Monday, March 9, 2009
The Locals!!
I am posting pictures of some of the local people I have gotten to know. They may not be in order, but I will label them with their first names or where they work.
Problem Solved
It took a little time and effort, but the issue with the partying American girls has been solved. I have moved out on my own.
I looked around town for about three weeks and found three different places for rent. One was a house with three bedrooms and way out of my price range. I had finally decided on a little apartment and told the exchange student coordinator at college. She must not have believed that I would be this independent and determined; because she again asked questions like “Don’t you think the girls are calming down?”. My answer was that it was just a lull in the storm. They are only quieter because two of them are sick and one was in an exhibitionist episode in town. I heard through the Belizean students at school that people were taking pictures with their cell phones. I predict that it will end up on U-Tube.
On to the good stuff. The coordinator told me about a place that the college rents for the professors, since some stay anywhere from a term to a couple of years. The upstairs apartment is empty and I would not have to pay any more than I already have on the program. Out of curiosity and politeness I took at look at the place. It is spacious, in a quiet neighborhood, and as a bonus, has wireless internet. There is a little grocery store two blocks away, neighbor kids I can watch from my little balcony, a fenced yard, and a cat begging to be fed everyday. Because of the internet and the quiet area, I took it. It still took a couple of days to get agreement papers and inventory household items, but at last I am independent and happy.
Sure there are a few drawbacks, but nothing I can’t live with. The first is that there is no hot water in the kitchen and bathroom sinks, but no cold in the shower. I wash my hair in the kitchen so I don’t have to stand under the hot water any longer than necessary. The clothes line was a cord and totally rotted, so I bought a new line. The clothes pins were old and moldy too. I threw them out and got plastic ones. There was no bedspread or light blanket so I bought a light throw blanket. The nights only get down to just under sixty degrees. Also the 5 gallon drinking water jug has to be carried up the stairs, but if I buy it at the little grocery store a local guy brings it in and sets it up. The apartment can get hot in the afternoon because heat rises and the curtains do no block much sun. The solution is to open the door on the shady side of the house and there are a couple of table fans.
Another good point is that it has a mini washing machine. Because electricity is so expensive here, I will only use it for heavy items like jeans. The rest I am washing by hand. You may think I am roughing it, but I have it easy compared to the locals who wash by hand, sometimes in the river. So I have no complaints.
A while back I had gotten a wooden alphabet set that was made and decorated by a local talent. I now have them hanging up on a plastic string between two windows in my kitchen. They are so bright and colorful that I have to smile every time I look at them. Overall I am very content here and will probably stay that way unless the internet goes out.
I looked around town for about three weeks and found three different places for rent. One was a house with three bedrooms and way out of my price range. I had finally decided on a little apartment and told the exchange student coordinator at college. She must not have believed that I would be this independent and determined; because she again asked questions like “Don’t you think the girls are calming down?”. My answer was that it was just a lull in the storm. They are only quieter because two of them are sick and one was in an exhibitionist episode in town. I heard through the Belizean students at school that people were taking pictures with their cell phones. I predict that it will end up on U-Tube.
On to the good stuff. The coordinator told me about a place that the college rents for the professors, since some stay anywhere from a term to a couple of years. The upstairs apartment is empty and I would not have to pay any more than I already have on the program. Out of curiosity and politeness I took at look at the place. It is spacious, in a quiet neighborhood, and as a bonus, has wireless internet. There is a little grocery store two blocks away, neighbor kids I can watch from my little balcony, a fenced yard, and a cat begging to be fed everyday. Because of the internet and the quiet area, I took it. It still took a couple of days to get agreement papers and inventory household items, but at last I am independent and happy.
Sure there are a few drawbacks, but nothing I can’t live with. The first is that there is no hot water in the kitchen and bathroom sinks, but no cold in the shower. I wash my hair in the kitchen so I don’t have to stand under the hot water any longer than necessary. The clothes line was a cord and totally rotted, so I bought a new line. The clothes pins were old and moldy too. I threw them out and got plastic ones. There was no bedspread or light blanket so I bought a light throw blanket. The nights only get down to just under sixty degrees. Also the 5 gallon drinking water jug has to be carried up the stairs, but if I buy it at the little grocery store a local guy brings it in and sets it up. The apartment can get hot in the afternoon because heat rises and the curtains do no block much sun. The solution is to open the door on the shady side of the house and there are a couple of table fans.
Another good point is that it has a mini washing machine. Because electricity is so expensive here, I will only use it for heavy items like jeans. The rest I am washing by hand. You may think I am roughing it, but I have it easy compared to the locals who wash by hand, sometimes in the river. So I have no complaints.
A while back I had gotten a wooden alphabet set that was made and decorated by a local talent. I now have them hanging up on a plastic string between two windows in my kitchen. They are so bright and colorful that I have to smile every time I look at them. Overall I am very content here and will probably stay that way unless the internet goes out.
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