I was reading something online that says that since Facebook came out, there's been a huge drop in the number of blog entries posted every day; people have been just doing short status updates on their social networking sites and twitter, etc. That got me curious and I decided to read some of my old livejournal entries. I was half surprised the site is still up here, and it made me very sentimental.

My last post was dated 5 June 2009, two months before my close of service as a Peace Corps volunteer. Since then a lot has ahppened. you can check my facebook for that!

Fast forward a year and a half, and I'm BACK here in Punta Gorda, chillin with my old friends again. I felt a strong compulsion to return after looking at pictures and thinking alot about the village. Conveniently my friend Rosendo Cal is a soldier in the Belize Defense Force and invited me to come to his wedding. So here i am, some pictures to follow soon!

My time in belize is winding down, y'all. You officially have only eight weeks to come visit me!

The rainy season started on June 1st, just perfect...but not before surprising us with an EARTHQUAKE last saturday night. I woke up at around two in the morning, my whole house shaking. It lasted about thirty seconds, and the animals went CRAZY. Horses, ducks, chickens, pigs, screaming bloody murder...altough a good few of them were actually being bloodily murdered, because it just so happened the next day was the start of PLANTING Tiiiiiime!! Ah yes, when thousands of Mayan men go out in the sun for hours, make holes in the ground with pointy sticks (again, very complicated technology, you wouldn't understand) and throw corn seeds into each one. Seven corn seeds. Not six, nor eight. Ten is right out. Has to be seven.

Amazingly, I soon became able to pluck exactly seven seeds from my cuxtal, and throw them perfectly into a two-inch wide hole in the ground. Every man goes to every other man's plantation and helps him plant. This communal work philosophy is really something that should be adapted to other village projects...whatever. I'm tired of complaining.

anyway, when the men get back home, the owner of the farm hosts a massive Caldo feast, consisting of pig or chicken, and plenty of corn tortillas and potch (steamed plain corn meal in a leaf). The houses are very hot during the late morning, and I wear long pants and long sleeves because of the sun, and the caldo is made with peppers hot enough to incite hallucinations of time travel; so although it's delicious, it's equallly painful. I'll never get used to it. And I'll remember this stuff forever. Chicken caldo (cald chilan) with tortillas (cua)

Good bye John and Cheryl!! You have been such great volunteers, and even better friends. You really made a dent in the lives of many children in Belize, and your art and love of people will stay with these people (myself included) for a very long time. Good luck in the next step in your life together!!

Mom and I went to Mexico!!

Playa Del Carmen last week, for a VERY Non-peace corps vacation. The woman spoils me to no end, but you won't ever hear me complaining about it. I do wish Harrison and Grace were with us, but we still had a lot of fun.

It was a beautiful all inclusive resort between Playa del Carmen and Cancun, on the Yucatan Peninsula, in the state of Quintana Roo. on what's called the Mayan Riviera. The water is so blue, I've never seen that before. Not even in Belize. It was great to finally speak Spanish for a change (considering I live in Central America, this is a pretty ridiculous, if true, statement), and I havd a great time meeting the staff and relaxing on the beach. The one incongruency nagging my mind was that this trip was very much a 180 degree turnaround from what I've been doing for the last twenty months. I come from rural indigence to get a massage on the beach...corn tortillas to strip steak, and a hammock and dirt floor to 2000-threadcount sheets and maid service. haha. ALSO, it was strange because i have this newfound love of getting acquainted with new cultures and languages, and being so uncomfortable in unfamiliar social situations and learning about myself, and then spending a week surrounded by Americans, where everyone around me is doing their best to make me Comfortable.

At anyrate, it was a great time, and I miss my family.

Close of Service countdown: Three months and a week !!! Then what, you may ask? Well, I was hoping you wouldn't, actually.

Ta.

Sooo, what has everyone been up toooo?

oh right, this is my journal.

I should talk about La Ruta Maya, my latest crazy activity.

The Ruta Maya is a 175 mile canoe race across the width of Belize. It took four hours (in our case, thirty something hours), and I paddled with my two friends, Emily and Pat from the Jesuit Volunteers International.The second day, we paddled for ten and a half hours. Usually, I find that the only thing worth doing for ten hours at a time is being unconscious, however; at the end of this grueling awful ordeal, we still looked like this:

or maybe this was contrived due to the fact that we were being photographed.

It's up to you.

That's me with my paddle, or "boat-moving stick", sitting in the rear, or "back" of the boat. (It's okay if you don't understand these "nautical" terms. I'm flanking them with useful context clues.)

I've got some GREAT executive summaries for latrine material funding; but I don't know where to send them!Does anybody have any Ideas about any good international aid organizations? I try to research but I only have a short time here in Punta Gorda every week. I'm trying to teach our village council about raising funds and self-mobilization and all that. The general trend is to just nag the local government minister until he comes through with a handout; which is entirely non-sustainable and eventually damaging to development.

Anyway

Pictures!!Some of our beaaaautiful home gardens! I'm so proud. This is the Chiac family of Corazon. Look at those tomatoes!

This is the road where I run everyday; cattle pasture, mountains and jungle. That's my friend Cezar on the bike, going to water his horse ; )

So last week I rode my bike to San Lucas, the neighboring village, to visit my friend Matt and some church group that was visiting him, doing some work. Ladies from Milwaukee, Wi. So I told my teachers I was going, put on my green hat and ipod, and rode thirty minutes through the jungle over dirt and rocks until I got there.

I mostly chatted with the ladies while they did arts and crafts with the students (tie-dying, sun catchers)

and after about an hour and a half i reached up because i felt something lumpy on my head. "There must be something in my hat!!" I nonchalantly blurted to nobody in particular. Upon removing said hat, I expected to see any possible range of things, but this range did not include the truth: a six inch black scorpion just hangin' out upside down inside my hat.

It had been there for at least two hours, including the full length of the bumpy bike ride. Didn't sting me though, miraculously.Today I'm house sitting for the Jesuit Volunteers, International.Heads up to the Amazing Fox News network for referring to the first lady of the United States as "Obama's Baby Mama" on Thursday. I don't have the link but you can google it.

Beautiful.

Malaria.That’s my new favorite word.No, I do not have malaria, but pretty much everyone in my village does, and it’s the focus of my education work in Corazon these days. The statistics for last year show that we’ve had 64 cases, making it the number three village in all of Belize. If you don’t know anything about malaria, it’s still very widespread in the western world, and billions of dollars are being used to research eradication methods. It’s caused by a small parasitic animal, neither bacteria nor virus, which first invades the human liver and then spreads, causing high fevers, chills, and delirium. The only way to get malaria is to be bitten by an infected Aedes Aegypti mosquito, who in turn became infected by feeding on an infected human. So the best ways to stop the spread of malaria are to reduce mosquito numbers/avoid getting bitten; and if you are infected, to take all of your medicine, for the full dosage period. The medicine used is Chloroquine phosphate, a quinine derivative which tastes nasty and needs to be taken every day for exactly two weeks.Annoying. So people don’t want to do it; and so they don’t get fully cured, and the disease can pick up momentum and spread.

Happy 09!! I really wish I had pictures of the vacation to post, but my camera broke just before I left, so I'll just have to paint you a picture in your mind.

Imagine this scene as it unfolds before you, if you will::

I went home for Christmas.

It was good.

the end

haha, juuuust kidding.

So I left on 10 December for Cancun, Mexico. It was a long bus ride (about two days on an old US schoolbus, considered the Belizean national busline.) I spent a very sketchy night in a questionable guest house in Corozal, the Mexican bordertown. The next morning I bought some pesos and took a gorgeous sleek coach bus to Playa del Carmen, which was culture shock way before I was expecting any. I stayed at a beautiful hostel by the bus station, but not before passing a super Wal-Mart. (!) I went in, just out of curiosity.

And thoroughly enjoyed myself. I mean, as much as I like to think Ive broken myself of the chains of consumerism and US consumeristic imperialism, I have to admit, it's nice to have things available and cheap. And a cereal aisle longer than the grand central parkway is fun to see, too.

I used a lot of spanish in Playa del Carmen, but I think I must have heard every language I know of in that day; very very touristy. Though the beach was very beautiful and the water was very blue, I knew it was time to get going; so i headed for the airport a little earlier, and walked around Cancun. ALSO very touristy, almost like Disneyworld.

Finally, landed in New York on the 11th; Mom and Grace picked me up at the airport, and quite frankly the theme of the trip was this, and I've mentioned it many times during the last weeks: I felt as though I've never left.

Aunt Dolores drove up from North Carolina, and it was great to give her a hug. She''s a small lady, so my hugs are particularly rib-crushing. She brought my wonderful little cousin Jenna, and her friend Doyle, who is very nice. We went into Manhattan (sighhh), saw the Met, Rockefeller Center; went to the Union Square Market, and bought a computer for one of my friends in the village.

We had a great little get together at my house on the day after christmas, after spending the 25th at my mom's brother's new place in Ramsey, New Jersy. Despite being in new jersey, we all had a GREAT time (kidding)

I do hope to amass some pictures at one point.

love

me.

So I'm on my way home for Christmas, I've been sitting in the Peace Corps office in Belmopan for the last three hours, mooching free internet...on my extended busride to the North of Belize, where I will cross the border into Mexico. From there, it's another four hour bus ride to Cancun and Tulum, where I will be FORCED to stay until my flight ot new york leaves on Thursday.

My life is so hard.

I wanted to share some pictures of the latrines we built this month; as you know latrines are a big part of my work here in the village, and we were fortunate enough to complete six in the last three weeks, with funding and materials from the Humana: People to People organization. THank you all so much. Everyone was really great at being self-motivated, coming to wake me up at five thirty every morning "Let's build my toilet, Mr. Rob!!"So I'm all sore from digging. But everyone worked so hard and I'm very proud of them.

And the finished toilets are beautiful

So for now, I'm going to think about New York for Christmas (I can't handle another hot Christmas, I don't know about you guys)

And I miss my family more than anything. Though I only have another sevne months down here in Belize, I needed to see ny again before I went back.

okay i hope everyone has a GREAT holiday, and New Year, let me know if you wanna hang out when I come home! I certainly want to see everyone I possibly can. JohnPaul, we're definitely on for that Tuesday or whatever it is. I'll call you.

Unless there's a new moon; which happens like, once a month.

This is when one really appreciates a lack of electricity. Like when you're bathing outdoors in the pitch black, and it's only six o'clock.

The stars look like the sea in the moonlight, there are more down here than I've ever imagined that there were. It's beautiful. Come visit me.

Then I was riding my bike and crashed headlong into the village alcalde. Neither of us had a flashlight. It was quite funny. Neither of us was hurt, luckily I was wearing my stylish and all-important bicycle helmet. Ah yes, the helmet. Peace corps volunteers, as you may or not know, are required to wear a helmet during all instances of bicycle riding, under pain of administrative separation from the Peace Corps. Needless to say, it caused more than a little curiosity and the like from my village during my integration period. By now however, everyone is quite used to it, and the children think its the coolest thing in the world.

I cannot stop thinking about my impending trip home to the United states of america.

I'm home from this wednesday (the tenth) until the end of the month (the twenty eighth). I won't have a phone so contact me via internet, and we can See each other. I miss everyone.

I am 24 years old today. I am happy.

So I was digging the last of this set of latrines last week, on Wednesday, when a kid runs over to me and says "Mister Rob! Yu Na de reach!" (this means, rob! your mom is here!)

Slightly curious, I walked to the community center, where I found a group of white people. Not my mom.

Close enough.

This was a medical mission team from the southern states, with whom I had made good friends last year. I spend the next two days assisting them as a kekchi translator as they did health assessments and treated the sick in our tri-village area.

It was great to have some familiar American people around for a few days; I never take that for granted.

It was ALSO great, but not necessary, that they drove me to Caye Caulker on Friday morning, and put me up at their VERY nice hotel on the water. It was a great birthday weekend for me; full of snorkeling, workin' on my gringo tan, and 8 dollar lobster dinners on the beach, watching the sunset over the Caribbean Sea. I ran into Matt Callahan and Nicky Gregerson; I love them.

Sooo, thanks peace corps. For a nice assignment. I mean... I could be in Bulgaria or Azerbaijan or something right now, so, that's something to be Thankful for.

IM COMING HOME IN THREE WEEKS!!! AAAHHH

Sooooo, it's raining again. Raining so much, in fact that I need to be in Belmopan for almost a full week; as all roads from here to Punta Gorda are completely impassable.

Which STINKS because I was getting so busy back in corazon. We're digging pits, lining them with blocks, and building latrines!!

So here I am in the capital, enjoying hours of free internet and cable tv, airconditioning, and hot water.

The trainees swear in next week, so congratulations to them!!

I went to a Methodist church service today and they asked me to play the piano. So not only did I get to go to church in ENGLISH, I got to play a piano!!

It's official, I'm coming HOME for CHRISTMAS!!!!!! I land at JFK on 11 December, and will return on the 28th!! So, lotsa time back in NYC, baybeee. Let me know when i can hang out wit y'all!!

It sure rains a lot here.

And not on the days when I want it to.

It's 7 AM and I've spent the last three hours on a bus, with my friend Olga...it's kinda heartbreaking, but she's 16, has a 2 month old baby, and the father, 17 years old, left the village in the middle of the night on sunday and hasn't been seen or heard from since. So I'm here with her, she's going to talk to a government representative and see what they can do for her, financially. She's not married, and she's a minor. Her family is the poorest in the entire village. But on the other hand, they're not belizean citizens, because their parents were born in Guatemala... it's hard for me to help when I'm so unfamiliar with the law here. But I'm just gonna walk around with her today and go to the government offices and ask questions. Her english is terrible...but then again so is my kek'chi. Wish us luck!

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 11, 2008 – U.S. Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter is saddened to announce the death of U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer Bertie Lee Murphy, 71, who was found in her home in Belize on Tuesday, September 9, 2008. The cause of death is yet to be determined.

“Our entire Peace Corps family is saddened by the loss of such a devoted and energetic Volunteer who made a lasting impact on the lives of the Belizean people,” said Director Tschetter. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Bertie’s friends and family during this very difficult time.”

Bertie was a vivacious and dedicated member of the Peace Corps family and served with distinction as an Education Volunteer in Belize where she was an elementary education teacher-trainer in the southern village of Hopkins. Universally loved and respected, Bertie had recently repurposed a local building into a library filled with personal and donated books. She became a Peace Corps Volunteer in June 2007, following a distinguished career in both the corporate world and in public service.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think I'm still kinda in shock about all this. I'm not used to experiencing death so far away from my family.

I send all my prayers and sympathy to her family, her daughter Laura, whom Bertie could never stop talking about.

It turns out that Bertie died naturally, in her bed on a beautiful Hopkins beach. She had accomplished so much in one short year, and touched so many lives.

Love you, Bertie.

I'm no economist (though I do look nice in a bowtie), but Belize's economic condition is a MESS. Government is soooo corrupt here, and both parties seem to be extorting millions and millions EVERY year. On the local level, I don't really see much other than mayans, who are self-reliant in their subsistence farming, so they're not going hungry, but they have no INCOME, no savings, no direction financially, no chance for growth. This means children are less likely to continue school and get jobs and start making money. So everything is just stuck. When I come to Punta Gorda, the streets are full of hustlers, just tryin to make a quick buck from a tourist, some mayans make handicrafts and the like, and try to sell them on the streets.

This is not how to make money. There've been some gimmicks getting pushed around, tilapia farming, etc...I'm leery.

My belief is that the key to success here is organization. No belizeans want to work together for a common goal, unless they're paid for it immediately, or mandated by the government. The Mennonite community and the Chinese-Belizeans have an innate knack for organization and working communally, and it has led to their capitalizing on the whole economy of the country. And of course the Kriol population all balk and resent their presence and success, as some Americans have done (though not on such an extreme level) with the urban Orthodox and Hassidic Jews, but should just stop complaining and take a hint

Mennonites make things that everybody needs (dairy products and farm supply goods especially) and have become the only people who supply such things. They have immaculate production practices, are always very clean, friendly, and make quality stuff!

I'm thinking of bringing some of our village farmers on a fieldtrip to a mennonite community like spanish lookout in the Cayo district, and show them about safe pig farming and how they do so much work without electricity and the like.

This week is an exciting one, as the NEW Future volunteers arrived in country!!

Several toledo volunteers, including John, Mica, Mitchell, Rachel and I took the bus up on Monday to Belize city. We stayed with volunteers in the city, who...have some pretty nice digs, if I may. Virginia and Anthony, beautiful people that they are, and some of the hardest working teacher trainers I know, found a fantastic house in the city with tile floors, a big beautiful kitchen, internet, and free cable tv. AND they EVEN have a toilet.

INSIDE The house!!

We went to the World famous Princess Casino and hotel, and spent our evening, cheapos that we are, playing nickel roulette and mooching the free beverages that the exasperated waitresses were carting around for our broke butts. Haha

The next morning we took the bus out to the airport in Ladyville and waited in the waving gallery as the newbies got off the plane. We screamed and jumped up and down as they hit the tarmac, and then ran out to the front entrance to yell again when they cleared customs.

There are forty four new trainees - a LOT. Three married couples, and about fifteen volunteers over the age of fifty! I loved to see the energy in the room when they arrived at the belmopan office, and stayed for a couple days to answer questions, and give my perspective after being here for a year. I really love meeting new people and showing them around and sharing my knowledge. I'd love to be a nyc tourguide or something. I felt all my RA, OA tourguide excitement coming out haha.

So I made it; after my crazy adventure. After getting stuck in town, I had to grab a change of clothes from my village before my trip up to Belmopan for a Chess Coaches conference. Problem is, buses don't run very often, so after I got off the market bus in corazon, I made up my bag, took a bath, and proceeded to ride my bike from Corazon creek to Punta Gorda town. Yes, I am crazy but it was a good experience. For those unfamiliar, Punta Gorda is a port town on the Caribbean Sea, and my village is about three hours inland, close to the Guatemalan border. So my ride was about four hours long, on an unpaved road through the jungle.

BUT I made it, and got to Belmopan with time to spare. It was a great week of camp, chess leadership activities, and I got some great resources for continuing with our club in September. I'd like to extend a great thanks to the people who have made our chess club possible: Anita Dutrow and Donna Austin et al from St Louis, MO. Love you guys. Also my generous family members, Tommy and Vickie Magee, my mother Rosemary, and my Aunt Dolores whom I miss very much. Our current sponsor is the Snack Shack in PG, a fine dining establishment if I've ever been to one. Open every day except sunday for breakfast and lunch : ) Best fry jacks in town!!

I've started a new exciting side project, if not for humanity's sake, then for my own sanity. My friend April's mother just got a piano, and she asked me to come over to PG once a week and give her a piano lesson! I started two weeks ago and it's been so much fun. Not only being around a piano after a year of horrible musicless existence, but also being able to TEACH piano again means so much...

Mom says I should start thinking about grad school now, because when I get back home, I might have to start right away because I'm coming home in the late summer. The prospect of med school seems so daunting to me, and honestly I'm having my doubts. Do I really want to be a doctor? Can I get into med school with these grades? Why is MCAT prep so #$%@#$% hard? If i didnt, can I really have a career in music?

So many questions.

Okay, so Belize has gone from six months of drought and unbearable dryness to three weeks of massive flooding and unstoppable thunderstorming.

My best friends, the second year volunteers, leave Belize this week for the States.

I'd just like to say that they've been so important to my adjustment and service in this country. They made me feel so welcome and Ive made a ton of new friends. So to Jeff, Shella, Jenny Soto, Norbeck, Maggie, Ryan, Nicky, and everyone else who's shoving off, you'll missed by everyone very much, and next year, you all have a place in New York to stay : D

I am currently stuck in Punta Gorda, our district town, since FRIDAY; as there have been no market buses in or out of my village. On the plus side, Peace Corps is paying for my hotel stay, where I am enjoying some lovely wireless internet, air conditioning, cable tv, and real, electric overhead LIGHTING!!! WOOHOO, Did I mention the flush toilet?

I also get to talk to my family online, including my little cousin paige whom i MISS a whole lot.

Last week I directed a really successful summercamp for our village chess club. Fellow volunteer Liz Pitrof came down from Belmopan and I enjoyed having her in my little house for five days. : D Thanks liz!

A word on chess: This activity, though taken for granted by many kids, taught to us by our fathers for generations, holds a lot more merit than many probably think. Through our work with Ella Anderson and the Belize National Youth Chess Foundation, we have been able to expose hundreds of rural and urban Belizean students to this new cerebral outlet that fosters creativity and strategy, as well as giving youth a new opportunity for non-soccer competition, AND includes our so often neglected young women, especially in Mayan communities.

Tomorrow I'm going to do something a little insane.

If I survive you'll hear about it later.

I received a bit of brilliant information from my brilliant cousin John Paul, who did his PhD research on Chaos Theory and its applications in the El Nino weather phenomenon. Not knowing much about Coriolis and his crazy effect, I am happy to reprint this for all of you:

That bit about, "toilets and sinks swirling in the opposite direction," in the Southern Hemisphere? It's actually a myth.

Take it from your cousin with the PhD in climate physics. ;) The Coriolis Effect only has an effect on motion at the scale of say, oh, Rhode Island. Or in other words: the water (or wind) would have to move several miles before the Coriolis Effect deflected it more than a foot or two.

Which means you really do need a toilet bowl the size of Rhode Island for the Coriolis Effect to make it spin, "in the opposite direction," one side of the equator vs. the other.

Water down a toilet or a sink spins whichever way the shape of the bowl and the direction of the water causes it to.

So, the Coriolis Effect really only causes hurricanes and weather systems (but not tornadoes; they're too small) to spin the other way 'round in the Southern Hemisphere. More interesting: The Coriolis Effect drops to zero as you near the Equator (and, I think, the poles).

So THANKS John Paul, I miss you alot, and you're super cool.

Soooo, I finally made it out of my village.

Really far out of my village.

In fact, I'm in Argentina!!

I landed very early this morning in Buenos Aires' Pistarini airport, and gave mom and grace a big hug. Then I walked outside, in my shorts and shortsleeved shirt, realizing that I should have paid more attention in Miss Hartill's third grade science class in 1993.

A brief science lesson: Argentina is located in South America, on the other side of the equator. This is the part of the world we call the Southern Hemisphere. This carries some interesting consequenses; namely the reverse Coriolus Effect, which causes toilet and sink water to swirl in the opposite direction that they do above the equator. Another interesting effect is that when the North is enjoying a nice warm summer, ITS a COOOOLD wintertime IN THE SOUTH.

I um, seem to have overlooked this minor detail when i was PACKING for the trip, and now i'm sitting in the apartment and I'm very cold. oh well. the city is absolutely beautiful, like a cross between paris and new york. We're staying in a beautiful apartment in the palermo district. Pictures to come soon!

10 May I wanted to tell everyone about the awesome time I had when my DAD came to visit me a few weeks ago. He arrived a few Fridays ago, and I took the bus up to Belize City to meet him. On the way I stopped in and stayed with my friends Ginny and Anthony, who live in a beautiful house (and deservedly so, being beautiful people). J These guys are so chipper and upbeat and optimistic, well; let’s just say they put ME to shame. They shared some great classroom supplement materials and teaching resources which our school is currently using! We had a good day, shopping at a real live supermarket (Save – U), featuring items that I never DREAMED of having access to in this country, including pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, priced at a meager $20 each. Aisles of whole foods, tofu, organic happiness in a 100% post consumer recycled fair trade nonbleached heaven.Well, maybe I’m exaggerating, but that’s how I felt at the time.Anyway!So, dad. I got to the airport road and decided to take the bus and walk a mile, and save a $50 cab fare, and found myself walking next to some guy, about my age. We got to talking and it turns out we grew up within BLOCKS of each other and went to different schools in the same areas. WeirdI ran through the airport and got to the “waving gallery” overlooking the tarmac. There were only two flights that day (small country), and dad got off the plane and I started screaming, waving, and jumping up and down uncontrollably. Of course he couldn’t see or hear me, and the neighboring people in the gallery were backing slowly away to a safe distance. I shot down the stairs, and after several long moments of anticlimactic waiting for him to clear his baggage and customs, I JUMPED in his arms and I was so happy and almost crying and it was so wonderful and great.“Don’t block the door, please.”“Oh, sorry.” Soooo dad and I began our week long drive around the country in a Suzuki Jimmy, which decided to gradually crap out on us over the course of the seven days. It was little stuff at first, struts rattling, gears sticking, then by Wednesday the ignition froze shut and we had to take off the whole casing and pop out the ignition. For three days we started the car with a screw driver, aaand, it was pretty awesome.On the way BACK to the airport, first gear stops working. Then second gear stops working. Then third gear stops working.We drove from Belmopan to Belize City, to the airport, about 2 hours of driving, in fourth gear.I miss DAD!!!Our general itinerary, Belize city the first night, where we just crashed from tiredness:Dad: “Hey, man! It’s only nine o’clock! Let’s hit the casino baby! Gonna play some blackja---zzzzzzzzzzzzzz…..snooooore,” as he collapses on the bed. Next day, a long drive to San Ignacio, where we saw the excavated Mayan city of Xunantunich, then a few days in beautiful relaxing Placencia, the Garifuna beach village of Hopkins, and back down to my village! For a total of 12 hours in Corazon creek. We eventually left because dad had to go to the bathroom. BUT everyone got to meet him, and Rob is happy. Pictures are available on http://www.myspace.com/robbalamma

So I should probably tell this, though it's embarrassing...Many of you know that I've been somewhat of an amateur entomologist after taking a college survey in insect biology. Excited, I brought my bug net and collection materials to Belize, as I've heard of the great deal of biodiversity that can be found in the semitropical climates.

I did some minor collecting during training and found some really awesome stuff, but had to put most of it on hold as a lot of my collection began to rot or become infested with parasites and detritivores. In addition, work started to get the best of my time and the bug net found its place under my bed for awhile.

So last month I was sitting with my host mother Catarina and her daughter Shona, whom I love. It was about 7 at night and I had just finished eating my caldo with lovely corn tortillas when SUDDENLY she flies in; a tropical emperor moth (Pavlovia pavlovia) Thee size of my FACE, and starts fluttering around the single bare lightbulb in the kitchen ceiling. I start freaking out with pure joy and excitement, and my host mom is just trying to kill the thing. I tell her to stop and run like the wind to my room and dig out my bug net. In a flash I'm back, planning the perfect swipe to capture the moth like the jedi that I am.

Then I have it, perfect position, right where I want her. I take a good wind up and swing -

SWING!

And ya know, as the lightbulb started to shatter to pieces I shot a glance at my host mom, but by the time my eyes met her it had gone pitch black, and the three of us were standing in darkness.

Count a few beats of silence, as I assess the situation...somewhere a dog barked.

I'm standing with a bug net in one hand in the middle of a thatched kitchen with a dirt floor, shattered glass everywhere, and the other two people in the room have no shoes on. It's dark as pitch thanks to the new moon, and the moth has long since flown out the window.

Cut to five minutes later, my host fmily is sitting on chairs with their feet raised in the air, shining flashlights all over the floor as I meticulously search the dirt for fragments of lightbulb with a palmleaf broom and a pigtail bucket.

I felt really really bad. But I would have felt worse had they not been laughing uncontrollably the whole time.

So...that was a consolation, I guess.

Ya know, sometimes I feel that when I go back home, my village will be mostly sad that they're losing their primary source of entertainment.

The end!

Yeahhh, everybody, I'm extremely exhausted today.

I didn't get much sleep last night, because of a hammock incident; I walked outside yesterday for two seconds to hang my wash out, and a dog RAN into my house, tore aNOTHER big hole in my hammock (I had just finished patching the last one); and made off with an enTIRE loaf of bread. I was too tired to chase it, because I had just gotten back from fishing.

Well, not really fishing.

Cuauom.

Cuauom is one of the many Mayan hunting techniques, discovered through hundreds and thousands of years of living in the bush. I went out with the Che/Cus clan, about 10 of us in total, for a 2 mile hike along our small river, into the jungle. Included in this was a 2 year old, and an 8 week old baby slung to his 15 year old mother's back.

Ruben started with his machete, hacking down pieces of a thick jungle vine hanging over the creek and collecting them into a bag. We got into the water and the boys taught me how to pulverize the vines with a stick on a rock (very advanced technology, you wouldn't understand) and wash the pulp in the water. After about 1 hour of this, the water became too cloudy to see through, with soapy bubbles floating on the surface. This is of course toxic to the fish, who consequently began to float up to the surface of the water, as the whole family (myself included) proceeded to dive wildly for these fish, putting them in baskets, hats, pockets, anything we had.

So...that was a new experience.

Returning to the village the nurse's aide and I gave a nutritional seminar to the ladies in the village, and also began a community mapping tool. Everyone really loves drawing their village, as many of them have never seen it drawn on paper before.

Dinner was ramen, with some carrots and onions from the school garden; I was too tired to try anything more complicated.

ANYWAY, back to this morning;

I woke up at two am and helped my neighbor slaughter a pig and two chickens; this is never something very pleasant, but I'm starting to get used to it. Then I got on the bus for PG town and got invited (read: roped in) to a P.L.E.N.T.Y. gardening workshop training. It was like 110 degrees and i was working in the hot sun in a garden that wasnt even MINE for like 4 hours. jeez.

now i'm going back to mike's (god bless that boy, I don't know how he puts up with us), he lives in town and has graciously invited us wacky village volunteers to crash when we need to.

Anyway, trying to work out dad's trip...I'm going to sleep well tonight.

Good Friday This is a big travel weekend for the volunteers; and rightfully so, as we get almost two full weeks off from our ‘jobs’. Many of our friends decided to backpack through Mayan ruins in Guatemala, fly to the jungles of Costa Rica, or snorkeling in Placencia or San Pedro island, but NOT Mr. ROB! He and the lovely Carrie Bottcher could think of no better getaway than Mike’s house. Mike and the boys (Danny, Josh, and Nadov) are in Tikal and Flores this weekend, so she and I decided that we should just hang in his living room from Wednesday ‘til Monday, eat junk food and watch movies. And it’s just as well, because I was nervous about being really homesick, as I am around every holiday around here. It’s been so great so far, dad sent me some pictures of the family and a sweet note (and some other little green notes : D ), Miss Anita from ol’ MO sent me the cutest Easter Card, and my awesome friend (and noted up-and-coming photographer) John Dolan sent me a THUMB drive with entire seasons of my FAVORITE shows, The Office, Family Guy, Futurama, and Arrested Development, as well as the movies Clue, and Little Miss Sunshine. Wow, John is awesome. Everyone should check out his work too! http://www.johndolanphotography.com Last night Carrie Shella Liz and I went to meet up with Liz’s family who is visiting from Albuquerque. They took us to dinner and then we went to a party at Nurse Donna’s house. She’s this awesome lady who reminds me of my Aunt Ellen. She used to be a Peace Corps nurse but moved back to the states when her granddaughter was born in January, and has been doing Americorps in Colorado. This tiny lady is friends with everyone in PG, and is just so understanding of what we’re going through, and crazy, and an activist, and I love her and miss her a lot. I hope everyone’s having a really great weekend; I’m happy to be out of the village for a few days.

Also, new pictures on my Myspace!! http://www.myspace.com/robbalamma

Happy March everyone!

I was supposed to do some travelling this weekend but that all fell through so I'm just hanging out in town. I'm looking at the Carib Sea; very gray today, storms coming in. This weekend is the annual Ruta Maya; a FOUR DAY long canoe race spanning half the length of Belize. A few of our volunteers registered a dory (Belizean name for a canoe) and we're pullin for them! : )

It makes me think about the ol' college days, paddlin' on the Susquehanna [dark] and early in the morning, in some of the most CRAZY weather.

My house is finally up and running, and I'm still trying to furnish it a little; My good friend Liz came from Sta Teresa to visit me last night, it was so much fun; I made tortellini puttanesca with a chickpea salad : ) and we went to church and sang kekchi songs. Now the whole village thinks I have a wife; which is fine with me, cuz it's a perfect explanation for everything. Mayans get married very young, and the Catholic Church is really starting to be more strict about only marrying eighteen year olds. This causes 15, 16 17 year olds to be having babies out of wedlock, but this is a totally normal thing for them. So naturally it was very strange for me to show up in a village, 23 years old, without a picture of my girlfriend or wife or babies or anything, and any woman who comes within a 10 foot radius of me is a potential ixk, or wife, for the village to set me up with. Needless to say, this gets tiresome very quickly.I'm trying to plan Dad's trip to belize; I have never been good with itinereries.

As you've read before, my whole village has gotten solar power, consisting of a panel for each family, hooked up to at least two lightbulbs per thatch. I was NOT outfitted with one of these babies, so my power options are limited to a gas burner, mess tin, and candles/kerosene lamps. I am officially at a lower level of technology than the village of corazon creek.

Last night I met a French man.

He was on the couch of my PC friend Mike, whom he met through a website called Couchsurfing.com

On this website you can finally have the opportunity to meet tons of strange dirty people who are travelling through your part of the world, and invite them to spend a free night on your couch, hammock, duvan, ottoman, kitchen table, or what have you. This man in particular was in his 30s and planned to hitch hike through belize to guatemala, and travel for another two weeks before heading back to Europe. He was nice and played bossa nova music on his guitar; I didn't get too close. I would have only broken his heart.

Wow, I got some amazing mail this week. Aunt Vicky, THANK YOU, Elke (basically my cousin) THANK YOU, and my dear long lost friend Talitha Phillips all sent me some beautiful tchotchkes, candy (!), music, and other accoutrements of happiness. Talitha and I were colleagues in the music department at Binghamton, and she's studying theology in California to eventually become a minister. She plays a smashing double bass (especially henry eccles), writes beautiful original songs, has a pretty voice, and I love her and miss her a lot.

Today I'm in town to talk with the Sustainable harvest international about possible assistance with a pig penning cooperative our village wants to start.

More good news, my new house is FINALLY completed, pictures will be up on my myspace soon!

Also I just got news that my DAD will be visiting me in April, from the 11-19; we're going to have fuuuuun!!

Yeahhh, chess.

This weekend I took 13 kids from our school chess club to a tournament in Punta Gorda town. We took the regular market bus in at 3 am and were the first ones there (not surprisingly).

This was the biggest primary school chess tournament in the history of Belize (over 80 students showed up to play), and our students definitely surprised Coach Mr. Rob. Most of them won at least three of the five games they were expected to play (it was not an elimination tournament). Our girls did very well also, and a special kudos for them; as women tend not to be as involved in extracurriculars or education in the mayan culture.

We had a lot of fun, and though we didn't get any high scores enough for an award it was a much needed learning experience.

for posterity I'll leave my eyewitness account of a dying cultural phenomenon.

Last week our village organized a Mayhac; which is the most contemporary form of the Ancient Mayan sacrifice/prayer ritual/all night vigil.

For three days the elders of my village were out preparing the Catholic church with flowers and candles. They constructed a makeshift altar outside using slabs of quarry stone and cement, and set up a chickenwire fence to keep out dogs and pigs.

The ceremony was flanked by eighteen evenings of catholic masses, presided over by the leity (meaning no Eucharist consecration), with the ritual starting at ten pm on the ninth night.

The whole catholic community gathered in the church and it looked like any other Sunday morning; until the pig was slaughtered. If you have never heard porcine death, I'll just tell you it's the most bloodchilling sound that will give you nightmares for weeks. The blood from the pig was splattered on the altar, and then we were bombarded with more incence than I've ever seen or smelled at one time. I literally could not see three feet in front of me after two minutes. This was coupled with much singing in Kekchi (catholic tunes), and a ceremony involving triangular arrangements of candles. then, at midnight, everyone went outside and gathered around the secondary altar and kneeled down to; ostensibly worship a burning pot of incense covered in pig blood and cacao drink. This went on for another hour or so; when everybody went to the community center to eat pig caldo.

Caldo is the basic maya dish; it's a spicy chicken broth (or in this case, pork) which is colored a bright red by a berry grown here, and with a big chunk of meat in the middle. This culinary masterpiece is eaten with corn tortillas, or on special occasions, potch, which is simply balled up masa (cornmeal) steamed in a banana leaf. Mmmm-mmm good.

I'll leave it to you to decide whether I'm being sarcastic or not.

This shindig then moved to the hill at the top of our village where there is a deep dark cave filled with water. There was more candle lighting, incense burning, singing and praying. I was asleep at this point; but when I woke up at seven the next morning, I found the whole congregation still at the same spot, children passed out sleeping on the ground; nobody had been to sleep.

It's fascinating to watch this ritual in conjunction with the Catholic Church, who is obviously none too pleased with the obvious pagan underpinning, but it was something cool to watch. I mean the missionaries who settled these villages converted everyone to their religion and thus bled Western ideals and trends to a culture; the best way we know how to kill an indigenous society. James Michener's Hawaii is a great read about this stuff.

Okay have a great day!

This has been a bit of a surreal week; much death and loss around me; primarily the death of my godfather, Joe Cauchi. I've never known a man besides my father who was so INTERESTED in my life and personal/academic development. A lot of people have godfathers only in the nominal sense of the title; but Uncle Joe really meant a great deal to me, and gave me much motivation to do well in school, at the piano, everywhere. I will miss him, definitely. But right now, I am dealing with an odd feeling of detachment from my emotional state. Being in Belize has somehow caused me to lose all sensitivity to many things at home; this being one of them. I have been unable to cry over all this stuff, and i hope it's not damaging me emotionally.

My great friends Clare and Eric both ended their service in Peace Corps Belize this week, to go back home to Jersey and N.C. They had been two of my greatest sources of support during our staging/training/settling in craziness. Life is going to be very hard without them, and I miss you both already.

What else happened, Belize's great Garifuna recording artist Andy Palacio passed away this week, it was a great shock to the entire nation. Check out some of his music if you're interested in something different and cool.

okay, I'm sick of writing farewells and eulogies...so enough for me.I could really use a letter or hug or something : (

Happy New Year EVERYONE!!! SO sorry to have only written two entries last month, I'll try to be better, I promise.

After a great Christmas in Florida, I decided to stay in my village for New Years. Not surprisingly it was not the most exciting New Years' Ive ever had; no music, nobody to kiss. I considered dressing up a coconut like heath ledger, but eventually just decided to go to bed around 9 pm. I woke up at ten minutes to midnight by chance, walked out to the road, and watched the stars until my watch beeped.

I felt like the only person in the entire world.

I've been keeping busy, as usual, Chess club is in full swing; we've had to install a SECOND club session for the overwhelming number of ADULTS who want to play and learn. My challenge here is getting women and girls to particiapate. Everyone seems to think that fun things should only be reserved for men, and that women should stay in the kitchen with the babies.

Gardening has become my new total passion.

I know I'm becoming a successful volunteer when my journal entries get more and more boring; I guess it means I'm really starting to acclimate to the village life.

Tonight's our village's Mayahoc; the ancient ritual sacrifice/prayer service, done at the mouth of a cave at midnight. Shoudl be really cool. Hopefully I'll have some pictures up soon.

People I'm thinking about right now:

Chris Strunk Dustin Woodward Lauren Bedell Anita Dutrow Donna Austin Sue Peters Dolores Galanti Pat Meaney

"Those homosexuals are so dramatic and flamboyant. It makes me want to...just set myself on fire." - Luceille Bluth

Two women are at a Catskills Resort. The first one says "Boy the food at this place is really terrible." And the other one goes "I know, and such small portions!"

The solution to most any problem is salt water: Sweat, tears, or the sea. Things my village needs: A rice huller, toothbrushes, toothpaste, stationery, erasers, sharpeners, pencils, books!!! (2nd grade reading level

Hey all, Happy Holidays to everyone I haven't gotten to talk to lately.

I have been having a great christmas; I'm in Florida for the week. First in Miami, where I got to look at attractive people and hug my mom and eat a hamburger and watch TV.

Then up to Orlando where I saw Myrna, my costarican babysitter from my childhood. That was quite a trip.

Then off to Venice where I hung out with Grandma for two days, and her boyfriend Cliff. We met his family, and ate a LOT. My family from NY was so pale, I couldnt believe it.

It's incredibly weird to spend your first Christmas without your dad in a Non-Snow, Non-cold environment, let alone a subtropical place like Florida.

Anyway, after this crazy four days, I've been FORCED, by my voluntary responsibilities, and the US government, to return to the jungles of Toledo, to continue my work. But it's been a good six month break.

My computer has decided to explode, (the fan broke, so it overheats and shuts down after five minutes of use); I'm forced to manually fan the back with a piece of cardboard for as long as i wanna use it.

but this Christmas I really lucked out; I guess there are some good things about peaec corps.

I got a solar charger for my ipod, and a NEW ipod, from my mother EIGHTY GIGABYTES. I dont even nkow if that many songs have ever been recorded in the history of music. But I'm not complaining, anyway.

What else, some clothes, money, books for my village school; CD's, I'm just a happy camper.

Journal entry 12/14/07 I just got back from Belmopan, after an all-volunteer conference. It was SO Great to see everyone; and every time I see the volunteers from the North, I milk it for all I can, because there’s no telling when I’ll see them again!! But I got to share pictures and stories from my village, and got to hear about everyone else’s experiences. I also got to say goodbye to Eileen, George, Anna, and ELVA, four of my favorite people, office staff, who are all leaving in the next month; the two consecutive country directors, our training director, and our trainer. Ah well. They have given me such amazing support as a trainee and new volunteer, and I wish them all the best in Arizona, Nicaragua, and Mexico. Love you all!! Last night I got the privilege of attending a Christmas dinner at Ambassador Dieter’s residence, where I was asked to be the piano player for the evening. Notice I said ‘piano player’, and not ‘pianist’. There is a difference. When I gave my senior thesis recital at Casadesus hall, Schubert, Bach, Mozart, Chopin, I was a ‘pianist’, but when I go to music theater class and act as a human jukebox for an hour and a half, that’s me being a ‘piano player’. So I was the background music at this shindig, and in the midst of my producing the ‘audible wallpaper’, as I like to call it, I did get to meet a buncha great people, including the Mexican and Brazilian ambassadors, as well as the deputy prime minister of Belize. So I have been lucky here. It’s just amazing how people who LIVE in and are IN CHARGE of this country have no CLUE as to what the living conditions are like in the Maya villages. When I said we don’t have electricity, I got more than a few raised eyebrows, and since it was dinner I decided to refrain from breaking the no-latrine news to anybody. Anyway, I’m back in town, ready to head back to Corazon tomorrow; plus I gotta start buying supplies for building my house…demolition starts Monday!! So excited.