sarteneja y mas

because microsoft is oh so very special, we would now like to take you on a tour of our past few weeks...in reverse (why won't you let me cut and paste??? curse you!). besides, starting at the end is fun, right? well, here goes:

melissa ponders the possibility of requesting a peace corps transfer to the village of sarteneja, which is in dire need of grassroots studies in sunbathing and severely lacks support for female sailors.

coy texts his mom birthday wishes from his new favorite texting spot in northern belize.

sarteneja sunset.

coy directs the viewer's attention to the sailboat race in progress. easter sunday was chock full of activities: regatta, live band and dancing, food and games, greasy pole contest, and much more we were probably unaware of. and, yes, the greasy pole contest consists of a pole lathered in grease with bottles of alcohol and/or money at the top and several drunk men attempting to climb the pole and/or one another to attain the prize of alcohol and/or cash.

another beautiful view of the caribbean from the shores of sarteneja.

you are now leaving sarteneja.

ok i lied. here we are again with a view of the sailboats the day before the regatta.

ripening mangoes on the grounds of the fabulous backpacker's paradise where we spent our four days. there are so many mango trees here that coy and i may be forced to return in the very near future when mangoes are ripe and we can fill our bellies and swing lazily in the hammocks.

pineapples are also abundant on the grounds, as well as oranges, sapodillas, tangerines and grapefruits.

cabanas at backpacker's paradise are constructed of mostly local materials. the large windows are awesome for the magnificent breeze that is constantly blowing through sarteneja.

our cabana had several orange trees just outside the door. it was a perfect little paradise, just as advertised. planning a trip to sarteneja? check out backpacker's paradise. the owners are fantastic, prices can't be beat, and the food is delicious.

we started off our journey to sarteneja with a surprising traffic jam just outside the village. what are these water buffalo doing on the road?

coy talked up word walls at our recent language arts workshop. teachers loved it so much that after only two days back at school, we already have word walls in two classrooms! yeah word wall domination!

after two separate trips to belmopan and several days in sarteneja...all over the course of two weeks...i was certainly glad to be back home. sarteneja was absolutely magical and we definitely plan to get back there as often as possible. the village was friendly, breezy, and peaceful. the water was warm but refreshing. what more could we ask for?

now that we're back to work, the reality of school ending soon is becoming apparent. so little time and so many word walls to construct. what's a girl to do?

the womens' exercise classes are still happening, though with such an erratic schedule over break, our attendance has been less impressive. i plan to lure them back in with my newest workout, boasting a serious kickboxing routine set to a soundtrack of familiar latino hits and reggaeton gems. who can resist?

in the meantime, coy and i have planted seeds! (for the garden, people, let's get serious!) coy's mom sent an AWESOME package loaded with every seed we could ever want. we've started a nursery for the herbs and planted african daisies in the old laundry tub on our front porch. we are thrilled to have the opportunity to garden and hope that we succeed in reaping some delicious veggies (and beautiful flowers).

in other news, the heat has subsided a bit. at least the intensity doesn't seem to endure for too long at once. today we actually experienced rain for the first time in several months. it was quite startling at first to hear it dancing on our zinc roof. it lasted just long enough to ensure us that we weren't dreaming.