a wild navidad

LIfe in Antigua continues to go well.  It is absolutely beautiful here amidst the volcanoes and colonial architecture.  The city is also a hub for international travelers of all sorts, so I have had no shortage of people with which to share in Christmas cheer.  Honestly, I haven't even had to use Spanish all that much because of the mobs of foreigners, but I am OK with that, I am on vacation (my mantra of the week).

 

Christmas dinner was spent way up on a hill overlooking the city at a hostel/farm called Earth Lodge.  They cooked an excellent organic feast,complete with honey glazed ham that was raised on the farm.  It was excellent:garlic mashed potatoes, fresh bread, veggies,ham,and pumpkin pie for dessert.  Amazing!  The evening was capped back in town at a Irish pub just jammed packed with travelers.  The place stayed open until 3am so that all the lonely backpackers and expats could drink and dance the night away.  I didn't see santa, but I did see a an Irish man do a jig on a table with a bottle of rum in his hands. 

 

So today I will have another traditional dinner at the Black Cat and then turn in early.  Tomorrow is ladies night and wednesday I plan on hiking a volcanoe.  Enjoy a few select pics.  More to follow soon.

On the eve

Hello all and a Feliz Navidad

 

I made it to Antigua, bad Spanish and all.  It was not too dramatic,though I did have a bit of time changing money in Guatemala city.  I will update more completely later, but I am doing well and will spend this evening with peeps from the hostel, feasting on vegetarian delights and overlooking one of the most beautiful spots I have been to in Central America.

 

Best wishes

Ode to fruit

Pineapple is good.  Pineapple is very good when eaten in a hammock.  Pineapple is soooooo good when eaten in a hammock during a rainstorm.  I think I have gotten over plain old apples and moved on to bigger and better things.  Don't get me wrong, dear Gala's, nothing can ever replace the crispy goodness of an Eastern Washington apple right off the tree.  It's just that, well, the mushy imported fruits that call themselves apples here have forced me to explore, to experiment.  A new daily fruit to keep the doctor away, that's if there were a qualified doctor within 50 miles of me.

So my current obsession is in the sweet tartness of pineapple, but I have to give credit to the mango as well.  While noticeably absent in recent months due to the passing of Mango Season (Apr – Sep), the mango is not to be dismissed like a cabbie yelling white gyal.  Did you know that there are 13 varieties of mangoes available in Belize?  I'd be willing to bet that there are hundreds more, though my friends working hard over there in Africa would have to verify that one.  Some are sweeter, smaller, bigger, smoother, stringier, etc., etc, and everyone has their personal variety.  I'll let you know when they are back in season. 

Oh my gosh, I forgot the apple-bananas, a close runner up to the pineapple.  A miniature version of the regular banana, it really does have tart after-taste that splashes of Granny Smith.  These little things go quick at the market, so you have to be there pre-6am to get a good bunch, but man is it worth it.  So, to the Washington apples I so dearly miss, your taste is but a memory but your name lives on the fruit that keeps me being me.

Christmas Plans

To celebrate my sixth month anniversary of being in Belize I am leaving
Belize. No, not permanently, but even volunteers need a vacation every now
and then, es verdad? Instead of spending Christmas in the village, which I
am sure would be an interesting experience, I am traveling to Antigua,
Guatemala. Known for its location in the volcanic highlands and its
colonial architecture, it is a hot spot for backpacking
Euro-twenty-somethings. I'm not complaining.

I leave Belize via boat on the 23rd and return via boat on the 28th. Its
about 7 hours each way from Punta Gorda, which is only one hour more than it
takes me to get to Belize City. Not to mention it is cheaper for me to
travel across Guatemala than through Belize. My plans for the week are to
enjoy the vast array of foods and coffee products that are nonexistent in
Belize as well as attend Mass on Christmas eve. Did I mention that this
trip is solo? Well, turns out I have no friends. Just kidding. I probably
could have convinced someone to travel with me, but sometimes traveling
alone leads to adventures that would be impossible in the comforts of a
group. So look forward to pictures and stories from Shella's week abroad.

The truth is, this trip is planned as one big distraction, because I am
going to miss my family, friends, and the Pac NW so much. I love you all
and I can't thank you guys enough for all the wonderful goodies that I have
received. Feliz Navidad.

just call me coach

Much like the rest of the Latin world, futbol (aka soccer) is a pretty big thing here in Belize.  This fact has put me at a bit of disadvantage since I somehow missed the youth soccer boat as a child.  Never-the-less, I was appointed honorary coach of Team PCV Belize this past week.  In an effort to promote peace through male athleticism, a group of our peace corps volunteers travel from village to village playing local teams.  Why they asked me, I know not.  Perhaps it is because I was their only spectator at their first game, but for whatever reason I am in psuedo in charge. 

Our record is now 1-2, but we are hopeful that team jerseys and some conditioning will lead to better performances in our upcoming showings.  Check out the pictures from the last game against Laguna village.  They outplayed us 7 to 0 but we did get to play on the Belize National Field, quite the honor.  Now, back to the village after a week in Belize City, more to come later.

power of power

One week.  That is how long I lacked power.  In the states, if my house or apartment had lacked power for an entire week, I would have considered myself living under great hardship, but in Belize, one week is a miraculously short period of time to wait for a basic service.  But I did get electricity, in a most typically developing country fashion.

On Monday I dropped off my little signed piece of paper that showed that I had indeed had a a certified electrician hook up my single light and two outlets.  The lady at Belize Electricity Limited at first did not believe me, and accused me of trying to cheat the system, but after a call from the actual electrician, they decided to put my work order in their pile.  It should be just a couple of days, she told me.  Well, the rest of the week went by, no BEL.  In the meantime I lived a perfectly romantic life of candlelight cooking, dining, and reading.  Of course, I had to supplement with my headlamp, but for the most part I burned candles.

Friday came and I had almost given up hope of being able to flip my brand new light switch and get a response, when what should come cruising down the road but a BEL truck.  But wait, why didn't they stop?  They blew past my house at about 30 miles per hour, not even glancing at my disconnected meter wires. They weren't getting away this easy, and with my road being a one-way trip into the jungle, I knew that they would have to come back.  Sure enough, a little while later the truck appeared on the horizon and I flagged them down.  The driver stopped and listened to my plea about turning in my work order and living with no light.  Not so surprisingly, he hadn't heard a thing about it. It would only take him about 10 minutes to connect my house to power, but he didn't have any meters on him.  I smiled and thanked him and told him that I understood, and that I knew that he had a tough job.  Well, he said, maybe his partner that was reading meters would be able to help, and he would be right back.  5 minutes later they were back, connecting my lines without the meter and before I knew it they were on there way. They told me not to worry about telling BEL, that they would be back with a meter, but for now I had free electricity.  I guess the helpless woman act is universal.