A Foodie but a Goodie...Visually feeding your inner fat kid.

First off, let me start off by saying, "You're welcome."

As promised, the following blog will include descriptions and photos of some of the best food in Belize. For those that love food as much as I do, eating the local cuisine is one of the best ways to learn about other cultures.  While in Belize City, we didn't find a Starbucks, McDonald's, or any other fast food joint we'd have here at every block. Fast food in Belize City were little stands along the street that had prepared, kept-warm pots of meat, or items that can be quickly deep fried. I don't think I had any bad food while I was there. Everything I had was amazingly good.

With that said, let's begin...

Stewed Pork Meal

STEWED CHICKEN (or pork or beef) MEAL - This is a traditional Belizean dish, they refer to as Sunday dinner. I think I had this dish every other day I was there since it's served practically everywhere. A typical dish will have stewed chicken (or pork, beef, or fried fish), rice and beans, a salad, and plantains. Most restaurants or food stands serve this dish, and will vary only slighty. One thing I quickly learned while there: beans and rice vs. rice and beans. Totally different. If you order beans and rice, you will get white rice with a side of stewed beans so you can add to your liking. If you order rice and beans, you will get beans mixed with your white rice and cooked with coconut milk. The photo above is rice and beans. VERY yummy.

Salbutes (not my image)

SALBUTES - An awesome fried piece of goodness. It's a fried corn tortilla, topped with shredded meat, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. It's best eaten by throwing some Marie Sharp's hot sauce on it, folding it up, and devouring it.

Panades (not my image)

PANADES - Another piece of fried goodness, little corn tortillas, stuffed with marinated shredded fish, topped with chopped onions, and cilantro. Again, with the onions and some hot sauce, the panades and salbutes are winners. Since they are small, they usually come with 2 to 3 of each. Your mouth will say thank you, but your stomach might hate you later on. But it's SOOOO worth it!

Li Chee Fried Chicken

FRIED CHICKEN - When we asked where we could get the best fried chicken, all the locals said Li Chee. Li Chee is so popular that it even has it's own song...like a full on, 3:00+ minutes song rapping about their fried chicken. This yummy fried goodness tasted like it was boiled then deep fried, and topped with a sweet ketchup. The chicken was so juicy and tender it practically fell off the bone. The on-going debate within our group on our trip was whether Li Chee's fried chicken was better then Shun Feng's fried chicken. After trying both, I found that both were very juicy and tender, but what separated them was the seasoning in the breading. Li Chee's fried chicken had more of an asian flavor to it, tasting similar to fried duck, while Shun Feng's fried chicken tasted like American style fried chicken, like Ezell's or Church's. Both were really, really good...But if I had to choose I'd probably choose Shun Feng's fried chicken. It was so good I woke up a couple days later thinking about how I wanted some chicken. It's like there was crack in it. I'm just saying.

(Okay, just so we're clear, I'm FAIRLY certain there was no crack in the chicken. I was trying to make a point on how addicting the chicken became after tasting it)

  

FRY JACKS - These little pieces of heaven are light, puffy, dough pieces...deep fried. Served with breakfast, it usually comes with eggs, sausage or bacon or ham, and refried beans. I tried to have these every day because they were just that good. As I'm typing this I'm thinking back to them and wishing I could have some right now. I'd get some that were so puffy that I'd bite into it and the inside would be hollow, so I'd throw in my meat and eggs and turn it into a breakfast pocket. DELISH!!

The following are photos of the dishes that the group ordered at Habanero's Restaurant on Caye Caulker: 

Creole Voodoo Cakes - Seafood Crab Cakes

Samosas - Crispy potato filled pockets

I have no idea what this was...but Bev ordered it. I know there was a crab claw and skewers of some stuff.

This was my dish...Mayan Churrasco. It was skewers of shrimp, pork, and chicken served over a sizzling skillet. Why it was sizzling I have no clue, but it was pretty tasty. I'll be honest, I wasn't uber impressed, but it was good.

I don't see any meat in this dish so I think this is Milea's dish. I think it's a vegetable curry dish. I could be wrong though.

James's Cha-ala-ato-ob Baab...I believe this was a thick pork chop paired with a crab claw. Rawr.

Mariza's Brazilian Pork...A thick cut pork chop.

Josh's Chicken Satay

EA's Seafood Stuffed Ravioli. My second choice off the menu. In retrospect, I probably would have enjoyed this dish more than the meatfest I had.

Lauren's Coconut Encrusted Snapper

Here's to food. Hope you enjoyed looking at these as much as I had fun partaking in them. Now step away from your computer and go grab something good to eat!

Your food-loving friend,

Di

Love like that...(Reflections)

“Observe how Christ loved us.
His love was not cautious but extravagant.
He didn’t love in order to get something from us
but to give everything of Himself to us.

Love like that.”
(Ephesians 5:2)

During these 11 days in Belize, I learned that to find the greatest love, the kind of love people search for their entire lives, one must learn to give of their love to others freely and foolishly. When I say foolishly, I don’t mean to act stupid and unsafe. But be a fool for God! Don’t care so much what society thinks or says or expects you to do, because in many parts of this world, there are no defined limits of “normal”. Love yourself enough to trust your own heart, because after all…there is no love without trust. By the end of our time in Belize, I felt more love than I have in a long time. Amazing, because I spent these two weeks with two of my best friends; five individuals whom I just began to know at the start but share an indescribable bond with now; and countless others whom we encountered along the way – all of whom have showed me how to love.

I guess I found what I was looking for!

Final days of Our Love Affair

(This was written on Sunday, March 7th)
Our vacation is officially over. Josh, Di, James, Mariza and I are sitting in the Belize International Airport waiting for our flight. Milea left early this morning (on her own!) on the water taxi back to Belize City from Caye Caulker to catch her noon flight. It was sad to see her go because it meant our service trip was finally over…but also because we won’t see each other for a while (again!). She should just move back to Seattle!

Let’s rewind and recap our time in Caye Caulker…

Friday:
The boys took an early water taxi to Caye Caulker on Friday afternoon. They girls finished up at our placements and ran some errands before taking a later taxi. We took pictures with some of the people we met during our short week in Belize City (to be posted later). We jumped on our boat, which ended up breaking down in the middle of the water, so we had to wait 30 minutes for “rescue boats” to come get us.
It was almost dark when we got to Caye Caulker. We walked down the sandy road with our luggage, through an old cemetery, and checked into Tom’s Hotel where the boys were waiting on the dock worried sick because we had planned to meet for dinner at 5pm, but we didn’t get there until 6:30pm! We got settled and grabbed dinner at Joe’s Habanero; 2 for 1 pina coladas, pizzas, fish and chips, nachos, and fries! Yum! Then we just walked down the one main street to look at shops and stuff. It took about 20 minutes (with stops) to get to the other shore of the island.

Initial observations about Caye Caulker
-Mosquitos are killer!
-There are plenty of friendly stray dogs walking around to give your food scraps to; just be prepared for them to follow you.
-The roads are made of compacted sand
-There are no cars – only golf carts and bicycles
-Obviously there is no need for stop lights – only stop signs.

We stopped at a bar to watch and listen to a Garifuna band for a little bit. Then we walked back to the hotel. It was amazing how bright the stars were! Milea, Josh, and I sat on the dock to star gaze and to talk about the meaning of life…

I saw my first shooting star. =)


Saturday
My alarm clock woke everyone up (except for me) Saturday morning. We went to the waffle house that Josh had been raving about all week (yummy!), then got on our boat that would take us out snorkeling and scuba diving (for Lauren & Josh). We loaded up on Dramamine, which wasn’t strong enough for the choppy waters! Our group definitely bonded on this water adventure…hehehe...uhhh...WAH WAH!!
After 5 hours on the water, we finally made it back to dry land (thank goodness)! Some of us fat kids grabbed some fruit, panedas, and fried chicken, then headed back to meet up with the not-so-fat-kids to get ready for dinner. Haha! I just realized how truly fat we are! Dinner was at this fancy shmancy restaurant called Habaneros where all the dishes looked awesome! (Di will elaborate later). It was the perfect place to celebrate our final group dinner to cap our amazing two weeks!
We picked up some souvenirs and went back to the hotel after dinner to pack our bags because a lot of us were worried we wouldn’t be able to fit everything or we’d be over the weight limit, but praise God we even had extra room! To celebrate our successful packing endeavors, James took a few of us to I&I Reggae Bar (the treehouse bar). It was pretty cool! Hopefully someone has pictures from there…

Sunday
So now we’re back to Sunday – officially our final day. I woke up before everyone else this morning without the aid of my alarm clock at 5:30am!! I ran down the hall to the deck to see that the clouds were blocking the edge of the horizon so our plans to see the sunrise failed. Or so I thought. Fifteen minutes later, Milea knocked on my door to come out to the deck. James, Mariza, Di, Milea, and I sat in silence as we observed the beauty and majesty of the Sun rising above the clouds. Words cannot describe the overflowing of love I felt at that moment. I only wish the pictures that we took that morning can remind me everyday that I am loved – by God, by others, by my self.

Rewinding to Thursday (Day 4)

Thursday
Since I stopped going to the Mercy Clinic in the mornings, I had more time with the girls and babies at the YWCA. Today, I spent an hour tutoring a young lady named Milagro. We were working on adding fractions, and I realized really early on that she barely knew her multiplication tables; but the teacher doesn’t stop to help those who fall behind, and there isn’t enough staff or volunteers to provide additional help after school with homework. I had a tough time helping her with math, almost to the point where I wanted to just pass her along to someone else who might be able to teach her better; but that’s exactly what’s been happening to her. She doesn’t care about her homework because nobody else has cared either. So we stuck it through and she kind of understood it by the end. I just wish I was able to stay around longer to see her progress. I hope all these girls find success...
After school, the eight of us Seattle University alumni met up with the SU interns (Megan, Kathleen, and Katie) for dinner at the Celebrity. It was a nice place that served food other than beans and rice…and rice and beans. These girls have a week left in their quarter, then they head back home. I can only imagine what it would feel like to work for three months in Belize City…

Caye Caulker, a place beyond words

On Friday afternoon, the 5 of us girls took a water taxi from Belize City to Caye Caulker, a beautiful 2 mile island full of white sand, waterfront villas, majestic views and where no cars were allowed.  People got around by walking barefoot (we didn't), riding bikes and driving golf carts.


On the way to Caye Caulker,  our water taxi had engine problems and literally stopped in the middle of the ocean.  Since the announcement was made in Kriol, we had to ask some of the students onboard to explain what had happened.  Apparently the motor broke down and 2 other rescue boats had to pick us up.  It was definitely an adventure, but we were all trembling as we had to crawl from one boat to another.  They literally parked the boats inches away from each other, and we had to walk from window to window.  Like this: 

When we got to Caye Caulker, we were so relieved to be back on land we took pictures at the dock:

Then we settled into our hotel and ventured into the main street. Our first stop was a delicious restaurant and bar with 2 for 1 pina colada deals.  Our entire group took advantage of that: 

I even double fisted: 

Then on Saturday, 6 people in our group went snorkeling while 2 others went diving.  As you already know, the coral reef in Belize is the second biggest in the world and it was simply amazing.  I wish I had pictures of the actual reef, but I wasn't smart enough to buy an underwater camera.  Check us out in our wet suits:

I'm not sure what Josh was doing but his wet suit didn't make it to my camera =(

After snorkeling, we watched the awesome sunset: 

Had the most exquisite dinner ever (that Di can do a better job explaining), partied in a tree house till the early hours of the morning, and woke up early to watch the sunrise:

A few hours later, I had to pack my bags and head out to catch the first water taxi.  Everyone was all so great and sweet that they all walked me from the hotel to make sure I got safely on the boat.

Goodbyes are never fun, and this was among the toughest.  This really was one of the best 2 weeks of my life, and the group made it all the more special.  

Catching up in pictures....

Meet the students of Ms. Tillett's Standard 3 class (yup, it was pretty sad and funny that I was barely taller than a bunch of 9 and 10 year olds):

Meet the students of Ms. Saba's Standard 3 Class (and the other alumni volunteer Josh's class):

I'm not sure why, but the teacher requested that the girls and boys take their pictures separately.


Check out Di's fancy new nails.  She had it done by one of the students at the YWCA:

Bev might hate me for this but I just have to show what an awesome job the students did on her pedicure:

Last but not least, check out my new 'do:

I officially look blackanese!  Haha...

Catching up

I apologize for lapse in posting.  We spent the weekend in Caye Caulker, did not have any internet access and rushed to get to the airport and fly home from there.  I just got back late last night and figured I'd post this before I forget what a powerful experience this trip was.  


Since the other girls have already posted really thoughtful and profound reflections about our week, it's about time I add to the mix.  I'll try to be as thorough and cohesive as I can, but I feel like my whole experience can be summarized by Mahatma Gandhi's famous quote that "The best way to find yourself is lose yourself in the service of others."  I began the week with a feeling of restlessness and questioning how to make the most of the present moment.  I ended the week with a feeling of confidence and trust in what society has to share, and that each moment, no matter what we are doing has the capability of making an impact.  


Here is my week in retrospect....

Monday 
As Bev had mentioned, the school I was supposed to teach at was closed for a teacher conference so I joined Di at the Mercy Kitchen.  We played a card game called"pit-a-pat" (a version of gin rummy) with the elders and delivered food to the homebound.  While we delivered food, we got a very personal tour of the city and met a handful of really interesting characters:

• Rosana, the dancing queen, who literally pushed us up against a wall and started grinding on us the minute we met her
• Leo, the weather man, who knew everything about the weather and gave us a full forecast of weather in most US cities
• Gloria, aka "miss happy" who was complaining about having to go to court the next day.  Her house was damaged in an earthquake and since she couldn't afford to pay for repairs, the government was foreclosing and evicting her out of her house.  
• Mr. Lopez, who barely spoke english and kept grabbing my hand to say "you look nice"
• Another Ms. Gloria who was a white Kriol lady, she had diabetes and gangrene but had such a big and friendly smile on her face that none of her aches and pains seem to matter
• Wilbur, who was wheelchair bound and had no legs.  He mentioned that he had lived in LA for awhile and got homesick and decided to move back to Belize.  He also said that moving back was his biggest regret in life, wishing that UCLA could have helped cure his diabetes and he wouldn't have lost his legs

Tuesday 
Tuesday was quite the nerve wracking experience.  It was exactly like the first day of school with butterflies in my stomach while feeling scared, excited and eager all at once.  At St. Martin's Elementary I was asked to help teach Standard 3.  The kids were from ages 9 to 11 and the subject level was similar to Grade 5 in the US.  The minute I walked into the classroom and met the teacher, I was asked to teach for the rest of the week..  Thank God I was able to politely excuse myself out of that!  I barely even remember what a GCF and LCD was, there was no way I was going to teach it without a refresher.  I eventually ended up helping the students with their  assignments on prepositions and sentence structure, moved on the multiplication tables and factors, and ended the day helping them learn the food chain.  I was able to pick up as soon as the teacher started explaining and ended up tutoring and "dumbing it down" so the students could understand it better.  At the end of the day, I felt a lot more confident about the rest of the week and had already picked out a few favorites in the class.  


I also had a few first impressions about the school and methods of teaching:

• Like anywhere else, the teachers were overwhelmed with work and class sizes and played the role of a disciplinarian more than the educator 
• The students immediately looked to me as an authority figure, when all I wanted to be was their friend
• The students prayed at the start of the day, after break, before lunch, after lunch and at the end of the day.  It was great to hear them pray in unison, but a little disheartening to hear them mumble the Our Father and Haily Mary like it was more of a hindrance that lacked meaning.
• The kids were also scolded for praying with their eyes open, and doing so meant praying to the devil.
• It was also a bit of a challenge to explain to the students (and sometimes the teacher) how I considered myself American when I obviously wasn't white like all the other Americans they've met.  
• Even though all their classes were taught in English, the class still interacted in Kriol.  It was challenging to speak to them in English, get responses in Kriol and watch the students get scolded for not speaking my language. 
• I really felt like I was in 3rd grade all over again.  The school was a lot like the elementary I went to in the Philippines (run by Americans, taught by locals, textbooks were outdated from the 1960s etc) and it was also as conveniently strict and liberal.  The teachers stopped class to talk to other teachers, scared students with a stick but somehow still maintained a level of respect and friendship with the students. 

Overall it was an interesting day of self questioning, impromptu preparations and learning by observation.  


Wednesday
I taught religion class first thing in the morning.  The teacher had given me her lesson plan on "how the eucharist helps us to be more like Jesus so we can help anyone who is in need" and I had to come up with ways to make it interesting.  The first thing that came to mind was the parable of the good samaritan.  So I read it out loud, asked for their own scenarios of being a good samaritan, and ended the lesson by having them massage each others' shoulder. It was really cute to see their reactions and listen to their insights on God.  


In the afternoon, the other Seattle University interns, Jesuit Volunteers and priests and I joined some of the students for a citywide peace rally.  I laughed at myself for living out the activist in me even in a foreign country.  We joined about 10 other schools and paraded around the city against nonviolence.  It was really fun to dance to beats of Bob Marley's "One Love", walk all throughout the city and chant against violence in loud unison.  Even though the whole rally took 2 hours under the scorching sun, it was still one of my big highlights of the trip.


Thursday
By Thursday, I had gotten attached to the students and had a better grasp of their names.  Damian, Samiya, Venicia and Renicia were on the right, Samiya, Melton, Glen, Jada, Melisha and Sherlett were on the left.  If they switched seats or walked around I had no clue who they were.  I was also transitioning from an authority figure to their friend and playmate.  I started the day by playing snakes and ladders and monopoly with them, shared snacks and candy with them at recess and by the end of the day they were all hugging me and hanging onto my feet so I wouldn't leave.  


Josh and I had lunch with Father Joe, the director of the Jesuits in Belize City.  He gave us a lot of insights on the history of the Jesuits as well as the impact they've made and lessons they've learned from the Belizeans (a society he called "gently aggressive").  He was really down to earth and easy to talk to, and it felt like such a treat to spend some time with him.


Some of my friends and family also donated school supplies to the school and the teacher thought it was best if I gave them out as prizes to the students.  She made questions about the lessons they learned throughout the week and the students randomly picked out numbers that correlated to the questions.    They were really excited and literally jumped out of their seats to grab the pens, pencils, and notebooks I had brought.  If you donated any of those, you should be really glad you did.  Some of them were failing their classes because they didn't have any notebooks to write on or pens to write with.  It was funny yet sad to see them pull out their dog-eared papers and write with ink instead of pens.  


Friday
Friday was even more bittersweet than I expected.  Our group planned to go to Caye Caulker in the afternoon, so we only worked half day to say good bye and thank you to our respective service placements.  


The students started the day taking the BJAT (Belize Junior Achievement Test) so I acted as a proctor and didn't get to say as proper a good bye as I had hoped.  When the recess bell rang, our taxi driver was there to pick Josh and I up, and we had to rush our way out.  The teacher asked the students to stay for recess and they all stood in a circle and read me a poem of gratitude.  They each read a stanza and hugged me when they finished their part.  By the time they finished their poem, they all stood around me with cards and gifts in their hands, and stood in line to hug me goodbye.  It was so sweet and endearing that I probably would never have left if it wasn't for our persistent taxi driver nagging to leave.


After that I joined the other girls at the YWCA, where we got pampered by the cosmetology students with pedicures, manicures and hair braids.  We shared another bittersweet goodbye and headed out to spend the weekend in Caye Caulker.  Caye Caulker is a place beyond words, so I think I'll post a separate picture blog about it instead.


Overall the whole week was a lesson of humility, practicality and being ever-ready.  I was thinking about how much of an impact I could have made on 9 year old in a week, but I realized that they made a lot more of an impact on me than I made on them.  The trip wasn't just to serve the impoverished, but to be reminded of humble truths and the elegance of simplicity.  It really is true, we really do find ourselves when we lose ourselves in others.