Adventures with the Grandparents!!!

     I had a wonderful time with my grandparents and I have made memories that I am sure I will never forget. I am also incredibly thankful for this time that I was able to spend traveling Belize with them. I realized it's this time is something not all my cousins will get to do or many others for that matter. There were many times you just had to go with the flow and many other times I just had to laugh at how things turned out. I am so blessed to have the grandparents I do on both sides of my family.
     So I met up with my grandparents on Friday and we spent some time catching up and planning our first couple of days. Saturday morning I went downtown and met my grandparents for breakfast. Then we spent some time wandering around the busy Saturday market, where my grandpa got his shoes shined and my grandma bought a skirt from one of the local vendors. Then there was trying the coconut water, and pupusas for lunch. It also humored me the conversations my grandpa would strike up with any random person he saw and the questions he asked. But this is how he found out where his brother in law lived. Just by striking up a conversation with one of the Barton Creek Mennonites, and asking if he knew a Henry Thiessen.  Sure enough he did and they lived in the same community.  So part o that afternoon was spent figuring out how we would get to Barton Creek and when we would go. Well we decided Sunday afternoon would be the time to go. So now it was just the how. Well that turned out to be by taxi. He looked and asked around looking for a taxi that would take us and how much it would cost. The road isn't the greatest that was something else that they had to factor in. Later in the afternoon we went to Margaret's and I showed them where I lived. We spent some time visiting with Margaret, and then later we all went out for supper. My grandpa used this time to tell his stories and shed some of his wisdom.

Grandpa getting his shoes shined

Grandma and Tino

Grandpa and Zion

     Sunday morning I met my grandparents downtown and then we caught a taxi and headed to church. So they were able to see where I go to church and preschool. After church we went out for lunch and then we went and met our taxi driver that we had hired to take us to Barton Creek. Barton Creek is where a group of conservative Mennonites live. Some even compare them to the Amish. Anyways this is where we went for the afternoon. Henry Thiessen's wife has passed away and he has since remarried. His wife was my grandpa's sister. So that is the connection, although my grandpa hasn't seen him over 40 years. It was pretty interesting, although they only spoke German so I didn't understand too much. But I did pick up on a bit. After about an hour there we headed out. On our way back we took a drive through Spanish Lookout so my grandparents could see that. Once back in San Ignacio we made plans to take Marisol and her kids out for supper and then we went to Cayo Twist for ice cream. I think Darren has become like a grandson to my grandpa. It turned into a busy day, but a good day.

One way we took the ferry across

The ferry is run by man power

I think my grandpa adopted another grandson, Darren

Dayana, Darren, Marisol, and Me

   Monday morning we went to Pops for breakfast and then we took a shuttle to Belize City, where we spent the night. I enjoyed just hanging around the hotel and soaking up the sun by the pool. We also enjoyed seeing the ocean.

Enjoyed some downtime by the pool

Tried to capture the cool looking moon and sky. 

   My grandparents wanted to see Blue Creek while they were in Belize, and so that's where we went on Tuesday and where we spent the remaining of our time together. But first we had to decide on how we were going to get there. We decided that we would rent a vehicle in Orange Walk, because things are so spread out in Blue Creek and then my grandpa could drive around and explore on his own a bit. Then we just had to decide how we were going to get to Orange Walk. We looked into taking a shuttle or a taxi, but they were too expensive, so we figured we'd take the bus. Then while were looking into the different options for getting my grandparents back to Cancun we had to go out and look into airline tickets, it was that or take the overnight bus again. So the taxi driver that took us out offered to take us to Orange Walk for less then the other prices we had gotten. So that's what we ended up doing. So I have yet to take a bus, but that's ok with me. My grandparents also decided that they would take the overnight bus from Orange Walk to Cancun when they returned, which that ended up changing too. Once we got to Orange Walk we rented a car and then made our way to Blue Creek. Once we arrived my grandpa had no problem finding people to talk to and ask where different people that he knew of lived. He sure does have a way of getting around. After they got settled into hotel room we went to the Dave and Daphne Dyck's house for supper. This is where I stayed last time I was in Blue Creek and where I stayed again this time.

On the way to Orange Walk we saw all these trucks filled with Sugar Cain

   Wednesday morning I went to a spelling bee. It was neat to watch as I had never been to one before. It was also a great reminder of the importance of pronouncing words right and how often we are lazy in how we say things. In the afternoon I went with my grandparents to see Shipyard which is another Mennonite community. But this one is more conservative, but not as conservative as Barton Creek. Later in the afternoon we went and saw the Dyck's coconut field, and learned about how coconuts are grown and how long it takes for them to produce, which is 4 years. In the evening I went to bible study for the youth.

A tractor with steel wheels

I think this was an old colony church

The school in Shipyard

girls heading home after school

A sprayer

A field of coconut trees

   Thursday I just hung out. I went out with my grandparents for a bit and otherwise it was just a quiet day.
   Friday morning I went out for breakfast one last time with my grandparents. After that it was time to say good bye. They were meeting the guy we rented the car from mid morning and then he was going to take them across the boarder and make sure they got on the bus that was heading to Cancun. Then later in the afternoon it was time for me to head back too. I was able to catch a ride home with a family that was coming to the area for the weekend.
   It was a great week with lots of great memories made. I am so thankful the way things turned out, and the time was proof that God works everything out according to his will. As I write this it is another great reminder of that truth again. When things don't go the way you think they should or you wonder how things will end up, or why things happened the way they did, God is working everything out the way he has planned. And that concludes my week with my grandparents in Belize!

Had some fun playing with my camera and got this picture!