Soilet

Katie, an aspiring engineer, has thrown her heart into a project known as the Soilet. A Soilet is a toilet that requires no septic or other disposal as it uses worms in a special box outside the house to decompose waste, as well as a filtration process to purify toxins. After moving through this process, the purified waste exits into the ground.

Katie, Sarah and Maren are getting ready for another day's work.

Katie cuddles up to her project and on the left we have the "Sexy Soileteers."

Soilets are a great installment in developing countries where septic units are cost prohibitive or non-existent.

Living in Paradise

We took a long weekend getaway and it was fantastic! We finally found the turquoise water and pristine landscapes we've seen in the guidebooks.

Our little adventure started with a 15 minute plane ride from the mainland to the key. Kyle is displaying the plastic, reusable plane tickets here.

No, there were no metal detectors, no body scans and you definitely didn't need identification for a ticket! Just tell your name and pay some money and you can hop on this plane.

We got to sit in the front of the plane and catch some great panoramic views!

Luggage claim is pretty simple here. No rotating belt - just a concrete patch. :)

Kyle seems to have lost something...

This is us at the outdoor restaurant we ate at every day. Our table was literally on the beach and we had that area all to ourselves every night. It was great! They served fresh ceviche - I lived on it!! I'm glad I didn't know until later that I was eating raw fish. It was delish!!

This is an artistic night shot Kyle took of me.

We snorkeled two days while we were there and it was fun!!! Kyle and I love snorkeling. We saw lots of fish, lots of sting rays, sharks and more!! I loved Shark and Ray Alley best, so we went there both days. Swimming with sharks...what a thrill!

This is part of the barrier reef.  I learned that it's the 2nd longest in the world - second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. What does it mean? AWESOME snorkeling in Belize! We saw ALL kinds of sea life!

At the end of the day of one of our snorkeling adventures.

This is a cute kittie asleep on our cabana's front porch.

View from our cabana.

Me in one of the sweet swings at the place we stayed.

View from my swing. ahhhhh......

Kyle, meditative, at the end of our pier. We feel rejuvenated and charged up for more great International Development work this week!

All of Humanity

Francisco is an old man that lives near us. His crippled body stands a proud 5'2''. He tells stories to the neighborhood children who gather on his doorstep after school. His gait is uneven and it takes him about an hour to walk 2 blocks. If you notice, his left hand is turned around and faces up rather than down. I love him! He reminds me of my sweet Grandpa Welby whose back in the States waiting for us to get home again (my brother is living with him and taking care of his this summer) - sweet old men who have lots of life experience. 

It's impossible to watch Francisco hobble around without your heart strings being tugged - in a major way. It makes me ponder on life, on disease and disability, on compassion, on just being human. We all struggle to get through something in life - some of our struggles are really visible, like Francisco's, other struggles are hidden in the heart. I feel a human connection whenever I see Francisco. Somehow he represents all of humanity - the latter end of life that encompasses the circle of life - he's lived through it all at this point and is gracefully awaiting the next phase of his life. With courage and determination he faces his life each day and works to keep going. His gentle ways and sweet spirit uplift those who come in contact with him. 

Guacamole Heaven

As you can see from the pic, this is a BOATLOAD of guacamole! If you love guacamole, you'll be in heaven when you taste this delectable dish from Benny's in Succotz Village.

The avacados here are giant! They're about 3x as large as large avos I get in the States. They also have a slightly sweet flavor. Delish!

Avocados just came into season here and we'll be enjoying them for the summer. Yummm...

Waterfalls!

We took our Saturday to travel to some waterfalls a couple hours from our home. We went to Big Rock and Rio on Pools and WOW, it was amazing! Waterfalls in Central America - I highly recommend it!

To get to this spot on the rocks, you have to swim against the really strong currents of these big waterfalls. It's hard and tiring, but I made it!!



It's a pretty romantic place! 

Kyle cliff dives with great form! I have to say, I get nervous watching him - can't help but think how he broke his neck cliff diving as a teen! Luckily, he knows a lot more about safety now and really checks out the area before jumping in. 

Refreshing and beautiful, I love the waterfalls of Central America!

Ken made a great cliff jumping video of us - Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbmpOw3AnEU

Can you spot me?

Village Waste

Welcome to Succotz Village! We partnered with Succotz last year with HELP INTERNATIONAL and this year we are back! We love the people here! They are so real, so humble.

Our first project with the Village was to help them make dog-proof garbage cans. Dogs wander the dirt roads of the village and get into the garbage, making an unsanitary mess all over the village. The Village had an idea of raising the garbage cans so dogs can't get in them. We helped their vision become a reality!

Kim drills holes in the sides of the garbage cans.

Posing with some of the garbage cans that will be all around the village.

Shelby puts some muscle into it as she saws the posts!

Kyle mixes cement to put in the holes for the posts.

Taking a breather by the Belmopan river!

Matt takes garbage cans around the Village.

Kim walks to a can location with some of the villagers. I learned this summer that when doing International work, it's critical to work with the locals. Only if we talk with them and get to know their culture can we then do meaningful projects - ones that will last for years and that they actually want to have in their country!

If we go in with our own ideas and projects, they often fail because it's not really what the locals need and want!



Mixing the concrete.

The cement is ready to pour!

Kyle fixes this can onto it's post with Mr. Chan.

Matt and Kaylin pose with the final product!

This is it! If you're wondering about the Villagers not smiling for pictures, that's a cultural thing. They think they look goofy if you smile for a picture! These villagers are actually very happy people, constantly smiling and happy with life. I learned so much from them - so much about happiness and satisfaction in life!

Our garbage-can power is unstoppable!

Kyle puts on our HELP sticker! We were here!

Thanks for letting us work with you, Succotz! We love you!!

Cooling off with bags of water after the hard work! Fun, huh!

Have you ever drunk bagged water? It's pretty common here in Belize! You can also buy bottled water, but you can pick up bagged water for half the cost of a bottle!

Rough Road, Mon!

5 miles on a dirt road doesn’t sound that long, does it? But when you’re driving on it in Taxi Tim’s 1995 Corolla, it is looong! Even Tim admitted it wasn’t the best of dirt roads when he turned onto it: “Rough road, Mon!”