I sit here at my six month anniversary of expatriation and wonder where the days have gone! I came to Belize hoping to accomplish many goals and finish numerous projects - all of them still patiently listed on the back of a Suduko puzzle. Somehow, when making that list, I forgot to factor in the People of Placencia! I recently read a captivating story called “There’s No Place Like Here” by Cecilia Ahern. It’s a tale of a girl who finds herself in a town called Here, This town is home to everything that’s ever gone missing - that ring you [View Full Entry]

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The last time I visited Belize, I had the fortune to go on one of the most unique tours on this continent, the ATM Cave Tour. Since being in that wet dark cave, I have learned alot about the unique creatures that live in absence of light and heat, and swore I would never be crazy enough to enter again. Until St. Hermann's cave last November....and now the cave at the mouth of the Blue Creek waterfall was calling me inside.... The Southernmost district of Belize, Toledo, has about 55 miles of paved road and the rest remains an expanse of [View Full Entry]

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When Aly and Zach and I moved to Placencia in November, we were surprised and delighted to find that we were not the only newbies in town! As a matter of fact, quite a collection of young people have moved here recently from Austria, Canada, NY, and England! In particular, we have become good friends with another three-some from Canada, Jodie, Erin, and Brad. They have opened a fantastic restaurant here in town, the Secret Garden, and every time they have a day off we try and snatch them for a boat trip, a beach and lunch date, or Pictionary! Right [View Full Entry]

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Hello family! I'm doing my best to keep the stories coming, but I have been just too busy living them to document! Although its a few months later, I hope you still enjoy them! :) A few days after returning from our adventures up North, Megan arrived for a Holiday Extravaganza! She was our first visitor to the tiny peninsula we call home, and also my first time being able to meet my friend out on the jetway! :) It was an amazing sunny Christmas Eve, and Megan showered us with first world novelties for the entire first day! She brought [View Full Entry]

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Happy New Year to all my favorite people! The holidays were a whirlwind of new friends and adventures, and I can’t wait to share them all with you! I have been very busy making new friends and being a part of my new community! I have been training to be on the volunteer fire department, tutoring math in the small village north of here, housesitting, singing karaoke, and hosting and attending many board game nights. (It's been raining quite a bit!) Lots of my new friends are business owners down here too, so a lot of time is spent contemplating [View Full Entry]

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Its Day Ten in Placencia and I have my laptop with me on our front porch. I’m looking at the two kayaks we paddled all morning, the coconuts our neighbors gave us, and my snazzy new Big Red Bike! I’m settling in remarkably well, and every day I’m learning a little bit more and knowing I’ll be staying a little bit longer! Within days of relocating to the tropics, my internal clock adjusted to match the eternal clock of the sun. If I somehow managed to sleep through the 99 decibel shrieking parrots at 05:45am, I have the pleasure of starting [View Full Entry]

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As so it goes from one great adventure to another... I look forward to sharing this international relocation adventure with you! But first, a recap: After returning from ATW, over the summer I visited most of my friends and family all over the country and the world! My sister Alyssa and I took a 2000 mile road trip through Utah, NV, and CA and took in hikes and awe at Bryce Canyon, Zion, Lake Tahoe, San Fran, and Yosemite! Ryan came out to Vegas and we decided it was about time we checked out the Grand Canyon! It turned into a [View Full Entry]

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Home. Well, as most of you know, I've been home for a few weeks and well, already I feel like it's time for me to hit the road again! :) I was meandering along my international pathway for 249 days, and loved every single MINUTE of it! I think i got homesick once (when the Packers were in the NFC Championship Game....it really made me miss my friends and family - MY TEAM!) and only got sick from the strange foods once (my last week in Peru, can you believe it!?) I met so many friends I cannot even count them [View Full Entry]

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Let me just tell you up front, if it's a surprise from your Inca Trail guide, its probably going to be NO BUENO (and most likely, it's MORE STEPS!) Megan and I had limited time together and only 10 days in Peru and Bolivia, so we opted for the 2 day Inca Trail hike instead of the 4 days. We took a train at 5am to Km104 and got dropped off...well...pretty much in the middle of nowhere. We checked in with our guide, and sorted through the 20lbs of food we had with us - between the box breakfast from our [View Full Entry]

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A few days before my birthday, Megan and I were in Lima trying to map out the rest of our week, and I saw the city Copacabana on our map, so we immediately changed course and headed to Bolivia! We arrived in Puno, the last stop in Peru, at about 5pm and had missed the last bus to Bolivia, so we hired a private taxi to zoom us around the lake and take us to the border. We arrived at the border about 15 minutes before closing and were super surprised to find out that entry to Bolivia was going to [View Full Entry]

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