Like Christmas morning.....

but not a grown up Christmas morning, but Christmas morning when you are 6 years old and get that doll you've been wanting for months.

That's what my day has been like
-- one of the two air-conditioned places within 20 miles happens to be an internet cafe- and I am sitting in it now.
-- I got an unexpected package from my friend Anne (you are awesome Anne!) filled with chocolate.  And peanut butter.
--Amazon and my computer software have now harmonized and I downloaded the Kindle reader onto my computer.  And then quickly realized that I will have to be very, very careful because the thought of all those books at my fingertips is quite overwhelming, and could be quite overwhelming to my credit card.  (There is one library here, and I've already read all the books.  There are no bookstores.  Kindle will change my life here :)

Really, when you live in Belize, small things can just make your day.

A day in our life

April is my least favorite time of year in Belize.  As one creole speaker succinctly put it, "sun HOT."  April is mostly about survival for me, which consists of long periods of lying in front of a fan drinking iced tea or lime juice.  We were brain storming at the clinic, trying to come up with any restaurant, store, or public venue within a 20 mile radius that had air conditioning-- and came up with 2.  TWO.

Anyways, here are some random shots of our life.

Sometimes our patients are a little unusual. 

This is what my cat does all day long, except when she is begging for food.

Any resemblance to the cat is purely coincidental 

When Daniel drives up, all the animals come running- because noisy white truck = food soon!

Line drying clothes: always a gamble when you have a cow who likes to scratch her back on the clothesline.

Easter in Belize: Monday Races

Easter Monday in Belize finds all horse lovers (or anyone in search of stewed....anything) in the village of Burrell Boom for the annual horse races.  The track is sand, and the grandstand is a wood platform with a zinc roof.  The horse stables are three- sided open air structures-- which means you can walk right up to the horses.  I wouldn't pet them though- they probably bite.

This guy looks disdainful -- "who are all these ugly hairless two leggers invading my space?"

"Yeah, get a little closer buddy and we'll see how  much you want those fingers"

the guy leading the horse is Daniel's brother.  The horse is his, and this was their first race- very exciting!

The horse finished 4 out 5-- but the 5th rider fell off his horse, sooo....

the starting gate

I just loved this jockey's shirt.

A note on stewed anything-  the most popular dish in Belize is rice and beans, which comes with stewed meat of some sort, usually chicken or beef.  At the races, your selection broadens to include deer, agouti (a small rat/rabbit creature), hecati (turtle), and iguana.  Yum.

Easter in Belize: Cross Country

The Easter Saturday Belize Cross Country bike race is a big deal here.  Every year Belizeans line the Western highway to cheer on their boys (even though for the last 364 days they have cursed the teams for taking over the highways to practice), and those who don't line the roadsides tune into the live radio broadcast.  And every year for the past 6 years, Belizeans have been disappointed with a non-Belizean winner.  Sadly, this year was no exception with a Venezuelan winner.  But there is always next year....

waiting for the racers - the whole highway (the only main road) is blocked to traffic

we joined my niece and nephew for their first race experience

the race approaches...

Wait a second.... police sirens and tv helicopters make really scary sounds!!!

everyone screams and cheers as all the bikers ride by- even for the very last guy trailing way behind

ok Tio let's go home.

Easter in Belize: Alfombras

Holy week is busy in Belize, full of processions and services.  I like to go into town on Good Friday morning to see the Alfombras.    These are brightly colored "carpets" made from saw dust-- a tradition that has come from across the border in Guatemala

A bottom layer of sawdust is dampened and then tamped down

brightly died sawdust is sprinkled onto stencils

The neat part about this is people from all faiths and backgrounds participate.  Some scary looking guys with tattoos all over were working on really elaborate designs next to a group of youth group kids whose design simply said Peace.  People work for hours together in the hot sun.

Then later that day, the processions walk over the Alfombras

and they are brushed away.

Meet Sirloin

Sirloin is 2 months old.  He enjoys frolicking through the fields, warm milk, and Bob Marley music.

He is looking for a lady with similar interests,

preferably with some training in orthodontics.  

Where I get my food: bananas

From the tree.  Little Shop of Horrors, no?

Oh, and those eggs from the last post are gecko eggs (like the lizard on those Geico commercials).