Jake In Belize

Its been too long!

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

I know I know! Almost two months since I last posted. No excuses but here are a few explanations: I have been crazy busy these past few months. I am working something like 40 hours a week when I total up all my projects. Its great and I like feeling busy but sometimes a bit exhausting. I also managed to lose my computer power cord somewhere along the line. A bit of a bummer but it should be relatively easy to find a new one when I get around to it :) (until then no new pics...sorry!)

I remember when I started out in Peace Corps and everything was strange and new and different. I would post little anecdotes and drop tidbits of information about Belize and my life. I guess that after being here for almost a year and a half I forget that the random sights, sounds and events are not so commonplace for everyone else. For instance, watching a 90 yo mayan woman squat and pee at the bus station while blowing a snot rocket didnt even make me double take. Or what about the way Orange Walk celebrated christmas; the distilleries all competed to see who could give out more free rum. Both roads were blocked off, not by wooden barriers but rather because so many men were passed out right in the middle of the street. It didnt even cross my mind that that was strange (granted I stayed away from there!)

So yes, one of my goals for this new year is to continue to keep my eyes open to the things that are so strange and different from where I come from. I find myself recommitted to my time here in Belize. I cannot believe that I will be leaving belize in 9 months. For a long time I was counting down the months and days, having a hard time here. THings have changed. My work may not be something I would want to do for the rest of my life, but it is fufilling and enjoyable. My social life is fun! Living in town I have met all sorts of interesting and enjoyable Belizians and foreigners with whom I can spend my nights and off days. Im good here in Belize. All that being said, being the kind of guy I am...always looking for the next adventure I find myself brainstorming on what comes next in the life of Jacob. I feel like the whole world is open to me. Grad school is on the horizon for fall of 2011, so after peace corps I will have almost an entire year to work, travel, play and knock off a few of the bucket list items. One thing I'm thinking about is buying a pickup here in belize and returning to the states overland. I've got this great image of driving a beater truck with Moses' head out the passenger window, ears flappin in the wind :) Momma bear's only requirement is that I make it home for thanksgiving!

I also have alot to look forward to in the next few months!!! Its less than a month before my sister and brother in law come down for a visit! This will be their first time in Belize and I can't wait to see em. Sissy is all about planning the hotels and the route and so on...guess one of us needs to think in advance! I think we will be doing caye caulker and rockin the beach as well as some mayan ruins. You know, surf and turf?! I have never been in the place of being a guide for Bridget, and Im psyched to show her my adopted home. Then feb. will be all volunteer conference. Its alot of sessions and overly detailed information but I like getting to spend a few nights with all of Peace Corps. My new years trip to playa del carmen was the first time I had seen some of my friends since august! (for the record, that trip was epic) March will be bringing some fun, I am planning on climbing Victoria Peak, the highest mtn in belize at 1120meters (3600ish feet) Its not super high but evidently it can be a bitch to summit.

I have also thought about combining that trip down to southern belize with a venture out to either nicaragua or el salvador. Both countries are fascinating to me (colonial cities, black sand beaches, great surf and other such amazingness?? YES PLEASE!) We shall see how funds are stacking up by that point.

Finally (well not last, but for now its one of the other events I am looking forward to) Mom, Dad and Lil bro Josh will be coming down in either may or june for a dive trip! Hopefully by then I will have completed my divemaster (oh yeah, im doing that too, tee hee!) and we will rock out the blue hole and maybe even get lucky and finally see a whale shark!!! Now if I see one before you, Mom, I promise to close my eyes...i know how jealous you get!

All in all, I like where things are heading, the changes that have gone down in my life these past few months have been pretty heavy and they could have knocked me down. Instead I am seeing my life and my options opening up in wonderful and new ways.

I AINT TRAPPED....IM FREE!

until next time...

Jacob

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:55:00 +0000

So here are a few pictures that have been taken in the past few months...no theme or rhyme or reason.

Because I feel like putting up more pictures

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:44:00 +0000

A few random pictures from the last couple months

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:22:00 +0000

Its been a month since my last post. I think I'm getting worse at doing this whole blog thing on a regularlike basis. Sorry. Things have been moving at a pretty quick pace lately. Its good, it keeps me busy! I am sitting in the computer lab typing as the five ladies in my intermediate class work on a typing program. (for those of you in the know its called Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing) Its a pretty decent program but now that the ladies are comfortable with it they don't really need my help for the first hour. Guess my chickies are leaving the nest?? Yeah no, that sounds weird :) Buut anyways...what have I been up to lately other than work you ask?? Well...lesseee... Last month I went back to Asheville for Susannah's birthday. It was supposed to be a surprise but lets be honest, I stink at keeping secrets. I'm like a little kid, "I have a secret but im not gunna tell youuuuu!" Yeah it came out. No popping up at her door outta nowhere. But thats ok, it let us both enjoy the anticipation. It was a short trip, only four days, But absolute magic the entire time. Got to eat at 12 Bones, drive on the parkway, enjoy cold weather, check out the fall leaf colors. I loved it! Being back in Asheville was instantly familiar and I was shocked with how much I felt like I was back home. It was also wonderful because Suzy and I fell right back into the comfortable pattern of our relationship...it fits.

the visit was too short but I have something to look forward to in November...thanksgiving in dc!!! The whole family; sister, brother, niece, nephew, the new york crew, the nashville dirty duo and suzy will be there. I can't wait! It will be my first time back in DC in well over a year. I am trying to whittle down the list of things I want to do while Im home. (going to the aquarium and the zoo in one day may be a little too much, no?)

This past weekend I traveled too Caye Caulker for halloween. It rained most of the time but I really enjoyed myself. As usual I met cool people, drank a beer on the beach, danced the night away and ate amazing seafood. A good trip.

Its looking like Hurricane Ida is heading towards us here in Belize, should be an interesting couple of days. I promise to keep all informed! Gotta run teach a class!
Jake

Interconnect

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:53:00 +0000

Things have started moving more quickly here at the library. I find myself getting so busy at times that I am almost too busy. Quite a few of my projects are moving forward rapidly and today I am going to tell you about a new project idea.

I have been put into contact with a group called Interconnect. They are based in Washington State. Basically what this group/company/organization does is take used computers, refurbish them and sell them to developing nations at a discounted price. Now I have told you all that I am going to be teaching computer classes at the library, right? Well the computers we are using are all quite old. One of the things that I would like to get the ladies in the class to work on is raising funds to get "new" machines for the library. I am actually pretty excited about the idea. Another interesting dynamic revolves around shipping. The more computers you order the lower the cost to ship. So I have been exchanging emails with a number of different groups, peace corps volunteers and other Belizeans to hopefully put together a larger order and drop the per unit cost.

As of right now we are estimating a cost of about US$100 per computer, not bad really. The head librarian and I have been doing some brainstorming as to how we are going to raise the funds, about BZ$3000 or US$1500. We have set a working goal of US$750 to be raised by the library itself, with other assistance coming from outside sources. (Don't be surprised if in the next couple of months you see an appeal come from me :)

I am putting up a few pictures from the library as well as a couple fun ones...enjoy!

Happy Independence Day!!!

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:09:00 +0000

I know, I know…its been too long since I have written anything. But man have I been busy. I am writing this from home on my fancy new laptop…Dude I got a Dell. I’m not gonna lie, I am still a Mac person, but hey, the amount of computer for the price…how could I not have gotten this guy.

Things have been pretty busy lately. I moved into a new house in early September. I am living in an area of Orange Walk known as the “fruit tree section” Evidently all the streets are named after fruit trees. I say evidently because as much as I have walked around this neighborhood I have yet to see a single street sign. I am on the top level of a two story house. I have three small bedrooms, one of which I have turned into my kitchen. The other one Im currently using as a storage/staging area. Im pretty pleased with the place. There are a ton of windows and plenty of natural light. Being on this level also gives me relief from mosquitos and a sweet breeze. I actually have to close my windows if I want to sweep J Directly across the street is a huge park. The park is filled with mature trees, the majority being Mahogany. The trunks are all painted white up to about 3 feet and provide great shade for the playgrounds and benches. Mo really enjoys it when I decide to take a book over there and he can wander around smelling whatever it is that he smells.
Speaking of Mo he seems to have taken to the place quite quickly. I find myself spending a lot more time with him just messing around. He has become a gangly teenager of a dog, with front legs shorter than the back. He doesn’t seem to be able to just walk, its more of a sway down the road. Its kinda a butt wagging back and forth thing that he is obviously unaware of. The best part was watching him figure out how stairs work, ass sticking straight up towards the sky as he slowly made his way down. His health has improved immeasurably, and I am getting a glimpse of the personality he will have. He is a sweetheart, a total space cadet and a lover to the highest degree. Example: He has learned that he is not allowed up in my bed, so what he has been doing is waiting until im fast asleep then quietly creeping in. I’ll wake up pushed all the way to the side with 70lbs of hound stretched out comfortably. I woke up the other day and I had Doggie head on my left shoulder and doggie paws on my right leg, the rest sprawled out quite contentedly across my torso. What a punk! We spent an hour wrestling in the rain and the mud yesterday

In other news I have started working at the library. Things have been really good really quickly. My new counterpart is absolutely wonderful. She really wants me to focus on working with the children and teens. I am running a program called Homework Helpers. I supervise high school students who volunteer their time to helping younger children with their homework. I am also doing a Story hour on Saturdays. All the great books of my childhood are coming back to me. Can you believe that none of these kids has ever read “Where the Wild Things Are”??? Tragic. I’m looking for a copy of that and a few other titles down here. Ima blow these kids minds with literary awesomeness. I also have plans to get some computer classes going on as well as a fantasy of mine…a book club. I have always said I wanted to join a book club but never did. Maybe if I am running it itll actually happen?! Ooo…I think we are going to paint a world map on the library as well. That’s a project I am really excited about. Yep. So work keeps me busy.

I am also really enjoying Orange Walk itself. I feel comfortable here. Im a block from the river, have a tiny shop across the street and access to whatever I need a 15 minute walk away. Its not too close and not too far. Hopefully I will be able to post these pictures and yall can see what the house and Mo look like. Seems like that about covers it…Ill work on posting more often and getting more pictures posted!

Jake

Pics!!!

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:03:00 +0000

What a lovely way to start the post. This deer's tongue was like that...all the time.

Birdie has big wings.

Dancin with the big dogs!!

The view from the bottom of my stairs lookin up. Mo waits for me up there in front of the door.

The front view of the house. I have the top part.

VEGAS BABY VEGAS!!l!

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:17:00 +0000

Las Vegas changed my life.

How do you talk about a trip to Las Vegas in a blog that your parents read??? Bachelor party, a drink or two, clubs, socializing...not exactly conducive to storytime, eh? So i guess this will be a short post :)

Las Vegas was effing amazing. Everything i expected was blown out of the water by the actual event. The gentlemen formed a wolfpack and we boldly went where every man who goes to vegas hopes to go. We were lucky enough to have the assistance of a couple ladies who live in Vegas and somehow happen to know EVERYONE. We did not wait in a single line, we had private cars coming to pick us up and drop us at the door of the club. Bottle service and private tables at the hottest clubs. Fer goodness sakes one of the clubs had a 3 story waterfall! It was super neat. Everything about the place is made to just let loose and go crazy, which is exactly what we did. From our knockout suite overlooking the lights to our VIP tables we did it right.

The craziest part about Vegas is that it lives up to all expectations. For example: You know when you watch entourage and theyre hanging out by the pool and every woman that walks by them could be a model? Yeah thats what it was like. I think there is a sign at the doors that says "if youre not a ten just dont even try coming here. EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL. Craziness.
We spent our days lounging by the massive pool, sippin beers and watching the world go by and our nights by the big lights. Im thinking I need to write a book: From the Village to Vegas. You would read that, right?! I think we did the bachelor party right. I think we did it all right. I don't even know what to say. Either God or the Devil lives in Vegas, and they're probably sleeping together.

Vegas baby Vegas!

ps ill try to post some pics when i get a faster internet connection and i find some tame ones :)

Updates!

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:57:00 +0000

Productive day! Met up with Jay and Austin, the Peace Corps program coordinators to figure out what our next step is. AND....I am officially moving to Orange Walk. Its pretty exciting and I am looking forward to a new set of challenges, new people and new happenings in my life. In a way it is sad too. I know I am only going to be a few miles from Carmelita, but I am starting to get that feeling that comes about when a period of life is coming to an end.
I have this deeply grained instinct/desire for change. Its not so much a "grass is greener" mentality, but rather, I look for whats next. By sticking relatively close to my old site and maintaining alot of contacts I feel like I will be able to both tend to that instinct and still continue to progress and grow as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
I am incredibly excited about one of my new projects. I will be working at the Sandy Hunter Public Library. I will be teaching computer classes, leading a reading program for children, starting to work on an environmental group as well as initiating any programs I want. I feel like one of the best aspects of this is that there is already an established library building and community. I wont be starting from scratch. Ms. Elena, my new counterpart, has hosted many Volunteers. She and I are old friends already. I enjoy her passion and the vibrancy she brings to the library. I finally feel like I will be working WITH someone instead of against!!

Tomorrow I will be heading to meet Trainees as they get off the airplane and then the 2nd year volunteers will all head out to Caye Caulker for a bit of a reunion. Sometimes it blows my mind that I have been here for a year already. At times I have felt like it has dragged, but a year?!?! Wow.

Last post I mentioned that I am heading to Vegas in a week. The other day I had the first inkling of how much that is going to mess with my mind. My friend Rob, who lives in Belize City, and I went to the Princess Casino to see a movie. This was my first theater movie in a year. We saw GI JOE. Now the movie rocked. The 10yo boy who lives inside me was jumping up and down with glee the entire time. (Sub Arctic hideout?! YESSS!!) Ninjas, suits that make you run really fast?! Awesome chase scene through Paris?!...that girl can ride a motorcycle!!) Yeah, it was sweet. The only problem was I was nearly dizzy. I felt like a country boy who just moved to the big city. Like a blind man who opens his eyes and is confused by everything he sees! Lotta lights for this country bumpkin!!! Nevada should be interesting! Im doing desensitization exercises; flashing lights in my eyes, popping bags behind my ears, stepping on broken glass. You know, training for the big event. :D

Sick :(

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:50:00 +0000

Hey all! got a quick update for ya about whats been going on with my life and health and all that business. I have actually spent the past three nights in the hospital. For the past week or so I have been developing a bit of a chest cold. I didn't think much of it, just bumped up the vitamin C intake and got a bit more sleep, but monday night when I tried to go to bed even the littlest breath was wheezing in my lungs. To be honest it was a bit scary. I have never had to deal with truly feeling like I could not get any air in my lungs. I would take a deep breath and it would rattle around inside me, but not do much. It felt like trying to breathe off the end of an empty dive tank. Obviously I called my Medical Officer first thing the next morning and made an appointment to go to the doctor on Wed. in Belize City. The doctor took one listen and 2 xrays and promptly laid me in a hospital bed and told me that I was staying in the hospital for at least two nights. Evidently I had come into the clinic with 25% lung capacity.

The past few days have been rather trying, no change of clothes, no computer, no ipod, no book. I had thought that I was going to visit the doc, get a course of antibiotics and promptly return home. OHHH NO. As of right now I am spending the next two nights in a hotel in Belize City. I have a monday appointment with the doc to check up on my lungs and see how I am doing. Its kinda a bummer, he has said that he recommends getting rid of the pets, especially the cats. I don't know what I am going to do, but all of this is a bit of a wakeup call. Guess at 26 I am getting to the point where i can't automatically expect my body to do whatever I want it to do, obeying promptly and without complaint. Hmmm.

In other news, the next few weeks will be pretty exciting. We have new volunteers coming in the 20th and then a week later I go to VEGAS for a good friend's bachelor party. I am also in the process of looking for a new site, quite possibly Orange Walk. It has gotten to the point in the village where I think it would be a good and healthy idea for me to extracate myself from what is going on there and find a spot where people are excited about what I am doing and willing to work along with me.

Crazy changes in life, and im guessing that this is only the beginning.
Jacob

Did That Really Just Happen?!?

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:13:00 +0000

So this past week I have been traveling the 10 or so miles to Guinea Grass to help my friends Melissa and Coy run a chess camp. We are teaching about 15 kids the basics of chess in the hopes of starting a club at the school. The idea behind it all is to use the game as a way to build life skills...yknow, cause and effect, thinking ahead, patience, self control, processing wins and losses etc. Its really fun to see how into the game these kids get.
The camp started each day at 9AM. Now I live only ten miles from Guinea Grass, but TIB, (this is belize!) Each day I was on the side of my road at 730 waiting to catch a hitch the 3 miles to the junction that leads to GG. I wait half an hour before a dump truck full of sand comes rolling out of the village. This is no ordinary MACK truck you might see rollin outta a construction site, no, this bad boy was built in 1964 (I asked). It had that classic 60's bubbly everything rounded off style to it. The thing might as well have had fins. So with a grind of the gears we are bumping along the highway at a very sensible 21 miles an hour. Those three miles were not the quickest of my life, but I got there and got dropped off on the side of the road. Before long I am joined by a Mennonite fellow who looked about my age. We are both sitting on a bench waiting for a hitch west. He's going through GG to get to Shipyard, the big Mennonite settlement out here, to buy parts for his tractor fixing business. One of the ironies of the Mennonites is that they don't drive cars but ride in them and they don't operate tractors but are the only ones in the country who fix em. Go figure.
It doesn't take too long before we are chatting away. His particular group lived in Mexico before Belize, so we are speaking spanish, him with a germanic accent and my flawless native tongue exhibiting its prowess...(riiight) We talk about life, he asks what Im doing in Belize, I ask about the Mennonite communities. (If youre reading this and dont know who I am talking about, look it up online, The Belizian Mennonites run this country; eggs, dairy, tractors, prefab buildings, poultry, beef and so on. They look like the Pennsylvania Amish)
We finally manage to catch a ride with a pickup truck heading down the dirt road. This was one of the good'uns too, there was a bench seat that had been taken out of another pickup bolted backwards in the cab. Hitchhiking in comfort...Posh Hitch...Pitch? Potchiking? Now at this point on the journey I love to break out my ipod and ride the last few miles through the countryside while rocking out to something fun. (Think Allman Brothers, The Roots, Marshall Tucker Band, Tribe Called Quest etc) Just something with a solid traveling beat. Now we are sitting shoulder to shoulder in this truck bombing down the road and I see the Mennonite eyeing my ipod. I think to myself "this could be fun" and offer him one of the earphones. OK...what do I put on?? I know...CCR! Southern Rock at its best. Somehow "Heard it through the grapevine" just seems to work so well in the bush! The guitar kicks in, then the drums, and I see this huge grin stretch across Joe Mennnonite's face. Those of you in Belize already know, its pretty rare to see a Mennonite smile. "Not bad" i think to myself. But thats when things start getting silly. This guy starts bobbing his head and tapping his feet. I'm sneaking peeks at this impromptu show(thank god for dark sunglasses) when the dude really lets loose. He whips off his straw cowboy hat and turns it into an impromptu air guitar. Seriously. Black overalls, steel toe boots, longsleeve flannel shirt, hat in the crook of his ars as he pretends to rock out the riffs and high pitched whine of the guitar. I can't help it and start to bust out laughing. He looks over at me with this huge grin, yellowed teeth poking out all over and yells something lost over the sound of the truck and the music. "Why not?!" I think to myself, and pull up my feet and start playing the air drums. My feet are tapping, my hands are banging out the rhythm on my imaginary cymbals and the last few minutes of the ride are spent rocking out side by side. By divine intervention the song ends just as we are heading into town. He gives me back my earphone, I shut down the ipod, roll up the headphones and put it in my bag. By the time I look over at my new friend his face is back in that unreadable Mennonite stare. I knocked on the side of the truck to let the driver know I wanted to get out, shook hands with my new bandmember and jumped down from the bed. As the truck pulled away the Mennonite shot me a smile and tipped his hat. I never even got his name.

How's THAT for cross cultural exchange?!?!?

Randomness!

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:30:00 +0000

Is it seriously already august?!? What happened to this summer! July has been a fun month, I had a visitor, my cousin Sam. Straight from New York City, he managed to fit right into Belize. From sharing mango wine with villagers at 10AM to busting his butt helping out with our volleyball/personal empowerment camp he jumped right in and seemed to get a kick out of the experience. It was alot of fun for me as well, I got to see the country from another person's eyes, and reexamine my own feeling towards my adopted home. Im guessing his favorite place in the country was Caye Caulker...big surprise! I would post some pictures but sadly my trusty point n shoot canon has bit the dust. Frankly Im surprised it lasted that long! The woods of North Carolina, the icy mountains of patagonia and the sweltering heat of Belize are probably not the best things in the world for electronics. So be it! First my laptop and then the computer. Booo!

So these past couple of weeks have been a bit of a rollercoaster. Projects that I have hoped were well on their way have stumbled to a protracted death causing me to reevaluate what I am doing here and what I hope to accomplish. If I learn nothing else from peace corps I will come back to the united states more able to cope with failure. Thats a good thing right?? So its been a time of reflection and searching within myself. I am learning what motivates me and makes me happy as well as realizing what kind of person I am, how I work best, and how to maximize what I do. I think one of the best conclusions I have come to is the fact that one of the reasons I am here in Peace Corps is to work on me. To make me a better person. My relationships with Belizians have developed as I let go of the United States and become more a part of the community here. For example, yesterday (sunday) I had just gotten home after a weekend of enjoying Fiestarama (imagine a county fair that has been left to rust for 5 years then the owner came back with the keys and started up all the rides again) and had just sat down on my porch with a book. My buddy Bat came by and yelled something out the window of his pickup. I couldn't hear a word through the pouring rain, so grabbing my umbrella I slogged to the truck. "I need a paddler for a canoe race!" "When?" I said. "Right now!" Oh crap I thought to myself. Its raining, I dunno how long the trip is so on and so forth. I finally relented and got in the truck. Turned out the race was only from the tollbridge to orangewalk, about 10 miles. But we had to paddle in Di Doctah, Bat's 25 year old 9000 pound puke orange satans spawn of a boat. My hatred towards this canoe was built up to its current frenzy after 174 miles of paddling the bitch for La Ruta Maya (see march post) Being the good sport that I was I jumped in with two other people who work for Bat (he runs a boat tour operation to Lamanai) and we paddled through the rain trying to win $300 for first. Sadly first price was taken by three fishermen who make their livings on the river and have, over the years, developed the ability to paddle insanely fast while still chugging gallons of mexican beer. My mind was blown.

But it wasn't until we finished the race, floated in the river for a minute and then hopped in Bat's motorboat for a cold one and a trip back down the river to cheer in the remaining teams that I realized that I had become an accepted member of this group. Sitting shirtless in the rain, Guinness in hand, bantering back and forth in Kriol it struck me that whatever my issues with this country, with my village and with peace corps may be, I could call these guys my friends.

I guess that sometimes when I feel like I have no good options left, that nothing is working out the way I want something comes along to kick me in the ass and let me know that its not all bad. I can make a life here, I can smile and enjoy myself and be happy for the next year...And thats exactly what I am going to do. Take this next year for me. Make it good, hopefully make a difference, but no matter what go home with both me and my friends here better for the experience!

I think Ill be posting more often now. I'd like to get back to the idea of putting down my thoughts and letting yall hear where I'm coming from. Im tired of simply recounting events. Mek ai cho wahn lee bitah spirit inah dese heer posts, no?!

GUATEMALA!!!

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:14:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:57:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:00:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:49:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:18:00 +0000

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)

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:57:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:13:00 +0000

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!

what fun we're having in belize! (title courtesy of Tom Fahey)

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:23:00 +0000

Whats goin on people?! Thought it was about time to update the blog. It’s a gorgeous sunny day here in Carmelita. Last night another volunteer and her visiting boyfriend came over to hang with Susannah and me. Had a pleasant afternoon and evening of storytelling, stargazing and relaxation. Elisha (the other volunteer) and I got to hang out on the couch as our significant others cooked up a nice stir fry dinner for us. The most interesting part of the evening occurred around 830 as I made my way to the store to buy a few bottles of soda. Now, riding your bike at night in the village can be slightly treacherous. Your petal strokes are far from smooth as you encounter softball sized rocks, two foot potholes and the occasional spot of loose sand. (remember folks, these roads are not paved!) So all of this stuff has become routine, I know where the dips and drops are, which roads stay muddy year round and so forth. Well, last night I encountered an obstacle for which I was not quite prepared. Villagers often leave their horses and cattle and sheep tied in different areas to graze. As I was trucking along a side path/shortcut I saw a horse off to one side of the trail. No big deal, me an him are buddies. Figures that tonight he spooks as he sees my bike coming out of nowhere, coke bottles clanking the frame and he darts across the trail. The end result is that I end up clotheslined by this horse’s tether and go ass over teakettle, a perfect rendition of a superman takeoff (minus the proper landing) and end up sprawled in the dirt to the sounds of laughter. How wonderful is it that my grace was witnessed by half a dozen locals. Chalk another one up to Supervolunteer Jake.

In other news, We spent Valentines Day on Caye Caulker. Go there. Seriously. There are very few places in this world that I have felt so instantly attached to. The island is tiny, funky, and gorgeous. We spent our days lounging at the Lazy Lizard, swimming in water that went from the brightest turquoise to a dark sapphire blue. Pictures will be posted shortly. What really made the trip for us was the locals. There’s the giant muscley dude who weaves palm frond hats and puts sardines in his mouth for gulls to swoop in and pick out, there was Rasta Jimmy, who Jah Loved and one worlded us as we would make our way down the car free street. Lets also not forget about his wife, who became the first person I have met whose given name was Delicious. Seriously. Next we shared a sunset with a gentleman whose dreadlocks brushed his back as he unceremoniously split live lobsters in half. For who are the lobsters we asked? “Ai meh split ahn fu di Jolly Rogah.” Oh ok. Well, why not eat Valentines Dinner at the Jolly Roger? Sounds nice, plus it’s the last night of lobster season! The Restaurant turned out to be a shack on the beach and Roger turned out to be quite Jolly (of course he was, he weighed 300 lbs!!!) The lobster was grilled, the garlic bread was about as tasty as it gets and we were happy. All in all Caye Caulker seems to have an amazing combination of scenic beauty, cheap rooms ($15 US with hot water in our private bathroom!!!) genuinely kind locals and great vibes. Highly recommend a trip there!

So yeah, as I pull this here entry to a close Ill brief all on whats going on for me the next few weeks; On Monday I head to Belmopan for the All Volunteer Conference. That will be five days of lectures and learnin. Then March 6-9 will be spent paddling from San Ignacio to Belize City as I compete in La Ruta Maya, a 160 mile canoe race. Chris, Joel and I will be pushin a battered old canoe down the stretch of river as we scream out our team name: LORD OF THE FLIES!!! (yes I know how the book ends people…) Just one day after that my lil bro Josh comes to visit!!! Hooray!

In sad sad news, Susannah will be heading back to the states in the next week. It has been such a wonderful visit and having her here has made me incredibly happy. Ill miss you Suzy!

So that’s the story morning glory. Ill post some pics soon.
jake

S'more pics!

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:20:00 +0000

This would be the border crossing at La Union. Its kinda sorta semi legal. Theres a customs trailer on the Belize side, but nothing on the Mex. side (they want belizians to come in and spend their dollars) So you dont have to pay the $40 fee, dont even have to have a passport. The canoe to cross costs US $1 round trip. The best part about it is humping two 50 lb sacks of rice up the hill to your pickup in a race to beat the customs guy back from the Mexican bar across the way and therefore not have to pay duty for your imported goods. Its an experience.

This is Susannah, Jeanine, Jeneve and another sister hanging out at the Carmelita football game. Jeanine is about to "plait" or braid Suzy's hair when we get back from town. (ill be sure to post pics :)
Meet "Da Fahmahs, the most hardcore gardeners in all of Carmelita
My whole Standard IV (think 5th gradeish) class standing in front of their newly planted beds. By now we are starting to see the radishes, cilantro and cucumber coming up!!

Sugar Factory Strike & More

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:25:00 +0000

Zipper and Moses like to sprawl on me when I read. Its really nice. You can only see about half the dog from this position. He's getting big enough to push me off the couch! Whatdyall think of my new Belizian haircut and beard/chinstrap??

Susannah and I went to Lamani yesterday. This is from the top of the largest temple, which overlooks the lagoon.

It wont let me load more at the moment :( sorry!

Well hello all! What an eventful couple of weeks! Things have calmed down here after a pretty serious set of events. Carmelita Village is located about two miles from the Tower Hill Sugarcane factory. This factory processes all of the sugarcane grown in Belize. Thousands upon thousands of tons of sugar are refined here each year. Any given day a trip to Orange Walk will pass you by hundreds of trucks loaded down with fresh cane waiting for a turn to offload at the factory. Over half of the village is employed by the sugar industry; growing, cutting, burning, driving, factory work etc. For the past two weeks or so the Cane Farmers have been on strike. They are protesting a new machine that measures the quality of the cane. The price they pay per truckload is calculated according to the quality. The farmers have been objecting to what they feel is an unfair pricing program. This is compounded by the fact that Belize Sugar Industries (who also owns the factory) owns fields of cane that are not tested in the same way. While I do not have all of the information, it seems like this is an effective way to ensure that the higher prices go to the farmers that work for the company, and leave the freelancers/regular people with the lower prices. All this came to a head a few days ago when the Cane Farmers Association announced a strike, blocked off the Northern Highway and started getting hostile. Rocks were gathered as weapons, tensions skyrocketed and the Belizian Army was called in. In an attempt to run a road block and destroy the quality measuring machine shots were fired, seven were injured and one farmer was killed with a shot to the head.
Things have calmed down a bit and the two parties are talking, but tensions are still rather high. For a few days I couldn’t get into the village from Corozal, where Suzy and I had gone to spend a night by the water and watch the Superbowl with other volunteers.
Yep, so that’s been my excitement these past lil bit. In other news, the garden is growing nicely in the school. All of the groups have painted signs that tell what they are growing, their names, their “team” names and some even have pictures painted of their crops. Fun! Its just another way that we are hoping to encourage ownership of their beds. January rocketed past, and its hard to believe February is already a week in. Things have started picking up speed here. The past couple weeks I haven’t spent as much time going out to the court and playing volleyball. Its been really cold here (below 70 almost every night…brrrr!!!!) And its hard to gather the motivation to get out the door. Why do I mention this? Well, after a week of not going out I had some people come over to the house and ask if I was alright. They said they missed seeing me out there and were wondering if I was sick. Felt good to be considered a part of the community and to be missed, ya know?
OOOOH…next subject then I gotta run…We went to Shipyard last week. Now that was an adventure. Shipyard is a community of traditional Mennonites (very similar to the Amish). Walking down the dirt lane it could be Lancaster, PA with palm trees. Everything is cheaper there, from rice to gas to kerosene lanterns (hadta buy one) to pots to pans to screws to whatever. Its worth an internet search to check out the Mennonite communities in Belize. They have had quite a trek to find asylum. (too long to recount here) But for most of them, their last home was in Mexico. So we have Aryan looking people wearing overalls and cowboy hats (men) or long dresses and wide brimmed hats (women) riding in horse driven buggies, speaking lowland german accented Spanish in Belize. Right. Makes total sense. No mind screw there at all! It was pretty interesting and for all who plan on visiting me, know we will be taking a trip there!
K, I gotta run. More to come. Have a great day!
jake

lalala...waiting for my pics to upload...sitting in the internet cafe. its gonna start raining soon. meh. :) Just got a package from mom and dad! THANK YOUUUU!!! the coffee will be consumed immediately and we are already down to one package of beef jerky!

Thought it would be fun to tell you guys about my quest to find something for Moses to chew on (that isnt wood!) So a guy in the village told me about a butcher that sometimes has bones. So in I walk to Campo's meat shop slogan: "We're here to MEAT your needs" heh heh...witty. So the place looks like something out of the Saw horror movie series with a slapstick twist. There are about 6 gigantic Mestizo men covered in blood from head to waist slicing up halves of beef. I wouldnt be surprised to see one play a practical joke on another by slapping him across the face with a t-bone. K, so they all look up when I walk in and stand there with a bit of an inquisitive expression. I start in and ask about bones (take note that this is all goin down in spanish) Guy asks me what for and i tell him to chew on. His face takes on a bit of a weird look before I realize that I said something that approximates "for me to chew on" Right. Strike one for high school spanish! I quickly correct myself and let him know that its for my dog. He laughs. I laugh. We laugh. He then asks me if I have a black and tan hound. (thats the pooch) He has heard about me and my dog. I say I do! We are bonding. He wants to know all about the dog. I oblige by showing pictures. Turns out that he has a female hound and wants to breed her. We are now best of friends. We get back to the reason i walked in...bones. He reaches a bloody hand into a bin and comes out with a cow's thighbone. "Will this work??" Yup. The bone is bigger and longer than my thigh bone. "How much?" "Gratis, amigo!" For serious?? Yep. He places the bone in a plastic bag that only covers the bottom half. another on top and hands it over. Thanks! I am now buddies with the meat man. Beautiful.

How is it almost feb already??

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:08:00 +0000

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

These are a few of the things I adore...(set to song)

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:23:00 +0000

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!

Now what?

noreply@blogger.com (JacobHafkin) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:24:00 +0000

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.