Terra's host father, Elvis Leslie hauling in a bait net
Cast away???
Terra, Melissa, me and Chris on our island
Worshipping the sun
The cement shack next to my house.
Happy Monday people! Today starts the september month of celebrations. Among other things is Independence Day here in Belize (that would be the 21st) Essentially the entire month is a build up to that day. This weekend was wonderful. I spent a majority of it on the water, which was incredible. As a few of you have heard, at times it has been difficult for me to adjust. These past few days of relaxation and nature have turned me around 100%. Saturday I went out fishing with my host father and the host parents of another volunteer. We left at 4pm and ended up getting back at 1 in the morning. It was a long day to say the least! We set six nets, fished for 3 hours and then spent another three hours dragging all the nets in and removing the fish we had caught. It was a new experience for me to be so intimately involved in the commercial side of the whole fishing bit. The highlight of the night for me was catching a 2 foot long 12.5 lb Snook. He put up a fight!!! We were fishing with hand lines (basically throwing a fishing line into the water, no rod or reel, so fighting it was pretty intense. Iwas jumping back and forth on the boat as the fish swam from bow to stern, wrapping the line around the anchor and generally not going out without a battle. Sweet. All this got to happen as a mind blowing sunset slipped into a dark and star filled night.
The next day I returned to the water, same boat, but this time I was with 3 other volunteers. We got to tour the Big Creek deepwater port, view the shrimp farming operations and visit a super tiny deserted island for a bit. I got to show off my newly learned hand line fishing prowess and enjoy feeling comfortable. (I wasn't in a classroom and I was in the beautiful mangrove forests on the water, how could Jacob not be happy!)
Class is still going well, my host family are all very nice and I am adjusting and enjoying things here! Settlin in folks!
jake
3 comments:
congrats on catching the fish!! Sounds like you've had a wonderful few days. I'm glad to hear that things are improving... A little Jacob time goes a long way. :)
The sunset looks absolutely gorgeous - i have no doubt that your camera is already full of incredible pictures - and it's nice to put Chris's name with a face!
..... I applaud your choice of jewelry in these photos, too. :)
missing you always.
-Bruiser
hey jakie! Awesome to hear that you had a terrific weekend. I think you'll be spending a lot of time with nature during these 2 years so I predict you'll be a happy camper once you get out of the classroom training environment. Gorgeous pictures! We're just thinking of you all the time and eagerly waiting for your news. We love and miss you! Bridget
questions for you...
1) how do you hold the line if there's no rod? I'm envisioning a fishing line cutting into your hand..must be another way...
2) tell us about your training content..what will your work be like...
3) have you been to placencia yet?
4) will you posted somewhere near independence? mom said you might find out soon about your placement?
5) are you using your spanish at all?
ok that should keep you busy..
love you! bridget
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