Well then...it seems to me that my dear sister is getting slightly disgruntled about my lack of posting these past few weeks. Sorry sissy. Been busy!
Things are going quite well over here. My porch has finally been constructed and I have learned that water pools right outside my front door. Oh well :) Lesseee...whas goin on these days...Suzy has been in the village with me for about a week now. Its been fun and interesting to see everything through a new pair of eyes. More and more I notice the kids who yell "Mr. Jacob!" or "where's Moses??" I get to look at my village through unfamiliar eyes, seeing the palm trees and the sunsets, the joy of picking a coconut off the tree outside my door and hacking it open with a machete to drink the water inside. So many people have been so curious to meet Susy. We have had countless invitations over to people's houses to eat dinner, hang out, talk etc. All of the women seem to love her. She has made a habit of sharing and learning recipes from the ladies of the village. Alot of the women don't work, so I think their social circles are pretty small. Having a strange new woman (with a friendly smile and a genuine interest in learning and chatting) must be fun and different.
I dont know if I have mentioned it before, but I have been semi-adopted by a family in the village. They are constantly inviting me over for dinner, helping me build things, fixing my bike and generally being awesome. The two boys, Emerson and Edward, are cousins, and they are attatched at the hip. Many nights will find us hangin out on my porch or couches just chatting and listening to music. Susannah has bonded with the daughter, Jeanine. Jeanine is a large powerful woman with the cutest daughter ever. The three of them will sit and talk and giggle, Jeneve (the daughter) firmly planted on Susannah's lap. The entire family seems to enjoy ganging up on me and helping Suzy give me a hard time (I dont know what I do, im so innocent!!)
In other news, the Carmelita school garden has taken off, with teachers asking me if I will help them start one with their class. The cilantro and the radishes are currently stealing the show, growing quickly in the hot Caribbean sun. Today in art class we will be painting signs that the kids to plant in front of their plots...just another way for them to take ownership of their beds. Suz and I should be starting my garden in my yard in the next lee bit too! (who woulda thought I would be psyched about gardening!)
The 4H club is not going nearly as well as the garden :( Had a meeting this past Sunday, had over 20 kids promise to attend. The big day brought out a grand total of.....one. Didnt I feel silly standing in front of a plate of cookies and a pitcher of juice. I refuse to stop trying, I just know I will have to work slightly harder!!
This weekend we should be heading up to Corozol to watch the Superbowl and hang out with some other vols. It should be nice to spend some time with people, I just have to find a place to put the dawg. (Alot harder than I would have thought...I just dont feel too comfortable leaving him with anyone in my village just yet.) It doesnt help that he is a big baby and cries pitifully when I leave the house without him. Yep. Thats it for now. I'll be posting pics with the next installment, which I promise will come soon!
love
jake
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
These are a few of the things I adore...(set to song)
We are finally building my porch!!
This is the inside view of my house. Not bad eh?
Moses' ears make me laugh.
This reminds me of something you would see in a JCrew catalogue. Dunno why..
Mo an Zip
I went to Lamanai, a maya ruin, climbed the tower (2 pics down) and came across a group of mennonites speaking lowland german. Had to shake my head and say "where am i again??"
Me an pooch
At the bottom of the main Lamanai pyramid
Glamour shot
Jacob and Suzy all dressed up for new years!
Our Cabana at Backpacker's Paradise, Sarteneja
Us. Yep.
Sarteneja's main street...ocean to left.
The sunset there is incredible
Whoops..duplicate!Hey
Lets do some updating…last time I wrote I was in a bit of a funk…like I wrote…”whats next” still haven’t totally figured it all out, but I am feeling like I am in a whole lot better of a head space. In training they told us that there would be highs and lows, ups and downs and I guess that’s what I was dealing with (little did I know that Peace Corps would bring out the Bipolar side of me! Thanks for the kind words.
What have I been doing this past week?? Well, I started a garden in the primary school here in Carmelita. I have started with one class. Thirty three students from Standard Four. Its pretty exciting for a couple reasons: I haven’t done any gardening and I will get to learn as we go and the students are really into it! We will be meeting on Mon, Tues and Fri for an hour to dig/plant/weed/water. Now yesterday was Wed and as I was riding by the school I saw the students working on digging their beds. They had begged the teacher to let them go work in the garden! (students being motivated helps with this whole process!) Ill keep ya updated and put up some pics to record the progress.
I have also gotten serious with starting the 4H group. The past two meetings have had age ranges from 5-18. Too big a gap. Starting this week I will be separating the group into a Youths branch (ages 13-18) and a kids branch (the young’uns). I have found a few teens who are really interested in the idea of basing the group around community service, fundraising and taking trips. (they have suggested a caye, caracol, a ruin, the belize zoo, and others) this seems to have a lot of potential and I am excited to see how it all pans out!
We have finally gotten started with building the porch on the front of my house. Before I was stuck inside whenever it rained or I wanted a comfy seat. With a porch My house should feel a bit larger and I will have a Belizian style mudroom! At the moment the cement has been laid down (and subsequently tramped upon by the dog and cat when wet) and the posts laid. This also means there is a 3 foot pile of sand and another of dirt in my front yard. Also, the cement was mixed right beside the porch area, So I need to figure out how to remove a 10x8 area of hardenedness. Should be a lot of fun with a pry bar! I have learned that you need to push to get work done in this country, and then again to make sure it gets finished. As far as cleaning up goes: youre on your own. J
Random aside: Moses has discovered his tail and is chasing it while bumping into everything and growing like crazy. Cute.
So last night I was lying in bed thinking about this blog. I was wondering what I could write about that would be more than just “and then I” or “after that” etc. Talk about my life here without necessarily running through the steps of my day. What did I come up with you may ask…wellll…how about I tell yall about a few of the things/places/people etc that make me happy here in Orange Walk town and in this here district. Maybe I’ll even do a Belize version at some point! (but for now lets stay local!)
1. La Popular Bakery- This place will blow your mind. They have these sugar coated donuts (granulated not powdered…very important distinction) that taste like a lil piece of heaven. (some say heaven’s clouds are made of cotton candy, I disagree. Donuts. The white fluffy that you see in cheesy paintings and when you look in the sky is a result of an optical illusion.)
They also sell fresh baked whole wheat bread, the only I have found in Belize, everyone else gets down on white bread.
2. BBQ Saturdays- We have a central square/park in Orange Walk. It’s a big gathering place any day of the week. With the sellers of cds/dvds (all bootleg btw) hammocks, used clothing and much more displaying their wares. BUT on Saturdays out come the 55 gallon drums. A bit of backyard welding has turned these former oil vessels into a damn nice grill. All of Orange Walk starts to smell like BBQ chicken. A plate will cost you about BZ$7, or US$3.50. Alongside your pick of leg or breast (if it’s the good vendor he dips the whole piece in BBQ sauce before handing it to you) y’get potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans and a flour tortilla. Its an incredible meal.
3. Seaweed & Watermelon Juice- If you have ever had a Chai tea, you know what this seaweed drink tastes like. Im pretty impressed. A guy at the bus area sells both for BZ$1.00. They are served in a bootlegged bottle of sol beer with a plastic cap that juuust barely misses fitting properly J
4. The DVD guys- Since the entire country steals cable from whatever company’s satellite I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to see a movie that just came out last week here on DVD. Any movie I could want, as long as its been around for a week or so, will be copied here. Now the quality may vary quite a bit, which is why I have found my guy. Ron G. Don’t know who he is, but at the start of every movie that he copied, up will pop his name and his phone number. I’ve found his quality to be better than a lot of others, with none of the recording in the theater nonsense.
5. Boundary Store- Oh how marvelous Boundary is!!! About a 10 minute walk out of town there is this whitewashed warehouse. Inside is everything from old clothes to bags to hats to belts to mugs to dishes to cups to plates to mirrors to books to pictures to tables to jars to toys to…well, you get the point. Its like a crazy combination of goodwill and an antiques place. In my house I have seven “pictures” or other wall hanging thingies from boundary, my fridge comes from the store, all my cups, mugs, dishes, silverware. I use the place a lot!
6. The Library- Other than an inordinate amount of Tom Clancy/Nelson Demille, there’s actually some decent stuff in there! Plus it has a gorgeous view of the river.
7. Friendship Restaurant- So Belize has a huge Chinese/Taiwanese population. Don’t ask me why. But a lot run shops and a lot run restaurants. Standards on all the menus include chow mein, chop suey, some form of sweet and sour something and bean curd stuff. But all the “chineys” as they are called here (pc hasn’t caught on in Belize) also serve burgers and fried chicken. Ever had one of those meals where you asked the waiter if the plate was going to be enough food/too much food? WELL..the folks at these here restaurants have figured out a way to deal with such issues. You have a choice! From $3 on up you may pick out the exact amount of chicken that your lil heart desires! I usually go with a $5 plate. Seems to be enough without killing me.
There’s a bunch of other places on the list…ill do some brainstorming and report again on new discoveries, new favorites and old standbys that deserve a mention!
Now a few thankyous: Alisa, Amy, Sam and Isa; thanks so much for the knife/shirt/goggles!!! The shirt gets tons of compliments and the knife gets used every single day!!
Mom, Dad, thank you for the dog training book and the flea stuff! Same goes for the flash drive (I can post pics again!)
Now lets put up some pictures!
What have I been doing this past week?? Well, I started a garden in the primary school here in Carmelita. I have started with one class. Thirty three students from Standard Four. Its pretty exciting for a couple reasons: I haven’t done any gardening and I will get to learn as we go and the students are really into it! We will be meeting on Mon, Tues and Fri for an hour to dig/plant/weed/water. Now yesterday was Wed and as I was riding by the school I saw the students working on digging their beds. They had begged the teacher to let them go work in the garden! (students being motivated helps with this whole process!) Ill keep ya updated and put up some pics to record the progress.
I have also gotten serious with starting the 4H group. The past two meetings have had age ranges from 5-18. Too big a gap. Starting this week I will be separating the group into a Youths branch (ages 13-18) and a kids branch (the young’uns). I have found a few teens who are really interested in the idea of basing the group around community service, fundraising and taking trips. (they have suggested a caye, caracol, a ruin, the belize zoo, and others) this seems to have a lot of potential and I am excited to see how it all pans out!
We have finally gotten started with building the porch on the front of my house. Before I was stuck inside whenever it rained or I wanted a comfy seat. With a porch My house should feel a bit larger and I will have a Belizian style mudroom! At the moment the cement has been laid down (and subsequently tramped upon by the dog and cat when wet) and the posts laid. This also means there is a 3 foot pile of sand and another of dirt in my front yard. Also, the cement was mixed right beside the porch area, So I need to figure out how to remove a 10x8 area of hardenedness. Should be a lot of fun with a pry bar! I have learned that you need to push to get work done in this country, and then again to make sure it gets finished. As far as cleaning up goes: youre on your own. J
Random aside: Moses has discovered his tail and is chasing it while bumping into everything and growing like crazy. Cute.
So last night I was lying in bed thinking about this blog. I was wondering what I could write about that would be more than just “and then I” or “after that” etc. Talk about my life here without necessarily running through the steps of my day. What did I come up with you may ask…wellll…how about I tell yall about a few of the things/places/people etc that make me happy here in Orange Walk town and in this here district. Maybe I’ll even do a Belize version at some point! (but for now lets stay local!)
1. La Popular Bakery- This place will blow your mind. They have these sugar coated donuts (granulated not powdered…very important distinction) that taste like a lil piece of heaven. (some say heaven’s clouds are made of cotton candy, I disagree. Donuts. The white fluffy that you see in cheesy paintings and when you look in the sky is a result of an optical illusion.)
They also sell fresh baked whole wheat bread, the only I have found in Belize, everyone else gets down on white bread.
2. BBQ Saturdays- We have a central square/park in Orange Walk. It’s a big gathering place any day of the week. With the sellers of cds/dvds (all bootleg btw) hammocks, used clothing and much more displaying their wares. BUT on Saturdays out come the 55 gallon drums. A bit of backyard welding has turned these former oil vessels into a damn nice grill. All of Orange Walk starts to smell like BBQ chicken. A plate will cost you about BZ$7, or US$3.50. Alongside your pick of leg or breast (if it’s the good vendor he dips the whole piece in BBQ sauce before handing it to you) y’get potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans and a flour tortilla. Its an incredible meal.
3. Seaweed & Watermelon Juice- If you have ever had a Chai tea, you know what this seaweed drink tastes like. Im pretty impressed. A guy at the bus area sells both for BZ$1.00. They are served in a bootlegged bottle of sol beer with a plastic cap that juuust barely misses fitting properly J
4. The DVD guys- Since the entire country steals cable from whatever company’s satellite I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to see a movie that just came out last week here on DVD. Any movie I could want, as long as its been around for a week or so, will be copied here. Now the quality may vary quite a bit, which is why I have found my guy. Ron G. Don’t know who he is, but at the start of every movie that he copied, up will pop his name and his phone number. I’ve found his quality to be better than a lot of others, with none of the recording in the theater nonsense.
5. Boundary Store- Oh how marvelous Boundary is!!! About a 10 minute walk out of town there is this whitewashed warehouse. Inside is everything from old clothes to bags to hats to belts to mugs to dishes to cups to plates to mirrors to books to pictures to tables to jars to toys to…well, you get the point. Its like a crazy combination of goodwill and an antiques place. In my house I have seven “pictures” or other wall hanging thingies from boundary, my fridge comes from the store, all my cups, mugs, dishes, silverware. I use the place a lot!
6. The Library- Other than an inordinate amount of Tom Clancy/Nelson Demille, there’s actually some decent stuff in there! Plus it has a gorgeous view of the river.
7. Friendship Restaurant- So Belize has a huge Chinese/Taiwanese population. Don’t ask me why. But a lot run shops and a lot run restaurants. Standards on all the menus include chow mein, chop suey, some form of sweet and sour something and bean curd stuff. But all the “chineys” as they are called here (pc hasn’t caught on in Belize) also serve burgers and fried chicken. Ever had one of those meals where you asked the waiter if the plate was going to be enough food/too much food? WELL..the folks at these here restaurants have figured out a way to deal with such issues. You have a choice! From $3 on up you may pick out the exact amount of chicken that your lil heart desires! I usually go with a $5 plate. Seems to be enough without killing me.
There’s a bunch of other places on the list…ill do some brainstorming and report again on new discoveries, new favorites and old standbys that deserve a mention!
Now a few thankyous: Alisa, Amy, Sam and Isa; thanks so much for the knife/shirt/goggles!!! The shirt gets tons of compliments and the knife gets used every single day!!
Mom, Dad, thank you for the dog training book and the flea stuff! Same goes for the flash drive (I can post pics again!)
Now lets put up some pictures!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Now what?
Guess this is kinda the calm after the holiday storm. I wouldn't call it a letdown, but its definitely feeling different now that its 2009 and the xmas/new years preparations and celebrations have come and gone. Those of you who know me know that i am not too great at holding still and or staying in one area. Sometimes I feel a bit trapped in the village. I have also noticed that having a dog doesn't make it easy to leave town. I don't yet feel comfortable leaving moses with anyone in my village. Its a very different mindset about dogs here, and witholding all value statements, its a very different one than mine when it comes with how to raise a puppy. Hmm.
So i have spent the past week or so getting things done around my house, building shelves, cleaning the yard and building a bench. Now remember, jacob has no woodworking experience whatsoever, but surprisingly enough the bench turned out really well! Hopefully this will be the precursor to my landlord finishing the work that was promised to be done before i moved in 1.5 mos ago! Its simple stuff too...fix a gate, supply the materials for building a porch, help me get at least one of my sinks to stop leaking...you know, the basics!
I know that i have a tendency to look towards the future, to find things that i want to change.(usually these are out of my control though) I think this year i want to look inwards. Both into myself and into my community. I am a professional escape artist, after a while i just get out. Carmelita and Peace Corps Belize will be an opportunity to work on this instinct. Its awful tough to get away, there will be no moving to another community, no hopping in the car and going on some adventure etc. I want to hike in the woods? Look out your back door jacob, you can do this.
So i have spent the past week or so getting things done around my house, building shelves, cleaning the yard and building a bench. Now remember, jacob has no woodworking experience whatsoever, but surprisingly enough the bench turned out really well! Hopefully this will be the precursor to my landlord finishing the work that was promised to be done before i moved in 1.5 mos ago! Its simple stuff too...fix a gate, supply the materials for building a porch, help me get at least one of my sinks to stop leaking...you know, the basics!
I know that i have a tendency to look towards the future, to find things that i want to change.(usually these are out of my control though) I think this year i want to look inwards. Both into myself and into my community. I am a professional escape artist, after a while i just get out. Carmelita and Peace Corps Belize will be an opportunity to work on this instinct. Its awful tough to get away, there will be no moving to another community, no hopping in the car and going on some adventure etc. I want to hike in the woods? Look out your back door jacob, you can do this.
Monday, January 5, 2009
New Years and Suzy's Visit
Happy 2009!! Bizarre. These past few months have had times that dragged by, but when I look at my life since January of last year the days and weeks have flown by. I asked myself; "what were you doing this time last year" I was in the woods with a group of students outside of Asheville, North Carolina. I hadn't even gone for my Peace Corps interview. Who would have thought that this year I would be celebrating New Years in Sarteneja, Belize??
As some of you may know, since Susannah is living in Akumal, Mexico (about 6 hrs by bus) we decided to meet up in Sarteneja, a sleepy fishing village on the coast of Belize, for the New Years. I arrived about 230 on the 30th and walked to our chosen lodging, Backpacker's Paradise, about a half mile into the bush from the village. Suzy had not yet arrived. I learned that there was a ferry coming in at about 430. Since this was the last transport of the day into the village I assumed she would be on board. There I was standing anxiously at the end of the pier, peering into the boat looking for Susannah, excited to see her for the first time in 5 months. She wasn't on board. :( Dejectedly, I walked around the village until a call came in, Suzy had gotten stuck in Corozal, missing the ferry by less than an hour. Our reunion would have to wait for another 15 hours. I passed the night chatting with other cabananistas, drinking rum and sharing stories. In the morning I was posted on the dock when the boat came in, this time bearing a beautiful blonde with an ear to ear grin. Of course, she had made new friends, and they all got to watch and hoot at our shameless reunion. :) Jacob was happy. The next few days were spent doing a whole lotta nuthin. Relaxing in hammocks, talking, reading to each other...generally being sappy and sweet. It was nice.
We were due to return to our respective homes on the 2nd, but found out that the last bus leaves the village at 630. AM. Lets not try to figure out what sense this makes. None. Gr. So our four day visit was now down to 2. In typical fashion, we decided that we were going to extend our time together, so Suzy came back to Orange Walk and Carmelita!! She spent two nights hanging out, learning how to play dominoes with villagers (playing much better than me, much to my chagrin) walking the dog, cooking, watching sunsets and generally getting an idea of where i live and who i live with. It was wonderful to have her here and share my village. Her leaving yesterday was tough, but its less than a month until she comes back for an extended visit.
All in all, i have been on cloud 9 for the past few days, feeling reaffirmed about what I am doing, and who I am with. Thanks for coming down lady.
2009 is a new year, and hopefully it will be a good one for me, for Carmelita Village, and for all my friends, family and loved ones.
I wish all of you the best for next 12 mos and beyond.
As some of you may know, since Susannah is living in Akumal, Mexico (about 6 hrs by bus) we decided to meet up in Sarteneja, a sleepy fishing village on the coast of Belize, for the New Years. I arrived about 230 on the 30th and walked to our chosen lodging, Backpacker's Paradise, about a half mile into the bush from the village. Suzy had not yet arrived. I learned that there was a ferry coming in at about 430. Since this was the last transport of the day into the village I assumed she would be on board. There I was standing anxiously at the end of the pier, peering into the boat looking for Susannah, excited to see her for the first time in 5 months. She wasn't on board. :( Dejectedly, I walked around the village until a call came in, Suzy had gotten stuck in Corozal, missing the ferry by less than an hour. Our reunion would have to wait for another 15 hours. I passed the night chatting with other cabananistas, drinking rum and sharing stories. In the morning I was posted on the dock when the boat came in, this time bearing a beautiful blonde with an ear to ear grin. Of course, she had made new friends, and they all got to watch and hoot at our shameless reunion. :) Jacob was happy. The next few days were spent doing a whole lotta nuthin. Relaxing in hammocks, talking, reading to each other...generally being sappy and sweet. It was nice.
We were due to return to our respective homes on the 2nd, but found out that the last bus leaves the village at 630. AM. Lets not try to figure out what sense this makes. None. Gr. So our four day visit was now down to 2. In typical fashion, we decided that we were going to extend our time together, so Suzy came back to Orange Walk and Carmelita!! She spent two nights hanging out, learning how to play dominoes with villagers (playing much better than me, much to my chagrin) walking the dog, cooking, watching sunsets and generally getting an idea of where i live and who i live with. It was wonderful to have her here and share my village. Her leaving yesterday was tough, but its less than a month until she comes back for an extended visit.
All in all, i have been on cloud 9 for the past few days, feeling reaffirmed about what I am doing, and who I am with. Thanks for coming down lady.
2009 is a new year, and hopefully it will be a good one for me, for Carmelita Village, and for all my friends, family and loved ones.
I wish all of you the best for next 12 mos and beyond.
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