The Grand (training) Wrap Up

our last day of the site visit in Orange Walk (aka O-dub, aka Sugar City). another great, scorching day. lots of chatting and laughter and excitement about our projects. i seem to have some very proactive counterparts, which can be hard to find here. i feel fortunate to be in a town surrounded by passionate and welcoming people (AND another volunteer). our last night was yet another 7pm-9pm round at the dinner table, eating way too much delicious food and laughing to the point of tears. the language in O-dub is stunning; in one sentence you'll hear English, Spanish, and Creole. brilliant. i aspire to have the ability to do that by the time i leave. my site visit left me.... well, i came into this town gazing out windows, wondering how long it would be before this place sent me home. today i'm realizing i'm going to miss my new friends, as well as focusing on these promising projects that await me here in Orange Walk while I'm off in Guatemala for 5 weeks.
but... Guatemala will most likely be a spectacular and unforgettable experience, and i wouldn't miss it for the world.
i was forgetting what cloud 9 felt like. and it's marvelous. i'm gripping it tightly.
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the gang's all back in the city. tonight some girls and i went to the Bliss performing arts center (gorgeous new building right on the water), and saw a Creole play called "Fi Mi Posse." it was hilarious, and that we understood most of the dialogue and jokes felt good. there exists a newfound understanding of what was not so long ago an "unknown world;" it's refreshing, reassuring, exciting. oh, tonight was one of those lovely genuine experiences.

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it's official now! we're volunteers. last night we had our swearing in ceremony, fully equipped with great food (most of which i couldn't eat- they do love their meat here), and a steel drum band. we followed the fancy gathering with a rockin' pirate party back at the hotel. i had spent the past few days sifting through about 10 people's cameras to create a massive slideshow (300 pictures or so?), which was of course almost destroyed last minute due to technical difficulties. but everything worked out and we had a great evening, matey. so this is it. we've signed papers confirming our 2 year dedication, which feels both strange and grand all at once.

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a friend and i bought our phones today. having a cellphone, bank account, address, special passport, and official i.d really makes a person start to see a place as their home.
we treated ourselves to an afternoon at the casino- that's right, Belize City has a casino which houses the one movie theater in the country. but since movies here cost as much as they do in the states... we played video poker with nickels and were served drinks, lounged at the pool, and enjoyed a day of posing as tourists. and then it started raining. we went over to the park next door in search of inexpensive food and stumbled upon an anti-crime awareness rally. music. a small stage, with its back to the Carib Sea. and a small food tent. apparently, when the rain came, all the attending diplomats left; the man running the food stand was not in high spirits. but we enjoyed our garnaches and the rain.


oh, this life. i can't believe we'll be in Guatemala soon.