Grace's Peace Corps Adventures

Monday, March 7, 2011

To the doctor in Belize again…

Wednesday December 29, 2010

I had to go to the sinus doctor again because I was diagnosed with severe sinus infection. I hate to wait a while, which I felt bad that Andrew had to wait too because this was his vacation. However, I really appreciated him being there. The doctor said my nose has cleared up and that I just needed some steroid nasal spray to get rid of any mucus left. After that he gave me bad news that I have a deviated septum and that when I get back to the states I have to get that operated on. Once I heard that I was freaking out, but Andrew calmed me down and said that it is just a cosmetic surgery and is quick and not a big deal…

Before the doctors appointment Andrew and I went to the Belize ZOO!!....

Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.

Cave Tubing

Tuesday December 28, 2010
River tubing was so amazing. It was cold, but definitely worth it. Andrew and I and a group of about 6 more people got in out tire made tubes. It was really amazing floating down a river through a series of caves. Andrew kind of stunk at it… a couple times he had to stand up and walk rather than floating down the river. I think he had fun though.

The tour was awesome. I would definitely recommend it. However, I would not recommend wearing high boots like Andrew did. The water was trapped in his shoes all day, which added another 20lbs to him… lol.

The tour guide took us through the river (open air) and then through cool cavern caves. Some parts we got out and hiked thought the cave to see the stalactites, stalagmites, crystalline formations and artifacts from ancient Maya rituals. The cave we went through was special it is called footprint cave because archeologist found footprints that date back to the ancient Maya people. At lunch time we all had a picnic in the cave; we all got to make our own flour tortilla sandwiches. It was really cool.

Some parts were pretty scary. I get nervous when we started rock climbing, but I was happy I had my boyfriend behind me to give me an extra push or make sure I didn’t fall. It was a pretty thrilling day.

The end of the day was GREAT too because we got to jump off a high cliff into the river. I did it twice and Andrew did it once because he hit his butt hard on a rock because he forgot to bend his legs!

That night instead of staying at the cabana we stayed at the bungalow. The bungalow was gorgeous, much nicer than many of the places I stayed in Belize.

Boxing Day

Monday December 27, 2010
In the afternoon we had lunch at Miss Jackaline’s house. Andrew got to try gibnut caldo (Gibnut is a type of meat in Belize. It is called the royal rat because gibnut is in the rat family and the Queen of England ate it when she came to Belize.

After lunch we went into town to give Mr. Garcia his Christmas gift (dvd player from the states). His wife told me he wanted one and since he is such a great counterpart I got him one. After Andrew met Mr. Garcia my counterpart we went to Greg and Kevina’s house. Andrew got to meet them and I finally got to meet Kevina’s sister! Greg and Andrew bonded over movies and Kevina and Andrew bonded over EMT grossness. Jk. Kevina made us dinner (mac and cheese) and delicious cake for dessert. We left around 7pm with a long drive ahead of us to Caves Branch.

When we arrived at caves branch it was pretty late. We stayed the night in a cabanna, which was like sleeping outside (it was all screened in and thatch roof). It was beautiful there especially all the stars. What I remember the most from that night is that I could not stop laughing. I felt like the people behind us were in the room with us. We could hear the guy snore and they could hear me laughing in hysterics.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Christening/ Mountain Cave Hike

December 26, 2010
I went to the House of prayer Church before Andrew because he was not used to getting up early and he to shower and get ready for church.

Once he arrived he said that we stuck out like sore thumbs because mostly everyone was a short maya kekchi Indian. He liked how they worship all together in the small church. Andrew called it a mini-church. He couldn’t understand anything that was said because the preaching and the singing were all done in K’ekchi. I was proud of myself that I can understand some things that were said or sung.

After the baptism we were invited to a party at the Acks. Andrew said it was not different than the U.S. – meaning that everyone knew everyone and that the hospitality was GREAT! He also said that the local people are extremely nice and polite; however, most of the kids were shy.

After the Party we went to Laguna Cave! I described the cave to Andrew and told him that caving is one activity in Laguna:

• Attractions near Laguna include ceremonial caves and pottery, skulls with their teeth still intact. Pictograph and another cave with a huge bat colony. From Laguna village it will take about a 30 minute hike to reach the high ladder that leads to the entrance of the cave. The ceiling of the cave has wide holes where the jungle canopy is visible. After hiking 30 minutes through the cave you will see the daylight; you have reached the entrance on the other side of the cave.

Eleven children guided Andrew and I up the mountain. Andrew said he wished he was young…Kids were like lightning bolts. They went so fast they forgot to chop the bush with the machetes. Even though it wasn’t rainy season it still was scary at some points. Andrew thought the top was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. He called his mom on top of the Laguna mountain just to tell her how amazing it was!

I found it more difficult to go back down because it was slippery. Andrew kept telling me to let gravity guide me down. Once we got down we got to try some coconuts and cacao fruits.

After the hike we showered and then went to Acks house. Andrew gave the father his hat and we all just chatted even though we were all extremely tired.

Two little girls came to slept over. Andrew said he thought they were kinda using me. They watch my movies and eat my food. They kept asking for more and more. Now I know I need to continue working on saying no… even to small children.

Background of Laguna

December 25, 2010

I gave Andrew a background history of Laguna once he arrived.

What I told him:

History of Laguna Village
• Laguna gets its name from the magnificent Aguacaliente Lagoon which borders the quiet village on the west.
• It was founded in 1959 when three families moved from San Miguel to avoid a dispute over pigs that were charged with destroying a neighboring community’s crops. As a result of its close proximity to Punta Gorda, Laguna is considerably more modernized compared to most of the other Mayan villages.
• A trip to the Agualcaliente Wildlife Sanctuary offers great hiking and birding through the lowland swamps. Best done during dry season.

Amenities of Laguna:
• Village has electricity (even though I have one light bulb in my house of 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, kitchen and living area.)
• Village has community phone (however, most people have had cell phones since December 2009—including me!)
• Village has a central water system (which I can actually drink from).
• 1 primary school (Laguna Government School) and 1 preschool (Chabil Chahim Preschool)
• A couple stores (that have very few items in it… I do most my shopping in PG town).
• Health Post that just reopened June 2010.
• The village has a TEA guesthouse which offers a room for 18.50 Bz a night (9.00 U.S). Meals are available at extra cost.

Disclaimer This website expresses the views of Grace Boswell, who is entirely responsible for its content. It does not express the views of the United States government, the Belize government, the Peace Corps or any other institutions named or linked to on these pages.

Christmas Day/Andrew Arrives!

December 25, 2010
I was so ecstatic to see Andrew. I was late picking him up because James bus line only had 6am, 10am, and 3pm bus. Andrew’s plane arrived at 11 and I reached the airport around 12:30. He was glad that he didn’t get stuck at the airport because of snow. We were really lucky/blessed!

Andrew rented a car. We rode from Belize City to Laguna all of Christmas day! Andrew thought Belize City looked really run down. However, once we reached the highway the nature was beautiful. We even took some pictures of the trees, hills, and sleeping giant. In Andrew’s words “The scenery was intense.”

We tried to stop for Christmas dinner; however, EVERYTHING was closed. We stopped at one restaurant because it looked packed; however, the owner came outside and said this is a private Christmas party. It was a long 5 hour drive—yet I enjoyed it so much because of the company I was with!!!

We arrived at Laguna around 5:30pm. Once we arrived at the village we yelled Y’oos (which means good morning, good afternoon, and good night in K’ekchi ). We drove around the village so that Andrew could get a quick tour. Andrew said that Laguna reminded him of the movie Willow, Lord of Rings, and Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs. He couldn’t believe how basic the houses were.

We were invited to two villager’s house (Shol’s and Ack’s). At the Shol’s house Andrew tried tamales with chicken and at the Ack’s house he tried belikin beer, flour tortillas, BBQ chicken, and cake! I left Andrew with Mr. Ack and the boys while the women and I went to cook/bake! Andrew didn’t really like the cuisine because of the texture. He realized that texture is more important than flavor.

It was so GREAT to spend my first Christmas with Andrew!!!!!!

Christmas Eve

Friday December 24, 2010
Christmas Eve night I went to the Pentecostal Church. It was over 6 hours long. I stayed for 5 ½ hours (7:00pm-12:30am). They sang many K’ekchi Songs, preached, and we gave a gift exchange. They also gave doughnuts and cacao as well as tamales (but I didn’t wait until the end for those…. I had to get to bed because Andrew was arriving in Belize Christmas morning!)