News from Belize

Here it is mid-October and I know I haven’t written a blog entry in weeks. I just feel like I haven’t had much to say and it seems like all the blogs I’ve been writing from Belize are about travels I’ve done. I did take a week vacation to Cancun in September, my first “real” vacation since arriving here but not a whole lot report. I know many of you think my life here sounds like a vacation and it times it does seem that way but it was great to actually get away for a few days. I was able to spend time with Dylan and relax on the beach. Otherwise, I’ve pretty much just been hanging out in Dangriga. I’m trying to get several things going but there hasn’t been much to report. I figure its time to share something with all my loyal, dedicated readers though.

Last week on Oct 13, I hit my three year mark in the Peace Corps. That’s right – I now have been serving for over three years. In many ways its impossible to believe this. The years have really flown by. It seems like just yesterday that I was still living in New Orleans, trying to get through my grad classes, and constantly wondering where the Peace Corps would send me. At that point, I never would have expected to be in Burkina Faso or Belize. I now have completed my first two years in West Africa and have just three months left in Central America. Its been quite the tour! I have to admit I’m ready for the future though and am excited to move onto the next adventure!

As for news from my current location, on Sept 21, Belize celebrated its 30^th birthday. It was just thirty years ago that Belize won its independence from Britain and became an independent country. People here were excited to celebrate and like most holidays in Belize, this meant a parade, loud music playing all day and night, and lots of beer. I guess its not all that different from the Fourth of July back home. Other recent holidays included St George’s Caye Day, also referred to as Baymen’s Day on Sept 10. This is a celebration of the Brits final defeat over the Spaniards and their claim to the land that is now Belize back in 1798. Columbus Day is also celebrated here but its called Pan-American Day. This year an extra holiday was declared at the end of September when the first prime minister of Belize, George Price, passed away. He was recognized for founding this country and a huge funeral and celebrations were planned in his honor.

In my personal life, one of my favorite activities for the last several months has been zumba and strength class. Another PCV in Dangriga was a fitness intstructor in the U.S. and started classes here after she arrived in June. There's a small group of women, both Belizean and other PCVs, that meets twice a week to dance away calories at zumba class. We also have a strength class twice a week that includes a variety of exercises. One of the more creative things we've done is fill liter water bottles with sand and then water to make weights. We're not sure how heavy they are but are guessing around 6 pounds. They're perfect for lots of different exercises. Our instructor and her husband also developed a system using cheap rope from the market, pvc pipe, and pipe insulation to do a variety of different exercise. She got the idea from TRX which is an expensive system of ropes people buy in the U.S. to work out. Her system cost only a few dollars and works great! The best part about our classes is location. We work out in the park across the street from my house in the bandstand. It sits right on the sea so we have an amazing breeze off the sea to keep up cool and a beautiful view. I doubt I'll ever have such an amazing workout experience when I get back to the States!