news on belize

a few weeks ago, coy and i had the opportunity to speak with some of our peace corps belize staff members and receive some additional information about this upcoming adventure. the phone interview was intended for our training director and education program director to get a better idea of our past experiences, but it was also a great chance for us to ask some of those burning questions. here are some informative gems we managed to glean from this conversation:

1. we will spend the first week in belmopan (the capital city) with approximately 40 other volunteers, during which time we will receive a crash course in kriol (creole), receive immunizations, and probably do a great deal of paperwork. after this week, the 4 programs (education, youth development, small business, and sanitation) will travel out to more rural areas for community based training.


2. we will be living somewhere within the cayo district for the remainder of training, and learning either spanish or kriol. (this map shows you the six districts of belize, and cayo is in the west, bordering guatemala.) we will live with a host family during this time. the other 9 education volunteers will live relatively nearby, as will our language trainer. each friday, we will travel into belmopan for training with volunteers from the other 3 sectors.

3. our eventual home will be "rural". while we are unsure as to what this means exactly, i think we can rule out the possibility of an apartment with running water and electricity. however, we may be somewhat near to a town. peace corps often uses email to communicate with volunteers, so it might be likely that we have the opportunity to access internet with some regularity.

4. it's very likely that biking may become our main form of transportation. volunteers receive a bike allowance and may purchase a bike of their choice. apparently biking is a popular past time in belize, and there are many races and biking related events, as well as bike shops and (hopefully) nice options within our budget.

5. we have an address. and some tips on mailing. first of all, you can send us mail at this address for the next two years. it's actually the main peace corps office in belize, and they will accept our mail for the duration of our service. however, it may not always be the most efficient and expedient way to send us something. i am sure we will update as soon as a new address is procured. in the meantime, letters and packages are welcome! padded envelopes survive customs better than large packages. our first 6 months entitle us to duty free packages, though. send at your own discretion!

Coy & Melissa
Peace Corps
P.O. Box 492
Belmopan
Belize

well, that's pretty much all we've got for now. we've spent the past week on a fabulous tour of eastern pennsylvania and i braved my first visit to new york city. it's wonderful spending so much quality time with friends and catching up with everyone. more traveling is in store for us this weekend, and sometime between now and august 18th i suppose we will find time to pack!