"If it's not raining you are not in PG"

Yes that is a direct quote from a presenter we had in our classes today. And by golly that man could not have been any more correct. At this point in time I have given up on defining any type of seasonal weather here in Punta Gorda. No spring, no fall, no winter, no summer, not even a wet or dry. It just rains. I remember in elementary school, first grade I believe, I watched the movie about a girl who lived in a town where the sun only appeared for about half an hour per day, or something ridiculous like that. The rest of the time it was monsoon season, torrential down pour time. The movie was quite depressing for a group of 7 year olds, but anyone familiar with my first grade teacher Ms. Nielsen won’t be surprised by this selection. The little girl had a dream, she wanted too badly to plant a seed and watch its flower bloom in the sunshine. But unfortunately her evil classmates locked her in their classroom during the one hour of sunshine during which the flower bloomed and they ran happily outside in the sunshine. Now I don’t recall if this was the ending of the story or not, but in my 6 or 7 year old brain this was the memory which stuck. While my experience with the rain isn’t as depressing I do find myself CRAVING the sunshine and soaking up as much of it as I can when it does decide to grace PG with its presence. The rain has not really become something I loath, nor has it become a real hindrance (although biking to work this morning was difficult through the rain, I did not expect because when I left my house it was sunny, it takes me 6 mins to bike to work, did I mention I was wearing a white shirt and khaki?) But the rain has become one of those elements of life I have taken as normal, much like the woodlice, cockroaches, and at one point mice. Here in Punta Gorda it rains that is what it does. Its amazing how often I am reminded that going with the flow of life and accepting things for their positive gifts. The positive aspects of rain; EVERYTHING is green green green, my skin never dries out (nothing ever dries out), I can get a lot, and I mean a lot, of reading done.
During times of great rain I'm learning you don't really need the sun to bring you hope or happiness. Those things can come from any surprising sources.


ps it started raining/torrential down pouring today at 720 and is still going now at 1121 lets see how long it lasts.

Myth Busters

Inspired by a recent blog entry by my room mate Pat i have decided to write a blog entry about common myths or beliefs i had prior to my experience in JVI that have now become completely busted by my life and experiences in Belize.

1. myth: All dread heads are Rastafarian
lesson:you DONT have to be rasta to be dread
2. Myth: i cant live in a small town
Lesson: i can actually enjoy a town smaller than Islip (pg has less han 5,000 inhabitants)
3. Myth: i cant possible ever get cold in a tropical climate
Lesson: a girl from new york (me) who used to keep her windows open all winter can feel cold in 72 degree weather.
4. Myth: you become accustom to your surroundings
Lesson: I can never cease to be amazed by the natural beauty of this country
5. myth: showering everyday is necessary
Lesson: its really only necessary to shower every week
6. myth: shaving your legs is necessary
Lesson: shaving your legs is only necessary about once every 2-3 months if at all
7. Myth: you will loose weight if you move to a developing nation and only have 5$ per day for food
Lesson: any girl in a developing nation where rice beans tortillas and corn are the staples of a diet will most definitely gain weight. (despite pretty regular excercise)
8. Myth: driving six hours is way too far to only stay for a weekend.
Lesson: Traveling 6 hours on a bus is totally worth it even if just for 2 days of time spent with friends.
9. Myth: a person can't live on 60$ per month.
Lesson: a person CAN live on 120 belize per month and actually SAVE!
10. Myth: rats and cockroaches are gross.
lesson: Rats and cockroaches are only part of life and they can actually keep us company (jk)
11. Myth: Itching mosquito bites actually helps (i know this isnt true but i refused to believe i couldnt stratch)
Lesson: Mosquito bites actually GO AWAY if you leave them alone, especiall if gotten at night, and on your face.
12. Myth: your body is your body no matter where you are in the world.
Lesson: Sometimes your body can attack you from the inside out, things take longer to heal, and random bumps rashes and bruises come from myserious places or causes.
13. Myth: not having my cellphone for a few hours was difficult.
lesson: (which i sort of already knew) Not haveing a cell phone is PHENOMINAL and LIBERATING
14. Myth: the rainy season ends in December
Lesson: (never believe anything you hear about the weather) last weekend (in february) it rained for 3 days straight.
15. Myth: 2 years is a long time.
Lesson: two years is a long time, but totally necessary to really fully attempt to understand this job, these people, and my reason for beign here.

Well i hope you liked my 15 busted myths. there are many more lessons i have learned since being here but these were the easiest to articulte. haha enjoy!

happy valentines day everyone!