Exerts from my journal--

Friday, May 12

On Friday, we all headed over to the Sacred Heart College to work on the Healthy and Ready to Learn feeding project.  They did this project last year, but the rain flooded out the beds, so we are re-doing it with a more permanent structure.  We all spent the day working in the garden.  After lunch, the landlord drove by and stopped to talk to us.  He said, "Oh, you are never here!"  I said, "you should call before you come by, so that we can be here" and he asked when we would be home to fix our gas tank for the stove.  I told him that we were home at that moment, and he could come in and fix it.  He told me that he did not believe me, and told me to call when I was home, and he drove off.  (we were at the gate of the house when this took place).

Saturday, May 12

We started the day by heading out to the Market in the morning.  It was really funny because we found a stand that was selling American brands--like the Gap, Limited, Banana Republic, and Aeropostale.  The clothing was all new, but the prices were ridiculously low--like $4 US for a pair of shorts. 

After going to the market, we headed out to Succotz to go to Xunantunich.  We hiked up the hill to see the ruins.  All of the volunteers seem to be under the impression that I am expert on the area.  I feel bad when I don't have a clue--they asked me how much further to the ruins (we had a 1 mile hike up), and I had no clue.  There was a remarkable peace at the ruins.  I can't imagine being the first one to discover the ruins.  We hiked to the very top of the tallest building.  There were a few drops of rain, and it was so nice to relax at the top.  The view was incredible! 

Sunday, May 13

Happy Birthday Mother's day!  I woke up this morning to a downpour of rain.  It was actually very nice!  Some of the locals were telling us that the week that we lost power was the hottest week of the year.  It makes me a little happy to know that it is just going to get cooler from here on out.  I have to admit that I have already seen a considerable difference, and I am soooo grateful for it!   

I have been researching a bit about how to go to Cuba legally.  There are stipulations that give permission to people to go.  Cuba welcomes the visitors with open arms--and doesn't stamp US passports so that they don't get into trouble for going to Cuba.  I am looking into going through legal methods.  One of the stipulations is if you go as a Graduate Student, or for humanitarian purposes.  I am going to apply.  I'm not interested in going just to lay out on the beach all day.  I'd like to go walk around and see what Cuba is like.  I was fascinated by the stark differences between Austria and Slavakia, and I feel a similar curiosity with Cuba.  How is Cuba different?  What are the humanitarian needs of Cuba?  Are there any? 

I also find the cultural diversity here in Belize very interesting.  Here in San Ignacio, all of the grocery stores are owned by Chinese, and all of the appliance stores are owned by Indians (the south-east Asian country).  There are several Menonite communities.  We went to one, and stopped for breakfast.  It felt like being back in the United States.  This led me to ask the following question:  What is it that keeps Belizians from bettering their situation? 

A few days ago, we stopped to eat at this new hut down the street from our house.  They were the cutest, nicest couple.  He was from Belize City and she was from Guatamala.  We had to ask what a lot of the things on their menu were, and she laughed.  She does not speak English, and he explained that she was laughing because we are the first Gringas to eat there.  We were right across from the Red Cross, and we asked what the RC does.  They said that they came down a few weeks ago and did eye exams and gave them reading glasses.  The generic sets were for free, but the specialty glasses were given to them at an affordable price.  She pulled out her glasses in pride and thanked us for our generosity. There are eye doctors, but the Belizians can't afford them.  The next day, I saw the generic reading glasses at the market. 

One of the justifications for slavery was that these people were not capable of taking care of themselves, so we have to tell them what to do.  Are we still doing that? These people need to live at the same standard of living as me, so we have to help them achieve that level. But do they?  They see it whenever they go to the Menonite community, yet they don't necessarily want it for themselves.  Everything that Belizians need essentially comes from their markets.  The grocery store comes from the Chinese.  Do they need it?  No.  Does it help them?  Maybe. How?  It provides a wider range of options--most of which American groceries--to the people.   Is it hurting the Belizian people?  Possibly.  Where is the balance? I don't know, but we are giving away reading glasses, while reading glasses are collecting dust on the shelves, and the locals selling the reading glasses are not making a profit.  On the other side, it is possible that tiving them to this generation will create a standard that the next generation is willing to work for.

Back to the slavery thought… I wonder how long slavery affects a population.  The more that I think about it, the more evil it comes to me.  Taking away someone's freedom not only demoralizes an individual, but also affects generations to come. Parents no longer know how to teach their children to take care of themselves, to think freely, to be ambitious.  How many generations would it take to bounce back from this mentality?  Belize has a strong Afro-Caribbean influence, and still has a British appointee (in exchange for financial help from the Crown) in the government.  I am curious about the affect that this has on the culture--feeling powerless.  What is the motivation to work hard?  Where does it come from?  I'd like to study the influence of slavery and colonialism on development.  I'm sure it has been done, and I just have to go find it.

Monday, May 14

Heather and I headed over to Mary Open Doors for a meeting with the Director. Mary Open Doors is a homeless shelter for women who are battered.  We met with the director this morning.  She said that they have plenty of volunteers coming in, so they are putting a price tag on the volunteers.  There is a $250 charge for each volunteer because they really need money.  We asked about how they have fundraised in the past, and she said that they had a dinner at one of the resorts.  The Ka'ana Resort donated the venue and the food, and Mary Open Doors sold the tickets for $100, and 100% of the proceeds went to the organization.  She said that she hasn't had time to do the fundraiser.  Instead, we are going to organize the fundraiser.  We are hoping that we will be able to continue working with them, and we can start up the business help next wave when our business girls get here.  We'll have to see! 

Tonight, we went to "Sweet Ting."  It was really interesting because I got to witness a menonite double date.