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Hot. Humid. Sticky. Sweaty. Dusty. Sick. Did I mention hot? Morelia is not hot. Temperatures there usually stay between 50 and 80 Fahrenheit. Next week in San Ignacio, Belize it’s supposed to reach 105. In Morelia we have no air conditioning and it’s not a problem. Here in Belize I am cleaning the kitchen and I can feel the drops of sweat rolling off me. Turns out April is one of the hottest months of the year. We thought about renting a house with AC but I am glad we didn’t. We are outdoor people and if we were running in and out from AC to extreme heat it would probably make everyone feel worse.
My poor kids are sick! Maybe it’s the water, a stomach bug, the heat, or perhaps all three. Tuesday night at our Bible meeting Sawyer fell asleep in his seat. After a bit I picked him up and put him in my lap. He commenced to cover me with vomit. I almost got sick myself. The friends were great. People we had just met helped us with our kids and cleaned up the mess. I am glad we were sitting on the back row. Sawyer slept between me and Brad that night after a cool, clean shower.
Yesterday Alexis got sick. I was blogging at Hode’s and she spent most of the time hanging over the toilet. My big, brave girl is better now. This morning Tristan gave me a big smile and then barfed up his breakfast. Plus Taylor, Sawyer, and Tristan have had “the runs” today. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? The kids were so hot and lethargic this afternoon I sprayed them down with the water hose. They loved it. Hydration is so important in hot weather! We learned the hard way yesterday. Sawyer got dizzy and practically passed out. We have to make sure the kids drink lots of fluids. Hode’s, by the way, is a great place for kids, fresh watermelon juice, and wifi. They have ice cream too :-)
There are many things we are adjusting to this first week besides the heat. I already mentioned we don’t have internet. We could have but we chose to save money. We are a very techie family. When we left the States we gave up a lot of our fancy gadgets. Not having internet has been eye opening. It’s sad how attached we get to stuff and how spoiled we can be. Brad and I both think not having internet at our house for a month is a good thing. It’s just weird. We did bring my laptop to watch movies. It’s a Star Trek marathon. We don’t have a microwave either. I tried to heat up some spaghetti and couldn’t figure out how to start the gas stove. It doesn’t have a lighter. You have to use matches and I was afraid of exploding something! Silly, I know. Brad wasn’t here and he does most of the cooking. Yea! I don’t like cooking.
We are also using a very simple washer. It works well, it’s just different. It’s outside under the porch and here’s the process for a load of wash: 1 Use hose to fill drum with water. 2 Add clothes, soap, and start. 3 Wait 15 minutes. Drain water. 4 Refill with fresh water to rinse. 5 Add softener and start. 6 Wait 9 minutes. Drain water. 7 Put clothes in spinner to get rid of excess water. 8 Wait 3 minutes. Hang clothes on porch to air dry. Keep in mind the drum is a good size but the spinner only holds two towels. This takes a lot of time. But hey, when we went swimming in the Mopan river, ladies were hand washing their clothes on the rocks! So it could be worse. Our girls wanted to learn how to use the washer today so I taught them. They did two loads by themselves and thought it was awesome. I think it’s pretty awesome too.
Part of me feels like we are camping in a cabin. I love camping so it’s not bad. The view off the porch is amazing. The sky is full of stars. Last night Taylor and I looked at the little dipper and the big dipper. Those are the only two constellations I can point out. There are flowers, coconut trees, and cactus all around our house. We picked and grilled some cactus the other day. It was delish. We have little geckos that visit us. They come inside, crawl on the walls, and then leave. I have discovered geckos make a funny chirping sound, so I know when they are visiting. Taylor is excited about the small bats that come by in the evening. We watch them fly over our heads catching bugs for dinner. Brad made a deal with the kids. If they found a preying mantis he would pay them $5 BZ. They found one and made sure daddy stuck to his deal. The first day, two large, bright green birds perched on a nearby tree, curiously watching us. Not close enough for a photo. I wish I knew what they were. I put out some eggs and bread for them which they didn’t eat. It proceeded to bake on the deck and Brad had to chip it off :-/
San Ignacio is a sweet, little town. Between San Ignacio and Santa Elena across the river, there might be 20,000 people. Brad and I decided we like the small town feel. Maybe because that’s what we grew up with. Life seems slower in a small town. The only great thing about a big city is shopping! Haha! I really miss Target, Dilliards, Whole Foods, and Goodwill. Can’t wait to hit those stores this fall when we visit Kentucky. Belize doesn’t have anything like that. Not even a Walmart like Mexico. Downtown we have markets, boutiques, small shops, and grocery stores. No major chains. Specific items are hard to find. I don’t think they have Huggies Pullups for Sawyer, which means putting him back in an extra large diaper. I doubt he will care. Love that kid but his refusal to potty train is disturbing.
I have never seen so much dust in my life. White dust covers everything. The streets are so dusty the city sprays them down with water. The stores are open air so my groceries are covered with a fine layer of dust even though I watched a lady going row by row cleaning the items. I thought about washing our truck which is turning grey but I don’t see the point. Tomorrow it will be covered again. I don’t know why this place is so dusty. Maybe it just needs a good rain. I think this is the dry season. There are many dirt roads so I am sure that contributes. I don’t think there is much pollution but there is a lot of dust. Sweat and dust makes for a wonderful cold shower though. Cold water is all we have, but it really hasn’t bothered us yet.
Today, April 4th, was our anniversary. “Happy 16th Anniversary Bradley!” We were going to have date night but I didn’t want to leave my sick kids. I am hoping they will be better soon. Brad says Belize is my anniversary gift. Our 16 years has definitely been an amazing adventure. Dust, sweat, heat, and all. “I love you Brad!” Signing off in Belize, Tina
Happy Anniversary! Sorry the kids are sick though :( thanks for letting us live vicariously through your adventures. Jacob refused to potty train also, from 3 and a half to 4 he was very sporadic. Once he hit 4 it was like he flipped a switch, and all the sudden no more diapers. Maybe it’ll be that way with Sawyer. How everyone feels better soon so you can enjoy Belize!
Wonderful to hear all about your time so far in Belize! So sorry the kiddos are sick. :( and cold water showers, yuck! I love warm water so much! The watermelon juice sounds great! and I bet it is exciting to see the gekkos and the bats! Can’t wait to hear more! love you all! the Bakers