WIN Belize

I should have written this last Friday as soon as I got home, but I was exhausted and fell asleep at about 9:00.  This past week has been exhausting, but that serves me right for spending a week relaxing with my family.  On Friday afternoon, I was able to give the final recommendations to Agatha at the Women's Issues Network of Belize.  The nonprofit in Belize City is struggling with having a sustainable income for the organization.  Sarah, Vanessa, and I have been working on a report to present to them.  They were looking at creating the Women's Business Network of Belize (WBN).  So, we started researching plans for the WBN. 

We decided to interview different businesses and organizations.  This is why the three of us traveled down to the Toledo district in the south.  The south is considered the poorest district in Belize.  There are a lot more indigenous people and tourism (the number one income of Belize) isn't as developed in the south.  I actually loved Punt Gorda.  Sure, the sea isn't the same Caribbean blue down there as it is in the cayes--this is because there is a lot more rain, which creates the five rivers that mix up the sea in the area. 

I still love Punta Gorda.  The Maya in the south speak English as their second language, and you hear hardly any Spanish.  The people work together a lot more, too.  I deeply appreciated this idea of community.  Sometimes it is for the good and other times, not so good.  Our tour guid told us of a story about two little children that went missing.  There was an accusation of an American, but they didn't have any evidence, so the people got into a bus, and drove to his house and burned it down.  He was not in the house, but relocated to San Padro shortly there-after. 

Although that was an example of the bad, there is still a lot of good in the communality of the people.  They create businesses and organizations and genuinely take care of each other.  This is an attribute that so many people in the world have lost.   I won't give more details about the trip down to PG because I already wrote about it. 

The presentation went extremely well, and Agatha was very grateful.  She even asked me to continuously follow up with her to make sure that she is working on making it happen.  The adjective "happy" doesn't even begin to describe how I felt.  Elated.  Maybe that comes closer.  Anyway, we took pictures and talked a little more about how much I enjoyed this project.  We then headed for the bus.  On the bus ride home, I thought about the events of the afternoon.  Working on this project was the highlight of my summer.  It was why I got to travel down to PG, and probably has a lot to do with why Punta Gorda is my favorite region of the entire country.  My parents came to visit and I drug them down there, and I think they wondered for a little bit why it was my favorite so much. 

I realized that I know exactly what I want to be when I grow up (nonprofit consulting) and then I realized that I AM DOING IT! And I have been for the past year.  I also admit that I would love to work for WIN Belize and figure out how to get this project off the ground and see it come to fruition. 

Family: Down South

This was a bit funny.  My dad saw a website online that advertised the opportunity to live like a Mayan.  My dad was under the impression that we would be sleeping in the Jaguar reserve, since it boasted that the guide grew up in the reserve.  We got there, and it was just a shack on the side of the highway.  The guide had lived in the reserve up until it was made into a reserve, at which point his family was forced to relocate.  The hut was very similar to the hostels that I have slept in all summer.  My dad was worried about my mom's comfort, and offered to take her to a hotel.  He then admitted that the reason was that he didn't want to be teased about this forever.  I took a picture of his face.  That night after dinner.  We went on a Jaguar hunt.  We did not expect to see anything more than some monkeys and a toucan; however, we are now on the official record as having spotted a Jaguar.  Yes, my friends, the Jaguar hunt was successful.  We didn't really see anything else for the rest of the night on our midnight jungle hike, but we saw the illusive and stealthy Jaguar. 

The next morning, we packed up to head to the Cotton Tree Lodge in Toledo.  The Humming bird highway remains one of the most beautiful drives that I have ever experienced!  It was indescribable.  My dad picked out a spot of land for retirement.  (this was actually before the Maya Center.) Anyway, we started the drive further down south, and went into town first.  We got some lunch and I tried showing them the chocolate factory and the shop, but both were closed for lunch.  We ended just heading on over to the lodge.  We got to the lodge and learned that it was an eco-lodge that does a lot of philanthropy in the community.  It took some adjusting to.  I am use to the heat, but my mom was struggling with the extreme heat and off the charts humidity of the jungle.  She...we were concerned about having a night without air conditioning.  It actually worked out just fine.  The jungle down south cools off a lot more at night than it does at the western boarder.  I really just enjoyed sitting in the hammock on the front porch.  We also went out to the jungle lodge to see the monkeys.  No matter how much we looked for them, we weren't able to see them. 

The next morning, we decided to go snorkeling again.  The water in PG isn't nearly a crystal clear as the cayes.  There are five rivers that meet the sea in Toledo, and that makes the water a lot more murky,  and easily churned.  The guide took us to a ranger office for the marine preserve who told us a bit about the area and what Belize is doing to preserve the water.  It was really interesting.  We then went to a beach that was crystal clear and beautiful. 

Cadie was talking about how she likes "what if?" questions.  I then asked her, "What if you wake up tomorrow and love J. Biebs."  She then promised that that would never occur… ever, ever, ever.  At which point I sang, "Never say NEVER!"  She didn't appreciate the serenade.

We then went snorkeling and saw an octapus, starfish the size of the kitchen sink, lobster, and dori fish.  It was not nearly as well known as the Ho Chen reserve, so we were the only ones out there, but I actually liked it a lot better.  PG remains my favorite part of Belize.  We started to have lunch on the beach, but the sand flees were to potent, so we just ate out on our boat and had the chance to talk to our guide for a while. 

The next day, we packed up the car and headed back to Belize City to take my parents to the airport.  :) 

Family: San Ignacio

Once we finally made it to Belize City, we started our journey toward San Ignacio.  I had my parents drop me off at my place first.  The next day, we decided to head to Tikal, which they were both very impressed with.  It's hard not to be impressed with Tikal.  That night, Mamma Kay made us dinner, and it was quite delicious.  My mom had been wanting to try homemade tortillas, but was afraid to eat anywhere that prepares fish.  They loved the BBQ Chicken and tortillas.  Then, Cadie and I took a cab back to my place and had a sleep over.  She was cute and shy.  THe next morning, she woke up and took a shower.  I thought that she had been in there for quite a while, so I went to check on her, and she had locked herself in and couldn't figure out how to get out. I was trying not to laugh too hard. 

That afternoon, we went to Barton creek to go canoeing in a cave.  It was fun and similar to the ATM caves.  I really just enjoyed being with my family. At the end, there was a rope swing and a cliff that we could jump off of, so…. We used them.  That night, I sent my parents to Ka'ana for dinner and I hung out with Cadie and Vincent. 

The next day, I got to give my parents a small tour of San Ignacio, and then we picked up a rental car to go down south.

Family Time: San Padro

I saw my family last week and we got spoiled rotten.  I got a cold a few days before and was worried about going because I didn't want to get my mom sick.  The night before, I only slept a few hours and I probably looked a little like death.  I had planned on picking up my parents, and sleeping in the hotel for a few hours.  Nope. I picked them up, and we took the water taxi to the hotel where we were greeted on the doc with cool wash cloths that smelled like Eucalyptus.  We then got a tour of the hotel and our hotel room. They gave us rum punch (without rum) while my dad checked in.  It was nice.  We then took out the kayaks and went to the edge of the reef to do some snorkeling.  It was so fun to be able to do it with mom.  I kept thinking, "I'm getting spoiled rotten! I don't deserve this!" then I thought about the last few years and decide that I may not deserve it, but mom does, and she needs someone to do it with her, right?  Anyway, I then went back to the hotel room for a HOT shower (I forgot how nice hot showers are) in an air-conditioned apartment, and we went to dinner where I ordered a salad.  Four months of burritos and the salad was wonderful!  My mom thought that I was crazy for not getting the traditional Belizean food, but understood after a week of tortillas.

The next day, we went out to the Ho Chen reserve and did some more snorkeling. It was fun because I got to see a sea turtle, some sharks, and a sting ray.  Several actually.  That night,  I was still feeling sick, so I sat on the couch and watched the Olympics. I hung out with Cadie and Vince while my parents went out to dinner.  We got Pizza and a pina colada.  (best of my life) We went to church the next morning and it brought me back to Mistretta: a tiny apartment with views of the sea, and only a hand full of members.  After church, we took out a golf cart to explore the island.  It was quite a fun adventure.  I really just enjoyed the time that I was able to s pend with my family.  I kept thinking: Family + Paradise= Paradise Squared. 

We had to leave Monday, but mom wanted to go birding first.  We had a guide pick us up at the dock and he took us out to a random island with lots of birds on it.  We then got out and got to wonder around the island. It was so much fun!  Mom thought I was bored because I know absolutely nothing about birds, but I enjoyed just going for a boat ride in the Caribbean.  We also went to another island to find sea shells.  Mom and I both fell into quick sand.  Life tile! 

We had to get a water taxi back.  We went to a restaurant for lunch, but mom was too nervous to eat there, since she is HIGHLY allergic to shell fish and it is lobster season, and just the smell affects her.  She went and found somewhere to eat, and then ended up giving it to a woman who didn't have food.  When we got there, mom brought us to go find her, but she was already gone.  I ran to the grocery store to get something for her to eat and then went to get ice cream for the family.  I looked pretty silly with five cones, and got quite a few comments.  Even though it was only a two minute walk back, the ice cream had melted a lot in that short walk, and it was all over my arm. 

We got on the water taxi, and it was the last water taxi to leave the island before the storm hit. Right after we got on, there was an 'incident.'  A man sat next to a woman, and she quickly put her hand down 'saving it for her boyfriend.' (even though there was another open seat on the other side of her)  She threw a fit and claimed that he was hurting her.  She could have easily pulled her arm out to stop the 'pain,' but she was calling for the coast guard to come arrest him.  Her boyfriend then threatened him, and he picked up a screw driver to protect himself.  I couldn't help but think about how sad it is that they were escalating each other.  She was playing the victim, but was also an antagonist.  I was impressed by my parents for their attempts at restoring peace to the boat. 

About half an hour away from the shore, the boat broke down.  They had to have another boat come out and tow us into town.  With the approaching hurricane, we were just a bit nervous to be on the last boat back to the mainland before the storm was supposed to hit. 

Garifuna Drum Circle

Friday was fun. I got a total of TWO hours of sleep Thursday night--a combination of sugar and a lot on my mind kept me up until the birds started singing.  The next day we ended up taking Sarah to the airport, and then had the taxi drop us off in Belmopan so that we could catch another bus back to Dangringa for the weekend. We wanted to go to the Garifuna drum circle.  I was so happy to get on the bus.  The taxi made me sick, so sick.  So, I got on the bus to Dangringa, changed buses, and went all the way to Hopkins.  It was one of the strangest rides I have ever been on.  So strange.  The attendant got in a fight with someone--but it started off as them laughing, so I was confused when it turned to anger.  There was a guy sitting in the front without shoes on, and then the bus over heated.  We were just grateful to make it to town.  Once we were in town, the bus attendant walked us to our hostel.  The people are so friendly, and a lot less threatening.

That evening, we went to the Garifuna drum show.  It was so fun.  I just need to share pictures.  We then had a drum lesson after that.  I was so tired.  EXHAUSTED, actually.  There was another hippy guy--dressed in the souvenir shop shorts and top (perfectly clean and obviously new) and a rasta necklace--he was super white, which makes me wonder if he knows what the meaning of the rasta movement.  He was also a little tipsy. I was laughing, and this has now led me to think, "What blogs have I ended up in for the silly things that I have done?"  I did end up dancing to the drums, and have some sweet picture of Leslie.  Other than that, we just chilled on the beach and did practically nothing at all.  The drum show and drum lessons made everything worth it!

They were so funny, and pulled us out to dance, and then a local guy danced with all of us.  He loved it, we loved it, and I would go back and do it again---in a heart beat. 

Chocolate. Need I say more?

Birthday Week!

Where to start, where to start….?  Well, I will start with Sarah.  I got home last Monday night, and Sarah informed me that she had some things back home that she needed to take care of.  I was torn with pride for the adventure that she is about to go on, but sad because--she's my friend….like a tug-a-war of happiness vs. sadness.  We decided to take off for Punta Gorda to finish up the research for the project with WIN Belize before Sarah and Vanessa left.  We left on the 5:30 am bus on Wednesday morning.  So. Early.  It worked out because we were able to make it to the connecting 6:30 bus in Belmopan, which was suppose to be "Express" but it wasn't.  When we got to Dangringa, I ran inside to get some breakfast.  Sarah decided to run to the bathroom, and I got back to the bus just in time for it to start moving.  I jumped off, ran to the bathroom, yelled at Sarah to hurry, then ran back to the bus and begged the driver to wait… he kept going but then stopped and waited.  From there, we continued on down the coast to Punta Gorda. 

I love, love, loved Punta Gorda.  Loved Punta Gorda.  There was just a different feeling there.  We stopped to talk to the Fahina Woman's Group.  Ok, this deserves it's own section:

Fahina Woman's Group

This is a group of women that  produce hand-made local crafts.  Then, there is a representative from each village that brings the products to the store.  All the products are labeled, and the women receive the proceeds from the sales.  They can also sell their products separately.  The crafts are beautiful, the shop was colorful, and the women were friendly.  I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. 

I was fascinated with the women's group in general.  They elect a representative to go to the monthly meetings, and then they decide who will watch the shop. The woman said that she didn't enjoy it.  When we asked her why she does it, she said that she was voted and it is her responsibility to the tribe.  She doesn't even get paid.  We pointed out that she can point people to her products and she said that she would rather be home with her daughter.  When she was appointed, she was single, and didn't mind going to the shop every day, but now she didn't want to travel.  I was just impressed with her devotion to her village.  I felt a lot more cohesion in the group.  I appreciated it.

Birthday Dinner

Did I mention that this was on my birthday?  Well, now is the time to segue into Birthday.  For lunch, we had a wrap from a Snack Shack and it was so yummy.  We got a burrito, but the tortilla had flavoring in it.  I liked it!  We went over to the ocean since we finished up the rest of our appointments, and swam in the ocean.  That night, we went and changed to go out to dinner.  The Belize Book recommended a restaurant, so we got there at 6, and they told us to come back at 7.  When we came back, the cooks were smoking weed and said that they decided not to open the kitchen today.  Sad day.  We went and picked up some Quesadillas, which we wanted to eat on the dock, but decided that it would probably be safer to eat it at the house since...we were 3 girls in a strange town and our hostel was on a bit of a secluded road.  We sat, read, and ate.  Sarah also got me some tres leches, which wasn't really that good.  The cake had a hint of nutmeg and the frosting had lime in it.  Strange flavors to mix together…

Scorpion

That night, mom called me as we were settling into bed.  Right when the phone rang, I saw a scorpion.  The first thing that I said to my mom was, "OH. MY. GOSH.  There's a scorpion in Vanessa's bed.  Do I have to tell her?  Mom said no.  When Sarah came in, I pointed it out to her, and she thought that it was a crab.  I may have let her think that it was a crab, but it was in vain--and Vanessa could tell what it was.  The only thing going through my head was, "If it stings us, I don't know where to go for Medical Help."  None of us would sleep on the top bunks (as if that would have anything to do with where the scorpion was.  Vanessa slept on a plastic chair.  Sarah slept on the other bed, but climbed in with me at about 3:00 am (ZION's 2012 Shout Out!)  so that Vanessa could take her bed.  Did I mention that we slept with the lights on.  The next morning, I found out that the scorpions are not poisonous, but they do hurt.  They only sting you if you step on them--they never seek you out.  This would have been good to know the night before! 

Sweet, Beautiful, Chocolate

I realized the next day that I was the only one to get a good night sleep with the looming scorpion.  Boy, oh boy… I slept well.  Sarah and I got up to go meet the Cotton Tree Chocolate Company.  It was super yummy.  We talked to the manager about how everything was structured.  It was a bit disappointing only because it was so typically American in style--even the manager was American.  Still, after the interview, she gave us a tour of the chocolate factory.  Sweet, beautiful, chocolate factory.  I loved it.  I love chocolate, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to learn that I loved the shop.  I also came to the realization that it is possible for me to someday have a chocolate factory in my garage or kitchen.  Can you picture that… a chocolate factory IN MY HOUSE!?!?!?!!!!  Life tile.  Just wait.  Here's the process:

THE PROCESS!!

Step 1: Toast Chocolate

Step 2:  Smash chocolate beans

Step 3:  Use blow dryer to separate the shells from the nibs. 

Step 4:  Put the nibs in a juicer.  It will then come out at chocolate liquor.  Put some of this into a machine that pulls out the oils from the chocolate (I'm trying to figure out how to get this part--I'm certain that there is a kitchen aid attachment). 

Step 5:  Put it in the big machine (this is the other hard part) that grinds it down to smooth chocolate perfection for several days.  It has a big stone that crushes it. 

Step 6:  Put it into molds and eat it, or just eat it. 

See how easy it is to make chocolate?  Plus, I am now friends with the people that sell the chocolate beans, so I can get them any time!  I actually went directly to the market to get some chocolate fruit, so that I cam make the chocolate nibs.  (this is as far as I can get with my current machinery) 

TCGA - aka MORE CHOCOLATE

After that meeting, we went to the Toledo Chocolate Growers  Association.  This is another SUPER COOL ORGANIZATION.  They were really well organized and renewed my faith!  The organization buys all the chocolate from the farmers and then sells it to big organization.  This helps the local Maya farmer keep their culture and way of life and Kraft is happy to get large quantities of cocoa beans.  THe organization also provides training on how help the crop be better.  I really enjoyed interviewing them and learning--they provide a direct benefit for the services provided.  It was fascinating! 

We then went to the dock again and laid out/swam while waiting for the bus back up the coast.  Before boarding, we grabbed another burrito from the Snack Shack--this time with a cilantro burrito.  Yum!  SO GOOD! And we got lucky and had a direct shot all the way back to San Ignacio with great connectors.  When we got back to the Cayo, Sarah and I decided to tie dye some shirts so that we could 'fit in' with the 'local' Americans.  Why is it that Americans feel they can go TOTALLY hippy when the get south of the boarder.  I'm probably not one to talk--I've loved living in REI gear for the majority of the summer.

Oh, I almost forgot--

Translate this--

Yup, the little girl is playing with a mouse trap. 

Part of the Experience

Last Saturday, we had an excellent adventure.  It was one that actually brought me right back to Italy and a P-day spent in Campania. Well, last Saturday, we took a taxi out to Bullet Tree and met up with our friend, Rosi.  Rosi invited us to go to the river to go swimming with her.  We got to her house and she asked us if we wanted to go for a walk to the ranch.  It was super fun walking up to the ranch.  We walked over to the ranch.  They chopped up some coconuts and gave them to us to drink the water inside.  We then walked on and they pulled out two roosters so that they could fight.  That was actually a bit funny--one of them was trying to tire the other by running around in crazy circles.  We didn't let them fight too much.  We got to try strange fruits.  There was one that was super hard and difficult to eat.  It had a shell, and once I FINALLY broke through, it was just sticky and a little bland.

As we were leaving, they pointed out another fruit that none of us had even heard of.  Then, Rosi's brother climbed right up the tree and threw a bunch down at us.  We had to wait a few days, but they taste like sweet potatoes.  We then headed back to Rosi's, and her mom had made all of us BBQ, tortillas, and cole slaw.  They also made some fruit juice that I was a bit nervous about.  It had homemade ice cubes in it. 

We then went walking down to the river to jump in.  I was surprised by how strong the current was.  We jumped out, went upstream a little and could swim without any problems.  We found a big log and jumped in.  We may have pushed Rosi in.  I also should have been more concerned when Rosi said that her sister couldn't swim in the river because she gets sick when she swims for a long time.

  It could have been the river, or the ice cubes.  It only lasted a day, and then I felt really bad for Erin who spent most of last week home with food poisoning. 

Still, it was a lot of fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with Rosi and her family.  I felt honored to be there, and it was worth getting sick. 

"It's all part of the experience!"