i am now an officially certified open water scuba diver! i spent last weekend (a three day weekend due to the celebration of Pan American Day - NOT Columbus Day) in San Pedro, on Ambergris Caye, learning the ins and outs of air compression and density, equalization of the body's air spaces, and the buildup of nitrogen bubbles in the blood. oh yeah, and i practiced breathing underwater without panicking. that's an important one. did you know that too much nitrogen in your system can have effects similar to drunkenness? but only underwater... the effects wear off once you ascend to the surface. drat!
i've ended up with a nasty ear infection as part of the deal (too much dirty sea water hanging out in my ear canal, it would seem), but the opportunity to hang out in such an incredible and alien environment made it well worth it. i was amazed at how much iridescence there is under the surface. and despite the lack of light, the colors are so vibrant! i've never been much of a fish fan, but the more i see of them in their natural environment, the more they grow on me. the ease and grace with which they navigate their world is incredible to watch, especially considering how ungainly i felt as a brand new diver. but by the end of the weekend i was learning to control my movements by just a slight shift in body position or the shallowness of my breath. pretty freaking cool. AND i got to pet a nurse shark!
Belize has the world's second largest coral reef, so there's much to be seen. next time i'll definitely be bringing a camera...
Friday, October 19, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
the people in my neighborhood
a brief profile of some of the folks who've been populating my days...
my counterpart at work, Joe: he loves to laugh, is always ready to offer a ride, has made it his mission to introduce me to Mestizo culture by serenading me with Spanish songs, and has unwittingly stepped into the cat person/dog person debate with me. mwah ha ha ha!
Mr Pedro, education officer: the man is so insanely overcommitted that i'm having difficulty figuring out when he sleeps. in addition to his full time job, he helps run a summer environmental education institute for American and Belizean teachers, is the education and communication liaison for the Cayo branch of the National Emergency Management Organization, organizes at least one high school exchange program, and still finds time to go out for karaoke and dancing till 6 in the morning and offer to go to the furniture store for me to broker a deal to furnish my house.
Miss Abby, a new co-worker: a wonderfully good-hearted woman who is as obsessed as i am with making our office environment livable through aesthetic enhancement. she brought in an orchid clipping! and she's more than happy to spend the lunch hour discussing the pitfalls of trying to save the world.
Geordie (i'm positive that's spelled wrong, but i have no clue how it would be accomplished in Spanish): a Cuban friend of the family, who's staying in the room across the hall from me, and who spends her days baking mouth watering cheesecakes, tortes and assorted goodies at Sweet Ting, the pastry shop down the street.
and lastly, a woman who's name i never picked up on, but whom i met on the side of the road while i was busy getting lost in Belmopan. she took one look at me and decided that since we were both headed in the same direction, we might as well walk together. no need to go it alone when there's someone there to share the road and pass the time. i was trying (and failing) to take a shortcut to the peace corps office and she was on her way to try to get a small loan to start a baking business out of her home. turns out she's from a village just outside San Ignacio, and wouldn't you know it, i ran into her last Saturday at the market in town.
my counterpart at work, Joe: he loves to laugh, is always ready to offer a ride, has made it his mission to introduce me to Mestizo culture by serenading me with Spanish songs, and has unwittingly stepped into the cat person/dog person debate with me. mwah ha ha ha!
Mr Pedro, education officer: the man is so insanely overcommitted that i'm having difficulty figuring out when he sleeps. in addition to his full time job, he helps run a summer environmental education institute for American and Belizean teachers, is the education and communication liaison for the Cayo branch of the National Emergency Management Organization, organizes at least one high school exchange program, and still finds time to go out for karaoke and dancing till 6 in the morning and offer to go to the furniture store for me to broker a deal to furnish my house.
Miss Abby, a new co-worker: a wonderfully good-hearted woman who is as obsessed as i am with making our office environment livable through aesthetic enhancement. she brought in an orchid clipping! and she's more than happy to spend the lunch hour discussing the pitfalls of trying to save the world.
Geordie (i'm positive that's spelled wrong, but i have no clue how it would be accomplished in Spanish): a Cuban friend of the family, who's staying in the room across the hall from me, and who spends her days baking mouth watering cheesecakes, tortes and assorted goodies at Sweet Ting, the pastry shop down the street.
and lastly, a woman who's name i never picked up on, but whom i met on the side of the road while i was busy getting lost in Belmopan. she took one look at me and decided that since we were both headed in the same direction, we might as well walk together. no need to go it alone when there's someone there to share the road and pass the time. i was trying (and failing) to take a shortcut to the peace corps office and she was on her way to try to get a small loan to start a baking business out of her home. turns out she's from a village just outside San Ignacio, and wouldn't you know it, i ran into her last Saturday at the market in town.
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