Here’s a lee look back at our moments/favorites throughout our time in Belize.
Anthony
Favorite Belizean meal: Beans n’ Rice
Favorite place in Belize: My Hammock in Belmopan
Favorite shop: Save-U
Favorite dining establishment: CoCo Bongos and Noodle Guy at the Belmopan Market
Favorite Kriol phrase: Shuks Bwai!
Favorite Kriol proverb: Haad ayz pikni goh da maakit too tiam
Most memorable moment: Being asked to be the guest speaker at my school’s 2010 graduation
Most surprising experience: When I walked in flip-flops through foot tall grass in our backyard after dark to get a lime off the tree (not even giving a second thought to the creatures of the night that live there). I commented to Ginnie when I returned that 3½ years ago I never would have even considered.
Funniest experience: The many children that made me laugh on a regular basis
Weirdest experience: Missing Belize when I visited the U.S.
Favorite bus story: Riding back from Cayo on a packed up bus one market day and spending an hour talking with an old Kriol woman and her grandson about Belize, who also continued to share fruit with me for the duration of the ride
Favorite getaway in Belize: San Pedro – just wish it wasn’t so darn expensive
Best experience with the pikni: Pikni running at you full speed, latching on with tight hugs, and refusing to let go; Being hailed from the street by my host brother as we arrived at the house (he’s only 4yrs old)
One experience you’d like to forget: The bout of E-coli I picked up somewhere in Honduras
Overall favorite: The daily 5 minute bike ride to work
Name one modern convenience you look forward to having again: Bookstores
Name something you learned you can live without: Television, Washing Machine, Vehicle
Name one thing you will miss most: Hearing Kriol on a daily basis
Name one thing you will miss least: unavailability of great books
Name one thing you look forward to in the USA: Seeing my wonderful family and friends again
Name one thing you do not look forward to in the USA: Weather that fluctuates more than 15 degrees over the course of a year
Share a lesson learned: Human Beings never fully know what they are capable of, how they will react, or how they will truly feel, until living, breathing, and experiencing a walk in someone else’s shoes.
Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world; Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."
ginnie
Favorite Belizean meal: Boil Up!
Favorite place in Belize: Most of Cayo District
Most frequented shop: K-Park Quick Stop & SaveU (Belize City); Fansico & New Capital (Belmopan)
Favorite dining establishments: Ko’ox Han nah & Cayo Twist (San Ignacio); the noodle guy (Belmopan Market); Sumathi & Mama Chen (Belize City); Gomier’s (Punta Gorda)
Favorite Kriol phrase: Right now
Favorite Kriol proverb: Weh no kill yu, fatn yu
Most memorable moment: Opening the library at Trinity Methodist School
Most surprising experience: Sweeping a tarantula out of my house by myself
Funniest experience: Camp GLOW and the every meeting with the GLOW girls were pretty fun and definitely funny!
Weirdest experience: The shower head exploding when I was in the shower – I got out before the explosion, but experienced the pre-event with the scalding water and steam
Favorite bus story: When a man’s $20 bill flew out of his hand as he tried to get it in his pocket and everyone around helped find it and get it back to him
Favorite getaway in Belize: a day or two on a caye
Best experience with the pikni: all of them J - the hugs that come as soon as I walk onto the school compound are a pretty great start to any day; Lindy’s daily check-ins and Moleisha grabbing my hand to show me something she has done
One experience you’d like to forget: One morning when the principal lashed 6 boys for being rude to me
Overall favorite: accomplishing my goal and helping the school and the programs at YES to accomplish some of theirs
Name one modern convenience you look forward to having again: a refrigerator with a separate freezer (internal freezers stink especially in a hot climate where they freeze over and then make it so the fridge is not actually keeping things cool)
Name one thing you learned you can live without: a TV, a washing machine, a car (although, my preference is to have the availability of a motorized vehicle)
Name one thing you will miss most: hearing Kriol every day and people hailing each other as they pass on the street
Name one thing you will miss least: extremely loud music or loud anything at all hours (I like noise ordinances; these levels are definitely beyond the allowable decibels back in the US)
Name one thing you look forward to in the USA: paved roads and sidewalks and climate control (but not at the extreme temps that I noticed the stores and some homes keep it – how about a comfortable 78-82?)
Name one thing you do not look forward to in the USA: Coca-Cola made with high fructose corn syrup instead of real sugar
Share a lesson learned: No matter how little a person has in terms of money or possessions, they can be extremely generous and give of what they do have to help their neighbors and their friends and that people are people no matter where they live. Just because something is hard, doesn’t mean we can’t do it and the people who invented the washing machine really did something to save hours of time for others – if only such a machine were accessible to all people who need one it would be so nice!
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