A serious case of the Mondays

Its been a while...but thankfully, I have another lovely adventure to share.  This past weekend I travelled north to visit friends in Yo Creek and Orange Walk.  The idea was that I would stay Saturday night and head back to Belmopan Sunday afternoon.  Well, that was the plan.  Instead, Sunday turned into my marathon recovery session and I decided against a bus ride.  I think it was the right choice as I dont think anyone would have appreciated me on the bus that day.

So, instead I stayed another night and decided that I would accompany my friend, Emily to Chetumal, Mexico on Monday morning.  I mean, I was soooo close and I'd already missed one day of buses...what was a few more hours?!  If only I'd known...

We woke up early and ate a delicious breakfast made by Christen (where we had stayed Sunday) and took a little walking tour of OW on our way to return a bicycle and check out the House of Culture there.

An hour or so behind schedule, we boarded our bus headed for the border.  Mind you, neither one of us had been to Mexico and the directions our friends had given us weren't exactly stuck in our heads.
A perfect example is our arrival.  When crossing the border, you have to get off the bus and go through Belizean immigration. check. Then you get back on the bus and ride a few minutes to the Mexican border.  In between is the free zone where you may purchase alcohol cheaply!  We got off the bus and were about to head into the free zone, when we decided to do so on the way out...that way we wouldn't have to carry our alcohol all over Chetumal.  BUT, in the time it took us to make this decision, our bus was gone.  So we went through the Mexican immigration and hailed a taxi to the mall.

I believe all I could say was a repetition of this feels bizarre.  The mall was like stepping into America.  Air conditioning, nicely tiled floors and storefronts galore.  It had a food court and even those massage chairs that you pay a dollar to sit in for 10min. - Craig, I know you get how amazing that is - We walked around with our jaws to the floor.  Didn't buy a THING...it was just too overwhelming (although we did grab lunch at the food court).  We headed across the street to the Mexican version of Sam's club and I got a few things for my house really cheap.

Looking at the time, I realized that I needed to start the journey back to Belmopan - it was a good 6 hour trip and I was already starting to feel tired.  Being the amazing friend that she is, Emily got me a taxi headed in the right direction with her brilliant Spanish skills.  I hopped in, said my goodbyes,and gave a silent prayer that I would actually arrive at the correct bus terminal. And I did.

The hour and a half bus ride back to OW took a little over 2, but I had just enough time to grab a drink and pick up t-shirts from Christen that she wanted placed in mailboxes back in Belmopan before the bus to Belize City departed.  It was an express bus and I have never been as excited to pay extra for air conditioning.  The bus was sparsely occupied and we reached Belize quickly.  Mind you, I had now spent 6 hours on a bus...shopped in Mexico...and crossed a border twice.  I was tired.Exhausted even.

So, you can all imagine my reaction when about 5 min after arriving at a bus terminal, a NON-STOP to Belmopan arrived.  YES...those are the quickest buses of all!  I climbed on, paid my $4 and put on my music.  Home was an hour and a half a way.  RIGHT....my trips never do seem to end that nicely.

About 40min into the trip, the bus pulls over.  I, of course, am internally irate! WHY?!?!!? is the non-stop bus pulling over. I can feel the anger boiling up over my exaustion to the point that I see smoke.  Oh wait, thats not me...thats the bus.  Immediately, all the windows in the bus are put down as far as they will go.  Doesn't help...in fact, there's more smoke pouring in and people are coughing and choking as they try to grab their things.  We all quickly grab our belongings and file off the bus as its engine catches fire.  PERFECT. We aren't near any village and its completely pitch black.

After about 15 min...the police arrive and ask if the bus is alright. Clearly not...but I love that they were gracious enough to ask. Sweet, really...they even turned on sirens (which is a first since I've been here). We stand around for another 15 min or so....all of us knowing that our options are to hitch or hope for another bus.  Luckily, the bus came first and our bus load piled into a full bus.  I would say that it was unsafe to pile soo many people in one bus, but seeing that the last bus I was riding caught fire...I think its a mute point. 

So, finally I reach Belmopan...safe, tired, and so excited to be walking distance from home.  After all, the worst part of the day is over and I'm finished with the long bus rides...can't wait to unlock my door, shower and crawl into bed.  But I think karma has a way of completely entertaining itself on my behalf....because no sooner had I started walking through the park, when it started to rain...then pour. Having no umbrella, I simply hung my head and took it....squishing my steps all the way home. It was then that I realized I'd forgotten to grab my cheap bottle of alcohol in the free zone...and man, I could really have used a drink.

Ah.  I love Mondays....really.

Trafford

Meet my new puppy!  He's a doll and about 3 months old.  I adopted him from the Belmopan Humane Society about a week and a half ago.  He was rescued from a ditch with his brother, starving and sick.  The brother didn't make it, but Trafford is tough and is very much the picture of health now.

His first couple of nights at the house were interesting.  He was more than a little timid and had almost no appetite. I can now proudly say he's eating everything in sight and his bashfulness is completely gone.  He whines in the morning right outside my door until I give up the notion of sleep and get up to let him out.  He then demands breakfast and of course, a game of fetch.  I'm proud to say that he's house broken - which is probably the most wonderful thing of all.

He fills my endless days with laughter and even when he's driving me nuts, I'm glad he's there.  Here are just a few things that have entertained me the past few days:

• He has an obsession with dead leaves.  You can watch him at any time of day frolicking through the yard attacking a poor defenseless leaf, ripping it to shreds, and then sighing contently.
• Before coming back into the house, he extends his whole body onto the ground, belly dragging and army crawls until he's nearly to the door....then bounces up and runs inside.
• Bath time = terror.  The dog has fleas and STINKS so I decided to give him a bath.  It went much like any other bath I've given a dog...lots of squirming and water being splashed.  But instead of shaking himself dry, he simply bolted inside the house to seek something dry.  Since I was doing wash and have tiled floors...he really just slid into every surface of wall for about 10 min.  I would have dried him sooner, but I couldnt catch him!
• He whines to get what he wants. Doesnt matter what it is, he'll whine until you pay attention...and its the most pathetic sound you've ever heard. All a part of his charm apparently.
• He loves to cuddle...I'll be sitting reading a book and he will wiggle his way up through my arms and burrow into my lap. 
• If you start to pet him, he'll roll over and demand a belly rub. Don't worry....he'll scratch you right back if you get the right spot....the foot just cannot be controlled. Hysterical, really.
• He hates his leash.  We're working in stages, but its quite funny to watch.  I've gotten to the point where he will walk with me, content on the leash around the yard.  Open the gate and attempt a walk, FORGET IT....he goes psycho and pulls on the leash back in the direction of the house. Its been fun locking up my house and getting excited for progress...only to be stopped where we started and have to unlock my house in 5 min. Baby steps....I'm hoping eventually to make it to the other side of the gate, then maybe the end of the street.
  

Today is his first day to be spent mostly outside...he's comfortable with his surroundings and I cannot have a smelly dog in such a small space all day (the bath helped...but only briefly).  Its been a fun couple of days and I can't wait to share more stories with you all about the adventures of Trafford.

holiday season kickoff

So last week was Thanksgiving.  I would love to tell you all that I was miserable being away from family activities and traditions, but thats just not the case.  True, I missed being with my family and it was a bittersweet moment when I was able to have a phone call from home. BUT, I had a fantastic Thanksgiving here in Belize with my Peace Corps family. We celebrated the holiday on Wednesday afternoon after a training session (which was really just an excuse to get together and stuff our faces). Each district - remember, there are 6 in Belize- was responsible for some portion of dinner.  We had a feast!  Turkey, ham, 12! different kinds of stuffing, mashed potatoes, assorted vegetables, breads, salads & desserts. It was wonderful to be surrounded by my group of new friends and I have never felt more thankful to be exactly where I am right now.

On Thanksgiving day itself, a small group of volunteers packed up our things and headed out to the western edge of Cayo District.  We stopped in Benque Viejo for a bit and dropped off our things at our friend Emily's house (which is wonderful!) and then caught a ride in the back of a pick-up to Guatemala.  I now officially have my first stamp in my Peace Corps passport!  It was amazing how crossing a border can change everything...instead of being a mix of languages, Spanish was predominant (and my skills are more than rusty by now), streets were cleaner, and prices were much cheaper!
We spent the afternoon traveling through the market looking for things for our respective new places.  I ate lunch and found a blanket, a notebook, and new flip flops (because mine broke about 10 min. after walking into the country!) all for under $50BZ. 

The rest of the weekend was spent on mini-vacation back in San Ignacio.  I forgot how much fun I have in that city.  We ate, drank, celebrated a birthday and had a blast.  I finally made it to the hammock bridge and swang on the side with my feet dangling above the river.  We got to spend time with old friends and catch up on life.  Also, I was able to enjoy a HOT shower.  There really was no better way to celebrate the kick-off to holiday season.

good morning belize!

yes it was! I have officially spent my first night in my permanent home in Belize (for these next 2 years).  87 days after arriving in country was a long wait and I could not have been more ready to have my own space. While I loved both of my host families (and will be visiting them often), I was certainly ready to set my own daily pace.  Last night my host dad drove me (and all of my accumulated crap) to my new place at 34 Oriole.  He literally dropped the bags in the empty room, gave me a hug with an open invitation to his home anytime I'd like, and then left.
So, there I was, left to occupy myself with all of my free time and whatever I felt like doing.  And I didnt know where to begin. Think of it as that first night in college, when you were so anxious to start that exciting next adventure and get rid of your parents....and then they leave and you dont want to admit that there's this nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach telling you that a little part of yourself wishes they would walk back through the door.  So, naturally, I waited for a phone call from my parents and in the mean time, I put my few belongings away.
Let me refresh for you what all I possess:

• a borrowed air mattress from my lovely neighbor Melissa, and sheets that were sent from home.
• a shower curtain, which does not reach the bottom of the shower and so there's always a little water on the floor once I take one.
• a dresser which I purchased from a PCV that left earlier this month - it only holds a few clothes...the rest are packed into my suitcase still.
• 2 drink containers, and about 12 plastic cups
• 4 plastic bowls and some random plastic silverware (left to me by a former PCV)
• a cutting board & knife set
• 2 sets of white Christmas lights sent by my parents :0)
  

Of course, I have my clothes and a few books and photos that I brought from home, but thats basically it.  And I'd say its a fairly good start.  I was satisfied with my progress and relaxed in my bedroom with the soft lighting sent by my parents - I have yet to find a lamp and florescent lighting is just not conducive to relaxation- enjoying the phone conversation from home.

Thats when that anxious feeling went away and the grin began, ear to ear.  Finally, I had my own space! I fell into a sound sleep, enjoying my freedom.  This lasted until around 5 am this morning, when I was greeted by my neighbor.  He's a lovely, elderly man that has a beautiful garden behind his home, close to my bedroom window.  I remember how much I loved looking at it yesterday, but I have a feeling that it will become a point of contention for my slumber in the future.  You see, sweet as that man is, he apparently LOVES to greet the day with a little ritual of whistling at top volume, right before the crack of dawn.  He then continues this for a good part of the early morning.  Now, this in itself wouldn't be too terrible.  Heck, I can even appreciate the charm of it.  BUT, his whistling sets off an alarm system of angry dogs throughout my normally quiet neighborhood, and we have more dogs than I realized. This continues until he's finished.

Needless to say, I was not allowed to bask in my new tenant glow this morning.  Instead, I have vowed to invest in a fan to drown out the early morning greeting, as soon as I can.  This way my mornings in Belize always start out when they should....after the sun has already taken its spot in the sky. 

Dos Sexy

...because I promised my fellow PCVs that I would indeed not forget and title my next blog entry as such.  Welcome to Friday night in Belmopan.

It all started out innocently enough, a small little house party as a last hurrah for one of our trainers who is leaving for the States on Tuesday.
So, there we were sipping our drinks and completely rocking out to some lovely 80's music waiting for other people to show up. - we were told a friend and an exchange student - but really, it was just two local Belizeans (we figured this out after a round of "where are you from? here?!... I dont get it".)

These Belizeans informed us that there was a much better party and we should go to it...they would even drive us in their H3.  Yes, thats right...my first ride in a Hummer was here in Belize. I get the irony.  Turns out, the house we were going to was home to a prince of Zimbabwe. Because, why wouldn't there be African royalty in Belize?!?!  He's a well respected lawyer and a very generous host.  This is especially true considering when we arrived, we WERE the party.  The house was beautiful and our host made sure that we had plenty to drink.  I was in complete heaven.  Not only was it FREE drinks, but it was good liquor.  I'm not talking the lovely Belikin we often succumb to drinking because it is the only thing my budget can afford.  No, we're talking Cuervo (more than one kind), Absolute, and various other lovelies that we made into beautiful mixes.

Naturally, we all wanted to thank the generous host.  Only problem: we had no idea what his name was.  Quickly, we did introductions and various botchings of differing cultural pronunciations (I will forever be known as Heda to Belizeans).  Our host, it turns out, is named Kaseke.  I remember this because I geniusly saved it into my phone as I knew I would never remember it.  Sure enough, no one else could until we created our own little system.  Kaseke quickly explained the way to say his name.  We all tried our own versions until one of us brilliant Americans replied, "Oh! Like Dos Equis...but with a 'K'!"  Sold.  For the rest of the evening that is what his name was...that is until we headed out to a local bar.  Upon re-entry to the fabulous Hummer, "Dos Equis" morphed beautifully into "Dos Sexy" and there was no turning back. Good thing he had a sense of humor.

I would like to report that this was the extent of our behavioral lapse, but it was not.  Drinking and dancing continued well into the morning hours.  We fully enjoyed and entertained ourselves, giving our friend that last night out in Belize. And the best part?  She's coming back for another training in March!  I'm calling for round 2 in the future....

time management

I'm beginning to understand the importance of time management here: when people go to work, their productivity level, how meals are served/prepared, etc...
...and how it's completely opposite from what I'm used to in the United States. Yes, I was aware that things move at a slower pace than what I'm used to... this is true for everything. For instance, the faster I finish my work...the more time I have to sit and stare at the ceiling. (p.s. the one in the school office is falling in from termite damage). Or, that if I eat to fast...I still have over an hour before work starts up again...Or, that being 'on time' is really a relative term for most things.
 After spending most of yesterday at the computer (updating my blog, of course), I was finally ready to call it a day and walk home to find something to do...perhaps read  more in my current book or nap or who knows what.
 This was not to be...instead, my counterpart decided that after a day of nothingness, the market would be an amazing place to take me. Granted, this appealed to me at first as I'd also spent a majority of the afternoon creating my budget for the month (FYI...still poor) and wanted to check out how much a bed was going to cost me.  So we drove to the market and while my counterpart picked out her vegetables, I asked the prices on beds made by the Mennonites. - I'll be getting one in the future...just not for a while. 
At this point, I've had my fill of the heat and I'm ready to go home...but no, while we were out we also ran other errands.  I believe she could sense my loss of enthusiasm by store 4 and finally offered to drive me home.  When I told her I needed to go to the bank first, she immediately perked up and wanted to shop at more stores in that area. I mustered as much "nice" as I could find and explained that I would only be a minute and then would walk myself home.  Once again, everything takes longer here.
The good news is that I had an activity planned for the evening...YOGA.  I'm new to it, but I'm finding that I love it more each time I attend a class.  For one thing, its an excuse to converse with other PCVs that attend.  Secondly, it helps me release stress and relax for an hour or so.  And last, but certainly not least...it occupies my time two evenings, twice a week!  Beautiful.
Now, this yoga-ing experience may have made me overthink my time management skills for today.  My counterpart agreed that I could leave when I was finished for the day (which at this point usually happens around lunch).  I had every intention of finishing at the school, taking a little break and then heading to the Peace Corps office to research some things in the IRC.
Without fail...my plans never seem to work out.  I arrived at the office only to find the entrance to the IRC locked. No one to answer my knocks.
SNAFU and more time I needed to fill.
Really, this isn't too bad...because now I'm happily sitting in air conditioning, updating my blog and watching Law & Order.  Again, perks to living in Belmopan....but let this serve as a lesson in always being prepared with a back-up plan for occupying an afternoon.  Oh the complexities of time management in the Carribbean.

Swearing in!

It's official- I'm now sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer! The past week has been a whirlwind of activities and I'm just now getting around to updating you all on my life. I know you were all on the edge of your seats waiting for my update, right?!

Last week all the volunteers traveled back to Belmopan to complete our Bridge to Service (BTS) training and then swear in on Thursday. So, while everyone else spent hours traversing the hot buses and navigating their way through the jungle in some cases...I simply packed a bag and walked down the street to the Garden City Hotel. I admit, that was nice. Even better was that when I needed to drop things off or grab something I forgot, I could. Apparently there are some advantages to being a local.

The week was pretty uneventful until Thursday. Swearing in Day! Now, I dont know why I had it in my head that the swearing in at the Governor General's would be inside a nice building complete with air conditioning, but I did. Rule #1 of Peace Corps....save yourself and NEVER assume anything. In fact, our ceremony was held outside, sans fans in the midday heat. Now, I'll allow that at least they had a tent to shield my pale skin from the scorching sun...but the heat did nothing to improve the status of my hangover from the party the night before. Lessoned learned: if you're going to drink excessive amounts of alcohol before spending a day in the heat, at minimal you should also be prepared with tylenol and at least a small hand fan...it will save your life.

The actual ceremony went smoothly, with the typical amount of crying and chatting from the back of where I was seated. I'll admit there are parts that I missed...not because of the hangover, but because locals sitting behind me were in a full conversation at top volume. I'm not sure what is culturally acceptable for ceremonies, but I guess that flys here. After the ceremony (and ridiculous numbers of pictures) we were served rice and beans (what else would you have in Belize?!) and...wait for it....TURKEY! we were spoiled...no chicken for us! The fact that this was exciting to several of us speaks to how much chicken we actually consume.

After the ceremony, I promptly went and took a nap, in AIR CONDITIONING. wonderful. I was woken up a few hours later to attend the annual 1st years vs. 2nd years soccer game. Hilarious. 1st years suffered a terrible loss (1-5) but at least our cheerleaders were amazing. As always, I was left with a bruise documenting my time on the pitch. Luckily for me, thats the only thing to prove I was in attendance...my skills are RUSTY (and thats putting it nicely)! Hopefully I can get some back during these next 2 years.

A quick shower later and we were once again on a bus...this time to the Ambassador's house for a reception/dinner. AMAZING. The embassy housing is beyond belief...it was like stepping out of Belize for a while. No pothole filled roads or dimly lit streets with overgrown grass and trash thrown about. Hardly...the lawns were well kept and streets were clean and nicely cemented. The house itself was beautiful and most of us had a jaw-dropping reaction to the fact that we were allowed to freely explore the 1st floor. Tax dollars are definately at work here! Bonus...we were allowed WINE! and beer for the entire evening and were served dinner (prepared by the Ambassador's wife) on official china. You just don't get that everyday.

The night ended back at the GarDen (as we refer to it) with another party and of course, more alcohol. I believe the keg donated by Belikin was finished before it was all over and I'm fairly certain that my head was hitting the pillow just as the sun was coming up. I was spent...but celebrating the fact that 40! of us made it to swearing in was reason enough to get a little crazy.

CONGRATS PCVS BELIZE 2009-2011!!!

Here's the photoshoot of the whole mess. I'll post some of the fun photos later...enjoy!

Just threw on my life jacket...

...we're clearly stuck- not excited anymore




Our lovely passengers crammed
into the first 20ft. of our boat.

This is the boat, stuck on
the reef!

See that rope and the faint lights?...
that would be the rope
we clung to while wading through
the ocean to our rescue boats.

loading into our rescue boats


SAFE on the dock of Blackbird Caye.


So excited to NOT be in the water!



The gathering point once
we were on the island.

Adam and I upon arrival at
Blackbird Caye.

See the faint light on the right side
of this photo? That would be our
boat...still stuck on the reef!


Inside our meeting place
at Blackbird Caye.

Inside our seaside room -
complete with beds & sheets!

our view in the morning...Beautiful!


This is what $40BZ paid for
...and it was completely worth it!

Shipwrecked in Belize

This past weekend was my most interesting, terrifying, and adventurous one spent in Belize thus far. Let's begin at the beginning, when my friend Adam sent me a text Saturday night asking if I would like to have a free trip to the Blue Hole/Half Moon Caye on Sunday.

Pretty stunning if I do say so myself. Naturally, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit such an amazing site for FREE (the trip is normally $300). Plus, once again I got to travel outside Belmopan. All I had to do was get myself to the Princess Hotel in Belize City by 7a.m. and then assist my friend with a community educational event being put on by his counterpart agency, the Belize Audubon Society.

So, I did what I always do when presented with an amazing advenuture...I said I'd go. I got ridiculously excited, to the point that I couldn't sleep much which made getting up at 4:40 a bit tough. However, I sucked it up and my gracious host dad, Marlon, had me dropped off at the bus terminal so I could catch the 5:30a.m. bus. Turns out, on Sundays the buses run a bit later so I didn't leave Belmopan until 5:45. At this point I'm nothing but excited and I arrive in Belize City right at 7a.m., take my taxi to the hotel and meet Adam and his counterpart. Apparently, no one else that Adam invited took him up on the offer (in hindsight, I should have taken this as a sign) and I couldn't wait to come back with an experience to brag about.

The locals from Chunox village arrived shortly after I did via their charter bus and we boarded our boat bound for Half Moon Caye. The trip out was relatively uneventful, aside from having to scream above the boat engine to converse. The weather was beautiful: clear skys, brilliant blue waters that changed shade depending on the depth of the ocean. After about two hours on the sea, we reached Half Moon Caye. It's absolutely beautiful - sandy beaches, palm trees, and a cool Carribbean breeze that will make you forget any trouble you thought you had.

We rested for about 20 min. and let people stretch their legs, use the restroom and change to head to Blue Hole. My excitement at this point was at top level...like a kid on Christmas Eve. We piled back into the boat and ventured out to the Blue Hole. It is absolutely stunning and I completely recommend this adventure to everyone that has an affinity for snorkeling and/or diving. Our group jumped in and snorkeled for about an hour, navigating through the coral reef (the Belizean reef is the second largest in the world, following the Great Barrier Reef in Australia).

On the way back we had a bit of trouble. Our engine had started smoking the last leg of the trip out to the Blue Hole, so it took us an hour to get back to Half Moon Caye instead of 20min. However, lunch was waiting for us on the island and a new part was being sent from Belize City to repair our boat. We ate and swam in the ocean off the Caye and then had a tour of the island. Half Moon Caye is a reserve and plays host to the Red-footed Boobie (I believe it is the only place in the world where they nest). Part of our tour was allowing the locals to express their ideas on how they could use the resources offered in the reserve without resorting to illegal fishing (a huge and growing problem for the protected areas).

The discussion went well and we timed it so that our boat could be repaired...or so we thought. Turns out there was a bit more of a problem than we thought and for a while, we assumed that we would be stuck on the island for the night (it is offered for camping occasionally so this wasn't too bad an option). I was also loving the fact that not only did I get to snorkel and swim the cayes, but now I would also be fortunate to watch the sunset on the island! What could be luckier?! But, the boat was repaired and just before sunset we all (about 50 of us) piled onto the boat to attempt our long journey home.

The boat moved at a much slower pace then when we were heading to Half Moon Caye. I'm not sure if this was because the engine still wasn't 100% or because it was night on the ocean. I didn't much care...I was exhausted from the day and was more concerned with star gazing on the ocean than anything else. The sky is beautiful here, in the clear night we could see the milky way and it felt like over a million stars.

I had almost drifted to sleep when the trouble, sorry, *adventure* started. The boat had all of the sudden slammed into something hard and immediately stopped. Bear in mind, I have no idea where we are (its pitch black on the ocean) and I immediately think, "sh*&"...this cannot be good. Apparently our boat had navigated its way right into the reef. Apparently this is what happens when your boat has no running lights (so safe). No worries says our captain, we can attempt to navigate out of the mess. WRONG.

In about 10 min. of crashing into the reef, we're told we must move to the front of the boat (all 50 of us crammed into a small, small space and we were issued life jackets- the lovely orange ones that no one ever assumes they'll actually have to wear. For the next couple of hours, we were stuck, helpless, bouncing on the waves and smashing into the reef we were stuck on. It was obvious the boat, and us, would not be making it off the reef. To make it a little more nerve wracking, along with the non existent boat lights, our fair maiden also did not have a radio. PERFECT. How many of you think that cell phone reception works 60 miles off coast? Exactly.

Luckily, a boat that was following us (the one that had repaired our engine) was able to navigate to a local island and radio the coast guard and get another boat to assist us. The two boats were then tied together in deeper water and a long rope was tethered between ours and theirs. We were then told to hop off the boat, one by one wearing tennis shoes...hold the line, and navigate our way over the reef we were stuck on to our rescue boats. Easier said than done. In total, it took about an hour or better to get all of us (men, women, and children) to the boats, which made a couple trips to the island to drop us onto land.

I was among the last trip to the island, known as Blackbird Caye. After wading through the ocean at 10pm, I have never been happier to see dry land in my life! Soaking wet, we made our way to a resort that is non-operational at the moment. We were ushered into a huge space with a thatch roof where I changed out of wet clothes and into some semi-dry ones that had made it through the water in my backpack (which is referred to as my Mary Poppins bag).

Let's reflect on this bag for a minute...all day I had been getting grief for packing so much stuff for a day trip...HOWEVER, thanks to the ordeal we found ourselves in..I must say that I was the most prepared, with the most useful things out of us all. I had tooth paste, deodorant, change of clothes, pajamas, towel, wind-up flashlight, and a first aid kit (I had packed enough in case I missed the last bus to Belmopan and had to stay the night in Belize City). No one made fun of me by the end of the day, thank you very much.

So, once changed, we made a make-shift bed out of our life jackets and my towel. This was not comfortable by any means and we took to calling ourselves, refugees. I admit, I was frazzled and honestly the whole situation made me want to cry...but instead all I could do was laugh each time I thought about the situation I found myself in. Adam decided to see some of the staff and attempt to get us better sleeping accomodations. They graciously offered us a seaside cabin for whatever we could afford. We gave $40BZ for a room that costs $200US a night.

The cabin, while in disrepair (the resort is under renovation) had a shower and a bed with sheets. SO EXCITING. I hung my clothes out in the breeze, and found myself enjoying watching the spectacle of attempting to dislodge our boat from the reef - you could see it from where our room was). Our day finally ended around midnight....with the relief of a bed and dry land.

We were awoken at dawn to hop back onto boats that took us the rest of the 60miles into Belize City. While I'm not impressed with Belize City, it was amazing to finally be back to a land mass that was bigger than a few football fields. Traversing back to Belmopan was the most exhausting leg of the ordeal...but I did it. I promplty showered, threw in a load of laundry, and napped for most of the afternoon.

Retrospectively, this is exactly the adventure that I always stated I wanted. At the time, I was a little less graceful in appreciating the experience. Aside from a few cuts and bruises, i took a way a few things:

• The Blue Hole is completely worth your money!
• Snorkeling is still my favorite sea activity
• I am cursed with unbelievably bad luck
• Coral reef cuts your feet horribly- bring wading shoes every where
• Mary Poppins bags may look rediculous, but they can save the day
• Always make sure that your boat has its equipment (lights, a radio, navigational tools, and a competant captain)
• Life jackets are sometimes a necessary fashion ensemble
• Island getaways are more fun when planned, but still enjoyable
• Sunset and sunrise are amazing on the ocean
• Dry land is never more appreciated then when you think you won't be seeing it again

Hopefully, I'll post photos soon (Adam has a waterproof camera, so the whole thing is documented) . I forgot my camera cable in the mess of what today was, but the photos I have of the fun part of the day are astonishing and I can't wait to show you all! I hope you all had a wonderful Columbus Day - and a slightly less adventurous one than I did.

Garden City Primary School

Okay...so apparently I was a bit off in my excited description of adventures in Belmopan and beyond. Really, they're mainly adventures in Belmopan because it is where my site placement is for the next two years. I'm working at Garden City Primary School and Tuesday was my first day here with my counterpart and the various staff. Exciting fact #1: I have my own desk in the admin office that comes complete with internet access! LUCKY! Exciting fact #2: I am traveling to the north finally later today! There is a volunteer from Japan that is traveling to visit a school up north where one of his counterparts lives and he's letting me tag along. WooHoo for finally seeing more of this country than the Western Highway.

The first day experience was interesting. My week was supposed to be full of various community activities: going to the market, visiting classrooms, traveling to some government buildings. Instead, I spent most of the morning listening to children getting scolded for fighting during religion class. Ironic, yes...but it let me see an interesting side of education here. For one thing, several teachers were out sick this week and problems seemed to be escalating at rapid succession for a bit. Needless to say, the market adventure was scrapped. Due to the chaos, I spent most of day one sitting at a computer typing lists for the Expressive Arts Program which begins Friday. Yes, I worked the first day during ORIENTATION. This could be an interesting two years. In fact, these days drag on forever...and then, once I think its time to go home, I'm welcomed into a teacher's home for dinner. Its an amazing gesture, but I always find myself fighting to stay awake and maintain politeness at late hours. I'm calling it a work in progress...

Other than that, I'm slowly adjusting to living in the slow place that exists in Belmopan. My new host family is very nice. My host dad works for the U.S. Embassy and my host mother works as a high school principal in Belize City. They have a relationship much like one you would find in the United States: they both work and share the responsibilities around the house...my host dad was the one prepping dinner last night. I also have a host grandmother that currently lives in the house because her health is poor....she's definitely interesting (and I believe in the first stages of Alzheimer's- she asked me no less than 12x how long I'd been in Belize).

The house is amazing...it has a view to the open space beyond Belmopan, with a deck that lets me watch the sunrise while drinking my coffee. I have my own room complete with a new fan (the first one I had sounded like cats being killed, no bueno). Its my favorite place to hang out at the moment. Most days are chaotic and exhasting but there is a place for comfort and relaxing. Last night my host dad and I discussed soccer to excess, debating our favorite teams in the Premiership League (we agreed on ManU) and then we ate cheeseburgers while watching Cardinal baseball. Completely awesome.

Hopefully I'll have time in the next couple of days to post photos to share with you all the new places I'm living and working. Keep updating me on all of your news, I love hearing from you all!

Winner takes all…
Which is certainly true in the case of our trivia games. That’s right, every other Monday in Cayo we play trivia for a cash prize. Both times I’ve played, my team has won - which I would say speaks to how fantastic my team members are: not only are they full of random information, they continue to let me reap the benefits of being on a winning team even though my contributions are small. (However, I was fairly adequate at knowing theme songs for television shows). Needless to say, I can now order a lime juice and STILL afford my bus fare this week - success!

All in all, I think it was a good start to the my last week in San Ignacio as a trainee. I plan to do ridiculous amounts of laundry tonight after training so that I can attempt packing for the move back to Belmopan and beyond. Since we all know how much I love the packing process, I’m banking on a fairly eventful night of attempting to smash all my accumulated crap back into one bag. Bonus activity…I have to haul the stupid thing through town and hoist in on the bus. There is nothing quite like the entertainment that Gringos (that would be the white skinned folks) provide for the locals…

Training is finishing up and I am more than ready to make another transition - into my future site. We find out on Friday where our site placement is…I think we’re all fairly anxious to find out and start the next leg of our Peace Corps service. Limbo is no longer the fun place to be. It's like that summer you have between college and your first job - you know, that time when something is just around the corner that WILL or should be amazing...but you still have to fill the days in between with God knows what. Training is our 'God knows what' and I've had my fill. Bring on the next adventure.

Don't mistake my anxious anticipation for the notion that I've had an awful time here. Its quite the contrary...I've loved living in this city, meeting the people, and learning another culture. I've had the best times celebrating holidays, trying new foods and learning the right way to greet a local on the street, and getting to know my fellow PCVs (have you read any of the previous entries?)...I'm just ready for something new.

The time in San Ignacio has indeed flown by as so many people said it would...And really, considering the luck I had in getting this placement for training, I'd say I won big in experiences. So I'm off to enjoy some of the local atmosphere while I still can...and yes, that includes one gigantic lime juice (paid for by my unearned trivia winnings)!

Belizean Birthday

Sorry for the delay in updating...its been a busy week and this will be a short update at that. Over the past week there's been a bunch of celebration and partying in honor of Belize's 28th Independence Day. Here are a few of the highlights of the weekend:

On Friday night, San Ignacio had Belikin fest so once we hopped the bus, we headed straight to the carnival area...the night was a blur, but I can tell you that it ended with a delicious basil omelete! Also, let it be said that Belizean ferris wheels (one of which I had the privilage to ride) spin at ridiculous speeds and should not be attempted on a full stomach. HOWEVER, if you like the lose-your-stomach feeling from rides...this one is perfect (just dont pay too much attention to the missing bolts or the fact that the wheel is operated via a homemade clutch system).The carnival fun was topped off by the group enjoying some delicious cotton candy!!

I enjoyed some free time at Blue Hole national park on Sunday where I got to swim in the freezing blue-green water and hiked through some brush that was full of mosquitos! I'm happy to report that none of us in Youth Development procured a bot fly...yet. The night ended like a typical 4th of July...lots of partying and FIREWORKS (which we watched from the rooftop of ProBelize's office).

The daily routine hasn't changed much, training everyday and hanging out as a group or attempting to relax at home once our work is over. I'll admit that living in San Ig

nacio gives me a great advantage to enjoy a ton of perks: i.e. seeing a movie in air conditioning, ordering food at a restaurant that resembles something close to American dishes, having wireless internet connections, etc. but I often forget the niceties when I feel completely stressed with the work schedule we have.

This weekend I'm helping facilitate a training session to parents of Belizean high school students at St. Ignatius (in Santa Elena). My co-facilitator and I were able to observe the last session and realized that we have a lot of work to do to make it beneficial to participants. Number one on the list: make sure to have a Spanish translator! Its completely ridiculous to run a session entirely in Kriol when more than half of your participants only communicate in Spanish (yes, this was how our counterpart facilitated...and she didnt quite understand the lack of involvement).

Fingers crossed that the activities we have planned work out and the session goes smoothly...other than that...not much new going on. Hopefully I'll have the chance to update again soon with more interesting stuff!

week three!

...coming to you from Belmopan! I'll update you in bullets about what has been going on in the past week because its quicker and I'm exhausted...

• Sunday we had training in the morning and in the afternoon a group of us forked over 10BZ! to swim at the pool at Cahal Pech (yes, we hiked that miserable hill...but the view and experience was COMPLETELY worth it!)
  
• Monday the Youth Development group facilitated a computer skills course at St. Barnabus primary school just outside San Ignacio. Overall I'd say the youth were very receptive and the experience was great for learning the various levels of students in the school system here.
• Tuesday was fairly uneventful but I did manage to squeeze in some relaxing time at the house for a bit. Its rare that I get some alone time so when I can sneak in an hour or two it makes the day so much better.
• Wednesday we found out where we would be going for our PCV visit this weekend. Luck of the draw and I headed back to Belmopan... I was diappointed at first, but the experience has been amazing and I'm so glad that I've been able to see another side of the Garden City. Also...it was the eve of National Day (aka Battle of St. George's Caye Day) so a group of us braved the late night hour and headed out for some fun in San Ignacio. A bunch of us went to see a movie in the air conditioned theatre (we saw Brothers Bloom) and then made our way to where the fireworks display was. There was a LOT of drinking and fun to be had....which made
• Thursday...recovery day. I'm so glad that I was able to lounge around and do some laundry. I did manage to pull myself together mid afternoon and head downtown for the parade and to meet up with other trainees that were in town to watch the celebrations. Christine and I also decided to try our hand at making pizza...we failed. After buying all the ingredients (which cost as much as just ordering one) we set out to make one fantastic pie. Everything was going according to plan - including my homemade dough -until it was time to actually bake the thing. Apparently in our rush, we had managed to blow out the oven and our crust didnt bake...HOWEVER, due to the warmth of the oven, all the cheeses melted and it became an unbalanced cooking mess. I believe we'll attempt again, hopefully with better results.
• Friday was our weekly trip to Belmopan. I had packed my weekend bag for my PCV visit and we hopped on the express bus to the capital city. This is supposed to be faster....it was not. After some issues with immigration resulting in half our trainees being asked to get off the bus, we once again arrived late to the session. We're now hoping that everything is straightened out and that this next week we will finally get to Belmopan on time. The end of the night was spent with the volunteers in Belmopan...we checked out a local coffee place that reminds me of home called Perk-Up. There was live acoustic music and delicious food...great night!
• Saturday we got up early and headed to Belize City for a tour. Once there we shopped around and got to check out the disgusting view of the ocean. For those of you cruise ship tourists...you generally only get to experience "tourist village" in the city...its a line of a few shops that are brightly painted with a view of a sailboat harbor. it looks quite nice from where you sit. Let it be known that this is NOT an accurate description of the city at all! Please, brave the cultural experience and step outside those gates - get another perspective of the country. We left around 4 and arrived back in Belmopan in time to sweat profusely, grab a snack and head to a festival at Governor General field celebrating the 2nd annual celebration of Independence for Mesoamerica (Central American countries from Mexico to Panama have September Independence Days). There was a huge crowd, lots of entertainment and drink - one of the funnest cultural nights I've spent in Belize thus far. After the festival, a larger group of us went out to a few bars with the intention of calling it an early night...we strolled in around 2am having had a fantastic evening out with some new friends.
• This morning I was awoken by blaring Christian music at 6am...Our neighbor loves his church music and apparently felt that the appropriate time to begin his lovely music filled morning was at a time that not even the roosters felt necessary to be awake for. OY! We headed to the Belize Bird Rescue for the morning and checked out some beautiful land in Camalote village. The owners graciously showed us their home and projects and introduced me to a whole new way of looking at wildlife preservation...IMPRESSIVE lives they lead. It was unusually hot here today so we then headed for a long walk to a local resident's pool. Again, so worth the trouble to jump into water and cool off for an hour or two.
  

My weekend in Belmopan will end after I get the chance to experience a day-in-the-life of my lovely hostess, Tonya. Its another busy day, but I wouldnt trade the experience of this weekend for anything.
Hope you all are enjoying the cooling weather at home!!!!

week two!

First of all, HAPPY BELATED 4th BIRTHDAY ANNIE!!!!
(I did, in fact, mail a card but who knows when that will actually show up...be on the look out!)

My first full week in San Ignacio has flown by! I have to tell you all that I have been very blessed with both the living arrangements that I have here as compared to some of my fellow trainees. Yes, it is unbelievably HOT...but I still get a shower and a flushing toilet. It's the little things that make it so much of a great experience.

The week started with language and technical training classes...they're long and sometimes tedious but they're generally keeping us all on task to learn what we need to be effective during the next two years. This week was more of orientation so hopefully they will pick up in the next few weeks. I did get my first youth group assignment and will be co-partnering with another trainee at St. Ignatious High School in Santa Elena. We're going to be facilitating a parenting teenagers course as well as helping to plan a teen leadership program.

By far the best part of my time here is when all of us trainees get together during what little free time we have. On Monday night, we went downtown to Eva's and played a round of trivia. I'm proud to say that my team completely dominated and we even came away with our 1st place cash prize. Our group also enjoys meeting up for ice cream or attending a pirated movie where we can sit in air conditioning for a while.

On Friday we all headed back to Belmopan for our daily session. This was the first time that I was able to see our other trainees that have been all over central Belize...exchanging stories with them was amazing and it seemed to be that most people were enjoying their time with their host families. This week was also my switch to my new host family. Miss Nalida is wonderful and the house is beautiful. She is amazing and has breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc. waiting for us always and she continues to check-in and make us aware of Belizean culture.

I was surprised to find that the new bedroom I share has an air conditioning unit. I ran it the first night and completely FROZE. Apparently we do adjust to hotter temperatures. Needless to say, it is too expensive to run on a normal basis so we have two fans to replace it and that allows my roommate and I to sleep comfortably. Also, I have learned that you should never put on lotion prior to climbing our "hill" to Cahal Pech...you end up looking like you just jumped into a pool.

Tonight the San Ignacio group is heading downtown to check out our city's block party that kicks off September celebrations. Apparently it is the place to be...complete with music, drinks, and local/traditional cuisine. Tomorrow we've decided that we're going swimming at one of two pools that are at hotels (we pay 10BZ and can use the resort hotel for the day)...after a week of go-go-go....water just seems like the perfect way to relax before our week begins full blast again.

Hope everything is going well back home...keep updating me on what's going on in your lives!

week one!

Hi friends! I've finally found the time to update you all on what I've been up to this past week. On Thursday afternoon the group of 41 Peace Corps trainees split up into its sectors and headed out for our first homestay! My sector is Youth Development and there are a total of 9 of us. We are currently living and working in San Ignacio on the Belizean and Guatemalan border.

My origional host family had to drop out at the last minute, so I'm currently living with another volunteer and her host family. In a few days, I will switch to live with another volunteer that is staying with a woman that speaks Kriol. The family I'm with now is amazing, so I'm a little sad that I have to leave...but since we hold Kriol language class at this house, I'll at least get to stay in touch with this new family.

To everyone at Elm City and beyond, the host family that I'm living with currently, as well as the family I will be living with in the future have most of the amenities that you would find in a typical American household. We have running water, electricity, the internet, mostly hot showers, and even a washing machine! I'm living in a city by Belizean standards so I don't have to worry about washing my clothes in the river....yet.

The clothes washing is really dependent on what region of the country that you live in and each sub-culture of a region has its own method of doing laundry. I'll learn whatever method is used in my final placement and if its different, I'll explain how I wash them then. I did attempt to wash my clothes in Belmopan before leaving for San Ignacio....unfortunately the room was too humid to dry anything and I had to pack damp clothes...needless to say, those are all terribly smelly and I'm in the process of rewashing them all as we speak!

Backtrack to last weekend when we traveled to the Mayan ruins...I have a few photos that I'm putting up here...this region still continues to impress me and the view I have each morning is breathtaking...its nice to know that even though my family lives at the top of the BIGGEST hill in San Ignacio, there is a reward at the end of the day after the long hike!

Hope you all are well and enjoying life in the states as much as I am here!

arrival

Hi everyone!! Just wanted to let you know that we all arrived safe and sound in Belize with all of our luggage! success from the start. :0)

This first part of the week has been full of training and orientation. Currently we're staying in Belmopan in a local hotel that's about a 10min walk from the Peace Corps office where we have our daily activities. Bonus to the office: free wifi & air conditioning.

Yesterday we traveled to Xunantanich, on the western border. Very impressive Mayan ruins...we were able to climb all the way to the top and look out and into Guatemala. AWESOME! I did scoot my butt all the way to the edge at the top for a photo (hopefully I'll be able to post it soon) but my fear of heights definately kicked in a little.

On the way home, after some tire trouble with the van I was origionally riding in, a few of us stopped in San Ignacio at a place called Cayo Twist for some ice cream. It only sells soy ice cream but it was delicious, especially in the Belizean heat!

Today we're headed to the local river to cool off and there's a chance for some of us to wash our clothes there as well. It's almost time to head out so I'll post more later when I get the chance.

flight information

...because I know some of you are curious, compulsive worriers - I'm putting the information here. You can track these flights at your leisure and at least know when I've landed. Again, I'm not sure when I'll have access to internet to update you all so at least this is an alternative.

My Flight from St. Louis to Washington, D.C.

Wednesday August 19, 2009
American Airlines Flight Number: 884
Class of Service:Coach Class G
Depart: ST LOUIS/LAMB,MO 6:40 Am August 19, 2009
Arrive: WASHINGTON/NATL,DC 9:35 Am August 19, 2009
Total Flight Time: 1 Hour 55 Minutes Non-Stop



My Flights from Washington, D.C. to Belize City, Belize

20 AUG 09 - THURSDAY
AIR AMERICAN AIRLINES FLT:1631 ECONOMY FOOD FOR PURCHASE
LV WASHINGTON REAGAN 605A EQP: BOEING 737-800
DEPART: TERMINAL B 02HR 29MIN
AR MIAMI INTERNTNL 834A NON-STOP
AIR AMERICAN AIRLINES FLT:2103 ECONOMY FOOD FOR PURCHASE
LV MIAMI INTERNTNL 1010A EQP: BOEING 737-800
02HR 05MIN
AR BELIZE CITY BZE 1015A NON-STOP

Thank you all for the wonderful well wishes and kind thoughts as I head to Belize!!!! Please feel free to email or post comments and I'll keep in touch when I get the chance!

love/hate relationship with...

PACKING! I cannot describe this process any better than saying it is a serious pain in the a**. BUT, I also get excited about packing because I know that it brings the next adventure in my life so much closer to reality. With that excitement comes my over-zealousness for throwing in everything that I think I might possibly need. Usually this isn't too bad, but this whole two year time frame has thrown a little monkey wrench into my process. How can I possibly be expected to know what I will need/find useful for the next two years?!?! Several current volunteers have posted suggestions and of course, each person has a different suggestion (with guys bringing the least amount).

So, naturally...I attempted this - and ended up 20lbs over the limit for my bags. I have since repacked a few times and while I'm getting closer to the limit, I'm approaching the point of saying "no, I need that and I don't care about the weight limit!" Seriously, toiletries are important and if i remove anymore clothing, I'm not quite sure if I'll have enough for a week, let alone how ever long is necessary before I can find new in Belize.

Taking up some weight I'll admit, were a few non-essentials like books and extra supplies that I can have mailed to me once I get settled. So I've taken those out already (FYI...US Postal Service Flat Rate boxes are the cheapest way to ship anything to Belize). I've also got myself a laptop bag in addition to my backpack because I'm allowed to take both as "Carry-on" and "personal Item"....I feel that if there is a way to maneuver the system, I will find it!!!

So today I'm attempting round 4 or so of reorganizing and adjusting my things to accomodate the weight requirements. Now the only thing left to worry about is lugging all of it through the airports by myself...perhaps that can be motivation enough to slim down the extras.

home again

Just got home from my mid-west tour...exhausted! I had a fantastic time catching up with friends for my '5 states in 5 days' adventure...but what shall be sitting for me here in the kitchen but a few copies of our local paper...complete with photo and story of me as front page news...oy! If any of you know me well, you realize that while I will kindly answer questions for curious minds, I do not expect it to be newsworthy. And if some one else deems it so, I pray that the article sits comfortably on pg. 6, with a tiny photo (because apparently a photo is necessary).

Just to clarify a few things about the article...

• My dad is not a social worker at Elm City- While it is an organization that serves adult clients with mental and physical disabilities and values social work ideals, that doesnt make all of its employees social workers.
• My work in Kenya was in a village named Meru. Harambee is not a city/town, but a Kiswahili word meaning "coming together." We titled the trip with this word because it described our American culture and the Kenyan culture working together to fund the construction of classrooms at the Primary School in Meru.
• Along with that, my various trips in high school were described slightly incorrectly: while I did visit a Native American community in South Dakota, I never worked there. I stayed and worked in Belvidere (a town of 63 people in the middle of nowhere - where even the interstate was a dirt road).

Editorial oops... I realize that these are just silly things that get under my skin but sometimes the smallest mistake shows up in the details and I might have to stick my foot in my mouth.

In other news, I believe that tomorrow I will attempt packing, round 1. (after I get caught up on sleep,of course). If it doesnt happen...well, there's always the weekend!

countdown kickoff

Hello everyone!!! I've officially decided that this will probably be the best way to update you on all of my adventures in Belize. Hopefully this will avoid all the problems and dilemmas of mass email with attachments (and thinking that my updates are spam!).

This week I'm headed to KY for a few days to visit Sarah and take a breather before attempting to pack my life for these next two years. Due to my serious lack of affection to this proccess, I'm willing to put roadtripping in front of it. I'll probably be cursing this decision later, but I think procrastination is still allowed.

Official countdown to departure is 9 days.
I'll update you with flight information a day or two before I leave.

for those of you that suffer from update anxiety...please be aware that internet connection is sketchy in some parts of the country and due to time constraints during training (especially through October) I may not be able to update this as often as you all wish.

Happy Reading!!