Well it's very hot here.
Everyone warned me that this day would come. And it finally
has. 92 degrees. 100% humidity. I am LOVING life. My body is melting. But I
have become especially grateful for fans. And water. And shade.
So. Belize is just doing her thing. I love Belize so much
that this week I have created the "TOP 10 of Belize". Let's
go.
10. In SI, everyone lives on Rice and Beans. Everyone.
Everywhere. I feel a certain amount of concern for their diets because there
must be a deficiency somewhere. For example...in fruits? Or in vegetables? But
yeah. And lunch is the big meal--not dinner. Dinner is like...a candy bar. Or a
flour tortilla. Tony Horton is rolling in his grave. Except that he is alive.
9. People here have a lotta love for reggaetown. In El
Salvador (the ES) people largely listened to American music, even though they
didn’t speak English...but here. No es asi. They dig their reggaetown and I
never hear American music.
8. Except for Bruno Mars. He is the only accepted American
artist. Reggae everywhere...and then....BRUNO. 6000 decibels from the
neighbors. Ok! But i love Bruno! He is a good guy.
7. Also, all the girls in Belize are absolutely stunning?? I
don't know how they do it...but they're all beautiful. SO attention all my
single guy friends out there. If you want a gorgeous wife, you know where to
go.
6. Fireflies. There are thousands of fireflies every night.
You can't beat SI at night. Palm trees, clear skies, stars, the moon, and
fireflies. Unbeatable.
5. Chinos are also everywhere. IN the States we enjoy
something called grocery stores. Not so in Belize--where no American chains are
allowed. Instead the Chinese have these tiny little holes in the wall on EVERY
CORNER and they sell everything you could need. Just like Costco...only
Chinese. and not in bulk. and in Belize. so really nothing like Costco. But I
love the Asians that run the shops. They are super nice and my friends.
4. In the states you have maybe seen your neighbor watering
his yard. In Belize? we water the streets, because it is HOT and dust is in
every crevice you can dream up. So people really stand out in front of their
house and water the road to help control the dust. It looks absolutely
ridiculous and I smile every time. Every time.
3. In Belize, you say 'good morning' from daylight to noon.
'good afternoon' from lunch to 3. 'good evening' until 6, and then goodnight.
BUT you can also say good evening whenever you want--like at ten am even. At
first I had a hard time with this, because I wondered why people went to bed at
6 pm, but I have since caught on.
2.5 Do you know the saying, 'like an American in
Belize'?? It’s unlikely because I made it up just now. But it is synonyms with
'sticking out like a sore thumb'. Seriously. Americans are so. just. weird.
hahaha I got a lotta love for the USA...but the tourists could maybe tone down
their touristyness.
2. Ignorant means mad in Belize. "I just get so
ignorant when I see those drunk guys"--our friend O** said this and I
just stared at him for a moment. My companion relieved the awkwardness of the
situation by quietly informing me that ignorant means angry in Belize. Oh. got
it.
 |
| La Ruta Maya |
1. La ruta maya!!! Each year there is a canoe race that
begins in SI and goes for 3 days alllll the way to Belize City...some 120 miles
by river. Hundreds of people get up early to go down to the river to pray (just
kidding to watch) the beginning of the race. And....of course we went! WIth
O** It was sooo neato. When the race started...I felt so much adrenaline. and
people come from around the world for this sick race. I sent some pics of our
fun time at the race.
People scream, canoes tip over, and everyone in general goes
nuts. Japan took it nice and easy and they were in last place but I yelled
really super loud for them. I think they will win actually.
Also. Shortly after the race...SIs R and I were trying to go
get breakfast. We opted for a taxi. She banged on the side of the car. We
jumped in. He took us up the street. We tried to pay him. He declined, because,
'no soy un taxi'. (This isn’t a taxi) Hahahahaha whoops! I don’t know
why he gave us a ride...but he was very nice. We laughed for some time after
that one.
Apart from the funnies...we had some good times with
investigators this week. We met Joseph Smith version 2.0--a little boy named
D** who is 13 and has the most unreal faith I have ever seen. He just wants
to be good and know the truth and he brings his family members with him and
when they don’t come he goes alone. Can you say “champ”?
Also remember last week...when junior banged on E**'s
window to wake him up for church? We went back this week. He told us again that
he was drunk but then miraculously showed up on time. He is the coolest! ( He
walked in straight lines so it was ok.)
I read a talk this week which blew my mind. I included a few
excerpts below. I love learning. I've been amazed at how much I just want to
LEARN since coming on the mission. About everything. SO here are some golden
parts of this apostles discourse:
In the same way, you and I can put Christ at the center of our lives and
become one with Him as He is one with the Father (see John 17:20–23). We
can begin by stripping everything out of our lives and then putting it back
together in priority order with the Savior at the center. We should first put
in place the things that make it possible to always remember Him—
frequent prayer and scripture study, thoughtful study of apostolic
teachings, weekly preparation to partake of the sacrament worthily, Sunday worship, and recording and remembering what the Spirit and
experience teach us about discipleship.
art still chosen, and art again called to the work”
I am sending my love to you all. Remember to choose the
right. And always be faithful. And don't let people sway you from what you know
is true. Fear God more than man. Or maybe love God more than man. It's the way
to go.
Sister Hirschi
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