Cathy and I were invited to meet with him for a
half hour before the luncheon and tell about the training
manual for the community health workers that we are writing. Country Director Nina Hernandez followed up by explaining
how it will fit into the direction of Peace Corps in Belize. As we have mentioned in earlier blog entries, the emphasis for next year’s volunteers
will be on health education, partnering with the community health workers
in the rural villages.
After a wonderful lunch (I got excited about the
fresh salad), some of our fellow volunteers gave presentations about their work
in all the programs (health, education, and business development).
He posed for a picture with us. Cathy is right
behind his wife in the middle, and I am behind Cathy.
I have had fun working with my good friend
Charlie Holliday (a transplant from northern California) on a project for Pen
and Ingrid Cayetano. They have a door with great sentimental significance and
wanted it used on a display cabinet in their house. It turns out that Charlie
is a master wood finisher - mostly for marine applications, and he shares my
reverence for beautiful wood. We have sanded the door and cleaned it up, but
Charlie is still struggling to find a can of finish that will do justice to
this wood.
Pen introduced us to a cabinet builder, Maurice
Martinez, who has a woodworking shop with production level tools. I designed a
corner cabinet for the door and delivered the precise dimensions to Maurice for
the front door frame with mortise and tenon joinery. I think the wood for the frame is from
a mango tree. We picked up the frame on Friday, and I was very pleased with
his level of perfection. He is truly a craftsman.
Next week I will mount the door on the hinges
and get some photographs. I have also selected wood for the back panels, and it
has all harvested from Pen and Ingrid’s farm and is well seasoned. We delivered the boards to get them planed
and edged. I can hardly wait to see the grain.
 |
| Taken from the upstairs at Pen's house. |
The highlight of the week is the visit by my
sisters Nancy and Carol. They brought us lots of toys and goodies. They stayed
one night here and left the next day for Tobacco Caye. Carol has been keeping
us entertained with her photos and emails.
Yesterday I was able to spend the day with them
and had a blast. In spite of many reapplications of sunscreen, I still got a
little reddened. It was certainly worth the minor discomfort.
We spent almost the entire day in Cap'n Doggy's boat, and I learned how to catch baracuda. We went snorkeling on the reef for a while and marveled at the beauty of the sea life. I also met many new
friends yesterday and enjoyed good food with them. It was a wonderful time.
 |
| Carol, me and Nancy - with Doggy in the boat |
2 comments:
Steve and Cathy, My name is Celeste, and I received my invitation to come to Belize in June. The placement office made a perfect match for both of us.5 years ago, I took a class with WHO in San Pedro Sula, Honduras...spoke no Spanish at the time...but the coarse was very similar to parts of what the new program will be. After that class, I continued to return to Honduras, and then Guatemala several times a year working in a small clinic .In the last year, with the assistance of my Guate friend, I have developed a program to provide PAP smears to the indigenous women. With the help of a few locals from the area where I go,the women are able to get their exams, and a nurse in the area follows up with their results and necessary referrals. On to now, I would like to fast forward and be touching down in BZE in the morning. I am wondering if there is anything you can think of that I could bring down with me that might be useful with this new project. Please let me know. I have just read all your posts, and am ready to play and dance and, oh yeah, work. I do love the indigenous people and children..and I live in the armpit of Florida, so heat and humidity are my game, just need the fan with the battery back up for bedtime:)
Celeste, I don't know your email so I can't respond. If you see this, please write me directly at kudzuchick@gmail.com. Ava had already told me about you, so I was expecting your note - just don't know how to reach you.
Post a Comment