Michael Buble

Mmmhmm, Michael's voice melts me like butter every time I hear it. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't pretend he was singing to me every time I turn his music on. And in the spirit of the holiday season, I thought I'd celebrate with a little Christmas cheer. There aren't many voices out there like his, and I am so excited that he finally put out a Christmas album. His velvety voice is Sinatraesque, and his jazzy sound is just heavenly and so effortless it's unfair. I feel as if voices like his are made for Christmastime, and Michael does not disappoint. Plus he sings a cover of one of my favorite Christmas jingles (yes, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" really is one of my favorite Christmas songs; I can't help it, I love the song!), so I am sold on this new album. 

"All I Want For Christmas Is You" covered by Michael Buble from the album Christmas

Hugh Sidey

"A sense of humor... is needed armor. Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life." - Hugh Sidey

laughter

Sweetest weekend adventure ever. Since Thanksgiving isn't exactly celebrated in Belize, a few friends and I decided to take the holiday weekend into our own hands and celebrate a little differently this year. So instead of eating more than we could ever want, risking our physical and mental health in the Black Friday extravaganza, or watching football and wanting to throw the t.v. across the room, we created our own Belizean form of Thanksgiving. And let me just say, our version was awesome.

Let's begin with Friday. On Friday morning the 6 of us arrived in the Belizean jungle to take a spelunking (aka cave diving) adventure, which is just as incredible as it sounds. Basically we took a bus past a few orange groves into the heart of the Belizean jungle, and from there we hiked even further into the jungle to a giant Mayan cave, Actun Tunichil Muknal. A river runs directly through the center of the cave so you spend the entire rest of the adventure either swimming or wading through the cave (sweet, right?). And the cave itself was used by the Mayans of Belize for various religious rituals and sacrifices, so it was littered with artifacts and human remains that we were able to view and learn all about...it was an anthropology major's dream. I feel pretty certain that I looked and acted like a 5 year old child, I was so excited about everything, and several times our guide actually had to chastise me or call me back to the group because I was so over eager and giddy. It was such a crazy experience, and there is simply no way words could do it justice.


And yet the excitement didn't stop there. On Saturday my newfound friend Angela and I decided that we weren't quite finished exploring the jungle, so we packed up and went on a little hunt for waterfalls. And boy did we find them. Five Sisters Falls and Big Rock Falls are two of the most beautiful places I've ever seen, and provided us with one of the most fun afternoons I've experienced in a long time. Basically we spent the day jumping off rocks, swimming under waterfalls, hiking up the falls themselves, and laughing a lot. It was incredible and the entire time I just felt so...free. We were just enjoying each other's company, doing something we loved, and taking in God's glorious natural beauty. I told you it was a good weekend.

Five Sisters Falls

Big Rock Falls

I had several completely new experiences this weekend, and did a lot of things I've never done before. But the part of the weekend that sticks out the most to me was how much I laughed out loud. And not just a giggle here and there, but laughing fits so intense that I was crying and people were asking if I was alright, which are my favorite kind. And when I was thinking back on the weekend I realized that it had been awhile since I've laughed that hard or that often, and what an effect laughter has on me. It's as if a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders and I just feel full of sunshine, and it's something that I think I generally take for granted.


In the past few years I've been surrounded by such incredible friends, and they have given me such joy that I think I just got used to that constant sunshine and forgot how precious that friendship was. Now that I'm in a completely new place surrounded by completely new faces, things like laughter don't come automatically because that kind of genuine enjoyment comes with relationships, most of which are still in their infancy for me here in Belize. So in the short time that I've been here, I'd forgotten just how good it feels to really delight in someone's company and have that understanding that allows you to feel the freedom of real laughter. Meeting Angela this weekend reminded me of that freedom and just how awesome it is. We hit it off immediately and became friends within 30 seconds of meeting each other, and neither of us stopped laughing the rest of the weekend.


It's so important to hold on to the relationships that bring you joy, and remember never take them for granted. The longer I'm here, the more I learn and realize how true that is, and it makes me so grateful for the wonderful relationships I have at home and so excited about the new friendships I'm building in Belize. So do yourself a favor and keep a tight grasp on the people you love the most in this world. Don't ever let them go, and don't ever stop laughing with them.

The doorbell

Belize fun fact #1: They don't believe in the doorbell. When a person visits a home, it is tradition to stand at the front gate and yell "good day" or "hello" until someone responds from inside. And they don't give up easily, so all of your "let's pretend we aren't home" tricks are completely futile. Trust me, it's always the better option to just answer the door rather than to try and wait out the incessant greetings, which can easily last at least five minutes.

Janis Joplin

I was riding the bus from Belize City back to Belmopan today, and this little lady snuck her way into the shuffle on my iPod. Every time I listen to Janis, I feel like I'm discovering her for the first time. She was a true rockstar who knew how to jam. When you listen to her play, you know she is pouring her entire soul into her music, and she creates the kind of emotion a real artist knows how to convey.


I think rock n' roll really lost itself in the 1980s. The classic rock of the 60s and 70s was something that will never be rivaled in the music world, and artists like Janis are the reason why. So do yourself a favor and find out what you've been missing, and check out the treasure that is classic rock, starting with Miss Janis. You won't be disappointed, and a whole new world will be opened to your musical taste buds.  You'll also finally understand why our parents think our music today is so terrible (and with valid reason- artists like Janis do tend to put Lil Wayne and Katy Perry to shame).


I couldn't decide on a single song to depict her awesomeness, and finally I just gave in and decided to post two classic hits. My personal favorite is "Me and Bobby Mcgee", but don't take my word for it, create your own playlist. So enjoy my friends, and rock on.

"Cry Baby" covered by Janis Joplin from the album Pearl

"Me and Bobby McGee" covered by Janis Joplin from the album Pearl

John Lennon

"When I was five years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life." - John Lennon

work

After my first couple of weeks of work, I've learned two things. 1. Four year olds are not meant to sit still for longer than approximately fifteen seconds, and 2. I love what I do. I know I've given a brief description of my work in Belize, but let me explain it a little more in depth so that you get a better image of my daily life here.


I believe I've mentioned it before, but just to reiterate, I work at 2 different orphanages in Belmopan. The first is Marla's House of Hope, and the the second is King's Children's Home. Every weekday morning I walk over to Marla's to work and play with the preschool aged kids before they go to school in the afternoon. We have an educational activity for about an hour, and then I play with them and help them get bathed and fed and ready for school. They are probably the most challenging, but most hilarious part of my day. Like I said, it's an absolute miracle to hold all of their attention for longer than fifteen seconds or so, but we make it work. Our activities include learning basic concepts such as shapes, colors, animals...you get the picture. So if you ever land a gig working with very small children, here is what little advice I can give you: they love to color (but sharing isn't always their favorite thing, so be sure to have plenty of crayons for everyone), dancing and singing is always a sure bet to catch their attention, and they love to wash their hands. Seriously. I'm not sure if it's a fascination with water or soap or the combination of the two, but their favorite part of the lesson is washing their hands, which we do every 20 minutes just to keep everyone happy. They do an impressive job of it too. There is also an intimidatingly real chance that I might try to bring one of them home with me; it's a genuine fear I have.

Our morning lesson at Marla's

Moving on, I use my time during the midday to run errands or prepare lessons or work on whatever I need to complete, and then I head off to tutor as soon as school ends. Monday and Wednesday I return to Marla's for the afternoon, and on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday I spend my time at King's. My job description is pretty self explanatory, but I spend several hours working with the older kids and their school work and then head home for the evening. This is what I would most likely consider my most rewarding part of the day. I love working with the little ones, but there is something truly gratifying about watching children learn, especially when you are a part of it. For example, the other day I taught about ten kids at King's how to work with percentages. It was somewhat of a double victory for me because I was excited I even remembered how to solve percentage problems (I haven't taken a math class since calculus, my senior year of high school), but the most exciting part was watching the kids catch on to the method and start giving correct answers that weren't random guesses. I was actually teaching them, and they were responding to my efforts with positive results. It was something of a lightbulb moment for me, because after I returned home that night and was thinking over my day, I realized that I had found something that I love to do. Teach.


Now, ever since I entered college I said that I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I knew that I didn't want to be a teacher. And that's still somewhat true. I don't think I want to be a typical teacher in a normal classroom setting. Let's face it, I'm not exactly what I would classify as normal, so your everyday job isn't really going to catch my attention. But whatever I end up doing, I want it to be something that includes instructing and encouraging and helping people succeed, to reach their potential. I don't know what that occupation might yet be, but I do know that whatever it is I don't want to compromise on any of those points, because those are what matter most to me. And I won't.


I think our generation is put under a lot of pressure to succeed in a very horizontal definition of the word. There is a stereotype of the occupations we are all expected to pursue, and I think it's really unfair. Our goals of what we want to be have become distorted into what we believe we should be, and too many times those ideas don't parallel. So I say let's all take a deep breath and return to the ideals and goals that we grew up admiring. Even if you can't be the next Beyonce, find a way to keep music a central part of your life. Even if you aren't going to be the fashion designer you envisioned, stay involved with design and art and the styles you love. Just because you aren't going to have the same occupation you claimed at age 6, doesn't mean that you can't still make what you love a major part of your career and your life. And that is worth so much more than the success that society tells us matters. If you have a passion for what you are doing, then you will find true success, and be truly happy. And that's what matters.

Raquel, Susanna, Mercedes, Richard, and Maxwell

James 1:22-25

"Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts- this person will be blessed in what he does." - James 1:22-25

The Black Keys

Due to their impending new album, I thought I'd remind everyone of how sweet The Black Keys are. This song was how I was introduced to The Black Keys (and might I add that it was by one of my dearest friends in the world), and has since become one of my favorites. Pair a banjo with the piano and toss in an awesome beat, and you have a deadly combination in the form of "Psychotic Girl." This song might be, for lack of a more sophisticated word, the coolest song ever. In fact, the best way to describe The Black Keys is that they are just...cool. And you feel cool, like throw on a pair of sweet shades kind of cool, when you listen to them. Try playing "Psychotic Girl" on your iPod/iPhone/mp3/portable cd player and then strolling across campus, through the park, or wherever you walk when you wear your iPod, and I guarantee you will have an unconscious swagger in your step that wasn't present prior to this song.

"Psychotic Girl" by The Black Keys from the album Attack and Release

food

Okay, let's talk about the food. Everyone wants to know the cuisine of cultures around the world right? The best way I can describe the food here would be as a tex-mex lover's heaven and a South Beach dieter's hell. A vast majority of the traditional meals in Belize consist of tortillas, beans, rice, and chicken, and if you have these key ingredients you can create about 80% of the dishes I've been introduced to thus far. Most of the day-to-day food is full of grease (they love to fry things), full of carbs, and in portion sizes worthy of Hagrid (and if you don't know that Harry Potter reference you shouldn't be reading this blog). It's all delicious, but for someone like me who isn't used to eating fried starches for every meal, it can be a little much.


Of course, being located in a subtropical climate in the middle of the Caribbean definitely has its perks in the cooking world. Fresh fish stands are around every corner, and the fruits and vegetables are straight from the tree, vine, or bush, which is exactly the way I enjoy them. Everything they sell is in season and produced locally, so you can only buy certain foods at certain points during the year, and to be honest it's an attitude I wish everyone would share. It's better for the environment, healthier to consume, and cheaper to purchase...everyone wins! So anyways, every Tuesday and Friday the market is open for business, and it works exactly like the farmers' markets in the states. Everything is ripe and fragrant and oh so delicious. Several foods, like bananas, limes, and oranges, are so abundant in Belize that they practically give the fruits away. You can typically purchase 10 for $1...$1 Belize that is, which means that the 10 oranges I bought from the market on Friday morning cost me $0.50. Yep, $0.50. With that same amount of money I could purchase approximately 2/3 of an orange in the states. Just let that sink in for a moment.

Some plantains we picked at an organic farm in southern Belize

So of the new wonders I've tried, what is my favorite food, you ask? As far as fruits and vegetables, I would easily go with a new treasure I recently discovered called the apple banana. It literally looks like a baby banana, but tastes amazing. It's much sweeter than most bananas, and lacks the fibrous aftertaste that bananas tend to leave. Mmmm! They are so stinking delicious. However, if we are talking favorite dishes, I'd lean towards the cerviche. Cerviche is a very simple dish that essentially consists of shrimp, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, maybe bell peppers, and lime juice. It is so light and refreshing and delicious, and it's great with chips or corn tortillas. It's not difficult to prepare, but the flavors complement each other to perfection. To be honest, I'd be willing to bet I haven't even tipped the iceberg of Belizean cuisine yet, so I have many more things to try soon.


As far as trying foods goes, I'm not what I would consider to be an adventurous eater, but I'm no sissy about it either. I enjoy trying the different cultural dishes and traditional meals that the country is known for. And generally my tastebuds have been very satisfied. However there are a few foods that I haven't braved, and really have no intention of doing so. One of the worst is a fruit they refer to as "noni". Supposedly the fruit is packed with all kinds of nutritional benefits and antioxidants, which sounds really appealing until you get close enough to smell the thing. It's gross. It smells as if it's rotting, and it's so pungent it makes me gag (this is not a lie). Not to mention, the nasty thing looks like a gigantic booger. So gross. Another delicacy that I just cannot bring myself to attempt is "cow foot soup". I don't think I need to explain it any further.


I'm still quite the rookie, so I still have quite a bit to learn about the foods and dishes of Belize, but the general idea is simple to grasp. They eat what is available, when it is in season. It makes going to the market exciting because there's a certain element of surprise as to what you'll find. I love it, and it challenges me to eat beyond the normal routines that I've become so used to in the states. So my next challenge: I dare you to try to eat only the foods that are in season for one week (and check the label to be sure it's produced in the U.S.A.). We've become so accustomed to having any food we want that I bet it becomes really difficult, really quickly. But if you can condition yourself to it, at least somewhat, mother nature and your local farmers will be very appreciative. It's a simple idea that has the potential to make a big difference in our environment...plus it's just more fun that way.

The market in Belize Cty

Stevie Ray Vaughan

I can't explain how much I love Stevie Ray Vaughan. He is everything I want in music, and this song is a perfect example of why. Electric Blues might have been one of the most ingenious discoveries in the music world, and he perfected the genre to an art. This song was originally recorded by Elmore James in 1959, and a lot of incredible artists have rerecorded it, but it's one of my favorite covers by Stevie Ray. I don't care who you are, you can't pretend like this isn't a little piece of heaven. You're welcome.

"The Sky is Cryin'" by Stevie Ray Vaughan from the album The Sky is Crying

Ferris Bueller

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once and a while, you could miss it."- Ferris Bueller

spots

Awesome week.  For the first time since I arrived I really feel like I know what I'm doing and that what I'm doing is valuable to others. I'm going to be honest, the first few days I was here I was so scared and doubtful that I was already planning some excuse for why I had to return to the states six months early, much like I did my first two weeks of college, when I researched transfers to universities closer to home. But now that the initial panic has subsided and my life here actually has a purpose, I am on cloud nine and loving everything about this place. 


Why such a one-eighty in attitude you may ask? Well let's start with my legit housing setup here in Belmopan. I just moved in to the home of Mrs. Eleanor Sewell, who rents out rooms in her home to young women attending the local university or working in the city. So not only do I live in a fully furnished home with several other girls around my age, but I also inherited a woman who knows the country and the culture and has become an invaluable source of information to my rookie self. Plus she gave me a bicycle (for all of my travel needs) my first day here, bonus! 


So if a home qualifies for a good week, then finalizing work plans bumps me up to a great one. Say hello to the new tutor and mentor for both Marla's Children's Home and King's Children's Home. To keep it brief, basically I'll be tutoring after school Monday through Friday and helping with whatever needs the homes might have throughout the week. And In the mornings I get to teach an "educational activity"for the preschoolers at Marla's. Am I nervous? Well no duh. But I'm also more excited than I can remember being in a long time, which is saying something because I get excited about more things than a seven year old.


Alright so what turns a great week into a week on cloud nine?...a local coffee shop, that's what! And no, I'm not joking. There is a grand total of one coffee shop in Belmopan (or the entire country as far as I know), and by jove, I found it. Now let me explain my ecstasy in this discovery: I am a person of spots. I seek out the nooks and crannies of every town I live in until I find a few spots that I consider worthy, and that is where I go for my Maggie time. Usually Maggie time constitutes of reading, studying, listening to music, working on whatever project I may have at the time, or just enjoying the day. But no matter where I am I always have at least one spot, usually several, where I visit when I just need some time to myself. It's absolutely necessary for my sanity and contentment, and always includes a local coffee joint. So that is why Formosa's Coffee of Belmopan has become my new sanctuary. If you've never tried something like this, I highly suggest it. It is very therapeutic to remove yourself from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and immerse yourself in something that you enjoy, especially if that something has no real purpose other than enjoyment. So my challenge for the week to you is this: Decide what kind of setting makes you feel the most relaxed and at peace, then search out a physical location that fits the description and spend at least one hour just enjoying your new spot in whatever way you desire, whether it be drawing, writing, reading, or sitting. It will change your life (or at least your day). 


I firmly believe everyone needs a spot. Today's world is so fast that too often I feel like we forget how to be happy. Instead we focus on the most logical, responsible paths that lead us to the most secure lifestyle possible. But life isn't supposed to be about security. It's about adventure, risks, and excitement. I mean let's be honest, do you most fondly remember the microbiology test you spent all night studying for or the night you blew off studying to go sledding on campus at three in the morning (shout out to my fellow Pomfreteers)? Now don't get me wrong, I don't think we should choose the "fun" option every time. But I do think it's important to take time every once in awhile to free yourself from whatever constraints are holding you back and just enjoy life at its simplest. And while a coffee shop may not be a skydiving adventure, it's a much more basic way to take a step back and take a deep breath.