The Last Chapter - 12/9/2007

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...