Just a quick update, family and friends... I made it down to Belize safely, on Thursday of last week.. Wednesday night I left the ranch around five, and got to Tulum about an hour later. I checked to see if the famous Weary Traveler Hostel had any space (no), and instead opted for the quiet, air-conditioned and spotlessly clean room at the Hotel Maya, on Tulum's main drag. I had a wonderful dinner at Charlie's, a Mexican-owned Tulum institution, and wandered the streets for a bit before turning in early. I arose at dawn (my body is programmed to wake at 6:20 now) and had a surprisingly good cup of coffee before hopping on a Chetumal bus. I've been through the Chetumal terminal three times now.. enough to befriend Miguel, a fifty-something janitor at the bus station with a crooked smile and twinkling eyes. He put down his broom and gave me a big hug, rattling on and on in Spanish about how excited he was that I was going to see my boyfriend in Belize, and I promised to bring him back a souvenir upon my return back up the Yucatan coast in February.
The past week in Carmelita has been absolutely wonderful. Jacob has established such a community here, and there is nothing more wonderful than taking Moses the dog on an evening walk and hearing the shrill little voices of Carmelita's kids yelling out "mistah jekob!" from the houses and yards we pass. I got to meet Miss Linda and Jeneane, Emerson and Edward, and all of the good people that Jacob has gotten to know here. We watched two soccer games this week, had dinner served to us three times by Miss Linda (whose plate portions would kill a man if he ate every last bean and grain of rice), and went by the Carmelita school to see Jacob's garden. The kids at the school have done an incredible job of planting seeds and making sure they stay watered, and we're heading back to the village in just a bit to work on an art project for the garden. Each bed was planted by a group of kids, and we though it'd be a nice idea for them to paint signs for each row to take some ownership of their hard work.
All in all, life is wonderful here, and I can't wait to continue to get to know the multitude of people that have opened their houses and their hearts to Jake in the three months he's been here.
More to come later... Hope all is well in the States! Stay warm!