Update

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Hello all my loved ones! I thought it time to give a more thorough update on my life in Belize so far. It has taken a bit to sink into this new experience and can now share more with you all.
I now have my own apartment. The first few weeks I stayed at the spa which worked out at the time because there was an extra room there, a bathroom with hot water and shower, a security guard, and it was right in town, so anything I needed was readily available. Then I moved in with Sylvia, a born and raised Belizean woman. Sylvia is a personal Belizean chef for local parties as well as private breakfast, lunch's and dinners at resorts and private condo's. She is incredible, and food is her passion! I have helped her make coconut rice, shrimp creole, coconut pie, steamed belizean veggies (carrots, onion, cho cho), and Tilapia fish. I have also seen her make conch fritters and johnny cakes. When I lived with her, she had 2 little kitties that shared my bed at night. Her home is a little further back from the beach (still only 4 or 5 blocks) and surrounded by more wildlife. At night the racoons ran around on the porch, and in the morning I often woke up to 2 woodpeckers who decided that there was something of value in the sideboards of the house. If only they could keep pecking, maybe they would find it. Or they just liked to hear their echo back. Each time they started, it sounded like there were 2 carpenters pounding large metal nails into old dry boards that would resonate throughout the whole house. From the outside it sounded like just a little tap, tap, tap. This could in part be because the walls really were just as thick as the plywood siding. No insulation, or even drywall. The wall I touched with my hand on the inside was literally the other side of the siding. Sylvia also had hot water in her bathroom and a washer with a line outside.

Now I have my own place. It is a small studio, furnished with a bed, small dresser, bookshelf, small table (I use this as a counter top since I do not have a counter top), small stove, sink and refrigerator, and a small chair. The bathroom has a sink, toilet, and shower. There is no hot water. This has not been a problem except for the last 5 days when it has been very cold. (I have been showering at the spa.) On warm days it is fine because the sun heats the pipes. It is on the second floor, so I have a little patio overlooking a very small yard used only for hanging clothing. There is also a little shack in the yard, which I assumed was a storage shed. In the last few days I have learned it is another room for rent. No plumbing in this little shack. I now also see that there is a outhouse also in my small little yard. Just beyond the yard wall is a golf cart repair yard where they work on and clean the golf carts that are rented in town. I have some neighbors who live beneath me. A pregnant woman who appears to be about 26 or 27. Maybe younger. And 2 young ones. A baby and a 3 or 4 year old. And her husband and a couple others I can hear at night although I have yet to see them. So 4 to 6 people live in the same size studio that I have, just below me. As far as I have noticed so far, I am the only gringo in the neighborhood. The other day I was talking to a gentleman I know who works security at the spa building in town who also lives in my neighborhood. I stopped on my bike to chat with him while he was sitting in front of the little Mexican store next to my house. There was also a little girl about 6 standing there talking with him as well. He asked me, do you live around here? Before I could even respond, this little girl, whom I don't remember seeing before, said "yes, she lives up there" pointing up to my place! It seems everyone know who I am before I know who they are! This is very funny to me because in the states my experience has been that I remember people faces very well, and people have to meet or see me a few times before they remember me.
The first week in my new place I was so excited to cook finally. However I had to wait a couple more weeks for this to happen. First off, I had no dishes or pans. And I had no propane. Since I do not speak Spanish real well, and my landlord and those in my neighborhood do not speak English, I did not ask why my stove did not work. I decided to wait for my friend from Corozal to visit to help me out. My friend also picked up a couple small pans and a couple dishes along with silverware from Chetemal in Mexico. Even though dishes are available here, they are very expensive, and not good quality. I also learned from him how to call and order your propane tank to be refilled.
The most challenging task to do so far is laundry. I was very excited to learn when I moved into my own place that there was also a washer for my use. So after having a weeks worth of clothes to wash (and I only have about a weeks worth with me), I was very excited to use the washer! My first trip to the washer (which is located around the corner, outside on the upper walkway) I discovered I would need to find out how to supply this washer with electricity. The next day at the hardware store, I purchased a 50' extension cord for outdoor use for $85. At home, I plugged the washer into the outlet. After I loaded my clothes and the soap (a small bag of powder with writing in only Spanish), I closed the door to realize I needed to first turn on the water which has a cold water faucet on the wall. After the water started filling the tub, I went back inside to clean for a bit. An hour later I went out to grab the clothes, only to realize that the water had been pouring from the hose, into the washer, and instead of filling it, was immediately leaving out another hose from the tub and pouring a soapy shower onto the yard below and behind my building. Ok, so that wasn't working. I decided to hand wash the clothes in the tub and then spin them before putting on the line. However, the spin cycle didn't work either. So I carried the sopping wet clothes inside to wring out in the tub before hanging on the line. Since then I have used Sylvia's washer one time and the other night I did some laundry at another friends. The night looked clear and it was getting late, so I brought the washed load home to hang over night. Just as I was hanging the last item it started to sprinkle and continued on pouring throughout the night and all yesterday. This morning half the items had dried, so I am on my way!
This may sound like a culture shock to you all, and yes it was to me too! And this is the most developed area of the country. Hot water I have learned is a Western item, and a luxury. I know very few locals on the island who have hot water. And most everyone hang dries their clothing.
And yes, I feel safe. This has been an amazing experience so far. I have learned so much about what it means to be a developed country. I have taken so much for granted. I have always been so drawn to other cultures and wanted to experience them. Little did I know I would get just what I asked for.
Each day I bike to work on the beach. I bought a bike a month ago in Corozal and brought it over on the boat. It has wider tires and no gears to shift in and out of. Biking in the sand is a little bit of a learned skill. Most areas have a packed down part of the beach that bikers are using constantly. Occasionally you bike through loose sand, and this is more challenging. The other day I had a fun 'yes!' moment. As I was biking to work, there was a local guy biking behind me and singing loudly. He was also hollering comments at me which I sometimes ignored and sometime acknowledged. (I have learned that acknowledging some comments quiets the person. If you ignore them they often keep it up and yell louder). So I was actually having a little fun with this that morning. At one point he passed me and kept up his singing. As he got to one part of the beach where there is loose sand AND a hill AND the beach narrows quite a bit, he got off his bike to walk it up. I had also done this many times as this is a very challenging area to stay on your bike. This morning however, I decided to bike up it. And I did. I passed the loud local guy walking his bike up. Of course this did not go unnoticed by him, the tourists and locals watching, and of course myself. Immediately he started yelling about how I have a real nice bike and that is the only reason I was able to bike up the hill and not him. It was very fun for me to just zip past him after a month of biking challenges on the beach!

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Photos

Laundry
After I hand wash my clothes, they get put on this line right outside my patio.