Just letting you know...

I made it to BELIZE! Woot woot! Crazy how fast time is going already. Have I seriously been out of the country for 5 days, okay, now that I say that it doesn't seem like very long, but I feel I have adapted to the "taking it easy" lifestyle quite quickly. As soon as we arrived in Belmopan I felt this wave of relaxation, reassuring me that this is where I'm supposed to be.
Quick update on how I got here. I flew out of Omaha last Tuesday to get to DC before noon to check out the sites. On my shuttle van to the hotel I met three other soon to be Peace Corps trainees all getting ready to go to the Middle East. While in DC I was able to check out the museums and walk around the National Mall. I don't remember the Reflecting Pool being full of water or the fountain by the WWII Monument, both very beautiful. I don't know what it is with me and water, but I always am amazed. I think too, it was nice spending an extra day in our capital, being reminded of the greatness of the US. In the Museum of American History I saw the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. While it was right in front of me I had to take in a few heavy breaths to soak up the moment. I also went to Union Station, which brought back fun memories of elephants marching down the street. For supper I had my much wanted Reuben sandwich. While ordering I got a call from Eli, my Peace Corps buddy from Nebraska going to the Dominican Republic. I was excited to hear from him and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel, funny we didn't confirm we were staying at the same Holiday Inn. It all worked out though, we ended up meeting at the Washington Monument the next morning. Staging was informative, from the icebreaker to the departure logistics. Right away I knew I was going with the best 40 people, and having half of them as Facebook friends before meeting in DC helped a lot with names. After staging I went with a group of girls to a nice restaurant before calling it an early night, as we had to be up and in the lobby by 1:30am. I had a crazy dream that I was with a friend who was going to be waking up early to leave and I would then go back to sleep. When I woke up I realized I was the one leaving in the middle of the night. After that my stomach turned and I was more nervous than I had ever been. Maybe I was anxious about the flights, but the feeling was new and a little scary. Both flights were quick and I was able to sleep. On the layover in Miami I was able to cancel my cell phone and call family. My mom did really well up until saying good-bye when I heard her choke up a little. Before landing in Belize, I looked out the window and saw the beautiful coastline. I stared out the window until we landed and once on the ground another volunteer said, “Welcome home!” Ahhhh.... for the first couple days all I could do was say “Belize” over and over in my head, trying to convince myself I was actually here. And it didn't take me long to adopt the “take it easy” lifestyle. I feel so relaxed and reassured that this is where I'm supposed to be. We were greeted at the airport by staff and current volunteers who then joined us for lunch at an open air cafe'. I so love the rice and hot sauce! The conversation was great, too. One of the current volunteers sat across from me and gave us tips on what to expect. I'm excited to see them again, as I really didn't get the chance to meet many of them even though they stayed in Belmopan that evening because I was too tired to function. We had training again on Friday. I learned the 5 ways to stay healthy: don't get bit, don't get hit, don't get lit, don't do it, and don't eat sh**. I also found out the PCV in any other country stands for Peace Corps Volunteer, but in Belize it stands for Paid Caribbean Vacation. I'll keep telling myself that once I get to my site and start bathing and hand washing my clothes in the river. But really, right now I still feel I am on vacation. This weekend we went to a Mayan ruin and went swimming in the river-with a cliff to. Jump off of and a rope swing. So fun! The river was so clear with a rocky bottom, just beautiful. The ruin was spectacular. On Saturday we were also entertained during lunch by tradition Mayan and Mestizo music and dances. I need to look up the woman that was represented by a doll dancing around with a man inside. I was able to talk to the dancer, wanting so badly to ask to put the doll on myself and dance underneath it, but decided it wouldn't be a good idea especially after he offered to teach me Spanish if I married him. Not quite the conversation partner I was looking for. Haha! After river time on Sunday, we played kickball in the field across the street until dark. I still can't get over how early the sun sets- 6:30p. This makes me very sleepy very early and I constantly tell myself it's not time for bed yet. I woke up this morning around 6a without an alarm clock which is good, because I'm still not able to get mine to work. While listening to the lecture on development I was reminded of my reasons for coming. So far we've been pampered with nice beds, indoor plumbing, AC, and some even have warm showers. This will change on Thursday when we head to our Community Based Training Sites. I'll still be pretty close to Belmopan, but will be living with a host family. I'm starting to get a little nervous, especially since I don't know how we'll communicate. I guess the families were required to have children who know English, but I may end up in a home where the adults only speak their native language-I'm still not certain what that will be. I hope I'm able to deal with not being able to express myself clearly. We had our first survival Kriol lesson this afternoon, but I don't think that's the language I'll be learning during CBT. Learning a new language will be fun and exciting and humbling. I keep thinking back to the times I was in Mexico and then in Croatia, thinking of Samantha and Maya both, and how even though we couldn't talk to each other, we could still communicate and they felt they could approach me. I'm so thankful for that gift of approachability, now it will just be my frustration of not learning fast enough that will get in the way forming relationships. So I feel like I just wrote a lot and none of it makes sense, but all in all, I am a great place. Oh! And I think I'll get a cell phone tomorrow already. Yippee!