Monica Seidl- Belize, Kids and Bats, oh my!

LINKS:
Monica's email: Mosunshine29@gmail.com
MoSunshine4U.com
Altrusa
Monica's Facebook

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Transcript

[00:04] Jan : Hey there, listeners, welcome to Women of the Northwest. Ordinary women leading extraordinary lives. You know those women who everyone seems to know, the ones that balance a dozen at once, and you can depend on them to not drop the ball. Gals that are not afraid to have an idea and take the next step? Yeah, that's the kind of gals I'm talking about. These are the women I have conversations with each week, telling their stories and sharing their passions. Motivating, inspiring, compelling. Join us each week for a new episode found on Apple, Spotify, Google Play, itunes, iheart, and more.

[00:52] Monica: Well, listeners, welcome to Women of the Northwest. Today I get to introduce Monica Seidel. 

Hi, Monica.

Hi. 

Jan: My friend Margaret McGruder introduced me to you former interview. If you didn't listen to hers, be sure you go back and listen to that and find out all other interesting things. So, Monica, you are living in Westport.

[01:19] Monica: I grew up in Westport. I live in Longview currently. I've never lived more than an hour away from Longview.

[01:29] Jan: Okay. Yeah, this is good because I'm reaching farther into Washington, so we're not just reaching Oregon women.

[01:36] Monica: Well, I was born and raised Westport in Clatskanie most of my life and then transitioned over to Longview a few years ago.

[01:46] Jan: Yeah, really nice. You've got a project in Belize. Would you tell me about that?

[01:53] Monica: Yes, it's unbelievable. Unbelievable, unbelievable.

[01:58] Jan: Oh, I love that.

[01:59] Monica: This story is definitely unbelievable, and you better believe it. So I've coined a few of those phrases over the last few years. So, yes, about five years ago, I went to Belize on a vacation and fell in love with it. And so now that we have built a little house down there and have some real roots that we're trying to establish, there's a little farm community 2 miles from our house, and so we have been opening a learning center and an education center for kids.

[02:35] Jan: How did you get connected to do that? You must be a giver.

[02:43] Monica: I am actually one of those that I love to travel and help people. And my first mission trip, in 2003, I was going to Ecuador with the church, and then I've been to Brazil and Guatemala and all over Central and South America. So I do. I like people, I like traveling, and I like being a part of the local feel.

[03:08] Jan: So walk us through. How did you go down? I mean, not everybody just goes on a vacation and says, hey, I'm going to help people. 

Monica: Very true. 

Jan: How did that actually come about?

[03:21] Monica: So after we've been traveling back and forth and establishing the house and then you get to know your neighbors and the locals, I started asking one of the ladies that lives nearby how I could help, because my ideas of helping in a foreign country aren't always what they really need.

[03:41] Jan: Yeah.

[03:41] Monica: So I learned the hard way that you don't always push yourself into a situation. So by asking her the needs, especially through COVID, it was really obvious that the kids were having a gap of an education crisis, really. So for them to be able to have a place to go, to get tutoring, to have resources, they didn't have any of those options. There's two small schools in the community that are primary, but at the same time, even though it's an English speaking country, a lot of times they speak Spanish or another type of Creole at home. And so it's harder for the older generation sometimes to even help their own children because there's a language gap sometimes.

[04:32] Jan: Yeah, older generation isn't always educated enough to be able to or maybe literate, maybe they aren't.

[04:38] Monica: And in this situation, for sure, because it's a farming community. So the kids that older generation worked in the fields, worked in the farms, they didn't see as much of a need for the kids to go to school.

[04:52]Jan: How is it there now? In Guatemala with our kids. A lot of the girls are dropping out at 6th grade because we don't need to do anything else. Is it the same there?

[05:02] Monica: It's very similar to that. I think 8th grade is about their highest education that they're allowed to go unless their parents pay for them to go to high school. So I originally helped sponsor one of the boys that actually two of the boys. One of them was on his father's construction team that helped build our house and so he didn't want to work in construction, so I had sponsored him to go to school for a year and then another local boy. And for me it's great to help one family at a time, but when you can help an entire village, the families and the impact then grows from there.

[05:39] Jan: Right. So how does their education work there? Is it government funded schools? Are they all private? Or the kids have to pay to go to all schools?

[05:51] Monica: Yeah, so the grade school primary ages are covered. There's two in our village. One is the Catholic and one is the United Pentecostal. And so actually the board that we formed for the learning center as well has a principal from each school represented there so that they know and the teachers know better. The first set of kids that really need the tutoring and really need that help and so having them be involved has been really helpful. But that was the biggest thing, was then where do we do this at? And so we were going to use a community center that they had there and just have one room that we could rotate some tutoring. But when I went down there last year and explained what we were trying to do, the council that they have, it's kind of like the mayor of the community, he's the chairman of their he suggested that we use an abandoned internet cafe building that they had down there, and it was full of rats and bats and interesting things.

[06:57] Jan: It was.

[07:00] Monica: And I can attest to the fact that I was down there with bat nets, putting them over the roof outside just six months ago, trying to eradicate the little bat situation that we had.

[07:13] Jan: But they're so cute. Sure.

[07:16] Monica: They're droppings all over library books and computers that aren't so well. Yeah. So it's definitely been a move forward with this project to get the community involved and to make it what it is today. And truly one of the unique things is the connections that I had back here in Clatskanie.  Being a part of the small community that I am, they're very giving. And the school district donated the computers and the laptops that the kids had been using during Covid. They were aging out, and so they allowed me to take those chrome books.

[07:56] Jan: Okay.

[07:57] Monica: So $50 a piece, every suitcase I could take with me. I have been importing laptops and printers and school supplies and library supplies, which.

[08:08] Jan: Means that they have to have electricity in your building. Yeah. And we do.

[08:13] Monica: We didn't, but we do now.

[08:15] Jan: WiFi is something that works through because that's part of your infrastructure to make that happen. Yes.

[08:22] Monica: Right. And it's definitely a work in progress at all times. There is no toilet, sink, bathroom at the learning center. You have to lock the building up, go next door to the community center, make sure you've got a key to get into the bathroom, and then be able to use the facility. So it's my hope that right now we're doing some fundraising, and I'm working with some of the other service groups that I'm involved with Rotary and Altrusa and Kiwanas and trying to make a plan to go back in October and build a bathroom onto the building.

[08:57] Jan: Yeah. So does that involve building codes and whatever down there, too, or how does that work?

[09:03] Monica: Because it's you don't necessarily have to have a building inspection. You don't have to have permits. You just have to have skilled enough hands that can cement some bricks together that won't fall over.

[09:18] Jan: Yeah. Right. Okay. So you go down there. You want to start some educational support. You started with some local people to try and throw the idea out and whatever. I assume they were receptive to doing that.

[09:38] Monica: Very receptive, yeah.

[09:39] Jan: Found a place to do it. How do you decide which kids come?

[09:45] Monica: So that was the challenge at first, because with it being such a huge need, where do you start? And so for us, we decided that forming the board over the learning center was key because we needed to make sure that it wasn't just some American coming down there and going, Look, I'm here and leaving. Because so many times NGOs do that. And I wanted this to be of the community in the village. And so having both of the principals on the board, having a community health worker on the board who is the neighbor that also kind of sat on my porch. Her name is Rosa. She's like, hey, I got a great idea. And the chairman of the village being involved. So all of us being tied together and on this board to govern one of the school teachers, we then decided we all work, we all have full time jobs doing something else. We just have a heart for this little village. And so we put a request out there that the principals take those pieces on to ask the teachers in each s chool

[10:52] Jan: because they're going to know better.

[10:54] Monica: Exactly. They know who has the biggest need and who would utilize the tutoring services. And so then we created forms that the teachers would then send home with the children, have the parents agree that, yes, my student can be involved in tutoring and I'll make sure they're there. It is amazing that no matter where you're at, you want to make sure that you have some policies and call in place that protect everybody that you can think. And so we spent the year doing a lot of that as well. So really creating the infrastructure that hopefully is there and going to stay. And the first open house that we had, it was fun because I wanted to introduce the community with a big grand opening. And so in April, we invited the community there. We had 300 people. Yeah, it was huge. But when you offer free Popsicles and popcorn and little giveaways, we had watermelon eating contests and fun things for the kids to do. And then the first movie night that we had, a couple of weeks later, we offered popcorn. And at first there was about 30 kids that showed up. By the end of the night, we had 70. And the first movie that we showed was Rio. We thought that would be fun.

[12:14] Jan  : Yeah.

[12:15] Monica: And so, yeah, we had a great turnout. And so Monday through Friday now, they work with some of the students that have been recommended. And so we try to rotate it every month that we would have new and different students. And so we evaluated that. They meet twice a week with the tutors. And the tutors are just volunteers in the community, whether they're going to ask how to find your tutors, whether they're retired school teachers and people in the community that way, or expats. Right now I have a couple that are Americans that are down there and they're volunteering their time twice a week to run the tutoring sessions as well. There's a lot of Canadians and Americans down there as expats. So to bring them all together into this community.

[13:06] Jan: Yeah. And they're hanging out and looking for something to do too.

[13:09] Monica: Right.

[13:09] Jan: So then they all have their different skills that they can add to it as well. Are you providing any transportation?

[13:16] Monica: No transportation. And the reason for that is because it is such a small community. Everybody walks everywhere, so it doesn't matter. It's really easy to get to for the families to be able to come.

[13:29] Jan: Yeah. Wow, that sounds amazing. What's the cost for you to run this?

[13:38] Monica: So far, nothing. I've been the one spending my money to do because it needed repairs, we had to put in actual windows. It didn't have windows. And so when I quit my job in February, I went down there with the intention that I was going to invest some of my own money as seed to make this happen. And so I spent less than $5,000, but I was able to put in burglar bar type windows. And there's not a crime problem. It's just to make sure that nobody breaks in in the future to take the technology or the books and computers because they're going to know that there's those things inside. We're opening it to the community so they know there's printers and projectors and those types of things. And then we put in the doors, painted it, cleaned it. We actually had a local artist paint a mural on the side of the building so it looks beautiful with this mural that they have painted.

[14:41]Jan: Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. So going forward, what kind of vision do you have?

[14:49] Monica: Yeah, I'm not done. I'm not done yet.

[14:52] Jan: No, because that's always one more thing that you're really we could do this. Oh, I got that done. Okay, let's fix it by… 

[15:01] Monica: exactly. And so with the bathroom construction and slated for October, I'm also looking at when you look at the health of a community, it's a holistic look. It's the heart, the mind, the body, the soul. It's all of those things. And since I'm going to be living there off and on for the next 30 years, I want to make sure my community is healthy. So one of their needs is they have a wonderful medical clinic that they built a couple of years ago, but there's no doctor running it. So the ministry of the library is coming in and hopefully taking over the education center in the fall when school goes back in. They have plans. They came and they took a look at what we've started and they loved it and said, we want to take over and fill this full of books and we'll try to get somebody in here that we can actually maybe pay to even run this. And so we've been in conversations about that. But even though they would be taking over and running it, they still need a bathroom. So I still want to have that be something that we always support in the background and be that supportive system. But yes, my next project is the medical clinic that they have down there, which they've got the building they just need. They had no computers, so no way to communicate with a hospital that's 12 miles away. So I gave them a laptop and they're able to document the immunizations of the local villages for the children that they have there. So they're now doing a lot of data entry, but someday they'll have a doctor there and they have an empty two bedroom apartment upstairs waiting for it for somebody.

[16:47] Jan: So, listeners, if you're listening to this and that's your bent, even if you're maybe a nurse or retired nurse or have those skills too, you might want to contact her. Yes, please do.

[17:00] Monica: And that's the exciting thing, is I want to be taking teams about every six months down there. So I'm going in October for a month, six weeks, and I plan on taking a group down there that wants to help. And I've always felt that as long as you have able hands and a heart to serve, we will find something for you to do. I used to tell people all the time I wasn't gifted. I didn't think that I had any skills, really, because I don't sing, I don’t really play an instrument very well. I'm not a medical professional. I don't have things that I thought transferred over. However, I have a big heart and a mouth to match.

[17:43] Jan: And you know how to organize.

[17:45] Monica: I do know how to organize.

[17:46] Jan: That's huge, because a lot of people might have an idea of something, but they don't know where to start or even how to go about that. So if people wanted to donate, what kind of physical things better for them to donate to your cost, or is money better?

[18:05] Monica: I think both for right now. Like I said, I've been taking 50-pound suitcases each time I travel to Belize on a plane. So, of course they only allow usually two or three suitcases per person. So the things I've been able to have taken down there so far have been smaller items. But you can certainly pack a lot in a 50-pound suitcase. But people can even donate to the Altrusa Club in Kelso Longview. They are umbrella in this project as a 501 C three. So all donations can be rode off depending on their tax bracket and how they work it out with their accountant. So I didn't need to form another nonprofit. I didn't need one more thing to do. I have a heart to help and wanted to have a club to be able to umbrella and come alongside of me. And Altrusa thought with education, that was a great focus, that was very in line with what they are as well. And so for me, finding that opportunity to be able to have a pass through and have it get to Belize, that way people that do donate money or they can come along as well. My next project will be probably somewhere in March. I'm going to take another group down of doctors, medical professionals, people that want to help, and I want to build a playground after that. So I want the kids to have a place to play and maybe even connect with a local school. I'm in the process right now of working out plans to have some of the high schoolers maybe go down as a field trip, as a spring break trip and be able to do something like that.

[19:47] Jan: How exciting.

[19:48] Monica: Yeah. So I've always got all these great ideas and I've got all these, but to put it together then to create time frames and make sure it keeps working and going forward.

[20:02] Jan: Wow. That is amazing. Really amazing. 

Oh, cool. You are also part of 100 Women in Kelso.

[20:09] Monica: Oh, I love it. Tell me about that. So we've been meeting now for about five and a half years, and the very first time that I walked into the 100 Women, it was their very first meeting. And to see a room full of women empowered to just not sure how to give some of them not sure where to even begin and see that room with the excitement and the willingness and here's our $100, and do something amazing with that magnified. And it really is. And the things that we have done to fund in the past was a van for the Janice Foundation. They needed it for homeless outreach, for teenagers to be able to go to appointments or interviews and those types of things. Harley's Angels was one of the ladies that she came and her daughter had been killed on the side of the road as a car struck her and she had formed Brand New, a nonprofit. She just knew she wanted to help in her daughter's name.

[21:20] Jan: Right.

[21:20] Monica: And she wanted at that 100 Women presentation a couple of years ago, and she was able to help backpacks and high schoolers that were transitioning from homes or foster cares. And then she got a bigger idea that she wanted to build a basketball court at Lake Sacagawea in Longview. And they said that never going to be possible because nothing new goes in at the lake and you're going to fight through such red tape, find something else. She went to bat and there is now a basketball score, and it is Harley's Angels.

[22:00] Jan: Never say never.

[22:01] Monica: Exactly. Especially to a woman that has a mission. And she just had such a heart and a passion for it. And so Jennifer has left us with this wonderful gift of a public basketball court for the kids to play at Lake Sacajawea that they never thought would be possible.

[22:19] Jan: So I believe that your group has been able to raise $253,000 in the last five years. Yeah, they impact locally. Yeah.

[22:30] Monica: A quarter of a million dollars just by $100 at a time. Right. And there's such low impact into that. But the people that you meet and the stories that you hear, it's just I never want to miss a meeting yes, you can if you want to and still donate and be a part of that 100 Women. But part of the enjoyment is being in that room and seeing all the energy and hearing all of those stories.

[22:56] Jan: Yeah. Isn't it great? Yeah. We have our next one coming up, August 8. So if you are interested in coming and being a part of that and you live locally here in Clatsop County, ours is August 8 at 530 at the Country Club, and you can go to 100 Womenclatsop.com and you can register there. So pretty cool. Yeah. Membership is free. You don't have to pay to be a member, and you can come to the meeting even without being a member, just to check it out and see what it's like. So, yeah, we're pretty excited about that as well. Wow. Let's see. We've covered a lot of fun things. You were telling me about meeting your husband. Why don't you share that story?

[23:45] Monica: Yes. So I was a high school sweetheart and had been married for 22 years and then divorced. And then, lo and behold, here comes the 25-year class reunion. And that night that I went, I had actually went with my ex-husband and my fellow classmates and his friend. And that night, I walk in the door and there's this handsome man standing there. And I went, oh, I remember him from years ago, but haven't seen him in years. And he thought the same thing. He walked in the room and he goes, oh, gosh, I haven't seen her in years. And of course, walking in with my ex-husband, he's like, oh, wow. They got back together. Good for them, but good for them. And throughout the evening, with all of us chatting as classmates do, he found out that I'd been divorced for three years and I was available. We talked that night, and he called me the next week. We had our first date, and it was our last first date, because now we've been married over three years and traveling back and forth to Belize, and his first experience traveling internationally, because that's a prerequisite to the relationship, going to Belize. Going to Belize was amazing to see him in a different culture and realize that this.

[25:10] Jan : Is and he had never been out of the country before. No. How did that happen? Right.

[25:14] Monica: So he was very open minded. And so once we did that, we went back the next year and he proposed on the steps of the Mayan ruins.

[25:24] Jan: Oh, my. Yes. It sounds like instagram worthy.

[25:29] Monica: It really was just that magical moment. And then all of a sudden, we decided that this was part of now our story. And so he said, I could live in a place like that. And I said, Be careful what you say, because we could make that happen. And so then a year later, we bought the property and built a house, and now it's part of our forever after story. So it's part of our happily ever after, and it'll be our snowbird home. And our vacation home. And I tell everybody, I don't want to rent it to strangers. I want to gift it to my friends and family. I want you to see what Belize is like for yourself. So I share my home with others. My mom's been there four times. She's 76. She loves it.

[26:18] Jan Wow. The perfect second chance romance. I love that.

[26:24] Monica: Yes, it was.

[26:26] Jan: Monica, this has really been fun. Thank you for sharing all this information. I'm sure some people are going to get pretty excited about this.

[26:33] Monica: Well, and I love being able to hear some of the other podcasts and the interviews that you've done because I was able to see that Melissa was on your list and I felt like I was in good company because Molasses and I met at Camp Quad Along when we were ten, and we grew up together. Ten summers of coming and going, and.

[26:56] Jan: You always don't remember all of that because it's just such a part of you.

[27:01] Monica: And I think that's what has helped shape inform us into those types of things. She went into the Peace Corps and then became a school teacher and did some of those things. And I grew up and went a different route for years, starting a family right out of high school and being that high school sweetheart, but then also having it in me to do something more in something.

[27:23] Jan: And I think you're a woman that has grit to get an idea. It's one thing to get an idea, oh, we should do that, whatever. But then a lot of times that's where it ends. But you're a product of showing people that it's okay to have an idea and then explore it and then take it the next step, because even if it doesn't work out, at least you got started and you tried something and you learned something along the way, and some people benefited from what you did.

[27:50] Monica: And it's called failing forward. When you read those books and you kind of regroup after something that you've tried and it doesn't work so well, you realize that if you hadn't tried at all, how would you know? So failing forward is a good step up in the right direction sometimes.

[28:05] Jan: Yeah, so true. All right, well, thanks so much. 

Monica: Thank you.