So, I apologize for pulling the old "girl meets boy and forgets all about everyone else" thing. It's annoying. I know. I'm back. :)
The past few weeks (or days? I've lost track) have been wonderful - full up with adventures at the Lamanai ruins, multiple run-ins with melon-sized spiders, speed reading, lots of experimental cooking, arts & crafts-ing, and good quality time with pooch, kitty, and boyfriend.
A couple fun stories:
On Saturday, Jake and I accompanied Betty and Tom (the kind of Peace Corps mom-n-dad in the Orange Walk area) and four other volunteers to San Estevan, a mostly Mestizo village about six miles from town. Betty had arranged an entire "fun day" for the village kids, complete with friendship bracelets, face painting, popsicle stick animals, Valentine card making, and a futbol game. We had tons of fun, and I spent three hours straight teaching a very capable group of pretty Mestizo girls how to braid, twist and tie the multicolored threads. Betty did a great job painting faces, and Coy and Jake had a blast tossing the football around with the kids. All in all, it was a productive and fun day - and I got my first real taste of what Peace Corps life is like. So much of it involves simply paying attention to these kids, letting them know that they're creative, bright, and worthy of one-on-one time. Easy enough, right? Especially for the bunch of kid-lovers that we are.
We also got the chance to catch the Super Bowl last Sunday... Jake and I went up to Corozal and stayed at the Sea Breeze - the same hotel that put me up when my initial attempt to get to Jake around New Years' failed. We had a really good time hanging out with Peace Corps volunteers - all of us reveling in the ultra-American combination of eating too much, drinking, shouting and watching football.
There are many more little stories I could write about, but I encourage you all, instead, to check out Jake's blog for a nice balance. He tends to write about all the wee details, while I just delve into a paragraph-long description of the sunset over the New River. :)
More later... We're headed to Caye Caulker tomorrow for a two-day Valentine's Day getaway. I must admit, I've missed the option of "taking a beach day", and I'll be delighted to wiggle my toes in pearly white sand again.
Love to friends and family alike.