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