Excited for it and to finally get out and see some of these schools in action! J
I have been slowly getting my new little house in order this past month! I am so excited to be on my own and now I have a place I can call home. Still have a lot of little things to do with it but I am settling in very well and enjoying the peace and quiet and cooking on my own! J I am really getting into cooking the Belizean food which isn’t that much different Mexican, rice and beans and tortillas, which I can totally do! So if you come to visit be ready for some homemade tortillas and crockpot beans!
I had the opportunity this month to play in a futbol game in Trinidad, a small village in Orange Walk to the West of us. So, this game came about through a fellow PCV, Kevin, who lives in Yo Creek and the girls’ team needed some extra players for their friendly match against Trinidad. Of course I was all over that, and I’m so glad I played in it! Little did I know until I got to Yo Creek that Kevin and his neighbor had been hyping me up to everyone in the village saying, “This American girl who looks Belizean is going to play with us and is really good!”… Of geez! Expectations now! Haha. So, we all piled into a little car and headed to Trinidad for 7pm game but as usual it didn’t start till about 8pm (Oh! Gotta love Belizean Time). When I showed up to play with the team, I felt like I was playing with my Estancia HS girls’ team, it was great! They were all about 15-18 in age, some playing in boots and many playing barefoot. These girls were very feisty, rough, and tough little players. We ended up winning the game 3-1 and the girls all piled up in the back of a pick-up back to Yo Creek cheering and chanting the whole way home that they had won…which is completely normal to do in Belize.
Life here in the Oh Dub has been good; we often go frequently to Enramada, the best ceviche in town! You can get a plate of ceviche ranging from $5-$25 and it is so good! I also recently got to see a youth basketball game outside on a completely refurbished court right in town one evening with another PCV basketball fan. It wasn’t the best basketball, but I loved their effort and their very flamboyant theatrics I’m sure they learned from watching NBA players like Kobe, Dirk or Blake Griffin, but it was fun seeing all these young guys playing and enjoying themselves out there. Some of us PCV have been getting together for dinner/game nights and I think it is going to be turning into a monthly thing here in Orange Walk (I swear this is like college all over again!).
Work has slowed down a little, which has been nice because the past month was so busy. Recently, we have been doing follow-up sessions on the QCFS Initiative with teachers who missed the other workshops and other schools who want to know what this is all about. They weren’t nearly as intense and long as the other workshop which was very nice! Me and the other PCV who works here at the District Ed Center are fitting right in here with our staff and work partners, we got invited to lunch at one of our fellow staff members for beans, torts, and pork chops! It was so good and a nice treat from our daily PB&J at lunchtime.
With school staring right around the corner (Sept. 5) and having such a busy last couple months I decided to treat myself to day out to Caye Caulker. But, before me and another PCV headed out there we went to the Grand Opening of gym a friend of mine just opened, a young, enthusiastic Belizean 19 year old entrepreneur! Then off we went for some nice relaxing in the sun with some good food. You are going to die when you here this…for only $17.50 BZ we got a whole lobster, shrimp kebab, and barracuda steak with rice, salad, bread and cake! We also took some kayaks out and cruised around the island for a little bit. It was definitely nice to get away even for a little while and I guess we are sort of lucky that we have these little oases off the coast of Belize to go get some R&R when we need to! J
Some other little happenings and quirky things going on:
- · Lately I have noticed that I am eating more and more treats/sweets than usual and even drinking more soda!!! So unlike me, haha. But, I have to tell you, having the best bakery in town doesn’t help at all. This bakery, La Popular, has the best sweet bread, treats, donuts, homemade bread, and any other sweets you can think of. As for the soda, you can never pass up the Coke with the real sugar in the glass bottle! J
- · I’m in the process of applying and getting involved with the HIV/AIDS committee for Monitoring and Evaluation with some other PCV. As well as, the WID/GAD committee through PC. The WID/GAD committee works with Belizeans of all ages to promote education and participation in women’s empowerment as well as educating Belizeans about the role that gender plays in society and empowering them to make positive life choices and overcome pre-existing assumptions.
- So, I’ve noticed and I am not the only one when riding the buses here in Belize, the bus drivers have sole command of their radio/CD player. And they play whatever they like, but the thing with the reggae music is quite interesting. Every time Bob Marley comes on the speaker everyone on the bus is singing loud and proud and in unison his words. It’s the neatest thing, it just goes to show you how much Bob is loved around the world! J
- · I’m getting a PUPPY!!!!! One of our Peace Corps Staff, Jaime, got promoted and is leaving to Guyana and has these puppies she sort of inherited from her Belizean neighbors in Belmopan. The dog has gone through a little rough patch, she thinks it got hit by a car and wasn’t going to make it but it bounced back and is getting better. I think all it needs is a little TLC. J I went to go see her and she is a very shy, timid little black mutt. Her name is Tayo, and I hope to get it up here to OW in the next couple weeks! J
- September Celebrations are HERE! So, what I hear is that the month of September is just a month of parades, rallies, celebrations, parties and not much work gets done at all. There is Independence Day, St. George’s Day, Literacy Day, School’s Parade, Children’s Rally and many more celebrations. I can’t wait to see all these festivities and celebrations! J
Wow! That was a long one. Well, I hope you all are doing well! Miss you all everyday and hopefully I’ll see your faces soon. Enjoy! J And pictures are on their way too!
Love ya,
Nat
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