Last Weekend in San Martin!

Saturday: we planned for our thank you party for the host families. We woke up and cleaned the Resource Center with Mr Cal before going shopping for bbq chicken stuff! We shopped and seasoned the chicken all morning and then relaxed before the bbq time. We started the bbq part around 3pm because we were having dinner at 4:30.... well in the belizean way, dinner didn't really start til after 5:30. ah! I was a little panicked for time because I told the PC team I would play futbol that night at 7 (but it was an hour away). Even so, the thank you dinner was really nice and mostly everyone showed up from our families. I think they all really enjoyed it...and the bbq chicken was fantastic! Mr Cal gave us all certificates for completing our Mopan course (woohoo!) and the families got certificates for hosting us... certificates are a really big deal in Belize. You get them for everything!!! hahahaha. Then Mr Cal gave us all little gifts, the guys got Belize keychains and I got a little wallet. It was nice of him. And Mrs Sotz made Dan and Matt gecko bracelets! She's so cute! So after all the awards were over, I had Mr Cal quickly run me to the bus station so I could get over to the game. Luckily, the futbol game was on Belizean time too, so I got there before it even started! We played co-ed against a co-ed Belizean team b/c neither team had enough for a full guys or full girls team. They warned me beforehand that they were pretty bad.... and they were, hahahaha. But it was so much fun! I think we scored 3 goals, but we got killed....maybe 7-4? (a belizean guy scored for us!) It was really hilarious and fun tho! & I scored too! hahaha. Afterwards we pretty much celebrated like we had not only won, but won a major championship... it was amazing. There were beers and game jerseys and all that jazz... Fabulous! hahaha We all piled into the back of the Esperanza coach's pickup truck and headed in what seemed like a cross-country journey to bring everyone home. (I think there were 17 ppl in the truck...if I remember correctly!) We headed from Esperanza, where the game was, to San Ignacio to drop off people, then to Benque to hang out at Roger's for awhile--which he has an amazing place!-- then we dropped off Emily and others in Benque and then headed all the way back to Ontario for another drop-off before finally bringing me back to San Martin. I had to go home that night b/c I was the only trainee... sad. But it was worth it & luckily I had a key so my family didn't know I came in at 1am that night!!

Sunday: Officially the laziest day ever. I did absolutely nothing on Sunday! It was amazing! It was Mother's Day, so I ran out to Brodie's w/Alana to grab some little trinkets for Mrs Sotz. I got her a little teddy bear, shampoo, and a candy bar (yes, I know I'm a horrible person b/c she should not eat candy....) but those were what I was told she would like & I didn't have many options!! I think she really liked it all. That day she gave me a matching earrings, bracelet, and necklace set that she and Alana made together. It's so pretty & was really sweet of her!
The day was one of those bizarre and random days. Dan came over and got his hair buzzed off by Choni, even tho he only asked for a little trim.... Then Bernardo decided to scale a coconut tree in our yard and shake down about 30 coconuts for us to eat! All of Dan's kids were over, so it was a big feast of coconut. We drank the water and then machete-ed (yes, I made it a verb) them open to eat the inside. It was pretty delicious! That afternoon I had Dan and Matt come over to get a family picture of the Sotz's and me. It was fun...and funny. haha Whenever you bring a camera out in Belize, almost everyone gives bunny ears.... which is normal for young children in the States, but teenagers and people my age do it here! and they find it hilarious! It's very interesting to see what they get amused by!! hahaha Then Mrs Sotz made a big chicken lunch and fed me, Matt, and Dan. I dedicated that night to laundry.... much needed!!! hahaha Sofia and Mrs Sotz helped me because I am an incapable gringa, but I enjoyed the help because it probably would've taken me til the next morning! (Plus, I was able to catch up on my San Martin shoosh with them!) I learned about the Belizean peeper man -- he's a crazy village drunk.... then I learned that Mrs Sotz's brother lives next door! But they don't speak because her daughter got in a fight with him.... hmmm. It was interesting gossip for the evening. That night Matt brought over chow mein that Na Peran made for me and it was pretty good! I don't think I've had any Asian food since I've been here.... Later on my family called on speakerphone because the boys were all home for Mother's Day. It was nice to get to talk to everyone at once! I ended the day playing cards with Eluvia in the longest game of War that ever existed. Meanwhile, a lady with a bag of clothes came selling to Mrs Sotz and Sofia, which was an interesting experience! I guess it's pretty smart to go around selling to people in villages b/c they don't have cars or get into town much... very nice.