to email greg dis wknd i hope it workout

3. ok kev i need to get inside case it start to rain ya i am at my wrk my kids r doing gud in their studies i am proud of den until 2marow sen ur fmly my

4. regards ok

Mr. Juarez at school:

1. Ya! I'm hapy 2 hear from u an greg

2. Sure pls take care c later

3. Tell greg hi from d family ok

Saturnina:

1. Same 2 u kev.i am very proud of u 2

2. same 2 u kev we really miss u a lot 2

3. ok is ur mother in law surprise 2 c u wen u guys reach bak?

4. I knew dat wil b a shock 2 her. i wil tx u later ms. kev we r at d river nw i dont had full service

As our phone numbers spread through the village we get more and more texts. I usually get a few a day, and most of my best friends text me at least once a week. It really helps feel like I am still there and a part of the village. Usually they want to know 'what nice I eat for lunch?' or what I am doing. During thanksgiving I had to explain that we eat turkey but that we don't 'piece it out' or cut it into chunks for a soup but leave it together and bake it. We have also had several phone calls from villagers and that is really nice and kinda surreal. We called the Coh family a few weeks after we got back and it was so good to hear their voices again! We are lucky to have served in the Peace Corps during a time where there are technologies like this to keep us close. Volunteers of years past have sometimes gone the rest of their lives without getting to speak to their villagers ever again, and that would be terrible.

Emails:

One of my final projects was to help get Internet at the school. We were able to get the modem through the telemedia company before we left but that was during break so I did not really get to see it in use. Meredith has been working with the teachers and standard VI students and much to my delight I opened my inbox to a slurry of village emails!! Here are a few of my favorites:

Dear Mrs.Kevina,
How are you ?
I hope everything is alright with you.In our village two weeks
ago,they had celebrated the sacrment of matrimony.
And they had a very big party.
Sometimes I get sad because I donot see you again.
Yesterday Orjelinda and me accidentally drop in the creek.
when Federico and I go to the farm we drop in the creekand we just laugh.
I am so happy too with the internet and I WISH you good luck and BYE
respectfully yours
Cynthia Pop.

silver creek village

Toledo district

Belize CA

November 22 2011

Dear kevina

how is your day now bad or good,

because in silver creek is very hot.

kevina i want to tell you that your

freind walter got marry on october 16 but the things is going in my life is very
good. we have a nice day thats only what i want to tell you.
have a nice day.

your freind,
Blanca Tiul

Silver Creek Village

Toledo District

November 24, 2011

Dear Miss Kevina

How are u doing in the state now miss Kevina? And I want to ask u.

And when is your Birth day .And what is your phone numer.

That’s why Iam wroteing my letter to u Miss K

Love Lorencia

Silver Creek R.C

Silver Creek Village

Toledo District

Belize C A

October 25 2011

Dear Ms Kevina,

I really miss you and everyone misses you,too.

I ate pumpkin with rice, yesterday. Devon was watching a movie

it was about a child's birthday. Devon wanted a birthday cake, too.

That was the funny story you missed. There is no exiciting things

in my family right now. However, there was a bad thursday holiday.

We buried, Yvette's baby and I buried my dog, the little black and

white, Fluppy. There is nothing much in town or farm, because I have not gone there lately. They said they let go a little turtle in the creek by the bridge. I am reading about Belize, it is about the environment, history, and geography.

Are you missing the caldos and much more? Did you read the letter I gave you on September 22nd, 2011? And have you sent a return letter? Did you send our pictures for the sleepover? We hope you will come back to our village.I, Seynida Coh really miss you.

Love,

xoxoxo

Silver Creek R.C School

Toledo District,

November 24, 2011

Dear, Miss Kevina,

How is living in the country of united states of America.

How is Greg? Aren’t you crying for me? Merideth is working with us on the

Internet and we are working on a tide project the principal will ask for tide

To take us to the Cayes if we win. When is your B day? My sistere say that

When school close she would take me to Belize City. When would you come

Back to the country of Belize?Silver Creek R.C School

Meredith's blog:

http://in-the-hodge-podge.blogspot.com/

In case you have fallen in love with the little village of Silver Creek, which you probably have, and you want to see what is happening now, you can check out the new PCV Meredith's blog. I know I will!!

The Loss of a Dear Friend:

We learned some very sad news a few weeks ago. Our host brother, Fermin Co died. Fermin was a true brother to Greg and I. He worked at Santa Teresa where my dear friend Amy (PCV) lived and would often bring her back to Silver Creek so she could visit with us and the wonderful Coh family. He has a wonderful wife, who is one of my best friends and two sweet children that have been left behind. His 3 year old son doesn't understand and has said he will buy a horse for his daddy. Fermin always loved to laugh and joke and was quick to throw an impromptu party for our visitors or just on a Friday. He died December 12th. He was the second son to die in two years for the Coh family. Please keep his family in your thoughts. We miss you Fermin.

The End:

This blog has served its purpose and is finally at an end. We live in America again, but now we are Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. I really appreciate all of you out there that have read and commented and emailed encouragement. I hope that, like Greg and myself, you have grown to understand another culture, and to appreciate a different way of life. I hope I never forget the lessons I've learned while serving and am truly grateful that we had the opportunity to be a part of 'Promoting World Peace and Friendship' through the Peace Corps.

Thank you to our families and friends who supported us through the good times and encouraged us at our bleakest moments. Thank you everyone for the letters, emails and calls over the years. Lastly, thank you to my fellow volunteers for the support, laughter, jokes, and camaraderie that surely will go unmatched. Thank you and goodbye.

~Fin~