"Whatcha been doin' down there?"

A Stormy September...

Many of you I keep in touch with personally but to catch some others of you up and for my own personal records I would like to write a quick summary of the past couple months. In September, projects at work were at a relative stand-still as we prepared the House of Culture and our personal agendas for September Celebrations. On the 10th was St. Georges Caye Day, a celebration of a battle won hundreds of years ago when Belize gained precious land. On this same day was the birthday of my good friend Yoli so we had some food, cake, and went to the dance. My cat, Mogley also ran away this day and hasn't been seen by my eyes since. A few days later Eric came to visit and we enjoyed Belize's Independence Day on the 21st here in San Ignacio and Benque. We then went to Mexico for a short vacation before he was back on the plane in Cancun returning to Portland. I enjoyed my time immensely in Tulum and Merida, absorbing the sun on the beaches, soaking in the culture of each destination and impressing even myself with my Spanish speaking skills.

While I was away enjoying Mexico, Tropical Storm Matthew decided to pay a visit to Belize. Peace Corps initiated an emergency action plan, taking special care to make sure all volunteers were safe, which they do a great job of. Being completely absorbed in vacation mode and happy with my love at my side, I failed to let people know where I was gonna be and the search was on to find Ms. White. While I was lying on a beach in Tulum, PC Belize was stressing about how to find me and the US Embassy took interest, concerned about a missing American citizen. I called in just shortly before they would have sent out embassy staff to search for me and I at least saved them some hassle. The short version of this story entails fervent apologies on my behalf, a verbal and written contract saying I won't travel for a while, among other things, and an agreement to abide by PC policies - including telling them where in the world I am. My mistakes were bad enough to warrant potential dismissal from Peace Corps, or administrative separation, but thanks to the acting Country Director, a very good man who I highly respect, I was given a second chance and allowed to stay on as a PCV. In the few days between returning from Mexico and the decision being made about whether or not I'd be allowed to stay, I was able to gather support from coworkers, Belizean friends, the Mayor of Benque and volunteer leaders who rallied on my behalf, writing letters, emailing and calling to make sure the right people  knew I was valued as a volunteer. In the end, I am still here, and very grateful for the opportunity.


Gardens and Hurricanes in October  ...

Since that stormy story, I have gained a new appreciation for my time here in Belize and a new fervor in the projects I am working on. I had to prove to Peace Corps staff and thus also to myself that I am a valuable volunteer and I have some great projects started which I plan to see through. Of these, the most exciting to me is the newly formed environmental kids group, called "Amigos del Ambiente". See past blog entry for a project description. We have met as a group about five times now in the past month: to start, to pick up trash, to learn about gardening terms, basic horticulture, talk about seeds and research plants we want to grow, and then most recently we met on a rainy afternoon to talk about composting and organic materials. At this last meeting, I didn't expect anyone to show up due to the chilly day and the rain but when I reached 30 minutes before time, several kids were here and by the time we started the meeting, 16 kids showed up - without reminders and even with their homework! It was an encouraging thing to see and the message is clear that they like the group and the kids are eager to be a part of something fun and exciting like this. Coming soon - ground breaking, starting seeds, building boxes and creating raised beds. Updates will follow.

I also experienced my first hurricane in October - Richard. On a Sunday morning I woke to find four text messages alerting me to an incoming storm and I spent the morning storing up some water in buckets, getting the candles and flashlights out and making sure I had food on hand. At 2pm Peace Corps initiated a standfast and we were all told to stay in our homes (some were consolidated to Belmopan or Punta Gorda for safety). At 7pm we lost power and around 9pm the winds picked up as the rain came down. By 10pm or so the radio stated that Hurricane Richard was headed straight for Benque Viejo. At this time I turned off the radio, climbed into bed and listened to the force of the winds as they blew around my solid concrete house. I had planned to stay up all night listening and maybe peeking outside but by 11:30pm or so I was asleep and I woke at 6:30am to birds chirping and the sunshine blessing a new day. The damage was not extensive and there was no loss of life due to the storm. It was exciting though and only as a Category One.

New in November...

We're now in November and looking at the last month of official hurricane season. Lets hope we make it through without too much more excitement. I need dry ground to start planting all these fruits and vegetables! I recently moved into a new house and am loving my new location. The space is bigger (which is really unnecessary but nice) and I am especially excited about the bathroom, which boasts a big shower, a big mirror and beautiful tiling. The location is also more central and peaceful - away from the loud rockin' rollin' church that was my neighbor before. A video showing my house will be posted to my website on shutterfly. Email me if you need help to access that.

I also adopted a new kitty after Mogley left me. Some speculate that he found a girlfriend and is off to start his own life. Some say he was kidnapped by children (he was a very pretty cat). Either way, my cockroach and gecko population was soaring and cats are great hunters so a new kitty for me. This new kitty just showed up on my doorstep and I decided that it was meant to be. For pictures of JoJo Gringo, check out my facebook photos.

And the good work continues as I proceed with Amigos del Ambiente, start up an after school chess club, continue writing the quarterly newsletter for the House of Culture and CACHE, work on side projects for the Women & Gender Development (WID/GAD) committee which I'm a part of. The most rewarding times are spent with kids and youth who have gotten to know and trust me, and with whom I get to interact doing positive, constructive activities and projects. Overall, I'm staying busy, doing good things and really, really enjoying life.