Bloggin' From Belize

Caye Caulker in Pictures

2010-09-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

**Click on pictures for larger view**

We landed in Belize on Tuesday and spent Tuesday - Friday on Caye Caulker. Of the 3 Belizean islands we have visited, Caye Caulker has been our favorite and we knew it was the only one we were interested in visiting on this trip.

We didn't find the island exactly as we'd left it.

In the past, we had found it to be much slower-paced and less crowded than the more popular, Ambergris Caye (called San Pedro by locals). However, it is clear that more and more tourists are becoming aware of the smaller Caye. We noticed several new hotels had been opened, resorts were in the process of being built, there was more trash on the beaches and much more pressure from the locals to look into their shops, eat at their restaurants, and purchase their crafts. Most surprising to me, was the golf cart taxis driving up and down the 1 mile of sandy road constantly offering to drive us to our destinations. It's only one mile! Why would we need a taxi?

The island is becoming less of a backpackers destination and more of a Caribbean "tourist trap." It is still beautiful, but we plan to explore the less popular Saltwater Caye for our next trip.

But, it was a wonderful 4 days. We avoided the tourist restaurants and followed the local traffic at meal times. This was a great decision for two reasons-- the food was cheaper and much much better! For breakfast, we walked about half a mile to a blue home surrounded by tropical flowers. The owner of the home sold cinnamon rolls right out of her kitchen. We ordered 3 cinnamon rolls and 1 cup of coffee each, which cost us $4.50 bz ($2.25 US) total.

For lunch, we were excited to find locally made salbutes. We ate salbutes for the first time during

the year we lived in Blue Creek and fell in love with them. We have not eaten them since we returned home and were anxious to taste the fried masa topped with shredded chicken, cabbage, tomatoes and lime. So, when we were strolling through the island one afternoon and happened upon a small blue building with a chalkboard advertising salbutes for $1.00 bz each, we couldn't resist. I ordered 2 or 3 and Nathan ordered 4. This cost us a total of $7.00 bz ($3.50 US). Also, a few blocks down, we passed a fruit stand offering fresh squeezed watermelon juice for $5 bz per litre. Yes please and thank you! Even Young Mister Picky Eater loved the watermelon juice!

Finally, for dinner we went 100% Belizean and found a local couple who made homemade rice and beans with stewed chicken for $7 bz each. They also made their own homemade ginger ale for $6 per litre. It was delicious and refreshing, mixed with a bit of orange and a twist of lime, but it was strong!! The ginger made it so spicy, I had to cut mine with equal parts of water. It would be absolutely fantastic in lemonade.

We pretty much spent those 4 days swimming in the Caribbean, eating and sleeping. I could not have asked for a more perfect vacation with my husband and my little boy. It was the perfect way to get away, relax and unwind before the whirlwind of reunions that Blue Creek would bring.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I got pretty red on that second day! Lucky for me it had become a nice tan by the next morning.

Corban and Daddy on a pier

Hey dad! Do you see that tree growing right in the middle of the water? Let's check it out!

Corban and Daddy in the Mangroves

Water time with my boy!

Corban and the Chicken

2010-08-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

I wrote in an earlier post about Corban's reaction to the chickens. I think he thought we were playing a joke on him. This was pretty much the face he made the entire time he stood there looking at that goofy animal.

You guys, c'mon. Are you serious? This is one straaange cat! And it's head is much to small for its body!

Get-ohh!

2010-08-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

What a fun day we had today!!

I will start with the highlight-- We got to ride in a Cessna 172!! That is a little 4 seater plane with 160 horsepower!! Nathan, Corban and I were invited to ride with John, the Pastor here in Blue Creek, who we are staying with tonight and tomorrow night. He gave us a great view of the village as well as the surrounding area. The highlight of the trip was seeing where Belize, Mexico and Guatemala meet. Just seeing a place where a few countries border one another may not sound too exciting, but to us it was amazing! I can't imagine too many people have seen that sight! And from 1000 feet up no less!! Corban is one lucky kid to be able to do all these things before the age of 2!

Today reminded me so much of this day. I can't believe that was more than 4 years ago!

We also have now moved from Abe's house to John and Marians--as I just mentioned above. Abe and his family have been so wonderful and hospitable, it was great to be able to spread out and get comfortable in their home over the past three days. But as Nathan says, "Fish and guests go bad in three days." We didn't want to wear out our welcome, so we said our thank yous and our goodbyes today and headed to our final home-away-from-home in Belize. John and Marian weren't a pastor couple when we lived here last. John taught with Nathan and we had several opportunities to spend time with them and have some really great conversations. So, when they invited us to stay a few nights I was happy to accept! We have already had an awesome flight and a wonderful dinner-- they have set the bar high and we can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!

Also, thanks to our time here in Blue Creek, Corban knows the difference between a horse and a cow almost 100% of the time! As I mentioned before, Cow is "pow" to him. And horse is "ossthhh"-- but he is getting his point across! And his newest word, as of bedtime tonight, is gecko, which he pronounces as "get-ohh!" This came about tonight when we found a baby gecko in his crib. I guess baby geckos need a safe place to sleep, just like baby people! Anyway, geckos are very very fast. So, as soon as he was discovered in the crib he shot out and crawled onto the wall then stuck to the ceiling. As Nathan changed Corban's diaper, he looked up and practiced saying, "get-ohh!" We have video of this and you better believe it will be up on one of our blogs very soon! I am so happy that Corban is learning so many new words and seeing so many different animals up close-- something that just doesn't happen in our little suburb!

I still have so many pictures to post. But, so much is happening so quickly and time is passing so fast, I can't keep up with everything. Suffice it to say, most of our pictures will have to wait until we get home. But, we are having a wonderful time. We are getting tired but will be very sad to say goodbye to this beautiful country and it's friendly people in just a few days time.

The only disappointing part of the day is that we didn't have a camera when we went up in the plane. The pictures aren't the best quality, because they were taken from Nathan's phone. His phone actually has a decent camera, but definitely not one made to take clear, detailed pictures from such a distance!

That white dot in the middle of this photo is an obelisk marking the point where Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize meet.

Totally Captivated

Ready for Takeoff!

Oh, and It's Nathan's Birthday

2010-08-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

Let me just tell you all, we came to Belize during the rainy season. Which means, we came during the hottest and muggiest time of the year. Here in the sub-tropics, the humidity builds and builds until the air and land can't take it any longer. When you are sure you are going to melt into a pile of sweat-soaked clothing, the thunder crashes, the clouds rush in and it pours.

Now, I am from Washington you guys, and we know rain. We know the difference between showers, sprinkles, light rain, pouring rain, misty rain, hail, etc. But there is no rain like Belizean rain. One moment the sun is baking you and the air is so thick you are sure you can part it with your hands. The next moment, the rain falls. It pelts down on the metal roofs and pours over the gutters (ok, that's not true, they don't even bother with gutters here). The buildings are surrounded by pools of water and the ditches on the sides of the roads are flowing over. Then, 10 minutes or so, the clouds leave and the sun is back out. In another hour, everything is dry, leaving the break in humidity as the only clue that the rain had come.

We picked this very hot day to take Corban to Lamanai. Lamanai is a Mayan ruin that is very nearby-- only about an hour drive. Which, on these bumpy, limestone roads, translates to about 25 miles. We did a very quick tour. We trampled through the jungle, Corban pointed out all of the ants that crossed our path, we showed him his first howler monkey. Oddly, he was too busy marveling at the ants to care to look up and see those curious little black monkeys looking down at us. We climbed the 3 largest temples and took some great pictures.

For dinner, we went to visit a family who were very dear friends to us during our time here-- Dave and Daphne. They had just purchased 2 new cows at an auction earlier that day. Corban saw his first cow yesterday and called them "Doggies." Today, when he saw them up close, Dave and Nathan finally taught him to say "Cow." Although, he has to put his own spin on it and calls it a "Pow." But he is very confident now and by the end of the evening, every time he heard one mooing he would point outside and say, "Powww!"

He also saw his first chicken. I was inside helping with dinner, so I didn't witness the hilarity, but Nathan captured a few pictures. There stood the chicken, looking up at Corban and there stood Corban, still as a statue-- pointer finger outstretched with a huge grin on his face. In the photos he was wearing an expression as if to say, "Seriously, you guys? Are you seeing this? This has got to be the ugliest cat I have ever seen!" It was a great night with a wonderful family. It is so nice to get connected again.

Tomorrow the village is holding a potluck for us at the local park. The invitation went out saying, "Anyone who knows the Lemanskis or would like to know them is invited." I can't wait to see everyone!

Photo evidence of my difficulty acclimating to this humid weather. But wow, does Corban take a great picture!

The Fam in the Jungle.

Nearly to the top of the Temple of the Jaguar

About halfway up the High Temple-- This one is H U G E people!

Happy Birthday Nathan!

2010-08-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Nathan
Happy Birthday to you!

In honor of Nathan's 33rd year, I am posting a few of the pictures from Caye Caulker. This is all the pictures I have had a chance to edit so far. After all, we are on vacation here people! :)

You know I am kidding, blogging is my one true addiction!

Walking "downtown" Caye Caulker

Very excited to get into the water

Total Surfer Dude

Catching the Water Taxi back to Belize City with Caye Caulker in the background

The Caye

I know you've already seen this one, but I really liked it. And it's my blog, so I am posting it again.

Tanned Toes

Nathan thought these baby palms trees needed a teeny little hammock

Corban and Daddy going for a swim.

Goodbye Blue, Hello Green

2010-08-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

The Lemanskis left Caye Caulker this afternoon and have safely arrived in Blue Creek.

We left behind the blue-green Caribbean, the white sandy beaches and crystal blue sky. We have traded it for the jade, emerald and lime green colors of the rain forest. The olive green hues of the farmland dotted with white Brahma cows. The dusty, potholed roads made of a mix of white limestone and rusty clay, marking the way for trucks piled high with brown sugar cane. We have traded the gentle sounds of the sea and the cry of the merchant selling souvenirs for the whirring of cicadas and crickets and the rush of the wind blowing through the palm trees.

I can't decide which part of the country I love most.

At the Water Taxi, we met Randy Remple. He was in Nathan's 9th grade Spanish class three years ago. But, know he is a high school graduate studying to be an insurance salesman. He drove us the 2 hours into Blue Creek and took us to Abe's house.

If you don't know us personally, I will just tell you that we met Abe when he hired Nathan to teach in Blue Creek in 2006 and our relationship quickly and easily blossomed into a friendship. We are staying at his parent's home for most of our time in Blue Creek. Tonight, his entire family (those that live in the village) gathered at his brother and sis-in-law's (Albert and Nancy) house to eat dinner with us and welcome us back to Belize. They have always been so good to us and continue to make us feel like a part of their extended family. Albert and Nancy have adopted a little girl, Kyra, and built a beautiful home since we last saw them. Corban fit right in with the cousins, fighting over Kyra's toys-- really favoring the pink D.o.r.a sunglasses and baby carriage ;)

We have a few days here in Blue Creek and A LOT of people to see! Tomorrow is Nathan's birthday, so we plan to head out to the Mayan ruins of Lamanai and spend the day climbing ancient temples and walking through rain forests older than my mind can comprehend.

So again, we are safe and sound. We are having a wonderful time. And falling in love with this beautiful and diverse country all over again.

Slowing Down

2010-08-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

**Sorry, still no pix yet. Soon!**

This was our second full day on Caye Caulker. We are getting the feel of island life again, and have slowed down to enjoy the scenery, sounds and the people. When you first step on Caye Caulker from the main dock, you pass right over a mosaic in the sand that says, "Caye Caulker- Go Slow." And those native to the island shout the reminder any time they see you walking too quickly or in a hurry to do anything. "Hey lady, dis is de island, Mama. Go Slow."

Love that.

Today was an extension of yesterday in almost every sense. We woke up, walked to get our breakfast. Went to our room to eat and get read to swim. Walked to the beach where we swam until Corban couldn't take it and had to take a nap. We went back inside and Nathan went and got us lunch while Corban slept. As soon as he woke up, we walked back down to the beach. We fed him on the way and back into the water we went. The 30 minute rule totally doesn't apply in the Caribbean. :) Again we swam and swam.

We interrupt the calm and beauty of the day to bring you a sad event. Nathan and Corban were in the water, inspecting the cracks in a broken piling, which crabs had claimed as home. Corban was getting really excited and all was right with the world. Then, out of nowhere, a jellyfish swam between Nathan and Corban, stinging them both. Corban cried for about 3 minutes and eventually calmed down and resumed pointing out boats and playing with sand. Both he and Nathan had some pretty ugly red bumps. I felt so bad for both of them, but especially for poor Corban, who can't make sense of what happened and only knows that something came and hurt him in the middle of an otherwise happy day.

After the sting went away, Nathan and Corban were ready for more sun and Caribbean Sea. We put SPF 50 on Corban and SPF 15 on ourselves-- guess who got burned today? Yeeeah, Nathan and I have a nice red hue and Corban is just looking like a sun-kissed island boy.

We discovered one of Corban's funny talents on this trip. He has the uncanny ability to point out every.single.ant that crosses his path. Do you have any idea how many ants are on this island? We are beginning to get an idea! "Aaatt. Aaatt. Aaat." Oh my goodness, he has to stop and point at each one. Which only further encourages us to follow the advise of the island and it's people: "Go Slow."

I'm excited to tell you about the wonderful food and share some tips on how to make a trip like this affordable. But, my time is nearly up and the internet cafe so I must sign off. We are leaving the island tomorrow and headed to Blue Creek to meet up with old friends. We will miss the island, but we are anxious to see so many beloved faces.

Until then, try and go slow.

Reset the Clock

2010-08-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

In June 2007, we flew home from our year in Belize. Since that time, we have occasionally spoken about it saying, "Remember what we were doing for Christmas a year ago?" "Man, to think we have been home from Belize for 2 years." And most recently, as I looked down from the window of the plane, laying eyes on the rainforest and farmland of Belize I said, "Wow, I can't believe I haven't seen this sight in over 3 years!" Nathan immediately responded, "Now. You are seeing it now. Reset your clock."

I loved that.

The clock has been reset.

We are in Belize now. We are on Caye Caulker now. We swam in the Caribbean today.

But it's even better now, because we're here with our son. It makes the nights end a little earlier and the mornings come a bit sooner. But, it is just as we left it.

More will come. I will find the camera cord (hopefully!) and load a few pictures.

Mostly, just wanted everyone in blog land (mom :) to know:

We landed safely in Belize City.
We got to the Water Taxi without any hiccups, thanks to a great driver
The boat landed in Caye Caulker.
We are here.

Our clocks have been reset.

Testing, Testing 1,2,3.

2010-08-22T23:15:00.000-07:00

It's time to pluck this blog from oblivion, because we will soon be headed to beautiful Belize! We are so homesick for the enchanting land we once called home and the friends we have so dearly missed!

First, we will land in busy, humid, sunny, tourist-hungry Belize City.

Right away we will board a Water Taxi, which will speed over the clear Caribbean water to...

Beautiful, slow-paced, Caye Caulker. Yes people, that is an island surrounded by the Caribbean Sea.

After 4 days, it's back on the Water Taxi for us and a 2 hour drive over lime and clay roads...

Destination: Blue Creek! The small town beside the Rio Azul, tucked inside beautiful sub-tropical rain forests. From there, the adventure will continue.

The trip begins in less than 48 hours. I can't wait to introduce Corban to so many new sights, sounds, flavors, people and smells.

The Last Chapter - 12/9/2007

2007-12-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

Melissa and I have been in Washington for several months now, but I am still in love with Belize. It is a third world country with many problems - but to quote Lilo & Stitch, "It is small, and broken ... but it's good." Sometimes I wonder if our year living there actually happened. At times I feel like we woke up from a dream; that living in Central America never actually happened and we've been in Washington this whole time. It went by so quickly and we did and saw so many amazing things that I often can't believe I actually lived that life. The experience permanently changed me and the people we met are unforgettable.

This is a sad entry for me becuase it is just one more reminder that it's all over. This will be my last entry on this blog - the final chapter, though Melissa may have something to add still. From now on my posts will continue on my original blog, Where There Are No Palm Trees.

As hard as it was to leave Belize, I know coming back to Washington was a good thing. The lifestyles are just so different that living in one place makes the reality of the other seem like a dream. It feels like we traded one world for another. We traded beaches for mountains, summer for winter, fireflies for streetlights, and washed-out limestone roads for interstate traffic. We traded the sound of howler monkeys beyond the rainforest trees for the howl of the Sounder train beyond the evergreens. And we traded palm trees in paradise for family and friends.

When we returned to the States, we didn't have jobs or a home to come back to. Now, we live in Auburn, WA in a fancy-shmancy apartment. Seriously - it's set up more like a resort than an apartment. It's brand new (we're the first tenants in this unit - with granite countertops even!) and has a clubhouse for us to enjoy as part of the rent we pay. It includes a sports court, decently equipped gym, pool, spa, theater room, common kitchen and living room which can be used for private functions, a cafe with free coffee, tea, and continental breakfasts, free internet and television, cooking & exercise classes ... it's crazy!

I ended up taking a High School teaching position at Auburn Moun-tainview High School. I teach 10th Grade English and one class of 11th Grade Reading. My kids are fun and I love my job. Our school was built in 2005, overlooking the famous landmark Mt. Rainier. Melissa also has a new job - she has recently been hired by King County Juvenile Probation, so she's back in the game doing what she loves to do. God has blessed us in amazing ways!

Though we have finished the last chapter on Belize, the book is not over. We are now working on writing a new chapter for our life together under the cloud cover of Western Washington, planning visits with our friends in Central America, and re-acquainting ourselves with old friends and family in the States. Through it all, we carry with us the warmth that Belize and its people have left in our hearts, basking in its tropical heat wherever we go...

Reality Check - 7/6/07

2007-07-03T12:25:00.000-07:00

What a crazy month it has been! This was the first view of home we caught from the air as we made our final descent into Seattle, Washington on June 16th, 2007. Our last view of Belize was palm trees and sun. Our first view of Washington was Mount Rainier and snow. It is a breathtaking view, but it made us cold just to see it!

Since we have been home we have visited nearly all of our family and many many friends. We've also spent time with friends that feel like family (that's you Rodenbecks!) and family who feel like good friends (yup Ryan and Lindsey, you guys rock!) Since we've been back we have been to the mall, sipped drinks at Starbucks, shopped at Old Navy, browsed in huge book stores, gone to the theater, eaten at a great Mexican restaurant, taken a wine cruise on the lake, and so many other things we were dying to do while we were in Belize! We are having a blast, but boy do we miss Belize! I actually feel homesick for some of the sights and people that I miss so much. Here is a quick list-

Susy: I miss your kids and our times at the pool
Lizzle for Shizzle: I miss hearing you say, "Hello my friends!" and our bedtime chats.
Hilda: I miss your great cooking, our chats, lying in your hammock, our great adventures, and of course, the dogs!
Abe: I miss playing Texas Hold'Em, flying around the country, going on grand adventures, and your laugh!
Marg, Margaret, Susy, Susanna, Tina, Corrina: I miss our Thursday mornings!
Susie: Thanks for teaching me how to make tamales. I miss your silly son!
Marian: I miss our Wednesday evenings, bible study in your computer room and your crazy boys!
Cynthia: I miss your smile, never knowing what your thinking, and your "zany-ness"

There are more, so many people were generous to us during our stay, there are so many people who made us feel comfortable and welcome. Thank you all, you are the reason we miss Belize so much.

I absolutely want to visit again. Thank you for a wonderful and unforgettable year!

By the way: this isn't quite our last post. Keep checking for our official sign-off!

225/75R15 - 5/30/07

2007-06-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

Melissa and I just finished celebrating our two year anniversary down South. We found ourselves taking a little side trip, however. As we were heading back into the mountains toward Belmopan, we passed several orchards; the orange groves growing right next to the side of the road. Melissa wished to herself that she could get a closer look at them. That’s only funny in hindsight.

As we were driving along with the windows down, we suddenly heard a terrible screaming noise from the edge of the trees, keeping pace with the truck and causing us to think some unknown jungle animal had flown toward us and was now following along, jaws open wide and talons ready to attack. When our reality checks were cashed, we realized we had only blown a tire. The truck needs an alignment, and on these roads it didn’t take long for the rubber to wear down. After it blew open there was a hole in the side of the tire large enough for a toucan to nest in. Lucky for us, there was no cell service and we were in the middle of nowhere. Wait … that’s not luck.

We tried to get the tire off, only to realize our jack was in fact broken. We had passed a large, walled mountainside estate about a half mile down the road that may or may not have been the home of an international drug lord, so we started walking toward it looking for help. That’s when we noticed the clouds on the horizon. The beginning of June marks the beginning of rainy season, and the clouds indicated that this year’s rains would arrive right on schedule.

Alongside the wall of the house we met Miguel, who was able to find a jack for us behind the compound. We started back toward the truck, just as the rains hit. Rains here are surprising in two ways. One, they are almost exactly like standing under a waterfall. Two, the rain is warm so the water soaking through your underwear is surprisingly refreshing. At first, anyway…

Miguel came along to help, and another local stopped to assist as well. Between the four of us, we were not able to get the tire off the truck. Our only other option was to walk to the nearest phone – which the big house did not have. Melissa and I started to walk in the rain when a woman and her young son emerged from the orchard and told us of the citrus company a mile down the road that had a phone we could use. We walked with her, keeping in mind the lodge Melissa read about in our guide book as we passed this way a couple days earlier.

We arrived at the rusted, rickety gates of the Hummingbird Hershey Citrus Company, Ltd to call the nearby resort. Caves Branch Lodge had vacancy, so we asked for the guest shuttle to pick us up, take us to the truck to get our bags, and to the lodge to dry off. While waiting we learned that the citrus company’s building was once a research outpost for the Hershey chocolate company. They grew nothing there, only used it for “research.” I’m really not sure why Hershey would need a field station in the middle of nowhere and outside the jurisdiction of the FDA and US laws just to figure out how to improve their chocolate … maybe to come up with exciting Wonka-like flavors or search for oompa loompas?

When we got to the secluded, romantic lodge we explained our situation to Oscar, the head handyman. We told him we were comfortable leaving the truck there until tomorrow when we could take a taxi to Belmopan and buy a new tire. He wasn’t comfortable with that. So, he had George, a Romanian in Belize who could only communicate in Spanish, get a tire and drive me to the truck while Melissa played Scrabble with a girl who worked at the lodge. Nothing is simple however. We arrived to discover:

The tire wouldn’t fit (the holes were too large.)
George had a bad battery in his truck, which died after we parked leaving two decrepit trucks alongside the highway. “Now that’s what I call ironic.”
The once-a-year hatching of the “rain bugs” that accompanies the first rain shower had since happened and our truck was swarming with a thick cloud of black-winged termites that can find their way under any clothing. Pestilence, or vacation? You decide!
After a running start in George’s truck, we went back to Watchman Mitch at the Hershey Co. to ask for a tire, which he had – but without air.
I had to guard the truck (it was now dark) while George and Miguel took the tire to the big house to put air in it.
The tire would not hold air, so I had to guard the truck again while George returned to the lodge to try to find a different one. I stood by the road in the rain with a crow bar. I’m handy.
George returned with Oscar, who knew that the crow bar I held as a weapon was also used to stick in the small hole between the bumper and tail gate. It is the “key” that lowers the spare to the ground, though that’s not how it works in any of the vehicles owned by the people trying to help us. What a versatile tool! It is a weapon, lug wrench, key, crow bar, and I’m sure it could also be used as a shoe horn and back scratcher. Every home should have one of these things.

I finally rolled in to Caves Branch for dinner to find Melissa had been adopted by a kind family from Texas. The lodge employees didn’t want her to eat alone, so they asked other guests to sit with her so she wouldn’t have a chance to worry or feel lonely. We spent the rest of the night and next day enjoying our stay at a lush, romantic jungle resort as an unplanned end to our anniversary celebration. We left with some souvenirs: a great T Shirt, road rash from working on the tire, bug bites from standing in the rain at night, and a bag of wet clothing.

Though it was an unexpected detour, the lodge and the tours available there were top notch. I highly recommend checking it out – but on purpose.

Marriage is Paradise, 50% of the time – 5/28/07

2007-06-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

One thing we’ve learned about living in Belize is that time seems to move faster here than anywhere else we’ve been. It seems like back home, the weeks moved slowly; we were always saying, “Great, it’s Monday … again.”

Strangely, in Belize we’ve noticed the opposite. The weeks fly by, and it seems we’re always saying, “Wow, it’s Friday again!” In the blink of an eye a year has gone by – school is over, we’re getting ready to move back to the States, and our 2nd year anniversary came and went. Two years already! We celebrated our anniversary this week in Hopkins, a Garifuna village down South in the Stann Creek district. Fitting, considering we spent our honeymoon in Placencia – by another Garifuna village in Stann Creek.

Hopkins isn’t as well known as Placencia, but Belizeans seem to prefer it. It’s no wonder. Most of the mainland in Belize has no beach along the coast, only mangroves. Hopkins and Placencia are the main exceptions. Lucky for us, low season in Hopkins (when the rates drop) starts at the beginning of May rather than the beginning of June. And, you get the best deal if you just show up. Without a reservation, you usually get a 20% discount, though I wouldn’t attempt that during the busy season.

So, we drove down the scenic Humminbird highway that snakes through the Maya Mountains from the capital of Belmopan to the coast. Those mountains are as lush and green as the Cascades, but tropical. Giant Cohune Palms (which look like up-side down feather dusters) pierce the rainforest canopy covering the narrow, towering peaks. It’s a sight I’m glad we were able to appreciate before leaving.

Once in Hopkins, you basically have 3 choices for fancy resorts. Belizean Dreams, Jaguar Reef, and Parrot Cove. Belizean Dreams was both fancy-shmancy and hoity-toity. Parrot Cove was nice, but for our anniversary we wanted a bit more. Jaguar Reef was juuuust right. It’s the choice Goldilocks would have made. The beach at the resort was beautiful, and it was close enough to the village center to bicycle in. They had a nice restaurant, friendly staff who insist on memorizing your name when you check in, AC, kayaks, bikes, and snorkels to use, two pools, wireless internet, massages under the cabana on the dock, and most amazing of all – a remote-controlled ceiling fan. I mean, let’s get serious here folks – that is pretty awesome.

The people at the resort and in the village itself were unbelievably friendly. They certainly make a tourist feel welcome. We biked into the village to look at the gift shop and get some exercise. We stopped at the local market, and while waiting in line the woman in front of us turned and began talking to Melissa. She asked if Melissa wanted to hear the music she was listening to, then put her headphones to Melissa’s ears. She then mentioned that if we liked it, she would burn us a copy and gave us her phone number. That’s not really the typical mindset in most resort towns.

Most of the time though we spent at the resort, swimming in the pool or on the beach. Even though there were not many people staying at the resort, the guests we did meet were also celebrating marriage. Most were on their honeymoon, with one or two other couples celebrating an anniversary. It was then that I realized Melissa and I have spent half of our marriage living in paradise. Half in the States, half in Belize. How cool is that! Though, many of the honeymooning couples we met were able to say they’ve spent almost 100% of their marriage in Belize. Oh well. On a side note, a shout-out to Miller’s Pub in downtown Chicago. Hope you enjoyed your trip. Melissa and I met the owner and his new wife at the poolside bar. Thanks for the T Shirt!

Though we realize marriage isn’t always going to involve glamorous locations, it has still been an amazing first two years. Our cup has been filled to overflowing and we are both ready to start the next chapter in our life. It was obvious from the beginning that marriage isn’t easy, but we’ve learned that at least half the time it is paradise…

"Your mom's an 'effing' Legend!" - 5/22/07

2007-06-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

This statement was uttered by a particularly drunk, but very well-meaning, Irish student on our third evening in Caye Caulker. But, I am getting a little ahead of myself…

Mom was here a total of 10 days and we had a great time. It was really nice to have someone to show around this beautiful country. Mom has a great adventurous spirit, so she was ready for all we were willing to dish out! After Chan Chich, we headed back through Blue Creek and out toward Belize City, making a stop at the Mayan ruins of Lamanai. We have 2 previous blogs about Lamanai, so I won’t go into all the history and what-not. I just want to say that mom climbed the ruins, braved the Central American mosquitoes, dodged the army ants, searched for and hooted at howler monkeys like a local. We had an amazing time and got some wonderful pictures.

That night we continued to Belize City where we spent one night and caught a water taxi to Caye Caulker the following morning. We arrived on the island and began the sweaty task of finding a hotel for 4 nights. Yes, I know what you are thinking, you think we should have made reservations somewhere. Well, low season locals know it is better to ask around for a room than to make a reservation because you are more likely to get a good deal. So, we found two great rooms with A/C and cable that were right on the beach. Mission accomplished, it was time to find out what the island had in store for us.

We signed up for the same sunset tour Nathan and I took on our last trip to the Caye. So, at 5 pm, we and about 10 sunburned tourists set sail. It was a beautiful evening. The sun sets behind the island, so they sailed a few miles out and we watched the sun disappear and the stars and moon grew brighter all around us. Stop for a moment and try to picture this. The gentle rocking of a sailboat inside the reef, the sound of the water against the side. The wind is blowing gently, bringing the clean, refreshing smell of the ocean along with it. The only light you see is the streetlights on the distant island and the glow of the heavens. And then the raucous sound of a half dozen Irish college students bellowing drinking songs at the top of their lungs. …Oh yeah, there was also lots of rum punch. As soon as we set sail, they chopped up some delicious fresh conch ceviche- which, for some of us, was the only food we had had since breakfast. After they finished making the ceviche, they began passing around pitchers of rum punch which they had all prepared in a 5 gallon jug. Yes, the surroundings were beautiful, paradise even, but everyone knows that Caribbean + tourists = rum!

Anyway, the college students were singing Irish drinking songs and my mom was teaching them YMCA camp songs in return. They also taught me an Irish phrase which they told me meant, “Hello, nice to meet you.” But, surprise, surprise, it doesn’t mean that at all. It means something much more offensive. So, the boat docked about 2 hours later and we continued the rest of our vacation, which included getting some food in our stomachs.

It was two days later that Nathan and I came across the charming young man who provided the title of this blog. He saw us, immediately recalled the evening with mom on the sailboat, and wanted to wake her up and have her come drinking with him and the rest of the college students. Reggie you’re right, this certainly is a new world.

We also went on our final snorkeling tour while we were on the Caye. Mom was not excited about snorkeling because she had only gone once before in Cancun, which has no reef and was recently hit by a major hurricane. But, she was awestruck by the beauty of the barrier reef in Belize! We saw some striking bright blue coral, TONS of beautiful fish that would cost a small fortune at a pet shop back home, sting rays, sharks, a moral eel and 2 bottle-nosed dolphins all backdroped by beautiful sun-soaked coral. Mom, who before this trip wasn’t excited about either sailing or snorkeling, can now be classified as an “enthusiast.” It was the perfect day for our last snorkeling trip in Belize.

We headed back to the mainland on Tuesday the 23rd and made two more tourist stops with mom. We went to the Belize Zoo and got some great pictures of the local wildlife and Old Belize, which is like the “Old West” of Belize, where you can purchase great wooden souvenirs. Finally, we headed back to the Radisson for dinner and mom’s final sleep in Belize. Dropping her off at the airport the next day was sad, until we realized we could say, “See you in three weeks!” It was a great way to end an unforgettable trip.

Fancy Schmancy - 5/19/07

2007-05-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

We are staying at Chan Chich Lodge in Gallon Jug, Belize. Mom arrived in Belize on Tuesday the 14th and enjoyed seeing our daily life in Blue Creek but was anxious to begin sight-seeing. We planned a day trip to Chan Chich, so she could walk in a real rain forest, see monkeys, and have a look at some ruins. But, she couldn't resist the beautiful thatch-roofed cabanas and so, here we are. Nathan and I have been to this spot for day trips on several occasions, but this is our first time staying over night. We have enjoyed the manicured lawns, the grass-covered ruins, the playful primates, and the colorful birds. Now we have enjoyed the feather beds, double head, rain-water shower, beautiful hot tub and pool, and, as you already saw, the bidet. Each time we come to Chan Chich we experience something new and different. I can honestly say that bidet was..."different."

Mom had a great time at the ruins and really enjoyed the hike through the rain forest. She saw spider monkeys and listened the roar of howler monkeys while relaxing on our porch during her morning devotions. There were so many great pictures of the hotel and grounds that I just had to do a slide show. If you are ever curious about the world that inspired "Apocolypto", Chan Chich is a great place to explore their world. Our cabana was surrounded on three sides with Mayan buildings and the entire resort is built on what was once the market area in the middle of dozens of Mayan temples, oratories, and residence buildings. All of the Mayan architecture in this site remains covered. The owner of the site believes this will help preserve the buildings. So, since mom wasn't able to see what the actual ruins look like, we will take her to Lamanai tomorrow.

Enjoy the slide show and I hope it inspires you to visit Chan Chich!

It's A Wonderful Life - 5/18/07

2007-05-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

Scorpions underneath. Detention ahead. Tarantulas behind, boxes every-where. Crabby kids. Hot wind. Mangoes and exams; Ascension Day and wet chalkboards – overflowing garbage cans and final goodbyes.

These are the sights and sounds of a school year ending in Belize. I watched as my classroom was turned upside down and the books boxed up for the summer break. The desks and chairs were stacked in the corner and the kids ran excitedly from school like lizards on hot sand – most of whom I will never see again. Others I will still run into at church or in the community before we leave for good – which will be on June 14th. It is bittersweet because although I hate to say goodbye to everything and everyone here, it will be so much fun visiting friends and family again.

Melissa and I enjoyed an unforgettable, life-changing year in Belize. Through it all, there were steady reminders that I am in fact teaching in a foreign country – besides the view of the sprawling savannah of Belize outside one window and the hills and wide valley of Mexico out the other. For example, my students were almost all bilingual and many spoke with Low German accents. When my students didn’t like something, they might describe it in their Mennonite German by saying it’s “for sheet.” And only in Belize would a student come to school Monday morning pointing out bite marks on her legs and arm from where she was attacked by a monkey over the weekend. Only in Belize would a student say after coming to school, “I had a scorpion in my pants this morning.” Only in Belize would I walk to school and have a shard of painted Mayan pottery poke through the heel of my sandal and stab me in the foot. Only in Belize would our neighbors complain of the swarm of killer bees that nested outside the door of what used to be our apartment (which also serves as the general store.) Only in Belize would my students bring me gifts of tropical fruit throughout the year. By the way – did you know that cashews come from a fruit that looks like Dr. Seuss designed it? Cashewfruit is crazy looking, and delicious! (The More You Know….)

Throughout this experience I have seen that God has truly filled our cup to overflowing. Why us? Why have we been given so much? I can’t say. The only thing I can say is “thanks” and “to God be the glory.” We have been so blessed.

I had a terrific school year, but it came to a screeching halt at noon on Wednesday, and I’ve been busy with report cards and permanent records since then. The last two weeks were actually quite difficult. My kids – bless ‘em – got it into their heads that teachers have no authority after school on the last day of the year. Therefore, in their perfectly logical junior high minds, that meant they could try to earn a detention by the last day and then skip out on it since I would have no recourse. Or so they thought…

Now, this age group poses its own special challenges as it is, with their broken junior high brains and all. Add to that situation 76% of them trying to earn a detention. How fun was that! Oh boy, I wish I could do that every day! It was just swell! And even the best kids get crabby when you’re only days away from summer break.

In the end, two kids did in fact earn a detention on the last day – they pushed it just far enough. Unbeknownst to them, I had already discussed the situation with the board and cleared “extracurricular activities” for students to participate in on the last day of school. The parents were called, and after serving a lunch detention on the last day of school, the two lucky winners stayed behind all afternoon on what was supposed to be a half day to help me count books and organize the bookshelves of the student library. A real class party, Mr. Lemanski style!

Really though, even at their worst these kids are great. This community has been blessed with a whole generation of good kids.

But good or bad, the school year is over, and Melissa’s mom arrived on Tuesday to visit us before we go home. That put us in “tour guide” mode. So now we’re at a resort in the jungle together and I’m slowly unwinding. As we were sitting in the lounge sipping rum punch, listening to parrots and smelling tropical wildflowers growing at a plush resort in Central America, I thought to myself, “Wow, now that the school year is over, all three of us here are unemployed.” So now I’m wondering, “Why do so many people complain about being unemployed?” I think it’s terrific! In fact, I may never work again…

In the meantime, we’re preparing for the process of returning to los estados unidos. It will be most bueno. I hope to be able to see as many people as possible as soon as possible, because I miss you all! So, see you soon and take care!

N8

Grad Trip '07! - 5/6/06

2007-05-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Nathan and I were invited to go back in time to our Senior year of High School as we chaperoned the 12th grade class trip to San Pedro (Ambergris Caye to you Americans). It was a blast but "ooooo eeee!" you couldn't pay me to be a High School girl again! There was more attitude and cutting girl remarks than I remember experiencing at good ol' Henry Foss High School!

There were 12 of us in all; 8 girls, 2 boys, and Nathan and I. The boys were in HEAVEN on that island surrounded by tanned bikini-clad women! I could write an entire blog about the boys and call it "Mennonite Boys Gone Wild" but since so many Blue Creekers read this, I'll just say, "a good time was had by all." Nearly all of the girls bought bikinis (the height of Blue Creek rebellion) and they all giggled when they wore them together in the pool (after dark.)

All but two of the kids had their hair braided and the boys went on a SNUBA trip. SNUBA is a cross between snorkeling and SCUBA. You have oxygen like SCUBA, but the tanks stay on the boat and you have a tube that connects to the tank. SNUBA allows you to stay underwater for about 30 mins. and swim at about 20 feet without having to be SCUBA certified. The boys also proved to be smarter than the rest of us. They decided to spend the $10 BZ to rent bikes for a few days. This made getting around a lot quicker and cooler!

While the kids were running around the island, spending money and having a blast, Nathan and I mostly hung out at the amazing resort which had a private beach (very very rare on the island) and a beautiful pool. We have already been on so many trips and are planning to spend lots of $$ when mom comes to visit next week, so we tried to make this trip as cheap as possible! It wasn't too difficult either, since we all raised the money for the lodging and we made our own meals! I tell you, these kids know how to travel: Spend all your money on an AWESOME place and just make sure it has a kitchen! We brought 2 coolers of food along with a suitcase and a cardboard box filled with "snacks." We were set.

I don't want to make it sound like we didn't perform our chaperon duties. We made sure all the students and luggage made it to the island and back home. We also cooked all the meals and did all of the clean up. We went into town with the kids the first few times and we, of course, set down a few ground rules. But, these are good kids. When so many kids are getting alcohol poisoning from drinking games and sleeping around on their Senior Trips, these kids rebelled by swimming in the pool after hours (even though they still asked our permission), buying bikinis they won't wear without shorts and Cuban cigars that they won't smoke. Chaperoning this group wasn't too tough.

So, another great weekend with fun company. My tan is a little darker and I have stayed at yet, another, georgous hotel in Belize. I am going to miss this!

School Picnic - 4/14/07

2007-04-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's almost over? This year has just flown by! School is out one month from tomorrow and things are quickly winding down.

Every year, the Linda Vista School holds an annual picnic to bring the community together to celebrate the end of the school year. This year, it was held a few weeks early because they wanted to have the pictures from the picnic in the yearbook - which hasn't happened in previous years. It was a lot of fun, but strange for the teachers who were here last year since they have to go back to work the Monday after the end-of-the-year picnic.

Though it was a lot of fun, the dry season is here full force. A couple days ago, it was a reported 112 degrees outside with 60% humidity. It felt about the same yesterday, too. On the way to the park, I experienced a sensation I'd never felt before. When I exhaled, the air from my nostrils actually felt cooler against my upper lip than the air outside. Now that's stinkin hot!

Anyway, the picnic followed tradition, beginning with games held by each class and ending with a community supper. We were divided by level, so my group included grades 6-8. Our games included several of the old-time favorites such as "Thaw Mr. Lemanski's sock from the block of ice" and "Pull the nylon with the orange in it off the other guy's head using your own nylon with the orange in it on top of your head." I'm pretty sure these games have their roots in Mennonite tradition dating back to Europe circa the late 1500's. Always innovators, these people.

We also had a camel-back egg toss, and a relay race where each team member had to run across the field, drink an ideal (a melted fruit ice-pop), and run back to tag the next person on the team to do the same. The kids had a good time and it helped fight the heat. Not the most restful Saturday possible for the teachers, but it's all part of working at the Linda Vista School! Today is mostly recuperation from the festivities, and back to work tomorrow. Of course, we have another 4 day week ahead of us, so it won't be too bad. And at the end of May, Melissa's mom is coming down to visit! It's going to be exciting taking touring around with her, and a great way to end an exciting year before packing up and preparing to head back to the States.

But there's still plenty of time! If anyone else wants to visit us before mid June, book your tickets now! We'd love to host you and show you around as well!

As always, we love and miss you all and hope to hear from you soon!

N8

I LOOOOVE THIS MAN!

2007-04-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

Mayan Riviera - 4/6/07

2007-04-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

Today marks our last full day in the Mayan riviera. This has been an amazing getaway from work and from moody junior high students. So relaxing! Who could ask for anything more? Wide, white beaches, palm trees, sunny weather, clear Caribbean blue water, good food, good drink, and great company. We are so blessed! Though today ended up being overcast, we've both darkened a lot on this trip. The sun shines hot here!

Playa del Carmen is a beautiful city, too. It looks more European than Mexican. It has the feel of a Spanish city with the countless sidewalk cafes and striking architecture. What I've found most interesting about this city is that even though it's spring break, and there's a strong American influence, the mix of people here is very different from Cancun - which is just two hours North of here. Though there are a lot of American tourists here, there are more Mexicans and Europeans.

And, it really may have one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It's similar to Cancun's beach, but without any rocks, more sand, and hardly any waves. I've never before been able to float on my back in the ocean with my eyes closed without having to worry about the waves crashing over me. It's crazy! The large island of Cozumel is just across the water - you can see the skyline of some larger hotels from the beach here. We think maybe the island keeps the ocean current from crashing against the shore and creating large waves and a strong riptide. It's safe enough for children to swim in, and there are lots of them here. This definitely seems to be more of a family destination than a tourist town centered on alcohol and bad decisions.

This morning Melissa and I went to a large protestant church for Easter service. We stopped by last night to check on the service times and were greeted warmly this morning by the woman we had spoken to. As well as the rest of the congregation, of course. It was such a good service! We were familiar with most of the songs because we sang them in our church back home, and they projected the Spanish lyrics on the wall, allowing us to join in. For the most part, the pastor spoke slowly enough that Melissa was able to catch the gist of it without having me translate it for her. Every now and then, though, he would get really excited and talk really fast, then we'd both get confused. It was a great message, but the music was my favorite part.

This is a very musical city overall. In the evening there is always music playing at different places along fifth avenue - which is a few miles long. There are always street musicians and a couple mariachi bands playing, and last night a newlywed couple walked the length of the avenue to their reception with a mariachi band following them, and the wedding party and guests right behind. It's funny - I was watching the crowd pass by the band when I noticed that most of the Mexican people who passed just couldn't contain themselves. They'd be walking walking walking, then when in front of the band they'd shake shake shake, maybe a twirl, then they'd pass the band and continue walking normally as if nothing happened - usually without interrupting the conversation they were already having. What a fun country!

Tomorrow however we return to reality. Though our bus doesn't leave until mid afternoon, so we'll still enjoy the afternoon sun and a quiet morning on the beach. We're thinking of catching a movie while in Chetumal before crossing the border back into Belize since it's been awhile since our last flick. Thank you, cinepolis!

I hope everyone else enjoyed their Easter Sunday and spring break if it's nearby. I'd love to hear from y'all. Let us know how you're doing too!

Love and miss my friends and family!

N8

Hunting, Mennonite Style! - 3/22/07

2007-04-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

Some of you will be horrified at this posting and others will say, “What’s the big deal?”

Most of us grow up in the Western World where wildlife is generally seen on TV and in zoos. At my mom’s house, in the city, I grew up thinking raccoons were “nuisances” who got into our garbage. At my dad’s house, raccoons were furry, territorial animals who challenged our cats for their food and ate plums off our trees. At my Grandmom’s house, raccoons were fuzzy, clever animals we left food out for and watched, with big smiles and giggles as they took our dinner scraps and carefully washed each piece of food before eating it or sharing it with their young.

In Belize, raccoons are nasty, dirty animals who live in the rice fields and destroy the farmer’s crops. They are mean, they are not afraid of dogs or of people, and they will bite, scratch, and attack. In a 3rd World Country, without PETA and the WWF, people are left to themselves to defend their farms and cattle from wild animals. Here in Blue Creek it is always “Open Season” on crocodiles, alligators, cougars, and raccoons who threaten their livelihood.

So, one evening my friend, Susy, called me and said, “We’re going hunting! Wanna come?” I said, “What are you hunting?” “Raccoons, gators, whatever we find in the rice fields.” “Sure,” I said, “What about the girls?” (Referring to their 2 -and 4-year olds.) “They’re coming too! Get ready, we’ll come get you!” So, since Nathan had a meeting and I had no plans that evening, I jumped into Paul and Susy's truck and sped off to help save the young rice buds from the terrible creatures that would seek to eat and destroy them before they could mature to become yummy meals of Belizean rice & beans.

So, I get in the truck and Megan (the 4-year-old) says, “We’re going hunting Melissa, daddy’s going to kill a gator and I am going to jump in the water and kill it too!” ….Alright, Megan….wow, so this is what it’s like to grow up in Belize….If a probation kid talked like this I would assume it was indicative of some terrible childhood trauma, order a psych evaluation and get ready for a long battle with mental health professionals, the Court, and irresponsible parents….But here, it’s just called “family time!” Megan was very excited and Kate was also in great spirits. They posed for the camera and were silly little giggly girls in all their glory!

Our mission was to seek and destroy any and all animals posing a threat to the rice fields. The girls, Susy, Megan, Kate and I, were in the truck, driving and navigating. The boys, Paul and Corney, Susy’s husband and lil bro, and faithful Rusty, were standing in the back of the truck with the guns, ammo, spotlights and all the other “many” stuff.

After about 5 mintues of driving around, Susy stopped the truck and yelled to Paul, “Do you see it!?” Paul said “yup!” and the girls immediately covered their ears. I was completed confused….see what? What are we doing? Why did we stop? Then Megan yelled, COVER YOUR EARS MELISSA IT’S LOUD!” ..What’s loud….BANG ”Aaaah!” …oh that…You see, when you’re sitting in a metal truck and a man is in the back of that same metal truck with a loaded gun, when he shoots that gun, Megan’s right, it’s LOUD! So, with one nasty man-eating-rice-crop-destroying crocodile down, we continued our crusade.

Next, it was Rusty’s turn to shine as we spotted several raccoons in the middle of the rice field. Paul and Rusty jumped out of the truck and ran to confront the enemy on the front lines. You could hear the raccoons from the truck and we could also tell when Rusty was injured because he let out a classic hound dog yelp/howl. After about 10 minutes of screaming raccoons and howling dog, Paul comes into view with 2 raccoons. One is an older, bigger one which is near dead and which Paul quickly puts out of its misery. The other is a juvenile, not full-grown, but not a baby either. He holds it up for the girls to see and I think it looks kinda cute. Of course Megan immediately says, “Don’t kill it daddy, let’s keep it!” It was very cute, silently hanging there by its tail, until Paul tried to touch it. Then, it spat and let out a nasty hiss that scared the girls and reminded met that, although cute, raccoons are nasty little wild animals. In the end, Paul wouldn’t kill it, he said it was too young to kill. He thought it was old enough to survive on its own, so I am sure they will just end up killing it on their next hunting trip. I’m not really sure which option is the more humane. But again, this is all new to me, I’ve never had to defend my livelihood against a troop of wildlife. There aren’t a lot of mountain lions rallying to pick of my probation kids….and somehow if there were I don’t think I would fight them….Of course I’m kidding.

Anyway, throughout the night, they killed 2 crocodiles and 3 or 4 raccoons. I guess that’s what you call a successful hunt. I don’t think it did a whole lot to save the rice, but I am sure that every little bit helps. The girls seemed to have fun, the dog had a blast, the men got to hold guns and shoot stuff and Susy and I got to keep each other company in the truck and tell the guys what good hunters they were. So, in the end, everyone but the animals were winners. And no matter what you think now, when you see my crocodile tooth necklace, you’re going to think it’s pretty cool.

Caye Caulker, Take 2 - 3/26/07

2007-03-26T16:00:00.001-07:00

Okay, so we've been busy. Plus, it seems for the past week and a half all computers in Blue Creek have been allergic to Blogger. I can finally post, yay! It won't let me upload pix though, so those will follow. A quick recap on what has been going on.

Third Quarter officially came to an end on March 9th
We had our biannual Science Fair on March 15th
We had a school holiday on March 16th - 3 day weekend! Woo Hoo!
I sent report cards home on March 19th with only one student in serious danger!
My class went to the zone elimination spelling bee in Trinidad today while I stayed back to teach my two high school Spanish classes. Easy day!
Today there was no class again as the junior high traveled to Orange Walk Town for the PSEs (the Belizean version of the WASL).
Easter Break is coming up! We will be out of school from April 5-10. Fun fun! We are planning to visit Playa Del Carmen in Mexico and stay at the Quinta Sol – about two hours closer to us than Cancun with a similar beach.
Melissa has been keeping busy with 3 book studies and being an all around AWESOME person.

So, things have been pretty busy around here. Luckily though, those PSEs don't have near the impact on our schools as the WASL back home. Only Standard 6 students take it (Grade 8) and it has no effect on what happens in the classroom or graduation - it's just a measurement by the government for demographic reports.

Also, we recently got back from an awesome trip to Caye Caulker. I just love that island! It is so relaxing. We once again stayed at the Barefoot Caribe - which lucky for us does not accept reservations so we're almost guaranteed vacancy whenever we show up on the island. Most places were full of Canadians celebrating their spring break. We went on a an all day sailboat and snorkeling tour of the Barrier Reef, leaving from Caye Caulker and heading North to Ambergris Caye. We visited the Caye Caulker Marine Reserve, Shark Ray Alley (with rays and nurse sharks), and the Hol Chan Marine Reserve off of Ambergris Caye.

Hol Chan is the Mayan term for "Narrow Passage" and describes a break in the reef leading to open ocean, with the white caps of the waves crashing over the reef marking the barrier between snorkeling waters and the deep blue sea. In the center of this channel is a buoy that we're not allowed to swim past, because the current moving through the reef is strong enough to carry you out to sea. We swam along the edge of this channel, looking down on the huge coral and animals, only to look up and see that we had moved beyond the magic barrier created by that buoy. Hmmm….now if I were the guide, we would not be this far out. But the current was not strong and we swam all over, it was so much fun!

We sailed slowly on the way back, enjoying about five gallons of rum punch while getting to know the other people on the boat. At one point, the boat slowed a bit and one of the guides jumped out with his flippers on and came up with two live conch. He pulled them out of their shell on the side of the boat and cut them up for the fresh conch ceviche he made for us to enjoy. Conch shells are beautiful, but the animals themselves are UG-LY! At one point, the guide pulled a clear, worm-like piece out of the center of the conch and swallowed it, calling it the "power of the conch." He did the same with the next one and gave it to a tourist to swallow – which he did. No thank you, sir. I'm on vacation, not Fear Factor.

The Canadian group we met was fun enough to make plans with – we all got together for dinner at the world-famous streetside barbecue of Jolly Roger. I recommend the Barracuda. It wasn't quite as much fun as the night before however, when Melissa and I decided to go from restaurant to restaurant across the island to see who actually had the best rum punch. In the end, I decided it was that one place across from the big palm tree along the sandy road near the beach. Mmm…that one place.

So, until our next entry! Write us, we love hearing from home! Oh, and Angel, email me. Everything I send to you still bounces back. Talk to all of you later!

Love,

A Taste...

2007-03-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

We are in Caye Caulker again for the weekend. As Nathan mentioned in his Cancun blog, Blue Creek can't seem to let a month pass without a three-day weekend. So....here were are! We don't have the pix on-line yet, but when we get them, you'll see what a great trip this has been for us the second time around!! We went snorkeling at 3 different sights, saw sharks, HUGE rays, moray eels, and sooo soo much more. The coolest part of that? We did it on a sail boat! It's been a beautiful two days so far and we are getting our island tans back. We will write much more about it later. This is just a taste of what is to come...

New Digs! - 2/24/07

2007-02-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

Our biggest news of the week is that we moved last Sunday. We moved because of several reasons that aren't important enough to blog about, what is important is that we LOVE our new place!

Perks of the new digs:

We have a front and back yard
We have a palm-lined driveway
We have pointsettias year-round
Our bathroom is no longer the size of a broom closet.
We have a cat. Cats hunt spiders and other creatures. Yay cat!
We have ficus trees is our backyard- ficus trees grow HUGE here!
We have a comfy bed that actually fits Nathan's body - No more back problems from legs hanging off the rock-hard matress!
We have rain water, we can actually drink the tap water!
It's an actual house

It's not just the house though, Nathan and I absolutely love the new location as well. We are still very near the school and the "downtown" area of Blue Creek, so Nathan can still walk to school. We can acutally see the shopping center where we used to live from our front yard. But there is much less noise and the house is set off the road. Also, Nathan loves a species of tree that grows here in Belize. We don't know the name but large, beautiful bright orange flowers grow in shocking contrast to their dark green leaves. There are two of these trees in our front yard! It gives me a place to hit the volleyball with my friends and sunbathe in the afternoons! It is so much more peaceful and we will have saved quite a bit of money in rent by the time we leave.

I can't wait to have family visit so I can show them our rain-water shower!

The Kids of Belize - 2/24/07

2007-02-24T13:50:00.001-08:00

I have taken lots of cute pictures of kids during the last 7 months so I thought I would finally get around to sharing them with you guys. I know all the girls will enjoy them...the guys will too...they'll just deny it later. All in all, they sure seem to grow them extra-cute around here, I think it's all the sun and fresh air.

Enjoy!

Rodeo Time, Ya'll! - 2/17/07

2007-02-17T18:55:00.000-08:00

A few things I didn't know when I woke up this morning:

#1- Important Blue Creek holidays are ranked as follows: Christmas, Rodeo Day, Easter....etc.

#2- The bravest cowboy I have ever known is a 5 year old girl who ignored her fear and got on the back of a bucking baby sheep and smiled after she was bucked off 2 seconds later.

#3- When a little boy says, "Daddy, I wanna be a cowboy when I grow up" that is an attainable goal. There are job openings here and it's a very competitive field!

#4- It doesn't snow in Belize, but that doesn't keep kids from being pulled by a horse-drawn sled!

#5- There are a few kids in Nathan's Junior High class that won't make great cowboys someday--they already are!

#6- Sheep can be aggressive! "I am Jesus' little lamb" has taken on a whole new meaning to me!

#7- There is a reason rodeos are held in corrals (most of the events today took place in an open field). When the calf gets spooked, it runs as fast as it can in any direction away from the cowboy, even if it's right into the crowd!

#8- Calves are very offended at the thought of wearing underwear!

Nathan and I spent the day at a Rodeo hosted by Blue Creek. We brought two local kids along with us. Kenny, a boy I am tutoring, and his sister, Leslie. Their parents own the restaurant, 3 Flags, and would be serving food at the rodeo. This meant their kids wouldn't be able to go because they wouldn't have time to supervise them. That just didn't seem fair to me, so we brought them along with us! Most of the participants in the rodeo were locals, but some people came from as far away as Spanish Lookout, Belize, a town about 3 1/2 hours away.

As far as I can remember, I have never been to a rodeo, and although this one did not include any bull-riding, it was a thrill I will not soon forget! Men and women participated in events such as calf roping and barrel racing. They also had shovel racing, where there is one cowboy riding a horse and one cowboy riding a shovel being pulled by the horse! As far as I could tell, the key to this event was to stay on the shovel and in the event that you fall off, avoid losing as eye on the edge of the shovel or face planting in a cowpie. Other events included children. There was sheep riding--and I had no idea sheep could be so aggressive. One small sheep, apparently more familiar with the work of Gandhi than the others, must have decided if it would simply lie itself down on the ground and refuse to move, the child would eventually get off and leave it alone. Another sheep did not have the same passive, non-violent approach to the event. He threw himself head-first into the walls of the small enclosure, throwing his rider into the metal bars. In another event, an old truck bed liner was tied behind a horse and the cowboy dragged one child at a time around the arena. The goal was for the child to remain standing and, or course, not fall out of the truck bed. While watching this event, I thought it was make a great commercial for the durability of Rhino Linings! And of course, since this is Belize, this was all done without even the smallest child wearing a helmet! Ah, what a different world in which we live!

The final, and by far the most humorous event was the "calf dressing" event. Teams of two went into a small arena, had to catch a calf, put men's underwear on it, and drag it across the arena to a pre-designated position. The team to complete the task the fastest was awarded $100! I don't even know if words can describe in words how hilarious this was to watch!

It was a wonderful day! Horses, Belizean sun, a nice breeze, kids, friends, palm trees, and fun all served with your choice of rice & beans, BBQ chicken, or ceviche. Another wonderful memory for us to cherish!

Cancún – 2/13/07

2007-02-13T18:46:00.000-08:00

An interesting fact about teaching at the Linda Vista School in Blue Creek – they would be hard pressed to get through one month without a three day weekend. If there is not a national holiday in any given month, the school has a local “Blue Creek” holiday to give people the chance to get out of town and do some shopping. This month, we had some help planning our destination.

Melissa’s sister and her new husband, Jeffy Weffy, spent their honeymoon North of us in Mexico – enjoying the beauty of Cancún before the spring breakers crowd the beaches. They were generous enough to leave behind their quality snorkel gear at the resort for us to pick up – giving us a good enough reason to take a bus trip up the Yucatán peninsula. We left town after school and spent the evening riding up the Mexican coastline while watching movies on our surprisingly comfortable bus.

Some highlights of the trip:

The stunning view of the coast along this part of Mexico and the Caribbean colors along the beach outside our hotel. Nowhere else on Earth looks quite like this.
Speeding a boat across the lagoon, through the mangroves, and to the reef to do some snorkeling. We saw a barracuda, a giant parrot fish, and little bizarre, clear lobsters digging in the sand at the reef.
The sunrise Saturday morning. We slept with the balcony door open to listen to the ocean, and the sunrise came pouring in early that morning. If you’ve never seen the sun rise over the Caribbean, it looks something like this…
Dinner at Bubba Gump’s with Maria and easy access to Starbucks. Not to mention walking along the beach.

Monday morning it rained, but hey, we’re locals. That didn’t bother us. What’s a little tropical rain during an outdoor breakfast? Wet toast, the wind blowing our napkins away, the table and all four chairs across the patio sliding across the wet tile toward us as the wind funneled through the dining area – just part of the tropical getaway! We realized after awhile that we were the only ones still attempting an outdoor breakfast; all the other tourists had long since ran inside and probably stared in disbelief at the crazy couple insisting on finishing their coffee before allowing a silly storm to chase them away.

It was a fun weekend. There’s a reason so many thousands of people flock to Cancún every year. I wouldn’t attempt to go during the madness of Spring Break again, but I’m glad I got to share this experience with my wife. We are so blessed!

Stay tuned for next month’s getaway! And don’t forget to email me! I want to hear from you, too!

Back to Basics - 2/10/07

2007-02-12T05:57:00.000-08:00

We have been back in Belize for nearly a month and life is back to normal. Internet access continues to be a problem, so Nathan and I have been avoiding it altogether. This is less stressful and disappointing for us, but less convenient and informative for you, our friends and loved ones—and the occasional stranger—who keeps track of our lives through this blog. So, here is a quick run-down of what we have been up to over the past month…..

We arrived back in Belize after "The Great Wedding of 2007," on January 15th and Nathan went back to work the next day. Nathan has begun his second and final semester as the 7th and 8th grade teacher at Linda Vista School. He has added two new subjects to the Junior High curriculum this semester- Spanish 1 and Public Speaking. The kids are really enjoying both, especially public speaking. They have given three speeches so far, including a demonstrative speech. Kids talked about various subjects, including how to wash dishes, how to make different kinds of food, and one kid even explained bull castration! Wow! Thanks for the info kids! Nathan is enjoying a bit of a lighter load this semester, with two other teachers stepping in to help him teach some of his classes. He still has more subjects than class periods, but his schedule is definitely more manageable and he spends much less of his Saturday playing catch up and planning the next week’s lessons.

My days have been much less exciting since our return to Belize as I am no longer at the school two periods a day. I am still in charge of detentions, and the kids have been keeping me busier than usual the past couple of weeks. I am also still tutoring students after school. Since I generally don’t have anything scheduled until 3 pm, I have been spending more time getting to know some of the women in the community. One woman in particular, Susy, a young mother of two vivacious girls, has been a lot of fun to get to know. We have played volleyball on occasion and are involved in 2 bible studies during the week. We also get together on Tuesday evenings with our husbands and 4 other people and eat a potluck dinner together.

Also, I am taking advantage of all of my spare time to continue to hone my cooking skills. I have become a master bread baker (without a bread machine!) and even got together with some women in the community and made tamales. I arrived at the house where the tamales were being prepared and was SHOCKED to find them sitting around shucking 200 ears of corn. I stopped and stuttered, “Wha-? Corn! Corn? We’re making them from corn?” I don’t know why I was so surprised. I should have learned by now that everything is truly made from scratch here—even cornmeal is a shortcut! The ladies got a good laugh at my surprise and patiently walked me through each step of the tamale-creating process. It was a lot of fun, very educational and of course, delicious!

Oh yes, and the biggest football event of the year did not pass us by just because we are living in Central America, where futbol is much more popular than football. One of Nathan’s co-workers, John, had a Super Bowl party at his home and quite a few people turned out to watch. Everyone chose a team to root for, but it was very obvious that these were not die-hard football fans, much less Bears or Colt fans. Never-the-less everyone enjoyed themselves! We even had great Super Bowl food! Two ladies, our friend Hilda and the pastor's wife, Corrina, made Belizean Style Hot Wingz!!They're cooked outside on a grill that looks very similar to a wok, called a "disco." They were soooo spicy and soooo good! None of the Belizean kids were interested in watching the game at all, I have no idea where they boys went, but here are the girls jumping and jumping and jumping on the trampoline. I joined in for a while—I just couldn’t resist!

So, that’s all for us! Nathan went on a great hike with a friend, Daniel, but I’ll let him tell you about that. For now, you are nearly caught up. We are currently spending a long weekend in Cancun and will write about it soon. For now I will leave you with this unbelievably beautiful picture of the breathtaking view from our hotel room.

iAdios!

Féliz Cumpleaños! - 2/4/07

2007-02-04T11:52:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday To You!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear Jocelyn
Happy birthday to you!

One year ago today, Jocelyn Karalee (Joss the Boss) blessed all of us when she entered our lives. She is so stinkin' cute! It makes me sad that we live so far from her, but that won't last forever. We'll get to spoil her soon.

Judging from the pictures her mom sends us, she gets cuter as each month goes by. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "I don't know, she's pretty darn cute there - probably can't get much cuter than that." But you're wrong! You've never been more wrong than you are now! She won the genetic lottery, as our pastor's daughter-in-law pointed out. So imagine how cute she is two months after this picture was taken! Mind boggling...

Happy Birthday Jocelyn!

She did it! - 1/13/07

2007-01-15T00:49:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh, have you ever seen a more beautiful bride in your entire life? Yeah, I know, I'm biased, but just look at that girl!

Well, before this weekend, our family just wasn't big enough! For those of you who know us, you know I am kidding. 2 moms + 2 dads + 4 girls + 3 boys + 1 son-in-law = 1 big happy 21st century family! But, I could not have picked a better person to squeeze into our already crowded family pictures than my sister's husband, Jeff. My lil sis, Katherine Denise, tied the knot with Jeffery Dana Wiedemann on 1.13.07. Welcome to the family Jeff! You and my sister are so beautiful together, I know God will richly bless your marriage as you continue to seek Him and serve one another in love.

Here is a poem I wrote for the toast, just a portion of what I said, but I thought I would share it with all of you who are keeping up with our lives via this blog.

When I was just a little girl
With no sibling to fight with or hug
I was blessed with a wondrous gift
Her name was Katie Bug

A tiny baby sister

Had come into my life

And today that baby sister

Has become a wife
So here I stand before you
To toast the lovely bride

And I hope I communicate
The love I feel inside
The woman you see before you
Who married on this day
Means more to me than she'll ever know

More than words can say
Even as a child
Though we didn't always get along

She was someone special
Someone sweet and shy and strong

I remember playing "Princess and Slave"
And I convinced you it was fun

But after that came "Katie Rules"
The games weren't over until you'd won

There is a special bond
That only siblings understand

It happens very naturally

It isn't forced or even planned

And now that you've found Jeff

And made your solemn vow

Mom's got her fingers crossed

That a grandchild isn't far off now

Jeff, my brand new brother
We now share a common goal

To keep her forever happy
Because her laughter makes us whole
And to you, my baby sister

I hope you'll someday see

The joy you bring into to world
The joy you bring to me

And may the joy that surrounds you now

Stay forever in your heart

Because a wonderful future is ahead of you
Today is just the start

North American Adventures! - 1/9/06

2007-01-09T15:10:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot of fun since landing in Seattle on New Years Eve. Every day has been filled with wedding preparations, bridal showers, family fun, and reuniting with long lost friends! Here are a few pix of our US adventures so far...

Nathan, Katherine, Jeff, Lis and Harvey cheering on the Hawks and rejoicing in their victory over the Cowboys (sorry Grandpa)!

Getting ready to go get some eats at Katie Downs on the waterfront! Michelle, Russ, Harvey, Nathan, me, my mommy, Lis, Nate, and Sara! Yay "the couples" were FINALLY together again! Thanks for making that long trek across the snowing, scary pass just to see us guys!

Riding the train to Portland to visit my lil sis and her fiancé. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to sip a little Starbucks! Yeah, that's a scarf, it's brrr cold here!

Heeeere's Nathan! He’s my favorite traveling buddy. We had a great time on the train, it was a great way to get to Portland!

We went to Pizza Schmizza as soon as we stepped off the plane. It's YUMMY pizza and look how eco-
conscious the delivery boys are! Only in Portland!

We went to Powell's bookstore after this. For those of you who don't know, Powell's is the COOLEST bookstore in the world! We bought 9 books to take back to Belize with us and I had a great time browsing the kids section. We finally got to Kate's apartment where Jeff made us an AWESOME Indian dish. He followed it up with vanilla ice cream topped with homemade wine sauce. mmmMMM. It was fun hanging out with my lil sis and her soon-to-be hubby!

Back at mom's house, I took some time to play fetch with Jorja, the family dog. Even though it was raining, and less than 40 degrees, she still wanted me to throw the ball into the lake so she could swim after it!

Pix of Kate, Jeff, Nathan and me, goofing off in her new car!

We're hilarious, we know it, do you?

We still have a lot more people to see and a lot more stuff to do. After all, The Great Wedding of 2007 hasn't even happened yet, but we've already done so much! Keep checking in on us!

AmericansinAmerica.blogspot.com - 1/1/07

2007-01-01T22:52:00.000-08:00

The last day of 2006 found Nathan and I spending a long, but not unpleasant day traveling from our familiar home of Blue Creek to our old stompin' grounds in the Good Ol' US of A! My mom, sis and very-soon-to-be-brother, Jeff, met us in Baggage Claim with piping hot decaf soy peppermint mochas!! We landed at 11:49 P.M. and rang in the New Year right there in Baggage Claim!

This morning my step dad, Reggie, made one of his signature breakfasts, which we all washed down with New Years Day Mimosas. Tonight my dad, step mom, brother and little step-sis came over along with my aunt and uncle for our final Christmas celebration. Mom made beef stew, because she knew Nathan and I would be craving some good ol’ home cooking. And of course, it was Costco pumpkin pie for dessert.
Oh yes, fun was absolutely had by all!

Since the holidays mean family, food, phresents, and fun, here is the newest family pic, taken tonight at my mom's house. Here you will find nearly all of my brothers and sisters. We are still missing Joseph and Michael, but I don't think we're all ever going to be in one place, so this is the most complete photo of my brothers and sisters you will ever see! Are we a good lookin family full of Kodak smiles, or what? And who is that tan girl with the curly hair? She looks Belizean...

Incentives To Visit Us! – 12/26/06

2007-01-01T12:10:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a great vacation!

Our first experience hosting visitors has come to an end – my aunt and uncle fly back to Washington State tomorrow. This has been such an exciting adventure for everyone. It is so nice to have family here experiencing our life, and it is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure for them. We look forward to the opportunity to host future guests, so here’s a taste of what could be in store for you, too, if you choose to visit us. Think of this as a tantalizing incentive; a vacation brochure for what awaits you during a visit to the Lemanskis of Central America...

Part of what made this experience so great is that Melissa is such a thoughtful hostess. Auntie Moe and Uncle Max stayed at the Klassen property, which has a fantastic view of the hills of Blue Creek and the flat savannah beyond stretching past the hills of Mexico. We blogged about this location earlier in Melissa’s original tour of Blue Creek. She really rolled out the welcome mat for our family, borrowning a plug-in cooler in which she included baked treats from the pastor’s wife, sliced tropical fruit, orange squash (home-made Belizean orange juice), bottled water, and a fresh bunch of delicious apple bananas. The breakfast included at the Klassen House each morning was just as welcoming – a filling farmer’s breakfast made fresh daily by their friendly maid (or kyeksha). Except for Wednesday morning, of course, when Melissa made crépes for everybody.

My aunt has an extensive background in horticulture and was just as excited to see Central American flora as she was to visit us. We decided to take her to the jungle resort/Mayan ruins of Chan Chich, close enough to the border to see the hills of Guatemala in the distance. The ride is an adventure in itself and we hoped it made them feel special since you can only visit Chan Chich if you have a reservation (which are incredibly expensive) or are personal friends with the American owners. We are lucky because our friend Abe is friends with everybody. He simply called the owners and asked if we could visit for the day.

The jungle setting at Chan Chich is a fantastic introduction to the wildlife and plants of Belize. The monkeys are abundant there, and we learned quickly that monkeys don’t just throw their poo on people. When you think it’s starting to rain – but there are no clouds in the sky and your guide jumps back while screaming “Get out of the way,” you realize that these dirty primates can just as easily urinate all over people who are standing on the jungle floor, staring up at them with their mouths open in amazement. Luckily, we all escaped without feeling the wet wrath of wild monkeys.

One thing we missed on our last trip to Chan Chich is the painted stucco that still exists on the inside of the king’s tomb. We also learned that here, as well as Lamanai and most other Mayan sites, kings would build their temples directly on top of another king’s pyramid to assume their authority and absorb their power. So when excavating a pyramid or temple, the further you dig reveals an additional layer of the building – each with its own art, inscriptions, history, and stories to tell. That, and we also saw a bat with cute little bat feet that had a particular fondness for Melissa – it actually flew at her. It’s still cute, though. Look at those little bat toes!

The day after, we took them horseback riding through the bush, along the edge of the rainforest. One of the school board members had his horses saddled up for the four of us to use, and we walked through the back country of Belize, enjoying the views and birds along the way. It was a fun way to see what the Mayans and the Mennonites cleared out to establish their communities while at the same time enjoying the beautiful day.

The next day, we all headed to Belize City to spend a few days at the Radisson Fort George. Not after a slight delay, however. You see, there aren’t many police patrol cars in Belize. Instead, there are police checkpoints where they examine the registration and insurance stickers in your windshield. Our insurance sticker, however, fell off. We spent 45 minutes at the checkpoint waiting for proof of insurance to be faxed in while the officer explained that he could both impound the vehicle and put me in jail for improper documentation. Thank you, Susa, for coming through for us! It was my favorite fax ever.

From Belize City, we took a river tour to the ruins of Lamanai. It was so much fun touring these ruins with my family; they both were so interested in the history of Belize to start with. Lamanai was one of the largest and longest occupied Mayan sites in Belize, but very little of the enormous site is fully excavated. Many of the mounds and hills are identifiable – and the map shows you how many structures there actually are. Auntie Moe conquered her fear of heights on the High Temple (Good Job Moe!). And, the new picture we took of the Temple of the Mask shows the side view of the staircase that once covered the mask. A Mayan king had covered it with his own temple, building a layer of limestone stairs in front of the mask itself. You can see the zig-zag profile of the staircase in the corner above the mask that once extended the full length of the temple. I think each U.S. president should build a new layer of White House when they enter into office; that will offer something just as interesting to excavate in 500 years.

The next day we drove along the Western Highway to the Belize Zoo to see all the animals of Belize not readily visible where we live. Whoah. For a third-world country, this zoo is amazing. Even for a first-world country, this zoo was very well done. For a second-world country, well, nobody is really sure what that is so I would say it’s still pretty nice.

Here I finally got to see a Tapir, or Mountain Cow – the national animal. This thing is bizarre, but docile and you can actually pet it. If you do though, it will wipe its slimy pig-snout on you which moves a lot like an elephant’s trunk (only shorter). We saw otters, birds, a giant Jabiru stork that stood there and shivered like a chihuahua, and all five jungle cats found in Belize. The greatest one we saw was the Black Jaguar. At first glance, it looks just like a puma, but if you look closely you can see the leopard spots all over it. A rare recessive gene produces these beautiful cats, and the zoo had two of them. How fancy!

There was also a large Harpie Eagle that had no fear of man. I’d seen many pictures of these, but didn’t realize until I saw one in person how enormous they are. It stood almost to my chest, with thick heavy feet that could tear my arm off if I put it through the fence. So, I didn’t.

After all the adventure, it was time to relax. So, we took a water taxi to San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye to spend a day relaxing on the beach and snorkeling in the Caribbean. It was so nice to just kick back and take in the views, with the waves crashing on the Great Barrier Reef just offshore. On an uninteresting side-note, this island was the inspiration for Madonna’s 1980’s hit, “La Isla Bonita.” We didn’t like it quite as much as Caye Caulker, but it was a fun way to spend Christmas Day.

Boxing Day (the holiday after Christmas Day) was spent in Belize City. We went to visit the Tourist Village, which can be entered only with a foreign passport. Cruise ship passengers arrive on this dock, and native Belizeans are not allowed in. Consequently, all prices are in US dollars and everything is targeted toward boat people who want to spend a lot of money on their port of call. We don’t make US dollars and can find most of the same souvenirs elsewhere. It’s kind of sad that this is the only impression many people will have of Belize. Thank God for long, incredibly detailed blog entries to fight the misconception that Belize is an Americanized, polished playground for America with all the same amenities, but in a steamy tropical setting.

Tomorrow, my family will fly home. But we will first go to the Belize museum, where most Mayan artifacts end up. There is also a large Belizean flag on display there that was flying at the World Trade Center, then pulled from the rubble after 9/11. Afterwards, we will drop the family off at the airport and Melissa and I will get our Belizean driver’s licenses, since that was part of the documentation I failed to show at the police checkpoint. According to the informative and merciful officer (thank you, P.C. Ramos), foreign driver’s licenses are only good for 3 months here. But, we’ll have local I.D. to ensure we get the Belizean rate for everything from now on!

So, if you made it through all of that, then you have a good idea of what’s in store for you if you, too, choose to visit us in this area that we’ve made our home. It’s fun to host guests, and we would LOVE for any of you to come down as well! We have a whole week off for Easter, plenty of time to plan your vacation…

iBelize Navidad! - 12/25/06

2006-12-25T21:40:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family, wherever you are this holiday season! This picture of us was taken today on Ambergris Caye. Sorry for the glare, that's the ocean making sure it recieves proper attention as well! We celebrated Christ's birth by snorkeling in the Caribbean, drinking rum punch (not too much!) and getting sunburns. We miss our family and Christmas traditions, but again, we're having a great time.

These past 8 days have been crazy-adventurous as we have been hosting Nathan's aunt and uncle and making sure they enjoy all of the most special parts of Belize. Nathan will write soon and tell you all about it. In the meantime, please post a comment and tell us how you spent Christmas!

In the words of the great pre-adolescent 19th Century English philosopher, Tiny Tim, "God Bless us Everyone!"

God is Cool! - 12/18/06

2006-12-23T06:02:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for our kids over the last few weeks. All of the kids involved in the accident are now home and able to spend Christmas with their families.

Bradley, the one who was most seriously injured, came home last Wednesday and is doing so well, it can only be beause of God's help and your prayers. He had his surgeries in Guatemala and the doctors there said he was the forth person to go through such intensive surgery in their hospital that year and he was the only one who survived. The doctors actually sat his parents down and asked them what was different about Bradley, how he was able to survive surgery and recover so quickly. The nurses were amazed at his rapid healing and noted that he was filled with a sense of peace and was making miraculous progress in the few short weeks he was there.

At one point the family was scrambling to find a blood donor for him. He is O negative, which is a very rare blood type. His father was with him in the hospital and was a blood match, but he had given so much of his own blood the hospital would not let him give any more. We were visiting with his older brother, Richard, one night and Nathan mentioned he was also O negative and said he would be willing to get to Guatemala if the family needed it. Then, overnight, Bradley healed so quickly and regained so much strength, there was no need for any more blood! He didn't need Nathan's blood to give him strength, he just needed God's strength!

The doctors took bone from his hip to recreate an upper and lower jaw and he still has exposed bone in his mouth so he has to be very careful about infection. Also, he recently had a very bad reaction to his antibiotics, so he can no longer take them. Continue to pray against infection in his body. Ironically, he is having more pain in his hip from taking the bone than pain in his face from the accident or surgery! He will be in a wheelchair for a while because he absolutely cannot take the risk of falling down and braking any of the new bone or injuring the weak hip.

He is so happy to be back home and surrounded by friends and family! He is talking a little and smiling a lot. We haven't able to visit him yet but everyone notes a change in his attitude and his spirit. There is no doubt in my mind God is using this experience to bring this little guy closer to Him!

I just wanted to make sure to update you all. I know many of you have been praying for Bradley and the other kids, so I thought you would enjoy some good news for the Holidays! Sorry to all of you who have been anxiously waiting for new information on the kids. We have been on "internet lockdown" again for the past few weeks. That is one frustration I will never be able to get used to in this country--internet that costs $130 a month that is constantly not working!

Playing Santa - 12/16/06

2006-12-23T05:48:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we went with a group of folks from the church to hand out gifts to kids living in an orphanage in Belize City. We were especially looking forward to meeting the two boys we had shopped for and watching them open the gifts we selected for them. When we arrived at the orphanage, all of the kids were gathered outside watching a play about the First Christmas, which was put on by kids from a local Calvary Chapel. The play was funny, little known fact: After the angel appeared to Mary, she called Joseph on his cell and asked him to come over to her house because she had important news! Didn’t know that! Anyway, while the kids watched the play, I watched the kids. I was surrounded by 64 beautiful children with dark eyes, various shades of brown skin, and smiling faces. Of course, I immediately selected 3 kids that I just knew I couldn’t live without, that I would have to talk Nathan into letting me adopt. Little did I know Nathan was doing the exact same thing, having immediately taking a liking to a particular little mess named Ethan.

After the play was over the kids excitedly turned their attention to us, the white visitors from Blue Creek with all the gifts. The church collected monetary donations as well as gifts for specific kids, and the people of Blue Creek had been so generous we were able to buy stuffed animals for all the kids, put together candy goody bags, and supply the orphanage with a 50 lb bag of rice, boxes of formula, soap and feminine products for the girls. As each child’s name was called they were given their gift, a stuffed animal, and a goody bag. Each child went back to their seat with their wrapped gift and waited patiently for all of the kids to receive gifts before opening theirs. I couldn’t believe how patient these kids were! They sat excitedly watching as others went up to get their gifts. Even when it was time to open them, one little one refused to take the wrapping off, just wanting to treasure the gift. Finally, after a lot of coaxing from one of the youth, the child relented and opened the present.

Nathan and I watched 15 year-old Joseph open the soccer ball and t-shirt we bought him. He immediately tore off a piece of wrapping paper and wrote us a thank you note right there on the spot! He told me he loved soccer and that #3 was his favorite number (the shirt was gave him had the number three on it.) What a sweet, charming, and polite young man he is! I talked to him for a while and he told me he was in 11^th grade at a very prestigious and academically challenging school in Belize City. He also said he was planning on going through the necessary training to become a pilot after school! Our friend Abe was there, so I introduced them and they talked flying for the rest of the visit!

We bought a razor scooter for another little boy, Jamique, but he was not at the orphanage, so we were not able to watch him open his gift. We found out that he is deaf and unable to speak, so this gift is really going to make him popular among the kids! One of the lady who works there said, “that gift is gonna have me runnin all over after him!” I hope they let him have it! It turns out Jamique wasn’t at the orphanage because every year, for two weeks during Christmas, Belizean families can arrange to have one of the orphans stay with them in their homes! You have to go through a home study with Child Services and be approved, but what a great idea that is! It also serves two purposes. The first and most obvious, the kids are able to spend Christmas in a home and have the thrill of a Christmas morning and a huge Christmas dinner. Also, the ladies who work at the orphanage and staff it 24 hours a day, are able to get a break and spend the holidays with their own families.

After the kids opened their gifts, we sat and talked and played with them for about 2 hours—I have never known two hours to pass so quickly! One of the boys that I just fell in love with was named Eric, he had a broken arm, so Nathan and I nicknamed him roto, meaning broken. I helped him get his toy cars out of their packages and played with them. One of them was a police car with a siren; he got a big kick out of that gift. Then, another little boy, Wrick, about the same age as Roto, got a transformer that turned into a jet that shot arrows, so of course, I had to play with him. He shot me with an arrow and I fell over, crying, asking how he could shoot me. He spent the rest of the time sneaking up on me and shooting me with arrows and laughing as I pretended to be in pain. Wrick needed help opening some of his candy and he and I looked through his bag together. One of the things in the bag was a chocolate wafer stick and I told him they are soooo good, so he offered it to me! I couldn’t believe how cute that was! Even when I told him no thank you and told him to enjoy it, he wouldn’t. I put it back in his bag, but he was no longer interested in eating it, he wanted me to have it! I hope he was eventually able to enjoy it!

Ethan, the one I called a “mess” earlier, really was a cutie. He is the one Nathan was so drawn to and for good reason. I called him “mess” because he was just a little guy with a Michigan hat tipped to the side of his head and when he collected his gift, his goody bag and his stuffed animal his hands were full, full, full. He dropped his stuffed animal in the mud, trying desperately not to drop his candy. Then, when he bent to pick up the animal, his shorts, which were way too big for his teeny frame, started to fall down! So there he was, walking very carefully, with his legs spread wide apart to keep his shorts from slipping past his knees, juggling his armful of gifts, with a HUGE grin on his face! Oh if only we had been allowed to take pictures of these kids!

All of the kids were cute and sweet and excited! Most everyone at the orphanage spoke a type of creole, a mix of English, African dialects, and Spanish, called kriol. Listening to those little voices with their big accents just added to their charm! At one point little Wrick got up to play with his transformer and leaving his candy bag on the table asked Nathan, “You mind dis fo me.” Nathan smiled and said, “Yes, I’ll keep an eye on your bag for you.”

Eventually it was time to go, which wasn’t easy. I mean, I can’t even leave the Humane Society without crying, and here I was surrounded by beautiful, funny children who needed a home! Talk about gut-wrenching! If Nathan and I had known you can keep two kids over Christmas, Roto and Ethan would definitely have left with us!

As I mentioned before, we weren’t allowed to take pictures at the orphanage, which was a big bummer. But, since many of the kids placed there are the Belizean equivalent to Child Protection cases, it makes sense. So instead, here are some pictures of our journey home. The first one is of a little boy in Orange Walk. I’m used to seeing boys ride bikes that are too small for them, but I have never seen a little boy attempt to ride an adult bike! I couldn’t let that moment pass!

Also on the way back, Paul got the van stuck in deep deep mud. Apparently dirt roads + the hurricane like rain we have had over the past two weeks = mud traps! We all had to get out, take our shoes off, and push the van through the mud! If you don’t look too closely, this could be a picture of Nathan standing ankle-deep in a snow drift! Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking! After we pushed him out, Paul washed each of our feet and we got back in the van and continued the ride home.

It was a great Saturday, I wish the orphanage was closer so I could visit more often. I have to admit, Nathan and I entertained the idea of adopting one of those little guys. I thought of something Kate said during the days leading up to mine and Nathan’s wedding. She said she wouldn’t be able to stand me having so much attention to myself, so she just may have to announce she was pregnant in the middle of our ceremony. I have to admit, it was a little tempting to think of Nathan and I showing up for Kate’s wedding, with the first grandchild in tow. “Hey Kate, nice dress, it’s really white and pretty! Hey everyone, let me introduce you to our new son! Yup, you guys are now grandparents!! Can he be in the wedding too?” Hehe, tempting, but too evil, even for me. I love you sis!

Please Pray for our Kids! - 12/10/06

2006-12-10T14:44:00.000-08:00

Last night we learned that several of the high school youth had been in a very bad accident. Two are very badly injured and are in need of prayer.

One of the kids here drives a car that everyone calls la cucaracha, which looks a lot like a doon buggy-- it's an old vehicle without a roof, hood, or doors. Last night after dark, some kids were driving around the rice fields in la cucaracha, hunting crocodile when the car dropped into a big, newly-dug ditch. When the kids hunt here, they stand in the back of the cucaracha and use a spotlight to see their target. When the care dropped into the ditch the kids came down and hit the bare metal of the vehicle (I do not know whether or not any of them were thrown from the car). Two kids are in neck braces, one has stitches and one is being taken to Guatemala, where better doctors with better equipment can deal with his critical injuries. One young man, Reuben, broke three ribs and is complaining of back pain and partial numbness. Another, It is my understanding that his face slammed into the exposed metal of the cucaracha and did extensive damage to his mouth and jaw. One of Nathan’s students came by this morning and reported he had only one tooth left and his jaw was crushed. Bradley, is in the worst shape.

We prayed with the parents and youth at the medical center last night, but the kids are still very upset and Reuben and Bradley’s conditions are still painful and serious. Accidents are common here because kids as young as 11 drive 4-wheelers and scooters, and they like to push the limits and show off. But this situation is different because no one was being especially unsafe, yet they were hurt very badly. The kids realize it could have been any one of them. The mother of the driver is especially upset. Her son walked away with only a neck brace and some soreness, so she was so relieved. At the same time she feels so much guilt because the other kids in the car were hurt so badly.

Plus, any tragedy around Christmas time is a difficult one. Please keep the kids and their families in your prayers.

Chetumal, Take 2 - 12/9/06

2006-12-10T14:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went on a Christmas touring and shopping extravaganza! New friends, Paul and Susie picked us up at 6:30 a.m., we crammed into their van along with another couple, Darryl and Corrina and our friend Hilda and headed to Mexico to do some light Christmas shopping. A quick stop to drop off Paul and Susie’s two daughters and we were just a group of crazy youthful adults full of Christmas cheer!

An hour and a half and 45 bumpy, dusty miles later we stopped in Orange Walk and had a breakfast of tacos from a street vendor. THEY WERE SOOO HOT! I should have known better, I have lived in Belize long enough. But, when they ask, “¿Quiere chile?” I should be careful, these tacos were loaded with habenero! They were still sooo good though and some fresh squeezed orange juice washed the heat away. Who knew? I was always told to drink milk after eating spicy foods, but the OJ was just what I needed.

Another hour and a half and we were at the Mexico-Belize border. Nothing exciting to report there, everyone added one more stamp to their passports and we were on our way downtown to do some shopping in the markets. We looked at lot of stuff but didn’t find anything to buy. We were on a mission, we had signed up to sponsor two children from a local orphanage and were desperately trying to figure what 10 and 15- year old Belizean boys would want to see all wrapped up on Christmas morning.

We all met back up a few hours later and were headed to the mall when we saw police lights behind us. Paul pulled the vehicle over and a very angry and hostile police officer came to the window demanding to see Paul’s license, which he immediately handed over as requested. FYI: Do not ever, under any circumstances, hand over your driver’s license to a police officer in Mexico. You can hold it up for them to read, but do not let go of your license. The officer asked if anyone spoke Spanish and we all played dumb. We have learned that language barriers and confusion often lead to a quicker solution in sticky situations. This was not one of those times. The officer began animatedly yelling at Paul, pointing at him and made a gesture that clearly meant he intended to keep Paul’s license. At that point, Nathan folded and began talking with the officer. He accused Paul of a silly traffic infraction which basically translated into, “Hi, you’re foreign and you’re in Mexico. I have your license, if you want it back you will have to pay my bribe.” At that point he said he would write a ticket that would cost Paul 200 pesos. Nathan asked for the license back and explained, very respectfully, that it was his understanding that the officer had no authority to take Paul’s license away. It was at that point that the officer must have noticed the leather interior in the van because suddenly he remembered Paul had committed a second infraction and it would now cost 400 pesos to solve the situation. At this point, Nathan, Paul and the officer all stepped out of the vehicle and continued this charade on the side of the busy Mexican road. In the end, Paul left without his license and the officer left without a bribe. Not much incentive to travel to Mexico and try to boost their economy with foreign dollars, huh?

Still in relatively good spirits, we continued to the mall. Paul was very calm and seemed unconcerned with losing his license and I was very impressed with this cool head in that very unjust situation. We all had lunch together, more tacos, and then decided to check out the movie theater, in hopes of seeing a nice Christmas movie. Most of the group wanted to see The Nativity Story, but it was only playing in Spanish. Our choices for English movies were A Good Year, Casino Royale, DejaVu, or Children of Men. I voted for A Good Year, but the group decided on DejaVu, because the timing was right to maximize our shopping time. I was surprised by the cast; Denzel, Val, Jim “I’ve played Jesus” Cavaziel, and Nathan’s favorite “Hebrew Hammer” (nod to Dad and Nathaniel) Adam Goldberg. There was a brief joke about Canada during the movie and since we were surrounded by all our new Canadian friends, I made sure to laugh extra loudly. The movie was a little annoyingly far-fetched, but it was still pretty good. Or maybe it was just the excitement of being in a real movie theater again.

After the movie we stopped by a little café for some faspa and then finally got to some Christmas shopping! The mall was decked out; in Mexico you’re actually allowed to celebrate Christmas, no one wished us a “Happy Holiday.” After much anxiety, we selected a Razor scooter for our 10-year old (those are just now catching on down here) and a soccer ball and new t-shirt for our 15-year old. I really wanted to get a basketball, but Nathan reminded me we are in Central America, and futbol is the big sport here. Things are much cheaper in Mexico, than in Belize. We took care to make sure our selections were good quality and we only spent about $30 US! Next weekend we are going to the orphanage with a group of people from Blue Creek to deliver the gifts to the orphans, I hope the 15 year-old likes soccer!

After a quick cruise through Burger King—yes, I finally folded for that flame broiled taste, we headed back to the border! Going through customs was a bit more tricky. Hilda went through before us with a wave and smile from the friendly officer. I don’t know what happened to him between the time Hilda walked away and I pushed my things forward. Maybe he just saw my U.S. passport, which I wasn’t able to slip back into my purse quickly enough. He sized up all my purchases and decided I needed to pay $10 in duty. I explained I had a volunteer Visa and that the gifts were for orphans, then he went into a long lecture about how everything has a price, blah, blah, blah. I asked if he would write a receipt for the duty and he said he would. That calmed me down because I realized he wasn’t asking for a bribe, that the duty would go to the Belizean government, which is appropriate. Then I explained we had changed all of our money for pesos and assumed it would be fine if we paid that way. He stated they would not accept pesos and said we would have to pay in BZ. Nathan calmly explained we really, truly only had pesos but the officer was unconcerned and said we’d “have to figure something out.” That’s when I lost my cool completely, thinking about what had happened with the Police officer earlier that day and realizing we were the only ones in the customs area being asked to pay duty. Nathan of course, stayed calm. I said some things I shouldn’t have said, which basically boiled down to, “It’s really unfair how we are constantly targeted by crooked officials just because we are Americans.” Of course, I typed it here much more politely than I said it. I had to end up borrowing money from Darryl and Corrina, who skated through customs without even a side glance from their customs officer. My officer, however, explained I could be charged with assault for the way I gave him the money. I’m really lucky I have a husband who can remain calm and not make a scene in public government places. Especially when, really, I threw a fit over $5 U.S. and Paul had remained completely calm when an officer had unjustly taken his license from him on the side of a busy Mexican road.

After a few more hours on a long, bumpy road, we made it home! We have gifts for our sponsor kids, we have a new bottle of wine and we bought 4 glasses, so we don’t have to drink everything out of the 1000’s of mugs that came with our apartment. All in all, it was a good day with a few minor bumps. We spent some time with new friends, got to see some pretty impressive Christmas lights, and I’m not currently in a Belizean jail!

God bless us, everyone!

Lamanai – 11/26/06

2006-12-06T17:26:00.000-08:00

…A face only a mother could love…

This is the famous trademark of the Mayan ruins of Lamanai. This site is about fifteen miles from us, set along a river and featuring a small, American-owned (of course) resort. We spent the afternoon walking around the ruins after church.
Much of the site is still under jungle cover, but the shape of the hills cannot be mistaken for anything but temples, palaces, and municipal structures. The biggest temples are fully excavated, however. The Temple of the Mask features a unique carving of a single, giant face – a feature not typically found on Mayan temples.

Walking around the site was fascinating because most of the trees and strange plants alongside the trail were labeled. A botanist’s dream come true. I know money doesn’t grow on trees, but did you know that horse balls do? The hand-painted sign proves it. And the “seeds” further emphasize the point. This sign is incredibly useful because it also features the Mayan word for cojones, so if we ever travel to the far South we’ll be able to converse with the locals.

On the way to the High Temple we passed a detour sign directing us to the Fig Tree. We decided to see what the big deal was about and stepped off the main trail. This thing was ginormous!

First, let me say that mosquitoes must love figs. I know this to be a scientific fact because near the giant fig tree we experienced what could only be described as pestilence. Maria loves the significance of fig trees, so she wanted us to take a picture of her at its base. I don’t really think you can disturb a mosquito nest because they spend most of their time flying by your ear and biting you in your sleep, but I’m guessing she found a big one. She could not stay still for even half a second for this picture. They swarmed her as if they were part mosquito, part Africanized honey bee. Consequently, all pictures of Maria and the fig tree look like this…

But, the adventurers that we are, being eaten alive would not stop us from continuing our trek. Well, most of us. Maria did ask for an ambulance, or to call 911. We had to remind her that a 911 call from Central America would not only be expensive, but the response time would be less than ideal…

The High Temple was creatively named. I bet you can’t guess how it came to be known as such. I could only describe it as something large, stone, old, and, yes – high. There are some steep steps leading partway up the temple, then some even steeper steps beyond that with a rope fixed to the middle of them to help you climb to the top. Once there, however, I couldn’t help but feel like I had a little bit of the Captain in me…

Melissa and Maria also got to show off their muscles at the top, with a stunning view of rainforest canopy and jungle growth as far as the eye can see with a river cutting through the middle of it all. I kept trying to picture what it was like with a Mayan city in its prime along the riverbank and the boat traffic coming and going from all the foreign traders. All that’s left now are mounds of stone and angry black howler monkeys. There was a particularly aggressive one in the tree closest to the temple that started screaming as we began our descent. Other monkeys returned its call from nearby, and their echoes through the trees, trails, and temples continued long after we left. I wish you could hear their call – it sounds more like a lion’s roar than a monkey’s scream and incredibly loud.

There were a couple other temples to conquer, but we plan on saving those for when our guests arrive from the states. We thought maybe next time we’ll just drive to Orange Walk and take the boat up the river to the landing at the site of the ruins – that way we’ll get a good jungle tour in as well.

Until then, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. Well, not really – but we have a small tree and two stockings to remind us of the season. Although we’ve been sweating recently, another “Norther” is coming this week so we should be able to wear long sleeves for a few days again.

So, I hope you are all enjoying your holiday season. It’s busy here – our Christmas program was moved up to the 8th, so this is a short school week with a lot of practicing while gearing up for semester exams at the same time. I can’t believe how fast time is flying by! I love and miss SO many of you, let me know how you’re doing!

Love,
Nathan

Happy Holidays! - 11/25/06

2006-11-25T19:41:00.000-08:00

We received several e-mails and MySpace comments wishing us a Happy Thanks-giving and a Happy Holiday Season! Thank you to everyone who remembered us, we love getting comments and e-mails—they are our connection to home Thanks mom for the cards, we laughed, our neighbors laughed, everyone who reads them laughs Thanks also to Auntie Reda and Uncle Marv who also sent a funny card and a wonderful and unexpected package to help get us into the Holiday Season. Auntie Reda, the candles are soo cute and I used them to decorate for our Thanksgiving meal

Yes, Nathan and I did celebrate Thanksgiving with all of our brothers and sisters living in the States. Turkey isn’t popular here, so I roasted a chicken. It’s not that there aren’t turkeys around here, there are plenty of wild turkey. But, they look more like peacocks than those big, ugly, loud, brown American turkeys. And who wants to shoot a peacock? I think that’s probably why turkey isn’t a popular dinner food. Anyway, I roasted a chicken, made mashed potatoes, Beans ala Warner, stuffing, gravy, biscuits, and even a pumpkin pie Yes I MADE A PUMPKIN PIE I have never even watched someone make a pie before, and I made one That means I made the crust people, does anyone understand how amazing that is? What’s even more amazing is that it was good The pie was perfect, the crust was moist and flaky- I can bake, without fancy baking tools like a “pastry cutter ” Hey, I know what a pastry cutter is Wow, who new?

As most of you would probably guess, Belize did not celebrate Thanksgiving this past Thursday. What you probably wouldn’t guess, is that Belize actually does celebrate Thanksgiving on the first Sunday in November; although I do not know what they are observing on their Thanksgiving Day. I have asked a few people what they celebrate on Thanksgiving and they mostly say, “It’s a day to give thanks ” Oh okay, now I get it, sorry, the name completely threw me off there…Thanksgiving was observed in Blue Creek on November 5th and it was celebrated in the Fellowship Hall directly following the normal church service. Apparently, no one eats Thanksgiving dinner in their own homes with their family, the entire community celebrates together. I think this is a wonderful idea, but there are very few communities where you could actually pull this off. I have not lived in too many places where the entire community can fit into one church. Besides, the Blue Creek Family Tree only comes from 3 or 4 different roots and the branches are slowly but surely marrying into one tree, so it makes sense for the entire community to celebrate this historically family holiday together.

Halloween also passed without anyone in Blue Creek taking much notice. Apparently Mennonites do not celebrate Halloween, since they believe it to be “Satan’s Holiday.” Mom sent a great package around Halloween with a nice card with carved pumpkins on the front. Our company would see the card and ask if we celebrate Halloween at home. I enjoyed their reactions when I replied, “Of course ” Most of them do not believe “good Christians” should celebrate Halloween. That’s when I would proudly pull up the picture Lindsay (our sis-in-law) sent of our niece, Jocelyn, in her baby blue gorilla costume Look how cute Halloween can be? How could there be anything wrong with a day when a child can look this adorable? It didn’t really seem to soften any hearts over here, but I sure enjoyed this little picture of home

Although Blue Creek does not observe Halloween, that didn’t prevent us from having our dinner interrupted by one lone group of “trick-or-treaters.” I put that in quotes because these were the laziest trick-or-treaters I have ever seen. They didn’t even take the time to dress in costumes but they still expected a treat Someone needs to sit these kids down and have a serious talk about taking pride in your work. Anyway, Nathan answered the door and there were 4 giggling high school and junior high boys singing, “Trick or treat, smell my feet give me something good to eat Make it big, not too small, about the size of Montreal ” Oh yes, that’s right, we are surrounded by Canadian Belizeans, just when I had almost forgotten We didn’t have any candy on-hand but we were enjoying a wonderful tropical fruit salad with papaya, apples, apple bananas, and mandarins. Each of the boys got a big spoonful of “God’s candy”—shockingly, they ate it, shouted their “thank yous” and moved on.

So here we go, the Holiday Season is in full swing and we are finally experiencing what locals calls a “cold front.” The other day it was 14 degrees Celsius in the morning, which means it was about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Everyone is wearing pants and long sleeves and a few of them have even put on gloves and scarves While some of you laugh at this, I should probably admit that Nathan and I are pretty chilly too. We borrowed an extra heavy blanket from a friend because we were shivering in our sleep and we have been wearing long sleeves all week. In our defense, I think the humidity here makes the temperature feel cooler just as it makes it feel hotter on warm days. I also think it makes my vision a little funny, because on our way home from the restaurant the other night, I saw a home, surrounded by palm trees, decorated in icicle lights…could someone please send me contacts, cuz that just can’t be right…

Chan Chich - 11/19/06

2006-11-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

Chan Chich is a lodge between our town and the Guatemalan border. It is set in the jungle, directly on the site of a Mayan Ruin. This is a world-class resort catering to anyone who wants to explore the jungle of Central America in luxurious accommodations. We are fortunate enough that our friend Abe is friends with the American couple who own the place. It is set about an hour back into the bush along a private road. There are two checkpoints you have to drive through – you cannot pass without permission. It seems there are many hoity-toity guests who don’t want their birdwatching or jaguar sightseeing to be disturbed by those darned locals.

The lodge has nine miles of trails surrounding it – cleared paths through rainforest canopy with jungle growth covering large mounds that once served as the downtown buildings in a Mayan city. You drive between two small, grass-covered pyramids when you enter the lodge grounds. The parking lot is alongside a steep, grassy temple complex extending the length of the parking area and main lodge building. There is a trail alongside the back of that particular structure allowing you to climb to the top, sit on the little park bench, and enjoy the view of the resort grounds and surrounding wildlife.

Abundant wildlife. I don’t even know how many deer and turkeys we saw on the way in. The turkeys were all over the resort, too. They have no fear of people, so we could have easily thrown one into the back of the car for our Thanksgiving meal. They’re crazy looking, too. They look like a cross between an ugly, brown North American turkey and a peacock. I didn’t realize holiday birds could come in such vibrant colors. Perhaps we need to make use of these animals by creating another holiday between Thanksgiving and Christmas that calls for a turkey dinner and festive holiday colors…

There were a lot of spider monkeys, too. They’re not too concerned with being discreet and avoiding predators. Let’s just say they would make really bad ninjas. We were just walking around the trail and they start crashing though the treetops, leaves showering down as the branches snap and crack above our heads. Our friend Hilda warned us not to get too close, as the angry-monkey-throwing-poo image is not just a myth. I wasn’t about to test that.

Most of the tombs had been raided long before the place was mapped, excavated, and a resort built on the plaza. There was a single king’s tomb in the ground however that was uncovered recently, with a mummy, jade, and various Mayan artifacts still intact. The actual temples and pyramids had been opened up and emptied, though. It was strange to walk into the hollowed-out sections of the pyramids. They were colder than I imagined possible in such a humid environment. Melissa reminded me of the famous Tomb Raider character Lara Croft – just waltzing into an open pyramid like it was her business, ready to take any treasure she could find. A fascinating place, though.

The owners of the resort told our friend Abe that we could bring our swimsuits and take advantage of the pool house. It actually wasn’t warm enough for that, though. During the dry season here, we will occasionally have cold fronts from Mexico called Northers that will bring cold air for several days in a row before becoming hot and humid again. The pool house was gorgeous, though. It ran along the side of a long, grassy mound that could have been either the ballcourt or oratory of the Mayan community. The pool house was a giant screened-in garden with lush, tropical plants all along the wall and surrounding the raised hot tub. Beautiful!

Afterward, we had faspa – a daily Mennonite tradition comparable to the English “Tea Time,” with coffee and muffins. The coffee at the resort was free, strong, and thick. I can’t believe we live so close to this place! My aunt and uncle are coming down for Christmas. She has a background in horticulture and wants to see the flora and fauna of Belize – can’t wait to take them there. My uncle is also a farmer, so I think he’ll appreciate the Gallon Jug estate we drive through – where all the coffee in Belize is grown. It was glorious…

Love and miss you all – hope to hear from you soon and that you had a Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm a cowboy, baby! - 10/10/06

2006-11-18T18:02:00.000-08:00

So, what happened with the indentured labor, you may be asking yourself? Yes, I was auctioned off and forced to work for my student's father - who also happened to be one of the members of the school board. So much for a restful Saturday! It was supposed to be tomorrow, but he moved it up one week.

It was a hard day on the ranch in Belize, but now I know what a farmer's life is actually like here in Blue Creek. It was an incredibly educational experience - the teacher has now become the student. We went to his ranch where the horses were kept to mount up.

I would like to take this opportunity to quickly describe my last experience on a horse. I was ten. The horse wasn't trained. I was at a ranch in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The horse was a jerk and hated kids. As we rode off, the horse thought it would be a funny little joke to take off at full gallop toward the freeway with a kid screaming like a little girl on its back. I didn't think it was quite as funny. I tried to pull back on the reins with all of the strength and authority of a ten-year-old, but you can imagine how effective that was. I'm sure the horse felt only a little tickle against its neck. It wasn't until two ranch hands rode up on either side of me and grabbed the reins that the horse even thought about slowing down.

So, we got to go horseback riding on Saturday! They asked me, "Do you want to ride Lightning, Clown, Pochorro, or Male Horse?"
"What's the difference?"
"Lightning was a race horse and likes to take off sometimes, but can go really fast, Clown isn't broken in completely (how exciting!), Pochorro is about 3 feet tall, slow, lazy, and old, and Male Horse is short but obedient."
"I'll take Male Horse."

I got on the horse and learned an important lesson you can't get from an after-school special and that they didn't clearly explain to me before I got on. When you squeeze the horse with your legs, he goes forward, when you pull on the reins, he stops, and if you keep pulling, he backs up. I got on, and was worried about falling off, so I squeezed him tightly with my legs. That told him to move fast, but I didn't know that. So I'm yanking on the reins, trying to get him to stop lunging forward, and the horse is getting mixed signals from me so it's getting stressed, then I'm getting stressed, and their ranch hand is getting stressed because he's still holdng the lead at this point. Finally, Ernest, my student, told me to relax my legs. DUH!

That was the only excitement, the horse was great from then on. We rode around his land, toward the edge of rainforest canopy, around small, lush rolling hills with streams running throughout, and through the pastures where the jungle growth was already trying to reclaim the grassland. The scenery was stunning.

Afterward, we went to Circle R, the local rice mill/feed shop for coke with all the other cowboys. We drank soda, then toured around a bit, then went home for a heavy lunch. We were going to go fishing, but were rained out, so we drove around some more - out toward Three Corners, where the borders of Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize all come together. We were about three miles from there before we turned around, went to the store for some ice cream, and then sat around and talked with some other farmers again. Man, was I pooped! Being a cowboy is hard work.

That evening, Melissa and I were invited back to their house for a big barbecue. It was such a relaxing day! And now I finally know how hard the cowboys and farmers work around here. Whew! I'm tired again just thinking about it.

Monday brought about the daily grind again, but I am still loving my job and I think my kids are just great. We're having a good quarter so far. And, Melissa and I have Sirius again! I couldn't be any more excited about that (thank you Lynda!). Now we can listen to news about home, and stay updated on music and the shallow, meaningless entertainment news that defines our culture and that we all love and enjoy. Yay America! *waving flag*

Anyway, I miss so many of you. I would love to hear a comment from you or an email or something like that. Before Christmas we should have the internet at home and can communicate regularly with everyone again. Until then, let me know how your lives are! Love you tons and I'll talk at ya soon!

Pictures! - 11/17/06

2006-11-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

We hope you all enjoy these!

Money Matters- 11/16/06

2006-11-16T18:20:00.000-08:00

Alright this is something we are just going to put out there for everyone’s information. We aren’t soliciting for money in any way, but Christmas is coming, and in the past we have received checks as gifts from family, so we wanted everyone to be familiar with how best to send us money during this Holiday Season.

So far we have received several checks from friends and family and we have appreciated them very much. However, dealing with checks is a bit frustrating here, as the good ol’ Blue Creek Credit Union isn’t an actual legitimate Credit Union at all, but more of a “Mennonite Money Storage and Supplier,” so it took them two months to verify funds on our last check and deposit the money into our “account.” If you have already sent us checks for Christmas, thank you so much for thinking of us, don’t think it will go unappreciated. It will just mean we can have a little extra money when Valentine’s Day rolls around!

I asked the manager of the “Credit Union” if we could deposit Cashier’s Checks for guaranteed cash, but they did not know what a Cashier’s Check or Money Order was. After explaining to her what it was, she calmly explained it would still have to go through the regular verification process. For those of you who just have to know, this means the check goes from Blue Creek to Orange Walk, Belize. From there it is shipped up to Canada-yes, Canada- and then, to whichever state in the US the check is originally from, before clearing your account and being verified by the Canadian bank and deposited to the bank in Orange Walk. Then, someone from Blue Creek has to travel to Orange Walk and look at the deposit receipts to see if our deposit is on it, then we get our money. Oh yeah, that’s not a frustrating process at all. In the end, your check has traveled more than the Israelites, who wandered in the desert for 40 years.

The best ways we know to receive money are three ways that seem risky, but really are the most convenient for us. One, is to send a check, but leave the “to” line blank. That way we can just write it over to one of the 30 businessmen in Blue Creek who go to the States every month—they will give us cash for it and they will deposit it in their own account on their own time. But knowing everything that is involved, I wouldn’t want my checks traveling all over the world. So, the other way is to send a Traveler’s Check-- also not written out to anyone. This way we can just cash it at the “Credit Union.” But, if it’s written out to us, for some reason, it would have to go through that silly verification process. Don’t ask me why, I know that doesn’t make sense, but remember, it’s not a real bank. Finally, the last way to bless us this Holiday season with a gift of money is to just send cash. I know, I know, this is sooo risky as cards are often opened in Belize, just for the sole purpose of checking for money. However, if you were to send it disguised somehow- Auntie Reda and Mom have proven they are very good at this- it may work. Plus, we have gotten many cards and none of them seem to have been opened at all.

It feels a little odd to be writing so forwardly about money, it seems so presumptuous, but I just thought it was an important base to cover. Everyone has continued to be so supportive of us through e-mails, packages, cards, comments on our blog, and letters. We appreciate each word from home. Even though we are having an amazing time here, we miss each of you!

Rantings of a Former JPO - 11/5/06

2006-11-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hey! This blog is for all you guys I worked with back in Idaho. Brian, Skye, Kathy, Denise, Gabe, Chad, Kathi Jo, Lois, Jennifer, Amanda—and whoever else is reading my blog but hasn’t sent me any email or comments yet. I MISS YOU GUYS!! I am loving life here, and I like going into work every day at 10:45; but lately I have been missing my old life as a JPO in good old Idaho! I don’t know who all out there is reading our blog, but I would really like to hear from you if you are. Let me know how things are going and let me know what you think of my new life out here. Send me pictures, comments, whatever, so I won’t miss you all so much! Also, don’t be shy, forward my blog address to anyone you think may like to read it, I would love to hear from any one of my old co-workers, colleagues, boss (hint, hint) - anyone! Even though I am enjoying my time here, I miss familiar and friendly faces and would love a word now and then.

I hope you all haven't forgotten me so easily!

I'm Baltic Avenue! - 10/28/06

2006-10-29T19:26:00.000-08:00

So, you may or may not have noticed the fund raiser information on the left of our blog. So far we have had two events to raise funds for the senior trip to the cayes. The first was an incredibly successful community movie night, where we projected the movie “Robots” onto the side of a truck and served dinner to the whole community. Last night, we had a talent show/auction that was wildly successful.

Each student going on the trip and any volunteering community member had to perform a talent, with Melissa and myself acting as emcees for the event. Maria worked concessions with some other students. Between each talent segment, a couple students would be auctioned off to the highest bidder for 8 hours of work on one of the next two Saturdays. Melissa, Maria, and I were also up for bid. I was so worried that my students would wise up and pool their cash, buy me, and make me their slave for a whole Saturday.

Then, the day before the auction, they also figured that out. One of my students said to me in class, “I’m going to buy you and make you spend 8 hours building fence at our farm, then you can finally see how hard our cowboys work!!”
“Um, I never said your cowboys didn’t work hard, Mr. Defensive. I didn’t even know you had cowboys. Calm down.” That whole day my students tried to come up with money and ideas for the work they could have me do. I never prayed so hard…

I was one of the first two people to be auctioned off. The minimum bid was $30 – a pretty good deal for 8 hours worth of labor on any project. I went for $60. Not bad! I went for double the minimum bid! The student auctioned off before me went for $65, purchased by her boss who will make her work anyway. One of my students’ fathers bought me. He owns a farm. I don’t know what I’ll be doing – tutoring their son or kickin’ cow pies all day. I tried to emphasize my talents before the bidding began – I told them I could herd Junior High students and, if you need me to, I can hunt for you with my two guns – at which point I flexed both biceps and kissed them gently. I still only went for $60. I think I need to work out more.

As the night wore on, the bids got higher and higher – the opposite of what I expected. The second to last girl was auctioned off for more than $400. The very last senior girl was auctioned off for $825. Are you kidding? $825? If this were monopoly, those two girls would have been Boardwalk and Park Place. I was one of the lowest bids. I WAS BALTIC AVENUE! Dear Lord, I’m Baltic Avenue! Melissa broke the $200 mark, so she’s one of the high-end yellow properties on the board or maybe one of the green ones. I’m the purple pit stop past Go…

The highlight of the evening was that we probably won't have to run another fundraiser. With the profits from concessions (which was 100% profit since everything was donated) and what we made from the auction, the grand total was $3,780.75. God is so cool! The lowlight of the evening was when two of my students, bless 'em, decided to tell blonde jokes from the internet as their talent. "Why wouldn't a blonde make a good cowboy? Because she can't keep two calves together!" Seriously? Is that my student? I tried my hardest not to react so the crowd wouldn't catch on to how inappropriate the joke was.

It was so much fun though, and the crowd loved it. I had so many students’ parents come up to me and say, “I should have bid on you!” One mom wanted to buy me and give me the day off. She was going to have me ride horses with her son all day. That would have been cool. And it would have increased my final sale price…

The Caye to Our Hearts - 10/23/06

2006-10-29T18:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, for those of you who were wondering, the word “caye” sounds exactly like the word “key.”

Melissa and I made a break for Caye Caulker since we had a four-day weekend. She and I broke our backs during the week to get all of my exams graded and recorded by Thursday night so that Friday morning I could record grades and get report cards ready for Tuesday. It was successful! Friday afternoon we drove to Belize City to catch a water taxi to the cayes.
Thank you God for this beautiful country! And for the relaxing weekend. It was instantly rejuvenating. Even the 30 minute ride on the boat was just fun! Melissa, Maria and I took turns facing the wind and relaxing our mouths – letting the wind blow through our lips and make them flap like a hummingbird’s wings. The locals sitting around us pretended not to notice, but they were laughing at the overworked teachers on vacation.

When we got there, a golf cart from one of the hostels was by the pier looking for potential tenants. We decided to take advantage of the ride and opportunity to learn more about the island. The woman driving the cart heard we were teachers from Belize and proceeded to tell us of the school they just built on the island and their desperate search for teachers. I think the three of us nearly soiled our shorts at the same time. Teaching on a tropical island! Dare we dream?

That was right before she also told us that the teachers aren’t paid anything – it’s a volunteer position and the books and other materials are hard to come by. Most teachers there take the water taxi every day to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye to teach at the Island Academy there. Oh well. And just about the time that dream died, so did the motor of the golf cart. From that point on, we Fred-Flinstoned the cart along the path – each of us stuck a leg out the side and kicked it along as our “guide” steered us through the island. It was funny.

Once we chose our hotel (nicest room on the island – thank you Maria for your bargaining powers) we spent the rest of the time swimming and relaxing in the sun. We were a little surprised that there isn’t really a long stretch of beach on the entire caye. There were many sandy spots that allow you to walk into the water, but they’re next to a restaurant or hotel, so not very popular for sunbathing or swimming.

There is a spot on the island called “the split” where everyone swims. It seems the last hurricane that came through literally split the island in half, and the section that was blown away became a great swimming spot with a sandy bottom and some decent snorkeling. Melissa and I rented snorkel gear and swam out there, looking at fish, conch shells with giant hermit crabs, giant starfish, shark rays, urchins … your typical Caribbean underwater life. It was so shallow for so long that we were a scary distance from the shore and could still swim to the bottom of the water to pick up seashells.

It was just so nice relaxing for the few days we were there. We had good coffee, good food, and good company (a couple other teachers with their families came for Saturday and Sunday). It’s not as expensive as the popular Ambergris Caye directly north of Caye Caulker. Though San Pedro on Ambergris has a longer beach, Caye Caulker was the destination for many locals to enjoy the Caribbean culture. It was fun, too, when people asked us where we’re from. “Orange Walk.” Yup. We’re locals. Though, Melissa’s the only one with the skin tone to make it believable….

So, unless we join the pastor and his family next month for a day trip to Goff’s Caye, we won’t go back until December when my Auntie Moe and Uncle Max come down for Christmas. Anyone else for a tropical getaway during the chilly months? I know this great place to take you…

57 Push Pins - 10/20/06

2006-10-29T18:33:00.000-08:00

Every morning, my class and I pray together. Some days they’re into it, other days I have to really encourage them. We take turns, one day I’ll pray, the next day a student prays, then me again and so on. I thought that by praying every other day I could help model for them how to lift their petitions up to God. We have a prayer request board in the corner of the room where the students can post a request for our daily prayer. Every time a student reports an answered prayer, they push one pin into the board to give God the credit.

We have had all sorts of prayers answered, from safe travel for family members to sicknesses healed and cheap plane tickets for relatives. By the last day of the first quarter, we had 57 push pins on the board. That’s at least a prayer answered a day. By the end of the first week of the second quarter, we are up to 64 push pins. God is so good! I love how this board acts as a testament to God’s power as well as how He works in our lives. It’s a good faith builder for my students, too.

It’s not the only thing we’re building, though. Bible is just one of the subjects I teach. Unfortunately, many students were not doing so well by the onset of midterm exams. So, I decided to host a study session in the open room by our apartments for any students who wished to get extra help in Science and Belizean History (their two most difficult subjects). I had 15 students show up, including two kids who weren’t even in my class. It was a big success! We played some review games, and the kids who brought their own ingredients got an espresso to help keep them awake to study. Note to self: Junior High students need no additional energy at any time during the day. Overall though, it was an incredibly helpful evening for the students.

So, the first quarter of my teaching job in a private school has come to an end. Here are some things I love about teaching here and some things that continue to challenge me; the yin and yang of Linda Vista School:

Yin

I get to talk about God with my students
The community is incredibly welcoming and supportive of teachers
I live in a tropical country, two hours from paradise
The other teachers are friendly and supportive of each other

Yang

I teach 9 subjects every day in only 7 periods, to grades 7-12 (since I also do High School Spanish)
Food is our biggest expense because we are in a 3^rd world country and everything is imported
I have incredibly limited access to internet, and my classroom has no access to newspapers, a library, a principal, or classroom technology (overhead projector, VCR/DVD player, computer, etc.)

As you can see, the yins outweigh the yangs. I would not trade this experience for anything, I have learned so much and Melissa and I have grown even closer through it all. Thank you God for bringing us to Belize!

And now, for your reading pleasure, an un-ordered list:

Reasons why I’m crazy … CRAZY!

I once ate an habañero
I hate cheese but love pizza
I moved to Central America during summer, 60 miles from the cool ocean breeze.
I teach junior high on purpose

I am married to a GENIUS

2006-10-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

Nathan has officially finished his first quarter of school in Blue Creek. I know he won’t get on here and brag about himself, so let me tell you all what an AWESOME teacher Nathan is...

Everyone who has known Nathan for any amount of time can recognize he is a natural teacher. He loved most of his teaching classes at WSU and enjoyed all of the actual teaching experience he had before we moved out here. His students have always liked him, especially the boys, and he just seems to have a knack for working with kids during that awkward, energetic Jr. High stage. I have known all this about Nathan, but to see him be just as successful in a foreign country, away from all the comforts of home (like Smartboards and...I dunno...reliable electricity) has been so wonderful.

The kids here really like him, but it is obvious that he also has their respect. They enjoy stopping by the apartment for a mocha or to play video games (which says so much in itself) but they understand he is an authority figure. One day Nathan came home from school and told me about a student he had to discipline in class. The boy was acting out and being disruptive, so after more than enough warnings, Nathan informed him he had lost his recess privileges. Well, that did the trick and the boy calmed down. But not without first saying, "Fine, I don't like you anymore." To which Nathan replied: "I'm here to teach you, not to be your friend," The boy smiled (I wish you knew this kid) and announced in front of the whole class: "You can't make me not like you Mr. Lemanski!"

It's not just the kids who know how great he is either. The parents are very impressed with him. I have heard, "Nathan is absolutely an answer to prayer." "Nathan is just so good with the boys- and they are just drawn to him." "Oh, my son told me he is studying more this year just because he likes Mr. Lemanski so much!"

I am so proud of him and all of his hard work so far this year. Last week he went the extra mile and held a study session for his students in the empty room that serves as our backyard. The kids here have actual mid-term exams, like we had in college, and their marks on these exams count quite heavily toward their final grade in the class. He saw the kids needed extra help and so he just did what comes naturally- he taught them on his own time and his own turf! Most of the students took advantage of this opportunity and got quite a bit out of the extra study session. He even made iced mochas for the kids who brought their own ingredients!

He is intelligent and talented and darn good at what he does!

Caribbean Internet Cafe

2006-10-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

We Live 2 Hours From THIS - 10/22/06

2006-10-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

We have been in Caye Caulker, an island about 30 miles off the coast of Belize, since Friday evening. We drove 2 hours from Blue Creek to Belize City, left our truck, and took a 30 minute water taxi which landed us on Caye Caulker! Each person who arrives to the island is greeted by a beautiful mural at the end of the pier that reads “Go Slow.” This seems to be more than a motto; like most vacation destinations—it is a way of life.

Nathan, Maria (our neighbor) and I landed on the caye about 4:30 and had only one hour to find a hotel before sundown. We heard from some friends back in Blue Creek that it is better to haggle for a room once you get to the caye instead of booking a hotel ahead of time. That goes against every American bone in our body, but we decided to listen to the locals. We saw a few small places which offered the bare necessities, then we came to Barefoot Caribe (you really should google it). Another teacher had stayed at this hotel for $70 Bz a night, and we told the manager this information upon our arrival. He showed is a nice room and said it was normally $80 Bz, but agreed to give it to us for $70. We pointed to the 3^rd floor tower rooms overlooking the Caribbean and asked to look at them. They were PERFECT! He told us they were $150 a night and went down to $100 right away. I looked at Nathan and pouted, telling the manager we really wanted to stay but that it was too much; Nathan and I were going to use the “just walk away” method of driving down the price. Maria, however, had another plan. She used the straight-forward, in-your-face, I-wanna- stay-here- but- I- am- a- poor -teacher-and-*really* -can’t- afford-to-pay-that-much-approach. It worked!! We are staying in a large king bed suite with air conditioning, cable, a beautiful deck overlooking the Caribbean, and a bathtub (something I haven’t seen since leaving the States)- for $40 US dollars!! Just to put it in perspective, our hotel room is costing us as much as we pay for 4 jars of peanut butter (that info was for you mom!) And check out our view!

The caye is very small, we can walk the length of it in about 20 minutes and can walk across it in less than 5 minutes. We have only seen two motor vehicles on the island; most people seem to get around by bicycle or golf cart. Most of the locals seem to drive golf carts around, but they are careful to observe the posted speed limit- the signs simply read, “go slow.” Golf carts and bicycles are for rent, but our bare feet seem to be getting us around just fine on the sandy streets.

On Friday evening, after getting settled into our room, we met back up with Maria and went to a funky-looking restaurant on the beach called Rasta Pasta; having no idea what to expect. What I certainly didn’t expect was to have one of the best Thai dinners I have ever eaten! WOW was it good! We washed it all down with some Happy Hour Rum Punch Specials and hit the beach--even though it was already dark. We ended the evening sitting on a pier, listening to the water hit the dock and looking at the palm trees on the tiny island silhouetted against the clear, starry sky. Ahhhhh…..

Saturday started with a walk around the caye in search of breakfast. We were pleasantly surprised to find a funky little coffee shop featuring art by 11 local artists. More exciting was the fact that the owner made her own fantastic chai tea and served it to me with soy milk! Yum! We went back to the hotel and changed in bathing suits and got busy sunbathing. We soaked up the Caribbean sun for a while before jumping in and exploring the clear, green water, the white sand, and everything in between.

We found Maria and grabbed a quick lunch right off the beach, from a man selling chicken kebobs and tortillas off his bbq. The beach is lined with people selling bbq every day at lunch and supper time. You can buy chicken, shrimp, lobster, conch, crab, or whatever else the chef was able to catch that day. The smell is irresistible!

Tonight we will again, end up on the pier, with a glass of rum punch. Tomorrow, I think we’ll rent some snorkel equipment and explore the nearby reefs.

My Arm Hair Changed Color - 10/9/06

2006-10-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite fruits here is apple bananas, as I think Melissa has mentioned previously. The mother of one of my students asked us to come over to their orchard and pick a bunch of apple bananas since they have so many. So generous! We went to Earl’s house and walked around the banana section looking for a ripe enough bunch to take. He chopped down the tree that had a bunch of green bananas with a machete. Each time you harvest a bunch, you have to cut down the tree it’s on. Then two to three more will sprout up from the base. Otherwise, the plant will die. Don’t ask me why, I didn’t design it...

We learned there are several different kinds of bananas including plantains and crazy purpley bananas, along with the regular kind we get back home and the sweet, tart little apple guys. Those are the crack bananas! I also learned that Earl has not been telling his mother the whole truth regarding his homework and how much he ACTUALLY has. Hmmm….somebody’s busted! It’s so nice when my students’ parents invite us over for some real conversation…

While we were there, he also loaded us up with white grapefruit, red grapefruit, and Washington oranges. I hope he doesn't think this is a bribe to lighten the homework load, because that sure won't work! They also have apricots, a kind of blackberry that grows on a large tree, cherries, and coconuts. The blackberries look like small purple raspberries with a soft stem that you eat with the whole berry. They were really sweet. Freakin’ sweet! The berries are the only fruit we’ve seen with actual color. I want to take a picture of all of them side-by-side for you. The grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes, and plums are all the exact same color. Green. My students still try to convince me that my life has been a lie; that fruit in North America is dyed and painted to look that way.

We have been quite the hit with the kids lately. We took our PS2 over to a friend’s to play Dance Dance Revolution (the video game at the arcade where the kids are jumping all over the pads on the floor). It was such a hit that somebody brought us a spare television to borrow so we could play it in our own apartment. We couldn’t do it before because there is a small cable Y-adaptor (readily available in the U.S. for $1.25) we needed for the sound. Now, kids shout up to us, “Can we play DDR? Hey! We want to play that dancing game!” Now the Americans have the Mennonites dancing! Gasp! It’s funny, too, because so few of them actually want to try it, but when they do they can’t get enough. Even the “tough guys” are hittin’ the floor and planning on buying their own for their playstations. Too funny.

Oh! We were also offered a microwave to babysit until we leave! The kindergarten teacher has a daughter in my 8^th grade class and two high schoolers in my Spanish class. She’s going to let us use their spare until they need it again. Add that to the fancy “beanless” bag chairs we got in Mexico and you’ve got yourself the beginnings of a comfortable home! Add a little Sirius (on its way soon – thank you Lynda!) and we’re going to forget that we’re not in the U.S.! Except for the heat. And the humidity. And the geckos. And the vultures. And the fact that the Caribbean is nearby and Mexico is to the North of us. And the crazy tropical fruit that looks like this...

Mexico, Mayans and....McDonalds?? - 10/8/06

2006-10-08T18:13:00.001-07:00

We spent the weekend in Chetumal, Mexico. Chetumal has a real shopping mall, the Caribbean Sea, and a hotel with A/C and wireless internet! wooHOO!! What more could we ask for?

Driving toward the mall, I had to do a double-take and pinch myself. Ahead to the right....are those golden arches? What the.... Yup, after two months of being secluded from civilization I am in a parking lot of a mall containing Office Depot, Burger King and McDonalds! Not only was there a HUGE Micky D's in the parking lot, there was one in the mall food court and a little McDonald kiosk in the mall that sold ice cream and McFlurrys. Mexico, I am sooo sorry for what my country has done to you... Nathan and I ate at a local restaurant that was trying desperately to be an Italian deli. The food was okay, it definitely looked more healthy than the Big Macs and super sized fries everyone else was shoving down. "No thanks, I didn't eat that back home, no point in starting now." The fries did look good though...

It was so fun to window shop in a climate controlled environment again! I got two new t-shirts and I picked up a new skirt and some jewelry as well. Food is cheaper out here, so we did some grocery shopping. But it was nice to spend money on something other than necessities for survival.

We also got to see an actual movie in a real movie theatre!! We saw Las Torres Gemelas. For those of you who don’t have to watch American Movies with subtitles, we saw The Twin Towers. Suffice it to say, we haven’t seen any previews and, since the title was in Spanish, didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into. If you haven’t seen the movie, take Kleenex. If you have seen it, let us know what you thought. I assumed it would be a political movie about the planes, the terrorists, and Al Qaeda. I was surprised- and glad- it focused on the heroes of 9-11, the every day police and fire personnel and their families. It felt surreal sitting in a Mexican theatre, surrounded by our new Canadian and Belizean friends, watching a movie about the worst American tragedy of the New Millennium. But I was encouraged when the movie ended and the lights came up and I realized it wasn’t only the American girl in the 6^th row that had been crying- everyone was touched by the movie. Kinda like how everyone was touched by the tragedy of the event itself…But I really just wanted to see a comedy.

…Anyway, back to our great weekend…

The hotel was perfect and fairly inexpensive- 650 pesos, which equals $65 US or $130 BZ. The grounds were amazing, the buildings were beautiful, and the rooms were clean (a rare thing around here). The wireless internet and A/C secured it as a hotel we will go back to if we ever make it to Chetumal again by ourselves.

Getting back across the border was another great adventure. One of the guys, Henry, is the High School PE teacher and he bought about 20 gazillion soccer balls, basketballs, and volleyballs in Mexico to use at the school. Abe helped him haggle the duty price down so that he didn't have to end up buying them twice. Nathan and I bought a brand new backpacking bag that will be perfect for weekend trips like this one. We stuffed it with some new blow-up plastic couches for our "living room" and my new t-shirts. When the customs official asked us about the bag, Nathan jumped in and told him it was our "beach stuff." Nice save. Then, he eyed our Sauza tequila and a few computer gadgets and lectured us on trying to bring both across the border. He talked about charging us a duty, threatened to charge us a duty, but when I offered to pay the duty he just put his hand in my face to cut me off and said, "I'm just telling you." I think he thought he was being helpful, but he just confused us.

Also, during the border crossing, we found out it is actually illegal to transport soda into Belize. ILLEGAL! Isn't that insane? Apparently, because there is a Coca-Cola factory in the country, soda is regulated and controlled by law. Of course, I found that out after I was safely on the Belizian side of the border and sipping my cold Diet Pepsi. Rebellion tastes sweet!

So, we are back, safe and sound. We have a few new articles of clothing, some computer parts that make our lives easier, some whole bean coffee and blow up furniture that makes our apartment look a little less like a sparsely-furnished apartment in a 3rd World country and a little more like a college dorm room. But hey, at lease we finally have somewhere to "entertain!"

Young Marrieds Retreat '06!! - 9/24/06

2006-09-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

"A place for everything and everything in its place" must be a mantra of Mennonite living. They have a club, group, or association for every aspect of life here in Blue Creek. Since Nathan and I have been married for 10 yrs. or less, we qualify to be a part of the "Young Marrieds" group. This weekend the Young Marrieds retreated to the Cahal Pech Ruins in San Ignacio, Belize and Nathan and I went along!

The weekend was great, wonderful speaker with excellent material from the book Love and Respect, a book I have just finished reading and I highly recommend! But we didn't just sit around in an air conditioned room with a great view the entire weekend. We had a lot of free time which we spent bonding with other couples during volleyball and croquet matches (yes dad, I have now played croquet in the Caribbean!), canoeing the Maya River, which passes directly by the ancient ruin of Cahal Pech, lounging by the pool and exploring the open air market of San Ignacio! Central America is sooo COOL!!

Friday was a holiday, so we headed to San Ignacio at 10:00 a.m., right after I finished tutoring my little 1st grader (I tutor two students for "extra" money and to keep me from being bored during the day). We arrived at our resort 3 hours later and one of the leaders passed a blank sheet of paper around which contained all the rules for the weekend. Get it? A blank sheet of paper? There were no rules!! Oh yeah, Mennonite couples getting crazy in Cahal Pech!! It was also announced that breakfast would be served the following morning at 7 a.m.

Cut to 7 a.m. Saturday morning, we shared a suite with Rosy and Cuatro (see my birthday celebration for their pictures) and as I was emerging from my bedroom, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, there they were, fully dressed and showered, ready to start the day. Nathan and I went down to breakfast without having showered or brushed our teeth- in fact, I was still in my pajamas. Everyone else was bright-eyed and scrubbed clean! Most of the group headed out to golf immediately after breakfast and since Nathan and I were not ready to face the public, we were not able to join them. Instead we opted to shower, hang by the pool, and go on a canoe tour of the Maya River and it's "rapids."

What a beautiful ride!

We saw iguanas the size of beagles (that's a big ol' boy there, on the left), beautiful tropical birds, HUGE termite nests (at least they were in the jungle, where they belong) dozens of fruit bats flying by our canoe, and Jesus Christ lizards ran across the water alongside us. I always thought they were small, which helped them run across the water, but we saw one that was about 7 inches tall, pretty big for a lizard that can walk on water! We had a wonderful time and got some great sun! You can see Nathan there on the right with his pearly white skin just ready to soak up the its rays! He burned, of course, but I walked away a few shades darker. We could not have asked for a more pleasant outing and our guide, Clifton, was soo friendly! After the canoe trip, he even dropped us off at a HUGE market before taking us back to the resort.

Oh the markets here, I must take a minute to talk about them! I LOVE THEM!! So many people, speaking any number of languages, selling their colorful produce, hot food, second hand clothing, jams, pickled EVERYTHING, canned fruit, pirated DVDs and CDs, and so much more. There is always someone preaching. At this particular market it was a woman, speaking Spanish into a microphone connected to large speakers which broadcasted her every word. I did not catch her message but I heard over and over, "para la gloria de Dios" for the glory of God.

At the market, I bought a bunch of apple bananas, which is my new favorite fruit. That's right, I used "bananas" and "favorite" in the same sentence! But these aren't your ordinary no flavor, squishy, blech bananas. These are a lot firmer and smaller and they have the tart taste of a really crisp apple! I can eat them raw but I also made amazing apple banana bread out of them! Here is a bunch that I saw in the market, I bought some of them, but I snapped this picture first.

It was a wonderful weekend, we had a great time seeing more of the countryside and making new friends. Hopefully, this was the first of many weekend getaways for us!

Independence Day! - 9/21/06

2006-09-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day! Again? Really? I did this already this year. Oh, what? I get the day off for it? Awesome! Belize rocks! Yay, Belize! *waving miniature Belizean flag*

I have a three day weekend now…

We were told however at the last staff meeting that the responsibility for organizing the festivities for the Independence Day Celebration would fall on the school. Each class was to come up with a skit, song, poem, or game to perform in front of the community. Oh, my students. Bless ‘em. They are SO JUNIOR HIGH! The ideas they came up with! They didn’t exactly fit in with the tone of the evening. The first graders wanted to recite their memory verse for everyone, the 3-5 graders got together to sing a sweet song, the high schoolers had a quiz game about Belizean facts and history. Then there’s my class...

They wanted to paint a large cardboard bus. They wanted to make paper mache birds to have flying over the bus. Then they wanted to paint the birds black. They wanted them to be the large vultures you always see around here. Then they wanted to act out a tragic bus ride (rolling over dogs and other animals) with kids falling out of the bus and getting hit, dying on the road, and the vultures (the “oss aka“) feasting on the junior high students in their one-act tragedy.

Hmmm……no. Creative, but, no.

We ended up keeping the bus idea because for the life of me I could not get them to let it go. “This is an Independence Day Celebration. We don’t need a bus.” Really, when all was said and done, I think they just wanted to paint a big bus somewhere. (Did I ever tell you about the clinical study proving that adolescents have the same brain patterns as the clinically insane? I work with crazy people).

In the end, they wrote a song about the road to Orange Walk, which they sang to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus.” Here are some lyrical highlights of what we came up with as a class for your reading pleasure:

The road to Orange Walk goes BUMP BUMP BUMP [all jumping]
BUMP BUMP BUMP
BUMP BUMP BUMP
The road to Orange Walk goes BUMP BUMP BUMP, all the way to town.
The kids on the bus go OW OW OW [all swaying back and forth]
OW OW OW
OW OW OW
The kids on the bus go OW OW OW, all the way to town.
The road to Orange Walk NEEDS TO BE PAVED
NEEDS TO BE PAVED
NEEDS TO BE PAVED
The road to Orange Walk NEEDS TO BE PAVED, so our bus won’t break!

And, well, you get the picture. These kids are as funny as they are crazy. They act like their brains are broken, but then they show a very proactive, very mature side. They all want to write “social action” letters to the people in charge of making the road-paving decision. Then they want to send them all - one student’s letter each week - until everyone’s voice is heard. I love my job!

Packages Galore!!

2006-09-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been pretty exciting as they have brought packages, mail and well-wishes from our friends and family back home! First, we recieved the shower curtain from our "Wish List"--thank you to the mystery friend who sent that!! (Was it you, Sara?) It was exciting to find that our Wish List acutally works!!

We have also recieved a package from Auntie Reda--thank you thank you THANK YOU!! And our birthday package arrived from dad, Debbie and their crew! Thank you for the wonderful gift you guys and when we're not using them for their intended purpose, they make beautifully colored knick knacks for our empty shelves!!

Grandpa Cliff and Grandma, we got your card, thank you for you generosity and for remembering us. I hope Grandma is healing well, I love you both!

Just so you all know, we appreciate the gifts, pictures, kind words, and moolah. We are saving the money for a nice weekend trip. This weekend is the "Marrieds Retreat" and we may use some of it then. Two weeks from now is the "Teacher Retreat" and we may use some of it for a fancy, romantic dinner at that time!! We love you all and miss you very much!

(By the way, Nathan hasn't been able to post anything for a while because he has been busy, busy busy. But, just today, he was able to post two new entries. You'll have to scroll down to read them, they were saved between some of my older posts.)

It Takes a Village - 9/10/06

2006-09-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

This is a loooong one!...

We are quickly moving from observers and foreigners in a new country to active participants in this community that has become our home. Both Nathan and I are finding our nitche and building relationships with the people of Blue Creek. We are beginning to become a part of the landscape of Belize.

Nathan and I have both recently, and unexpectedly, found ourselves in "mentoring" roles with several of the students. In each case, the kids seem to come to us, not out of curiosity, but out of a genuine interest to build relationship. For Nathan, one of those kids is Earl Dyck, who he wrote about as the "Croc Keeper" in an earlier blog. It is obvious that Earl is a big fan of Mr. Lemanski!! He comes to visit us after school at least twice a week to talk about video games, drink an iced mocha, or just visit with his teacher.

Another student who seems fond of Nathan is a 10 year-old boy named Jonathan Dyck. He has 4 brothers and sisters, including an older sister who is one of Nathan’s students. Jonathan first entered our lives the day before school started when he walked into Nathan’s classroom while we were setting up and said, "Hi! My name is Jonathan. I am just coming around to meet the new teachers. Who are you?" After brief introductions and a few pleasantries, Jonathan said, "Well, I have to be home soon and I still want to meet the other teachers. Can I come by your house tomorrow and show you my bug collection?" (How cute is that?) "Sure Jonathan, do you know where we live? "Sure! You live above the store!" Oh okay, so our lives are open books, we thought so, but thanks for making it official. Jonathan did come by but he didn’t wait until the next day, he arrived at our apartment about 2 hours later-but he didn’t bring his bug collection- he brought his little brother, Bryton, instead. He is in Liz 1st grade class. It turns out that all 5 of the kids in the family are not only adorable but good-natured, loving and a lot of fun. They live with their father, who was out-of-town all last week, so we had them over for dinner on Tuesday. I made sloppy joes, broccoli, and mashed potatoes. Since most of the kids are very young- the oldest is Nathan’s 14 year old student Mary Anne, they pretended to be picky eaters at first. But, everyone cleaned their plates and ate plenty of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies for dessert- I think little Bryton snuck 3. Nathan enjoys all of the kids, but seems to have a special connection with Jonathan, who continually asks how long we will be staying here.

While Nathan seems to be building fast relationships with the young men, I have been blessed with the company of the High School girls. I am continually reminded that God’s timing is perfect. A year ago I couldn’t stand girls, didn’t want to even work with them as probationers, now it seems I spend most of my evenings surrounded by them! Skye, it’s a good thing I co-lead Girl’s Circle with you, it was like bootcamp, preparing me for this year!

One 12th grade girl, Cynthia Dyck, (pictured on the left) recently asked that I be her prayer partner as she goes through baptism classes at the church. The Mennonite faith does not practice infant baptism, instead they opt to have dedication ceremonies for infants and give the kids the opportunity to choose baptism later in their life. Cynthia decided to participate in the classes this year. Each participant must chose a member of the community with whom to meet once a week, share and discuss the baptism class curriculum and pray. I was overwhelmed when Cynthia asked me to be her partner. As a non-Mennonite, and a new-comer, I would have never expected to be asked to fill such an important role. But more overwhelming than that, is the kind of person I had already found Cynthia to be. She is a humble, bright, compassionate young woman with a hunger for God and a fierce desire to grow in her relationship with Christ. She comes from a well-respected, close-knit family and both of her parents are very active in the community and the church. At first I thought, "God is this one of those times where I am going to learn more than I teach?" But I have already found that I have much to give this girl. Her heart is good and she asks a lot of questions. I am reminding her that questioning her faith is good, it leads to more study of God’s Word and will eventually strengthen her walk with Him. She is a joy to me and I enjoy our Monday evenings very much.

It seems that at least 4 times a week, our evenings our interrupted by surprise visits from various kids in the community. Often, Nathan’s students will stop by in groups and ask for mochas. They have begun to bring their own coffee and syrup with them when they come. I am guessing their parents know how expensive the coffee is and don’t want the poor teachers to go broke. What they don’t understand is that we are from the Pacific Northwest, going broke in our quest to assure the next generation is raised addicted to caffeine is an honor we would die for!

While these visits are usually no more than 15-30 minutes, it is an opportunity to see the kids outside of school, joke with them, see them smile, and send them back out into the world a little more energetic and jittery. Recently, we have also had a few high school students stop by to talk with us or our neighbors. So far, they have come to share concerns and ask for prayer and council—which is a blessing that blows my mind every time it happens!!

Each year, the graduating class goes on a Senior Class Trip to one of the many first class Caribbean resorts all located within 80 miles!! This year they have decied to go to San Pedro, which the rest of the world calls, Ambergris Caye, one of the most posh and popular Caribbean cayes and they have asked our neighbor, Maria, Nathan and I to chaperone! Isn't that wonderful? Exciting? Amazing? I felt like an overstimulated cocker spaniel about to pee all over the kitchen floor when I heard we had been given such an honor. So, come May, Nathan and I will be soaking up the beach, sun, and rum in the Caribbean surrounded by 9 12th graders. Until then we will also be participating in many community-wide fundraisers to raise money for the event.

We have also begun participating more in church activities as well. Two weeks ago, Corrina, the pastor’s wife, invited me to a Thursday morning small group Bible Study with her and 4 other women. At first I though, Thursday morning, I dunno…. But how could I pass up such an invitation? I have been going for 2 weeks now and it has been wonderful to get to know a few of the women of the community a little more intimately. In this environment they are able to let their guard down and speak a little more freely than they do when I run into them at the store. I have learned even Mennonite wives are human- imagine that! It is also nice to hear them ask my advice and offer their own on Spiritual matters and day-to-day life.

Nathan and I also signed up to go on a "Young Marrieds" Retreat, which is scheduled for September 22-24th. Yesterday, Nathan and I were approached by one of the women planning the retreat who asked if we would be willing to do a special presentation at the retreat. She said it could be a song or a skit or a bible study, anything we wanted. We gladly accepted, again, how could we pass up such an invitation?

We are becoming a part of the community in a more significant way than I would have ever thought possible. I have to admit, it is odd for so many of my daily activities to revolve around the Church, but I knew this would be a time of spiritual growth for me. I am not only learning patience and how to sew curtains. I am learning what it means to live out my faith on a daily, even hourly, basis. As Pastor Dietrich (the pastor of the German services) reminded us two Sundays ago;

Someone is always watching you. They know you are a Christian and they want to see how you live.

It's all about the Benjamin's Baby! 9/8/06

2006-09-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

..Actually, it's more like the Hamiltons, but anyway, I got my first Belizian paycheck! I know I haven't mentioned it yet, but Nathan isn' the only Lemanski working at Linda Vista School in Blue Creek, Belize. That's right, my official title is "Mrs. Lemanski!" I supervise one period of Independent Study for Algebra 2, Canadian Civics, and Art students. I actually end up teaching quite a bit of the Algebra 2 because it is such a difficult subject for the students to teach themselves. Does anyone else find it funny that I am teaching Algebra? Because I think it's HILARIOUS!! I help the art students quite a bit also and I really enjoy it. I am also finding out that I am a pretty good art teacher! Apparently I have an eye for detail, who knew?

I also supervise one period of Study Hall and oversee Detention on Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays. I laughed when I was asked to be the detention monitor, I thought, "Oh sure, ask the Juvenile P.O. " But I am realldy enjoying it. I was also approached this week to tutor a first grader for 3 hours a week. So, on Tuesdays and Fridays from 3-4:30 I will be sitting in a 1st grade classroom helping a little Belizian boy read outloud and write cursive. Yes I said cursive in first grade!! The curriculum at this school is very advanced. The work that this first grade student is doing was work that I learned in 2nd and 3rd grade!

Anyway, that is what I am doing with my time. Just so you all know. They actually let me be a teacher. Don't look at me like that or I will give you a detention.....I get paid to do that too.....

Mis Cumpleaños! - 8/28/06

2006-09-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Woo Hoo! I'm 29!

Wait, I'm 29. I'm almost 30. What the... how did that happen again?

I was walking home at lunch time, and as I began climbing the stairs to our apartment, I thought to myself, "It's my birthday! I'm 28! Wow! Wait......no I'm not...." Then I realized the last year of my twenties began that morning and I could never again, for the rest of my life, say that I was 28 years old. Which I thought was a pretty good age. I look back fondly on my 28's.

It was a fun day, though. Melissa crossed the river to Mexico and bought me a Nemo Piñata full of Mexican sweets, and then brought it to school. During recess, she surprised me and all the students on my level gathered around for a Mexican birthday fiesta. I, of course, got the first whack. The only thing we didn't count on was the tropical rain that arrived out of the blue. We were under a wide covering, but the wind soaked everyone anyway. It only started at the beginning of recess, but didn't dampen our spirits. The kids were excited too about all the candy. Let's just say that afternoon they were a bit more energetic than usual...

Later she made a kick-butt dinner for me and we invited all of our friends over. We had eleven people over for dinner in our little apartment! It was so much fun! She made a taco bar with meat, cilantro, onion, lime, homemade guacamole, corn tortillas, salsa, rice, beans, the works! It was SO good. One guy remarked to his wife, "This tastes like Mexican food. Like, ACTUAL Mexican food. Like, if you went to somebody's house in Mexico and they made dinner for you. It would taste like this."

Then she served dessert. Hecka yum! She made one of my childhood favorites that my mom would sometimes make: Yellow cake with chocolate pudding for the icing. And, she poked holes in the cake before pouring it on, so each slice had a little puddin' surprise in the middle. Mm MM mm!

In the middle of all the brouhaha, Melissa's mom called to wish me a happy birthday. It was nice to hear a voice from home. Sounds like everything is going well over there, and we had a good conversation about all the stuff happening here in Belize. I love the people here!

So, stay tuned for the next installment. Same bat-time, same bat-channel. Miss all y'all! Don't be afraid to leave us a comment, it's good to hear how others are doing!

Café Lemanski - 9/8/06

2006-09-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

So, who's the most popular couple in Belize? Well, it's not us. However, we have been a hit with a lot of the kids in Blue Creek because we brought with us a fancy-shmancy espresso machine. Many of them have never had espresso. Our mission is now clear. . .

I told my students about some of the priorities we had when planning out move down here, and one thing we had to accommodate was the espresso machine we received as a wedding gift. Some of my students had lived in Canada and got really excited about the idea of being able to have an iced latte or a mocha once again, others were like, "What's the difference between that and regular coffee?"

So, Melissa and I were enjoying an evening to ourselves with a cool breeze coming through the window. The breeze brought with it the desperate cry of an eighth grader, "CAN WE HAVE AN ESPRESSO?" We shouted back, "Sure! Come on up!"

About five seconds later, eleven junior high and high school students were at our door - excited to either finally have another latte or to try one for the first time. I don't think their feet actually touched the stairs on the way up to our apartment. So, we made them all some coffee, and they LOVED IT! A couple days ago in class, a few students whispered to each other, then several hands shot up. I called on one girl who asked, "If a bunch of us come over Friday night with chocolate syrup and coffee will you make us all espressos?"
"OF COURSE!"

So, it looks like we've placed the groundwork for a little espresso bar. And, so many people run businesses out of their homes, Melissa is thinking of doing the same with coffee. Like the woman who has a video rental store in her kitchen with a sign out sheet and cash box by the door. That would be so cool! It would also be a fun thing to do in the giant upper room by our store, like a youth outreach. Just have a "Coffee Night" where the kids can come and hang out (since they don't have a place like that) to talk and listen to music and sip espresso. How cool would that be? It's also a great way to get to know the kids and influence their lives outside of class. What an opportunity! Stay tuned! We'll let you know how it goes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US- 9/8/06

2006-09-08T16:31:00.000-07:00

“So, are you guys gonna have another birthday next week too?”

This was a question asked by Cuatro, one of our guests at Nathan’s birthday dinner on Monday, the 28^th. He was referring to the fact that both Nathan and I have now celebrated our birthdays since our arrival here. Apparently, the fact that they are only 10 days apart has people suspicious that perhaps we are just starving for attention!

We celebrated my birthday on the 18^th. Nathan woke me up to say “Happy Birthday” before he left for work. I went back to sleep immediately, of course, since it was 7 a.m. and I had no where to be that early! When I finally rolled out of bed at about 11 am, I went into the kitchen and saw that my neighbors, Liz and Maria, had baked me blueberry muffins and brought in a white board that said, “Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear Melissa, Happy Birthday to you!” That made me smile, what a kind gesture from girls I had known just over 2 weeks!

During the afternoon Liz and I went to check our e-mail at Abe’s house and his parents invited me for faspa, afternoon coffee. When we got back to my place, Nathan had baked a birthday cake and had a bouquet of tropical flowers waiting!!

For dinner, our neighbors went with us to Three Flags where a group a people was waiting to celebrate with us! I had no idea it was going to be a dinner party!! The pastor and his wife, Darryl & Corrina (pictured to the left), where there with their children, Natasha, Kenton, Shaina, and Jessie. Our old friend Abe (he's the blue-eyed gentleman in the picture sipping the iced tea and he is single and ownes his own planes ladies!) was there, as were his sister and brother-in-law, Lisa & Poncho, along with their two daughters Rhonda and Michelle. Rosie & Cuatro, another couple who have been married just over a year, also came to celebrate. (They are the beautifully tanned couple on the left) Rosie teaches 6th grade and she and Nathan pray together every morning for the Middle School students. Two teachers from the UK- Rhoda & Daniel, joined us later. What a blessing to be surrounded by new friends so soon after our arrival. The picture to the right, is Rhonda- Poncho & Lisa's oldest daughter- and Jessie- Darryl & Corrina's youngest daughter- What pretty girls!

After feasting on salbutes and iced tea, it was back to our place for cake and ice cream! Most of those at dinner joined us and our apartment was full, full, FULL! We followed dessert with a little Texas Hold ‘Em—yes even the good people of Blue Creek joined in and learned how to throw those chips into the pot! (No daddy, I didn't win, Abe did actually. But that's good, cuz now he's hooked and will be coming back for more!)

This was a wonderful day, I will let Nathan tell you about his himself…

We have Mail!! - 8/27/06

2006-08-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

Yay! During the last week we have gotten several pieces of mail, this means that the address we have given out truly works!!

We got thank you cards from Dad, Deb, and Haley We got birthday cards from Jim and Sheilah, Nathan’s dad and step mom, which was a great surprise! (Hey you two, thank you for remembering us, it is sooo appreciated!) We got a happy, fun, just-thinkin-‘bout-cha-card from Auntie Reda and Uncle Marv. And I got a birthday card from Levy and she even sent us a wedding card!! (Better late than never, Lev!) Ironically, some of our junk mail has also made it across two countries and into our rural mail box as well. No thanks, Capital One, I really, truly, do not want your credit card... seriously... now leave me alone!

Just an FYI: If you are sending anything to us, whether a package, or an envelope, please write AIR MAIL on it. I have recently learned that sending it that way takes about 2 weeks. If you don’t write AIR MAIL on it, and the Post Office does not take pity on you and write it for you, it will take about 2 months to receive a package or envelope. Good info, huh? I thought so! Thanks, your letters are sooo appreciated!

Salbutes, Banana Splits & Mennonite Madness…Oh My!! – 8/27/06

2006-08-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

What a fun Friday night we had!! But before I get into that, I need to get something off my chest. Most of you who know me well, know that bananas and I have not gotten along for a very long time. I don’t want to get into who did what and who hurt whom, because that will just bring up past bad feelings. But suffice it to say, I have never enjoyed or understood how others can find enjoyment in the taste or texture of bananas. However, I now live in a country where mangos have a very short season and are currently not available, (I know, isn’t that devastating?), pineapples cost $3.00 each, apples cost $1.85 each, and good ol’ bananas cost only 50 cents a pound. Since I have decided to eat better and try new things, I have given in and decided to put my life’s struggle with bananas aside in order to get the vitamins and nutrition I need at a cheaper price. It has been rough, and we still have a long road ahead of us. Although there is much bad history between bananas and I, but I believe in the end, we may learn to appreciate each other, even if we’re not best of friends.

Back to Friday night, it started with Nathan and I and our neighbors, Liz and Maria going to Three Flags for their Friday menu selection. On Fridays they offer several items for $1.00 and when peanut butter costs $11.00 US and 1 quart of milk costs $4.00 US, Fridays are a chance for us to fill our bellies with good food for a reasonable price. At the restaurant, we met another couple, Rosie and Cuatro, and Abe. Also, since everyone eats out on Fridays and all the tables are long, seating about 25, we set with a few other familiar faces and were visited by students during the course of our meal.

We ate salbutes and garnachas to our hearts content and washed it all down with good Belizian hot sauce and iced tea. Garnachas are very similar to a tostada. They are fried corn tortillas topped with refried beans, wonderfully seasoned chicken, tomatoes, cabbage and cheese. Salbutes are corn tortillas that are cooked in a way that makes them “puff” and the inside is filled with seasoned chicken, cabbage, and tomatoes. Those are my favorite!! I ordered 3 and topped them with lime and hot sauce….mmmMMmmm!

After the restaurant we all were off to Abe’s house to play card games and a game he had been promising to teach me….Mennonite Madness! And that is a very appropriate name for it! It is not a complicated game, most of the games we played that night were extremely simple, but all were very competitive and a lot of fun! In Mennonite Madness, everyone is given a blank sheet of paper, but there is only one pen.You pass a die around the table and if you roll a 1 or a 6, you grab the pen, and start writing numbers from 1 to 100 as fast as you can, while the die continues to be passed around and rolled. When someone else rolls a 1 or 6, they grab the pen out of your hand and begin to write their numbers. Sometimes as soon as you get the pen out of a person’s hand, another person rolls and 1 or 6, so you lose the pen before you had a chance to write down a single number. The first person to 100 wins! It is as simple as it sounds, but OH is it fun!! At one point, I rolled a 6 and then knocked the die off the table, so I would get more time to write. People were throwing themselves across the table, I fell out of my chair, and everyone got plenty of opportunities to laugh.

We took a break from the games to eat banana splits—quite a treat here because food is expensive, especially sweets! We had bananas, strawberries, chocolate sauce, almonds (which we hammered ourselves into small pieces to sprinkle), cool whip, and ice cream. I didn’t even put any ice cream in mine because it was sweet enough with all the other ingredients!

We met a few new people on Friday night, but mostly we had a lot of fun with familiar faces. I am always encouraged when I am reminded how much fun you can have, just being with people.

Kids & Crocs - 8/27/06

2006-08-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

"Ehh! Ehhh! Ehhhh!"

That's the sound a baby crocodile makes when you grab it around the neck. I don't normally make a habit of strangling baby animals, but I also don't want to get into the routine of letting them gnaw on my fingers. That's just not being a good steward of what God's given me.

I didn't really hurt the thing, I just wanted a picture of it. I was at a student's house - really a farm - to see the crocs they hatched in their backyard pond. He told me about them in class and invited Melissa and me over to see them. After school I knew he meant it, because he came back on his four wheeler, pulled up to my window, and informed me that, "If you and your wife want to see my crocodiles you have to come either right now or at six, because I have to mow." So, I left work right away. Such a funny guy!

I don't think he got much work that day though, I hope I didn't get him in trouble. But we weren't expecting to find so much cool stuff at his house. The view itself took awhile to get over, I swear you could see the edge of Belize from his house. Their hill faces the school, so you can see everyone coming and going, then across from that our apartment, the medical center, the park, the hills leading down from Blue Creek, then the farmland and roads stretching across the flat terrain all the way to the coast. It was a hazy day but I can imagine how breathtaking it would be on a sunny day in the dry season.

This property pretty much has everything you would ever need. A comfortable home, thatched roof garage and shop, cows, coconut palms, lemon trees, mango trees, banana tress, a garden and pumpkin patch, one sheep, chickens, turkeys, huge Mayan artifacts, dogs, and two trampolines. I'm sorry, did you say you were leaving to Canada and wanted me to house-sit for a year?

While we were there, Earl knocked a few coconuts down and got his machete to give us something to drink. I thought he was going to cut the nut out of the middle of the thick, green case they grow in. Instead, he just chopped away at the top until there was just a quarter-sized opening into the nut itself, stuck a straw in, and handed it over. Now, I knew in my head that it was natural, unsweetened coconut. But, my tongue is still very American. It is not familiar with the flavor of coconut without sugar. So, the first sensation when you taste the clear, watery coconut milk is confusion and surprise. You have to work through that. Then you taste it for what it is. MAN THAT'S GOOD STUFF! After we drank all the milk - which was a lot - he chopped them in half and with a spoon we ate the coconut flesh. mm MM mm!

His mom was very sweet, too. It's such a pleasure to talk to the families of my students and meet new people in the community, everybody is so friendly and thoughtful. While we were talking she had Earl go pick a bag of lemons for me. It didn't take long before he returned with a heavy, clear plastic back filled with small, perfectly round fragrant lemons. "Six per gallon plus one cup of sugar."
"Thanks, Earl. Oh, and this will not effect your grade - you still have homework."

On the way out, his mom mentioned something about the turkey. I couldn't see it by the chicken coup, so Earl said something to it in what was probably low Turkey (since they speak low German). "Lobolobolobol!" Suddenly I saw and ugly red thing flip over the beak of a giant white head in the shadow as it responded, "LOBOLOBOLOBOL!" I think the turkey likes Earl. Then it walked toward him. Huge! This bird was huge! I want to go there for Thanksgiving!

That's a meal we still need to plan for, I think it will be exciting to have it here. Last night's meal was good though. The youth of the community planned a "Disco Supper." I got really excited, got my wig, platform shoes, bell bottoms, and gold chains. Then they explained that a "disco" is a type of wide shallow pan they put over a fire to cook a lot of food for a lot of people. So, the youth cooked for the community last night, accepting donations as a fundraiser for a new piano.

It was a good time, with volleyball and a chicken game after dinner. They had a raffle for the chicken game. $2 a ticket. Then they drew the numbers on the ground, put a plywood fence around it, and dropped a chicken in. Everyone screamed at the chicken, it pooped, and the number the poo landed on was the lucky winner of $50! I had number 37. The chicken pooped on 53. I never win the chicken poop game.

I watched Melissa play volleyball afterward. That girl can play! She got game still! But I was standing there watching her, enjoying the sport, when I felt a stray cat brush up against my ankle. I looked down and saw instead that it was a Jurassic Moth. It was not my happiest moment ever.

So, time to get ready for tonight. Our neighbor Maria had an awesome conversation with her students that turned into a student-led worship service tonight. It's going to be in the common area/open room by our apartments. It's going to RAWK! So pray that leads to something that happens often because I am SO excited to see the kids take initiative for the first time and start something they want to see happening anyway. I love this job! Let us know how you guys are doing!

Love ya!

August Showers Bring.... 8/22/06

2006-08-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

I am blogging this now, but I wrote it last night...

It is after 1 a.m. and I have been awakened by the sound of rain. I can hear thunder in the distance and see lightning flash, even through my closed eyelids. The smooth tile floor, which keeps its cool even in the heat of the day, gives me goose bumps as I walk across the room. I open the door to see for myself the rain, the thunder and the lightning, whose sounds have awakened me. For the first time since we arrived here, the air outside our air-conditioned bedroom is cool and comfortable on my skin.

Being from the Pacific Northwest- the land flowing with rain and lattes- you'd think a simple evening rain would be of no consequence to me. But these Caribbean thunder showers do not bring with them any rain I have ever seen. Here, clear skies cloud over suddenly, bringing strong winds, the crash of thunder and spears of lightning. A sheet of cool, clean rain quickly follows. Large puddles form in minutes, the limestone streets fill with water and the deep ditches along the road swell and rush. The showers never last long, usually no more than half an hour. As quickly as the storm arrives, it is gone again. The sun reappears and the heat returns. All but the deepest puddles quickly dry and the humidity hangs in the air.

Tonight the rain pours and pours. I have watched the lightning flash and brighten the darkened land- but only for a brief moment. For nearly an hour now I have looked out the window into the inky blackness of the night. I can hear the rain beating the ground and the drops "ting" against the metal rooftops. With each flash of lightning, I am reminded I am surrounded by thick green landscape made of jungle, hills, valleys, fields, and river. The ocean is too far to see from here, but I know it is there. We have come to a beautiful and mysterious country.

I am reminded of the words to a song

Holy Spirit rain down, rain down.
Oh Comforter and Friend, how we need your touch again.
Holy Spirit rain down, rain down.
Let Your power fall, let Your voice be heard
Come and change our hearts as we stand on Your Word.
Holy Spirit, rain down.
No eye has seen, so ear has heard
No mind can know what God has in store.
So open up heaven, open it wide.
Over our church and over our lives.
Holy Spirit, rain down.

I am enjoying the cool of this summer evening. But I am going back to bed now. The rain has slowed and the gentle patter will lull me to sleep as it waters the land and keep it growing lush and full and green.

Welcome to Blue Creek! - 8/17/06

2006-08-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hello all! I am sorry it has been so long since you have heard from me. But now, I am here to be your very own guide through Blue Creek, Belize! If you look to your right you will see a river. In fact, that is the border between Belize and Mexico! Passports and other travel documents neither desired or required! All you need is 10 pesos, $2 Belize or $1 US in order to catch a canoe ride across the river! Once you have crossed, you will find yourself in the small town of La Union, Mexico. Nathan and I go there for a better selection of fruits and vegetables at about half the cost of produce here in Blue Creek. When we first crossed the river, we attempted to stop at the customs office ahead of time, to make sure everything was legitamate. But, we must have shown up during siesta time, becuase the door was locked and no one responded to our knocks....okay....so we'll just be leaving the country then....

As we continue along our tour we are now driving toward Blue Creek itself. Notice the hills, looming ahead? The town of Blue Creek is just at the top of them.

But before we start up the hill to Blue Creek, we will pass the airport on our left. This is where we landed when Nathan and I first arrived in Belize. Wave to Abe, I am sure he's there somewhere, I know it's hard to spot him in the crowd!

Once you have driven into Blue Creek, the first business you will see is the Hillside Bed and Breakfast, owned by the Klassen's. They also own the Hillside Gifts 'n More, where Liz and I have been buying our fabric! Mrs. Klassen has been very helpful and patient with me as I attempt to become a skilled seamstress. She is also a big fan of Nathan! She laughed and clapped her hands together as she recalled her grandson's report of his first day of school and his scary teacher, Mr. Lemanski! The Hillside Bed & Breakfast is a beautiful piece of land where travelers can rest, relax, enjoy horses, a beautiful view, and a wonderful breakfast, all for $40 US! (shameless plug).

Now, stick close as we leave the Klassesn's property, because the last bit of hill is steep and the road isn't very good. Mind the potholes and keep at a safe speed, any number of vehicles may come around the corner toward us. I have seen other pick-ups, tractors, a cowboy riding his faithful steed, a child on a bicycle, or teenagers on scooters or 4-wheelers! Quick, to your right is the Blue Creek Medical center. I haven't been there myself yet (thank you Lord), but Liz told me that the nurse most often recommends that you, "drink more water dear, you're not used to this climate." But, since it turned out she had Typhoid Fever, drinking more fluids wasn't exactly going to cure her.

Now we are at the top of the hill and find ourselves in the heart of Blue Creek. The building on your right holds the Credit Union, one of the local hardward stores, one of the grocery stores, and our apartment! The hardware store is to the left of the white truck and the market and Credit Union are on the right. The Braun (pronounced Brown) Family ownes the market, and here is their second oldest daughter, Justina, manning the register. This is where you can usually find her. Her parents pulled her out of school in order to help out with the family business. She is a very nice girl who always greets us with a smile.

There is another store in town, called La Rosita, which is located a little further down the road. If you will get back into your vehicles and follow me...we have so little to do and so much time...wait, stop, reverse that. Now, we don't have time to stop, so we will just look at it out our window as we pass. The store is owned by an elderly couple, who live above it. I do now know thier names, but this is where we get our water, because it is cheaper here than at the market near our house.

There are also two resteraunts in town, Travelers and Tres Banderas (Three Flags.) Travelers is owned by the Rempels and is so close to our apartment we could walk there is less than 3 minutes. Mrs. Rempel offered me a job as a cook one evening as we sat eating dinner. I thanked her and told her I would be happy to work for her as long as she could teach me how to cook. She repied in a very exasperated voice, "I don't have time to teach you, I am too busy, that is why I need a cook!" I apologized and thanked her for the offer but told her without a lesson, I did not think I would help business much.

The other resteraunt, Three Flags, is located further down the road. It is owned by a couple with a TON of adorable children--one of their daughters is in Nathan's class. The food is good and the atmosphere is GREAT!! It's an outdoor restraunt covered with a thatch roof and it is absolutely packed in the evenings! They keep the iced tea coming and the rice and beans combined with a cool evening breeze make this our favorite place to eat outside of home.

That just about concludes our tour of Blue Creek. Our final stop is the Archelogists Camp, located right along the highway. As we have mentioned in previous posts, Ancient Ruins are found all throughout this area, and teams of Archelogists come to live and work for several months each year. These white buildings are what they call home while they do their work. The oldest Myan ruin found to date, La Milpa, is located just outside of Blue Creek. Nathan and I haven't had a chance to explore any of these historic sites, but I hope to be able to soon.

Well, the tour is now complete! I hope you enjoyed seeing our new home and you have a better idea of while daily life is like for us. If you want to visit, book a night at the Hillside and we'll treat you to a meal at Three Flags! We can take a day trip into Mexico, just be careful not to upset the border guards!

Ya'll come back now, ya hear?