Lamainai

 Yesterday we all went to Lamainai, a Ruin that has over 800 “buildings” on it.  As the tour guide, Mr. Reyes explained, most Mayan Civilizations started with 13 buildings, one for each of the Gods within their beliefs, the son of the King was responsible for doing one building for each of their Gods and to beautify the buildings built by their fathers and grandfathers…till finally, at the location there is over 800 buildings, one of the biggest ruins there…It was taken over by vegetation and eventually the Spider Monkeys settled there.  It was amazing to look at the mostly covered mounds and realize underneath the mounds were buildings, some of them, the Jaguar Temple and the Ball court had been excavated and could be seen and even climbed upon…

This trip was one of the most amazing trips I had ever been on, the tour started on what the “English” named the New River but the Mayans had originally called “The River of Many Faces” which made sense since it runs 80 miles through Belize and actually goes up into parts of Guatemala….it was used as a means of transportation for the Mahogany wood Britain exported by floating the logs down the New River…The Mayan name for the river was more righteous since the people living here, Mexicans, Mayans, Garafuna, and the mixed races all used the river for transportation.  England in it’s typical fashion always decided what was best. They had landed on the country thinking they were going to Honduras and found out it wasn’t and named the small country the British Honduras and took the land away from the Mexicans.  He (Mr. Reyes) doesn’t say these things to you as he takes you down this river, he simply says the English did this, the Mayans did that and you can come up with your own conclusions if your mind is into it.

As you travel down the River to get to the ruins you slide along water that at times looks like glass, its shiny surface so smooth and tranquil, there are parts that are rough and you can see the flow of the river and feel the bumps as the boat hits them.  There are so many different types of vegetation, the Gumbo-limbo tree, the jackass bitters, the palms of Coconut, banana, and the flora of the country and the birds…the birds were wonderful.  The white heron as it takes off from the tree and flies silently by with its wings making small adjustments to glide so gracefully, a truly inspiring sight.  The blue heron, the Kingfisher with it’s bright red chest, the boat billed duck, and the most amazing birds with their beautiful noises.  And the Vultures..I thought about Shawn as the tour guide was telling us the Vulture was one of the top 10 in the world of Stench because of the acid within their stomachs.  They can eat things with diphtheria, typhoid and other diseases and because of the acid within their stomach can digest them without getting sick.  One of the birds we saw was over 5 feet tall and a huge wingspan, we were told it was bigger than an American Candor…It stood in the base of the bed and was graceful and tall.  There are these birds that are native to Belize that live on the Lily pads and sea grass that grows along side of the bank and you can see them walking along the pads like they are walking on water…..

Another Amazing thing about the ruins is that the stone isn’t native to the sight, it is brought in from other parts and put together with stucco made from the forest..Mr. Reyes explained that it took acres and acres of forest land to create the buildings that were there in order to make the stucco that held it together, and that didn’t count into how much it took just to build the foundation the buildings were on, that they didn’t believe in building on the forest floor but would build their streets and buildings up on a foundation to walk upon..Some of the information this descendant of a Mayan could give us was amazing.

After the tour through the ball court a family that had been on the tour with us came down to where Mr. Reyes and I had been talking and the father in a typical American tourist way was asking why the rest of the ruins had not been excavated and was told it was because the Belizean Government was Bankrupt..He then went on to question why the Belizean’s had not approached others such as colleges in the States to do this and I got into an argument with him….

Can you believe someone not seeing that they had had to fight to free themselves from the cruelties the British had put on them?  Britain had bleed the country dry and took their one major export and sucked it into its empire, this country is young, why would they want another country to come in and tell them how to do it? He then argued that it should be done and that money given for excavation wasn’t giving another country control and I responded by saying that any time money is involved there is always an issue of control.  But I was also thinking to myself why would you ask  the United States to do this thing? They are almost bankrupt themselves, spending way beyond their means to aid other countries that don’t appreciate it as it is….but are We any better than Britain?  We come in and demand that the country does things the way we want them to be….Maybe it’s just having been here a few months looking around and outside of myself I have seen other things that most Americans, in their eagerness to aid, don’t see.  That there is such a thing as God willed, if it was God’s will that the site was excavated completely, it would have happened by now and it’s such a good place to go see.  A place of peace and tranquility and Spider monkeys that howl like pre-historic creatures.  If you excavated this site, where would these wonderful monkeys go?  Where would these beautiful birds migrate to? 

The father said something to me about how I can’t equate what Great Britain had done to what the Americans could do and I calmly looked at him and said, “sorry, but you’re not projecting an image of security to them” and he asked me what I meant and I said “I’m not the one wearing a GB Cap on my head” and his son sniggered.   He took his hat off and looked at it, on the brim was the British flag and in typical American fashion he had the brand label on his clothes and it was a Great Britain cap on it…proving anyone can be brought…….

Reflections....

I had one of the worst moments ever on the 22nd of December....after being anxious all night and the excitement having built up to a peak I found out that my girls did not get to fly out of Buffalo making the rest of their subsequent travel plans dissolve in a heap.....I was beyond disappointed....I was hugely angry and ready to lash out and pack my bags and go back to the states to give some people a piece of my mind.... Incensed is a good descriptive word.....
I had been living among some of the calmest people I've ever met...I live in a village where the loudest noise you hear is the sound of fire crackers that the kids like to set off.  There is no loud cars rushing by, there are no angry people fighting, there are no loud shouts at each other it is, to say in Spanish, mas traquil..very quiet.   I enjoy this quiet village a lot
At the moment that I found out my kids were not going to make it on their planned departure I started wanting to cry and lash out.   Now there are things in Belize that could potentially drive you bonkers, things beyond your control and your ability to do anything about.  An excellent example would be the ferry from Copper Bank to Chenux was out making getting to Orchid Bay difficult at best.  It would be something that would drive anyone crazy because they would have to deal with the often difficult roads around here and making arrangements to do other things....Because these people here have no alternative other than to deal with life as it is they calmly accept something that as a US Citizen we would find unacceptable and would rant about...these people are stoic and accepting of many things....The States has been a mad house lately with people being so angry,  I can feel it all the way here.....I wonder how some of the people in the states would feel about some of the things we deal with here on a regular basis.....
It has pointed out something very vital to me, that the resiliency of the people here is so vast...their patience seems a humming type of thing, hidden behind their stoic faces but thriving ever so deeply...Their faith that God will find a plan and their dignity in the face of the adversity here is astounding, and a lesson to us all.

I passed out with anxiety and woke up and went onward in a kind of haze until the baptism...The Bishop in his booming voice reminded us that it wasn't Christmas yet...that Advent, the season we are actually in is a time of reflection and allowing God to go into our hearts....deep thinking on my part came up with how I had become "Obsessed" with having the perfect Christmas and hadn't done much reflecting on how God was working in my life...instead of looking at how my girls were safe in a hotel room I had forgotten the reason they were grounded had been unsafe conditions and that wasn't it better that we were safe?  Could I allow their absence to cut into allowing God his time?  Hadn't he already given me so much?
I think about how, as a people, the States have become the "I want it now" society..My wish is no longer I want it now, it's I want it when God deems it and safely....I think about how my daughter is ready to give birth and has been given so much grief about how big the baby is and how they want the baby out now, where is their patience?  Where is their belief that God has a plan and if the baby and the mother are safe then let God work this miracle of creation........
For this Christmas I have determined that it is time to put God in my heart and not let disappointment rule me....Thank you Copper Bank and God for this important lesson to this ole lady!!!

Yesterday a couple of friends of ours decided to host a Christmas Party...there is this guy named Earl, he's a biker from the states and says he used to work in waste management (he was a prison guard) and he looks a lot like Santa does to these kids...he's not fat, he's not round, he's a sweet quiet kind of guy...In the states you might look at him and think he's dangerous but here, the kids seem to relate him to Santa...
The friends we've made here, Dove and Phil own Copperbank Inn.  They are like Charlie and I in that we don't want to be one of the "gringos" behind the gates that don't mingle and get to know the people that are here.  We are not here to start endowments or to change these peoples lives, we are here to enjoy them and if we can help we would like to make their lives a little easier.   It's not an easy life here, it requires a bit of work but it's something that you know that you have made a choice on a simpler lifestyle so you take the good with the bad....So, Dove decided to put out a Christmas party where all the kids got to meet Santa, get a picture of themselves with him and a cookie and/or candy cane was given to each of them.  We were late in starting but then it was amazing at how many kids did show up.  There was about 120 kids in this village and I think they all showed...and it was wonderful.
I am amazed though at how difficult some people find it to put themselves out there like Dove and Phil did and do something for this little community.  If you knew the history of Dove and Phil you would think it even more amazing but that's a story for another day,....They went all out and had pictures taken, gifted candy and cookies to these kids and the kids were just amazed by all of it.  They have so little here that something like that overwhelms them.  Some of the kids live in virtual shacks with no electric.  They have gotten by on that lifestyle and don't know they could have better so they are content.....
It makes me wonder at my own "content-ness".  I have so much and I am thankful for all that has been given to me,  my family, my kids, my husband and pets and friends and the materialistic things I have.  Sometimes I think about my lifestyle I had in New York and how it was about keeping up appearances and worrying about providing that new video game my daughters wanted or to have the money for the dance or singing classes.  As parents we all want to provide our kids with the best that we can.....I think about how after the party I came back to look at my internet and find out that 27 kids had died in Connecticut and how their parents probably wouldn't care right now what it took to provide those kids with what they wanted, they would just enjoy having them back for a small Christmas party like the one that Dove and Phil put on for the village kids and I wonder, are we so different after all?
Life in the states was hard too....It was mentally demanding as well as stressful to think about how we were going to keep up with the Jones and it makes me wonder if maybe the people here don't really have the right idea about life...it's not about what you have, it's about who you are and being content that maybe that is just fine.......Do you wish in this Holiday Season that life would slow down a bit so you could once again feel the power of the spirit of what made Christmas special to you?  Was it so much the gifts or was it the magic of the season that made it really special for you as a child?  Don't you think it would be great if you could go back to that time or see the magic of it shining on the face of the child in front of you as he told you he wanted a control car for Christmas and you know that his Dad the fisherman would do anything to get it for him for Christmas???  Isn't this what made us enjoy the wonder of it in our youth?.....hmmm

Conch Shells & Lobster

This afternoon our landlord, Roger, came over to give me a conch shell.  He is a fisherman and I had asked him the last time he went out what they did with the conch shells after they harvested the conch from them.   Conch is used in a lot of the recipes here, cerviche is a huge favorite… I am in love with conch shells, I think they are gorgeous with the creamy mother of pearl pink inside to the rough gyrations of colors on the outside and the horny tips they use for protection…to me it’s one of life’s great master pieces… I will include a picture of it on the blog…

As we went over and were talking to them and I am stumbling through my Spanish  (Roger’s wife Lolita’s English is as good as my Spanish so we can communicate very well)  and talking amongst ourselves we started to have a conversation with them and were talking to each other and Lolita spotted me talking to Charlie in Spanish and stated that he must be getting better at understanding Spanish….he said yes, he was picking it up here and there and it was then that she looked at me and said that he understood what I had said to him although he doesn’t speak Spanish.  Charlie was explaining to her that when we worked together in our office he never really had to say much, that we would communicate without saying much to each other….this is true, after being in an office together we had gotten good at reading each other’s thoughts without saying much…but to now do it in Spanish??

I had gotten a big compliment earlier this week from the Zapatoria in Corozal.  I came up to him and asked him if he had repaired my husband’s shoes and was describing Charlie to him and doing it all in Spanish (without even realizing it!) and my friend Donna was with me.  She just stared at me and then Benny (the Zapatoria or Shoe repairman) asked her in English how long she had been here.  Now, Donna got her residency about 3 months ago and has lived here for more than two years.  She answered him and then he looked at her and asked her when she was going to learn Spanish as well as I had….It was funny but until he said that I had not realized I was even talking to him in Spanish…I then told him I tried and that I had taken Spanish in high school….He looked at me and smiled and said even though it was supposed to be an English speaking country he was glad I was trying and that I spoke pretty well…hooray, maybe I will learn this language well enough some day to understand all the “signals” the Belizeans give each other.  You gotta hand it to them, they have learned both languages and switch back and forth fluently….

The nice thing about having a fisherman as a neighbor is that we had been doing some neighborly things for them and they paid us back today in abundance. ( at least in my humble opinion!)  Roger pulled out his chest with his catch and I got to see Conch, Crab legs (yes Emily, crab legs) Lobster, fish and octopus…..he told us to take what we wanted.  I made Charlie take some conch because I know how much he enjoyed a conch chowder that a friend of ours made here…he said it was very similar to the New England clam chowder and we took home some lobster…just because!!!

It kind of made my day though. Little things mean a lot more here than they did in the states.  Our truck is broke down again (fuel pump AGAIN) and although our mechanic  is a nice guy and a good mechanic (everyone speaks wonderfully of him, both gringos and Belizeans alike) it is a hassle.  But we are fortunate to have a bus line here.  A great many Women ride the bus while their husbands have the family vehicle (if there is a family vehicle) and I can imagine how hard it is to schedule doing something like going to the market when the kids come home for lunch generally…and the time is tight for anyone to fit in…so I like to give the people here rides if I know them and it doesn't hurt me too much…I might see someone from the village walking through the bush on the way to Corozal and will pick them up.  It’s hard sometimes to imagine a life without electricity but some of these people do not have electricity, they get by pretty well.  The majority of the Mayans still cook outside over an open fire and I can tell you that it makes sense to a certain extent because beans take forever to cook inside!

Think about your life as you know it, would it be so hard to live without electricity?  How well prepared would you be for survival without have that cable of power?  Is this a simple necessity and how well would you like to live on necessity only versus wants?

Tortillas and Chili

Last night we had a chili night and invited a local family to our house.  Their son, Cesar had been nice enough (granted he was drunk at the time) to invite us over to his house for his mother’s home made onion soup…..Escabeche ( SS-cab-e-che) with fried chicken.  It was unlike any onion soup I had ever had before and was very good.  At the time I said to them that we needed to have them over for Chili some night and they gave me a funny look.. I found out later that Chili to them meant the Chili pepper, like a seasoning and it didn’t occur to me that they never had thought of Chili con carne at all as a dish but as a seasoned meat.  (chili pepper with meat is the loose translation).

So we had invited the whole family over for dinner.  The family consists of Sarafina, Mario (parents) Cesar and his wife, Samuel and his wife, Sandra and her daughter, the daughter of Cesar, Julissa and then Sonria the daughter of Samuel….10 in total but Mario goes to bed early so he didn’t come and the youngest son that lives with him works at the sugar cane factory nights didn’t come either.  They all live in one house even though Cesar has his own house he wants to live near his Momma and that’s how these people are….. in total there was 12 at the table and we had Chili and salad (they loved my salad)

In the course of the night we were talking and I told them I wanted to know how to make the corn tortillas from scratch.   They had invited CJ to a birthday party the next day for Julissa who is turning 6 today and the mother, Sarafina told me if I came at 10 the next day she would teach me how to make corn tortillas.  Now, Sarafina is Mayan and does things the old Mayan way.  She cooks her rice and beans on a fire outside and the chicken is done the old Mayan way as well.  She is teaching all her daughter in laws (3 of them I think) how to cook and it was funny because the whole family gathered around to see if the Gringo could make a tortilla.  She explained that they had made the maize the day before,  that I could see it being done another time.  They take the corn and boil it in something she called Gata,  I think it was corn starch.  It must boil to a certain point, if it boils too long or has too much corn starch it will be almost a sour smell to it and be very yellow, you really want a more white maize.  After you boil the corn you grind it. They used to use a mortar and pestle type of method with a very round rock and an elongated stone bowl but the Chinese have brought them grinders and instead of using the old stone in the fire they now have a pan that they use that is flat.  The product that the Chinese sell here is something you would probably never see in the states, they would be allowed to sell their stuff because it’s too full of lead!

After the corn is ground it becomes doughy and is almost pasty.  You then roll it up into a ball and using plastic there are two methods to form the tortillas, the first by hand the old Mayan way, the other with the “Chinese” press.  The ones by hand are better but time consuming or as Sandra, the daughter puts it :  Mas facil.   More easier….  The shaping of the tortilla is an art and it must be practiced to learn the perfection of it.  The funny thing is that Sarafina is the mother and the chief cook.  She runs her kitchen tightly and has all the daughter in laws and the daughter doing exactly as she tells them to and they are all cooking different things at the same time but she is putting the whole thing together in the end so it becomes a fiesta.   I am now one of her students.  I feel like I was there on a tolerance test and I wasn't found wanting.  Although my tortillas look like something the kids made they are edible and we will see how well I do when Sandra comes to my house in a week or so to make beans.

In the interim I feel as though I have passed a major mark in acceptance. It is hard because they are really united family groups in this town and to be accepted is “mas deficil”  very difficult.  Have you ever wanted to be accepted by a group and knew that since you were the outsider you needed to pass the test?   How did you feel when you finally felt like you had made a step in the right direction?

Traveling Walmart....

So, here's the thing....Belize is a second rate country! By that I mean that we get second hand stuff from other countries, like the states.  Stuff that Walmart couldn't sell and has given up on.   Anyways, I had earlier posted how important it was to be able to get the Belikan Beer Guy to stop so you could buy water, juices, coke, sprite, and other things.   When I was talking about this I thought it was good because at gas almost $13 BZ per gallon it would have been difficult for many of the people to go into shop, they would have to pay for the bus but then sometimes even that is too expensive because if you have to pay for the trip there and the trip back then you've spent money that you probably needed for the articles you wanted to buy.  I found out today that there is a truck that drives around with an assortment of articles for sale....like a traveling Walmart!!!

Traveling Walmart!

So, it was kind of neat to watch this guy travel down my road very slowly so all the people could flag him down if they wanted anything...

This reminded me of the days when Montgomery Wards would travel around delivering packages and selling articles off the truck, like maybe in the 40's.....So the real question here is....HOW advanced truly have we become as a society with our split level super malls?

The other thing a group of us were discussing today was the gringo's from Calvary were back in town....By that we mean that some Canadians that come down once or twice a year to "fix" things were back.  It's amazing how truly smart Belizian's are because they do accept the help and are not judgmental of this couple but quietly don't let them in on any of the real goings on....These people make me angry because they come down once or twice a year and say they are "helping" by bringing things like computers or books but they aren't here for the long haul....I mean the day in day out concern I have for some of the Belizian's and knowing how hard it is.  It's like putting a finger in the damn and knowing the whole thing could blow any time.  This couple were acting like they are all it and they are beloved endowments and they OWN the people.....it made me mad because I am here all the time and helping out in small ways but that these people were giving Gringo's a bad name...and I'm one of those gringos!!!

These people do not need someone to tell them how to make their life better, because truly they do have a good life here.  They do not need people to tell them how to do things, they can figure that out on their own. They just need a chance to be given the knowledge of things.   And if you come down here with a "Hail to me,  I am almighty" attitude what you will get is quiet people who will give you a smug look when your back is turned......truly, they have an amazing idea of what it takes to live and live well and they are resilient enough to figure out how to create a traveling Walmart....Wouldn't you give them kudo's for that???

I know I would!

Wouldn't you want to go without a Walmart once in awhile???

Frozen Veggies....

So, it’s passed, Thanksgiving is gone and I made it through it without a complete and utter break down like I normally do because I miss the folks so bad.  I thought this year would be harder still because the girls weren't around but the key to not letting a holiday get to you I think is to keep busy.  I think Mom would have appreciated how busy I've been keeping myself…..my body has been aching because I don’t sit as much as I used to and I like that to an extent…my feet have been protesting which tells me I need to take it easy on them….

Today, after church, we did what we've been doing lately and went to the market to try and buy enough fruits and veggies to get through the week.  Now this is really sad,  but one of the things I miss the most from the states I think is going into Wegmans and not having to think about what type of veggie to get, knowing I could put it in the freezer (I always bought the poly packs of veggies that are frozen) and then when I was rushing around in the rat race of life in NY I would simply throw a bag of frozen veggies in the microwave and be done with it.  Not so here!  Everything is fresh, you buy it fresh from the farm and you eat it quick before it goes bad. I've had stuff go bad and you feel the pain of it, thinking that you wanted to use it and then because of the heat here (they say it’s warm here but not much so to me anymore) everything goes bad quickly.   (Also, I didn't bring a microwave down here, why should I?  I am trying live simpler)

After my visit last week with my girlfriend Donna to Orange Walk and the Peoples Store and looking at the real deal as far as grocery stores I got to be thinking about how it’s so nice to eat fresh but knowing that sometimes when you buy something it will be going bad soon enough.   Like a head of cauliflower or broccoli, it doesn't take much and I love those two veggies and sometimes they are really hard to get.   So, today after Church when I was in the market I saw a full head of cauliflower!  I decided then and there I would buy the whole thing (usually they cut off how much you need) and I would “put some up”.   Now, we haven’t bought our property here yet so I haven’t started the garden and the lifestyle I want to attempt (trying to live as much self sustaining as possible)  but this small gesture could work to maintain my feeling that I would be more able to handle the care of produce and make it so I could live my words.   I bought some carrots as well (a staple down here and I think a healthy one, in church I was looking around and a lot of people here don’t have glasses, I think it’s because they eat so much carrots! ) and broccoli.  I put up a frozen bag or two of the veggies I brought and kept some aside for during the week. 

It is so easy to “Put away” veggies, I've been reading up on it and it doesn't require a whole lot of work, just general preparation.  You cut up the vegetable that you want and you par boil it in salted water and then put them in plastic bags and freeze them.   It was good because now that we are down to three people eating, buying one of those big bags wouldn't work anymore.  I love the fact that I could fill the bags with only as much as we would need for a meal.  Hey, this wasn't so hard!!!  And I was recycling too, cause I would keep using the same boiling water and just swap out which veggies I was boiling down….and then I used the boiling water to heat up my dish water (I don’t have a kitchen sink here, just two tubs, one with dish water and one with rinse and bleach)  and I felt good.  Then I figured something out…..In NY it was a rat race and I would race around like crazy working my butt off to make sure we brought in enough money to make it through another week,  here I am thinking things through and trying to live as cheaply as possible, it’s all about survival!  No matter where you are in life and what you do with your life you are trying your best to survive in that lifestyle that you feel is necessary….

What have you done lately to make your “survival” more successful?

Thanksgiving and Orange Walk....hmmm

So I've been down.   I get this way every Thanksgiving but maybe a bit more so today this year because I know I won't be like a lot of Americans, going to family and having this huge feast and while I cook watching Macy's Parade (It puts me into the next Holiday) then watching football and enjoying having the family around.....(Or not enjoying, whatever the case may be)  Thanksgiving has always been a hard Holiday for me simply because I am a busy bee....I love to cook and share  and this is one of the things I enjoy is cooking for my family....Mom always loved the stuffing and I would make it like she loved with plenty of sage and lots of spices.  Dad always competed with my father in law on the mincemeat pie and I think the girls loved the mashed potatoes, gravy and pies (Not necessarily the pumpkin, that was my favorite) and it was always a big preparation and planning time for me.  Not a reflection time like this year seems to be.

It's harder still on me because this is the longest I've been without seeing my girls.  I have 4 daughters and they've all grown up and gone on to their own interests and even if I was there for Thanksgiving I doubt they would be paying much attention to me.   Emily would be walking up to see her friend Garrett, Joanie would be in the kitchen for part of it but mainly her head would be on talking to her friends or boyfriend on Facebook and Heather has her own family and Holly was always going south to her friends.  Our "family" had grown and flown the coop in my mind, leaving Charlie and I staring at poor CJ ( our youngest) who felt he had to fill in the gaps.  My parents had died in recent year so that just made the last Thanksgiving horrible to us.  It had turned into an empty holiday.

Anyhow, thanks to some friends I think I am looking at Thanksgiving differently this year.....We are going to friends that have helped us to settle into our new life.  They have been so supportive of our decision to move here...knowing how hard this is to do.  They have filled in the blanks in our lives, given us information about the people here, shown us how this world is different and how we need to re think our lifestyle. It's funny that we are watching this old TLC show that my folks had on DVD called "Into the West" and it's like looking at how settlers and their movement into the creation of our nation and we are "settling" into a new country...I think I know the feelings from that time period.....

Today to kick off the Holiday "blues" I asked my Canadian friend to go with me to Orange Walk.  Now Orange Walk is a good hour to hour 1/2 away and a bit of a drive but it has some interesting shops and I wanted to check it out.   We went to this shop called Boundary which reminds me of a big Volunteers of America....it has lots of new to you stuff and I wanted to try and pick up Pie Pans because there isn't that many around here without paying a fortune for it.  We found the pie pans and I also found a dress across the street for a little girl that lives next door...I thought it was the prettiest dress and that she might like it and I bought it for her....(Made me feel good)

Then as we were walking to this fabric shop I liked called "Casa Economica"  which has cloth and lots of stuff that goes along with sewing I saw another shop that sold Tortilla's.  I've never been in one of these but this one looked so busy I decided to shop.  It was funny, I walked in there and you could see how everything was made, the machines they used and the fresh tortilla's coming out of there  (both flour and corn) and how they smelled so good!  I bought some taco chips,  a pound of Mesa (corn batter) and a pound of flour tortilla's just made (they tasted so good!) and the total for all this was $3.50...I looked at all the work it took for these people to make this and they only charged $3.50?

The next place we went to was this store called "The Peoples Store".  I had heard it was a good grocery store to go to but I was amazed....I walked in there and it was like going backwards in time....It was a store like they have in the states.   I looked around and my friend and I were exclaiming about finding things like chocolate cream cheese, nuts, Lays Potato chips, lemon in a bottle and Pedigree Dog food.  I saw Belizian's who live in Orange Walk staring at us and I was thinking how backwards I was...We were from the "bush" and living a meager lifestyle and I had been were they are, living in a city with a real grocery store that had things like Hershey's and other things.   We looked so backwards!!!!

It made me think of the thousands of times I would go grocery shopping in Wegmans and that I demanded a certain level of customer service and wouldn't accept anything less.  But in this store I didn't care about customer service, I only cared about the abundance of product....I think about how thanksgiving day is about how the pilgrims celebrated their abundance of harvest and how hard it was to live in a new land.  They were being Thankful for the people (American Indians) who helped them settle in the new land and how they were shown how to live in a new world and they had survived and all of the sudden Thanksgiving became something more than the yearning I had to see my girls or the loss of my parents or the wish I had to cook and please so many.   It was a bout celebrating having made it...hmmm, maybe God wanted me to look at the Holiday a little differently and decided this was the way to teach me.....

So, what do YOU think this holiday is about?  Do you think it's about time as a person you looked at the Holiday a little differently?

Feeling good...

So, today I am trying to explain (in Spanish mind you) what Thanksgiving means.

I went to a store that I found out later on I wasn't supposed to go to..(Something about the American Government and the war on Drugs and there was a warning issued that I never saw) to buy some pumpkin.  Now I have been all over Corozal looking for pumpkin of ANY kind for our Thanksgiving.  I am not doing a big one this year, a small group of us gringo's are getting together to celebrate the day.  I bought the turkey from the butcher's last week, got the potatoes (both white & sweet) and I even found olives! But darned if I couldn't find pumpkin anywhere!  So my friend Donna, who is Canadian took me to this store that I won't name and I found the pumpkin and lot of other things you can't find around Corozal ordinarily....hmmm
Anyhow, we had gone to a barbecue for our neighbor's son, Alex, because he needed to do a fund raiser for school.  If you ever get invited to a barbecue in Belize, go!  It's really great food. I had talked Donna into going with us and she took me to the store.  I felt good taking her with us because she doesn't get to go on her own often and we found some stuff she wanted.
At the barbecue we sat with our neighbors, something we hadn't been able to do because of all the things going on in both our lives right now.  It felt good to get together with them and just share some time...I even found out their daughter Narina has her birthday on the same day as CJ's!
On the way home I saw a woman walking with her child, a little girl.  We pulled over (something we occasionally do around her, but we are picky who we will do this for) and offered her a ride to Copper Bank, she was on the way to Chenoix (Pronounced Che Nu Ish) which is the next town over from us.  But we would take her at least as far as Copper Bank.
When we got to the ferry there was a guy broke down who needed some help and we helped him with getting something done under his vehicle, so he was up and running.  It felt good to know that we were able to help because it meant that we now knew what tools to carry with us for just such emergencies!
When I went to get off the ferry there was some issues with the ferry (the water is low right now) where I got stuck, that same guy that we helped helped us get out of the small ditch that was there.
After getting back to Copper Bank we dropped off Donna and then went to our house where Charlie jumped out of the car and took the groceries in and told me to go ahead and take the woman the rest of the way to Chenoix....It felt good going down the road speaking in Spanish and trying to explain to her what Thanksgiving meant!   The air was cooler than normal and the sky was a pretty color of pink and her daughter was so cute, with a shy little smile telling me how she really doesn't like her brothers (what a shocker) and that she want "una regalada" for Navidad...I said only 1 present?  She said yes, because she didn't want Santa mad at her for asking for too much!
On the way back from Chenoix I was thinking...Geez, I feel good!   It's one of those days that make you feel good...like you did something for your neighbors and still came out and enjoyed each other.....Don't you find when you work together that it feels good?

By the way, on the way to Chenoix we got stopped by some Gringos who pulled us over to ask for directions.  Because I had been speaking Spanish with the woman he looked at me and asked me "Do you speak English?"  I didn't realize I had been telling him directions in Spanish! When I answered him with a straight face "Un Pocito"  and said, "You do see my NY plates on the car, right?" he laughed!  Another feel good moment!

My daily diet...

My Daily diet….

So I've been thinking about lately what it is that makes us go…..you know, what makes life bearable for you?  I personally am the happiest clam alive as long as I know my family is doing well...the true family that I care about on a day to day basis.  I have some feelings for some family that shall be left alone during this post…(WHEW, you should all breath nicely now!!)   But what does it take to make the day worthwhile for you?  I think I need to be challenged mentally on a daily basis.  Not just the OK  I need to think about what we are having for dinner but the thought process that makes you wonder about things like organic gardening, clean air, clean living, healthy choices, and making thing work in a day to day choice mode…

I've found that I am enjoying living in Belize so much.  It challenges me to think thing through.  An example is the “Washing Machine” issue.  We bought a washing machine (not your typical washing machine but one of these cheap Chinese things that hardly works but does something more than the wash board does for me,  at least it’s not rocks!)  This thing needs to be hooked up into the water (I used a garden hose to put water in it) and then it drains.  Now, I don’t want to do my laundry outside.  I have too many projects going on and although most of the women in the village do their laundry outside, which makes it easy for them to not worry about draining, they just let the water run on the ground… I have this issue where the drain site I am using (the shower area) sits higher up than the machine does…the draining is done by good old fashioned earth pull so therefore, I am a little short.  Normally I try but Charlie does pull up the machine so it drains…  I have been steadily asking him for a “box on wheels” to put this machine on so it would make it more mobile to move around (it’s light enough though that I could carry it) and make it elevated enough that I don’t have to pick it up to drain it off.  Sounds simple enough, right?

Nope, nothing has been done about this for weeks though.  I am frustrated and want to voice my frustration and feeling like I want to regurgitate some of the diet I've taken in in frustration….( see my point?)  Now the heartburn is setting in and the diet is unbalanced.  I needed to step back and think things through…..see it’s simple enough to just put the machine inside the shower stall on a couple of boards so it’s above the drain and the water isn’t near the long cord for the plug…..now why didn't I think about it before?  Because my diet was unbalanced and that caused me to be unbalanced…..right????

So here’s the other part of it.  I am finding that the one thing I miss so dearly from my life before and the life I am living right now are my friends.  You know,  the people that you talk to briefly during the day?  The jokesters at the office that play the pranks or the person that you call to say “You won’t believe what happened to me today” people.  It’s not that I want to move back or anything because I am loving it here.  But my social life isn't what it used to be anymore.  I miss my Bridget and our coffee sessions where we would talk about the work that needed to be done and what had transpired in the previous hours…. Don’t’ get me wrong, I do have friends here.  There are special people that I have met that I wouldn't trade the experience of meeting them for anything!

Now I am trying to adjust my daily diet but it needs a slow adjustment.  If anyone is up to this task I think I am.  I know that on a daily basis I talk to people (YES, more than Charlie!) here but they aren’t on an even keel with me yet.  It’s like eating meat and potatoes and switching to rice and beans…you have to give the diet time to work it’s kinks out…..Is there some way you could enhance your daily diet?  Could you meet someone new, add a dollop of clotted cream to your diet?

RePost of Earlier with additives, for my friend MMR!

Sometimes I think I have to think…….alot today.  I have been caught up in my own emotional state because of this week.  My parents 54^th Anniversary shouldn’t play on my mind so much but it does because Brenda (me) was always the keeper of the holidays….Meaning that when it was a birthday or anniversary or other kind of important date I was the one out there being the cheer leader, “C’mon, lets get a cake, who’s got the balloons, did someone get a gift and who is coming and what are we having to eat” person.   You know, the high energy type “A” personality that gets up running and goes on just 5 cups of coffee a day?   I would love to gently allow these days to fade from my mind, but let’s admit that to do that now would mean my mind was fading, not the memory.  I am not sure I am up to that yet!

Anyhow, back to where I started…I was caught up in myself today and started cooking like I used to cook.  Not for 3 but for 6 to 8…I didn’t think it through, I was into the cutting and cooking and smelling and out came this big pot of stew….Not the kind of stew I would make in the states obviously because it would be more meaty and more brown and full of the fall veggies that we would get in NY in the fall.  But I put in potato, jicama, carrots, onions, some celery and some garlic, browned those in a butter to capture the taste, browned the meat on the side (I add a little vinegar here because I think the meat is a little gamey and want to smooth that out) and then add them together and let the flavors mingle.  It makes the house smell so good and then you look at this big pot of wonderful stew (yes, I know, that is my opinion)   So,  I didn’t think it through.  I made this huge pot and not enough people to enjoy it’s goodness and so impulsively I did something else…..

I called friends of ours.  Now we’ve been going back and forth for years visiting these people.  We have our reasons for coming to Belize and they have theirs.  Ours are fairly simple, we wanted out of the rat race we were in.  It was killing us both not only emotionally and mentally but physically it was killing me and we needed to be in a lot less stressful environment. We figured out that we were working to pay others and it wasn’t really living.  Now, we are the type of people that like to interact with others.  We always enjoyed doing for others as much as we would do for ourselves.  It was always in our nature to spend time with other people and enjoy their company.    But not everyone is the same as us……some people move to Belize simply because people overwhelm them.   Some people move here to be left alone.  Some people move here just to retire and enjoy their days doing not much of anything and some people come here to be with others in their own little cliché.  Some expats come to become preppers, with the idea that the world will end or that there will be a zombie apocalypse!

I didn’t think about how much time this week we’ve spent together and how often these really great friends of ours really interact with others so I called expecting a “YES, I would love to have some of your delicious stew” and got a “well, I have to check and see what the spouse thinks” answer.  Looking back and thinking it through I remember how often they have interacted with us and it was never more than once or twice a week.  We have been together about 3 times this week doing things.  They live really far out in Bush land and seem like solitary people and here I was being my over abundant self and now I feel bad.  Charlie says I am paranoid but when I explained what I really thought he agreed, maybe I’ve overstepped and interfered and put someone in a bad position without realizing it.  I didn’t think it through.

Now, I could let that eat me up and quite literally when I was in the rat race I would have.  I would have let it bother me so much more.  But being here I get to think…..I get to think things through and I find myself being excited with life again…..I am enjoying being able to think and have quiet around me and the sound of the waves in the lagoon, the sound of the roosters crowing and kids riding their bicycles by and having fun and the quiet hum of the refrigerator are all that I have to disturb me.  I can enjoy the smell of the stew that is quietly simmering on my stove and be thankful that I HAVE the stew.  And I can let go of the small things like, did I bother my friends too much because in Belize, they don’t sweat the small stuff and I know my friends will only politely smile at me and know that in some ways I am trying to break the traditions of the rat race and slow the “f” down Belizean Style………Have you ever just wanted to slow down Belizean Style?  Could you find a way to make that happen for you?

P.S.  God works in mysterious ways....my friend called and said that she wanted us to come over with the stew and we did..as it is, she runs a small cabana/bar with her husband.  I agreed thinking what the heck, but when we got there she suddenly had unexpected guests and needed help fixing up the rooms and getting them set up with everything.  I think that God makes us do things in certain ways sometimes!

Sometimes I think I have to think…….alot today.  I have been caught up in my own emotional state because of this week.  My parents 54^th Anniversary shouldn't play on my mind so much but it does because Brenda (me) was always the keeper of the holidays….Meaning that when it was a birthday or anniversary or other kind of important date I was the one out there being the cheer leader, “C’mon, lets get a cake, who’s got the balloons, did someone get a gift and who is coming and what are we having to eat” person.   You know, the high energy type “A” personality that gets up running and goes on just 5 cups of coffee a day?   I would love to gently allow these days to fade from my mind, but let’s admit that to do that now would mean my mind was fading, not the memory.  I am not sure I am up to that yet!

Anyhow, back to where I started…I was caught up in myself today and started cooking like I used to cook.  Not for 3 but for 6 to 8…I didn't think it through, I was into the cutting and cooking and smelling and out came this big pot of stew….Not the kind of stew I would make in the states obviously because it would be more meaty and more brown and full of the fall veggies that we would get in NY in the fall.  But I put in potato, jicama, carrots, onions, some celery and some garlic, browned those in a butter to capture the taste, browned the meat on the side (I add a little vinegar here because I think the meat is a little gamey and want to smooth that out) and then add them together and let the flavors mingle.  It makes the house smell so good and then you look at this big pot of wonderful stew (yes, I know, that is my opinion)   So,  I didn't think it through.  I made this huge pot and not enough people to enjoy it’s goodness and so impulsively I did something else…..

I called friends of ours.  Now we've been going back and forth for years visiting these people.  We have our reasons for coming to Belize and they have theirs.  Ours are fairly simple, we wanted out of the rat race we were in.  It was killing us both not only emotionally and mentally but physically it was killing me and we needed to be in a lot less stressful environment. We figured out that we were working to pay others and it wasn't really living.  Now, we are the type of people that like to interact with others.  We always enjoyed doing for others as much as we would do for ourselves.  It was always in our nature to spend time with other people and enjoy their company.    But not everyone is the same as us……some people move to Belize simply because people overwhelm them.   Some people move here to be left alone.  Some people move here just to retire and enjoy their days doing not much of anything and some people come here to be with others in their own little cliche.  Some expats come to become preppers, with the idea that the world will end or that there will be a zombie apocalypse!

I didn't think about how much time this week we've spent together and how often these really great friends of ours really interact with others so I called expecting a “YES, I would love to have some of your delicious stew” and got a “well, I have to check and see what the spouse thinks” answer.  Looking back and thinking it through I remember how often they have interacted with us and it was never more than once or twice a week.  We have been together about 3 times this week doing things.  They live really far out in Bush land and seem like solitary people and here I was being my over abundant self and now I feel bad.  Charlie says I am paranoid but when I explained what I really thought he agreed, maybe I've overstepped and interfered and put someone in a bad position without realizing it.  I didn't think it through.

Now, I could let that eat me up and quite literally when I was in the rat race I would have.  I would have let it bother me so much more.  But being here I get to think…..I get to think things through and I find myself being excited with life again…..I am enjoying being able to think and have quiet around me and the sound of the waves in the lagoon, the sound of the roosters crowing and kids riding their bicycles by and having fun and the quiet hum of the refrigerator are all that I have to disturb me.  I can enjoy the smell of the stew that is quietly simmering on my stove and be thankful that I HAVE the stew.  And I can let go of the small things like, did I bother my friends too much because in Belize, they don’t sweat the small stuff and I know my friends will only politely smile at me and know that in some ways I am trying to break the traditions of the rat race and slow the “f” down Belizean Style………Have you ever just wanted to slow down Belizean Style?  Could you find a way to make that happen for you?

La Dia Del Muerte

So, today is La Dia Del Muerte or as Catholics would have you call it All Souls Day.  It’s a day usually celebrated by putting out good foods and things that loved ones who have passed would enjoy.  Usually they make cookies and other items in the shape of skulls and name the skulls in honor of their loved ones.  I thought, OK, so let’s get into this one, since Halloween was such a damper with CJ not feeling well.  I was thinking of making cookies in the shape of skulls and baking them with my chicken (better to only heat up the house once a day because it takes so long to cool down) so I took out my Joy of Cooking cookbook to look up a recipe and found one for Coconut Macaroons.  Wow, I hadn't done the Macaroons that often when I was in NY because Coconut was so expensive, here I was with coconuts all over my yard! 

I pointed out the recipe to Charlie and said, I want to do this one.  He said great, let’s try out the grinder that our landlords left on the table in the back yard.  Out he goes and about 10 minutes later comes back in and has almost 2 cups of coconut ground up.  He says it’s easy; the hard part is breaking up the coconut.  But my recipe calls for 3 cups so he’s out there now, plugging away at breaking up a coconut.  Now, I know you don’t use the ones that have fallen off the tree already, they are overripe, but I never knew how he got the fresh ones so I am watching him.  He takes one of the fallen ones and throws it really hard into the tree and down falls two ready ones.  I have yet to ask him why he picked one over the other but he does…(all I know is I am glad he didn't get hit in the head with them, one almost did)  He then takes the coconut that he’s chosen over to this big  stump like thing that’s in the ground, it’s got a point on it and it’s been there (I found out later on after I moved that the majority of the block uses this one tree stump) to remove the husk.  He slams the nut on the point and pulls and eventually the husk comes off.  Once that’s done, as he put it, it’s a matter of gravity…we live in a concrete house with a concrete floor.  He puts a hole in it gently with a screw and drops it until it cracks, then you pry the shell apart and using the grinder you grind it.

So, I am making these coconut macaroons in the shape of skulls and I've put little M&M’s on them for the eyes and mouth holes and they are in there.  But a note to self, when using fresh (and I do mean fresh) coconut, you need so much less liquid….so they are coming out watery and they have to bake a bit longer….we shall see.  I just know the flavor is spot on and like everything in Belize, you gotta try it at least once….Has there been anything new in your life you would like the adventure of trying out?  Don’t wait till tomorrow because tomorrow never comes….

Jesus & Lizards......

Do you know what a Jesus Lizard is?   I just found out,  it’s a lizard that walks on it’s two hind legs and since it moves so fast that when it walks across puddles they look like they are walking on water.  You can see them all over the place here, I see them skittering across the road when I am driving down it.  They are cute, and I do mean cute cause I am one of those women who hate snakes but don’t mind Lizards.  We have a sizeable one in the back yard.  Every time I walk outside he is there and greets me and I swear there is some intelligence in his eyes and the way he cocks his head as if in answer to my questions….He’s got some pretty markings on his back in a kind of lime green color and some places he has the typical dark green of his kind….

The reason we have seen so many lizards is because it’s been rainy season and they are skittering around to find food.  The water by the ferry has caused a major mud plane with about 6 holes around 20 feet wide and about 8 to 12 inches deep, I only know cause when I step out of the truck you can see the muck left behind on the side step, it’s pretty covered.  Here there are car washes that clean out UNDER the car and then oils the bottoms down.  Because during the rainy season there are muddy roads, lots of holes and “puddles” (I call them mini Lakes).  We’ve had some major work on the car because of the roads, things like the break lines get caked in mud and then they break and we have to replace them.  Most important person when you come to Belize is a good mechanic, we are lucky to have one!

The weather is starting to get cooler finally.  It should normally been in the 80’s but it’s been in the 90’s.  We are finally getting some eastern winds instead of the northern winds that were holding the higher temps up there.  It’s still hard to believe that it’s Halloween and we are waiting for some of the village kids to come around for trick or treating.  I was told they would but haven’t seen any yet.  CJ wanted to go out and about but he’s been sick today and complained that he just didn’t feel well, I think the change in temperature has affected him cause he sounds nasally…..hmm.    Still doesn’t feel much like Halloween and I think that’s because there was a pumpkin shortage.  Normally the Belizian’s get their pumpkins from Mexico but this year none.  I wish I had thought creatively like my friend Lynn who used watermelons, I love to eat water melons and it would have been something to have CJ carve one.   Oh, Well, there’s always next year!

My days have been getting shorter to me…I have so many projects I want to complete but I don’t seem to find myself focusing on the projects as much as I would want.  What would you do with a wandering mind????

Stones

So, here I am horizontal and whining cause there is nothing I can do from this position when my husband comes in to give me a wake up call..He is right.  Part of the reason, and only part, whether some people believe it or not is that it was my health that was one of the deciding factors and the other factor was something altogether different and  the family (not all but some) doesn't get.  But that's his story, not mine to tell but here's what the wake up call was about.  "Honey, when we were in the states what would you do if you were passing stones on both sides?"
Truth is I would have dragged my miserable butt into the office and felt so sick I could weep but didn't have any choice cause I would want the office to succeed for one more week, why? Cause that's what needed to be done.
I've been riddled with kidney stones for years.  After going to more doctor appointments than my mother I've been told there isn't anything they can do for me. Not a thing....just keep myself hydrated and try to stay away from a list of possibilities..an endless list.
"Stars in the skies" said Doctor Lee, "if we take out all the stones you have no kidney"  I am already down one kidney due to all the scar tissue and the lack of use, I only have 59% use over all and can function for years on that but I am now allergic to every antibiotic known to man and so there isn't much more they could have done for me in the hospital. So I would have gone to work and worked through the pain cause I'm a "OOOHHHRRRAAAA" Marine where pain is good for you and it's a matter of mind over matter. Charlie would have been miserable the whole time I was there cause he would know I was in pain.  Instead I'm in bed....yeah, sure bored to tears but I am getting the rest I need and guess what....my husband is pushing the water down my throat every half hour and making sure I get the motrim to keep the fever down and keeping me company...things I wouldn't have had before.
Yes, there are reasons to coming to Belize....Have you done something lately cause you felt like you HAD to do it?  Are you tired of being a big fish in a tiny pond?

Lord, I am so grateful for all you have given me...even the stones..............

Mosquitoes (aka skeeters)

Finally I got something done in Belize!  The Belkin guy stopped by.  For those of you who don't know, Belikin is the beer company here, and it also is the Coco Cola Company ( they have the original recipe and make it here so Coke is relatively cheap, Pepsi on the other hand, is none existent!) and the Crystal water company.  Now, why is it so important to get the belikin guy to stop by?  Well, think of it this way, this week we had a small issue with the truck, and it's in the shop.  I can go to all the local stores and pretty much get immediate necessities, but water, which is essential, comes in big water jugs of about 5 gallons a piece....heavy carrying!  So to me, I can get by around here without the vehicle, there are buses that come and go from here to everywhere, even as far as Belize City!  And I can carry my big shopping basket and get things back ok, but I can't get one of those water jugs on the bus and carry it home.  Hence the need for the guy to know where you are.  It's simply a matter of survival.  But then I want to add that the water truck only comes once a week, and it's on Wednesdays, Beer gets delivered Tuesdays, thursdays and Saturdays....you can't say Belizians don't have their priorities right!!!

We finally found the church in Copper Bank.  Yes, there is a church and by the way, Belizians are not good on directions, they may point south but what they means is easternly.  It took us awhile but the teacher at CJ's school explained that it is hidden behind the health building and to the right of the community library.  (The community library was donated by an organization that runs it, I think it's a political one but I will get into that another time!)  The only time they have services here are on Sunday nights at 5.  Unfortunately it's over run with school kids and very few parents, mainly because the kids are required to go because the school is catholic.  The services are in Spanish.  After talking for quite a while about it we decided we would go to two masses on Sundays, the morning one in Corozol is in English and then we can hear the readings and figure out what we will be learning in Spanish that night.

Still have no word on our stuff leaving Houston,  it's hard to believe it was almost a month ago that we dropped it off!  But they still haven't shipped it yet and I am still living without furniture.  I am finding myself in this challenge of living and enjoying.  You really have to learn to overlook the bad things in life when you have this beautiful world just outside your door, no matter where you are!  Unfortunately I am having a hard time overlooking the mosquitoes since they seem to like me so much.  It's funny, Charlie, CJ, Jen and Bill laugh about it but they could be sitting right there with no skeeters and I've got six or seven eating me up alive.....I wonder if it's a chemical makeup thing?  How would you handle it if this was you?

Chickens, beer delivery and water........

Did you ever wonder what ended the days of delivery?  I think I might have that one down....I've called Belikan  which not only makes beer but water and Coke products too and asked for a delivery.  I know they come out to the village to deliver and I've been wanting to have the big jugs of water delivered as well as some soda.  Not that we go through alot but enough to make it worth their while to have it delivered to us...Imagine not having an "address"  I am the 2nd to last road next to the lagoon and the beige colored house next to the peach house and the house with the bad man who went to prison on the other side....could you find me?  Yet the person I spoke to at Belikan said their delivery person could find us...Hmmm, well, it seems not yet.

That means one more day of going into Corozol or Orange Walk for me.  I want to make life easier so I am going to call Belikan one more time, maybe if I told them the yard with all the Roosters in it they would believe me?  And yes, it's not my imagination but I am having all kinds of chickens and roosters come through the yard, simply because the woman who owns them lives two doors down....and they like my rice? 

We decided that we would make lunch our big meal of the day since CJ does come home during the lunch time for 1 and a half hours and then we could make the house cooler at night by having no stove going on during the evening.  It makes sense to us, so after  CJ leaves to go back to school I do the dishes out side, the old campfire way with two basins and a drainer on a table that has a coconut grinder attached to it (it looks like war out there, I am telling ya!) and when I am done with the wash water I just throw it on the ground like everyone else here.  The chickens come running to see what particles of food were in the wash water.  Not exactly the best feed but at least it's clean, right?  Something to wonder about the next time I have chicken!The lagoon that we live near has croc's (or so I've been told) so I keep an eye out on the chickens, if they start running I know that I should too, how's that for liking a breed?

Patience....and homework

So, I screwed up.  I asked the laundry lady (Maria) for the village how much she charged and asked her to be more specific about what a "unit" is.  It cost us $35 Bz to get the laundry done about two weeks ago, and then we handed her another load this past week.  She had used up ALL the laundry detergent and fabric softener I had given her and I was suspecting foul play.  She told me when I asked her these questions that she was getting sick (I had heard the rumors, it was either cancer or low vitamins...) and she would be unable to do our laundry.  I am now washing our clothes by hand.  I have to say that with a scrub board (YES they have them here!) between my legs and scrubbing and wringing and taking a moment for the sweat to pour down you back, that I am definitely getting my exercise. I've learned to not question the laundry lady, just walk away when you feel like your being taken (the way most Belizians are) and that there is a sense of satisfaction at looking at the clean clothes on the line and knowing you really did work at it.....LOL
Patience has never been my virtue and it's really harder when you sit on hard chairs.  We have been waiting for our shipment to come in, waiting for the furniture I ordered from Hummingbird Furnishings, and waiting for the cabinets and the bed we  "special" ordered from Lydia (I wanted white not mahogany black) and I wanted CJ's bed to be full on the bottom and twin on the top.  I was told 3 weeks ago that it was 2 weeks and Charlie checked with her today and some of them will be done maybe this Friday (true to Belizian time).  We have been sitting on the hard chairs for the table that I want to make cushions for (it's a beautifully made table and 4, ladder back chairs made by Mennonite's that only cost us $215 Bz and you couldn't beat that deal) I have one small pot and one small frypan and 4 cups, 3 plates, one big bowl and a colander to get us buy.  Cooking meals is a work of art and I am learning to be satisfied with "edible".
I am learning the words "when" only spell lack of patience on my part and that I need to not worry because things will happen when they do, it's the Belizian way...hmm
So far CJ has had it pretty easy in school until tonight.  He was loving school until today when he got homework for the first time.  The last two weeks of school has been Holiday's here and Belizian's love their holidays.  They took time off for the St. George's Caye and for Independence day and today CJ was given homework...he wasn't happy but I was.  I've been watching his work carefully to see if it meets the standards of NY as far as educationally and I think it may be a little behind but homework is a habit I didn't want him to loose.....I had a discussion with his teacher and she told me that homework would be starting this week and it was an unexpected fail for CJ.....me, I am happy!
We went to Corozol last week to try and get mail on Thursday before the post office closed.  An example of the peoples ability to party, we had to wait in line for the 5th time the ferry came back, there were 28 coches  (cars) in line to get to Corozol, a normally 1/2 hr trip took us 2 hours....by the time I got to the post office it was closed, 1/2 hour before I got there....yes, I am learning patience!
I painted a Jaguar in 2 days.....I was inpatient!  LOL I love how it came out and I love the fact that every time I paint something I am feeling more confident in my work...and I really need that confidence!
I am afraid though that I may run out of things and I've been thinking of ways to get them, like canvases.  I asked my neighbor if he could build me some frames so I could get some canvas and stretch it across to make more and that took me back that I had to show him how a painter paints on canvas and explain why the material is stretched, he thought all this time that painters only painted on wooden boards, which I think if I didn't know better I probably would have too.....
THINGS I worry about, burnt sienna, getting turpentine and brush cleaner like I got at home, running out of rags and where do I get linseed oil here?   Silly me!  This is mahogany land..I think I can find those things!

Doctor flies

So here's the thing, where we live is near the lagoon and the bay and when it rains all kinds of insects come out, red ants, spiders, mosquitos, and doctor flies.  Now Belizian's have this great way of naming things.  There is a village that most of the other villages take their garbage to, it's called Dump.  There is a village called Crooked Tree, cause there is this big old tree in the center of town and it's crooked.  And there is a fly called a Doctor fly cause you get bit by it enough you gotta go to the doctor.  Now the Doctor fly just loves me. There is something about me that it just seems to come running too.  Bill, Jen and Charlie all noticed it last week when we were sitting on the porch and they were swarming me, I was used as bait and they had fun trying their general techniques on killing Doctor flies on me.  Woohooo, it was so much fun!
Anyways the really kewl thing about Doctor flies is that when they die all the ants come rushing in to take the doctor fly away.  I was amazed and amused for about 20 minutes watching this group of ants take this doctor fly off of our porch this morning, they even carried the fly vertical and got it down the steps.  How unique is that to have this group of insects working together to do this incredible feat.....
Is the heat getting to me?  No, I just think there is so much fascinating going on around me.  Like how the yellow bird comes out and sits by the front porch waiting for me to talk to it.....There's a set of Toucans across the bend and they hang out on the electric wire.  I saw a huge geico crawling up a post in the house next door and then there are the humans....good for watching!
Tomorrow is Belizian Independence Celebration and the whole village is all acting up.  The school is decorated and CJ decorated his bike for the parade in the morning around the village, then there is a parade and carnival in Corozol and something called a beach party.  The village doesn't ask you to go, they assume you know about it and expect you to be there so I am going to attempt to keep up...wish me luck!
Have you had time to watch the ants lately?

Patience.........

I've been thinking alot lately about some things and I don't have my Bridget to sound things off of.   It seems my blog has been skimming the surface waiting for me to have some time to formulate some of my thoughts.  The biggest issue I had had recently is my brother in law's vicious attack on me when I left and how it really bothered me.  He said I was running away and I am still trying to figure out what he meant by that.  Running away from what?   In New York we had a pretty good life.  I got up every day and went to work and I did have a small sense of satisfaction that I was helping people. 

And while the majority of our clients were very nice some of those people felt "entitled" which is a sense of you owe me and it was hard at times to ignore the sometimes snotty attitude of people and just realize that with a basic sense of self that we did the best we could for everyone around us.  The last few years had been very hard on me since I had to come to terms with holding both my parents as they died in my arms within 6 months of each other.  The kids had grown up somewhat and I had felt I had done the best I could for them and I was proud (still am) of having raised some pretty good kids in a society I felt uncomfortable with.

I was a typical American.  I was upset with the way the country was run and confused on how to change the direction of our country.  Little by little I see basic freedoms being taken away in the "protection" of our nation.   I see government thinking that we don't know how to make good choices and little by little being told what I could or could not do as a course of law..

I had my own disillusion with the law.  I saw things in the field that I was working in that just didn't make sense.  I saw people struggling with trying to do the right thing when the law made it hard and I saw people slowly being so unhappy.  I felt out of touch with basic living.  I was too busy doing the "right" things, taekwondo, providing computers, games, electronic gadgets, going to meetings for community service and spending less time doing basics with the kids. Time seemed to be my enemy and now looking at it, it felt like a moving train that had no stop to it.

And then Rob said I was running away.   I have to thank him, because he made me stop and think about things that had happened before we left.  I did feel a big sense of fear coming here.  Yes, it was an adventure but heck, wasn't I secure already?  Did I have to rock the boat?  Was I crazy to leave the security I had knowing that the life I wanted was so much harder?  And then there was Charlie pulling at me.  Most people don't realize how much he pulled me to get us here, he knew my thoughts and he pushed me to come. But Belize called to me and Charlie like no other.   It's not an easy life....not at all.  Why did I want to come here?

My typical day here, spent working harder than I've ever worked before and trying to develop a sense of patience that would be like no other.   I wake up usually around 5:30 here.  The sun greets us and it's another day, busy beyond belief yet quiet, so very quiet compared to our old life.  We make beds, we get breakfast (usually whatever fruit we can cut up, watermelon, pineapple, banana or melon) get CJ off to school (it starts at 8 here but he rides his bike and needs to get there before so he usually leaves around 7:45.  Then I work until around 11 on painting.  It's best to do as much work as you can in the morning here since the afternoon is stifling hot and you don't want to move around that much.  We have been having our big meal of the day at the noon hour here.   It's usually something like rice and beans.  There are other meats available here (quite lean cuts) but you really see alot of chicken here.  After dinner we clean up, and a thorough cleaning.  Every day I wash the dishes outside just like the villagers (an old camping way of doing things) sweep and mop the floors ( you want it all gone otherwise the ants and mosquitos want to come in so cleaning really well makes it less likely to have alot of insects around.  I usually wash some clothes (by hand as well though we do hire out, there is a woman who does the laundry for $8 Bz a unit and I've brought things to her but I try to keep up on my own) and then work some more until CJ comes home.

Evenings are family time.  We spend the time over our lunch trying to learn Spanish, watching a movie on the computer or playing a game together.   Our internet works off hand, meaning when you have a hand it's not working....so we have to be self entertaining.  

When getting furniture in Belize there are several levels of furnishings.  The things you buy in the shops (over run rooms with jumbles of items and no sense to them at all!) are usually done by Menonite, and therefore, uncushioned, hard and a pain in the backside (literally!).   We have our table and chairs.  We bought a set of bunkbeds ( they are being made at Lydias) and it takes 2 weeks Bz time ( I will explain that in a moment) we ordered our kitchen cabinets from Lydia's too, same time frame (here the kitchens are empty rooms that you make up as you go) I am still waiting for our basics from NY, mattresses, sewing machines, TV's and kitchen goods so we are "making do" and I went to Belmopan to order our furniture from Hummingbird Highway, 2 weeks Bz time.

Now, what do I mean by Bz time?  Well, the American dollar is worth 2 times the amount that the Belizian dollar....so American time, 2 weeks is two weeks, BZ time, two weeks equals "right now" meaning maybe in six weeks..... we are camping out in our house.  It would try the patience of a saint!  I am still looking for the beds for the girls and Brian for christmas when they come and I am looking to try and get through each day patiently..so why did I "run away"?  hmmm....nothing can beat how I feel at night.   I am accomplished and connected and in love with this life.   Thanks to Charlie who pulled me here (almost kicking and screaming Andy!) I am in a good place.  Thank you Rob for you have taught me that my virtues here mean so much more!

I look out at the lagoon and I am at peace.  Thank you Lord for the day you made!

School, setting up house, and drinking too much!

Well, it's been awhile since I've had a chance to write and there is so much I want to say.  First things first, I've had to realize that although I want things done as quickly as possible, it isn't feasible.  When your in the states you could have that mentality but when your here, it's not polite and not the way of the country.  Yesterday we had developed a list of items we needed to accomplish.  We headed out with our list yesterday and stopped at the school initially to try and get CJ registered  and for nothing more than the luck of us, we were there for the meeting about the school.  Two and a half hours later we got up finally from the meeting which was about 90 Percent spoken in Spanish and Charlie couldn't keep up.  He was surprised when I told him this long conversation that had happened was when someone was complaining about the term fee.  They don't collect property taxes here to cover schools.  The majority of the schools are religious based and the schools are the center of the village.  The schools charge a "maintenance" fee of $30 per child per year, or $10 per term.  Most schools charge approximately $60 dollars but Copper Bank charges less.
The people are poor but yet they are intense when it comes to the children.  Most parents put their children's needs before their own and are always trying to give their children the best of what they can.  They treat their children like their fortunes, they are honored and loved, respected and they smile at them in gentle ways.
But, they were upset that the term was costing so much.  I was surprised though when I asked the principal what the list of supplies were and he said to have CJ come with a composition book and a pencil.  Usually in the states we are paying school taxes and the list of supplies is like a mile long.  You wonder about the quality of the education but yet when asked about what he had been taught that day he said he was doing some math that he had done last year, which would be reviewing for the new school year, a typical process.  Hmmmm.......and we pay our teachers so much...wow.
Since the school meeting had taken up so much of our time we didn't get nearly the amount we wanted to do from the list.  But then today we started out with dropping CJ off at school.  Since Monday is a holiday they only had a 1/2 day of school today.  It was neat to see him in his uniform and walking up through all the kids into the school and seeing them crowd around him.  He was being stared at and they were peeking through the windows to see him in the classroom.  I knew he would be unique to them but wondered at weather or not that would hurt him.  I was so worried, it was like the kids first day in kindergarten.
We spent the day rushing around trying to get things done.  First to the money changer, a really unique experience, then to the bank to see the status of our application for a bank account (you can be refused, do you believe it?) and then shopping for some of our much needed supplies and furniture.  Here when your renting the house there is no formal kitchen, there are cabinets that you would buy and take with you from one house to another...No appliances come with the house and you have to watch the amperage here, nothing over 110...we bought a stove, refrigerator, 2 mattress' and then we ordered our cabinets to be built special and a bunk bed to be made.  We brought CJ his dresser but we are still looking for a wardrobe, dining table and chairs and I am waiting for a day to go to Hummingbird ratan furniture to get our living room stuff.
Gotta go now....will write more later!

Setting up house, Belmopan, and the process......

It's been really interesting and I've been dying to get on here and let some people know that we are alive and well.  I actually picked up a pen and started writing things out by hand in a letter to my girls (you too Bridget~)..I am going to send one page to some of them and hope they spend some time talking to each other to figure out the whole letter that Mom's sent...
It's been a burden to try and get a household together here.  We are living with the bare necessities right now, a stove, a refrigerator, a bin for food, one bed (CJ is waiting for his to come in so he is sleeping on piled mattress') a dresser for CJ, a cheap table and 4 chairs and One light.  Roughing it truly.  The internet had not worked until tonight which is interesting.  Living a bit of a hard life really makes you depend on one and another.   The other thing it does is that you have less "distractions" to family life.  Charlie and CJ and I are spending more time talking to each other and I am feeling more bonded with the two of them than I ever felt before, even though I am hurting a bit...(Too much heat this week, temps aren't below 90, even at night) I still feel more accomplished than I ever did at the office.   I was working on a painting that I had been struggling with for more than a year and had a  break through yesterday.  I am feeling really proud of it!
When shopping for goods, like furnishings and /or furniture, it's best to take it the Belizian way, slow down, network with the natives, and then go in for the kill.  Seriously....there is a store called Cinty's , actually there are three stores called Cinty's, the Mom's, the sons, and his sister's.  You walk into these stores and it's a jumble of product, everything from CD's to washboards, curtains, ect...You just have to keep your eye open, guess which one might be carrying the right product and then when all else fails, beg.......
The furniture is kept above the stores in the warehouse above and is brought down by hanging a hook from the upstairs with the product and lowering it down to street level.  You are amazed by what they have, the prices and the lack of certain items.  A big example is curtains, ALL curtains in Corozol are frilly lacy and pastel colored things...Pillows can't be found unless you are willing to settle for less in the chineese store, and amazingly you can get a dish drainer, a set of 6 cups, 2 storage containers in a "package" for only $23 bz, that is $11.50 US.  Ragu on the other hand costs $7.50 bz for a jar ($3.75 US) wow!
We've "ordered" our kitchen they dont have kitchens here, they use the side boards and high boys as their kitchens with two buckets to do dishes in) and our living room furniture, was ordered.
When asking how long it's going to take I am starting to ask Belizian time or US time to clarify how long really and I've learned right now means probably never.
Never stop at a stop sign on the lower side of a hill where the sugar cane trucks can over come you and always do 65 at least on the highways, no matter what the signs say.  and ALWAYS slow down for "topes" (speed bumps) which are near turn abouts and schools generally and the sign could say there is one where there isn't!
There is so much more I want to tell people, but it's late here and I am tired.....Manana!

Day 1 and one quarter!

I will start my “blog” about our trip to Belize in Atlanta when we boarded the plane to Belize.   The  plane to Belize wasn’t  a really tiny plane, it was a four across seats, with really nice stewardess’ that seemed so much more relaxed than others.  The people on the plane weren’t ordinary either, they seemed to be more friendly towards each other, assisting  each other with stuff and making sure everyone was comfortable.   We sat behind a couple from Tallahassy and next to another couple from Chicago I think.   The couple from Tallahassy were older and the woman was very informative about Belize, I believe they lived here part of the year.

                When exiting the plane it was the old fashioned way of going down the pulled up stairway and the first thing you notice is the blinding sun as you go down the stair, the next thing you notice is the blast of heat that comes with it.  Automatically your sweat pores open up and then the body does it’s internally cooling.  You do not stop with the body cooling you down so it’s important to drink a LOT of water.  Some people don’t enjoy the heat, and usually I am one of those, but to me this heat was a  rather nice heat.  Instantly I didn’t feel the pain I normally feel when walking on my ankle with the gout, I also didn’t feel the nagging pain in my side from the kidney stones.   I smiled and didn’t stop until the next morning!

                After going through customs, a fairly nice group that was pleasant but not personable, we then were on the outside of the airport.  We had arrived earlier and of course had to wait for our car rental to pick us up but while waiting taxi cab drivers would ask us nicely if we had a ride and then  continue to discuss with us Belize while we were waiting.   I didn’t feel the normal push of cab drivers trying to do a pick up but just a friendly group of individuals.   When Rocky arrived with the vehicle and escorted us to his  “office”  (very nicely maintained shack)  he was very curious about who we were, where we were going and in many ways much like other Belizians in that they are very friendly and helpful.  Every where we went we were given information about different areas.  Advise flows freely from these people in the most helpful of manners.

                We took off first to get the gas for the vehicle, at a shell station.  While Charlie was filing the vehicle up I went inside to get some water.  The “Crystal” water sells all over the place, it is the drinking water of Belize and tasted much like regular drinking water.  The bottles cost a belizian dollar a piece and when I handed the cashier a 5 dollar beliezian he gave me a one belizian dollar and one American dollar for change.  It was confusing trying to establish weather I had gotten the correct change and I talked to Charlie and he said of course it was ok, that the American dollar equaled two belizian so in actualllity I had gotten 3 dollars back.  Be aware of the way the belizians do things, and how they can quickly convert your change.  When I came out and asked Charlie how much did the gas cost he told me it was $138 dollars, which in American money is $69.00, a bit more that we pay  but the vehicle  we rented doesn’t seem to burn it up that quickly.

                Be mindful of where you are in Belize,  we wanted to go one way and ended up on the wrong highway that eventually got us where we wanted to be but took  a significantly more amount of time.  The road less traveled isn’t always a good road to go on but what the hell, we were on an adventure.  If you want to practice how to drive in Belize, think of taking a truck or SUV down a country road, I mean a real country road with LOTS of pot holes, no signs on the streets, no highway lights and being ready for any animal to run out at you.   We were  (I should say Charlie) was driving on the road going at  a slow pace and taking his time when this animal that reminded me of a raccoon/large dog ran out in front of us.  I was happy that he failed to hit it but when speaking to an ex pat later on I found out Belizian’s call the animal squash because there are so many squashed on the side of the road.  Very simply life style with a very simple explanation.  

                We stopped at a Road side “stand” , one of many lining the highway in order to get some lunch. We ordered taco’s (3 for a belizian dollar) and got 3 taquito’s instead.  The man there knew enough English to say he didn’t speak it very well and I told him I knew enough Spanish to tell him I didn’t speak Spanish too well.  I have to say they were very good taquitos and very satisfying but was warned later on by an ex pat that I shouldn’t stop at road side stands because they are there one day and gone the next and that it was better to hit up someone more reliable who actually has a restaurant because they have to have good food all the time, since they can’t run away from their business, that the road side stands you don’t really know what your getting!

                We finally arrived at Corozal Beach Sands Resort, the road again is little more than a winding dirt road with LOTS of ruts ( let me drive instead of Charlie, he hasn’t learned how to see the shadows and know there’s a bump major in the road) and met our hotel runners, Jen and Bill.   Bill is a chef of the highest order with an amazing capacity to give really great advice.  Listen closely though because he might say the same thing twice in a different way.   Jen readied our “room” while Bill showed us the swimming area and let us know which area’s required swim apparel while others there was no requirement.  Our room was a Hut with a queen size bed, small table and two chairs, side table, lamp and a net hanging over the bed.  There is a wardrobe, a side room with a walk in shower and the toilet and the sink.  It was simple, not fancy or decorative but well maintained.  You can see through the floor boards though, little cracks of lights come up.   The walls are only waist high and the remaining height is simple wooden shutters with netting on the outside. 

                Jen and Bill not only run the hotel but the bar and restraint here.  Bill is enterprising and always trying new things, he has a tilapia hatchery he is trying that seems to do well.  He also has a garden, and is in to thinking of ways to achieve the most he can.   The restraunt/bar seems to be a mix up of New York meets Tiki Island,  simple wood tables and chairs and a deer head over the bar.  Jen is quiet but once she warms up to you is so sweet.  They were helping us look at property up here since a lot of the ex pats tend  to look in southern belize but the more self sustaining ones tend to live up north.  We made plans over dinner (delicious!   But we were so tired we were ready to drop!) to go to Corozol the next day and see the town hall (really gorgeous painting) the town, the church and the market.  We followed her (this time I drove, we went fast and Charlie held on to the “oh shit” handle.  It was very reminiscent of perhaps a small Mexican town with many friendly people around and many hawkers.  I learned the best place to buy meats (Frank’s Processed Meat) and that Patty’s Place had potatoes almost exactly like the ones I make at home.   I bought some hairclips because I could not take the heat on the back of my neck and I bought real made on the spot pork rinds!  They were delicious.  We decided after the market to return to the hotels to check and see if Dan, the local selling property wanted to meet us today or tomorrow and it was decided that we would return and go to Cerres temple.