Earth Expeditions Ending... To the Next Adventure

Being sick stinks… especially when you are busy, or abroad, or in my case both.  In an attempt to not sacrifice community for comfort, I have been trying extra hard to be involved.  Whether that is transecting coral reefs or dancing in a Belizean drum circle, I am always trying to plug in.

But once again, I find myself sitting in the room alone trying to recover, while the world goes on outside.  As much as I want to suck the nectar out of life, I also know that the body needs rest.  So I sit here thinking and typing.  And as our program comes to a close, I am a little saddened.  I know that I am travel weary, and nothing seems to sound as good as home, bubble-baths, ice water, air conditioner, a sofa, a kitten to snuggle, a hug from my momma….etc.  But as weary as I am, I am going to miss this nutty bunch of environmentalists that I met over the past 10 days.  I am going to miss being in a like-minded scientific community, seeing the impact a single person can have in conservation, and learning so much cool stuff.

Tonight is our last night.  The drums continue in the background as I type.  I breath in and out (still congested though…haha) and know that it’s not over.  Though half of this group is going home and I only get 3 free days with the other half… I know that I still have another 2.5 years with this nutty bunch of environmentalist.  Gotta love online communities!

The next 3 days should be fun though.  One of our leaders set up an optional cave tubing experience, and then a bunch of us are headed out to one of the Cayes to spend the last days relaxing to Reggae.  Momma always encourages me to “live while I am young”.  So as sickly as I feel… I am going to live it up.  Then sleep on the plane… A LOT… haha.

Mayan Ruins at Altun Ha after our homestay.

Snorkeling the Western Hemisphere's biggest Reef.

The Iguana that watched me doing laundry yesterday.

Belize Blog- 07/19/2015

It’s a little toasty here in Belize.  

I do look forward to heading to the comfort of home in a little over a week.  I want to be fully present and enjoy my time here, which I am.  But home is not far from my mind.  The plethora of bug bites / chemical burns from deet mixed with sunscreen aside, it is comfortable here.  We have beds and showers.  We are working constantly and learning at every moment.  It’s hard to give you the typical day since every day is different. 

But for me, I wake at about 4:30am or 5:00am every morning.  This gives me time to read my bible and pray a little.  Also it’s a good time to journal.   Breakfast is at 6:00am typically and then some sort of class discussion or activity follows.  So far as activities go, we have designed and tested a couple of experiments both at the nature center and the zoo, gone on nature walks, gone to the howler monkey sanctuary, attended a homestay, toured some Mayan ruins, and today we head off to the Cayes for our coral section of the course.  The days are long though, since we finish our last discussion at about 8:30pm or 9:00pm typically.  I am the type of person who goes to bed shortly after that if I can.  I may journal then, but usually I am too tired.

I have actually managed to catch a cold, the snotting, coughing, throaty, sneezy type.  And it has drained me.  I was blessed enough to get to skip out on one lecture though, it was a review of some of the statistics that we covered online over the past few weeks.   So it’s really cool to have such flexible leaders here. 

Anyway…with the time crunch, I am going to have to run…so, [insert lovely blog wrap-up here]. 

Musings after returning from the Caye:  http://carolineritchey.theworldrace.org/?filename=preserving-memories-in-words

Coming to You from Vietnam!

I got to Skype my friend Jill last night, and she asked me where in the world I was, because she said that she couldn't keep up with me.  I told her, I couldn't even keep up with me.  During this "down time" in Vietnam, I am so busy trying to plan out Belize and not get scammed here that I don't really think I am resting much.

I did enjoy a cruise through Halong Bay which was magnificent.  And met a couple on the boat that let me practice my Spanish with them before I have to get to using it again in Belize.  The wife was from Iowa and the husband, Colombia.  They were so kind and even suggested a better Hotel for my last couple nights.  And believe me, the switch was well worth the stress of switching.  I was upgraded to a deluxe room free of charge and they even have a real shower with hot water.

The trying not to get scammed thing is hard though.  Already I have had my card scanned multiple times for a single purchase and I also had an incident with a shoe-man.  I was walking down the street and the man comes running after me yelling for me to stop and pointing at my feet.  I thought, "OH dear me! I stepped on something important".  And I stopped.  At that point, he pulls off my shoe and begins gluing the loose parts back on.  I told him to stop.  He said "don't worry."  I said, "Stop it.  NO!  I will not pay you money.  Stop."  And he keeps saying, "don't worry."  I protest for about 2 more minutes as he sews up the sole.  I keep saying, "No!  I will not pay."  Finally, he gives it back and demands the equivalent of $10USD.  And I told him very firmly that I never wanted my shoes sown and that I told him no, but he just wasn't listening.  He began to argue with me again.  I said NO! Then I ran away....haha.

After running off, I dipped into massage parlor to lose the guy and relieve some stress.  I just need to wear nicer shoes and maybe he won't recognize me when I go back out tonight to the walking food tour and water puppet show.  Until then, I think I will just rest in my very very comfy bed.  Thank you Hanoi Holiday Gold!  :-)

Halong Bay:  View from my Cabin Window early morning.

I am not gone....

... I am not gone forever...  I am just in Korea; spending time in the land of Kimchi and cute socks.  Between catching up with old friends and my co-teacher taking me around to fun things, I haven't had much time to blog.  I have been reading some good books the Pastor gave me and processing through what in the world I just experienced the last 10 months.

I even got to play my Uke at an open mike night.  Bundles of fun!
Heading to Seoul tomorrow morning for the wedding of a friend.  But I will be back to blogging soon, I am sure.  I kinda miss sharing my adventures here.  :-P