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~

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.

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!