Almost Departure Time

I am feeling pretty weird today. I woke up feeling happy and relaxed because my presentation was over. But now, as the day has continued, I am starting to feel sad that my departure is so soon. This week I worked with Dr. Arzu finishing the apothecary. We built shelves to hold the medicinal herbs and such. I enjoyed building it, and I am pretty proud of it considering we didn't have a level, or really know what I was doing. 

The (mostly) finished product

Building the shelves

Yesterday I was my final day of work. Fate and I clean out a room upstairs for Dr. Arzu and organized her things. We only worked in the morning. We went to Gomier's for lunch. He has an all healthy food, soy product restaurant and I thought it was amazing! I am happy I had the time to relax before my Capstone presentation. At 3:00, the staff and fellow volunteers were in the office to see me present. I tried to upload the video here, but it wouldn't work. But, I think the presentation went great! Happy to have it over with and I hope my work is continued with future interns and that they take my advice!

Today I went to Dr. Arzu's in the morning for an hour to finish up any last minute things and have my last cup of tea with her. I will miss her and the garden more than I thought! She is an amazing woman and helped me learn a lot about myself. The afternoon was spend with Olivia, buying books, toys, etc for the kids corner at the Maternal and Child health area of NHI. Don't worry Mom, I made sure books were the most important on the list! The rest of the day has been spent lounging around relaxing and trying to stay positive about my departure. I am excited to see everyone back home but it will be hard to leave such an amazing experience and bring what I have learned about with me.

Tomorrow will be a chocolate making demonstration and Cyrillas. I am excited to go back and see Juan. I am not sure what the rest of the day will be filled with but I am sure I'll make it a good one!

Weekend Updating again

Sorry again about the lack of updating everyone!! Last Thursday and Friday I spent the day mapping out Dr. Arzu’s garden. I finished it!! I took over 120 photos and there is a real map drawn of her land. Hopefully I can post it at some point! Saturday I spent the morning lazy and relaxed at home. I joined the girls at the bunkhouse mid day and we decided it was a great day to go kayaking. We went to Tide, an environmental organization here. We rented kayaks for $5Belize/hour (AWESOME!). It was a lot of fun, but a bit more difficult than I remember. Mom, remember when you wanted a kayak for the lake? I think we should definitely get one! I will even donate to the cause. Is $100 sufficient? Then, the new volunteers/interns arrived on Saturday. My roommate Fatemah, who goes by Fate, arrived late Saturday night. She is from Kuwait, but goes to school in Wisconsin. She is really cool and I am excited to spend the week working/living with her. Today I met the rest of the interns. There is Brittany from L.A., Eric who goes to school in Rhode Island, and Swithin who is originally from Hong Kong but might be the most fascinating person I have met. I am sad I won’t get to spend more than a week getting to know them. This morning I also went to Mass with Sarah. We went to St. Peters Claiver here in PG. What we didn’t know was that the second Sunday of each month is Garifuna Mass. All the songs were sung in Garifuna and very interesting. I am so glad I went! And finally, I should tell you all about my scorpion encounter. Last night I carried my towel, clothes, etc into the bathroom to take a shower. Before I got in, I notice something crawling on my towel. I thought it was a huge cockroach (I’ve seen a few in my room). I quickly realized it was a scorpion!! I somehow managed (without freaking out) to take my shower and get dressed afterwards. I couldn’t shake it off my towel, so I left it on the floor. After I got to my room, I told Ms. Consuela about it and she killed it. I am very lucky I didn’t get stung!!

It is my last week here in PG. It has definitely flown by! Hope to keep you updated on my last few days!!

Happy 4th of July

Today is Independence Day! It’s kind of hard to celebrate the independence of a country when you are not in that country. But, we Americans always try our best. This morning I went to Dr. Arzu’s around 9. We have switched the direction of my project very much but it still feels important. Yesterday I helped move things from the first floor to the second. This will allow her to live on the second floor and use the first as her plant museum./apothecary/healing room. Today, she wanted me to start mapping her garden. Commuity mapping I am good at, because it consists of no actual drawing. However, garden mapping I am not good at. It sent my stress levels through the roof to figure out how to (somewhat) accurately place her plants on the map. Finally after many frustrating moments, I placed the house and garden on 4 grid papers and began basic mapping. I am excited to actually start photographing and labeling plants tomorrow. If I have this done by the end of the week, it will be a great accomplishment. But I think I can do it!

After stressing myself out for several hours, my brain was exhausted. Dr. Arzu was pretty tired thanks to an intense healing session she had. We enjoyed some more tea and called it a day. She wanted to take a nap so I left and headed to the bunkhouse. There are 2 interns and one staff member from the Cayo site in town. We had all decided the previous day that we would celebrate the 4^th in typical American fashion, a BBQ of course. When I arrived they had already purchased the food and started marinating it. We all chilled in the bunkhouse and relaxed for the afternoon. The staffers decided to stay for the event as well. Despite the fact that they are not American, they were very enthusiastic. We (and by we I mean the awesome Cayo people and Sarah) made awesome chicken w/ grilled pineapple, cheeseburgers, veggie salad, roasted potatoes, delicious oreo pie and chocolate chip cookies. It was delicious and we overstuffed ourselves like any American would. Even without fireworks, I’d call it a successful 4^th of July!! Hope everyone back home had a great one as well!!

Sarah enjoying dinner

Zack grilling up cheeseburgers

Noemi with the oreo nonsense

The 4th of July gang

How to Survive 24hrs in Livingston, Guatemala

Step 1: Survive the boat ride

Memo's Boat (Memo is in the red shirt)

To get to Livingston you have to take a boat from either PG or Puerto Barrios. We bought our tickets from Memo. Memo owns a small boat that has about 5 benches that hold 3 to 4 people. Out boat there was packed full. It is definitely an interesting ride over, and if you can survive it, it’s worth it! Depending on where you sit, you can get pretty wet, but it added to the fun. There were definitely people who were scared, which was obvious by their constant screaming. The ride takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once you arrive, you have to walk up the hill to get your passport stamped, then the fun begins. 

Step 2: Find or Avoid Phillip

Phillip and myself, mid tour

Actually, Phillip found Sarah and myself. We started off shopping and he stopped Sarah and I to ask where we were from, etc. He sounded pretty cool. Guatemala is his home, and he went to University of Illinois on a scholarship from Jerry Garcia. He sounded pretty interesting so when he told us that he wanted to "show us the real Livingston" Sarah and I were ready with little hesitation. We walked down the main tourist road until we reached the beach. From there he took us all around the hills to show us the Garifuna culture. It seemed awesome at first unitl he talked about donations. At that point, Sarah and I realized we didn’t want to continue the tour. Phillip wasn't too happy about it but we made the right choice. 

Step 3: Find a drink

Food at Buga Mama was delicious!

This step can take place at any time, but Sarah and I decided it was needed after our tour from Phillip. We stopped at a place called Buga Mama, close to the dock we arrived at. Pretty delicious food! I would recommend chatting with other travelrs. We found two girls who were on the boat from PG with us, Shonnee and Jess. They were awesome! Both are from Utah and met in Alaska waiting tables on a train. They came to Guatemala to teach English, but left early to backpack around Central America. Their adventures sounded AMAZING! They are two countries shy from traveling through them all. We swapped some adventures stories but theirs were hard to top. Sarah and I are pretty convinced though that we could backpack. (We should get started on next summers plans, eh Sarah?)

Step 4: Find a place to sleep

There are many options to choose from. We decided on Casa Rosada, a quite place to relax. The hut on the dock had several hammocks and we spent the evening laying in them. Sarah and I shared life stories in her very creative way! The rooms themselves were cute little Bunglows. Sarah also opted to sleep with the bed net down, just to be on the safe side. Breakfast at Casa Rosa is wonderful. I recommend the banana pancakes. The room and food cost us less than $20US. 

Step 5: Find a translator

I was lucky enough not to need this step since Sarah was my personal translator. She speaks Spanish (very well I should add) and I mostly stood there and she would talk to everyone. But Jess and Shonnee found us again to get Sarahs help. They were headed off on another adventure and needed to know the cheapest way to get there. It turned out to be a complicated number of stops but I am sure they will find it easily. They told me that they can speak some Spanish and clearly know enough that they have done well so far!

Step 6: Barter with the locals

Sarah trying on hats

Sarah and I had a lot of fun shopping, although I wasn’t as good at bargaining as I remember myself to be. I bought some awesome things (a bracelet and home decor) and we both got Henna Tattoos all for under $15US. 

My Henna Tattoo

Step 7: Relax again

The deck at Buga Mama's

After hours of awesome shopping, we were ready to relax and do nothing until our boat ride. We went back to Buga Mama (100% of the profits go to children of Guatemala) and found Jess and Shonnee again so we enjoyed a coke and tea with them while they ate. They were awesome and bought our drinks since Sarah helped them translate earlier. We also made Jess give us the explanation behind her numerous awesome tattoos. 

Step 8: Survive the boat ride home

 Getting our passport stamped to leave turned out to be a bit of hassle. Apparently there is a $80Q fee before you can leave and we were out of money. We had to stop by the ATM one last time but we made it. (We highly considered leaving without paying the fee, but thought being jailed or deported would be an issue.) We waited at the dock for Memo. If you are lucky like us, locals will ask to have their picture taken with you. I felt like quite the celebrity. When Memo arrived we jumped aboard to head home. He warned us the water would be choppy. It was a crazy ride home! The waves were HUGE, some were at least 5 feet. I was scared numerous times and we were soaked to the bone by the time we got home. But it was an adventure and I loved every minute!!

Home sweet PG!

Working with a traditional healer

June 25, 2012

I started my internship with Dr. Arzu today. It was even better than expected, which is saying a lot because I had high hopes!! First, her traditional healing is all about connecting with the earth. It was amazing to listen to and talk about all day. There is definitely a shift in my mind occurring here. Mom always says things happen for a reason. It is amazing to see those reasons start to unfold before my eyes. I was definitely meant for this internship and this experience was meant to be a part of my life because it’s creating a view for me. Clearly, the first half of my internship with NHI was guided by my public health goals and partly guided by my mom. As I completed it, the values of communication she is always trying to teach me were forefront in my mind. This half of my internship though with Dr. Arzu is guided a lot by my dad. I felt very connected to what she was saying today because planting is partly in my blood. My dad is amazing at it (for anyone who doesn’t already know!!) If my family was forced to live off the earth, it would take some getting used to but I have no doubt we could do it thanks to dad. So as I was sitting with her today, constantly asking questions about which plants she has and what they do, I often thought of my dad and how he has already established a connection with the earth (even if he doesn’t see it that way.)

Dr. Arzu and I spent the day coming up with a curriculum for a traditional healing certificate here in Belize. Today we worked on the syllabus for an introduction to herbalism course. If I could, I would without a doubt take this course!! But, my calling is public health not traditional medicine so I will leave the healing to her. She and I are very excited about this and plan on creating the whole degree outline by the end of the week! It is great to understand the work I am doing with her will allow indigenous populations to continue their traditional ways, and help their people where modern medicine has failed them.

Which brings me to my next important topic: diversity in Belize. There are many things the U.S. could learn from a small country like Belize. It definitely has it’s struggles since it is a young country, but the people here are like no where else. There are many, many different cultural influences here in Belize. You have the Garifuna people, the Mayans (both Ketchi and Mopan), Creole, East Indians, and many other mixes. The amazing part about this diversity is that it doesn’t separate them. They may have a village full of one heritage but they all respect each other’s culture. They are about helping each other and doing what is best for people, not their country or profit. It is difficult to see them as poor because they are so rich with life. There are no homeless people here in PG or the villages. Some may be living in shacks, but it’s still a home. It is easy to see what the U.S. values when you come to a place like Belize. 

Another Weekend Gone

It has been a pretty relaxing weekend here in PG. On Friday night we went to Bamboo Chicken, a bar here in PG. Sarah's family came in town so we all had a couple drinks and hung out. Sarah's family is great and we shared a few hiking stories! The water was also phosphorescence (that's probably spelled wrong) but it was glowing when we through in rocks. Once again, I missed Island. Definitely a fun night. Samish

On saturday one of the ProWorld staffers, Blaze Chase (awesome name!) came in town from the Cayo sight. She lived in Oxhaca, Mexico for a long time working for ProWorld. She is from Seattle so we chatted about how much we love Washington and the San Juan Islands. (I'm telling you, this trip is just calling my name to go back to Samish this summer. I am VERY disappointed that I can't.) She is super awesome and wish I could pick her brain for a day. Niki, Haley, Coi, and I walked around town to the market and shops in the morning and went to the pier to swim all day. We came back to the bunkhouse to relax in the hammocks and wait for Sarah's family. We had pizza for dinner from one of the restaurants here. They have great Banana shakes. When we got back (partly via my request) we hung a sheet, set up a projector, and watched a movie on the veranda. Laying in a hammock watching a backyard movie is only second to the actual backyard movie night. Loved it!!

Setting up the movie on the porch

Sunday, I joined the Whitman family and the girls on another trip to Blue Creek. Apparently it rained last night so the water was really high and murky. If you saw the pictures from our original pictures they were crystal clear, so it was a the exact opposite. We made it a very short distance through the cave before we had to to turn around because the current was so strong. However, we spent the afternoon jumping off the rope swings again. I had a great time and going back actually made me even more thankful for the amazing time we had on our first visit. 

I am starting my new project with Dr. Arzu tomorrow. I am so very excited for this and can't wait to share it with you all!! I have to be there at 8 am and I don't know how long I will be working. But, since I am going straight to her house instead of the bunkhouse I am not sure the next day I will be back here. I will definitely try to type up my experience on my computer but depending on my schedule I may not post for a few days. Can't wait to share!

Why I wish my Family was here and Other Life Lessons

Sunrise here in PG

Okay, I have been missing all my family and friends lately. I’m not homesick, I just think there are a lot of awesome things going on here in PG that my family would love.

Today we went tree planting with SHI (Sustainable Harvest International) in a village called San Benito Poite. It take about 2 hours to get to because the roads are so poor. This is a remote village but it was BEAUTIFUL when we arrived. We split up into 4 groups and went to a farmer’s house. Each group planted 50 Cacao trees and several coconut trees. It’s rainy season, so the area was really swampy. The guys from SHI would dig the holes and we moved the trees and planted them. I loved it and REALLY wish dad could’ve been here to plant with me. First, because he would’ve done a much better job that we did. Secondly, because I think he would’ve loved it! The SHI guys are awesome and how many people can say they have planted in the jungle!?!

Mary, Sarah, Nana, and I after tree planting

I also wish Mom could come down. I have been able to visit a few schools and I know she would love to visit them as well. I have learned so much and I think mom would be able to engage in a conversation of mutual sharing. Yesterday, we went to Sunday Wood, another village in Toledo district, so the group could do blood pressure checks and glucose checks. I tagged along so I could gather info for my project. It was great to see the village people come out and want to be tested. Since the village people eat food they grow, almost no processed food, and work hard during the day, almost all of them had great blood pressure. I loved to see that! Also, the children would come visit during their school breaks. They were really excited to get pencils and stormed me when I walked to the school for more. All I kept thinking at the school is that mom would’ve loved to be there with me!

Also, when we were listening to Dr. Palacio speak last week, we were at the university. The classroom must have been for educating teachers because there were posters and procedures all over the walls. I snagged this photo for Mom, Ms. Lynn, Ms. Mary Ellen, and Ms. Barb (I apologize if this sounds rude. It is the Belizean way to address you). I thought of all of you as soon as I saw it!!

Finally, life lessons. The other night the group had a cultural reflection session at dinner. I decided to stay because I really wanted to hear what they had to say and their thoughts on their stay in Belize. One of the MANY great things we discussed is how we would keep our stay in Belize with us when we returned home. I personally have been contemplating this one a lot lately. I have learned so much about myself and the world around me while I have been here. So with you, my readers, as my witnesses, I am pledging right here and right now to hold on to the values I have come to love about myself.

1)    Family and Friends – I have had so much support from everyone back home that I realize how many great people I have in my life! It is important to me to have at least one meaningful conversation with someone close each day.

2)    Exercise- I already do this somewhat at home, but all the biking and walking I do here needs to continue when I get back.

3)    Eat organic- While my meals are LOADED with carbs (often only carbs) the food here is so much better. I love how healthy it is and I want to start buying local and organic when I get home. If at all possible, I’d like to grow some of my own.

4)    Travel- This one is easy. I love this adventure and I realize it is the value I may hold closest to my heart. I have met so many great people, experienced some amazing culture, and learned more about myself. I want to travel to a new place at least 1 a year, more if possible.

       5)  Natural medicine – I start my work with Dr. Arzu (a doctor of naturopathy) next Monday. I know this one will become more specific after that, but I love the natural plants and herbs they use as medicine here. I think as far as prevention goes, this would be great for everyone back home.