Islands

In Garifuna:

Naransena lun nidi agulla. Nafagunagie la naduguni sun nuvadugumari escuelo uguna. Gundatigine nasandiegu nungua lau le aduganalibei businegidina jamuga nadugu lau...

En Espanol:

Me estoy alistando para irme de regreso a casa y estoy tratando de aser mis tareas escolares completo y me siento felis por lo que e hecho y quisiera ase mas.

In English:

I"m getting ready to go home and trying to make my school work complete. But, still I feel as if I should do more but I can't push myself because I also feel good about what I've done.

Yep, One week left for me. Transition time. Am I ready? Will I ever be? One more of these and then I will be home!! yikes.

Posted by Robyn Montgomery at 09:28 PM | Permalink

Such a beautiful sunset tonight, and a gorgeous moon too. Bright. My daily routine consisit of watching the sun rise, eating fruit, my yoga stretches, a daily swim (a must!), sometimes a bike ride, and definitely interacting with the natives. I say I am a local now, because most people know who I am and call me like they call to their friends on the 'walk about.'
Today I ate a custard apple, and got the seeds. I've been collecting seeds, which are really neat. They will make some beautiful jewelry. Tomorrow I will paint on the front steet (tourist alley) with some friends. They are going to try to teach me how to draw and paint. be artistic.. something I find very difficult. I've been drawing on my own, but am not happy with much of my work.
I"m planning to go inland to visit Belmopan. I read yesterday that there should be a computer database with all the vascular plants identified. There is an herbitarium(?) there also, which I have to visit. Can you imagine 3,000 plants classified. I plan to visit San Ignacio again too, and meet Dr. Rosita Arvigo. She is a famous healer, I'm going to ask her to heal me... which sort of corresponds to my final project I did last year in Intimate Nature, a presentation on ways of healing focusing on the question.. why people need to heal. I did the medicinal aspect, while group members explored color therapy, music therapy, and other means...
I'm learning here, that everyone has problem. My experiences so far, have been unpredictable. Don't even know where to begin. I caught a baracuda yesterday with a hand line. Haven't gotten sunburnt anymore. (HA!) Although I think my forehead has peeled six times. Sometimes during the day, I find myself bored, then shake my head. I'm in paradise and I'm bored. I don't like the tourist very much, even though I was once like them, but am no longer naive. I washed my laundry today, just like the natives, in a bucket by hand and then hung it up. Everything is done with a bucket. Either 5gallon buckets or little to medium sized ones. It's funny, cooking, laundry, anything. Not a lot of people have plumbing, so they carry their water inside with -buckets. There are these uncovered holes next to their homes. A lot of people live in filth and are happy. Mosquitos are crazy. Yesterday I rode down to the mini reserve to take pictures of some local species, and thought, the morning was great timing before the sun and such hit. Whoa. Immediately I was swarmed with mosquitos, I had to run. I mean like thirty -fast, I ran, no joke.
To get more accepted with the folks my age or a little older so I can "study" them, I've learned to play with their kids. The adults didn't readily want to open up to me, but once they saw their kids loving me, they accepted me too, and now call me their friend. I let the little girls color with my pencils and played marbles with the boys. The adults seeing this, started an adult game of marbles, I played. Its a fun game. Everyone is full of attitude and love. I thought I had a sailor's mouth, but ha!, I've never heard the word 'fuck' used so much, with so many contexts, its funny. Alright, I'm out, like everyone else, I'm also waiting for my financial aid to come in so I can do some more diving and such. Robyn

P.S. Randy, I hope you recover soon.

Posted by Robyn Montgomery at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Just thought I'd update the blog scene on this cloudy lazy sunday. Let's see...I took the water taxi over to San Pedro earlier in the week to get my passport stamped. She told me I was illegally here but stamped me anyhow. I spent the day there in that fast paced environment. I dodged women driving golf carts and men in their mini van taxi's. I like Caye Caulker much better and decided to stay here for the rest of the time.
I met a man from Wisconsin here tracking a relocation of Howler monkeys with gps and he invited me to travel with him on the mainland to do this tracking. I would have gone, my interest being the fruit trees the monkeys live in, but decided against it. Not only did John establish this crush for me, he also started planning my days for me. That is something that I can't stand, being a control freak, I can only ride on someone else's schedule so long. I spent two days with him. The first getting to know him, we canoed to the northern end of the island, past the split. Mostly bird watching and snorkeling. We ate dinner that night and planned the next day. We planned to meet at 10:30am to eat brunch and look up the birds we saw. But then John woke me up at 7:30am the next day with a note he wrote to me explaining how he felt and would like to be with me.... So that was it. I bombed the plans to meet for brunch, and just went along my own path. It's really funny, because all the complaints that I had discussed with him were about men hitting on me, and how I am really sick of it..
Used the computer, had tea with a friend here, then went back to bed. I knew eventually John would be at my door. And yep, when he came by I got up and we ended up renting bikes and riding to the southern end of the island. (wouldn't I know it, guess who just came into the computer lab... He was supposed to be gone already.. john!)(He was asking when the lady who ran the lab would be back, I turned to answer and it was him, he obviously didn't recognize me from behind with my braids.. augh!!) So that was it basically. After riding to the southern end, we rode up to the split where I was meeting Lloyd. I talked to Lloyd for a brief moment, even introduced him to John and then he left. John turned to me and said he was leaving probably Friday and to have a nice life, that It looked like I would rather stay here and interact with the locals. I said, "well that's what I"m here for!" Then he got on his bike and I watched him leave, feeling really dumbfounded and alone.
But then I blew it off. Saw Lloyd again and ended up going spear fishing with him for about an hour. Which was really fun. We speared a black snapper, a jack fish, and a grunt. Later I ate dinner with Lloyd at the hostel and we drank some rum. The next day I hung out with another local, Sony. I watched and tagged along with him as he prepared a traditional meal for his family of eight mouths. It sort of reminded me of the primative cooking on the bog, where I live. Walking house to house (eventually being miles) to complete the meal, exhausting yourself in the simple preparation. He made coconut fish head stew with mashed plaintain. He beat the plaintain in this large carved out wooden bowl like thing until it was the consistency of bread dough. I really didn't like any of it, but thankful because after all that walking I was really hungry. I'm not too fond of fish head stew.
The next night, I decided to plunge and go out. My first real night out on the town by myself. I went to the Ocean Side bar. I went dancing. Danced three known songs then the punta music came on. I danced the Punta!! It's this really fast beat music -a Garifuna tradition. The shoulders hardly move, while the hips and waist are thrusting away, really fast. It is crazy to watch, people don't even move anywhere and if you concentrate on just the upper body that doesn't move either, just the hips and legs jiggle. I had to try. I couldn't help but laugh most of the time. and even know as I think about it. But these people love to Punta.
Today is cloudy and raining off and on, so I've been drawing and hanging out in my cabana.. Thanks for listening. Robyn

Posted by Robyn Montgomery at 08:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It seems as if I"m having trouble blogging, but I'll try again...

So, I've been solo for almost a week, and have noticed drastic changes. It is very different traveling and being with a companion than being alone. I realized this before we left and that is why I asked my boyfriend to give me about a month on my own. It was great having him with me as a friend and security blanket, but I knew I probably wouldn't interact as much with the natives/local people if he were here. I also wanted some time to really focus on myself.
So, I've been talking a lot and meeting many friendly people. This island is small. As I said in my last blog that secretly posted, there are about three main streets; front, middle, and back street.
While standing on middle street you can look both east and west and see the surrounding ocean. Caye Caulker is split into two halves. The hurricane created a split by carving out the sand and making a channel between both sides. The southern part is where mostly all people live, and all businesses are. The northern side, I swam to one day crossing the strong current, is slowly being developed. There are maybe six houses built over there. The northern part is much larger than the south half. The complete dimension of the sland is about seven miles long and one mile wide, at the widest part. Much of the northern part has been given to natives, but still anywhere foreigners can buy real estate. So all in all, its pretty small, and everyone knows everyone and everyone's business.
I've noticed a lot of interrational relationships with children. The mother's have settled here to raise their kids. I've made some interesting observations between these children, who most of the time are parented by their single mother, and the other kids who have both mother and father of the same race raising them.
There is a small amout of homosexuality here. Mostly visitors and mostly male. Some locals are, but very few. Friends of mine from Oly, a lesiban couple, were down with me for a week, and we discussed their observations of how they were treated being seen with Charlie and I versus walking together as a couple on their own. They said reactions by others were vastly different. The people were confused mostly when traveling all together as they couldn't figure out who was with who....likewise when I walk alone.

On a lighter note, let me talk about the reef for a few..

The reef (the barrier reef) is located about a mile off shore and breaks all the waves, so no waves hit the shores we stand on. Only a small tidal action is observed from shore. The waves can be seen crashing forming a white line parellel to the island. You really need to take a boat to the reef for good snorkeling. Around the shore and at the split, which is a common hang out spot there is not much to see other than an occasional ray and grasses, lots of hermit crabs though.
So at the barrier reef I've seen a ton of fish and while diving at other reefs there is even more amazement (lighthouse reef).
The barrier reef was hit hard by the last hurricane, I think in '98 maybe 2000?? but it is just now making a come back. The brain coral is growing strong and one of the first to regrow. I have swam with nurse sharks and southern stingrays with two different tour guides, the one I really liked was Ras Creek. He has been highlighted in National Geographic, he wrestles the sharks and makes everyone hold a ray. The rays are slimy while the sharks feel like lizards or snakes both very awesome to be so close to. The sharks have two penis (fyi). Here is a list of some of the highlights of sea-life that I have seen: brain coral, staghorn coral, and soft sea fan coral, sea spotted eaglerays, southern and yellow stingrays, nurse sharks, a bull shark, yellowtail snapper, angelfish, parrotfish (they eat the coral and turn it into sand), damselfish, barracuda, needlefish, groupers, sea urchins, green moray eels, founder, lobster, land crab and sea crabs, rock crabs, lots of conchs, honeycomb cowfish, queen triggerfish, and some of my favorite; sea horses, sea slugs, and a lone sea turtle.
I could tell you all of the cool plants too, but it would take me too long. I'm collecting so much, and am not sure what to do with it all or how I'll connect the dots. Take care, Robyn

Posted by Robyn Montgomery at 04:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Continue reading "" »

Posted by Robyn Montgomery at 01:35 PM | Permalink

Sometimes the person closest to you understands you the least, and a total stranger locking eye contact for a mere second, has knowledge of your soul's eternal existence...

Continue reading "Feeling Ill." »

Posted by Robyn Montgomery at 06:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Ah, the beach. My friends, Dom and Heather, arrived last night from Oly-Wa. We rented these great bikes today from a guy originally from Tacoma, who I am going to rent a room from until I leave. Real cheap. Who would guess I'd run into so many Washingtonians. I met a man last night also from Wa, who has a free music school here, and yadda yadda yadda.
We went to the southern point of the island and snorkeled. Didn't see anything. The reef is pretty far out there. Tomorrow we are heading up to this condo resort thing, for real cheap to kayak and snorkel in a better area. Mexico Rocks... I really love this island, and the island vibe. At night street vendors come out and the scene changes, reggae music comes from everywhere. Speaking in spanish is fun, it is nice to communicate with people from other cultures.
I'm about over my camera. I still gulp with heaviness at times, but Heather brought up a wonderful point to me, which I realize, but it was nice to have another person say it. Together we feel as if better things will come of this. That I will be able to explore other things and it is a wonderful opportunity to embelish in those things. I haven't started drawing yet. I've been reading heavily. All of Rosita's books, last night while finishing one, the man I went on a medicine walk with was mentioned twice as a prominent figure to what she was doing... mostly with investigating plants from the jungle for anti-cancer and AIDS remedies. I was shocked to see his name twice. I kissed him for such a great walk, we had fun... I did get some great footage with the dead camera I can't wait to play with.
Yeah, that's about it. I went snorkling and bike riding all day, ate lunch, watch out for those chicken bones, and am now going to relax on the beach with another book, and then later go for another bike ride, this time towards the northern part of the island. I love exercising... it feels good. You guys remember when Gin said, that we've will probably learn more than we realize, and to guess what that is...I already get that feeling, like many of you...it's heavy, hun...or maybe I'm just a sentimentally silly girl... ha, Robyn

Posted by Robyn Montgomery at 08:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I just lost this whole entry.... Not only did I loose my camera yesterday, but I just lost the blog telling you all about it. Now I have to write it again.. I'm thrilled. How many times will I have to rehash this horrible tragedy.
Okay, long story short since I've written it six times already. Yesterday, Charlie and I left San Ignacio to travel out to Ambergris Caye, so we could meet some friends coming in tonight. We wanted a night to scope out the place first, and I was very anxious to get here.
We left really early, around 6-7am to miss the scorching sun...for the three hour bus ride. Well I had my new digital camera in this black plastic gift bag in my hand with a drum that wouldn't fit into my pack. I laid the bag on the ground to take my pack off so I could load it onto the bus, and then I loaded the bus, not picking up the bag. I didn't see it, if I had saw it I would of picked it up. I didn't see it. Why didn't Charlie have my back??? All sorts of questions have entered my mind. On the bus, I realized my bag was not with me... I looked at Charlie and asked him if he had loaded it up. he said no. and asked me if I wanted the bus to stop... I should have said yes... but I didn't.. I'm pretty self concious and didn't want to draw anymore attention to myself. beyond an overpacked bus already focused on me, being a white female. The bus started to move, one of the guys helping us load could have put it on... I had to stop thinking about it, I couldn't do anything sitting in the very back on our way to Belize City. So I read. In Belize City, we got off the bus, got our packs from underneath, and there was no bag.... I asked the guy on the bus if he remembered seeing it early that morning, he said no, and suggested that I search the empty compartment again. It all hit me at once. My knees could have buckled. I started to cry, and it came on fast and furiously. This rasta man came up and grabbed my pack, commented on how heavy it was as I was being dragged to get in a taxi for the water bus. I got into the minivan and started kicking the back of the driver seat while he was busy loading stuff up in the back. I felt like I had just been possed by the devil, anger. I was full of anger. and nobody to blame but myself. All me...
I cried for many more moments and stood in silence. And cried more. My project, documentation, all that money, everything, down the drain. I am devestated. I finally pulled myself together, went across the way to get some breakfast. Three tacos. When I went across to the taco stand, I had no communication patience, and since I didn't get a response after standing in front of four men, a few minutes, uttered. I"m hungry...I want food. They got the point and served me happily.
While eating this large black woman with red popping out of her head eyes came up and sat next to me and asked me for money, more like demanded that I gave her money for juice. She wouldn't leave, I had no patience I had just lost my camera. So I threw her five US dollars to get her out of my face. that was the smallest currency on me at the time. Next came another lady who lesserly demanded money also. I again, having no patience pointed to the lady across the street I had already given my money to and said go ask her. So she started over there and they started fighting and arguing. I just sat there hoping none of this came back to me. The lady returned and I just kept saying I'm sorry, until a security guard came up and got the lady off me.
Next, another man suggested that I call the San Ignacio bus station, so I did that and they saw nothing. I told them my name and said I'd be returning to hold it for me, but I know it is already sold to someone who probably has no idea how to use my 800 dollar Fuji digital camera.....
Well, that was yesterday. Charlie told me I had to get over it...I told him he had no idea what I was going through. I am grieving. I am in mouring. Yesterday I felt as if I had heard for the first time that my brother had died. But I am strong. and I will find other ways to make my presentation interesting, other than relying on the cool things that the camera could have done for me. It just puts me back into the ice ages. It is really okay though. Hopefully my travelers insurance will cover it and I will be able to get another camera when I return to the states. Definitely not down here. So that is the horrible story, ten days into ten weeks.... this morning I had dreams off an on about the camera. I can smile again finally. and don't start crying when I think about it. and I'm no longer as mad at myself. I'm telling you, that is the worst... the absolute worst.
Ambergris Caye, is stunningly beautiful. the boat ride was great. I'm going to have some fun here... Charlie just walked in, and getting antsy... and I've got a large bill to pay... take care... love, Robyn

Posted by Robyn Montgomery at 07:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I am here!! We flew in yesterday and traveled down to San Ignacio, we are in the Central Hotel, which is a hopping downtown spot. Last night we listened to local musicians playing saxophones and various instruments on the street. I think there is someone constantly sweeping the concrete. I hear it everywhere. We got up this morning and had some instant coffee in a little one room restaurant across from a market place with a bunch of rasta's telling us about the mayan and jamician cultures as I inquired about all the wierd looking filled doughs.... We walked out of town a little ways to visit friends, the friends I am with know the locals well, and it is like a reunion for them when they walk around. It is nice to be introduced to people standing around and owning things. It makes things real personable right from the start. I visited farms already and seen Jeannine's beautiful property which I hope to be on soon. She's got three or four cabins on this great big hill overlooking the town.
Vegetation... just quickly. it is so lush here. There is the "bush" which I chuckle at hearing...Orange blossoms smell really good. Lots of medicinal bushes and plants, Rosita Arvigo lives down here, and I might meet her!! Yeah, I really haven't done the vegetation justice here. but you'll see soon.... Butterflies everywhere.... Just got up from a long nap so I'm still groogie... having a beer... Everyone have a beer when you get to where your going... Chow... Robyn

Posted by Robyn Montgomery at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

As of 1:30 this afternoon I became certified to scuba dive up to 60 feet. Yesterday I did two dives in Stelicom and today two also. The deepest I went yesterday was approximately 35 feet, today, Sunday, I hit 60 feet.
I have to say its pretty wild. Yes, we were freezing, even with wet suits on, the water was 46degrees! It felt only ten degrees warmer in my suit, if that. I can't say the outfits are very attractive either and there not lite. In fact, all the gear a person must wear to breathe under water is very heavy. On various parts of the body extra weight is worn to allow you to sink. On my waist I wore about 20lbs, in the front of my vest I held 2lbs, and on my tank there were 5 extra lbs hanging. Imagine walking in and out of the water with not only heavy gear, but with added weight. My poor ankles.
It is all very worth while. I spent maybe an hour total on the bottom of the sound between yesterday and today and I feel as if it all paid off. The feeling was utterly amazing. Even though I was cold and shivering, watching and traveling with the bubbles up to the surface was the height of the dive. We did see a small variety of marine life: starfish, flounder, sun starfish, squid eggs, pumpkin looking anemones, sea cucumber, and a sunken Frosty the Snowman.
Well, we leave tomorrow night. I guess I should start packing. I'd just like a few more days to catch up on sleeping before I have to hurry up and leave. I've become very excited and am mentally ready, I'm sure I'll pull it all together....
Okay, until I hit Belize... Safe travels everyone...

Posted by Robyn Montgomery at 01:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm getting over the weird-ness, and infact, I think it's pretty cool. I'm looking forward to learning how I can use this format.
So, we have a week left, pretty much. I'm feeling slightly under prepared at the current moment in time, but I'm sure this following week will help me wrap things up here in Oly.
Just wanted to tell all of ya'll about Yo-Yo's show downtown at the Eastside on V-Day, Feb. 14, She and Senyait and Sandman will shake it down with the love songs... It's going to be an awesome show, each of these people are well-talented...Check it out. My possy and I will be there.
As of now, Have a great weekend. See everyone next week......

Posted by Robyn Montgomery at 09:09 PM | Permalink

Yes, I hate to say it, maybe I'm old-fashioned. call me a republican. this just feels weird.

Posted by Robyn Montgomery at 09:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)