Keila

Been battling "technology" for the last week, and it is improved, but still ongoing. Did not have internet connection at home over the weekend until last night, although I did do some photo management, moving my nearly 10,000 photos onto a portable hard drive so they wouldn't clog the laptop, and loaded the latest version of Adobe Photoshop Elements. I use that program to edit and manage photos, including reducing them in pixel size so I can post them here.

This photo is of Keila, the young woman who works for us converting the architect's designs into "bills of quantities", or lists of everything, and I mean everything, that is needed to build the designs. At least, that is one of the things she does, and probably more.

She has a two year degree from a college in Belize City in architecture, and would like to go to architectural school in the U.S. or Canada. Interesting background - her grandparents migrated to Belize from Honduras, and she lives in the village of Cowpens 7 or 8 miles off the Southern Highway on the mainland. ( It is almost due west of Seine Bight, and google maps doesn't show the road, and the village is under clouds in the satellite picture) It is an old village of people of Honduran ancestry. There is no electricity or running water. To get to work she catches a ride or walks to the main road, then catches a bus to Mango Creek where she takes the Hokey Pokey water taxi across rhe lagoon to Placencia. She has a baby boy that is several months old, while at work her parents take care of him. Her husband works at a chicken processing plant in Spanish Lookout in the northern part of the country.

She has ten siblings, eight are in the U.S., most on visas, which allows the bearer to work and are good for 10 years. I think the rule is that they have to come back to Belize, or at least leave the U.S., every now and then. One of her sisters went to great effort to get her parents green cards, which require that the holder stay in the U.S. for 6 (?) months every year. Unfortunately, her folks don't like the U.S., but because of the daughter's efforts, feel they must go to the U.S. and comply with the requirement, because the green card will be voided if they don't. Keila applied for a visa before she was married or pregnant, and was turned down. She thinks they were afraid she would stay in the U.S. We are very fortunate she works for us, she is smart, has a good sense of humor, and is a lot more attractive than Bradley or I!

Still struggling to get my magicJack internet based phone to work, and to get my computer to talk to the printer at the office. Must sign off now to work on that.