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.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Clarrisa Falls
On the way back from Benque we took a side road to Clarissa Falls. They are not big, but it is worth going to. There is a small restaurant and a couple of cabanas. The owners have some turkeys, chickens, geese, and have a semi-tamed parrot and toucan. It has a very peaceful feeling to it. You can hear the waterfall from the restaurant, but have to follow a path down the riverbank before you can see it.
On the way down to the bank I disturbed the hen with her chicks and a lizard in the brush. The lizards here are up to 6 feet long and very quick moving. By the time I turned because of the noise he was headed up a tree. I could have sat on the bank for quite a while, but the group was tired and wanted to go home. If I had stayed down there, they would have forgot me. Clarissa Falls is about three miles from where I'm staying, but in the tropical heat I don't think I will be walking to it.
While we were in the area, we were shown one of the few swinging bridges of Belize. I stayed on the side to take pictures until most had crossed. I knew they would make the bridge bounce. They had it moving enough that our coordinator turned around and came back. They had made her motion sick. I only went half way, looked at the river a bit, and turned around. The gang had fun making it bounce on their way back.
Their were local village kids waiting in the shade for our group to get off it. From what we were told, it is the short route to their village. Without it they would have to walk 5 - 6 miles from the main road.
One more thing! The lady at Clarissa Falls is an American that has been here for quite a few years. She is retired but very busy. She works with an organization that brings in supplies to poor villages when it is needed. What struck me is how happy she is. Her two sons spent part of their teenage years here and loved the nature side of life.
On the way down to the bank I disturbed the hen with her chicks and a lizard in the brush. The lizards here are up to 6 feet long and very quick moving. By the time I turned because of the noise he was headed up a tree. I could have sat on the bank for quite a while, but the group was tired and wanted to go home. If I had stayed down there, they would have forgot me. Clarissa Falls is about three miles from where I'm staying, but in the tropical heat I don't think I will be walking to it.
While we were in the area, we were shown one of the few swinging bridges of Belize. I stayed on the side to take pictures until most had crossed. I knew they would make the bridge bounce. They had it moving enough that our coordinator turned around and came back. They had made her motion sick. I only went half way, looked at the river a bit, and turned around. The gang had fun making it bounce on their way back.
Their were local village kids waiting in the shade for our group to get off it. From what we were told, it is the short route to their village. Without it they would have to walk 5 - 6 miles from the main road.
One more thing! The lady at Clarissa Falls is an American that has been here for quite a few years. She is retired but very busy. She works with an organization that brings in supplies to poor villages when it is needed. What struck me is how happy she is. Her two sons spent part of their teenage years here and loved the nature side of life.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Group trip to Benque
Yesterday was the last group trip. We went to Benque to visit families and learn how to cook bollas (not sure of the spelling) and tamales the traditional way. We started about 8:30 and it was done about noon. The process starts with ground corn and water which makes a lumpy mixture. For tamales the lumps are strained out, but not for the bollas. Each mixture is cooked in a big bowl with a bit of grease, basically like scrabbled eggs. Seasoned chicken is cut into pieces, cooked in grease, water and chopped vegetable added. The next step is to put these mixtures on palm leaves that have been steamed over an open flame, cut into about 10 inch squares, and washed. The corn mixture is ball then patted down on the leaf and a scoop of the chicken is put it. There is a special way to fold the double layer of leaves because they are then steamed for about 45 minutes before they are done. Along with the bollas and tamales we had hot sauce and rice milk. I like it all except the rice milk was very sweet and didn’t hit my stomach right.
The family had two children but the neighbor kids come over to play all the time and a group of Americans can draw a crowd. The kids were all pretty shy until we started taking their pictures and one of the American girls brought out a coloring book. She told one boy to pick a picture he liked and she ripped it out and gave it to him. He looked at her in shock, so I am gathering that ripping a page is definitely a no-no here. I was looking at some of the flowers in the yard when a couple of girls about 7 years old decided it was safe to talk to me. I found out about who lived in each house, their homemade “tent” house, their ability to jump rope, the dogs name, ect. As long as the conversation was 2 to 1 they were very chatty. When one of the other Americans came close they would be shy and giggle again. Just as we were getting ready to leave they decided to put on a “king of the mountain” type show with the clothes line and a pile of sand and rocks. It was all in fun and no one got hurt.
I found out that a girl from college lives just up the street from this house. I may have to visit her one of these weekends and stop by to visit this family again.
The family had two children but the neighbor kids come over to play all the time and a group of Americans can draw a crowd. The kids were all pretty shy until we started taking their pictures and one of the American girls brought out a coloring book. She told one boy to pick a picture he liked and she ripped it out and gave it to him. He looked at her in shock, so I am gathering that ripping a page is definitely a no-no here. I was looking at some of the flowers in the yard when a couple of girls about 7 years old decided it was safe to talk to me. I found out about who lived in each house, their homemade “tent” house, their ability to jump rope, the dogs name, ect. As long as the conversation was 2 to 1 they were very chatty. When one of the other Americans came close they would be shy and giggle again. Just as we were getting ready to leave they decided to put on a “king of the mountain” type show with the clothes line and a pile of sand and rocks. It was all in fun and no one got hurt.
I found out that a girl from college lives just up the street from this house. I may have to visit her one of these weekends and stop by to visit this family again.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Pictures will be added.
Now I have some entries!! The pictures have to be downloaded onto my jump drive and brought to campus to post. Hopefully I will get that done tomorrow.
Americans!!!! Appreciate the internet convenience you have. Appreciate ALL the conveniences; you would miss them if they disappeared suddenly and reappeared when they wanted to.
Americans!!!! Appreciate the internet convenience you have. Appreciate ALL the conveniences; you would miss them if they disappeared suddenly and reappeared when they wanted to.
Time is flying by me.
Thursday I found out that we have been here for 6 weeks. Wow!!!! It does not feel like it and I have to get serious on my classes. I have nothing done for my online classes back to WSC. I started different papers, but have not finished them. Problems with the internet and the partiers just put me in a frustrated mood and I stopped on my work.
I have talked to the exchange student coordinator about the situation here. She told me it would cost extra to get a private cabana or I could confront the girls about the noise on our deck. I had already thought about those options and also maybe switching with one of the partiers that is rooming with a quiet girl. I was told that the ones on a certain program had to room together, so that ended that solution. Basically I was told it was up to me to solve the problem. Then I talked to the owner of the resort to see if I could pay the extra for a single cabana. She looked at her reservations and there are only a few days that one is open for the rest of our time here. I am not going to confront the group because it is about 10 to 1, my roommate being one of them, and I am already treated as a boring old stick in the mud.
I wonder some days if they consider anyone other than themselves. They have totally alienated themselves from the group in town and the Belizean students. I overheard them at school complaining about the other students not talking to them and not knowing why. One of the guys in our group gave them a hint by jokingly calling them the “gossip girls”, which made them mad. He said, “Well you sit on the porch and talk about everybody.”
I have been using my spare time looking for another option. By talking to Belizean students, I have found out about different places that rent rooms to students. I looked at a cabana that rents for $550 (Belize dollars) a month. It has a TV, AC, and a ceiling fan. It is cute, in a quiet area, and close to a grocery store and the bus route. I looked at another “apartment” that does not have AC or a TV, but it has a microwave and table and chairs. It is located downtown, which means it is close to an internet café, grocery store, restaurants, and the bus stop. It rents for $400 (Belize) a month and the family lives right upstairs. I am leaning towards the apartment because of the access to the internet. The cabana would cost about the same as how much more I would have to pay for a single cabana here, if there was one available. The end of the month is approaching so I have to make up my mind this week. I will blog more about it later.
I have talked to the exchange student coordinator about the situation here. She told me it would cost extra to get a private cabana or I could confront the girls about the noise on our deck. I had already thought about those options and also maybe switching with one of the partiers that is rooming with a quiet girl. I was told that the ones on a certain program had to room together, so that ended that solution. Basically I was told it was up to me to solve the problem. Then I talked to the owner of the resort to see if I could pay the extra for a single cabana. She looked at her reservations and there are only a few days that one is open for the rest of our time here. I am not going to confront the group because it is about 10 to 1, my roommate being one of them, and I am already treated as a boring old stick in the mud.
I wonder some days if they consider anyone other than themselves. They have totally alienated themselves from the group in town and the Belizean students. I overheard them at school complaining about the other students not talking to them and not knowing why. One of the guys in our group gave them a hint by jokingly calling them the “gossip girls”, which made them mad. He said, “Well you sit on the porch and talk about everybody.”
I have been using my spare time looking for another option. By talking to Belizean students, I have found out about different places that rent rooms to students. I looked at a cabana that rents for $550 (Belize dollars) a month. It has a TV, AC, and a ceiling fan. It is cute, in a quiet area, and close to a grocery store and the bus route. I looked at another “apartment” that does not have AC or a TV, but it has a microwave and table and chairs. It is located downtown, which means it is close to an internet café, grocery store, restaurants, and the bus stop. It rents for $400 (Belize) a month and the family lives right upstairs. I am leaning towards the apartment because of the access to the internet. The cabana would cost about the same as how much more I would have to pay for a single cabana here, if there was one available. The end of the month is approaching so I have to make up my mind this week. I will blog more about it later.
Variety of Resort Guests
I have been meeting the short term guest here at the resort. The Americans are very curious about why the other Americans are here. I am just like them; It is great to find out where they are from, where they have been, and what made them decide on Belize.
One family was from New York State. The three of them take a short trip to a different country each year. The teenage daughter is more mature than most American teens and really enjoyed the trips they were taking to the maya ruins. I enjoyed visiting with them, too bad they were only here for a weekend.
One group is four ladies that are related to a rotary scholar who is living in San Ignacio. They are from New Mexico and staying for three weeks. They are fun to talk to, but they are keeping busy getting to know the town and visiting the local sites. The student is going to Galen University so I may have to ask her about how she got a rotary scholarship. Maybe I will apply for one. It depends on the criteria.
I have met some couples from Ireland, England, Australia, and Germany. While they are very nice people, they are more reserved than Americans. Maybe it has more to do with age because a group of college students from Canada were very out going. They could hold a conversation on a wide variety of subjects. Also they were mature than half of the Americans students here. Meeting all of these people from other countries has me pondering the differences in the maturing process in different cultures.
I may not come up with the answers, but my ponderings will keep my mind busy. Why is it that the more I learn, the more questions I have? Anyone have the answer to that one?
One family was from New York State. The three of them take a short trip to a different country each year. The teenage daughter is more mature than most American teens and really enjoyed the trips they were taking to the maya ruins. I enjoyed visiting with them, too bad they were only here for a weekend.
One group is four ladies that are related to a rotary scholar who is living in San Ignacio. They are from New Mexico and staying for three weeks. They are fun to talk to, but they are keeping busy getting to know the town and visiting the local sites. The student is going to Galen University so I may have to ask her about how she got a rotary scholarship. Maybe I will apply for one. It depends on the criteria.
I have met some couples from Ireland, England, Australia, and Germany. While they are very nice people, they are more reserved than Americans. Maybe it has more to do with age because a group of college students from Canada were very out going. They could hold a conversation on a wide variety of subjects. Also they were mature than half of the Americans students here. Meeting all of these people from other countries has me pondering the differences in the maturing process in different cultures.
I may not come up with the answers, but my ponderings will keep my mind busy. Why is it that the more I learn, the more questions I have? Anyone have the answer to that one?
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