• I currently facilitate the Core Essentials character value program at Garden City Primary School
• I organized the school’s club system and it’s finally up and running…5 months after school started (we’re on Belizean time)
• I’m helping to create a school garden with monies GCPS received from a Kids2Kids grant I wrote… we’ve not planted a thing yet, but again- we’re on Belizean time.
• I’m a member of the Peace Corps HIV/AIDS committee. I’m currently organizing an outreach event for the La Ruta Maya (a canoe race that spans the width of Belize) which takes place the first weekend of March.
• I’m doing some serious work within a sub-committee of the larger HIV/AIDS committee. This sub-committee is dedicated to Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) for organizations working with HIV/AIDS…specifically focusing on their Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) procedures.
• I’m helping create a peer support program within Peace Corps (for volunteers struggling with the hardships of living abroad) along with a few other volunteers.
• I hang out with Trafford on the days that he’s decided its okay to like me….the dog holds a grudge!
• I do laundry on days when it’s sunny and dry enough not to produce mold in my freshly cleaned clothes...it’s been a while.
• I’m continually trying to cook decent food at an affordable cost. I have successfully learned how to do the following: buttermilk marinated chicken strips, eggplant ratatouille, stuffed peppers, rosemary chicken, vegetable chow mien, stir fry, biscuits and gravy, dinner rolls, pizza, hummus, aioli…all from SCRATCH! Send some of your favorite recipes my way (bearing in mind that several specialty ingredients are just not accessible to me here)
Ok, now you’re all updated on what I’m currently doing in Belmopan, Belize. Let’s rewind and fill you in on what has transpired since my last update in November. Cliff’s Notes version, of course.
Thanksgiving: I traveled down to Toledo and celebrated the holiday in traditional American fashion. We partied the night before, played flag football in the mud early Turkey Day, went home to shower and cook, and then proceeded to stuff myself to the point of food coma in the evening. I LOVE Thanksgiving in this country! There are so many of us that I’m able to eat amazing foods that my family doesn’t normally have… Pictures below.
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| The whole group in PG for Thanksgiving. |
December: I finally made the trek back to the United States. It’s amazing how in a total of 8 hours, my entire world changed. I got up early on Dec. 18th and took a warm-ish shower in my bathroom in Belmopan, hitched a ride in a truck to the airport with my one bag, sat in an airplane where they serve something other than Belikin (I recommend the pomegranate martini), and was in “the land of good and plenty” by 3pm. Here, the walls were covered with TVs, no one cared to wish me “good afternoon,” there was greasy, unhealthy and delicious fast food every 10 feet, and there not only were sidewalks, but MOVING sidewalks. All this before my connecting flight to St. Louis. America is one amazing place.
The whole trip home went by in a blur. I visited most of my [growing] family, spent an afternoon with the Richmonds (THANK YOU! for making my first 24hours so wonderful), and was able to travel to see various friends from college. Now, there were some hiccups in my travel itinerary. I believe there’s a saying that goes, “The best laid plans of mice and men….” Well, I forgot that not everything goes my way and a mere 6 days into my trip, I ruined my transportation. UGH!!! Definitely put a damper on my return visit! ...it’s not that I was so desperate to have a car, but driving to where I wanted – whenever I wanted- well I’d been fantasizing about that for months! That bubble burst pretty quickly…And having a week of limited mobility because my body had been put through the wringer???…definitely not a part of my vacation plan. And so my brand new yoga mat still sits in my old room, unused.
But, the whole monkey wrench aside, I really enjoyed the time I had at home. And of course, I’m going to highlight my FAVORITE realizations from a trip the United States…after a year and a half in a developing country. Yes, here are a few things I didn’t see coming:
• Soft toilet paper is worth a few tears. I’ve said it many times since that first night in my aunt’s house in St. Louis, but honestly – it was like butter on my but!! Truly amazing!
• HOT water for an entire shower. There really aren’t any words…
• A white Christmas is like food for your soul.
• My parent’s house is FREEZING.
• You can’t ever really go back to how it was before you left. Life goes on.
• I’ve grown and changed and so have friends and family….some relationships don’t fit together anymore. That’s okay.
• I’m beyond amazed at the wonderful people that welcomed me home…in several capacities.
• Wine makes everything better. The fact that I could buy it for less than $10 was sheer perfection to a wonderful trip.
• At a family holiday dinner, family members successfully managed to discuss how my visit to the U.S. was going – in great detail – without ever actually including me in the conversation. I’ll assume this means that they have beautifully found a way to make me a part of their lives, even when I’m gone physically (which is sweet), but it was weird to be present and just hear this 5 feet to my right.
• Everyone is in a hurry. WHY? Not all of you have pressing things to get to… is the television show worth more than a conversation; do you really have to eat at 6 just because that’s the routine??
• My brother can keep his cool when the s**t hits the fan…I prefer to cry. Both have their value, but I’m in awe of the way he handles himself when the going gets rough.
• Small children still make me smile from the inside out. Unconditional entertainment and love. Doesn’t get better than that.
• Target is beyond words. I went at least 3 times and there isn’t even one where my parents live…
• The fact that you can do all your shopping (locating everything you wish to get, and then some – household, clothing, groceries, etc.) in one store should be celebrated. The fact that you can then load everything into a car and not walk with it all in your hands for 5 blocks made me endlessly happy.
• I love my family and have a greater appreciation for everything that they have allowed me to do.
• I was greeted with a “welcome home” from customs when I arrived in Belize. And let me be honest: Breathing warm air, riding in the back of a pick up for over an hour with my luggage tucked under my feet, hair a tangled mess from the wind, screaming in kriol while attempting to talk to those inside the cab… the guy in customs was right. Belize is home. And it never felt better.
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| Me & Craig |
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| Craig, Mom, Me & Dad |
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| my Speedo girls |
January: was pretty low key, with the exception of one HASH run down in Placencia (it was the red dress run, without the red dresses) You all have the important daily happenings from the first bit of what I’m currently doing. Nothing else to report.
SO, that is my life – in a nutshell. Time in Belize is on the down-ward slope, as I have a little over 8 months left. It’s going faster every week and I’m booking events/visits/trips to fill what I can. I would still LOVE to hear from you all. Send me snail mail (my address is on the left) OR an email – it’s only fair that after all this, you update me on your lives as well. :0) So, get to it!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
