With that being said, let's move on to the good stuff. Since it's been so long since I've written any updates on my life, I'll begin two weekends ago and move forward from there. For the record, not a whole lot has happened in the past couple of weeks, so you really haven't missed much. I did however take another little road trip with Angela two weeks ago, which was a joy, as always. She made it into Belmopan on Friday evening, and on Saturday morning we loaded up and headed south towards the coast and a small community called Gale's Point, which is known for it's manatee lookout. Even though I had no idea what to expect from Gale's Point, I was still taken aback by the tiny (and I mean tiny) community. I swear, for such a small country, Belize never fails to surprise me, and the manatee lookout turned out to be awesome. We took a small boat (that traveled around 5 mph) with a couple of guides, Ramon and Esau (who were both at least 70 years old and wonderful in every way), into the middle of a lagoon, and were able to observe the manatees from the boat. I've never really had much of an opinion about manatees, but watching them in the wild, literally surrounding our boat, was one of the cooler things I've witnessed in awhile. It was so calm and peaceful out on the water, and the animals were so trusting, it was an impressive experience.
Ramon with the boat we took to see the manatees
After the manatees, we had basically conquered Gale's Point, so we traveled on a little further south and spent the night on the beach in a town called Dangriga. Then on Sunday we visited a national park that was absolutely beautiful, and so far in the jungle that I felt like Mogli in The Jungle Book. Then we visited a few other small beach communities before heading back Sunday evening. Successful weekend.
Since our weekend getaway, I haven't had too many exciting experiences. Work has been going really well, and I've started picking up the youngest kids at King's Home from school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which I really enjoy because it means I am able to spend more time just hanging out with them, rather than forcing them to complete homework. Also, one of my little ones at Marla's, Mercedes (she's 4 years old), just learned to spell and write her name for the first time, and I can't explain how happy I was to watch her run down the hall and show everyone her new skill. That girl soaks up information like a sponge, and I am so proud of the progress she's made in the last few months. It's truly amazing. Last week I also had several letters and a package waiting for me after work, and while mail sounds pretty commonplace, it's actually incredibly exciting. I think it's so thrilling because not only do I love receiving mail and hearing from people back home, but it's somewhat of a gamble on whether or not mail will actually make it here, so it's a small yet powerful victory when it arrives.
One of the letters I received was a an extremely unexpected but wonderful surprise from a good friend from college, and reading it made my entire week. The thoughtfulness and care behind small gestures like sending that letter never fails to affect me, and I honestly don't remember the last time I was so touched. It was such a classic reminder of how blessed I am to have such incredible and considerate people in my life, and how even the simplest actions make a difference in someone's day. It's so important to let people know that you love and care about them, and it is so easy to do (shoot, just send a text), yet we forget or avoid it far too often. So if you're thinking about someone, let them know. If you are wondering how someone is doing, pick up the phone and ask. It's the easiest thing in the world, and will make the sun shine a little brighter for someone that day. Maybe it's just me, but I am a firm believer that the small gestures are what create the big moments, and you remember the big moments most.
