GUATEMALA!!!

Posing in the Antigua ruins. The people who run this site say that it is the most important archaeological site in Guatemala. I wont judge that, but it sure was impressive.




An old spanish fort on the Rio Dulce. We nearly got kicked out for swimming nearby!!




6AM, bags strapped to the bumper of our microbus, ridiculously sweet coffee in hand breaking in some flea bitten barrio.




The scorpion who seemed to have a problem with Susannah's toe. It took four stomps for me to kill him.




A security guard posing for us on the River




The view from our cabana near Lanquin. The thatch on the right is the restaurant. Darn good BBQ with an ice cold river to boot!




Semuc Champey from ground level. This was a natural limestone bridge filled with gorgeous pools of water. Underneath raged the Rio Cahabon.




The view of Semuc Champey from above. There is no way these pics can do justice to the beauty of the site.


Goofing around in Las Grutas de Lanquin. Those are bats flying all around us. Kept hoping one would get caught in Suzy's hair...no luck, I guess that only happens in cartoons


Another bit o silliness!




A view of Lago de Atitlan taken from my favorite restaurant...Melon liquado and dominoes with the owner...priceless


You guys like my new pants?! Ive been rockin these things everywhere!




Aren't we cute?!




A sidestreet in Panajachel. The colors of the streets combined with the misty mountains and the lake at one end made for a surreal setting. We spent a night in town here throwing down with Guatemalan Govt officials :)




Yep...thats lava. Notice how red my face is? The wind shifted just before this picture was taken and I thought i was going to spontaneously combust.




Posing in the church ruins in Antigua. Cinderblocks and a camera self timer.


Yes yes, I know...its been far too long since I have posted... Well...quitcher whinin and read! Here I am...all 26 years of me...writing to you after an amazing vacation in guatemala with ms. suzy! Lets get a few disclaimers going on first...the thumbnails on this computer are far too small and im not sure if I am posting a picture of the lake or of the bathroom. Next...the "o" key on this computer is rather fickle...so if the word looks like it needs to buy a vwel, insert it and move n!

Guatemala!!! WOW! So close to Belize yes so incredibly different! In two short weeks I was enthralled, enraged, ecstatic, saddened, relaxed and wound tighter than a strand of barbed wire. I guess thats what traveling is all about. Before we left I had heard countless people tell me I will love guatemala and never want to leave, that it is a magical place full of surprises. While I dont think that I'm ready to purchase land I will agree that it certainly has something about it, some sort of undefinable quality that keeps my mind wandering back there. It could have been the mountain vistas, high ridges down to misty valleys that I swear have hobbits living in them, or the hard consonants and "shhh" sounds of the 21 mayan languages that are heard more often than spanish in the highlands. Maybe it was the kindness shown to us by Pedro, a little man living in the secret garden who brought us home for beans and nescafe. Swimming through a river in a cave, holding a candle above our heads for light, or buying handmade boots and huilpes (traditional mayan clothing) from cobblers and weavers on the street.
We climbed an active volcano, melting the soles of our shoes in the process and witnessed a mayan exorcism where they cut a cross in a mayan teenager's forehead while yelling at a wooden statue smoking a cigarette. We swam in pools of water the most mindblowing shades of green and turquoise and drank german beers in an Irish pub set in a spanish colonial building in guatemala.
Traveling was an experience unto itself. From double decker buses playing steven seagal movies to minivans and pickup beds, tuk tuks to fiberglass boats, dugout canoes in a downpour and chicken buses where 5 people squeeze onto a 2 person seat every single ride was an experience in both patience and contortion. I have realized that my body has a few deficiencies that make 3rd world travel slightly more difficult. 1. Im too darn tall. Six feet isnt that big right?? It is when youre trying to squeeze into a schoolbus crowded by tiny mayan people with no concept of personal bubbles. Issue #2: My ass is just too damn bony. An hour and a half and my butt is numb. Seriously. I think I am going to end up with a callous down there. Im gonna have a baboon ass, and i dunno how I should feel about that.

As far as natural beauty goes, Guatemala is fantastic. We spent hours on tiny mountain roads with a cliff on one side and views for miles beyond. Its like someone sat down and said "lets put some amazing mountains here...and since its not picturesque enough lets give it a light dusting of mist, just to take it into the realm of jaw droppingness". Im also guessing that it was that same guy's idea to put a tiny wrinklefaced woman with a hand embroidered outfit, a chicken hanging in her hand and a giant bundle of firewood balanced on her head along the roadside just to remind you of exactly where you were.

Guatemala is a country of extremes. Benzes and hummers passing shantytowns, swelteringly hot flatlands near the coast and 40 degree nights lakeside at 6000 feet. We spent so many hours wandering through cities and villages, ducking into little shops, chatting with people in the markets and collapsing onto plastic stools to revive ourselves with Gallo beer and sweetbread when we just couldn't go any farther. The markets were fantastic, divided by section you would take one step and go from the guys hawking avacados to clothing to an entire street of live chickens and puppies. Some of my favorite moments were spent with my back pressed to the wall while a sea of humanity went about their daily shopping, haggling over the price of a hen that Im guessing ended up in a pot that night.

Speaking of haggling...goodness gracious! Guatemalans seemed to believe that Jacob not only was willing, but WANTED to pay three times the value of every product or service available. I got tired of haggling. Granted it is part of the culture, but there is a difference between haggling and an obvious concentrated effort to lighten this gringo's wallet! We were usually able to get people down to the sensible price with some haggling and a few feigned "ok...im walking away"!s. Guess I have to thank the middle eastern side of my family for whatever genetic bartering skills I have inherited!!

Spending so much time living and traveling in Spanish was wonderful. Every time I travel in Latin America I can feel my language skills improving, and almost inevitably I am complimented on my ability to speak the language. I realize alot about myself on such a trip. I am reminded that I enjoy the experience of attempting to navigate a world I am not a part of. I find that I am often more comfortable and stable with a backpack strapped on, putting one foot ahead of the next on the quest to find the next piece of the puzzle. What an opportunity I am afforded, and what a wonderful travel partner I have to balance me out, calm me down, and open my eyes to things I would never have seen!
Its an incredible world, and Guatemala sure is a special part of it!!!

Long Time No Post

Hello all! It has been over a month since I posted. Im sorry. Its been a tough month for me, and I feel like I am finally on the upswing and feeling like putting some of this on paper...er on computer. Things in the village have been faltering a bit, people not really showing interest in my projects and activities and I have been feeling a bit alone in my work. I have let it affect my disposition and have generally been feeling bummed out that Im not doing more/having more of an impact. I remember when we were in training and they talked to us about how Peace Corps service would give us the highest highs and the lowest lows. I was so excited about being here that I didnt even think about what those lows would feel like. I even remember joking with our instructor that he was saying we would all become bipolar. Maybe not so funny with some perspective. This past month I have had to deal with the collapse of my school garden, two projects (a trip to a water park and a library) receiving little to no support from my village, and what I have felt is a general apathy to what I want to do. I think I have let it affect me more personally than is good and/or healthy. Im not saying that it shouldnt get to me, its just that it has taken me a while to break out of this funk. While all this is going on my puppy contracted distemper, a virus that is often fatal for dogs. He has been sick for a month, stopped eating for two weeks, and now will only eat hot dogs (definitely my dog if you consider the hot dog thing!) The really tough part is that even if he physically gets healthy again the virus often travels to their brain and basically fries their mind. Moses will spend 20 minutes staring at a wall panting. I think he just doesnt know where he is or whats going on. Im waiting it out to see if he gets better, but if he stays this way I have to make the decision on putting him down. It is agonizing to watch your puppy suffer and know that there is nothing you can do. As if things werent tough enough right now my computer up and died last week. AHHHH!!!!
This weekend I went to Caye Caulker for a couple of nights, just to get away from everything and gain some sense of perspective. I will also be going into Belmopan tomorrow to talk to my APCD (basically a decision making staff member) and try to figure out what we can do to make this a positive experience for all involved. The trip to the island was wonderful, I got to relax and read on the beach, sip a Belikin or two, hang out with a good friend and meet all sorts of fun and interesting people exuding positive vibes. Sometimes I get jealous of all of these young travelers on their multimonth trips through central america, but it feels wonderful to just soak up some of the energy and rehabilitate my mind, body and soul.
Things have been hard, but as I feel better I believe my own frustration will slink off and I will regain my optimistic approach towards this experience. As Bob Marley told me at least 10 times this weekend... "Dont worry, about a thing....every little thing...is gonna be alright!"

Mom and Dads Mayan Adventure

One of the big temples in the central courtyard of Tikal




This is probably my favorite view from tikal. Its the one taht was in Return of the Jedi. The photo doesnt do it justice.




Another amazing view, accessed only by climbing a staircase/ladder hundreds of feet into the sky




This is the view from our hotel in Flores. Mom and I watched the sunset while treading water in the lake. magical.




A view of Flores from the water. You could get a ride on a little wooden boat for an hour for less than ten dollars




Our hotel in Flores. Check out the top window right by the sign...yep, that was our room!




A little side street in Flores. I could walk these lanes for hours.




The rents and me in Actun Tunichil Muknal!




The skull of a teenage Mayan boy sacrificed over 1000 years ago.




Jacob at the top of El Castillo in Xunantunich




Jacob and the Rents at a very deserted Altun Ha.

Hi everyone! It is Tuesday morning and the rents left yesterday. What a wonderful visit! They were here for ten days and we did a little bit of everything. We started out with a few days in the village, meeting people, eating fried fish, playing volleyball etc. It was a great opportunity for them to see where I live and the people I hang out with. Mornings were spent cooking eggs and pancakes. I was reunited with my cast iron skillet (yes they carted all 15 pounds of it down here!) We walked Moses, explored the village and generally hung out. We took a few day trips, visiting Crooked Tree village and walked next to the lagoon, we explored the Mayan ruin of Altun Ha. The visit was made even better by the fact that it was absolutely empty. We pretty much had the entire place to ourselves. Awesome. The next move in the visit was three nights at Chaa Creek, a resort near San Ignacio. The place was pretty luxe; thatch roofs, whitewashed walls and dark wood furniture everywhere. Our little cabana had a view of the river and a landscaped outdoor shower. One of my favorite parts about the place was the hot water. I took three showers a day! Each night after a full day of activities we would get dressed up and head to the dining room for a wonderful five course dinner. Mom and Dad seemed happy to keep stuffing food into me, trying to fatten me back up!
Our time in Chaa Creek was not spent lounging by the pool. (well, a little bit was!) We filled our time with activities and adventures. The first day I went on a mountain bike tour. We rode on trails, dirt roads, muddy airstrips, creek beds and plenty more till we reached Xunantunich, the second highest Mayan ruin in Belize. The private tour was great and I continued my immersion in Mayan ruin culture and got a great workout at the same time. While I was riding a bike the Rents took a canoe downstream from the lodge to San Ignacio. Seemed like they really enjoyed getting back in a boat and floating down the river to the sounds of parrots, toucans and howler monkeys.
The next day we all took a van to Actun Tunichil Muknal cave. A 45 minute jungle trek took us to the mouth of a cave where we swam, waded, crawled and wedged ourselves into the far reaches of the underground world. This beautiful cave went from “neat” to mind blowing when we were shown the back rooms, where pottery sat, untouched for a thousand years. The cathedral sized back room was also the site of many human sacrifices, and we were able to get right down next to calcified bones, skulls and full skeletons. Part of what made this so incredible was the lack of railings, glass walls and other tourist site type barriers. It was obvious to me that access to this cave will eventually be curtailed. There is too much there and we could get too close to it. The only thing separating us from a human skeleton was a piece of neon tape on the ground that might as well have said “hey, please don’t step on me, I’m a mayan skull”. The place has been on multiple tv shows, in National Geographic and had been filmed the day before by Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods. I dunno what the guy was gonna eat there, but its still pretty cool.
Sounds like we’ve done a lot already huh? Well, it only got better. We drove the car to the Guatemala border, parked and caught a ride into Flores. Flores is an island in the middle of Lago Peten. The brightly painted concrete walls and rusted tin roofs went right down to the water. Our hotel was right on the water, and we would sit in the Jacuzzi, sip Gallo beer and watch the sunset over the lake. For about ten bucks you could take a little wooden boat ride to explore the island, little three wheeled motorcycles, called “tuk tuks” were the mode of transport for everyone. I cant quite figure out what it was about Flores, but I instantly fell in love. It is Medieval and brand new. A gorgeous restaurant filled with flowers would be tucked into a nook on a cobblestone street, tiny shops filled with brightly colored Guatemalan hammocks and blankets were on every corner and everything just felt so perfectly foreign. Flores is about an hour away from Tikal, the final mayan site we visited on this trip, and by far the most impressive. We spent eight hours hiking through the jungle and coming across massive spires, temples and residences. Tikal makes every other site look miniature. We tramped up the side of one of the temples and came across a view that will stick with me forever. The jungle was spread out in front of us, and poking up through the trees were massive limestone temples. I felt like I was in “The Jungle Book”. This famous view can be seen in Star Wars Return of the Jedi. Its one of those classic images that even if you have never seen something like it it instantly feels right and familiar and strange and new all at the same time. Wow. Tikal is one of those amazing places that I feel like should be on everyone’s to do list. Like Macchu Picchu, or the Egyptian pyramids, or the Statue of Liberty. I feel so lucky to have seen it. The truly amazing thing is, after eight hours and almost 10 km of walking, we saw only about 75% of the site. Now, take that statistic and add this: only about 20% of the site has been uncovered. Eight hours showed us 75% of 20%. This place is big. Huge, Massive.
All said, this vacation was one of the best I have ever had. My family travels together well, and we were able to have a great happy visit and enjoy each other’s company. Thanks for the great time Mom and Dad! I’m glad you guys had fun and didn’t melt in the heat!

About the pics:

1. This friendly fellow now lives in my sink. And I now brush my teeth in the kitchen. I think he would eat Zipper so im keeping the bathroom door nice an shut!

2. This is a view of the river behind my house.

3. Me @ La Ruta Maya on the morning of the last day

4. Josh trying to balance a Maya lady's headthingie on Caye Caulker

5. A beekeeper with his smoker before we went out. This pic is sideways but awesome all the same.



Wow, its been a really long time since I have written here. Pretty much all of March, huh? Plenty has happened here since the last entry. I have paddled 180 miles in La Ruta Maya, Josh has come for a visit, Moses got super sick and almost died, Janine got pregnant, cable got hooked up. Well, when I put it down on paper it doesn’t sound like too much, but I feel like a lot has happened.
The first few weeks after my last post were a bit of a whirlwind. When Susannah left I traveled to Belmopan to attend the All Volunteer Conference. (I believe I wrote about this) So that was the 23rd through the 28th. Less than a week later I left for San Ignacio for our paddling adventure. Now I am not out of shape, but it had been a while since I had paddled a canoe. The boat we were “competing” with was an old burnt orange fiberglass creation nicknamed “Di Doctah”. Given to me for the trip by my friends at Lamanai Eco Tours (if you ever travel to Lamanai use them, they’re great!) this boat was a beast. It took all three of us to drag it down the hill to the starting area. Now there are people who take Ruta Maya super seriously, (not us) but on this rainy Friday morning there we were, hanging out, sippin coffee and waiting to put in when we first met some of the serious groups. Double timing down the hill come the British Army teams. Each canoe is super narrow and incredibly light, a ripped Brit at the bow and stern, they come roaring down the hill with their canoes perched on their shoulders. They line up their ten canoes next to ours. Each one had the Union Jack painted on the front, so lined up in a fancy lil stagger it looked like a 10 foot flag. Oh yeah, we were ready. Right. The best part of each day was the start, when 90 odd boats would cram into the same stretch of river waiting for the starting horn. When it blew every team would start churning the water, knocking into other boats. There were canoes tipping, fingers getting smashed between boats, people in the water getting run over…it was madness. Pretty quickly we would find our place and rhythm, and usually for the rest of the day we were either alone or leapfrogging with a couple other teams. The evenings were the best part. You would pull into that night’s checkpoint, so happy to be done. Get the boat flipped, set up the tent, wander around the party (and it was always a party.) Those who weren’t paddling were either support crew or Belizians who came out for a good time. We could cash in our vouchers for an entirely too small dinner, cook more for ourselves, sip on a beer or two (great way to get calories back after taking 21000 paddle strokes for the day!) and crash out, hopefully before 8. Our last day was the best, with only 25 miles to paddle. There were people along the route cheering us on, and a ton of fellow Peace Corps Volunteers at the finish line to give hugs etc. The entire experience was incredible. I guess its kinda like running a marathon…painful and awful while you are doing it, but an awesome accomplishment and something I will be proud of forever. Plus I got a sweet wooden medal….er…woodal. 
The day after the race Josh came to visit. I was so excited to have him come and hang out, even if it only was for 4 days. We kept it pretty low key, hanging out in the village, going to Union (the mex border crossing), had a lil bash for him in the village etc. The last day we went to Caye Caulker, which of course, was wonderful. It was a good time and I thought it was great that he got the chance to see where I live and what I do. Kinda makes it more real for him I think. The village definitely took to him, especially the ladies. He proved that at least one of the Hafkin boys can dance! I cant wait for him to come back and visit again!
In final news, guess what!? Mommy and Daddy are coming to visit Jacob! This should be an awesome visit. They will be spending 10 days here, and I think I am going to take some vacation time so we can travel. Its looking like we are going to go to Chaa Creek Resort near San Ignacio and then carry on to Guatemala. Neither Mom or Dad have been to Belize, and none of the three of us have been to Guatemala. I am looking forward to having a face to face conversation with my parents. Being able to just hang out instead of getting an entire week squashed into a 45 minute phone conversation. Sweet.
Yep, I better put this on my flash drive and run catch my bus into the village!
jake

My PC Belize intro letter

Hey all! I know I have to do a full on update soon, but i thought I would leave you with a letter I wrote for now. PC Belize asked me to write a letter that would be included in people's welcome packets. Kinda give them an idea of what to expect and so forth. Hope you like it!

Welcome!!!

Where are you right now? Are you reading this letter from your couch? Are you sitting at the coffee shop with your information packet spread out around you? I write to you from my porch. I can hear birds chirping, roosters crowing, dogs barking, and reggae pounding from a neighbor’s speakers. In front of me is my neighbor Don Miguel’s yard, his hundreds of carefully tended flowers set off the trees in the distance in a way that reminds me I live in the tropics. I remember the many months of suspense before my big blue packet finally arrived. Belize! I immediately went on an information gathering rampage, googling, Barnes & Nobleing, I think I even talked to a friend who works as a travel agent. (She was nice, but didn’t exactly give me the best idea of what my service would be like!) What made you decide to join the Peace Corps? For me it was the idea of living and working at the local level. I have always been a traveler, but I felt like my rush to see as much as I could was keeping me from seeing the world how I wanted. I also feel like I have been given many opportunities in my life, it was time for me to give back. Maybe you have some of the same reasons, maybe not. Each person’s experience is unique. I had no idea what to expect. You are probably overwhelmed by how much “general” information you are receiving, very little telling you what its actually going to be like. My experience will not be the same as yours, but maybe you can get an idea…
So you ask, “what IS it like?” Well, let me tell you a little bit about my life in the Peace Corps. I live and work in a village in Northern Belize. Most of my village is involved in the Sugarcane industry in some way, either farming or processing. When I started my service I imagined that I would have a rather clear and outlined job. Call it a 9-5 or whatever. My primary assigned project has been to develop a Youth Group. The idea is to give teens and children positive outlets for energy as well as encouraging character development. In addition to working with youth, I have taken on a number of other projects. I have a garden in the school in which 33 students in 4th Form (about 12 yrs old) are learning organic gardening techniques. We are building a library in the village, attempting to get a paved road constructed and working on writing a children’s reader that would describe the history of the village. (I must be honest, I think the last one is really cool!) Living in a slow paced rural community I have learned to appreciate and get excited about your successes, large and small. For Christmas I worked with the village council to organize a party (or Bram as they say in Kriol). We were able to raise the money to feed over 500 people, provide a toy for every child, a DJ, a volleyball tournament and….fireworks! These were serious light up the sky type explosions, the first that many of the people in my village had ever experienced. 5 months later I still hear people talking about it.
So what about life outside of work? Well, lets start with where I live; I have a tiny two bedroom wood house on the outskirts of the village. When I found the house it was kinda a disaster, but after quite a few hours of work I think it looks great. My yard is filled with fruit trees; mango, plantain, lime, cashew, papaya. I have a dog and a cat (actually both are lying on top of me as I sit on my couch and write this). I have indoor plumbing, a fridge to keep stuff cold and a stove to boil water for the essentials: coffee and mac & cheese. I can’t cook to save myself. This has had a more positive outcome than I could have expected, people invite me over for lunch or dinner all the time. My village is primarily Kriol, and the people are warm, friendly, generous, and have no problem saying exactly what they think. I have lost a few pounds down here, and they like to tell me that I am far too skinny. It usually sounds something like this: “Bwai Jaycob!! You meh get magah magah bwai!!!” Mek you eat somethin!”
Belize is a playground for nature lovers. We all know about the beaches and the mountains. But living up North I have fallen in love with the bush. Hypnotizing by horseback, exhausting by foot, on my daily walks to the river I may see picaries, deer, hundreds of species of birds, turtles and even the occasional croc. There is something deeply satisfying about bushwhacking through the undergrowth, trying to make it to that marshy area you heard about for some great fishing. More often than not I am with a group of guys who in between cracking jokes (sometimes at my expense) are excited to teach me a new trick of the woods.
It’s the people that keep me happy in my village. The late nights playing Dominoes, the overnight treks in the bush, the pickup that pulls up beside you as you’re walking home and invites you fishing, to go butcher a cow, (that was a first) to help pick corn, to pull a 10 wheel truck out of the mud using two tractors. I came to Belize without having ever picked up a machete, now I can chop your coconut open and pour you a fresh glass in ten seconds flat. If that isn’t a transferable skill I don’t know what is.
I can’t promise you paradise, but I can promise that Belize will surprise you, encourage you, frustrate you and make you laugh out loud. You will feel the highest highs and some pretty low lows. Belize sneaks up on you. One day you won’t be able to understand Kriol, next thing you know your village has stopped seeing you as an outsider and you are speaking the language and sharing in their lives. I have made friends that will last a lifetime, bridged cultural and language gaps and worked myself into a close knit community.

Congratulations and good luck!

Jacob Hafkin

2nd part of the last post (March2)

I’m always unsure of how exactly to start off a blog entry. I feel like an inordinate number begin with a “so…” or “hey there everybody”... I wish that I could just pick up in the middle, total stream of consciousness style. I spent the past week in Belmopan at the All Volunteer Conference. Despite the countless times that I debated ripping out my hair in boredom (nothing about the conference, its just that Jacob was not meant to sit in a classroom for 8 hours a day) I feel like I learned quite a bit and made some excellent contacts. Being with all the other volunteers, hearing their stories and sharing my own has reminded me of two things; I remembered that I am incredibly lucky to be in a village that I enjoy alongside people I like, and I have the opportunity to do some amazing things here.

I returned back to the village on Friday and it felt like coming home. I was excited to see my house, hail my friends and cook hot dogs on my own stove. (For the record, a sandwich made up of banana bread, cream cheese and hot dogs is up there as one of the tastiest things I have ever made, Im emailing Anthony Bourdain after this.) Saturday was spent down by the river. I am attempting to extend an existing trail that runs alongside the river. At the moment its about ¾ mile. If I make it through the jungle, the brush, the pimenta forest and the swamplands the total length should be about 2 miles. Starting this project has reminded me of bushwhacking in Patagonia, except this time I have a machete. I am getting quite handy with it. I had no idea how useful of a tool it can be when you live in the bush. I have used mine for cutting chain link fence, opening coconuts, hacking my way through the undergrowth, chopping down trees, killing spiders that are as big as your hand, fixing the plumbing and picking my teeth. (well, maybe not the last one!)

So that was yesterday. Today I had a village council meeting in which I got to discuss some of the projects that I would like to see going on in the village. I’ll just drop a short synopsis/description of what I want to see happen in the village. Its looking like I will be spearheading three projects in the next few months. The first is what I consider to be the most serious and pressing of issues. The front part of my village is on the main N/S highway. If you are going from Belize City to Orange Walk (or further) you pass my village. The northern Highway is the main artery from Mexico and gets a lot of traffic. This two lane stretch is also used by the villagers as they move from one part to another. More than ten people, mostly children, have been hit by vehicles as they barrel past. No speedbumps, no sidewalk. If you ask me this is absolutely unacceptable. I feel like it is only a matter of time before someone else dies. The village has asked for funding from the Ministry of Works to construct a sidewalk about 10 yards away from the highway. Despite repeated requests, nothing has happened. I want to put together a photo album with a picture and a bio of everyone who has lost their life on this 2 mile stretch of road. We will see how it works and if anything can come from persistence.

On a lighter note, I will be starting work on setting up a library in the village. This is something I am super excited about. As of right now I am not quite sure of where books will come from, but I am feeling like if we start getting organized then the books will come. Guess you could call it a “Field of Dreams” mentality! I have been told that we can use a room in the community center, and with a bit of lovin I shall turn that cement square into a center for literary…ness. Yeah. Im psyched :)

The last item on the agenda is a fun project that I think could be interesting for Carmelita. As I hang out with the people of the village I am learning about the history of the place. Evidently the village is named after some dude’s horse or cow or something or other. Now this village is known for being multicultural. While Belize is incredibly diverse, typically communities tend to center around one ethnic group or another. Camelita is unique in the sense that living in close proximity you have Kriol, Mestizo, Mayan and even Mennonite. I think it would be fun and interesting to design a children’s book explaining the history of the village and celebrating the diversity. I am sure that there are some talented artists in the community who would be willing to illustrate. To continue to emphasize the diverse nature of my new home, I think it would be fun to have the wording in multiple languages. For example the line “Carmelita was founded in 1983” would be translated into Spanish, Maya Mopan and Kriol. The idea is in its infant stages but I think there is potential!

As far as things to write about I think that about covers it. The next few weeks are going to be super hectic. On Thursday I leave for San Ignacio and Friday is the 1^st day of La Ruta Maya. Four days later I will pull into Belize City and will probably never wish to step into a canoe again…wish me luck! (if you haven’t googled it yet, do it…its cool) And then on the 10^th Josh (lil bro!) comes to visit. I’m about as excited as I could be. I haven’t really gotten to spend any time traveling solo with him, and I think that it will be an awesome bonding type extravaganza. Plus I will be tossing him to the girls in the village, who will eat him alive. (Cant wait to see ya bro!)

Cool. Well, if everything has gone according to plan there should be some pics up here to enjoy as well!

Peace and love

jacob

Upcoming projects etc

Jumpin doggie


Chewing on a bone is hard work.


Moses and I are debating whois the boss. I think he is in this picture.


Chug a lug go di choo choo chrain gyal!


Suzy and I learned how to dance Belize style


This was taken at Susannah's surprise going away party. This is and the pic above are perfect representations of what life in my village are like :)


Bein Silly.


A lil bit of valentines day lovin. The beach is in front of us and our toes are in the sand. Please note the rockin friendship bracelet Suzy made for me :)


This dude hung around the bar to provide a touch of local flavah. He would weave hats from palm fronds and let gulls grab fish from his mouth and the tourists would buy him beer. If you caught him at just the right moment you would see him balancing on a second story railing belting out bob marley or shakin his booty to punta rock. Gotta love it.


Dad, this dive shop picture is for you. How perfect does it look?!?!

This is the view of "The Split". Originally Caulker was one island, but a hurricane carved a deepwater channel forming two islands. The bar and surrounding dock has a post apocalyptic look to it. Its probably the perfect place for a dramatic swimsuit photo shoot. Yes I made Suz pose, but I think she would kick my butt if I posted any of those pics.
Bridget calls this one my postcard pic. Its rare that I like a picture of myself but this ones pretty legit!