My Commute to Work

Mr. Rudy driving, Reggae music, jungle roads...it doesn't get much sweeter than this!

"God willin' and the creek don't rise"

We go out on mobile clinics here to rural villages - it's actually one of my favorite things! The roads we travel are rugged, for sure, and getting there is almost as fun as working there. There are some places we cannot go when the water gets too high because the road just floods. Even the Landcruisers wouldn't be able to make it through. Above is our trusty driver, Mr. Rudy, and one of the Hillside mobile vehicles. That box on top is where we store all of our supplies - medications, equipment, etc. It's a bit like Mary Poppins' carpet bag!
The first day the kids revolted and refused to go to school, they ended up coming out on a mobile clinic with me to Barranco, a lovely seaside Garifuna village. It was great to have them along and I think they enjoyed it!

They even had a traditional cultural lunch with the med students. We rode out with our friend James, who is brave enough to drive his minivan into these villages! Our drive back, however, was very interesting. The creek rose while we were out in the village and flooded the road. Mr. Rudy waited for us in the Hillside vehicle on the other side to make sure we could make it across. Jacob got out to see how deep the water was and James started driving...Unfortunately, the video of the big creek crossing is too large to include and I am not technically savvy enough to cut it down...at least not without losing the whole thing.

 The road was full of adventures, though, and above is another creek we crossed. Well done, James! I'm so impressed with your minivan!

Cockscomb Wildlife Reserve

After we had been here a few weeks, we needed some time away from PG. We decided to visit the Cockscomb Wildlife Reserve just a couple of hours north of us. It is also known as the jaguar reserve. We were really hoping to see one!
The drive to the reserve was fun:

We took a hike when we got there and were so excited to see some strange critters!

Guan

Parrots!

Anteater

Deirdre and Brennan - probably making a face - they are tiring of photos!

We took a walk through the jungle with a guide that evening and saw some tapir tracks and fresh jaguar scat and heard a kinkajou (according to the  guide). The only thing we saw were leaf cutter ants. They are fascinating little creatures, though! It was certainly a nice getaway.

Rio Blanco

First, I cannot thank Dan Thibeault enough for the assistance he has offered. He had his family of 5 children down here and was so very encouraging to me in wanting to bring my kiddos down here. He really worked hard to make this as smooth a transition as possible. He and his wife, Maria, were the previous medical and clinical directors and they worked tirelessly to form solid relationships within the community. Dan was kind enough to share those contacts with us before he left so that we can continue to build on the work he has done. What an asset to Hillside! Thank you, Dan!
Part of that transition process was to take us along with another new volunteer family, the Finneys, to Rio Blanco - a waterfall in the jungle. James, Sarah and Juliet Finney are also here for a year. 

This is a Catholic Church in San Antonio en route to the Rio Blanco

Park Headquarters

 When we arrived, a local hip hop artist, TR, was filming a music video in the water. It was definitely interesting! It mostly involved beer and women dancing around him.

Waterfalls

Deirdre and Brennan checking out the jungle river scene

Deirdre getting brave! Awesome jump, ladybug!

After Rio Blanco, Dan took us up to one of the resorts in the area to appreciate the view. Deirdre said it felt like we were in Jurassic Park. We were looking out toward Guatemala and listening to the call of the howler monkeys when Deirdre said, "Mom, we LIVE here. How awesome is that?"

View from Belcampo

Howler Monkeys

Friday Morning Execution

Not all critters here are so likeable. My first experience with this was on the first floor of my house. It is only used for storage and my dryer due to its tendency to flood during the rainy season (which we are currently in). I walked in and we saw a scorpion. It wasn't moving. Brennan poked it with a stick and the scorpion started running. I stomped on it and swept him outside. Not too big a deal, but I figured I didn't want one of them in my house, even if it is the part I don't live in.
Then, as I was getting into the shower one morning I heard Deirdre squeal. Didn't think much of it but when I got out of the shower, the kids informed me that there was a scorpion in the sink! I will admit that I was vocal about my distaste, especially as I was attempting to trap it. Brennan said "Mom, you are freaking out worse than Deirdre!" I said, "Well, yeah. Deirdre just sees the scorpion and knows I will deal with it. I actually have to figure out how to deal with it!"
The scorpion was stuck in the sink, so I went to get dressed and figure out what to do with it. Another squeal from Deirdre "The only thing worse than a scorpion in the sink is not being able to locate said scorpion!" We found him (still in the sink), I trapped him, and we were running late. Instead of just leaving him there trapped, I executed him with the bottom of a glass. I figured it would be cruel to have him sit in the glass all day only to be executed when I return. No trial, no jury, just execution. I'm almost considering hanging a carcass as a warning...but then again maybe I need to just find a way to be more gracious to said beasties.

Scorpion pose - maybe I'll get perspective?

Charleston

Living across the street from the sea means that my yard is pretty sandy. I noticed a couple of holes and asked a friend what manner of critter lived there. He said that they were crab holes and recommended that I try to see them after dark. I took my flashlight out and behold! It was a whole crab colony!

I have named this Charleston

One of Charleston's residents

I often go out in the evening to visit the residents of Charleston as they sit on their front porches. Unfortunately, they do not feel the same affection for me as I do for them. I walked into the alley one evening and a crab was walking sideways facing me. I said "Well, hello friend!" He slowly turned around and continued on his way with his back to me. Sigh. Oh well.

Introduction

I wanted to introduce everyone to places here - work, home, etc. Clinic related photos are courtesy of our resident volunteer photographer, Jacob.

This is Hillside Clinic! It is outside of Punta Gorda (PG) where I live.

Home sweet home! We are across the street from the sea - sometimes we even get a nice sea breeze! For about the first week we were here, the kids moved from lying like a starfish in front of a fan to swinging in hammocks on the porch. They were just too hot to do anything else. We are adjusting now, though.

 

View from balcony.

All of this is beautiful, but I was stressing out about where the kiddos would be going to school. We went to visit Toledo Community College (the local high school), but they were not willing to take Brennan or even test him to see if he was ready for it. I visited a small private school run by the Mennonites here, but they said that they didn't have any room. The kids ended up at Julian Cho Technical School. They were both so disappointed to be learning things that they had learned about 3 years ago in the states and we knew that something else would have to happen. I called the Mennonite school and used words like "beg", "desperate", and "please help" and they were gracious enough to accommodate the kids. After they knew that Mafredi VoTech (Mennonite school or, as we call it, jungle school - because it is in the jungle!) would take them, they revolted and refused to go back to Julian Cho. They are now happily settled at Mafredi and are taking many courses to challenge their brains and Brennan even gets to take carpentry!

Welcome!

American poet Mary Oliver demanded "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" I remind myself often to think of life in this way. Right now, I am blessed to be doing something with my one wild and precious life that I love deeply and want to share. I have never blogged, but I have found myself unable to keep in touch with everyone I would like to. This blog is my answer to that.
Just over one month ago, I packed my belongings into a storage unit and moved with my children, Deirdre and Brennan, to southern Belize to serve at Hillside Health Care International - a small NGO clinic that provides primary health care to the residents of the Toledo district free of charge. I have loved my job from the very first day, but other logistics of living abroad have been weighing us down. Where should the kids go to school? Where can I find skim milk? Who will fix my vehicle if it should need it (it already has!)? There have been many challenges and triumphs already - some of these I have shared with some of you and I ask that you forgive me for repetition in these first few posts.

Welcome to our wild and precious life!