Hello dear friends who have not given up on me yet! Sorry I haven't been writing very much. Thanks to Andrea for the comment, that really motivated me to get back on the blogging horse!

So here are some highlights from Belize 2007 so far!

After a fantastic time at home over Christmas - sooo good to see so many of you! We had a great time in Playa del Carmen after flying into Cancun en route to Belize. Enjoyed chilling on the beach for a few days and taking in the varied and plentiful restaurants, shops, cafes, art galleries, bars, clubs, etc! After living in southern belize, these things are all quite novel and I enjoyed them! It was also super fun to visit with Tommy Mo who was going through Playa at the same time- lucky or what! so we had a great time with him - never enough tacos al pastor that's for sure- yum!

Then it was back to work- and we have been busy! Jim's research is coming along really well. He is making sure to nail down some important interviews, spending some time in a different village to get some different perspectives and working on a survey. I'm still working on this advocacy campaign on the potential oil development that is proposed in the national park and indigenous communities. It continues be challenging on many levels. I am learning a lot! and I hope to come out of this year a little bit stonger, my skin a little tougher (and tanned : ), and hopefully not cynical but with faith in the fight and struggle for this type of justice. I've had the opportunity to meet with the Deputy Prime Minister and some of his cabinet, organize a trip for a busload of folks from the indigenous communities around the park to visit the current oil development that is happening in western Belize, and then spending a lot of time wrapping my head around Production Sharing Agreements, EIA guidelines for indigenous communities, impact benefit sharing agreements, etc.

The trip to the oil fields at Spanish Lookout in Cayo District was one of the most interesting and, I feel, one of the best educational and outreach activities we have done yet. Folks from Toledo were able to meet and talk with some people from the local mennonite community as well as the oil company (different company than would be operating down here). They were able to see with their own eyes the drills, the pipelines about to go up, the big facilities that are needed, the trucks, and to see and smell the flares (I had a headache within 10 minutes of being near the flare). And to hear some of the local concerns and experiences of the community.

A couple weeks ago we took a trip up to Cayo to visit Tom, who was coming through Belize this time, and we had a great visit with him- even played frisbee golf that took us over an ancient mayan ruin. pretty fun! Also visited the awesome Xunantanich and Cahel Pech ruins.

Another cool thing we checked out in PG in January was a traditional maya deer dance - incredible costumes, story telling dance all to marimba music.

One more of my fave pics: a guanacaste tree in western Belize

that's all for now, i will try to do better! miss you all and sending you tons of love. take care. xoxo

ps. we watched the beautiful lunar eclipse last night as it rose over the caribbean sea. amazing.