Howdy family and friends,
Nate and I wanted to fill you in on our last two weeks. We also thought we will increase some of this interesting facts about our experience thus far. To begin with, we will do a list of fun medical stuff that we have encountered thus far. Please enjoy.
whiplash...check sore throats...check
flea bites...check cold....check
bike accident...check spider bites...check
chiggers....check sun burn...check
red bugs...check muscle spasm...check
mosquito bites...check cuts, burns, scrapes...check
explosive diarrhea...check close call with scabies...check
food poisoning...check
So...hehe... we are having a blast. These things make our experience rememberable. On a different note, I thought I would also list some of our favorite things thus far. First, Nate and I love the thunderstorms down south in PG. They are some of the loudest thunderstorms we have ever heard. Imagine having your house shake for 20 or 30 minutes at a time. Also, Nate and I love our nicknames here. Most of the Belizians call Nate "Nathan" and me "Mich". It's cool. We also love how all the kids are getting familiar with us and call us Miss Michelle or Mr. Nate. We love how we can walk down to the market to get fresh produce. We love how we are becoming friends with people who live in PG too and that they just stop by to "hail" us (drop by to say hi).
Okay, now on the last two weeks. Nate has been working incredibly hard on creating a database for his site. He went to a local village called San Jose and took some incredible pictures of the mountains, the cocoa trees and plant. He loved walking in the mud and throughout the farms. I on the other hand have been working at home mostly. I have been creating new food dishes and learning how to make more Belizian food. I have been also working on secondary projects like Special Olympics and a boys groups on healthy relationships. Over the weekend, we hung out and said good bye to one of good friends here. He is done with his two years and will be heading out today.
I am pretty excited too. Nate and one of our friends Laura are planning a 30th birthday bashment at our house this weekend. They invited all the PCV down for the weekend. There are 100 volunteers and about 50 of them are coming! WOW. Nate and I are also inviting our host family and friends from our placement sites. I hope to take tons of pictures.
Well, thats it....for right now. We miss and love you all. Don't be a stranger!
Michelle (and Nate)
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
4th in style
Hey Fam and friends,
Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th. I wanted to tell you guys that we had an amazing weekend. Wow. So Nate and I both went on the fishing trip this weekend. It was awesome. We left on Saturday morning at 6am and returned Sunday at 4pm. We fished all day in the Caribbean Ocean. We swam and snorkeled. We slept overnight on one of the Cays, Lime Cay. It was amazing. Nate and I went with his placement/work. They were great and it was a great way to to get to know them better too. Nate and I both caught a barracuda each. ROCK ON.
Sunday we returned to PG and went to BBQ for the 4th at one of the PC volunteers house. There was like 30 people there. It was just great being surrounded by family (PCV) and friends. We miss you all and hope everyone is doing well.
Love,
Michelle (and Nate)
Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th. I wanted to tell you guys that we had an amazing weekend. Wow. So Nate and I both went on the fishing trip this weekend. It was awesome. We left on Saturday morning at 6am and returned Sunday at 4pm. We fished all day in the Caribbean Ocean. We swam and snorkeled. We slept overnight on one of the Cays, Lime Cay. It was amazing. Nate and I went with his placement/work. They were great and it was a great way to to get to know them better too. Nate and I both caught a barracuda each. ROCK ON.
Sunday we returned to PG and went to BBQ for the 4th at one of the PC volunteers house. There was like 30 people there. It was just great being surrounded by family (PCV) and friends. We miss you all and hope everyone is doing well.
Love,
Michelle (and Nate)
Thursday, July 1, 2010
AND HOW
Hi fam and friends.
Nate and I have been busy beavers. Let me try to recap the last week or so for you guys. Well everyone probably saw that we had that tropical storm come up last week. Peace Corps has incredible procedures for weather situations.The week the storm actually came, we actually had a hurricane drill (kind of like a fire drill but instead a hurricane drill). We all (110 volunteers throughout Belize) had to go the office to make sure we could all get there safely and follow the protocol. We all did it in less than 8 hours (which is pretty cool considering most bus trips are like 6-8 hours to get to the office....including where we live in the south). GO PEACE CORPS! Any who, after that fun drill we went to Placencia for Lobster Fest. Placencia is a local hang out for Belizians. The ocean is beautiful. We had a blast for the first two days but then Peace Corps had us evacuate from Placencia because of the fear of the tropical storm. FYI...we got nothing. A few rain showers, but everyone and every where in Belize was safe. Also let me reassure everyone....Peace Corps keeps us incredibly safe. You never have to worry about us in a storm/hurricane. Etc.
On Monday, Nate and I moved out of our host families house and into our own house. YAY. It was bitter sweet for Nate and I. We will miss our host family considerably, but they live two houses down from our new house, so i am pretty sure we will still hang out with them. We are super excited to be living alone again. The house is beautiful and its coming along. We have our kitchen set up, but we have no living room yet, so right now we have white lawn chairs for a living room set. Awesome. We kind of like it. We keep thinking....this is what it is all about.
Last night Nate and I made our first dinner for a few of the other Peace Corps volunteers. I made the tortillas....i could give pointers if anyone needs them :), and we made Kalalu and eggs and served it with happy cow cheese. We made a pretty traditional Belizian meal. Kalalu is like spinach. Yum. We find that we have to relearn how to make meals here and cook them.
Today I am heading to Hopkins, another beautiful beach. I am just planning on hanging out with a friend for the night. I am on school break til September. I am utilizing the time by traveling and working on secondary projects. Taking care of Nate too. Nate still has to work daily. He loves his placement very much. They actually invited Nate on a weekend fishing trip on the ocean. Cool huh. I think he is in heaven.
Okay, so besides that, we took some pictures of the town and of our house. We hope to upload them soon. Happy 4th!
We love and miss you all very much.
Michelle (and Nate)
Nate and I have been busy beavers. Let me try to recap the last week or so for you guys. Well everyone probably saw that we had that tropical storm come up last week. Peace Corps has incredible procedures for weather situations.The week the storm actually came, we actually had a hurricane drill (kind of like a fire drill but instead a hurricane drill). We all (110 volunteers throughout Belize) had to go the office to make sure we could all get there safely and follow the protocol. We all did it in less than 8 hours (which is pretty cool considering most bus trips are like 6-8 hours to get to the office....including where we live in the south). GO PEACE CORPS! Any who, after that fun drill we went to Placencia for Lobster Fest. Placencia is a local hang out for Belizians. The ocean is beautiful. We had a blast for the first two days but then Peace Corps had us evacuate from Placencia because of the fear of the tropical storm. FYI...we got nothing. A few rain showers, but everyone and every where in Belize was safe. Also let me reassure everyone....Peace Corps keeps us incredibly safe. You never have to worry about us in a storm/hurricane. Etc.
On Monday, Nate and I moved out of our host families house and into our own house. YAY. It was bitter sweet for Nate and I. We will miss our host family considerably, but they live two houses down from our new house, so i am pretty sure we will still hang out with them. We are super excited to be living alone again. The house is beautiful and its coming along. We have our kitchen set up, but we have no living room yet, so right now we have white lawn chairs for a living room set. Awesome. We kind of like it. We keep thinking....this is what it is all about.
Last night Nate and I made our first dinner for a few of the other Peace Corps volunteers. I made the tortillas....i could give pointers if anyone needs them :), and we made Kalalu and eggs and served it with happy cow cheese. We made a pretty traditional Belizian meal. Kalalu is like spinach. Yum. We find that we have to relearn how to make meals here and cook them.
Today I am heading to Hopkins, another beautiful beach. I am just planning on hanging out with a friend for the night. I am on school break til September. I am utilizing the time by traveling and working on secondary projects. Taking care of Nate too. Nate still has to work daily. He loves his placement very much. They actually invited Nate on a weekend fishing trip on the ocean. Cool huh. I think he is in heaven.
Okay, so besides that, we took some pictures of the town and of our house. We hope to upload them soon. Happy 4th!
We love and miss you all very much.
Michelle (and Nate)
Monday, June 14, 2010
What have we been up to....
Hi family and friends!
You are all probably wondering why we haven't blogged in forever. Well, its for a good reason......we don't have Internet access...well, not until July. In July, Nate and I will move into our house. We will live in this little two bedroom house that is cute and quaint and all things that are a combination of America and Belize. Well the house being in Belize and the owners were Americans who moved down here a couple of years ago. It comes with a lot of different amenities, like in-door plumbing. YAY!
Once we move in our house, we will be able to get Internet so that we can talk to people more often and respond better to emails. More importantly, we will be able to describe this amazing journey and highlight some of the funny events in our lives. Until July, you will all have to wonder what is happening to us over here and if we are okay because there seems to be less and less blogs. Let me assure you, Nate and I are fine. Happy and loving Belize. We are now comfortable with the heat (if that is even possible). We have bought bikes (yes...that's right...beach cruisers, a reminder of my childhood). We have begun shopping for our house hold supplies. Can i tell you how difficult it is to buy a lot with very little money. Man...its fun to bargain. We cannot complain, nor will we.
Nate and I have met some amazing people. Some of them are related to our host family. In fact, we all celebrated Nate's birthday last weekend by throwing a Belizian Bash. I (and my host sister) made Nate homemade pizza, made a cake, and had drinks and music. I can't explain to you how amazing that night was. Nate loved his party and hanging out with our Belizian family. I loved it too. It was great. 25 people there to share in his birthday and celebrate each other.
This week everyone is super excited about the World Cup. Everyone hangs out drinking and watching the games. Nate and I have found a couple of people to hang out with so we can watch the game too.
Nate uploaded some pictures onto our blog (click here to view the album), so if you haven't seen them, please check them out. They were of the last two months, and more excitingly, our swearing-in ceremony with Peace Corps. We are officially PEACE CORPS Volunteers!!!! YAY.
We hope all is well and we love and miss you,
Michelle (and Nate)
Once we move in our house, we will be able to get Internet so that we can talk to people more often and respond better to emails. More importantly, we will be able to describe this amazing journey and highlight some of the funny events in our lives. Until July, you will all have to wonder what is happening to us over here and if we are okay because there seems to be less and less blogs. Let me assure you, Nate and I are fine. Happy and loving Belize. We are now comfortable with the heat (if that is even possible). We have bought bikes (yes...that's right...beach cruisers, a reminder of my childhood). We have begun shopping for our house hold supplies. Can i tell you how difficult it is to buy a lot with very little money. Man...its fun to bargain. We cannot complain, nor will we.
This week everyone is super excited about the World Cup. Everyone hangs out drinking and watching the games. Nate and I have found a couple of people to hang out with so we can watch the game too.
We hope all is well and we love and miss you,
Michelle (and Nate)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Happy and home in Punta Gorda
Good morning (doesn't it seem like i tend to write in the mornings?),
So Nate and I love Punta Gorda. Let me try to describe our town. I know that I will not give it enough justice. The town over looks a vast ocean. The ocean is a little murky near the land, but if you look out 50 feet, you can see the beautiful greens and teals of the Caribbean sea. We are three blocks from the ocean. We are staying with the most loving host family. We talk and laugh with them when we are not at our site. We even have two host sisters. One is 15 and the other is 24. The cooking is amazing. My host sisters are amazing cooks, just like their mom. We have tried so many different foods that i can not describe them all.
The town is full of life. We have a main street that has tons of little shops and restaurants. There is even a town park that is wonderful. Nate and I have a friend who is in training near by so we hang out with her a lot. Her name is Mallory. We have met tons of PC volunteers. One, Erica, use to stay with our host family too, so comes by often and we hang out with her a lot too. She took us out on Saturday to show us around. We believe we found a house to rent for the next two years. It is beautiful. We have to get PC to come and look at it (policy) but if the safety guy says it is okay, we can rent it, starting at the end of June. Honestly, we are ready to have our own space. The cool thing about the location of the house is that it is two houses down from our host family, so we will be close enough to them and Erica if we need something. It is also three blocks from the ocean and main street. YAY.
Our projects are going well. We are just figuring everything out. We will post more when we have a better understanding of it. Tomorrow marks our third anniversary, so Nate and I are going to Placinica (SP?) on Saturday for a night away. Placinica is a town in Belize that is a little north of us. It is known for its sandy beaches and teal water. We will describe it more after our stay.
Next week we will be in Belmopan again. That means we will have internet access. PG has Internet access (obviously...i am using it now) but its hard to find time to get to use it. Thus, fewer emails initially. Next week Nate and I get to attend our Swearing In Ceremony!!! YAY. That is when we become officially a PC volunteer.
Hope all is well. Love and miss you all,
Michelle (and Nate)
Our projects are going well. We are just figuring everything out. We will post more when we have a better understanding of it. Tomorrow marks our third anniversary, so Nate and I are going to Placinica (SP?) on Saturday for a night away. Placinica is a town in Belize that is a little north of us. It is known for its sandy beaches and teal water. We will describe it more after our stay.
Next week we will be in Belmopan again. That means we will have internet access. PG has Internet access (obviously...i am using it now) but its hard to find time to get to use it. Thus, fewer emails initially. Next week Nate and I get to attend our Swearing In Ceremony!!! YAY. That is when we become officially a PC volunteer.
Hope all is well. Love and miss you all,
Michelle (and Nate)
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Leaving Belmopan and heading to Punta Gorda
Gud Maarnin Everyone!
Nate and I are very excited to announce that we received our final placement on Tuesday. We are heading down south to Punta Gorda! Punta Gorda is a small town of the coast. Literally, our village (a village within a town) called Indianville is across the street from the Caribbean Ocean! We are ecstatic! Nate will be working for a cacao organization. He will be doing tons of fun things, like helping the organization with their database and marketing. I will be working with a primary school. A primary school is essentially an elementary school. I will be helping them to establish sports programs and after-school programs. We will be heading out this afternoon to get to our site. It will take 4 hours to get there without stopping (or in a car). On a bus, it could take us 8 hours. From what we understand, there will be Internet cafes and phone service. Oh and we are going down with 8 of the funniest and most fun volunteers too. We feel extremely blessed. We will keep you posted on our new adventure and with our new host family. We love you and miss you all.
Love,
Michelle (and Nate)
Nate and I are very excited to announce that we received our final placement on Tuesday. We are heading down south to Punta Gorda! Punta Gorda is a small town of the coast. Literally, our village (a village within a town) called Indianville is across the street from the Caribbean Ocean! We are ecstatic! Nate will be working for a cacao organization. He will be doing tons of fun things, like helping the organization with their database and marketing. I will be working with a primary school. A primary school is essentially an elementary school. I will be helping them to establish sports programs and after-school programs. We will be heading out this afternoon to get to our site. It will take 4 hours to get there without stopping (or in a car). On a bus, it could take us 8 hours. From what we understand, there will be Internet cafes and phone service. Oh and we are going down with 8 of the funniest and most fun volunteers too. We feel extremely blessed. We will keep you posted on our new adventure and with our new host family. We love you and miss you all.
Love,
Michelle (and Nate)
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