A Day in the Life

Ok, so I am finding that I really love living in Hopkins! Brynn and Kori feel the same and Brynn keeps looking at the white people with their backpacks in town and thinking 'tourists' in that special derogatory way we think of tourists unless we are one! She keeps forgetting she is white. (although both she and Kori are much, much less white that a month ago!) Anyway, I thought I'd share the joy. Close your eyes (figuratively speaking since it is hard to read with your eyes closed) and imagine.
You wake up with the sun at about 6:30am and laze in bed until 7:00.
After a breakfast of fresh fruit and whatever else you may have on hand, it is time to go to town and hit the markets for your daily (or every second day) supply of perishable foods. The stores are all open by 8:00am and the town is 'hoppin'. Gotta get stuff done early so you can be out of the sun by 10:00ish.
You drive through town with the air conditioning on, to give you that feeling of a cool breeze, and your window rolled down because it's impolite to have it up at this point. The fastest you drive is about 20 km/hr on a good stretch and people on either side of the road are waving or saying 'good morning' into the window. Smiles all around. The kids are playing on the street and in the trees as kids everywhere tend to do.
First stop, the fruit and veggie stand. The old man that runs it lights up as you go in. He has been waiting for you. You look through the carrots and tomatoes and decide what you would like for veggies today (and maybe tomorrow) and start to pick stuff up. Old guy comes over and takes the veggies from you telling you that there is fresher stuff over here. He's been saving it for you. Then you start on the fruit - pineapple (better get two or three if you want them to last two days), papaya looks good, some limes (a staple here) and what the heck is this? You hold it up and look questioningly at old guy who laughs and tells you what it is and if it is sweet or has to be cooked. What the heck, give it a try. Old guy has been weighing and bagging everything you have picked up as you have been shopping and you now have three or four bags of the good stuff. He adds it all up on his calculator and gives you the bad news. $13.50 belize (that's about $7 in Canada). Say good day and head to the Everyday Superstore.
The Everyday Superstore is better known as the chinese store because it is owned by a chinese guy. Don't think this will help if you ask where the chinese store is because literally every grocery store in the entire country of Belize is owned by a chinese guy and called the chinese store (I'm not joking. That's true). This is the good chinese store. Meaning they have a better selection in the four rows than the other chinese stores do in their four rows. Here you pick up fresh bread and maybe some banana bread (the kids love it) and whatever canned goods you need maybe some OJ. Milk if you know you will use it within two days otherwise it will go bad. Stop and exchange gossip with the girls working. Maybe someone sees your truck outside and comes in to say hello.
Home again and the kids are just starting to get up (actually not true - Brynn has been up since 7:00am and Kori won't be up for another hour unless you wake her).
Clean house for a bit (Sorry that seems to follow you no matter where you live)
In the afternoon you have lots of choices. You can go swimming, drive out to the resorts on the other side of town hoping to catch some internet that may be working, go for a drive to where you heard there were toucans nesting, whatever. Again, windows open in town so you can stop in the middle of the road when you see someone you want to talk to.
Hey look, that guy is trying to wave you down. Must need a ride somewhere. True story: today I am driving Brynn and Kori to Belizean Dreams (BD) to catch some internet and this HUGE man tries to wave us down. Now hitch-hiking is a recognized form of transportation in Belize and I often pick up women with kids or guys that I know but I don't as a rule pick up anyone that looks like he could overpower me with his pinky. Today as I think to myself 'Wow! That guy is huge and his two front teeth are gold. No way!' I find myself stopping. Now this guy is about 6'4" and built like a brick outhouse. His arms are as big around as Kori and Brynn put together. 'Hi' Says the mountain, 'Are you headed out to BD?' 'Hm' thinks I 'he must know who I am'. Then I hear myself saying 'Yes, want a ride'. AHH!! Are you crazy!! Shouts sane Dana but insane Dana just smiles and lets the hulk into her car. Sane Dana must have shown herself because the hulk smiles (not very reassuringly but at least he'll be happy as he grinds our bones to make his bread) and informs me he is security for BD and his last name is Caballero which means 'gentle man'. And he was just a big teddy bear. Only I'm going back to only picking up women and kids!
So you get to BD and hang out gossipping with the workers, visiting with the guests and walking the beach with whichever kid is not on the computer at the moment. Kori loses a bet with Ernesto and now we owe him KD and a salad for lunch.
Nancy asks if you are heading home soon and could she get a ride. Sure! (she is tiny and looks like a strong wind could take her away - should be safe!)
The rest of the afternoon looks like a good time to sit on the beach and read.
The sun goes down at 6:00pm and it is DARK! Absolutely no light pollution here.
After supper it's time to go to the chiese store and buy more water and say good night to the people you meet in town. Here 'good night' is a greeting. (I may never get used to people saying 'Good night. How are things with you?' and going on to chat for a while). Check out who is hanging at King Cassava's and how many fires are burning in the yards (their way of getting rid of everything) and whether any of them look like something to worry about.
Then home to play cards and visit with the family. Maybe watch a movie.
Bed for sure by 9:30pm and get up in the morning to do it again.
We really are 'Living the Dream'!