Alright here is the good/crazy story: We all awoke at 4:30 a.m. to catch the 5:30 bus to Belmopan which is about 3 hours away by bus (the actual distance would be from Toledo Ohio to about Findlay, Ohio. In the states this bus ride would take about an hour) All of the training sessions were cancelled in Belmopan because one of the 2nd year volunteers passed away. So basically we all sat in the PC headquarters until 4:00 pm. We caught the bus back to Independence at 4:30. The Belziean bus experience goes like this: Its an old US School bus, Lines forget it, its a mob. pushing fighting swearing the works, as long as you get on that bus you are good to go. So picture a bus to its full capacity and add 40 more people. If you don't get a seat you stand in the aisles. Sometimes people stand for the entire bus ride. Meanwhile the guy who collects money doesn't collect the money right when you get on, that would be too easy and logical. He waits till everyone gets on and then starts to collect bus fare. He is climbing over people just about every time the bus stops. Speaking of bus stops or places that one would catch the bus forget that. If you want on you stand by the road (any road) and waive the bus down. so picture the full bus and then more people getting on along the way. It was one of those wow we aren't in America moments. So back to my long day story, So we are all riding back to Independence and then all of the sudden the bus stops in Dangriga (about half way) and someone starts yelling: "Chris! Chris! Is there a Chris here!?" I'm like whats going on here? It was my host dad: he was in Dangriga because his grand daughter was in the hospital. He wanted to know if i wanted a ride instead of riding the bus. I said fo sho. Jacob came along too. We thought we were leaving right away. No No. We didn't leave for another 4 hours. We were taken to the hospital, a bootleg casino (we didn't gamble) and given the full tour of the city. We ended up leaving at 9:30 pm. So we leave and hit Silk Grass (about 20 miles from Dangriga) and the van breaks down. Sweet. No cell phone service either. Someone finally makes a phone call for help somehow, and by help i mean a tow from a friend who has to drive to Silk Grass from Independence. We finally get picked up at around 12:30 am or 1. We decide to ride in the back of the truck bead which is sweet because it cools you off from the humidity and heat. By cools you off i mean 83 degrees. So we are cruising along and all of the sudden we get flashed down by some people who just had an accident. So we all get out and go check it out: This car struck a thick telephone poll and split it in half, 3 people injured: head injuries, showing skull, broken legs, shattered hips the works. The kicker: A dead guy. They were all drunk. The driver was thrown from the vehicle and didn't survive. Meanwhile right after we get there and until we leave its lawlessness. the ambulance arrived 45 minutes later. By ambulance i mean people with bootleg "medical training" and are basically there to give you a ride to the hospital. They picked up the three injured people and left the dead guy. All three guys rode in the same ambulance. The cops came about 2 hours later. (the cop car was driving by after we left).
We got home at 2:30 and went to bed at around 3 am. 23 hour day. no big deal.
Lessons learned: Stay on the bus and Belize is not America nor do Belizieans operate similarly to Americans.
Far From Home,
Christopher Wilkins Weiss
