The fast hikers on top of Ben's Bluff, in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
The government pays for me to swim under waterfalls in crystal clear water...life is beautiful!

Hi!  

   Good mood today!  I found out on friday where I will be posted for the next two years!  I will be living in Carmelita,  a village of about 12oo people about 20 minutes outside of a 16,000 person town called Orange Walk.  It is in Orange Walk district,  which mainly is farmland focusing on sugarcane production.  The placement sounds pretty cool,  evidently my primary project will be to work with the village council in an effort to create a recreation center for camping and outdoor exploration.   I will also be teaching in the primary school,  running a football (soccer) club,  teaching computer classes,  teaching English as a second language to villagers and many other projects.  Sounds overwhelming,  and I am feeling slightly so,  but I am also really really excited.  I will be coordinating my programs with 4H Belize (entirely separate from the US 4H)  which will give me alot of support and guidance,  so in that sense I am pleased.  

   As you know,  I have been learning Kriol,  and while it has been fun and really useful here in Belize,  I was a little upset that I was not learning more spanish (something that i could bring home and use :)  Well, since I will be living about 15 mins from the Mexican border,  almost all of Orange Walk district speaks Spanish.  Evidently my village is the only Kriol village in the district.  All of the other volunteers placed in the district have been learning spanish.  Funny.  Also,  the combination of this placement,  the language, and the fact that the village chairperson wants his village to be known as "the camping village"  makes me feel really excited and have a spot more faith in the Peace Corps...maybe there actually is a rhyme behind the reason!  I have all kinds of ideas for projects and cant wait to get there and meet my village!

    Moving on,  a couple of days ago I got to go to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary.  The basin is a 200 sq mile jaguar preserve.  It is estimated that over 50 jags live in the area.  We did a pretty sweet, pretty tough  hike up to Bens Bluff (1st pic)  and played around on the overlook for a while.  the reward was swimming in the clear pool underneath the waterfall afterwards.  I felt like I was in a travel brochure,  swimming in the cave behind the waterfall,  skipping rocks across this gorgeous little enclave.  Wow.  This is the belize that the tourists have been enjoying,  and I have only got to see glimpses of!  There is a 4 day hike up to victoria peak in the Basin that a few of us are planning to do before we leave.  I tell you though,  it felt great to be hiking in the mountains,  made me miss Asheville!  

   On wed.  I head up to Orange Walk for my counterpart workshop (meet the guy I will be working directly with).  As far as the rest of the day goes, I will be heading out to the beach...I have the day off since everyone else in Independence is at their workshop,  so i might as well go to Placencia!!!  

Hope all are well!

jake