"Not all Who Wander are Lost": Wahn Year Eenna Bileez Done Gone!

A ginormous flag recently appeared in the SavU parking lot

Just one year to date we woke up before the sun for the second day in a row to head to Miami International Airport and get on a flight to Belize. After our interesting staging (filled with a fire alarm and evacuation of the hotel, Ginnie’s hospital stay for dysentery, and then a broken plane) we arrived in Belize and began this adventure. Now one year in, we can’t believe how fast time has flown and how much we have learned, witnessed, and taken part in for the past 12 months.

With 14 months to go, it almost seems like there is not enough time to take it all in and do everything we hope to for our projects, ourselves, and Belize. We have also come to know many Belizeans and developed good friendships with people who were mere strangers not that long ago.

In reflecting on the past year, it seems natural to consider the many little ways life has changed. There are some superfluous things we sometimes really miss – like our shopping trips to Target, hopping out to Wendy’s or some other place for a quick treat when we don’t feel like cooking or just want a little fast food, Providence Place Mall, spending evenings in Barnes & Noble just wandering the stacks finding new books…of course we miss our family and friends, and very much miss Maya the Crazy Doxie! Walks with Maya were the best part of the day (until she went on a barking rampage at the other neighborhood dogs, but even that is missed – although should she live in Belize and exhibit that behavior with all the stray dogs I am not sure how long she would survive!) Driving, that is very much missed – how nice it was to be on our own schedule and be able to go where we need or want to go without having to figure out when a bus may pass and how long we might need to walk from one place to the next, or having to pump up the bike tires and strap on the helmet on our way for a “quick” trip to the market for fruits and veggies…not paying for gas though…still a huge plus!

This year has been filled with so many experiences and we are so excited to have another year to enjoy them and the people we have met and built relationships with. It is bittersweet right now as the second year volunteers prepare to close their service and we realize it will soon be us to whom the new volunteers will come for advice and support. We’ll miss them greatly, but are also excited to meet the new group who will join us in August.

It’s also fun to consider all the things we love about this new life. The best part has been the slower pace, we don’t need to rush around and we actually have time to really enjoy where we are. We’ve become accustomed to “Belizean time” and often find ourselves thinking about the difficulties that will arise with such new habits upon return to the states. We’ve had some time to devote to cooking each day, mostly from scratch, as well as reading much more than we did back home. Another of our favorite things is being hailed by people out on the streets, or a friend passing through the neighborhood and stopping by the house for a visit. People greet each other with a Maanin’, Aftanoon, Eevnin’ or Good Night. Our new favorite phrase is “right now” which is similar to saying “just a sec;” it cannot be translated literally to mean something will happen right now, it simply means you are acknowledged and whatever you’ve asked will happen sometime (maybe soon, maybe much later, but it will happen). If you hear “direkly” then you know it is going to happen right now.

We found ourselves really loving our schedules and having each day be so different. One day may be at school, while the next is at an NGO helping with outreach or programming. We get to work in areas we have an interest in and can test out new fields to explore. It’s so nice to be able to offer to help and have an organization welcome you with open arms simply because they value the Peace Corps and the people who serve.

Sometimes we feel that Belizeans give us too much credit assuming we know something because we are American and have master’s degrees, but we are honest about limitations and show we are willing to learn and research in order to do the best we can for the organizations’ needs. Often times we are asked, “What do you think about such and such?”, “What should we do?” leaving us to wonder what to say or how to respond. Our experience has also allowed for us to educate Belizeans on American culture and who we are. TV has really given people a poor impression – that we are all wealthy and have good jobs and that life is so much easier in the states. When they hear about the poverty in the US and the struggles of the working poor and how only a few actually have the wealth they assume from TV and movies, they are often amazed, and may at times not believe, but we continue to share what is much more accurate.

This year has been such a wonderful learning experience and we are looking forward to what is to come in the next 14 months. Thank you to everyone for your support, packages, letters (although a bit more on the letter front wouldn’t hurt), cards, and kind thoughts of encouragement.

Here’s a brief comparison of some differences
Then / Now
Driving everywhere / Riding old American school buses everywhere or riding bikes or walking
So many restaurants and options / Lots of street vendors/shops, not so many options (BBQ or rice and beans or Mexican-ish)
A whole aisle filled with cereal for $2.50 / A couple shelves of cereal, hopefully they have one we like for under $10
Air conditioning set to a cool 68°F / Fan on high; Feeling chilly at 78°F
Dunkin Donuts on every corner / Rice and Beans on every corner
Target / Brodies on the Northern Highway
Turkey Burgers / Black Bean Burgers
Netflix Movies / Bootleg Movies before they reach the theatres
People carrying a briefcase/bag to work / People carrying a machete to work
Drying clothes in the dryer / Hanging clothes on the line (hoping it won’t rain!)
Buying cranberry juice / Squeezing our own fresh orange juice
Speaking English / Is that Kriol, Spanish, Garifuna, Ke’kchi, English, or some combo?
“Just a second” / “Right now”
Dishwasher / Washing dishes by hand
Buying tortillas / Making tortillas (and they are so much tastier!)
Shoes, so many shoes / Lone Chacos
Cool and dry / Always Sweat Up!
Clorox Wipes and Mr. Clean / Flash and Fabuloso
Bath and Body Works Lotions / Any SPF 30+ Sunblock
Rock, Pop, and Dance Music / Reggae, Punta Rock, Retro 80’s and Country Ballads
Maya the Dachshund / Zack the German Shepherd and the scary Pit Bull
Dirty water of Boston Harbor / Dirty water of Belize River
Wendy’s French Fries / TNT Burgers French Fries
Shaw’s for waxy year-old fruits/veggies / Little Markets for fresh picked fruits/veggies

Packaged/Processed foods / Fresh homemade foods

Not to mention the other new things in our daily lives, such as the random encounter with iguanas and crabs on the street, making beans or baking something on the weekends, giggling with our landlord’s baby Brad, being swarmed by pikni when we come to school, hearing “Miss Ginnie” or “Mr. Anthony” when we walk down the street, and feeling at home right here in Belize.

On Thursday, Ginnie’s principal said “I can’t believe one year from now you’ll be preparing to leave.” Man, they’re already bringing it up, we’re not ready to think of that yet, but reality is the next year will likely be just as quick as this one. In the meantime, we’ll be sure to keep you posted on the latest news and adventures and hope you’ll stay in touch too.

Some pictures highlighting this new way of life