Neighbor Boy

This is Khalid (aka Junior) and he’s three years old.  He lives next door to me down here in Punta Gorda.This photo was at the local laundry where I had some things washed.  It was a hot mid-morning on a Saturday and a bunch of the local kids were playing around the store where their mothers worked.  But little Khalid was all tuckered out.

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Getting Settled in Belize

So it’s been a while since I’ve updated here. That’s mostly because writing on this blog requires a constant Internet connection, which I don’t always have down here in Punta Gorda. The exception would be at work, but it’s a little hard to find time for my personal blog when I’m there.

The other reason is because I’ve been updating to a new blog toy that I have. It allows me to make a post simply by sending an email, which is a lot easier to do whilst at work. I’ve put a few updates there from Belize. I talked about my first days in country, and I purged some pics of jaguars, red-eyed tree frogs and Mayan handicrafts from my office hard drive. They’re such cool pics I had to share. I’ve also taken a bunch of pictures which I posted to Flickr.

Work so far is good. I’ve spent some time writing up project concept sheets – the first step in getting a funding grant – and I’ve set up some online spaces for future broadcast use. We have a new work blog, we’re updating our website, and we have our own Flickr and Twitter accounts.

My Bike

Life down here is very different from in the States. I don’t have a warm shower, but I can swim in the ocean whenever I want. I don’t have a car, but it’s easy to get around on bikes. It rains a lot, but it doesn’t snow. Things are a little dingy all over, but the people are really friendly and laid back. This first week has been quite the shock to the system – we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto – but that’s to be expected. Sometimes I have to remind myself that just because I’ve moved overseas before doesn’t mean this is gonna be easy-peasy. There’s still an adjustment stage that I need to give myself. It’s OK to have culture shock.

My house is good, it’s a little out of town (but still easily bikeable) in a “suburb” called Hopeville. I live at the intersection of Mangrove and Morning Glory Streets. It’s a quiet neighborhood where everyone seems to know everyone else. I like to sit out front after work and read my book waving at everybody so they get used to me being around. Sometimes I wear my hat too cuz it’s even more distinctive. The more people can remember you and even have a little laugh, the better off you are. And that hat is pretty memorable. (Some have said I look a bit like on of the local Mennonites, and that always gets a laugh. they’re a group that has seclude itself from everyone else in a little village a few miles away.) Not that not having problems would even be really possible. My landlord is from a well-known local family and his siblings and parents are scattered around in different houses in the neighborhood. He knows everyone, everyone knows him and when I say I’m living with Mr. Burton (that’s his first name, I’m Mr. Peder) I always get a positive response.

I’ve come to really like how diverse Belize is. There are significant cultural differences among the Mestizo, Kriol, Garifuna, Chinese, Mayan, East Indian and Mennonite communities, but everyone gets along pretty well. Not from the news nor from talking to people have I heard of inter-racial issues. Add to that the influx of tourists and expats from all parts of the globe and you have a model society of people getting along. In a future post I’ll talk more about these ethnic groups, their divisions and their languages.

A Collage of Images from Ya’axche

I made this collage after work yesterday of a bunch of photos I found and liked in our organization's archive.

I used Picasa 3 to do it, which is a cool little piece of software.

 

Posted via email from Peder Hanson [dot] com

Images from the Tropics – Fruit

Took these pics at the office yesterday.  The mini bananas (not plantains) were delicious, as was the papaya.  Didn't try the lime, but frozen lime juice has become one of my favorites since I've been here.

 

 

Posted via email from Peder Hanson [dot] com

San Diego Beach House

Beach House, originally uploaded by Peder with a D.

I just learned that this photo had been short-listed for inclusion in the 6th edition of the Schmap San Diego Guide. Unfortunately I didn’t respond in time but it may still make the 7th edition. We’ll see.

This is also the first blog post I’ve made by sending a pic directly from my Flickr account, so here’s to synchronized web presences. Yay!

Family Weekend

Last weekend I was with my mom’s side of the family in Fargo, ND celebrating my grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary.  (They’ve been married longer than most people I know have been alive.  Wow.)  It was the first time I had been to Fargo since my cousin’s graduation in the spring of 2005. More importantly it was the first time in longer than that we had gotten the whole family together (minus cousin-in-law and proud papa Brandon, who’s with the Air Force in the Middle East.) Most importantly it was the first time I met little McKenzie Jane, my cousin once removed and the newest member of our clan.  In three days she’ll be six months old.  Here are a few pictures, but you can find a larger set on my Flickr account.