belize!

I successfully made it to Belize in one piece! Wednesday was pretty much a non-stop travel day... I think my longest layover gave me about 10 minutes to sit around. New Orleans was crazy, especially after almost an hour delay leaving Charlotte. I was literally sprinting (too bad I hadn't been running in about three weeks) through the airport with five minutes to catch my next flight to Houston. I was running to the next concourse and then... surprise! Security check! And apparently you're a target for individual bag checks if you've packed your carry-on full. So my bag was checked for gunpowder in Charleston then again in New Orleans. The TSA agent wanted to chat about my Belize bird book but I hurriedly told her that yes, I was going to Belize and yes, I was about to miss my flight. Sorry for being a jerk TSA officer if you're out there...

So, somehow I made it to Belize without missing a flight AND so did my checked baggage. Amazing. I took the picture on the left flying into Belize City. Last night and today I've just mostly been observing how everything is done here. I'm pretty overwhelmed by all that I will be doing, but thankfully I will have a month with the current ACM before she leaves. It'll definitely help me get a grasp on everything, I think.

I had about a two hour drive from the airport last night so I got to see a lot of the country. We passed the Maya mountains which were once

coral reef. There are so many birds to see... my life list is probably going to quadruple. The scenery is amazing and Guatemala is pretty much in my front yard (right). It's all so green! And it's cold! I had to put on several layers last night when attempting to sleep... it warmed up quite a bit today, but it's still pretty chilly. This is way better than 20 degrees in South Carolina though.

The rehabilitation facility is actually pretty nice and well-equipped. The eco-lodge is also really, really nice... you should definitely come for a visit if you have the chance!

Everybody that I have met so far have been extremely nice.. I definitely made the right decision to come here. I probably won't be able to update more than once a week, but I'll do my best. In the meantime, I'll hopefully at least be posting pictures on Facebook frequently to tide you over.

Thanks again for all your thoughts, support, and interest in what I'm doing! Stay tuned.