up and downs

As promised, this week was quite busy... and a bit depressing. Friday started out on a rough note as the army ants had succeeded and gotten past our defenses. We found that the two poor Ruddy Ground Doves had fallen prey to the ants sometime in the night. Poor little guys... I don't want to imagine what they had to go through. We're now working on a way to better spot the ants so that we can react faster and keep better tabs on their whereabouts. The only upside to Friday was being able to help scrub down the Green Iguanas at San Ignacio Hotel. It was interesting, as I haven't ever worked with iguanas. Some of them were fairly docile and enjoyed their scrub down, while others whipped their tails (I got a light whip to the face) and tried to eat us.

Another frustrating part of working rehab in Belize is the transportation and communication. We got a call on Friday that a Barn Owl had been caught in Orange Walk. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get the owl until Sunday night due to some miscommunication amongst other things. She was severely dehydrated but in good spirits (and by good, I mean feisty). Other than dehydration, she has no obvious injuries and is flighted. We're not too sure what happened to her, but possibly a slingshot or she ran into a window. She's eating quite well and is pretty intent of attacking us. On Monday, Belize Bird Rescue handed off a Chachalaca (fun name, right?) that has a broken leg. It's an older break that will need surgery, but the veterinarian wants to go for it. She was emaciated, but we've been tube feeding her and she was a bit perkier this evening. As for the Royal Tern, the prognosis isn't too great. It's more than likely cataracts, but we're giving him another week to see if there's any improvement.

In other animal news, I forgot to check my shoes before putting them on the other night. Surprise! There's not one but TWO tarantulas in my shoes! The first one I found with my heel (gross) and the second was found when I realized I should probably shake out my shoe. Poor little guy... my fat heel squished his little leg. How is one supposed to rehab a tarantula that's hardly the size of a quarter? At least I won't forget to check my shoes again.

I've started compiling a list of things that I wish I knew how to do before coming to Belize. So far I just have two items: fishing and being a car mechanic. Coincidentally, those are also the two things that I'm apparently really bad at. The blue monster broke down (again) when we went into town to get some produce for the birds. I tried to fix it... at least I got to work on my tan while sitting around waiting for a ride.

Monday we went to Spanish Lookout so I could see where I need to pick up CASA supplies. The ride there was beautiful, but we were driving the whole time so I couldn't get any pictures. I did get a picture of the hand-cranked ferry that we had to ride in order to cross the river but it hasn't made it onto my computer yet. Spanish Lookout doesn't really look like the parts of Belize that I've seen, it's more similar to a midwestern town. We got some ice cream at Western Dairies (I apparently love ice cream now). I got the craboo flavor, which is another native fruit. Western Dairies is run by the Mennonites and it's the only commercial dairy in Belize. There's a very large Mennonite and Amish population; Belize in general is exceptionally diverse in the range of cultures.

The prices here are surprising. Some things are extremely expensive, while others are really cheap. For instance, I found a large box of American cereal for $29 BZD (divide by two for USD)! Bananas at the market are 10 for $1 BZD and bed sheets / linens are quite pricey. I had to buy some triple antibiotic ointment because this job has its hazards, a small tube was $8.45 BZD. Movies at the theater are $2 BZD and a bottle of cashew wine is $8.50 BZD. Many Belizeans go shopping in Guatemala because everything is more affordable.

I've started to become a bit homesick this week. The newness of everything is starting to wear off so I have time to think about other things. I do have a phone and an address if you want to show me some love :) I'm going to purchase a bicycle soon which I think should help. I opted not to go for the scooter because it's more than I should spend plus I'd have to pay insurance every month. Technically I'm supposed to get a license too, but that's easy to get around with a simple "the paperwork is still being processed". Good news: hulu.com actually works here! I'll be able to get my American TV fix now.

Tomorrow we head out early to Belmopan to get my visa and to visit Belize Bird Rescue. Hopefully getting my visa will go smoothly but I'm fully prepared (mentally) for something to go wrong, as it generally does. No other plans for this week so far but I'm sure I'll have something exciting to report this time next week.