IN COUNTRY!!!

I'm in Belize!  Its true!  This crazy unbelievable journey that started so many months ago has finally brought me to this country.  We arrived on Wed. and promptly launched into training.  They are definitely organized and keeping me busy.  Security meetings, survival kriol, medical chats, more meetings etc.  

    Lets start this blog from when we arrived in Belize.  We flew into Belize City and as we stepped off the plane I heard the Volunteers already in the country cheering loudly.  The welcome was as warm as the air.  (that was lame...)  So we loaded everything into the bus and went to a restaurant on the coast.  Felt like i had just arrived in paradise.  We got a chance to meet some of the volunteers and hear their stories over lunch.  The rest of the day was spent driving to the capital city of Belmopan (the world's smallest capital at around 10,000 people.)  I guess it took opening the door to my hotel room (home for the next week) To help me realize that this is Peace Corps and I am no longer in the US.  Its a chinese owned place, and everything from the soaps to the light switches are in chinese.  The bed is on the saggy side, and the entire building looks like a soviet bomb shelter.  But my favorite part, by far, is the overwhelming smell of mothballs when you enter the room.  We're talking gag reflex if you open the closet.  Lovely :)  

    Sooo... Each day we wake up to make it to the office, a few blocks away, by 7:30 or so.  We eat breakfast and start our classes.  Today I learned about the history and politics of Belize and we had a group discussion on Development (what is it, who does it, what for etc)  At times I feel like some of the people here are light years ahead of me when it comes to knowledge of these subjects surrounding economics etc.  I am trying to catch up and still be an active participant.  We will be a large training group for the next few days before we split into our individual concentrations.  Youth development will be training in either Kriol (the local patois) or Garifuna, an african arawak language.  Whatever group I am placed into in the next few days will determine the population I am with for the next two years.  I have my fingers crossed for Garifuna, but part of this whole process is being open to whatever happens,  so thats where I am trying to put my head right now.  On Wed.  I will move with 3 or 4 others to either Georgetown or Independence,  two villages in southern Belize.  I am so ready for this info.  

   All these logistics aside, I think I am still trying to wrap my brain around being here.  I guess it hasn't really sunk in just yet.  Tomorrow we visit the town of Dangriga, which is Garifuna, and then the next day we have a river trip to wash our clothes, go swimming, and generally spend a day outside of a classroom.  There is so much together time with the whole incoming class that I have been craving a bit of alone time.  I took an hour yesterday and went on a run...kinda snuck off from the group after the class day was over.  I feel like I am in limbo.  I have yet to separate fully from the US, I haven't done anything but be in class here, and I am unsure as to what my next week will look like,  much less next year.  Hopefully things will get clarified in the near future and I will be able to give you all an update as to what my next move is.  As far as pictures,  its only been classroom time so far.  (plus i need to learn how to upload pics!!!)  I hope ill be able to show some cool stuff after this weekend.  

Love,

Jake