Incentives To Visit Us! – 12/26/06

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

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

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

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

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

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

…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

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

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

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

We hope you all enjoy these!

Money Matters- 11/16/06

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

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!