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....