Yeah Packages!

So I should start by saying thank you for the care packages and letters so far! It is a little strange but for some reason no matter when they are sent that all arrive at the Peace Corps office on the same day. I have no idea how I am going to carry that all back to our house on my bike. Seriously you all have no idea how nice it is to get mail, that being said though we know sending packages is very very expensive so please don't feel pressured to do it often, except maybe our parents:) Also we should be set on bug spray and post it notes for awhile so thanks for that! If you want to send something and don't want to go broke the letters and cards make our day there is just something special about getting mail, we will be sending things soon I will explain our upcoming schedule in a sec. If you still need ideas for care packages things we could always use are food treats, toiletries, and clothes. I know clothes are hard to buy for other people but we go through them fast here and they are very expensive in Belize. It is always hot so think about that when buying clothes. Also, I have already ruined 3-4 white shirts with pit stains, dust, and other random things. Cisco just ripped is nice khakis jumping a fence to get to the Chiney store quicker, and I bleached a new polo to destruction. Also shoes will not last long on these rocks and dirt because we walk and bike everywhere. If you want more info. on clothes let us know and we will provide it otherwise again just thanks for everything thus far I was grinning from ear to ear today opening things!

So these are the last weeks of training, yeah!!! For the last 10 days we have been living with a new host family in Belmopan, our new home, and working with our counterparts. The counterparts are the people that help us know what the hell we are doing at our projects, but they are not our employers because we are volunteers. I say that because when I went into my school there had been some misunderstandings and I was being introduced as the new music teacher and expected to work a normal school day which is not what a PCV is supposed to do. Teaching here isn't entirely sustainable b/c when we finish the help ends there. So I had to have an awkward conversation right way to recommunicate exprectations and now I think we are sort of on the same track. I will be writing lesson plans and curriculum for the teachers, demonstating lessons, then evaluating them as they teach the same lessons. Also, I will be directing a summer expressive art's camp for 5-10 year olds, co directing a marching band this summer, starting a school choir, starting a recorder choir (God help me), and learning how to assemble 7 violins and teaching them to the students that are interested. Also, (yes there's more) they want me to help on the high school if possible, which I'm not doing until I have gotten a handle on things at the primary school. In addition, I would like to help with girl guides(girl scouts sort of) in the community and with Cisco's center on conflict resolution. I won't go in to much about Cisco's program because he is super excited and I will let him share it with you, but his counterpart is very nice and he has already gotten very involved. He has also helped with the chess club twice and plans to attend the literacy program next week.

To continue with our schedule next week we are back in the smelly, moldy, Garden City Hotel to finish our last week of training called bridge to service. By the way the hotel is like 100 yards from our host families house but we still have to stay there because we are at the mercy of the government's rules. After bridge to service on May 28th we get sworn in at the governor general's house and it is a very special and formal ceremony. Even better after that is over we play a futbol games new volunteers against old ones. Cisco is heading up our team and frankly under his leadership I think we are going to kick booty. Even better after our victory we will be going to the U.S. Ambassador's house where his wife cooks us a huge celebratory meal and everyone says it is the party of the year. And last but not least after consuming large quantities of alcohol with the ambassador we consume more with all of the PCV's in Belize and have a big dance party. To any students that are reading this of course I will only be participating in the dancing and abstaining from the alcohol or having one responsible glass of wine and quitting after that. When we are officially sworn in as volunteers our schedule literally says "off to your sites and good luck". Then we are on our own. Exciting stuff.

Other things we are doing... I have started yoga once a week at the peace corps office. Marla, the wife of Bryan, the super cool guy that gives us the session on development, is the instructor (that was a lot of commas). My first class was so great she lights insense, turns off the lights, and puts on the soothing music and walks us through yoga flow (i forget the other name for it buy I will find out). We did it for like an hour and a half and I was sweating like a pig. At one point my hands were sweating so bad that if I had to hold downward facing dog for one second longer they would have renamed the move, falling on her face bruised up kathryn. Tonight and tomorrow I will be judging the festival of the arts musical category for all the primary schools in Belmopan, this should be very interesting.  This weekend we are meeting a guy to check out a potential future house. Everyone tells how great this place is, and it is furnished, and the rest if pretty reasonable. Even more exciting for me it is in a village called San Martin that is close to where we work but not directly in the city and it is primarily Spanish speaking.

So we have definitely had our ups and downs, especially me because I was disappointed with our site and my job initially, but we are working on getting the right attitude and diving in head first.  This experience so far has been nothing and everything I thought it would be, it is very hard to explain. We are learning so much and we look forward to keeping you are part of the experience. Love you all and miss you!

Adios,
Kathryn