It's not an alligator IT'S A CROCODILE ;-)

Well I was saddened when I woke up Thursday morning (Shauna and Chris' first morning in Belize) to see how gloomy and rainy it was outside. The whole time I have been here it has rained maybe twice during the day and finally when I have more visitors the rain wants to come!! Boo!

Waking up Friday morning seemed a little more promising. I met Shauna and Chris at the water taxi terminal where we were picked up by our tour guide, Vitalino. Vitalino gave us a partial tour of the city on our way to the Western Highway. I'd say each tour I get, I learn something new about Belize. It was good for Shauna and Chris too because I got to show them the vicinity of where I work and walk daily. Vitalino was really funny and very informative along the way.

We headed to Jaguar Paw Reserve which is about 37 miles down the Western Highway. From there we headed about 6 miles in to the rainforest where we would be zip-lining and cave tubing. Our first activity was zip-lining. We had to climb a series of stairs before reaching the practice run to see if we were capable of controlling ourselves on the line. If I walked those stairs everyday I'd be in excellent shape! The practice line was a great introduction to what was to come! From there we went through a series of different heights in the trees and different lengths from tree to tree. It was AWESOME!

Never did I think I could go 80+ feet in the air in a tree stand and travel along 400+ ft of zipline. With all the greenery below, it did not feel so high up and it was such a thrill ride. You control your speed so you just let yourself fly until you approach the next tree stand where you use your gloved hand to slow down. It was an amazing feeling!

We piled back into the van and proceeded back down the road to go cave tubing next. You take a little trail down to a creek/river where there's shallow areas with a deep pool overlooked by a rock ledge. This is where we would end. Because it was so hot we took a quick dip in the deep pool. The fresh, cold water felt sooooo refreshing. After we were refreshed we began our hike to the beginning of the caves. At the start of our hike we proceed through a series of small caves where Vitalino described the Mayans and what they would use these caves for (human sacrifice, shelter, etc). Flashing our lights above we could see a bunch of little insect bats. There were also stalagmites forming all around (in perverted imagination shapes).

From there we proceeded on a ~45 minute hike into the rain forest. Along the way, Vitalino showed us all different plants and insects. He described what certain plants can be used for such as medication and treatments. We tried the inner stem of one plant that tasted just like plum. We also saw termite nests where Vitalino, Chris, and Shauna proceeded to eat a termite (apparently it tasted just like carrots but I couldn't find myself putting one in my mouth). We also tried this small ball-like fruit/nut that Vitalino had to crack open between two rocks. It tasted similar to coconut.

As we were stopping to taste plants/bugs or find tarantulas, you could see other tours passing us where the guide wasn't even talking to the group members. I'm glad we had Vitalino because he was really giving us abundant information and making our tour really personal. The other tours also only went through the one cave where we took the extra hike and went through 2 large caves!

So along the way, Vitalino kept poking in different holes looking for tarantulas. On his website (cavetubing.bz) there are pictures of him with tarantulas on his face! Poor Chris was nervous of tarantulas and the fact that Vitalino could find a hole every so many feet!

When we finally go to the beginning of the cave system (that we would be going through), it was like an oasis in the middle of the jungle! You peer over this edge and look down to two cave openings (one on the left and one on the right) and this beautiful pool of clear, clean water with vines hanging all around. I was in complete awe! There was another group there and some of the guys were jumping off a cliff edge into the deeper pools. It was creepy because the cave to the left had a rock face that looked evil with the cave opening looking like its mouth that would swallow you whole. Vitalino shared with us that the Mayans believed the caves to be an evil, dark place; comparing it to Hell. Vitalino describes cave tubing as going "to Hell and back."

Luckily we were headed to the cave on the right. Still dark but not as creepy looking. Vitalino helped us slide into the cool water where we got on our tubes. We began floating down the river (with the use of our hands) because there was no current at this part. We all hooked on to each other and Vitalino paddled us through the first cave. It's crazy how dark it gets upon entering the cave with only a little bit of light coming from the oasis behind us. It was really peaceful and relaxing. I couldn't even imagine being a Mayan and entering those caves without a headlamp on. We saw some 'crocologs' that have been know to scare past tourists.

The cave system was fascinating with minerals in the walls that glittered like diamonds. In between the 2 caves we were going through was a huge jut out rock ledge that parts of it looked as though they could fall any second! Every time Vitalino said 'Butts Up' not 'whats up' meant to pick your butt up or get a free butt massage ;-) Upon entering the next cave we could see formations like an elephant, a woman holding a baby, a jaguar. You could also hear a waterfall in the distance that sounded like it should be 100 ft drop. Come to find out it was just a lot of water rushing over a 2 foot rock ledge but the echos in the cave made it sound so much bigger. Where the waterfall existed was an area in the cave where above collapsed. It looked like something out of a movie (like an in cave oasis). Nature at its best!

We also tasted spring water that was falling from the ceiling. It was so cold and pure tasting. From there we exited the second cave and proceeded to float down the river for another 20 mins or so. Here there was more of a current so we relaxed and enjoyed the ride! The sun on the outside felt great compared to the cold water and cool air of the caves and we also saw some different colorful birds. When we got to the end, there were boys jumping into the deep pool from the cliff where we swam earlier.

All of us piled back into the van and headed back towards the highway. On the way we stopped at Vitalino's wife's restaurant where she made us lunch: stewed chicken, rice/beans, coleslaw and fried plantain. Chris and Shauna loved it and don't get me wrong it was delicious but I'm ready to try something new ;-) Vitalino's youngest pikni (child) was there and they had him tied up in a hammock. It looked like a good, safe place to keep him and he seemed to be chillen. They also gave me a free cave tubing t-shirt because I had emailed them to book the tour :-) The shirt says, "I've been to Hell and back in Belize."

After lunch we made our way back towards the city and to go to the zoo. When people told me the zoo was the animal's natural habitat....they weren't kidding. It was literally just an area in the rainforest! The first thing we saw were snakes. The zoo keeper took one out for us and Shauna put it around her neck! Because she was so brave and I didn't eat the termite I took my time to shine at this moment and I put the snake around my neck too!! Eek! To feel how strong the snakes muscles are was crazy!!

From there we had a speedy but great tour through the zoo. We were a little pressed for time because of how long we spent cave tubing but it was still perfect. Vitalino was really knowledgeable of all the animals. We saw vultures, howler monkeys, a tapir (which is the national animal), wild hogs, parrots, toucans, pumas, crocodiles, a jibaru, and jaguars!! Vitalino pulled a tarantula out of a tank and immediately put it on his face for us. He described that tarantulas do not bite people but if they feel threatened they violently shake their bodies to release the hairs on their abdomens that make the area itch for weeks! Shauna held it and then to our surprise.....Chris held it!! Knowing my luck that thing would start shaking when it got to me so I couldn't let myself hold it. The jaguars were soooo pretty. Never did I think I'd see these cats in real life let alone with just a chain link fence in between us!

When we got to the howler monkeys, Vitalino made the noise they make. Apparently the monkeys are very territorial and he really had them going! The noise they make is so loud and woo the one monkey seemed soooo angry haha! The zoo was really nice and I know my school does a lot of work with it. I hope when I come back to Belize that I could spend some more time there. Vitalino was such an amazing tour guide and we had an awesome time with him! I recommend him to anyone!

He got us back to the water taxi in perfect timing for us to catch the water taxi from hell. Out of all the times I have taken the water taxi, this was by far the most miserable time. They put so many people and so much cargo on the boat that it was really weighed down along with it being really wavy lately. Two hours later we finally arrived in San Pedro and caught a taxi to the hotel.

We were staying at the Matarocks which was this beautiful white washed hotel right on the sea. Walking up the stairs....it reminded me of what Greece looks like. Our room had these high ceilings with a kitchenette and a balcony overlooking the sea. We all showered and got ready then headed to dinner. It was great to share Belize with people that are close to me! :-)

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast on the beach then lathered up in sunblock and laid out by the pool/sea all morning. Around 2 p.m. we got picked up at our hotel dock by 'Searious' tours. We set out to snorkel in Hol Chan and Shark/Ray Alley. We got to snorkel without life vests on which was nice because it was pretty windy/choppy so the life vests would have slowed me down. The water felt great once we got to jump in! Upon jumping in I saw a sea turtle feeding on the sea grass!! It was soooo cool!!

There were tons of fish of all sizes shading themselves under the boat. Swimming along we saw this huge (atleast 5 ft) green eel! Apparently our guides usually pick him up but today he looked pretty angry and came so far out of his hiding spot! From there we swam into deeper water where we were along side this huge reef cliff. Just ahead you could see a sting ray swimming through the channel. Down below we could see these huge bottom feeding sting rays. Swimming along the reef we could see so many colorful fish of all sizes! (like nemo!) The coral was absolutely beautiful and hiding underneath was a large lobster. Heading back towards the boat we saw another cool sea turtle! I want one!!

We climbed back into the boat and headed over to Shark and Ray Alley. Upon pulling up, a ton of nurse sharks and fish swam up to our boat and our guides threw some dead fish parts into the water for them! I couldn't believe we were getting in the water with these things!! Jumping into the water there were no sharks around but our instructor came back with one in his arms. The skin of it was rough (like a pumice stone) and so muscular. When you flip them on their backs its like putting them to sleep. I even hugged the nurse shark!!

Next our instructor grabbed one of the bottom feeding rays and it felt so squishy (just as I remember from touching one in Vegas). After he left the ray go he gave me a small dead fish part and all the little colorful fish ate right from my hand! It was so cool!! We also saw this huge rainbow fish that was bigger than my torso (which is pretty big at the moment). When we got back in the boat the guides gave us homemade coconut cookies that were delicious and the perfect thing to cure the saltwater sickness.

When we got back we showered and then rented a golf cart. We took the golf cart and another couple from our hotel to a lagoon about a half-mile from our hotel. Shauna and Chris had went there the first night with another couple and saw 3 HUGE crocodiles (NOT ALLIGATORS!). The pictures Shauna showed me were frightening and the ones they saw looked like dinosaurs! When we arrived there was only 1 (that we could see). It was about 10 ft off shore until this cart full of drunk girls showed up and went running towards the water. Next thing you know this croc was creeping its way towards land where it took about 3 steps out and plopped down. At that point everyone had started running back towards the carts but when they saw it stopped they stopped too. Think again...it got up and took a few more steps! Woo I've never been so scared in my life! I knew I wouldn't be the one getting eaten but my plan wasn't to see someone else get eat either! It was definitely a thrill!

After jump starting our hearts for the night we headed into town to have dinner. We ate at Elvi's kitchen where Marielle and I went to a Mayan buffet. It was just as tasty as I remembered it. It felt great to sleep with the AC that night! I love getting all bundled up and prefer to sleep when it's cold.

Sunday was more of a relaxation day. We hung out around the hotel and headed into town for a bit too. We had a delicious lunch on the beach followed by a golf cart tour of the Northside of SP. We were in search of the butterfly jungle but did not come upon it. We did however see future retirement homes or vacation rental homes ;-) From there we got some delicious ice cream then they dropped me off at the water taxi to head back to the city :-(

It was such an UnBelizeable weekend with such amazing people!! It was the perfect weekend to close in on my current stay in Belize. I hope Shauna and Chris enjoyed themselves as much as I did. They gave me the boost I needed to finish out my last couple weeks :-)

A good friend is a connection to life, a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. A friend accepts us as we are yet helps us to be what we should; they are relatives we make for ourselves, yet some come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same. Let’s be grateful to the people who make us happy. <3

I'm feeling HOT HOT HOT

It's been a while since our last chat....

The first week was pretty slow at work. The temperature has been hiking it's way up and along with that there have been numerous times when the power has gone out. Hot people+no power for fans/AC=not happy campers. I am not too sure on why the power goes out so frequently.

Last weekend, I hopped on a bus with 45+ students and 10 other chaperones for a youth retreat for the Peer Educators. Peer educators are students throughout the country who instruct their fellow classmates or friends to seek medical services (specifically sexual and reproductive health care) and offer referral cards along with taking that person to seek medical attention.

We started off bright and early Saturday morning and headed to Cedar Lodge in Jaguar Paw (inland rainforest area). It was a nice place with tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts, nature trails, a swimming pool, a pool table and table tennis. The day was already really hot and I know the kids were dying to go swimming but we had plenty of activities prepared for them. After briefing the students about general housekeeping and rules, Cecil and I took 2 of the 4 groups on the natural trails. It was my first hike in a rainforest setting and it was not what I expected. Granted everything is really green and dense like expected but I did not see ANY flowers, ANY huge creepy crawlys, or ANY animals. What I did see were signs posted by the lodge representing the names of some of the abundant plant-life. Names such as: Hot lips, Anal, Dogs balls....you catch my drift. There were also signs warning us about not touching certain poisonous plants (Thank Heaven for those signs!).

When we arrived back from our hike, we played several activities with the students. It was so funny to see how competitive they were getting and what they knew about S&RH. After the activities we had lunch before heading over to the obstacle course that Arthur created. Walking over to the course I saw my first tarantula!! It wasn't a huge one but big enough, with thick gray legs and a hairy black body. Ehhhhh! The obstacle course was THE funniest activity to watch! The students completing the course were blind folded and had another student directing them on what to do and where to go! I'll have to show you the video of it for you to believe how funny it was!

We left Cedar Lodge around 4:30 to head to Prayer Mountain in Cayo, where we would be spending the night. The sunset on the way was absolutely amazing! One of these days I'll get a really great pic of the sunset that Belize is blessed with. After we arrived at the retreat center at Prayer Mountain, everyone showered and had dinner. The retreat center offered really nice facilities (w/ beautiful landscaping) but the living arrangements weren't so pleasant. It was just one night though and we all suffered together ;-) After dinner, the different schools performed skits/presentations. The skits were interesting because they each performed different scenarios such as finding out you're infected with HIV, dating, etc. (situations students these days face).

Put it this way, the retreat center did not have hot water (which was not wanted anyway). The shower was FREEZING cold but with how hot it was, it didn't even phase me because as soon as you got out, you were already sweating again!! After breakfast, Ana and I set up a scavenger hunt all over the grounds. It consisted of 10 S&RH questions and the only thing that mattered was answering the questions correctly. After reviewing the students' evaluations of the retreat, the scavenger hunt was one of their favorite activities.

Back at work, my supervisor and a couple of the people that I have been working closely with have said to me how much they are going to miss me and how big of a help I have been to them. That reminds me of how well spent my time here has been and I cannot wait to return for a future visit.

I'd say the only benefit to the heat lately is that I never have much of an appetite and I am hoping to maybe sweat off a couple of the pounds that I have probably gained during my stay.

Last Tuesday, Nina brought me with her to KTV Latino (Belize's small version of American Idol). Although I cannot understand the words, it was really fun. I met Nina's mom and aunt, and several of her friends. I also ran into several people that I know. Apparently when this show first started they had a hard time selling seats and now it's sold out almost every week. This was the second to last show for the 13 week season. It was great to see how excited people get for the different performers and I WAS ON TV A LOT!!! :-) It was exciting to be behind the scenes of the show. During the breaks, people from the audience come up to sing and they have several raffles for everyone in the audience. I didn't win though.... :-(

I spent Saturday catching up on laundry and just trying to keep cool. It's tough not having a beach right in the city because I would be there every chance I got!!

On Sunday, Nina and I caught the 8 a.m. water taxi and headed out to Caye Caulker. Her family owns property and her aunt and cousins live on the island. It was soooooo hot already and it was still early morning when we arrived. We stopped by her aunt's house where I met everybody, walked to buy chicken to make for lunch, then headed straight to the beach. It is the same beach where Marielle and I had went back in March. The area is called 'The Split' because it is where the sea wall has split and tumbled into the water (due to Hurricane damage and such). It's a great swimming spot and we pretty much stayed in the water most of the day because of the heat. My only wish is that I had discovered the Cayes earlier in my trip....then I could have spent more time there....

Monday rolled around again but it was the beginning of an exciting week because Chris and Shauna will be visiting. Yesterday (Tuesday) was the finale of KTV Latino and I attended with Nina, her mom and aunt, and several friends. I saw lots of people I know and the crowd was a lot more rowdier than last week. There was so much going on at the show and I appeared on TV several more times (obviously waving to everyone and to embarrass Nina hehe). It was a lot of fun to take part in the excitement of the final show but it was a longgggg show at that (and I didn't win anything AGAIN).

As for today, Chris and Shauna arrived. I was relieved when I finally got a call from them because I was getting nervous at one point, but their planes had run a bit late and such. I hope they enjoy themselves and you will be hearing about our adventures soon enough!

As for me....I cannot believe I only have a few weeks left. Terry and I were talking the other night and we both agreed that it feels like I just got here!! I reassured her that there will be plenty of trips to Belize in the future because I have too many great friends/family here. I can only describe my return home as bittersweet....

Until next time.... <3

Time flies when you're having fun!

I cannot believe how fast time is going here. I have been so busy between work and my free time that I just realized that I only have just over a month left here. It is hard to believe that when I remember landing and Belize and thinking to myself....it's going to be a long 16 weeks.

To start us off....I was working with at the Collet Clinic which is on the Southside of Belize City in a not so great neighborhood. The whole week was dedicated to Outreach clinics around the city for people (and their children) to get checked for whatever reason and given some different medications. My task at the clinic was to help people fill out NHI (National Health Insurance) registration forms. The forms contained the basic information such as: name, age, date of birth, address, occupation, etc. NHI is an insurance that assists people by providing them medical care for little to no cost. They only pay when they need the services.

There were several nurses and a doctor visiting from the U.S. that were providing the clinic. I later found out that all of them except one nurse practitioner were from Tennessee. It was interesting to watch them action. I noticed several things that infuriated my supervisor. One nurse had gloves on when she was pricking fingers to test blood sugar but when I peered over again, she was not wearing gloves while drawing blood. I'm sorry but I don't care what country you come from or what country you are visiting but not only was she putting herself at risk (in a high HIV infected country) but the patients at risk too. You are nurses and doctors, from the US, so do not tell me you don't have enough gloves! Another thing that I observed that disturbed me was the 'nurse' acting as a pharmacist. Not only was she giving medications to people but she was counting them with her bare hands and setting them on the table before placing them in a bag.....just disrespectful if you ask me.

On a lighter note....I was walking to work one morning and upon passing a house that I have passed several times before I began to hear whistling. I'm talking whistling when a guy is trying to get a girls attention (if ya know what I mean). For once, I actually turned to see the source of this whistling because it continued....there on the porch of this house were parrots in cages....WHISTLING! I looked like a fool laughing so hard while walking. It was the funniest thing I had experienced on my adventures to work.

We worked another clinic the next day and I got the chance to speak with a nurse practitioner from New Orleans. She works at the VA hospital there and I asked her a lot of questions about her profession. She shared her responsibilities and her opinion on the difference between an NP and a PA. She thinks that NPs get more experience because they tend to venture into all different departments whereas PAs typically specialize in something or remain in a single department. It was nice to hear an opinion of someone in the field and it gave me more to think about for the future.

Now the fun begins. We left for San Pedro on Thursday afternoon. Normally I would take a water taxi to San Pedro but because of Easter Weekend, it was more convenient to fly. I think I tried to imagine it being a decent size plane that would be taking us but my imagination is not working very well. Oh wait, an 8 person puddle jumper. Fabulous. Yep. That's right. I, Sarah Farrell, got on one of the tiniest planes EVER and lived to tell about it. Don't get me wrong, I had about 4 heart attacks on the way there but since the plane did not kill me I wouldn't let my nerves get the best of me either. The only plus side to the little plane was the AMAZING view we had down below of the Caribbean sea and barrier reef and it only took us 20 minutes to get to San Pedro.

We arrived at this beautiful hotel, SunBreeze Suites, right on the sea. It has a beautiful odd-shaped pool as you can see in a picture above. Our room walked right out to the pool and patio. We barely set out stuff down and we were by the pool in our suits with drinks in hand : ) A great start to a great weekend with AMAZING company.

Before swimming the next morning we rented a golf cart (preferred mode of transportation in SP) and rode around SP for bit. I saw some beautiful resorts and condos all along the beach. I also saw my first lime green iguana. I also saw where the Matarocks resort is where Chris and Shauna will be staying in a couple weeks!! They're going to love it here! While riding around we stopped at a little park called Boca Del Rio which is right on a channel that cuts through the island. It has beautiful clear blue water and we couldn't resist jumping in. Nothing beats the ocean on a sunny day!! We swam there until we had to bring the golf cart back and spent the rest of the day by the pool. (rough life, tell me about it)

I certainly did not risk starvation on this trip between how much food Raf and Delmi brought along with their visiting friends. I think we only bought food once the whole trip! There was also a shrimp festival taking place at our hotel's bar so you know I got some of that too. I spent the next day gathering some souvenirs then meeting everyone at Boca Del Rio. They brought a cooler with drinks and food so we were ready to go! It was so nice to swim in the beautiful water, lay in the sun, eat some snacks and chat with great company. Like I have mentioned before, I seem to be meeting the best of Belize!

That night we went to a friend's house in SP right on Ambergis Lake. We had a BBQ and it was so much fun. I met two ladies visiting from Texas and we shared great conversation. Another great thing about this trip is meeting people from all over the world!

Easter Sunday was another great day spent by the pool. After cleaning up later, I walked the beach for a while and we shared a feast of a dinner for our last night. I couldn't believe how fast the trip went but it was so nice to get away from the city and spend time with such amazing people.

Monday was a sad day. Back to the city and back to reality. We rented one last golf cart and drove around for our remaining time before boarding a plane back to the city. This time it was a 12 person plane and although I was still really nervous, it was not as bad as the puddle jumper. I had such a great time in SP and cannot thank Raf and Delmi enough for inviting me to share the Easter holiday with them!!! <3 When I arrived home, I spent the remainder of the day doing laundry and enjoying my last hours of relaxation (minus the pool, sun and alcohol).

I have to admit that it was extremely hard to wake up the next morning. 1) because it was early and 2) that damn alarm clock. I did some inventory when I got to work then around 11, Ana and I headed to take the bus to Crooked Tree for the remainder of the afternoon. Let me tell you, the bus was quite the experience. When we got on there was so many people but Ana found a seat for me next to this elderly woman. It was so hot that day so you can just imagine some of the smells on a public bus....Needless to say it was a lot better after people started to get off because I did not have a bony shoulder digging into me while the woman nodded off here and there. If you know me well you know I do not enjoy having someone in bubble and that whole bus experience crossed that boundary. So we all know how bumpy buses can get but just imagine a skinny, stone and dirt road about a mile long that passes through 2 lagoons. Yep, that'd be the road this bus has to go down to get us to Crooked Tree Village. Now try that road when you have to go to the bathroom and you're starving....Good times. I sound like a brat, and I will admit that I miss my car and realize how lucky and thankful I am to have my own car. It is great that people have this mode of transportation and I am sure if I really had to I would be fine utilizing this but let's just say I obtained my experience and I'm okay with that.

I finally got to see the lagoons during the daytime and they were so pretty. There were birds galore in them but my hopes were to see a croc. No croc. So we arrived in CT, and there were babies everywhere! Baby chickens, horses, puppies, cows, turkeys, etc etc. Spring is in the air along with cashews in the trees (CT is the home of the cashew). So the point of us being in CT was to assist with YAM's Easter egg hunt (yes after Easter). While I hid myself from the sun using my umbrella, we set up and had about 16 children come. They ran around during the hunt then we played some games such as: pin the cotton tail on the bunny, Bunny Bunny where's your egg, etc. The kids (aka pickney as they call children in Belize) seemed to enjoy themselves VERY much. It turned out great and they enjoyed their goody bags they received at the end.

Ana and I caught a ride out to the road to catch a bus back to Belize City. Within 15 mins of sitting out there a bus was coming, slowed down, then drove right by us!! Of course the next bus to pass would be an express bus that stops for NOONE. It was nearing 5 o'clock and I was getting nervous that a bus would not stop and we would be left out there to get eaten by mosquitos or jaguars. Just as I thought we were never going to be saved...a bus came! and stopped!! It was such a relief and felt like the best bus ride ever.

One thing you see a lot of here in Belize is young children selling things like dried plantains or handmade necklaces & bracelets. I will always be thankful for being allowed to be a kid when I was growing up....

Another thing that I have noticed is in the mornings you see people all over sweeping and cleaning up their property or store fronts. There are also women all around the city with rakes and garbage bags cleaning up the sidewalks and streets. Unfortunately, you turn the corner and you see people littering as much as others are cleaning up. The world would be a lot different if everyone made the effort....

One thing I have been thinking about a lot lately is how much I will miss Belize and all the people I have had the honor to meet and spend time with. I truly wish more people could have the opportunity that I've been blessed with....Although there won't be much sunshine when I get home, I hope to bring the joy of life with me and be very thankful for EVERYTHING and EVERYONE I have been blessed with and EVERYTHING America has to offer. I hope I can pass this on to others as well.

Friday was pretty boring until the evening when Terry, Jamil and I went to ceviche hut. It was my first time meeting Jamil and he was so nice (not that I expected different from most of the people I've been introduced to). It's always great to spend time and chat with people over beer and ceviche.

Saturday was amazing. I went to Chetumal, Mexico with Jamil, Alberto, and their friend, Nina. It takes about two hours to get there from Belize City. I was so excited because I had never been to Mexico before. The three of them made the trip that much better to because they all have great personalities. It took us a while to cross the border but it doesn't take much to get through. Once you cross they have Mexican military with these huge firearms waiting. They're the ones who ask you the typical border questions: Where are you going, for what, how long. Not going to lie I don't really know if that's what he was asking because it was all in Spanish but I'm going to pretend that I knew what he was saying ; ) The buildings in Mexico are so colorful and there are old VW buggies EVERYWHERE! I had to have seen one in almost every color!

We weren't even in Mexico for 15 minutes before we got pulled over. Apparently Jamil almost hit the policia on his moped but we all swear he drove up next to us on purpose. Anyways, Nina and I enjoyed taking pictures of Jamil outside with the policia and Alberto outside translating for him. It was pretty funny along with the policia hustling 100 pesos off Jam (Jam proceeded to tell us that was his taco money b/c 100 pesos is like $10). Good times in Mexico!

Not only are the streets nicer in Mexico but we arrived at a mall that looks just like one back home. Walking through the mall they have these huge (6 ft at least) paper or cardboard flowers hanging from the ceiling...so pretty. Get this....there's even McDonald's and burger king! Trust me I didn't come to Mexico to eat from there but it just reminded me of home. We went and saw two movies: The Messengers 2 and Date Night. I advise anyone that needs a great laugh to go see Date Night with Steve Carrell and Tina Fey. It was HILARIOUS! Their movie theaters look just like ours but instead of being able to movie hop, you only go in through one door and have to exit another. That's so smart!!

After the movies we drove around Chetumal for a bit before going to get food. There were so many bars and shops with colorful lights all over. Definitely an awesome looking night life. There was one bar shaped like a pirate ship!! All of where we drove face the sea too. We stopped at this outdoor restaurant and I ordered 2 chicken quesadillas and some guacamole dip. Both were delicious. Come to find out on the receipt is reads: 2 gringa.... (gringa=white girl) hahaha highlight of our night!

Crossing back was a lot easier than getting in except for the fact that we have to park the car, gather all our purchases and walk through immigration. There are things that they would confiscate such as Pepsi and Arizona tea. Luckily I got away with the tea but I didn't even attempt to buy Pepsi. It was all part of the experience though and I hope to get back up there before I leave in 5 weeks!!! Oh p.s. the name of the bread company in Mexico...Bimbo ; )

As you can see it has been a very eventful two weeks. I am sure I have left out so many details (seeing as I am an awful writer and do not proofread my postings) but all the more to talk about when I get back : )

I love and miss you all! My time here has been well spent and I am going to enjoy every last second I have of it because so much time has flown by already and there's not much left.... <3

It's been a while...

My apologies for the wait but it is crazy how fast time goes by.

So Mar had left and I got right back into the swing of things at work. I went to my first brothel/bar and it was quite the experience. The first one we went to only had one girl that day so the YAM member had a one on one talk with her. We went over to a bar/brothel across the street where there were about 8 girls that day. It is shocking to see these girls because not only do they look so young but they are such pretty girls (I guess they can use that to their advantage). It is hard to sit in there and not act like I was disgusted to be touching any part of that building...

This month has been crazy with the pap smear promotion taking place. I have been non stop working in the lab entering names, information, and results. Some days it feels like I am entering up to 200 names!

So before and while Marielle was visiting I did not want to mention this HUGE spider I had seen in the house a few weeks prior to her visit. I woke up at 3 a.m. one morning to go to the bathroom and completely regretted waking up for there in the middle of the hallway was this palm sized, thick legged spider (I never felt my heart beat that far out of my chest). My only reaction was to freeze at first but then I tried to kill it with this book. I threw the book on top of it but the weight of the book was nothing compared to this spider and it scurried away. It disappeared into the linen closet. Oh man, it was hard for me to sleep that night. I quickly shoved a towel under my door which has not left since that fateful night! Needless to say, just before Mar's visit I spotted the man eating spider in the bedroom next to mine. I ran to get Daniel to kill it so of course the whole family came down to check it out....apparently I was overreacting according to them but this spider was like nothing I had ever seen outside of a zoo (normal to them, terrifying to me!). Daniel lost it in the room so my fears were not put to rest....

Well his cousin was staying with us (in that room) before she left to go back to the U.S. The morning of her departure she yelled to Daniel to come kill a spider. She had caught the spider and wanted him to kill it!! Yayyyy!! I was oblivious as to what was going on because I was waiting in the car to leave for work when Daniel came out and told me that he had killed the spider but that Terry told him to leave it in the toilet for my arrival home....SO FUNNY TER!

;-}

That evening after work, the women of the BFLA had a volleyball tournament to partake in to celebrate Women's month. I spent the afternoon ironing on decals onto t-shirts for the team. Team name: Sex Busters! We won the first two games and I scored the winning two points in the first game! We thought we dominated at that point but then we had to sit out until our third game....we cooled off to much and ended up losing to "the pink transformers." It was so much fun though and we got certificates for participation. It felt great to bond with all these Belizean women while making a fool of myself ; )

That Friday, Ana and I instructed a women's session for young girls ages 14-17. Ana gave presentations while I helped with passing out papers and setting up the activities. We had about 36 girls and things started off slow but eventually the girls got really into it. It was nice to be on the other side of an event like this and really pay attention to what the girls were saying/asking and how they reacted to different things.

After the session, I went to Moon Clusters (hey, I have to get my fill before Easter). Raf was there and the place was packed with school kids. I ordered a supreme choli (oreo and what not) and went on my way home. Mmmmm it was delicious! : ) When I got home, I got hooked on the show: Dr. G. Medical Examiner. I could not imagine dissecting human bodies and then having to tell their loved ones what happened to them.....but somebody has to do it. I have a lot of respect for someone like her because at the end of the day, she goes home and spends time with her family just like many other people.

On Sunday we took Daniel and Terry's boat, "Sponge Fab," out to Goff's Caye with the whole Fabro family. It seemed as though we were leaving the dark clouds back with Belize City. As soon as we arrived, I got right into the water and pretty much remained there all day (coming out to get food or my camera). Goff's Caye is just a beautiful place...nature at its best. I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to visit there twice!

I keep forgetting to mention how many times I get asked how old I am and how often people have a hard time believing I am 22. It's so funny because I honestly get asked at least once

a day if not more!! I tell everyone it's the lotion I use ; )

For a while it seemed as though we were in the eye of the storm and just as we were leaving the clouds started rolling in. We headed straight for them too!! It was a wet and wild ride home but we made it safely! The boat that left after us got lost and ended up South!! They had to have the coast guard come get them! When we got home the power was out and went on and off for the remainder of the evening. It was the first real rainy day since I've been in Belize and I co

uldn't complain because we had a beautiful day out on the island!! : )

Monday did not start off so well as I received bad news from home that put me in a damp mood for the remainder of the day...just as I thought the homesickness was going away it crept right back up on me.

I woke up Tuesday feeling a little bit better but was still sad that I could not be home to give my support. They had cut up fresh fruit at work so I enjoyed some pineapple and orang

es. Raf brought me a choli in the afternoon.... which I always enjoy ; )

I woke up really early Wednesday morning to do some race for the kids' school. Talk about a good wake up!! I ran ~2 miles along the sea and back to the kids school. I felt good ab

out myself passing a bunch of kids and some parents who looked in shape. Little did I know I was in for a lot of exercise that day.... we got home and both cars were dead so I had to walk most of the way to work. It didn't bother me but boy did I regret it later when my muscles were bothered.

I realized several more things that I am grateful for....the fact that I used to get very nice Easter baskets and having a washer & dryer at home. The reason I mention these is because I was helping Arthur send out letters to principles at different schools for an Easter egg hunt sponsored by YAM. Two kids from each school would be allowed to attend. I wondered how they pick which two kids could come. Ana proceeded to tell me that the principles of the schools would pick two kids that would probably not receive anything for Easter....ouch. I was reminded of what I have always taken for granted...not only a whole Easter basket but just a simple Easter egg filled with candy or what have you.

The reason I mention how grateful I am for a washer & dryer is that this shack of a house I walk past every morning on my way to work has lots of garbage and broken objects in the front yard. One of those objects is a refrigerator tipped on its side. Well on this morning, a woman was outside with two buckets and a bag of soap....washing clothes. It reminded me of the o

ld days before washers and dryers existed but this is not the old days and they do exist yet this is

all some people have to resort to to get clean clothes.....

My eyes get opened more and more each day here............

Being the last Friday before Good Friday and Easter, Ana and I ordered fish for lunch. Now to be quite honest with you the place we ordered from was really sketchy and I wasn't quite sure I could eat anything from it. I mean this place was literally a shack with 'a hole in the wall' (which Ana and I refer to as the name of the place). When we got back to work with our food from this hole in the wall, I was astonished to see how delicious this food appeared. Not only ap

peared but tasted!! It was fabulous to be exact!! They had such a nice presentation, so m

uch food and it was delicious! It really goes to show don't judge a book by its cover!

Man has it been hot lately....woke up sweating Saturday morning! I hung my whites out on the line (which is not only energy efficient but my whites were whiter and smelled absolutely amazing after!). I showered and met up with Ana, her husband and daughter where we walked to the Women's festival at Constitution park. They had pedicures for $10 (5 US) and that saved me from having to paint my toes later (the girl did a really nice job too!). I bought this handmade shirt from this woman who had some beautiful pieces. I think I was her fir

st sale of the day because her daughter was so excited to show her mom the money! That made me feel really good : ) I bought a couple bags, some handmade earrings and this really cool belt made out of the part of the can that you pop it open with! Each person I bought from seemed so excited to make some money which made me feel great because I was helping them out along with getting some cool new stuff!

It was a nice afternoon to go to D'Ceviche Hut with Terry, Marts, and their friend Jody. I

ordered a shrimp cocktail and a chilata (lime juice and salt that you mix with the beer of your choice). Everything was delicious (as always!) and it was nice bonding time with the girls : )

That night Raf had a party to celebrate his birthday from earlier in the week! It was so much fun and a received a golden conch for my initiation into the crew (I had to speak dirty Creole lines in order to be accepted). Everyone got a kick out of it and I met some fantastic people! Raf's family is so sweet and his mom (visiting from Chicago) was just so catering to me! She gave me her contact info and told me to come visit her in Chicago! The party was so much

fun, we drank and danced all night long! It was worth the 20+ mosquito bites I received....

Just another relaxing Sunday here in Belize. I had spent the night at Raf's and spent the morning with his kids and wife. They are such a beautiful family. The kids seemed to really like me and Raf's wife, Delmi, is just the kindest person. She made us breakfast and we chatted for a while before I went home. I spent the rest of the day relaxing and

keeping cool.....

I have met some amazing people here in Belize along with discovering some amazing things about people. I have taken too much for granted in life and being here has opened my eyes to many new things! I wish more people had the opportunity to see what I have seen here and let it change them for the better also....

<3

an unBELIZEable week with an unBELIZEable friend!

Woo sorry this is so late! I've been having too much fun!!

As you know, the week started off great by going to Goff's Caye! We had Monday off which worked out perfect to rest up from the previous day of fun! Also good because the excitement of Marielle's upcoming visit would have got the best of me at work : )

It turned out that I could not sleep very much that night!! Too excited for what was to come! I arrived at work and my supervisor had just come back from the 'Concasida' (which was an AIDS event in Costa Rica). She said that it was quite the experience. I had ADD all morning and I think everyone was getting frustrated with my pacing through the building : ) I made a promise to Ms. Bulwer that I would be her slave when I got back if she would agree to let me have the rest of the week off.....and of course she did because she's amazing!!

Mar arrived right on time and Ms. Bulwer had me hide behind a car while she greeted Marielle. I popped out and we both started screaming! It was just so exciting that she was here and I still could not believe it! I brought Mar into my work and introduced her to everyone while giving her a tour of the building. Everyone was so happy to meet her because that meant that I had finally stopped pacing ; ) We had to wait till Terry got to work to grab the house keys so in the mean time I brought Mar to try the horchata drink (rice drink). She loved it!! I was so happy because it was really hot when she arrived which allowed her to feel the real Belize how I did when I arrived. She was also excited to be wearing flip flops and shorts : )

I couldn't believe how much Mar had packed when I told her she wouldn't need pretty much anything! Turned out she wore almost all the same things all week too (we practically lived in our bathing suits). Of course the first thing I had to do was bring Mar to Moon Clusters! On the way to MC we bought matching handmade bracelets hehe. At MC we ordered chicken quesadillas along with a choli for Mar and a double shot for myself. She fell in love!! Now she can go back and express how good it really is! On the way home we bought some groceries and stopped in a couple of the little stores downtown to browse. It felt so good to have a slice of home visiting : )

Mar seemed to like the front deck just as much as I do, to sit and enjoy the sea breeze and view. We relaxed there for a bit then planned out what we wanted to do for the week while Terry fed us spaghetti [nothing like Mar's first Belizean meal to be pasta ; ) ] Mar fit right in like I knew she would.

I did not sleep very well again because the excitement was still getting the best of me! Mar and I got up early and had breakfast on the deck before a fabulous day of snorkeling! Terry brought us to the tourist village and it was complete chaos with 5 cruise ships being in and a majority of the people being college spring breakers.

We arrived at Spanish lookout which was on the opposite side of the island from where I had snorkeled last time. We had an hour before snorkeling so Mar and I walked to the other side of the island (with our complimentary rum punch). When we were snorkeling, all Mar could keep saying was that she should've been a marine biologist! haha I think she found her new love! We saw some pretty cool, colorful fish and we got to hold a conch shell (followed by me telling Mar that she will be eating that when we go to D'Ceviche hut). We arrived back at the island and had an hour to relax and eat. It was soooo hot that day so a cold shower felt great when we got home!

The evening was chill. We went to Wagan's (the $5 store) and of course I bought some more things. Mar got some good stuff too! We got home and watched 'Precious' with Terry. That movie is really heartbreaking. The rest of the evening was spent on the front deck : )

I finally got some sleep which was much needed for an exciting day at the ruins! We originally thought the tour we were taking was cave tubing and the ruins but they were traveling to the furthest ruin site so we had to decide between the two. Of course we picked the ruins because you don't get that option everyday! Our tour guide, J.R., was fantastic! I learned so much more about Belize that I was not aware of. He talked the whole way to the ruins about the landscapes and different things about Belize. It was neat to see how the environment changes the further inland we went. I also got to see many of the places that I type into the cytology database!

When we arrived we had to take this raft-like, wind ferry across the 'safe' river to get to the park. The river is considered safe because there are no crocs, snakes, or piranhas. Once we got to the park entrance, we had to hike up this large hill to get to the ruins. It was so hot out but still felt great! When we first walked up to the ruins, it didn't seem like much till we turned the corner and there was this HUGE 160+ ft structure. J.R. was great at describing the history of these ruins and each specific structure. The name of these specific ruins is Xunantunich (stone lady) and revolves around a story of a lady dressed in white with fire red eyes who disappears into a wall. I even went all the way up to the top!! Of course, I came down on my butt : )

You could see Guatamala from the top! It was just amazing! It was like nothing I had ever seen before and so much better than some boring museum. All the stories we learned growing up and I was finally getting to see it with my own eyes.

On the way back we stopped at this restaurant where they served us chicken, rice & beans, and coleslaw. Mar loved it! It was good but I can't say I am very found of the combination anymore. Climbing back into the bus called for siesta after the fiesta....and that we did! Mar decided she didn't want to miss a thing and stayed awake while taking a picture of me sleeping : }

When we arrived back at the tourist village, Mar and I took the opportunity to walk around and check out all the booths. We both bought some souvenirs while I got many ideas of souvenirs that I want later. Apparently the tourist village is the place to go if I want to get hit on A LOT or find a party to attend (none of which I would actually attend to). Mar and I decided after all the calories we had burned off from sweating that we were in much need of some more Moon Clusters : ) We walked there and I finally ordered the caramel choli while Mar got the choli supreme (oreo choli). Both were absolutely delicious which I expected nothing less!

We arrived home to clean up, post pictures, and Mar bonded with Dani (the youngest) by doing the puzzles my mom had sent the boys. Terry came home and decided tonight would be a great night for Mar to try ceviche! Mar loved it!! (She would fit in just as well as I do!) Again, another thing she can go back and express that I don't exaggerate when I say the things here are fabulous! After a long day and a good workout (climbing ruins is not for the faint hearted), Mar and I passed out!!

We got up early the next day and set off to the cayes (pronounced keys) for a majority of the weekend! We caught the 9:15 am boat to Caye Caulker which takes about 40 mins to get to. The boat rides are nice though because you get to stare at the beautiful blue water and pretty islands along the way!

Caye Caulker is a really cute, rustic beach town. All the buildings are so colorful! Right off the boat, a 'taxi' guy caught us and said he would take us to the beach. The taxis here are golf carts. It was quite the bumpy ride but it was nice to see everything on the way! Mar and I were the first to the beach and we rented two beach chairs and an umbrella. Our plan was to just relax....

Relax we did! We got in the water a bit before deciding to have lunch at the Lazy Lizard (right on the beach!). Just getting in the water and walking out a ways, there were so many colorful fish and two little guys kept swimming right in between our legs! From time to time they would even poke us!! Mar and I really wished we had snorkel gear at this point...

For lunch, we decided to finally try the infamous 'panty ripper' which is coconut rum and fresh pineapple juice. It was delicious! A perfect beach drink if I do say so my self. We met this woman named Lurosa from Oregon who has been traveling for the last 2 and a half months by herself. She's been to Mexico and Costa Rica and this will be here last week in Belize. I could not imagine traveling like that by myself! She was such a kind woman though so we sort of adopted her for the afternoon.

While having lunch, I noticed a boat docked that had a sign that read: Snorkeling gear for rent $5 belize. It couldn't have been more perfect!! We got our gear and headed right out onto the reef. It was sooo cool to see so many colorful fish along with huge orange starfish (not like the ones we picked up in Maine with skinny legs but more liked the webbed starfish). I later found out that a fish I spotted was called a lion fish (venomous but afraid of humans) but in Belize they are trying to rid their waters of the lion fish because it is eating so many of the other reef fish. They offer $50 for each one you bring in! I wish I had known that because I spotted 2!! Mar kept snorkeling while I decided just to swim. The water here is just amazing and refreshing!

When we were finished, we slowly made our way back towards the water taxi to catch the boat to San Pedro for the night. We stopped at little tables and stores on our way. We also got ice cream that was melting faster than we could eat it!

It only took about 20 mins to get from Caye Caulker to San Pedro. San Pedro is a beautiful beach town. I was told to call Miguel (the son of the lady who's hotel we would be staying at) to set us up. He gave us directions and it was only about 2 blocks away from the water taxi. It's not hard to get lost in San Pedro because it is 4 parallel streets with beach on both sides. Mar and I showered quick and headed right back out.

We walked around for a bit to get ideas of where we would like to eat but ended right back across the street from our hotel at a place called Elvi's kitchen. Their special that night was a Mayan buffet. The food was absolutely delicious and so filling! The restaurant had sand on the floor so you never really got away from the beach feeling (not complaining what soever). After dinner we made our way to Playa lounge (a really outdoorsy lounge that we had seen from the water taxi). This place has couch like seating with pillows galore! Let the drinking begin!

Mar and I paced ourselves because we were so full from dinner but I ordered captain and coke (my drink!) while Mar had a sex on the beach (her drink!). There was a band playing so we chilled out and listened to them for a bit while random strangers came up to chat and leave. It is quite interesting, the people you meet abroad. Many people seem to be from the mid-west. Miguel and his friends came to get us around 9 p.m. and then the party really started!

They first took us to this quaint, local karaoke bar. It was really dark in there but a very chill place. We didn't stay there long and headed to Bar 208 at the San Pedro airport. REALLY NICE bar! We hung out there for quite a while before heading over to Jaguar Temple club. The club had an outdoor area and the inside club. We hung outside for a bit where Miguel's friends sang 'happy birthday' to him (it wasn't really his birthday but they always pretend it's someone else's birthday when they go out to get free drinks). It worked because the bartender brought over shots! You learn something new every day haha : )

We started dancing outside and made our way into the club! It was sooooo much fun. They switched the music up from english speaking music to spanish. It was great though because no matter what the language, I danced away to the beat. I forgot how much I love dancing and had Mar going too! More and more people came as the night carried on. It was such a great dance atmosphere!

We left the club when it closed around 3 a.m. and everyone seemed to gather outside in the park where food vendors were waiting and willing. From there Marielle and I did not sleep. We chilled till sunrise. Sitting on the beach watching the beautiful pink sunrise was so amazing! It was like nothing I had ever seen before! One of the pictures above is us at sunrise on the beach.

From there we found a place right on the beach that was open at 6 a.m. and ordered french toast, potatoes and coffee! Mmmmmm. We couldn't believe we had stayed awake all night but kept right on going. We stopped in several gift shops and got some nice San Pedro stuff. We made our way back towards to docks to go.....PARASAILING!

It was funny because the guy handling the equipment on the boat remembered seeing Mar and I at the club and said that we looked mean as hell! I could only laugh and tell him that that must of been close to closing time when we were worn out. There was a couple from upstate NY with us that went first! I was getting nervous because my fear of heights was taking over but like I said before I came down here....I will not say no. Therefore I would not let this fear get the best of me. If I could climb ruins I could certainly do this!

When the couple came down, the lady offered to take one of our cameras and take pics of us! So we got both pictures from down below and pictures from up above!! It was unBELIZEable! You could see so far and so much in the crystal blue water! It was sooo neat to be above the world's 2nd largest barrier reef! Not only does San Pedro look beautiful while you're there but from the air! Ugh words cannot describe!

Arriving back down, Mar and I both started feeling a bit queasy. It's a lot of motion especially after a night of drinking, dancing, and not sleeping! We got free beers upon arrival back at the pier and drinking that made me feel much better ; ) Mar on the other hand was not feeling so hot so we decided just to catch the next water taxi and head back to Belize City.

Mar and I showered quick and both passed out for a majority of the day. I woke her up around 8 to see if she was feeling well enough to go to a local birthday party we had been invited to but we decided to relax at home and ended up passing out again ; ) It was much needed and we had already done so much!

Sunday morning Mar woke me up and we made breakfast and ate on the front deck. I could not believe how great the weather had been for her entire trip so far! This morning was a bit cooler but still beautiful. Terry dropped us off at Old Belize which has a history museum, restaurant, and beach. The museum was really interesting and I really liked how it was set up. You start off in a rainforest with caves and move on to Mayan temples and huts. From there you head to the beginning of Belize industry and finish in a small 1900 town. It was fascinating to see how Belize developed as a British colony.

After the museum, we decided to do ziplining! The zipline at Old Belize starts at this high tower on the museum side and you shoot over towards the farthest end of the beach. The guys that ran it were sooo friendly and great instructors! Wow, now that I think about it I really conquered my fear of heights on this vacation! Ziplining was soooo much fun and would be so much better in the rainforest! A picture of Mar's face at the end is absolutely priceless with such glee written all over her! It was a great finish to our trip together.

After ziplining we enjoyed some lunch at the restaurant. The food was delicious along with large portions that were so filling. If we had known they were so big we would have just shared! With all the excitement and filling food it was time for a nap on the beach. We found two comfy beach loungers and parked our butts there for the remainder of the afternoon. One amazing thing we recognized was the very large fan in the bar cabana on the beach. This thing had atleast 10 ft blades! Don't worry I got pictures with Marielle sitting underneath for comparison! It was also written on the fan base: Big Ass Fans (self explanatory see).

We arrived home to relax for the evening. I can't believe how much we accomplished and how much fun we had! It was so sad that our time was coming to an end : ( Mar spent the evening bonding with the boys by playing video and board games while I uploaded pictures of our adventures and captioned them. We both took soooo many great pictures! Monday came too quickly!

Luckily due to our ride situation, Mar got to come to work with me and we got to spend her last couple hours in Belize together. I was definitely missed at work and they had loads for me to do! Mar finally got to meet Raf (who brought her to the airport). I was so happy they got to meet because they are both such AMAZING people and Mar had the opportunity to tell him how much she loves Moon Clusters : )

"...true friendships are characterized by grace, truth, forgiveness, unselfishness, boundaries, care and love in gigantic and mutual proportion."

I am so lucky to have a friend like this in Marielle. I am so glad I got to experience Belize with her and could not ask for a better friend! I call her the love of my life because she is that one person outside of family that I can ALWAYS turn to. We always have such great times together and I could not ask for anything better. I am lucky to have someone with such a great spirit as her in my life and wouldn't trade it for the world! I love you Marielle and I am so glad you came to visit and experience this with me : )

6 down, 10 to go!

I heard it feels like Spring up North. Sorry to rub it in but it feels like Summer here ; ) At least to me anyways.

This week was very repetitive in tasks at work. We prepared little gift bags for every 25th patient to celebrate the BFLA's 25th Anniversary.

The nights were nice and comfortable this week. I think I am adjusting to the weather because the weather only gets down into the 70s at night and I find myself sleeping with a blanket and sheet.

I wore the beautiful skirt my mom had made me on Tuesday and everyone commented on it. Raf said she should open a shop down here and sell them but I continued by telling him that she said she will never make one again.I felt very Belizean because I also wore my local bought earrings made out of coconut shell and the sandals I purchased that are similar to what girls down here wear.

Ana and I are planning a trip to Placencia (in Southern Belize) at the end of April because I would like to go there and surprisingly she has never been! It was also finalized that Sunday I would be joining coworkers for a day trip to Goff Caye! So excited!!

On Wednesday I tried 'horchata' which is a sweet drink made from rice. It was really good and reminded me of coconut milk. Ana suggested trying the cantaloupe, watermelon and many other natural fruit juices they make. After lunch, Ana and I went to a local resource center for young mothers and pregnant teens (Y.E.S.-Youth enhancement services) to give a presentation on STIs. The girls were very grossed out by the pictures we had but I made it a point to tell them that yes they're gross but this is reality and can happen to anyone that is sexually active.

Thursday we finally got a venue for the youth retreat in April but it is at a place that Ana was avoiding because there is nothing to do around the location. We left at 5 to go to Crooked Tree for a YAM meeting. I wish we could have arrived there when it was still light out because I would really like to see the lagoons we drive through during the day. After Crooked Tree, I was invited to attend a Red Cross get together with Ana (her husband works for Red Cross). I met the director, Lily, who was so funny and really nice. I also met several people from Norway who are here working on a project with the Red Cross. It was a nice little get together with wine, dessert, and guitar playing with singing. The house we were in is a beautiful house near the Princess Hotel, right on the sea. Ana was telling me that they throw some pretty crazy parties and while we were there they were planning one in May.

On Friday I entered about 100 patients into the Cytology database. This month will be really busy with the pap smear promotion at several clinics. After work Terry took me to this little store that had clothes and bathing suits for $5 Belize (2.50 US)!! I bought 5 summer shirts and I am excited to go back because I did not have the chance to look through everything.

We went to the D'Ceviche Hut later that night with Alberto. For the first time I was not feeling the ceviche and come later that night I would know why. I had two beers while at the hut and then we went to a basketball game at the sports center. I ran into Dorothy who I had taken Creole lessons with! It was so good to see her and I have been meaning to give her a call. She bought us a beer and we chatted for a bit while watching the game. She said that I must be doing very well with understanding Creole because she asked me if I had realized she just said everything in Creole and I understand everything! I knew after a few weeks I would get the hang of it : )

We left the game just as I was starting to not feel so hot and as soon as we arrived home I got really sick to my stomach. I'd like to think it was the mixture of ceviche, different beers, and the heat from inside the sports center. Luckily it did not last long so I knew it wasn't a bug.

Saturday was relaxing. I cleaned up my room and got things ready for Marielle's upcoming visit!! Around 5 we went to Daniel's mom's house to celebrate Lupita's daughter's 12th birthday. As always there was so much delicious food and drinks. Of course there was a beer in front of me before I even sat down but I surprisingly felt good enough to drink it ; )

Sunday was a great start to the week!! Woke up early to get ready for a day on an island with coworkers. They picked me up around 6:30 a.m. and were the first to arrive at the pier. One of the pictures above is the sunrise! We had 22 people going with us and we rented the smaller boat. We had to leave a couple coolers and crates of drinks to come on the other boat because there was too much weight in ours.

The ride there was beautiful with the sun rising and passing other islands. It seemed as though we were leaving the darker clouds with Belize City and heading towards the sun! We arrived at Goff Caye which is a 1.2 acre island with less than 10 palm trees, some bushes, and a couple cabanas on it. They just renovated the island and put bathrooms on it but they had them locked?! Upon approaching the island I was in awe. The crystal waters, white sand, and essence of the place is nothing I have ever seen in person. Already I did not want the day to end : (

We were the first people to arrive on the island and my coworkers did not wait a second to start drinking! They had bottle after bottle of whisky and beer. I guess this is island life : ) I think I spent the first two hours letting it all soak in. The 2nd boat arrived and come to find out a girl I had seen at the Y.E.S. building was there. She introduced herself to me as Polly. She is from Nebraska and has been here for 7 months for a Jesuit program similar to Peace Corps. She will be here for 2 years all together. I was happy to have met someone close in age to me and she mentioned that she has roommates to so I look forward to having people to go out with.

It was an amazing, relaxing day on the island. Food, beer, swimming, sun....can't get much better! I loved every second of it and it was really sad to leave : ( It was tempting to take a nap under a palm tree but I could not waste a second of this natural beauty. It was an amazing day and a great start to the week. Marielle arrives on Tuesday and I am looking forward to whatever we can get into together.

As they say here....You better Belize it! : ) <3