Nuestro Cohort del Cuerpo de Paz llegó al País el Martes. Anteayer llegué a mi sitio de entrenamiento. This site is going to be my home for the next 3 months. My host site is beautiful with lush greenery, tamarind trees, mango trees (both are in my front yard!), fresh food and fruit everywhere, and HOT weather. The community is very small, and most of the families are related, so some of the other volunteers are also my host brothers/sisters in laws. Training consists of living in a homestay where our host family speaks the language we are assigned to learn: Belizean Kriol or Spanish. I am assigned to a Spanish-speaking family as well as 9 other volunteers. My room is simple, yet enough for what I need. The home is also simple, yet more than enough, and the family and some of the extended family are all neighbors, which creates a lively atmosphere where people are always coming in and out. I have only been here for about ~2 full days and it really has made me realize the excess of comfort we are used to in the States. The pace of life here is much more laid back than at home, where we are accustomed to being on the go and to always arrive early. So far, a good deal of my time has just been spent sitting with the family, watching the day, and chatting (as much as my little bit of Spanish lets me), not a bad thing at all.

Our first “real” week of training begins tomorrow. Our training is also for 3 months, after which we will go to our permanent 2-year posted site. Training, in addition to 4 hours of language immersion classes a day, consists of cultural lessons, safety and security sessions, and technical learning of our intended assignment projects - more to come later about that.

Arrival to mi familia anfitriona (host family)

Spanish and Integration

Pre-Departure, 04/28/25