Blogs from Punta Gorda, Toledo District, Belize, Central America Caribbean - page 2

After a rocky start with a missed flight due to snow, we are officially in Belize. Saturday we flew into Belize city and took a water taxi to Caye Caulker, a tiny island off the coast of Belize. The day we were there went quickly but the time was well worth it. It is a completely different way of life; barefoot kids, wandering dogs and all travel done by foot, bike or golf cart. From there we took a small 12 seater plane to Punta Gorda, where our clinic is. It was the most enjoyable flight experience of my life, complete with a layover that included a bar on the tarmac and the Caribbean sea a hop, skip and a jump from us. Views from the plane on our trip over gave us an idea of ... read more

We last left our heros at Hotel Backpackers in Rio Dulce. Hotel Backpackers is the hotel that is run entirely to profit Casa Guatemala, the never-never-land-esque orphanage/children's home/school/clinic/farm. We actually spend a full week at the hotel, where I spent my last week of work before taking a 'real' vacation. This was an ideal place to work from - their restuarant is on a dock over the river and has really strong WIFI all the way out on the water. If I was bold enough to risk it, I bet I could have paddled out on a kayak and still gotten WIFI a few meters into the river. I didn't do that, however I did hold multiple meetings with the river shimmering in front of me - on the phone with my colleagues trudging through snow ... read more

As we approach another Saturday (time is just FLYING by!) I should tell you about the rad Saturday I just had last week, and some other stuff I've been up to! If you can't tell yet, my soul needs some pretty frequent replenishing of things that are awesome, luckily I don't have a hard time finding those kinds of things. Last week we had a teachers retreat at a beautiful centre, so that was a nice mid week break (see the pictures to see why!). Got a chance to chat with my colleagues and just have a Wednesday off from teaching, which anyone can appreciate! We also got Friday off of teaching, because it was Garifuna Settlement Day on Saturday, a day to celebrate when the Garinagu people came to Belize from St. Vincent. The Garifuna ... read more

This post is only... a month late? I wanted to post about some places I've had the chance to go lately but when I tried to post the pictures (more than a hundred of them, I'm a little camera happy) on Facebook, my internet cut out - making me lose all my edits and captions. My frustration pushed me out the door for a walk, and I abandoned the posts and then life went on and now, here we are - either way, better late than never right? So I have had the chance to do a few cool little trips around Belize since I've been here. I already posted about my weekeday-weekend in Placencia (where I will be returning to next weekend hopefully, with my friend Gomi, to get some of their famed gelato from ... read more

This afternoon school was canceled on account of either possible river flooding, or in case a storm hit us, I have heard conflicting reasons. Either way, no school until further notice and therefore : blogging time! I have had a pretty interesting adventure here so far - arranging a placement after surprising the school with my arrival, meeting a great class with very diverse needs and strengths, having my apartment flood twice in hurricane strength storms, visiting a lovely beach town, enjoying Belizean Rotary (more on this later), having my pretty purple bike stolen, and learning how to teach way more creatively! One thing I really am enjoying is getting to know a new town! Now that I am walking everywhere, I decided to take advantage of my slowed down pace (sort of slow, I walk ... read more