Belize Pics

More Pics

Pics from Belize

Pictures and Videos

I should have some pictures and videos posted sometime next week. Training is over and we swear in as Volunteers next week.

Far From Home,

Christopher Wilkins Weiss

Food

I thought I would make some comments on the food of Belize. As a nation of many languages and ethnic backgrounds, Belize has quite a few traditional dishes. While I was in Independence which is primarily a Kriol community there was a lot of rice and beans, plantains, baked/fried chicken, and wheat tortillas. If you were to visit any Mayan culture the main dish would be this chicken soup dish with corn tortillas. In Belize, you eat the whole chicken bones and all; when you are served fish you are given the entire fish (with bones), depending on its size. If its a big fish you will either get the head or the tail.

Have i had rat? Yes, its called a gibnut and it was really good. The last time the Queen was in Belize in 1981, she had gibnut aka The Royal Rat.

Have i had pigtail? Yes, it tastes kinda like a combo of ham and hot dogs.

I have not had the pleasure of eating iguana because its out of season right now.

Belizeans like kool aid with a shit ton of sugar. They call it juice. Its a little bit of water with sugar and a huge packet of kool-aid.

There are no "real" fast food places, excluding the 1 Subway in Belize City. Most of the food down here comes from shacks, street vendors or the inside of houses.

There are shops owned by people from Asia. Belizeans call these shops "Chinees" and they call all asian people "Chinees" as well. Its really racist but they don't see it that way.

Far From Home,

Christopher Wilkins Weiss

Birthday Weekend

So I am now 25. The weekend started on Friday with the usual trip to Belmopan early in the morning. I had to make it back by 7 pm to give a presentation to a youth group on the Peace Corps and Setting Goals and creating a Life Purpose statement. I was a little bit late but Belizeans are never on time so i fit right in. Saturday-Terra's host family invited us all to the private island for the night and it was awesome: camp fire, smores, 45 lobsters, sleeping on a dock etc. On Sunday morning we were taken back to Independence because we had to catch a boat to go to Placencia for a Beach Clean up with another Youth Group. The beach clean up went well and we saw the Prime Minister swimming with his kids. At 5 we all went back to Independence for a dinner/party for my birthday. My host mom worked really hard making all the food and the cake. It was Julie's birthday on the 11th so the dinner was for her too. On Monday we all went to Placencia again and had some fun. After we got home on Monday night Jacob's host family had us all over for dinner. Overall the weekend was awesome: private islands, placencia and free lobster, I am having way too much fun down here.

Far From Home,

Christopher Wilkins Weiss

Placements

So i found out a few days ago I am gonna be living in Belize City, Belize for the next two years. A few good things about being placed there: my house is close to the school I will be working at, there is a gym nearby, i am gonna be living on the safe side of the river, its an actual city and not a village, the airport is close and its a cruise port. The one bad thing about the city: its the crime capital of the country. Roughly 80-90% of the country's crime takes place in Belize City. Most if not all happens on the southwest side of the city.

Since my last post i've done a few things:
1. Cockscomb National Park/Preserve - a cool jaguar reserve with jungle hiking and natural waterfalls.
2. Volunteer Visit to Jungle - slept in a kechi village for a weekend, river bathing, soccer, volleyball, jungle fishing, jungle bowl making etc.
3. Independence Day Celebrations - get real drunk and sing bad songs
4. Placencia - wow beautiful Americanized vacation destination
5. Private Key - swimming and fishing off of a private island.

Far From Home,

Christopher Wilkins Weiss