WOW a documentary!!

Today I am so excited to be working on a documentary with Dr. Shackelford, Jake and Brett back in O-town :) about our beloved Belize and how the San Mateo Empowerment Project came to be and the progress since our visit.
Belize still has a HUGE piece of my heart so working on this project will be an awesome way to feel reconnected to the place that is so dear to me.
The hard part will be the fact that a video camera is involved and I will have no control of what is edited and deleted, YIKES!!!! It's a good thing my eliptical and I have become such good friends :)
Looking forward to a fun day with friends doing what I love, talking about Belize!!!!!!!!!!

Still Experiencing Belize!!!

I find it amazing how I can still be experiencing Belize after being gone from there for over 9 months! I never imagined that studying abroad could have such an impact on me, the person.
Everyday I strive to make a difference in the world even if it is in a small way and it is from the passion and hope that filled me up in San Mateo that motivates me on a daily basis. I cannot to begin to express the longing I have to return to Belize and stay. I believe that one day I will do just that but I know I have many things to accomplish here first.

I have been working very hard on myself! Trying to work on my "non-specified eating disorder" and the issues that play into it and the many other things I have going on in my head, LOL. I have been doing a lot of reading trying to understand why I do what I do, haha, don't think I will ever figure that one out but I enjoy a challenge. But anyway, I am going to start a new blog about my journey to helping myself. Will probably be a long one :)

Counting Down the Hours Until Internship Is Over!!!

I cannot believe my internship is almost over! There were times I honestly thought I would not see it through until the end. I have had many challenging days as well as many rewarding days. There have been many sleepless nights tossing and turning thinking about the many children I have come in contact with during my days at DHS. I have been offered a job there and will take it but I wonder if I can really make a difference there.
Belize is never far from my mind. There is never a day that goes by that I don't wish that I was back there with the wonderful people that I fell in love with so easily. I miss their smiling, hopeful faces!!

Again, still missing Belize!!!

School is consuming me this semester and I am thankful that I have only 7 hours this last semester! It is the other obligations like my officer duties with
SSWO and commitments I have made like NASW conference and committees I seem to keep on getting appointed to that are keeping me from focusing my efforts on fundraising for Belize. It is very overwhelming at times, not to mention the neglect I feel I have sometimes for the boys.

I have been communicating often with Traci and that is a double-edged sword. I am always so excited to hear from her but saddened when I do because I want to be in Belize with her and my other friends so bad, I need to be useful and I believe I am so much more useful over there. I miss the hope of my friends and the true unconditional love I feel when I am with them.
Every day I grow to dislike MS more and more because of the lack of caring for one another in the community and in the state as a whole. It is difficult for me to understand how I can live in such an unempathetic and uncompassionate society.

Missing Belize

I am missing my friends in Belize really bad! Actually cried today while trying to get a Power Point together for my son's youth group at church. Difficult going on with day-to-day life back here at home and wanting to be with my "family" in Belize. Kinda crazy to have only been there for such a short time and to have gotten so close to the some of the children. I feel like I am so much more useful there than I am here at home. I am happy to be so busy with school so that the sadness of being away from Belize cannot consume me.

Now the Hard Part

Now that I am home, I am finding it difficult to fit into the day to day smuck. I have become very inpatient and intolerable of ignorant and uncompassionate people. Even going into my Hernando Wal-Mart (what better place to find morons) I am bombarded with ignorant and distasteful individuals just because of the braids in my hair. Like your "wife-beater", shorts and hiking boots when it is 30 degrees outside is much of a fashion statement?!
I dream of Belize every night and my dreams are so vivid that they pacify my longing to back there. I miss the happiness of the people, a simpler life, and the bright faces of the children I became so close to in such a short period of time.
The hard part now is raising funds for the roads in San Mateo. We have opened a bank account and are checking into establishing non -profit status. So anyone who would like to donate can send a check to me, made out to San Mateo Empowerment Project.

Misc. pics

It is so nice to be home with everyone that I love and nice to have been missed so much! I cannot lie though, I already miss Belize and the smiling faces of the children. It is very difficult being back in MS because we seem to have an abundance of IDIOTS, who are self-absorded and oblivious to anyone else, GRRRRRR!!!

Enjoy the pics