So, this weekend was pretty good. 

Friday night I helped Kati make chili with the leftover beans I had from my chili experiement. I don't know how it turned out, but she seemed to be doing everything by what I told her, so hopefully it turned out good. In any case, as she was making chili, she also started making cookies with her friend Esther. There was a mix of scents rarely fused together in one's nostrils. It had the aroma of someone burning sugar...not exactly amazing...but what can ya do.

While they cooked I watched the remainder of "White Christmas", periodically answering Kati's questions about chili. I was just exhausted from the week of deer surveying, so I just kind lulled around the house...that was, until Joe returned.

Joe had gone out to Hyperion (the local coffee shop) and before he returned he picked me up an egg nog latte, so I could really get into the holiday mood. It was delicious, especially with a couple packets of sweet n low in it. So, we sipped our lattes and watched the christmas episode of family guy, and suddenly I was whole heartedly in the holiday spirit. 

Everyone started heading their separate ways once the kitchen shut down, and it was time for be. I however, had a major headache, so I tossed a couple of my all natural homeopathy pain relievers and laid down. Little did I know that while fumbling for the bottle I had accidentally grabbe the bottle of Stacker III pills that I was planning on throwing out. So, instead of falling asleep...I suddenly started getting jittery. I felt like I was shaking, but when I looked at myself, I wasn't. It was as if I was on some weird drug trip. A collaboration of the overdose of caffeine from a vente latte and the metabolism boosters in the stacker pills. My mind was racing and my stomach began to hurt...it was not a happy feeling. I began to think of Kris White's idea for historically acurate porn. Where you have a plot that goes along accurately, and then suddenly the characters start getting it on...I think it could sell. 

I dwelled on this until suddenly the title for the series burst into my brain like a massive hemorage...History Buff. i rand down to Joes room and knocked on his door. He had told me he would be up all night working on a project, and that we were going to go to Taco Bell at 12:30...but instead I found him rubbing his eyes as my tap at his door had awoken him from a cat nap. He was not as excited as me about History Buff...so I left him alone.

Boy oh boy was I feeling sick at this point.

It was very reminiscent of the last friday, when I made the wise decision to get plastered beyond belief at my "bachelor party" and proceeded to throw up out the side of Kati's car for a good hour. (oh the memories...and lack thereof).

I heard the downstairs door open...someone was still awake, so I decided my best option was to corner them into conversing with me until my jitters had worn off...or at least until they themselves passed out. I meandered down the stairs and discovered Kati and Chris Mackowski chit chatting in the living room about the weekend ahead. Apparently the park was to put on a big ole hoopla to celebrate the 145th anniversary of the crossing into fredericksburg by the union troops. There was a whole array of weekend events planned, including reinactments, night tours, and a big expensive gala. So I chatted with them, told them about History Buff and my job coming up in the spring...but I feel as though I was stuttering from the drugs pulsing through my veins.

Eventually I figured it was time to let them alone to their studying for their Saturday tours, and I headed to my room.

Around 5:30 am I finally passed out, work up around noonish with a deep feeling of nausea. I drank some water, ate some food, and felt a tad better. 

I figured I should go see what the whole shabang was about down at the visitors center, so I got dressed and headed over for a self guided tour. It was pretty sweet actually, about 1-200 reinactors were having a shoot out on a hill (put on by the city), and the whole park are was alive with tons of people...it was something I rarely saw. 

I puttered around, and then around 5 noticed that the volunteers and employees were hectically trying to get things done. DUN DUN DUUUUN...Ben Lamb...the man who can never say no decided to lend a hand. I asked Joe if he needed some help...which turned into me setting up and lighting luminaries for an hour and a half. I helped Chris for a second by counting a group on a clicker, and then I took a tour of the park at night...it was pretty sweet...very much reminded me of doing stuff at MCLA...::le sigh::.

After my tour I headed home, but decided I would do something for the gang since they had had a REALLy long week prior setting up for this thing. I ran to the ABC store and grabbed a bottle of sparkling martini y rossi and a bottle of sparkling apple cider (since stephanie is underage)...then got home before they all returned with their pizza. We muched and toasted and just chilled for a while...it was nice, especially since its probably the last time I'll see many of them for a long time as I leave this coming weekend.

I slept like a baby...it was awesome.

Sunday was pretty boring. I came into the office and worked on grad school stuff on the Union PC, then at night played battlefront II with Joe for an hour and hit the hay while watching Little miss Sunshine.

Overall...a good weekend...besides the drugging.

Tags: caffeine, drugs, le sigh, luminary
Current Mood: anxious

So, the only establishment nearby was this place called Amigos. It was bartended by some cool guys who knew my name and my regular drink pretty quickly. 

In any case, that was where most of my socializing went on. When groups came through, since the legal drinking age in Belize is 18, everyone took full advantage. Plus, the bar had Karoke (which actually graded your singing) so you could hear people belting out tunes all through the night.

Although I shouldn't pick favorites, I did have some favorite people and groups that came through. The first was a group called Malaspina. It was a field course from Canada that had already been in the country for some four weeks by the time I got there. They did excursions all over the place, to the maya mountains, to the cities, and to the tropical islands. My fourth day there actually, I was invited to come to their homestay in the village of Crooked Tree. Now, I had actually stayed in Crooked tree on a short homestay the year before with my alternative spring break trip, so I knew a lot of the people there. In any case, I got invited to come because one of the students had to take an emergency flight home to get an award. So, I got to the village with the group (who I had just met the night before) and was placed in a house with two girls, Anna and Stephanie. Over the next few days we all bonded really well, and badda bing badda boom I had new friends. 

While Malaspina was in the country I basically tagged along on all their adventures. The best had to be when I went and stayed with them for a week on Caye Caulker (for free). I got to come along as the "assistant" since I was an intern and thus was covered as a freebie. We went snorkeling in some of the most beautiful pieces of reef in the world, and I saw so many things...it was nuts...and it was only my second week in the country. 

Then Malaspina left and I was bummed. But over the days I became increasingly close with the people that actually work at Monkey Bay. Matt Miller, who started the facility in the 1980s is this really cool guy. He did his grad work in Michigan and then started Monkey Bay. Hes and educator, an activist, a good spirit, and a cancer survivor...and boy can that guy party. He lived in the big house next door with his wife Marga (from Holland), their son Eli (a cool little kid who tried to be tough at first, but became a little hombre by the end) and Marga's 21 year old daughter Rachelle (a crazy girl...nuff said). In any case, there was also Rufina, who I mentioned before. Rufina and I bonded hardcore. I don't know why, but she felt more like a mother to me than my own mother at some points, and in cue I began to unknowingly call her "Ma". She began referring to me as her son, and her daughters quickly became my sisters. It was a family that I feel I will keep for a lifetime. Over my time there, Rufina would confide in me things her daughters don't even know, and she would ask for my advice. I in turn would also ask her for advice, and tell her things that I normally would not dispense upon people. I dont really think I can put into words how strong of a relationship I created with Rufina and her daughters (Cherie - 13, and Sitka - 11). There was also Jose, who was kinda like that drunk older since girls were paying more attention to me, he became a dick by the end. Trinidad (Trinny), was the complete opposite. At the beginning he saw me as a threat, but when he noticed that I wasn't actually taking advantage of the girls flirting with me, he realized I wasn't trying to "mess with his game" and he started treating me like a muchacho. Luis, who was the one who picked me up, is the elder of the regular workers, but has since been let go. He was always eating,and always asking Rufina for more food from the kitchen. Juana was the cook. A very adorable mayan woman who always was smiling and at first, I thought, was very quiet. As time went one though, she started making funny comments like "Ben...do this...or I'll stab you" (with a big smile on her face). Her english was limited, so it was really funny. Her son, Chester, worked with the crew. He is 23 and a really cool guy, who likes to tell riddles. Nico was a boy who Matt had sponsored from a rasta village so he could go to private school. He was wicked chill, and old enough to hang out with us at the bar. He taught me how to play the Djembe too, which was sick. Nancy, well, Nancy is an Ethnobotanist who lives in Belize in the rainforest. Shes originally from California, and doesn't come in contact alot with people. But boy oh boy, I loved the conversations we had. Rose Anne showed up about 2 weeks before I left. She had aparently worked at Monkey Bay a long time ago but was coming back for the long haul as her relationships with men all failed in the states. She was a buffalo rancher prior...so was definately an interesting persona to have around. Oh, and Melito. Melito used to work at Monkey Bay and was the resident "tourist trap" but after some infractions was let go. Then, recently, the Sibun Rivershed association kicked into gear and he started running the river in 3 day canoe trips (which are AWESOME) living and observing on the river. I got teamed up with him in order to make the data more clear and well organized for dispersment.  There were so many other people I met along the way, some of whom I'll mention later on. But for the most part, that was the bulk of my Monkey Bay crew.

Ok, so...where was I?...OH yes, ok, so Malaspina left, and thats when I really bonded with the Monkey Bay crew. Then, a group from Manchester England came. Another field group doing tropical biology. 2 of them ,Daggy and Jo, came a couple days earlier, so I would chat with them, and we became fast friends. It's weird how throwing people into a completely foreign environment can cause them to bond so quickly with those they meet along the way.

In any case, Daggy, Jo and I had a few adventures along the way. They not only did the field course, but they also stayed longer than the course went and traveled central america...using Monkey Bay as their home base. They came back multiple times, and we had multiple drunken nights and long midnight chats under the hamock palapa. They also brought back another person one time, Ratty. Sara was her real name, but Ratty stuck. Shes a really cool woman from England also who they had met randomly at a ruin and brought along for the trip. Eventually though...they too all left and headed in their own directions. But I still keep in regular contact with them, and will be visiting them in March actually.

Finally, my last big group of favorites...World Learning. 

Towards the end of my time in Belize a group of students from the EIL World Learning came through. Since I was pretty seasoned at this point, Matt stuck me on as a their co-leader for basically everything. They were a group of highshoolers, so too young to drink with ...technically. But a really diverse and fun gang of kids. One of them, Tessa, was talking one of their first nights about Woodstock Vermont. So I chimed in and said "My aunt lives right around there"...she asked where and I said "Hartland". Now, for those of you who don't know, Harland vermont is tiny, with very few people, and only one preschool...sooo...put two and two together, and Tessa had had my aunt as a preschool teacher, my great aunt as a elementary school teacher, and my second cousin as a highschool teacher. It's a small world after all.

Anywho, I ended up going to a different tropical island with them and went snorkeling for a week again...it was cool because I saw comepletely diffferent habitats then I saw the first time snorkeling. We saw manatees, I chased a puffer fish, and we went spear fishing for lobsters and fish...it was sick. Plus, nights hanging out on the docks with a bunch of half drunk highschoolers was a hoot.

So...those were the people and places of my summer in Belize. There's so much more in my journals that I still have to type up into a comprehensive form, but, I don't want to bore you all with that. 

So for now, fin

Current Location: Planet Earth
Current Mood: mellow
Current Music: Fat Boy Slim - "Praise You"

 "History doesn't repeat itself...but it rhymes" 
                                             ~Mark Twain


(I promise to continue on my Belize adventures writing later, yesterday just got crazy busy with a broken GPS unit and a whole hell of a lot of friggin deer)

Current Mood: chipper

That's me...well...sorta. I'm more of the mild mannered and crazy guy, but that's beside the point. IN ANY CASE...I said I would explain my summer in my next post so by golly I will!

Don't hold your breath, cuz it will be a long one...

So, I graduated in May...May 12th to be exact...leaving all my friends and the past four years of my life behind me. Until then, I had kinda thought I knew what I wanted to do...but the summer changed all that.

I went to my friends wedding at the end of May and then was off on an adventure in central america. 

I worked as the volunteer summer intern at a wildlife sanctuary in Belize. It was amazing. I arrived in the country expecting a man to be picking me up. I was told his name was Luis and that he was a 40 year old latino man with short hair...so thats what I looked for. I waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, since I didn't have the phone number for the wildlife sanctuary, I called home and asked them for the number (five minutes cost my parents $43). When I called the sanctuary...nobody answered...so I was abandoned. A taxi ride would have cost me $60 US which I really didn't want to spend, and besides, I had no idea how to get there. 

I waited a while longer outside in the baumy 96 degree heat with 100% humidity and waited until every person around was gone, except this one guy. He looked slightly bewildered and was drinking a yoohoo. "Are you Luis?" I asked in my shy american way. "Yes Mon, Ben?", he replied. Sure enough he had been there the entire time I was there, but he had long hair, looked about 50 and was not dressed as I was told he would be. He on the other hand was looking for a tall, skinny, long haired, professor-looking type...which obviously is me...

So I was on my way. We hopped in the truck and headed toward Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary while jamming out to Bob Marley. As we passed the state penetenery (which has its own gift shop and wireless internet) Luis mentioned that his friend was in there fore killing his wife in the heat of passion...::awkward silence::...the only word that came to my mouth was "Bummer"...he nodded.

And this is how my summer in Belize started. When I first arrived the only other person was this woman named Rufina. It was a sunday, and the down time was upon them, so it was really boring. I instantly got worried that I had gotten myself into...but as the days started up I realized it was the best decision of my life.

I had to pay for my food for the first month, but since I proved my value as a hard worker, I didn't have to pay anything for the rest of my stay, and in fact got sent on trips for free to the tropical islands and mayan ruins throughout the country. I went snorkeling on the reefs, saved children from deadly snakes, gave tours to visiting groups, learned to play the Djembe, played with tarantulas in my bedroom, made friends with a three legged cane toad and two vampire bats that shared the attic with me, learned how to make chocolate from cacao beans, and so much more. 

It was insane. My duties were all encompassing, basically a jack of all trades sort of job. Maintained the home campus was the big one which included alot of manual labor, and construction work. But on top of that I was also a cook, a cleaner, an educator, a trip monitor and a party animal.

The only establishment within 30 miles was a bar called Amigos which was literally 100 yards from my room and had a trail cut to it.

OK...gotta go collect water samples...sorry for the cliffhanger (if anyone is reading this)...but duty calls.

Be back later.

Favorite Movie Poster Quote of the day:

"Life made him tough, Love made him strong, Music made him Hard" 

                                                               ~Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

        So I'll be perfectly clear, this is the beginning of a very long journey...well...more like the starting point of my documentation of a long journey that has already been underway for ...well...22 years or so. For the first time I feel its important for me to post or blog about my own little niche of existence. Writing in a journal and locking it away for nobody else to see does have its benefits, but what if I just disappeared one day for no reason whatsoever...I would at least want people to know that I had a good run at it up to said point. (NOTE: For those of you who think that was a sign that I plan on disappearing...please scratch such thought from your memory bank...because that is not the case).

      Right now I'm just focused on the fact that my current internship is almost up. I've been working in Fredericksburg, VA for 3 months almost now. The daily drudge is based in the Natural Resources Division of the National Park Service. It probably wasn't my BEST idea to come to Fredericksburg, as it's more of a civil war park than a natural resources park, so we get stuck with the oddjobs...but it's been a memory making excursion nonetheless, and as I have always said...if an experience is the worst thing to ever happen to you...at least you have a story to tell people later. Virginia has by no means been the worst experience of my life though.

     The job sounded pretty straightforward when I signed on. I would be coming down here in mid September and working to restore portions of the park back to what they were like during the time of the civil war...cool right? Well, little did I know that that would inclue things like spraying pesticide, killing woodchucks, removing barbed wire, doing chainsaw work, trail maintanance, draining ponds, doing water quality testing, GPS marking park boundaries, GIS mapping of surveyed areas, Wildland firefighter training, and spotlight surveying deer at night... Well...I knew about a lot of that...but not all of it. 

     In any case, it's been a trip. My boss is pretty chill, and his past employee sucked, so he really likes me and my coworker Carrie. He looks like he just came off the set of Super Troopers, uses the word "snap" or "daaaaamn bitch" in every third sentence, and rocks out to a childrens song called "Baby Shark". As SCA (Student Conservation Association) interns, we only get $60 a week, and free housing. Other than that we are on our own...so its definately not a money making scenario by any means...but Gregg was cool and got us certified in a lot of programs that usually cost hundreds of dollars to get certified in.

    I've cost him more than he expected too however...I managed to drive a truck named Petunia onto a tree stump and tear the exhaust off ( woopsie.) and also managed to put my elbow through the window on our quarters door when I tried to hip-check it (the door sticks REALLY bad...in my defense). In any case...thats pretty much been life down here. 

     Beyond work I really haven't had much of a life down here, I write alot of letters to my penpals, and have learned how to do caligraphy. I like to write them on fancy paper and embellish them with gold leaf, colors, interestingly shaped writing patterns, etc. I think it means more that way. ANYWAY... My housemates and I get along great, but there was a bit of drama between some of them earlier which led to one of them moving out ahead of schedule and getting her own place (tip-toe). My housmates have taken me out, and we've had some good times. Joe, the only guy I live with is a really chill dude who I probably would have been best buds with if we went to college together. He introduced me to the wonder of comic books (that bastard) and now has me addicted pretty hardcore. My inner comicbook nerd was just reeling to escape. He's also my fake lover...which pisses off his girlfriend sometimes...ha! Kati is an athletic type, but loves to feed us and is wicked chill. Her and Joe started dating about 3 weeks after I got here...which got a bit awkward at first, because my other housemate, Carrie, was dating a guy who goes to school around here...so I was either the third wheel or the fifth wheel depending on any given situation. I got over it though, and they all tried to hook me up with ladies (which failed) on several occassions. 

     The other people that I've met down here were all awesome too. Chris Mackowski and his 12 year old daughter Stephanie drive down from Rochester, Ny about once a month to volunteer in the park. Its a crazy long drive for them. Chris is a professor of Journalism and a hoot to shoot the shit with. Steph is like a freakin prodigy when it comes to knowing history, and is something of a star as far as the park volunteers go. Richard is an ex-extra from Cheers who was nice at first, but turned into an ass in the end before he moved out. He was true blue southerner, made gumbho and the whole shabang...but he was uber perverted, lives with his parents, is in his 40s, and has a gambling problem (but I didn't tell you all that ;) ). Anyway, theres also Eric, whos this really cool guy who I've only hung out with a couple times, mostly smoking cigars on our back porch. But he's been here for something like 28 years, and is just really cool to talk to. Oh...how could I have forgotten...Kris White...the wonder that is Kris White. He was a goof off in the beginning of college, but I can't think of a single person under 30 who knows more about civil war history than this kid, AND can run it off as if he was talking about todays weather. He also happens to have no shame, and this has led to several interesting times out at the bars with him. One night actually, we went to this bar and pretended it was my bachelor party and he was my best man, so all the waitresses and ladies at other tables were all flirty with me and we took photos with them...it was a hoot...and the most action I got down here...so God Bless Kris White. He's another guy I woulda been good buds with in college...if I had known him.  I'll definately miss the people down here when I leave, but I need to get home...I've basically been a vagabond of sorts for going on 7 months now, and a good few months of actually making money and seeing friends and family will do me some good.

BUT...in any case...I'll explain what happened over my summer in my next post...for now, I have to go out and brave the first snow we've seen (A WHOLE HALF INCH!!!) and chop up some more firewood.

Fare thee well, I shall return at a later time.

Tags: fredericksburg, internship, long road, roomates, sca, vagabond, volunteer
Current Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: Four Non-Blondes -"What's Up"