Clark-Peterek Belize

Jimmy & Toni Visit Belize

We met the Clarks at the Belize City Airport fresh from our trip to Tikal.  We were so excited to finally have them visit Belize.  After a short flight from Houston, Texas on  TACA, we loaded up our rental car and headed south.

We stopped for pizza in Belmopan at a Peace Corps favorite, Pasquale’s Pizzeria.  The drive down the Hummingbird Highway was beautiful, and we made it Punta Gorda a few hours later. 

My parents spent a few days in Punta Gorda Town getting to know more about our community. We attended Easter Day services at St. Joseph’s Anglican Church, walked around PG, toured our schools, relaxed by the pool, and explored the Toledo District.  We took a trip to Noh Sohs in San Antonio Village and Rio Blanco Falls in Santa Cruz.  We ate with Miss Marian and stopped by the Snack Shack for a breakfast burrito.  My parents really enjoyed staying at the Coral House Inn, and they had a great time seeing our site.

After some time in PG, we headed north to the Placencia Peninsula.  We stayed at the Singing Sands Inn at Maya Beach, and spent a few days relaxing on the beach, lounging by the pool, and touring the village of Placencia.  We ate some great food and enjoyed gellato from the Tutti Frutti.  We even took a sailing and snorkeling trip to nearby Whippari Caye. 

The final days of Jimmy and Toni’s trip took us north.  We stopped in Belmopan for a tour of Peace Corps Headquarters, a trip to the Belize Zoo, and a stop at Altun Ha.  We stayed at the Black Orchid Resort in Burrell Boom just north of the airport.

It was soon time to say goodbye, and we watched as their plane flew away. We had a great time with my parents, and we were sad to see them go.  We are so glad that they were able to experience a part of our lives here and get to know more about this beautiful country that we have called home for almost the last two years.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a wonderful visit!  We had a fantastic time and hope you did too!

St. Benedict Butterflies

Parque Nacional Tikal

Over the Easter Break we headed to Guatemala for a few days to check out Tikal, one of the Major sites of the Maya Civilization.

 The magnificent ruins of Tikal are set within the Parque Nacional Tikal, a protected nature reserve, located just west of the Belize/Guatemala Border in the Peten.

Tikal was occupied during the Preclassic and Classic periods, from 300 BC-900 AD.   It was rediscovered in late 1800’s.  The archaeological research and restoration of Tikal began in the 1950’s, and in 1979 Tikal National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

We stayed at La Casa De Don David, a quaint little hotel in the village of El Remate.  El Remate is famous for its woodcarvings and is set along the eastern shore of the Lago Peten Itza.  El Remate is about 30 km south of Tikal and was a great base. 

We arrived in El Remate on Thursday evening, and spent the night exploring the village and enjoying the sunset.  The next morning we woke up bright and early ready for a day at Tikal.  According to past visitors and guidebooks transportation to Tikal is affordable and readily available, with taxis, buses, and collectivos running on a regular basis.   After about an hour, we finally were able to get a private collectivo headed north.  We later found out that Good Friday is a national holiday in Guatemala and no taxis, buses, or collectivos are required to run.  

We arrived at the park mid morning eager to begin exploring.  Over 1,000 structures are scattered over 500 square kilometers, with many of the still hidden beneath mounds of earth.  Several temples tower above the jungle’s canopy rising more than 60 meters.  The site is truly amazing.  We had a great day exploring through the jungle and climbing up the Maya temples. 

We returned to El Remate and once again enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the lake.  The next day we headed back to Belize to meet my parents at the airport.  Though our trip was short, we had a great time, and we are so glad that we visited Tikal. 

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Easter

Decorating Easter Eggs with the St. Benedict Butterflies. 

St. Benedict Butterflies

To wrap up Women’s Month, we invited Senator Pulcharia Teul to the St. Benedict Butterflies Girls Club weekly meeting.  Senator Pulcharia did a great job explaining the Government system of Belize, and her role and responsibilities as a Senator.

Belize is a parliamentary democracy within the British Commonwealth and is made up of three branches, the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.  The Executive Branch includes the Governor General, who represents Queen Elizabeth, the Prime Minister, and the cabinet. The Judicial Branch included the Chief Justice and Supreme Court The Legislative Branch is made up of   13 Senators.  The ruling party appoints seven Senators, three are appointed by the opposition, and the Church, Unions, and Business sectors each appoint one Senator.  Senator Pulcharia was appointed by the current administration that took office in January 2008.  She is one 5 female Senators and is serving a two-year term.

She also discussed the Belize Constitution and focused on the Rights of the Child.  Senator Pulcharia talked about the importance of staying in school, and respecting your peers and teachers.  She also touched on leadership and the importance of working together and friendship among women. 

Senator Pulcharia is a great example of a positive female role model and leader, and it was great to have her visit with St. Benedict Butterflies. 

Read more about the government system of Belize here.  

 

Forest Home Softball

Last week the Forest Home Girls and Boys Softball Teams competed in their zone tournament.  While the Forest Home Girls Team lost, the Forest Home Boys Team claimed victory over Little Flower R.C. and moved on to the District Tournament. 

The District Tournament was held on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, at Union Field in Punta Gorda.  The Forest Home Softball Team came ready to play.  The team competed against San Felipe in the first round. Moving on to semi-finals, the Forest Home Team claimed another victory against Aguacate Village and moved on to the finals.  The championship game was against Crique Sarco Village.  It was a tough match and went into overtime.  The final score was 3-2.  Forest Home  played their hearts out but wasn’t able to pull off the win.  The loss was heart breaking for the team.  They fought off tears, held their heads high, and congratulated the winning the team.  Crique Sarco will competed last Friday in Corozal Town in the Belize National Softball Tournament.  

John did an outstanding job as coach, and though the boys lost, it was a great experience.

Thanks to Wes Hickey for donating softball mitts to Forest Homes Methodist School. 

St. Benedict Butterflies

One of the goals of the St. Benedict Butterflies Girls Club is to expose young girls in the area to strong, influential, female role models.  I was so excited to have Miss Eldorah Rubio, the first female to the join the National Fire & Rescue Service of Belize, visit the St. Benedict Butterflies. 

Miss Eldorah has been a member of the National Fire & Rescue Service of Belize for over 10 years.  When she joined the department, she received negative feedback and resistance from male co-workers.  She was forced to work the Watch-room, and was not allowed to be a full time firefighter.  That soon changed as she made clear her ability and dedication, and she was hired as the first full time female fire fighter in Belize.  Several women have followed in her footsteps, but currently Miss Eldorah is the only female firighter in the whole country.  Miss Eldorah moved to Punta Gorda in August 2008, and she is the current Acting Supervisor of the Punta Gorda First Station. 

Miss Eldorah arrived at school in the FIRE 3 one of the two fire sengines in Punta Gorda.  She discussed the various parts of the truck and various hoses, what they are used for, and how the vehicle was operated.  She even put on her fire and safety gear for the girls to see.  Miss Eldorah discussed fire safety and shared personal stories of fighting fires in Belize.  The girls had lots of questions for Miss Eldorah.  She was very patient with the girls and really enjoyed their enthusiasm and curiosity.  

It was a great afternoon session, and I am so thankful to be given the opportunity to introduce the St. Benedict Butterflies to such important women in the community.  

Gibnuts vs. San Vicente

Last Saturday we traveled to San Vicente, a Kekchi Village, about 40 miles west of Punta Gorda on the Belize/Guatemala Border.  San Vicente has a population of 520, and is the site of a fellow PCV, Josh. 

San Vicente was ready for the challenge and excited to play futbol.  The Gibnuts were short a few players, but they were able to recruit a three villagers who were eager to play.  The Gibnuts started out strong on the field, but the San Vicente team had speed and years of experience playing together on their side.  San Vicente scored early in the first half, but the Gibnuts didn’t give up and fought hard, battling the intense heat. Early in the second half, the Gibnuts scored their first goal of the game. Thankfully, the temperature dropped a few degrees.  The Gibnuts refused to give in, and remained strong.  The game ended in a tie, the final score was San Vicente 1, Gibnuts 1.  

After the game, we bathed in the river, and ate traditional chicken caldo with Josh’s neighbors.  For the rest of the evening we enjoyed time with neighbors and fellow Volunteers. 

San Vicente is a beautiful village, and we are so glad that we were able to visit Josh’s site.