The Lodge at Chaa Creek

A few weeks ago I had to do a visa run (leave Honduras for 72 hours to get my passport re-stamped) so I could stay until the end of the school year. I had to travel by myself, which was a first for me internationally. I needed the time away to reflect and figure out what I wanted to do next. Things had changed for us in Utila and it was time to regroup.

I found Chaa Creek by accident while looking for another resort in the jungles of Belize. I have traveled to the jungle of Belize before and was completely mesmerized so I decided this was the quiet retreat I needed. Of course getting there from here was not easy, getting anywhere from here is not easy.

I took a boat to Utila town, then a ferry to Roatan, spent the night, then hopped an early flight to Belize City and then another flight to San Ignacio. With each movement away from our home I felt a change. It was nice to not be sweaty all the time, but also nice to be around people, and to see new things. There is a certain strength in being alone for me and at Chaa Creek I was able to quietly recenter and focus.

When I landed in San Ignacio, Belize I was immediately taken aback by the incredible lush landscape, the vibrant greens of the jungle, the adorable log cabin-esque airport and the complete lack of sound. It was as if time had completely stopped.

Arriving at Chaa Creek left me without words. The sensory experience of quiet, lush, and tropical serenity overwhelmed me. I couldn’t really hear what they were saying to me as I checked in because I was completely entranced. They led me through the grounds to my beautiful cottage (which I booked off season for only 99.00 per night on a special promo!) and private balcony. Inside the room was a beautiful and plush king size bed, seating area, chaise lounge, large bathroom and complete privacy from any sound in the hotel.

I spent a lot of time laying in the colorful and gorgeous hammock on my private porch, reading, napping and watching lizards move slowly through the jungle. Complete heaven! It took a few hours of being outside to get used to the absence of sandflies, mosquitos and other crazy bugs we deal with in Utila everyday. On my first day I decided to also get a massage which was done on the deck of the spa. As if on queue it started to rain, making the most beautiful and relaxing sound. My soul was smiling. I think I slipped into a different level of existence during that massage and it never left me the entire time I was at Chaa Creek.

The second day I was there I walked the trails to the Butterfly Exhibit. I hadn’t really intended to go there, but luckily I made a wrong turn and there I was. It was an incredible experience. The whole time I was at Chaa Creek I felt like I was the only person there because of all of the personal attention, and the complete seclusion the property offers. When I started talking the guide at the Butterfly exhibit it was a continuation of this amazing experience of them being completely focused on me. He taught me things about butterflies, catepillars and the jungle which I had never heard before. Then we watched a butterfly hatch, completely by luck. It will forever be one of the most magical moments of my life. It felt as though the earth consisted only of me, the guide and this beautiful butterfly as it crawled out of the cocoon, started to open its wings and sucrete the fluid in its belly. The guide quietly explained to me what was happening and then we stood there, for as long as I wanted and watched.

I walked several other trails while at the lodge, sat at the pool, ate incredible food grown on the property and spent time talking to the bartenders as I drank their specially infused alcohol. Each person was so friendly, interesting and kind I enjoyed every moment with each person I talked to while there. They made me feel at home and welcome, taking away any awkwardness I was concerned about traveling on my own.

Each morning when I woke, usually around 5:00 in the morning I was surprised by the complete darkness as I opened my eyes. On the first day I was momentarily worried because it was completely silent, and so dark that I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face when I held it up! Then I remembered where I was and laid in the cushy down topper, snuggled under the down comforter and reveled in the silent darkness, appreciating the absence of anything while it lasted.

Leaving The Lodge at Chaa Creek was sad for me but I took comfort in feeling so centered, so calm and so blessed to have been there. I can honestly say that since I have left I think of my experience there almost daily. I know it isn’t often in our lives we get to have such incredible experiences. My soul draws me back there when I am feeling off center and my mind gives thanks for the incredible memories I made in such a special place.

(While I didn’t get out much, there are so many tours, hikes, ruins and other things to do either at the Lodge or in the surrounding area you could be as busy or laid back as you wanted to be.)

(I flew Tropic Air from Roatan, Honduras to Belize City, Belize and then to San Ignacio, Belize. I love this airline and their dedication to making the country of Belize accessible.)

 

Random Acts of Kindness Project

One of the goals for my ESL classes was to help foster kindness in their classes, and their culture. This was my thought before I came to the Cay to teach. Once I was actually here teaching I realized it was imperative to change the culture of fighting and anger.

I asked a few people to translate the concept of random acts of kindness to my classes. The translators and the kids looked at me as though I was an alien ( a look I get quite often). It turns out that translating a concept is not an easy thing to do. Yet, as we always seem to do, we go through it with hand gestures, examples and a ton of silly charades. We started with a kindness jar which the kids pick out of to find different acts of kindness to do throughout the day and report on it in the next class. Things they have to do range from  helping someone, giving compliments, smiling at everyone, cleaning the class room and playing with someone new at school, but I found most of the kids were just doing it with their mom or dad, which is great but I wanted them to think outside of their home as well as in their home.

 

 

So, this week we started by making signs in English or English and Spanish, drawing pictures and hanging them all over town for people to see.

 

I was so moved by what some of the kids wrote, and how creative they were. They were also so proud, running to show the other teacher, and showing their parents, or hanging the signs on their house, or their parents stores. They started out being very shy about it, but once they got to pick the spot to hang their note and saw it hanging up they were full of pride and excitement.

 

 

Unfortunately when we left school 45 minutes later I noticed many of them had been torn down. I immediately felt disappointed and sad, but then realized two things.

1. At least about a quarter of the signs were still hanging which was more than when we started this morning.

2. The lesson, the feeling of pride, and the laughter with the kids was really what was important. As long as they experience the feeling of being kind, that is what it is about.

 

The joy, the laughter, and the experience for me, were priceless. It is another example of how much more you get from experiences than things in life. There is no item I have bought that has given me the joy, the memories and the fulfillment of this and all of my experiences at the school. It was a connection of love, kindness and joy. You can not buy that, you can not substitute anything for it.

What About The Water?

As many of you know when we moved to Utila one of the things of most concern for everyone was the water situation. Water is not readily available where we live on the island or at the school I teach so there was a lot of concern about the water consumption of an American couple. -This may be shocking to you but as Americans we don’t have the best reputation for being conservative with our water consumption.

We moved to Utila at the beginning of the summer, or also known as the drier season. We are living in a home that belongs to someone else so we were hyper conscious about using all the rain water collected in case they wanted to visit.

Luckily, my Grandparents were farmers who lived on well water, and rain water so I had some experience with water conservation. We started washing our dishes old school, filling up one sink with water and soap and one with water to rinse. Then when the dishes were done we would take the rinse water and use it to wash the porch off, or scrub the windows clean. We took showers every other day, and washed laundry only when we had completely full loads. (Our drinking water does not come from the rain water source so we have been free to drink as much as possible.) We turn the water off when washing our hands, brushing our teeth, or washing our face (this by the way is a great habit to get into in America since, you know, there is a lot of concern over the future availability of water all over the world, and water crisis’ in our own country).

It was a bit stressful when there would be several weeks with no rain, and I would really, really want a shower. I mean it was July & August in Honduras. I would be dirty from riding four-wheelers to get to the school boat, or sweaty from no air conditioning in the classrooms or in the main living area of our home. I found that truly the cleanliness feeling of a shower only lasted as long as it took to dry off. Then, sweaty again, so a lot of swimming, quick shower rinses and we made it through. We loved traveling because we could take a lot of “free, meaning guilt-free showers.

I think we hit “rock-bottom” when the tropical storm came and we had every available empty vessel outside collecting rain water so we could scrub the house, the windows, the decks, the lights, the rails etc without using our precious shower and dishes water.

Luckily we made it to the rainy season and now, feel we sneak in extra showers, maybe get crazy and don’t wait until we have a sinkful of dishes to wash them, and we wash the windows more frequently. While to us it is amusing and temporary I learned so much about the value of water. When there is no water, there is no washing of clothes, which means no clean uniforms or clothes, which means kids don’t come to school. When there is no water it means parents who are already struggling to find money for food now have to find money for water as well for cooking, and drinking. I know how it felt for us to be worried about how our big tank might become empty I can only imagine how a family of four or five feels when their little barrel is empty and there is no rain in sight for a week or more. We joked a lot about grabbing soap and shampoo and running outside when the rain came, but for many people I am sure that is more of a temptation than we realize.

The school where I teach  does not have running water to wash your hands, ever. We have enough to flush the toilet in the rainy season and sometimes enough in the dry season. This is a crazy concept right?

Every time I used water that wasn’t completely necessary during the dry season I thought of someone who might need it that I could share with if I wasn’t wasting. I thought about bringing my students clothes home and washing them, but it doesn’t address the ongoing need for water across the planet, and the desperate situations that can arise without it. I can see a future, if we aren’t careful, where water is a commodity and that is a very scary world.

We are now experts at quick showers, never leaving the water running, using every drop of rainwater we can collect, and being eternally grateful when the massive rain drops hit our roof and run into the cistern.

 

Things You Won’t See In America

  • A man riding on a scooter through town holding an eight foot ladder on his shoulder
  • A baby standing on her moms leg as they ride a moped through town
  • People leaving their luggage in the ferry station lobby, unattended, while they go to get coffee
  • Men climbing a greased pole, which is tied to a fence, competing to see who can climb to the top to get the money that was fastened there.

  • A ticket seller at a mass transit counter who remembers all the passengers by name to make sure they catch the off schedule ferry
  • Most stores closing and schools closing in a community so the residence can attend the funeral of another local person
  • People selling amazing food they cook at home on the street & everyone lining up to buy it
  • A small child going alone to buy food at a concession stand at a city event because it is so safe no one has to go with him
  • Five Star resorts without keys to lock the room
  • A section of chairs in the bank for people over 60 to sit and wait so they don’t have to stand in lines
  • Children jumping off the docks at their back door, into the ocean in their underwear
  • The local store running tabs for groceries because they know you will come pay it in a few days
  • Docks and walkways over the ocean with no hand rails, child protection railing or liability signage
  • An airport runway where you grab your own bags off a plane, pay for your ticket and give the pilot a hug before heading on your way
  • Me flying as “co-pilot” on a 3 passenger plane

“I did exactly what you told me”

she said. “I sounded out the words like you said and then I heard the letters in my head and now I can spell the words.” With that she spelled the sentence, “I am at the zoo.”

It may sound simple to you,  but to me, to her mother, to her and to the kids around her, it is huge. This little girl made a choice two weeks ago. She chose to learn, to thrive and rise as high as she can. She chose to do what makes her proud instead of what other kids are doing. She chose to sacrifice some play time to learn, not only how to spell, but how to thrive. She chose to let the light that was inside of her shine as bright as it can.

I am so blessed because I get to bear witness to it. I am blessed because in that moment she confirmed that no matter how simple the message, no matter how small the moment, it can change people. For me, it changed things. It confirmed my life should be led by meaning, it should be lived with purpose.

There are no words to thank this little girl for the work she has put in, the faith she has given to me to teach her, or the light she and her classmates fill me with each day. They each show me what it means to choose to live amidst the hard things and to find beauty, friendship and strength. They sit in class covered in sweat, some of them hungry, and thirsty, often with no bathroom available in the school, no desk space to write on and they try really hard.

I could not be a luckier person. Not because I get to teach them, or I get to give back, but because they teach me. I think that is a meaningful life, when what you do makes a difference, not just to those you are helping, not just to the world, but also to you. I will never be the same person and for that I am truly thankful.

Kuni-A Story of Amazing Happiness

In my life I have been continually blessed with meeting the most incredible and interesting people. One such person is Kuni.

Kuni lives in the Cays of Utila. He works at the beautiful resort, Utopia Village, next to my house here in Utila. While each person at this resort is so beautiful, kind and giving, full of stories and trials most of which I can not imagine-Kuni stands out.

Everyday around 5:30 am you can find him cleaning the plastic off of the beach at the resort. Then throughout the day you can find him raking, cleaning, and doing other general maintenance to help make the resort the amazing place it is. Although he doesn’t speak any English and my Spanish is not up to par yet, he teaches me something every time I see him. I have known he was special, as everyone here does, but I didn’t know how special.

See the thing about Kuni is that he is never without a smile so big that it lights up our entire little section of the world. He is so full of joy that it literally can not be contained. He greets me in the morning with a glorious smile, and a joyful hello. Each time I ask him how he is he answers me with “Very good. I feel so much happiness today.” When you see Kuni, no matter where or when, you will get the same huge smile, and a beautiful thumbs up and then without you even knowing it your day is so much better.

This weekend I learned Kuni’s story. He is a relatively young man who has a young daughter. She lives with her mother on the mainland of Honduras. Kuni works hard to send money to her as often as he can. At some point in the last few years Kuni was going to America. He was headed through Mexico when he was kidnapped by some very horrific local people. They kidnap people and then hold them for ransom to make a living. Kuni, as most people in Honduras I would imagine, knew of these people and he knew that his family had no money to send. This meant he had no value, and with no value you are dead. He was kept in squalor and barely fed anything. He knew his days were very numbered.

Kuni, being Kuni, found a way to show his value in order to save his life. He did something I would imagine most people, in the same situation, would not or could not do. He created a value for himself. He began by telling them that he was able to cook and would be very happy to cook and clean to help them. He started helping out where he could. As the days wore on and there was no response from his family for these kidnappers he worked hard to secure a place there cooking and cleaning their dishes. Once the men were ready to move on they released Kuni to try to find a way back home, with no food and no money, but at least with his life.

The sadness of this story to me is not only in the kidnapping but the fact that once he reached the border his brother and sister were not there for him. When he called them from Mexico, they did not answer, when the kidnappers called them they did not answer. While they would have had no money to send the fact that they did not answer for Kuni or the kidnappers must have been completely heartbreaking for him after such a journey to reach them.

Kuni has become an inspiration to so many of us here. When we have a grumpy morning, or feel overwhelmed, a quick hello, beaming smile and kind greeting from Kuni are all it takes to be reminded that no matter what life gives you it is your choice what you do with it. For Kuni, it is to find gratitude for every day, and to share that gratitude with all of us lucky enough to know him.

 

 

 

 

Various Things I Learned This Week Living in Utila

1. Evidently in Honduras the Government can just decide to stop paying the electric bill leaving schools stranded…

2. Tang is juice according to my students…

3. Never ask a 27 year old Honduran man to get you chocolate chips when he is visiting a bigger island. I got pictures like this on my phone asking what I wanted..

4. After a tropical storm it becomes island residents job to pick up the worlds plastic trash that washes ashore on their beaches…

5.The five limes in my fridge are actually oranges….

6.Utila is the perfect place to binge watch “Lost” if you never watched it…

7.Seeing a hammerhead shark underwater for the first time is pretty amazing!…

8.There are small moments that are huge to me that make my life so beautiful, like holding baby turtles with my students…

9. Even if you are living next door, teaching students at their request and talking to them everyday, some people over 50 are still able to forget your name…

10. My music from home sounds much better blasted in my home over the ocean than it did in my house in the States, of course my voice sounds much better too…

11. Ants eat lizard poop (long story but it is true)…

12. Tropical storms equal snow days in the States but are so much better because you can watch the  ocean all day…

13. Many of the small things that come easily to us in the States are big things here, like groceries, electricity, running water, BUT, they are also soooo much sweeter…

14. Absolutely nothing beats a Sunday morning spent on a dive boat with people you now are lucky enough to call friends…

15. Everyday my students come to my class and work hard, learn, smile, laugh and try no matter the circumstances…

16. Listening to the sound of 25 students laugh at an English movie they probably can’t understand while they eat popcorn and drink “juice”, enjoying their reward for perfect attendance, is one of the most wonderful sounds you will ever hear…

Getting Used To Grocery Shopping in Utila

Today we headed to the grocery store. This isn’t a “normal” American trip to the grocery store where you jump in the car go to 3 stores to get every thing on your list and then head home. We get on a boat, take a beautiful 15 minute ride to town and then cross our fingers and head in to the store. The store is not air conditioned, and often has more empty shelf space than products. We grab what we can and then head out to wait for the boat to take us back to the dock, to hop on the four wheeler to take us next to our house and then carry our boxes home. What is amazing is, that it is so much less stressful, and more enjoyable than shopping in the states where we actually got what we set out to get.

Grocery List America:

Bulgarian Feta

Red & Yellow Bell Peppers

Blueberries

Non-GMO Organic Soy Sauce

Cumin

Cilantro (fresh)

Strawberries

Mint (fresh)

Chocolate Chips

Hemp Milk

Organic Local Chicken

Organic Local Milk

Bananas

Charmin in the red wrapper

Non-Toxic Dish Soap

Yummy Ice Cream

No High Fructose Corn Syrup Whole Grain Bread

Corn Starch

 

Grocery List Utila:

Anything that says cheese

Whatever they have in the produce section today

Some kind of soy sauce

Just get some spices/herbs

They said they would have chocolate chips 4 weeks ago, can you ask again today

Chicken, 2 breasts

Rice, 1 ½

Bananas are supposed to be on the ferry today so please grab as many as you can if they arrived

The only toilet paper they have

Some dish soap that is the most natural looking with the least amount of smell

No ice cream, last time it started melting before we even got on the boat, so just skip it

Bread, the ferry came yesterday so we should be able to get more now

Find a substitute for Corn Starch

Recently to offset the trips to town and to support the islands economy where I teach I have started shopping there. At these stores you walk to the counter tell them what you are looking for, cross your fingers and wait for them to either get it for you, tell you it will be there in a few days, or look at you like the crazy Gringo you are for even thinking they would have that on a tiny island in the middle of the sea.

I still get to ride to the grocery store and back by boat, and still have much less stress than I did in the States getting groceries. Now, I just accept what I can get and make it work. The funny thing is, it really doesn’t affect us either way if we can or can’t have the things we were so used to getting before.

Full disclosure: I did almost cry today at the store when I saw fresh cilantro, strawberries and pears…

Sea Anemones in Utila

Hiding under rocks and in between coral crevices on the reefs around the world are these creatures which can immediately invoke in me the feeling of a small child who gets an unexpected treat. My heart leaps, my mouth drops (or wants to drop if I am diving), and I am filled with complete wonder. You know the kind, like when you see your first roller coaster that you are actually big enough to ride on, or your first magic trick. Everything else falls away and I am there alone with something that seems almost otherworldly.

That is a Sea Anemone. Each one I see feels like a gift the earth has created just for me. It is my quiet moment to be reminded of the incredible creatures that exist beside me on this magical planet.

Immediately I am humbled by their intricate beauty and masterful skill. The venomous tentacles have the power to paralyze fish and then draw them in to be eaten. Yet they are not without friends. The Sea Anemone and the clown fish work together for survival. The clown fish has a protective coating which allows it to hide in the anemone for protection. The anemone gladly accepts this as it can then eat the crumbs from the clown fish.

The Sea Anemone also co-exists with green algae, each offering the other sustainability.

The luxury of being able to walk daily on remote beaches, snorkel often and dive regularly is that I can take my time, looking at the small details and intricate things I miss if I am on a vacation and trying to fit lots of stuff in in a short amount of time.  I watch them as long as I can as they move and wait patiently for their next meal. While I watch I am reminded that there is incredible beauty in the small things in life and that if we are looking we can always find the most amazing gifts along the journey.

These are a few more of the phenomenal Sea Anemones I have seen so far…

 

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