PCV: Paid Caribbean Vacation

I have been trying harder to integrate into my community, which means I would ideally fit in. This would make me less of the celebrity and more of just someone who lives here. The idea is to fit in, not to stand out. Other than the lack of fluency in kitchen Spanish and slightly "clearer skin," this may be possible to accomplish.


It has been happening slowly but surely. I have people call me now to see what I am doing. People sometimes stop by my house. I get invited over to dinners and lunches often. It's a great honor and most of these events occur on Sundays.


Last Sunday, I had one of my many Couchsurfers staying with me and was invited to lunch from my counterpart Damian. We were to go to his mom's house for Tomalitos. Now, these are some of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. If it didn't take an entire day to make them, I would eat them everyday.


While on our way to Damian's mom's house, we were stopped by Lia. Lia was on her way to my house with rice, beans, and lobster for lunch. I'm trying to watch my weight so there was no way to eat all of it so we said we'd eat it later assuming we wouldn't have to make dinner.


Before leaving, Damian took us out to check out his Zapote tree. I had never heard of this fruit and we cant seem to find a translation into English so Zapote it is. They take about a week after picking them to ripe but they are delicious. They are very sweet and have the consistency of a peach with cinnamon flavors.


Then we walk on back to my house making sure to stop by Lia's to pick up the lobster for later. I couldn't forget about lobster after all.


Before night fall, I was ready to eat dinner. I ate my lobster but my guest Milou didn't want anything to eat yet. More for me, I thought.

While I was eating this delicious lobster meal, I get a call from Andrew, my neighbor. He wants to invite us to dinner. I don't know how to turn that down even though I just ate. I wasn't sure what we'd be eating but his mother, Judith, is arguably the best cook in the village.


Sure enough, it was lobster. Not once, but twice. She had also made barbeque pork ribs with homemade flour tortillas. I had already accepted and made Milou get hungry and we walked across the street for more food. Stuffed and happy, I was ready for bed. What a great Sunday it was. It must just be a fluke.


No fluke at all actually! Yesterday, I got to go Cave Tubing with another couple from the village. I was the only gringo in a group of a about 16 people. We left at 7am and went off towards Belmopan on the way to Jaguar Paw. We were on the tubes by 10 and tubing through caves that have been used by the Ancient Maya for thousands of years. Jenny is a tour guide in Belize and is trying to start her own business giving tours. This trip was designed to take pictures for her new website that I'm helping her with. Not only am I helping her with the website, but she needed someone to take pictures of that will be going on her tours. Most Belizeans don't fit that category of person. Enter me: white boy with a farmer's tan and a lot of body hair. Win Win.


I got back to the village around 5:30 just in time for dinner. Damian's dad had been having a birthday party during the day that I missed. Would you believe that they saved Tamales for me? These are delicious as well and take a full day to make. I'm not sure what all goes into them, but they are quite the feast when a family makes them. It is usual to eat them for 2 or 3 meals in a row because it doesn't make sense to make them unless you are making a bunch of them. I've had Tamales from about 8 different cooks in Belize and they have never been the same. Some put beans, some put chicken or turkey, some put habanero, some put tomatoes, but all are delicious.


I went home around 8pm to get ready for bed and call it a night. I began reading when I heard my host mom from outside. She had come to bring me Tamalitos that she had made. They were still smoking hot. I couldn't eat them then because I was still full from the tamales but I knew what I'd be having for breakfast the next 2 days and I was pumped.


If that wasn't enough, about 8:30 I got another knock on the door. It was Andrew. His mom had brought me a dessert in case I was hungry. sweet potato pudding. Sounds disgusting, sounds delicious. Of those, it was the ladder. Not what I would have thought of when thinking of pudding, but it was sweet and closer to pumpkin pie with a sweet potato flavoring. I don't know how Judith does what she does, but I like what she does.

I know both of these days could have been fluke happenings. Somehow, however, I get the idea that Sundays are going to start being my favorite day of the week. I don't have to cook, and I get stuffed full of food so good that I have trouble asking for seconds when I've already had a meal before that.


I'm not sure how I've lost 25 pounds, but the weight still continues to fall off. I figure if I just keep doing what I'm doing, and eating as much of this lard filled food as these women cook for me, then I'll be right where I need to be.