Just another day in Paradise

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We have been in Belmopan for a week now and we are completely settled in and feeling like locals already. Our landlady has a very large family and we see her brothers and cousins all over town. As everyone here is so friendly, we find ourselves stopping to chat for a while, and then we really look like we fit in. This town has a great small town feel to it, and even though it is the capital city of Belize, you can pretty much walk the town in about 25 minutes. The weather has been around 25-30 degrees most days, and I am thankfully starting to get a tan and therefore don’t stand out so ridiculously much….but still really stick out anyways.

There is a great market in town every Tuesday and Friday were you can find everything from all kinds of fresh fruit and spices, to bright and beautiful cheap clothes, and newly released DVD’s for about 3$. Last Wednesday we ventured back onto one of the old faithful retired school buses to travel to San Ignacio. This was a really neat town with a lot more going on than in our laid back temporary home town. There were a lot more tourists walking around barefoot in the streets, street vendors selling banana chips, oranges and plums which they serve with salt and peper, and raggae music playing in the streets. After checking out Xantanich, which are breath taking ancient mayan ruins just out of town, we headed back to the streets of San Ignacio to explore, and enjoy a Belizean Belikin beer.

As our landlady, Sharon, is head of student services at the Univeristy of Belize, she was in charge of the graduation ceremonies which took place last Saturday, and invited us to come along. We were listed as VIP guest and were seated right up front. After the ceremonies, Danielle and I, along with a Maryland University school group visiting Belize on a short-term internship, headed to Punta Gorda to visit the beautiful Hunting Caye, compliments of the university. Due to packing time and a ‘necessary’ Chinese food break along the way, followed by a three hour drive, were unable to make the 1.5 hour boat ride out to the caye. We ended up getting a hotel and treating outselves to a restraunt with some of the best chicken I have ever tasted, before our 6am second attempt to get to the caye. The next day the weather was not as spectacular as the day before, and the sea was very rough. The ride was made less than comfortable in our little 10-seater fiberglass boat, in which the boat captain decided to bring along his entire family.Needless to say, my back is still sore and possibly slightly swollen from the massive waves our little boat had to battle on our journey. The hammerhead shark spotted and the dolphines that were jumping alongside the boat, however, did kinda make up for the beating we all took getting out to the caye.

Once we got there we all agreed that the ride was totally worth it, as we found ourselves on an a football field size white sand island, full of conch shell lined walkways, amazingly warm water, and palm trees from which our captain cut open coconuts so we could drink fresh coconut milk. We spent the day here beach combing, swimming, snorkeling, and eating amazingly good food. It then came time to once again file back into the boat for the feared ride back to the mainland. Before our drive back home, we stopped at a little grass hut to get some drinks for the ride back, and I asked a reited american sitting at the bar how is day was going and he pointed to his shirt which read “Just another day in Paradise”. And it is true, this country is truly a paradise, a little slice of heaven, just waiting to be explored.

Today was our first day of classes, and everything is so different than at home. The classrooms don’t have solid walls, and instead they are half open so you always kinda feel like your outside. The campus is very clean, probably thanks to all the “Clean UB = healthy me” and “Slam dunk the junk” signs that are found everywhere. To top it all off there is amazing ‘fast food’ places across the road from the school which sell fresh fruit smoothies and juices, burritos, nachos, and lots of other great Belizean food for only pocket change. During my first class today the professor breifly went over the course outline for about 15 minutes, and then started to text on his phone…so we all left. We also already have a class that is cancelled on Wednesday. After telling my landladies daughter (who also attends UB) about my day, it seems that this is only a preview to what will happen throughout my next few months at UB. Should be interesting!

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