Ex-MTV veejay Kristiane Backer

I've been asking Kristiane Backer for an update for a while now, but she prefers me to upload her personal profile from her website (something I'm not comfortable with). Anyway, those of you who want to read about Kristiane indepth, check out the Kristiane Backer website.
She has become a licenced homeopath. For more info on that, go to her energy-for-health website.

Seeing as I don't have a proper update from her I'll just post her most recent email to me....

Hi Simone

Congratulations to your Valentines boy!Well done! Looks like you are having a fab life out there...

I have to tell you that I think the best and most personal profile is the one that I wrote for my own website. I have no other great news to report at the moment and would be delighted if you could just put up that very personal profile I wrote which explains how I got into homeopathy and also shows all my pictures lots of old ones but also some recent ones.

But right now I have nothing new to report except on the media front I am developing TV concepts and have landed a gig on QVC otherwise do voice overs and host galas/ award ceremonies. I also treat patients with homeopathy, it is extremely effective and has healed my hay fever- that is how I got into it as you can read.

Wishing you really well and if I have any spectacular news I shall let you know.

Take care and send some sunshine it is still freezing here in London.
Lots of love, Kristiane

So much to do

Living in Belmopan is just so civilized. We have cable television, DSL Internet, shops that are open till 8 o’clock in the evening and there are tennis and basketball courts around the corner. As it’s a concrete house, it’s nice and cool. There are no creepy crawlies, very few mosquitoes (the town sprays against them), no snakes and (best of all) bin men to collect your garbage!

Living at the Dome is more like being in the Wild West in comparison. You have to rely on yourself and your neighbors for so many things. Finding your own solutions to waste disposal, catching snakes, scorpions, tarantulas, putting out your own fires (we once waited all night for the fire brigade…they never showed up) & now the police asked us for a ‘contribution’ to buy a car and supply it with gas, to patrol our area more.

So again, we’ve come to the conclusion that we’re better off relying on ourselves and on our direct neighbors, even for something like security. It seems to be the best system when you live ‘out in the sticks’ like us.

So that makes our list of what we’re up to at the moment look like this:

• Take care of a toddler and a newborn
• Expand our resort with 2 extra rooms (in what used to be our living space)
• Build our own house
• Look after our guests every day (we’re fully booked most of the time)
• Buy back our old store in San Ignacio (The Green Dragon)
• Revamp our http://www.greendragonbelize.com/ website. Making it a separate entity from the Belize Jungle Dome, as the travel agency ‘Green Dragon Adventure Travel’
• Sort out the deal with our future business partners Tom & Marge
• Set up security systems for the local area with our neighbors

Seeing as my job is pretty much limited to childcare at the moment, you can imagine how busy Andy and Karen are. Hopefully I’ll be able to contribute more soon, but I don’t want to rush myself and/or Aidan. So we are spending lots of quality time together, getting to know each other and getting in ‘a rhythm’.

Today Andy & Lucas have joined our guests on a Kayaking trip & I’m in quiet old Belmopan with a sleeping baby one arm, trying to type with the other hand. All is well….

Building work at the Dome. Hard to believe that in this space there will be a bautiful suite soon.

Our old bathroom is getting revamped too.

Can you believe that this used to be our kitchen? What a mess...

The birth

Our little Valentines boy was born on Tuesday the 14th of February, at 11.37am.

The whole experience was rather surreal. I had been to my doctor the night before and was told that everything seemed to be ready for the birth. He expected that it would happen within the next day or so (as a matter of fact, he was even surprised that the contractions hadn’t started yet). Still, there also was a slight chance that the baby would hang on in there for a few more days.

As my sister Miriam was going to leave Belize on Wednesday the 15th, the doctor suggested that I could take a tiny part of this tablet that helps to start up contractions. That way, my sister could be there for the birth. Miriam and I looked at each other and just giggled. We got so excited! I could go into labor within the next 24 hours guaranteed! How cool was that?

After talking it through with the doctor and making sure that it wasn’t going to harm the baby, I decided to go for it. You should have seen Andy’s face when I told him (he had stayed home to look after Lucas). It was hard to sleep that night, but we somehow managed.

So, on Tuesday morning I strolled over to Dr. Raju’s house & was given the tablet at 7.45am. The contractions started at about 9am, we went to the clinic at 9.30am and at 11.37am to baby was here. Absolutely incredible!

Apart from that tablet to start up the contractions, I didn’t take any other drug or painkiller. I didn’t take anything for Lucas’ birth and was convinced that I could do it again.

This birth was easier in a way, as it was so much quicker. It was also more challenging as I got very little time in between contractions to gather my strength. Also, Lucas only weighed 6 ½ pounds & this baby weighed 8 ¼ pounds.

Throughout the birthing experience I stayed very calm and collected, up to the point when his head came out. That’s when I realized that I couldn’t do this. I felt like someone was splitting me in half. I wanted to run, stop the whole thing, and screamed like I’ve never screamed before. “Pull him out, pull him out!” I demanded and begged. Once I realized that no one could do it for me, something ancient and animalistic took over. I really felt like some kind of cave woman and experienced a rage that could light the fires in hell. It was this rage that gave me the power to push him out.

I tell you, having babies is tough. But it also shows you how much you’re actually capable of. So, even though giving birth is hard, I would still chose a natural birth any time. I mean, you are there with him 100% from the minute that he is born. No groggyness…nothing. At about 5 o’clock that afternoon I walked out of the clinic with our new little angel in my arms. You can also see from the pictures that Andy posted that we all looked happy and relaxed from the minute we came home that day. I doubt that I would have re-couperated that fast if I had been drugged up.

So, all in all, the whole thing got done pretty much within one working day (in the office by 9.30 out by 5). The baby was even born before lunch, giving Dr. Raju the chance to buy chicken, rice and beans for us all on the market to celebrate.

Oh, and we've decided to name him:

Aidan Terence Ronald Hunt (middle names are the names of his 2 grandfathers)

So, welcome little Aidan. We're so happy you're here.

And an even bigger family picture with babies older brother Lucas.

Miriam holding the new baby. Simone is resting up and will put all the news on the blog over the next few days. yeeeaahhh. Andy

Miriam (Simones sister) here for the birth.

Just Born

Happy Family

I have hijacked Simones Blog to put some pictures of the new baby. More will come over the next few days. 8 1/4 lbs. What a beauty!!

I think it's time....

Well, I believe the contractions have started. I'm off to the clinic. Will blog about it in the coming days. Maybe Andy will blog before me on the Escribbler blog.

Wish me luck!

And happy Valentines Day!!!!!

Latest pics...

Happy Valentines day everybody!!!!




Will this have been my last dip in a maternity swimsuit? I do hope so.

Been dancing and jumping around the house today with Miriam to urge this boy out, but nothing's happening.....

Strange days....

Miriam (my sister) arrived here on the 8th and has joined us in the waiting game. Still no baby. My actual due date is on Valentines day, which is next tuesday. So he should be here soon. I've gotten to the point where I have almost stopped believing that this baby will ever be born. He is giving me no more signs now of wanting to come out soon. And to think that he gave us our first scare when I was only 7 or 8 months pregnant....he must be quite a trickster.

In the meantime, there have been some rather strange and unexpected business developments. I can't yet say what's going on, as we're still sorting out the details. But hopefully I can tell all in a few days. What it means though is that our heads have been running over. With the resort expanding, construction on our house starting in the next few weeks, our new business partners arriving soon, the baby, etc. etc. It's all a bit much. Still, anything is better than being bored in my books.

Ray Cokes

Not quite sure if Ray Cokes and Kristiane Backer are back from their travels yet (Ray went to Cape Town, Kristiane went round the world). I emailed them 2 days ago and hope to hear from them soon, hopefully with updates to place on this blog.

In the meantime, for those of you who can read Dutch, an article from 'Het Parool' with Ray Cokes.

I'm currently trying to get hold of Paul King and Pip Dan as well. I'll let you know how it goes....

Moving to Belize Guide, part 4

Don’t start a business with your friends!

Is it unfair of me to say that? Am I being a party-pooper?

Look, I know it sounds like a fun idea: start a business somewhere in the tropics with your best friends. Imagine yourself a few years from now, hanging out with your mates by the side of your own swimming pool, making money as you’re enjoying the ‘tropical dream’ lifestyle. You’ll be far away from home, but never lonely as your friends are all there with you. The whole group supports each other through the trials and tribulations of moving to a foreign country. In time, you will start families, your children will grow up together & live the healthy outdoor lifestyle and everyone will be happily ever after.

It would be great if things worked like that. Sadly enough, the reality is usually more like this:

Everyone starts off excited. A business is decided on & land or property is bought. Not everyone is able to move down at the same time, as loose ends need to be tied up back home. So, one or two people travel ahead to start things off. The others are meant to follow soon.

Then things happen…A couple splits up. They no longer want to emigrate. One person gets an unexpected promotion and decides that the opportunity is too good to miss. One woman gets pregnant and suddenly feels that she wants to stay near her mother. Family members fall ill, fights break out, doubt sets in, etc.


What you end up with is that one or two people carry the whole project by themselves and the others are nothing but silent partners. Or-the more complicated scenario- people want their investments back. This can descend in to utter chaos, with disagreements on whether to sell or not, how much to sell for, how people should be rewarded for the time spent on the project, etc. With the chance that friendships of a lifetime suddenly come crumbling down. All very sad indeed.

So my advice is the following:

Don’t rely on anyone when moving and starting a business abroad. If you are still determined to do it with your friends, consider the following: Are you willing to run this project by yourself in case other peoples’ situations change? And are you willing and able to buy the others out when needed? If you can say ‘yes’ to those two questions, than go right ahead. I hope that it all works out for you. It would be my dream too to have to have my friends and family around me. So I send you my blessings.

Now, if you’re one of those who tried to set up a business abroad with friends, please send me your story (whether it worked out for you or not). I’d be happy to share your experience here on this blog.

Interview on Radio.nl

Just when I feel like the most unglamorous woman on earth (more like a whale, really) I get cheered up by an article on Radio.nl
Especially seeing the old photographs is very comforting at the moment. I hope that one day I can look all groomed like that again.



They interviewed me a few weeks ago and are running the article in 3 parts:

• Part 1 (27/1/06)
• Part 2 (29/1/06)
• Part 3 (31/1/06)

We're all getting ready now to see off my mum. She has to return to Aruba to get back to her job. I can't believe she's going..... Lucas already crawled into her suitcase this morning and said that he was coming with her. It will be hard saying goodbye. And what a shame that she has been here for 10 days without seeing her new grandson. I hope that she can come over again soon.

Life in the adventure travel industry

Belize is slowly drying up after that crazy weather that we've had. It's so nice to have the sun back again. Oh, and guess what? STILL NO BABY!!!!!
I tell you, this boy is playing tricks on me. He keeps pretending to come out and then he decides that it's simply too cozy where he is right now. He's been giving us scares for months, but now that he's getting towards the end of stay in me, he's finally getting settled. That little monkey.

Earlier today I was reading some of our latest guest comments. I just love how the Jungle Dome guests stay in touch with us after their holidays. They send us tons of cool pictures and wonderful comments about their stay at our resort. It is so heartwarming to read how much they enjoyed their time with us and how much they all end up loving our staff.

It really makes our job rewarding. And it makes me realize that even by working in tourism (which was something I had never imagined myself doing), you can have a postive impact on people's lives. Even if it's just for a short period of time.

Flooding in Belize

It's been rather grim here the last few days. It's been raining almost non-stop. This picture is of cars trying to cross the Western Highway. We got stuck there ourselves yesterday. It was unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it in Belize.

In the meantime, the Belize River is creeping up closer and closer to the Dome. We hope that we won't get flooded.

Not quite sure what's causing this freak weather. This rainy season (even the hurricane season) has been pretty dry, so no one expected this really.

Anyway, let's hope that it all clears up soon.

Oh, and no baby yet.....

No baby yet....

Not much to report on as my attention has been on my growing belly and the coming baby. Got a bit of a scare last week when I got some strong contractions, all 5 minutes apart. I really thought that I was going in to labor. My doctor told me that we should try and keep the baby in a little longer, as we can't be sure how strong his lungs are at this stage. He suggested that I should try and stop the contractions for another 2 weeks. He gave me some pills to take if I thought that I was going into labor. Basically, here in Belize it's a little harder to deal with complications if there were to be any, so the doctors try to be on the safe side & avoid delivering babies that are more than 2 weeks immature.

I have to admit, I kind of panicked. I thought that the baby could show up any minute and realized that I didn't have much of a support team. Andy and Karen were meant to be the ones who'd stay with me during delivery, but the Dome was full and one of them would have to keep the business running at all times, so I'd probably only have one support person. Of course, we would need help with Lucas too and the plan was that John would come from San Ignacio to baby-sit him. Still, how long would it take him to get here? Would we be able to get hold of him? Etc.

Also, the doctor had told me to take it very easy for the coming weeks & I had no idea how to do that with Lucas running around me all day. So I basically begged my mum to get down here from Aruba immediatly. I needed some help. And lucky enough, her employers were understanding enough to let her go, even though they are short on staff. So my mum is here now until the end of the month and Miriam (my sister) is coming over on the 8th of February for a week. So now I just have to hope that the baby doesn't arrive between the 29th of Jan and the 8th of Feb.

I'm seeing my doctor again later today and will ask him if it's okay to allow the delivery to take place if it were to happen in the coming week. I would feel much better having my mum here for everything, you see? Wish me luck with it all.....

Time to blog

Yes I know, it’s about time I blogged again. We are just getting towards the end of a 5-day “break” (having no guests at The Dome). We’ve been using the time to sort out tons of little odd jobs around the house, planning the next phase of the Jungle Dome’s development and of course getting mentally prepared for the birth of our baby. I am due at end of the month or at the beginning of next. So it’s all going to happen pretty soon. I don’t know how ready I actually am. It’s all a bit daunting.

By the way, as lovely as our rental home in Belmopan is, we have decided to not stay in town long-term (our rental agreement runs out in 5 months). It is better to be right by the resort after all. And anyway, the Belize Jungle Dome is a fun place to be these days. There is always something happening and we usually have nice guests to hang around with in the evenings. The only time when it gets a bit much is in the slow season. That’s when we feel like crawling up the walls sometimes. But we’ll just try and travel more in those months.

So anyway, we have started to make plans for building a house on the land. It’s an incredibly fun project, especially as we have the luxury of working with a great architect (John). I mean, how many people ever have the chance to create their dream home with the help of professionals? I feel so blessed to be in this position. Actually, I feel so blessed full-stop. I have a great husband, a wonderful little boy with another on the way, a successful and fun business and lots of great opportunities to look forward to. And now a wonderful home that will be build soon. The only thing that we still need to create is more time with family and friends. But I’m sure we’ll manage to do that too in the future.

Oh by the way, Lucas made another funny comment a few days ago. I’ve decided to note them all on my blog postings, so when I read them back years from now I will remember all those funny moments (it’s the kind of stuff that parents often forget over the years)

Lucas noticed a small hole in one of our floor tiles and said:
“Mum, there’s a hole in this tile.
We don’t like holes, do we mum?”
“That’s right Lucas, we don’t”
“No mum, we don’t like holes….only alcohol”

Where on earth does a 3-year-old get a comment like that from? He always surprises me.

Lucas and friends at the river side (Thank God, the crocodiles were nowhere to be seen)

The beach at Old Belize as seen through Ian's camera phone (very "Leaving Las Vegas", don't you think?)

Silly family picture (where on earth is my pregnant belly??? Strange.....)

Andy and his brother Ian

Happy 2006!

Well, that's it. Another year over. Hope 2005 was good for you and that 2006 will be even better.

I missed all celebrations last night. I was in bed by 8.30 as I've been feeling quite rough lately. I keep getting real dizzy, with a pounding head & nausea (next to all my usual pregnancy aches and pains). It's bloody annoying. Still, it's all for a good cause.

By the end of January of the beginning or February, the baby should be here. If it tries to arrive before then (which it may do as it's lying very low and keeps sinking down whenever I do too much), then I need to take these tablets that my doctor gave me to stop the contractions.

Anyway, I shouldn't bore you all with medical stuff in this lovely new year. As soon as I have anything more fun to report I'll let you know.

Oh, what is quite funny is the stuff that Lucas comes out with these days. We were lying in bed chatting the other day when he looked up at the ceiling fan and said
"Mum, the fan is hungry"
I asked him what the fan wanted to eat and he answered
"Salad"
He then jumped up and said
"Mum, we need to get a ladder, so we can feed salad to the fan"

And this morning he was talking about how sad it was that I couldn't fly. He suddenly had a great idea
"We can buy wings for you in the shop"
When I asked him what shop would sell wings, he said
"The bird shop of course!"
So that's where he wants me to take him later.

We also seem to have lots of giants walking around our house these days (according to Lucas). Sometimes, we have to snatch the tail (???) of the giants to make tail soup together. Lucas then goes around the room and shares out the imaginary soup with all the other giants.

Strange child, don't you think? I'm loving it though. I am always looking forward to more strange stories from him. It's so funny. According to my mum, my imagination was just as wild when I was a child. So I know where he's got it from.

Anyway, have a lovely start to the New Year.

Latest ex-MTV veejay update: Ingo Schmoll

Good news! I've received emails from Kristiane Backer and Ray Cokes. They are doing well and will write updates for this blog as soon as they come back from their travels (Kristiane is doing a one-month world tour and Ray Cokes is off to Capetown)

If any of you want to make sure that you stay up-to-date with the updates but don't always get round to checking this blog, just subscribe to Feedblitz (on the right-hand-side of this page). That way you will receive the new blog entries directly by email.

For now, check out the following update from ex-MTV Europe Veejay Ingo Schmoll:



Hi Simone,

It's really interesting to read and find out about the destiny of my former MTV colleagues. Firstly, a big hello to all of you wherever you are !

As for myself I nowadays live in the country side about 40 minutes outside of Cologne in Germany. After my gig at MTV I continued hosting tv shows for another few years in Germany. Every now and then I would bump into Ray Coked who hosted a radio show for a station in Berlin which was located right next to the studios of Deutsche Welle TV worldservice where I was hosting a show every Saturday until 1999. The truth is that I got extremely fed up with tv after that, particularly German tv, because most of it is total rubbish in my opinion and it gets worth every time I turn on the tv (which I hardly do anymore). But right after MTV I also re-joined WDR- EinsLive radio which is Germanys most successful radio station for people between 16-35 years of age. This is where I still work nowadays hosting several shows every week. The station really sticks out of the ordinary and boring German programming on other radio and tv stations. Most likely you could compare it to BBC's Radio One.

Besides I still produce music every now and then at my studio with a friend of mine. Our latest "product" was a pop track sung by Snap's former singer Thea Austin (I know they had several singers, but Thea did "Rhythm is a dancer" for example). The track was licensed to EMI who never released it, but they paid for it anyway :-) Somehow it got a release in Russia though and landed at number 12 in the Russian Pop Charts. But I never made any money from that as it was released over there by the Russian mafia (or their affiliates...).

Sometimes I also produce television features (including portraits of actors for example) or even advertising (e.g. for Mircosoft although I am a die hard Apple user !). Also I do quite a bit of voice over work. For example dubbing characters on South Park for German tv or characters in Playstation games such as Spiderman.

My latest venture is fulfilling an old childhood dream of mine: becoming a puppeteer of several Muppet-like characters on a tv show that is currently in the planning stages. It will be a puppet show for adults and I have been training puppeteer-ing (doing the voices and playing) some of the characters last week. It's been great fun ! So this is it for the "professional" part of my life.

As for my personal life: I do own a dog that actually looks like a muppet called Josefine (breed: Bearded Collie, age: 10). Maybe you remember me getting married to Janelle who worked in the AR department at MTV. We actually got divorced in 1998 on "good terms" as they say. Janelle went back to Australia after that. My girl friend Anna (who studies Design in Cologne) lives with me nowadays. Whenever we can we travel. Next stop: Snowboarding in Austria in February next year. Can't wait ! Hopefully someday we'll even visit Belize !

Sometimes I talk to Thomas Markert (Ex MTV On-Air, nowadays hotshot at Nick Networks in New York) through my webcam via Apple's iChat. He's working really hard. I can always see him online on my Instant Messenger when he's in the office which is most of the time (then again is this a surprise for any of us ? We're talking working for an MTV affiliate here ;-)

Finally I sometimes bump into Steve Blame in Cologne. He speaks German really well nowadays. I hope all of you are doing great, but from what I read here it seems like it.
Happy 2006 to all of you!
Take care, Ingo

It's always sad to be away from family for Christmas, but thanks to the internet we can stay up to date with each other's lives anyway. This picture was taken last night in Aruba at my mum and Miriam's Christmas dinner (with their partners Laurenz and Hans). Looks like they had a blast!

Aren't they just the sweetest?

Another Expat's perspective

I recently got an email from a Dutch Expat based in the US on his experience of making a transatlantic move (in response to my "Moving to Belize Guide") Seems that many issues are not just relevent to Belize......

Hey Simone,

It's interesting that you write about moving to Belize and the'hardship' it brings. I have to say that having moved from the Netherlands to the US, I have similar experiences.

A lot of things you mention in your 'Moving to Belize Guide' apply to any regular long-distance move, i.e. What happens in a medical emergency? The US has plenty of hospitals, but try and figure the medical system out here, if you're used to the Dutch semi-free system....it's very confusing.

As for your 4 points:

1) Money is often spent at a ridiculous rate when moving internationally. An apartment in the DC area is more than twice as expensive as renting in Holland for less space. Add to that the extra month of rent ahead and a very late first pay-check because you need be reborn as a new tax-payer and money leaves a lot faster than it comes in.

2) The need to be clear with yourself. I notice a lot of other 'expats'complain about things they could have seen coming. Lonelyness, homesickness, trouble getting used to 'weird'/different habits, language problems. One that struck me, is the problem of where to get things. At home you know what stores to pick, but when moving across an Ocean you lose that whole reference field. Drugs sold in US supermarkets can be prescription only in Holland. Liquor however is harder to get in the US (depending on the state you end up in). And what do you do when your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere on a high way, and you don't have a cell phone (yet) or automobile club membership (yet)?

3) People have a harder time with climate change than they expect.During my first Winter in Ohio, I caught a fever. No problem I'm a big boy, I can handle that. Just go get some oranges and life will be fine. However, doing so in -15C is quite an experience if you're used to living in a country where -15C is a one time a year low.


4) A lot of your safety networks falls away. Visa trouble? Nobody to turn to. Loose your ATM card & want borrow some money from a friend, mom or dad? Not here. Catch a bad cold? You need to make friends first before they do any shopping for you.

I arrived inWashington on Sept 3rd 2001. 8 days before 9/11. Very hard to get through a day like that without any real friends of family. http://www.radio.nl/2003/home/medianieuws/003.columns/default.asp?IntArticleID=78893

Anyway, I am sure moving to Belize has more and very different issues, but it was nice to see someone express the "negative" or "overlooked" sides of moving far away from home. Let's be clear that I don't want to be a whiner. Overall, it's a very rewarding experience and I hope to stay much longer in the States, but between all the great experiences have been some tough times too. I 'll keep reading your blog with great interest and am looking forward to reading the next instalment of your 'Moving to Belize Guide'.....

Jasper
Uw vliegende radiowereld reporter:http://www.radio.nl/

The true meaning of Christmas

I had it all planned out. We were going to have a real (normal) family Christmas this year. I’d set up the tree in our new house (the one in Belmopan) and we would have a Christmas morning away from the resort. I had visions of Lucas waking up and seeing all the presents underneath the tree. We’d have a relaxed breakfast together, get dressed, take a family picture in front of our beautiful tree & then slowly make our way back to the resort.

Well…that never happened. Last night I left the Jungle Dome ahead of Andy, Lucas and Ian (Andy’s brother is here for the next few weeks). I had told Tella and Nora not to cook for us as we were going to spend Christmas Eve at the other house. But the minute I arrived there I started to feel bad. All I could think about was Karen. I knew that she missed her family (just as I missed mine) and that she would be at the Dome by herself on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning to look after all our guests. She had told me many times not to worry about her and that we should go and have a normal family Christmas in Belmopan.

I got all emotional when I looked at our beautiful Christmas tree, the presents and this lovely organized house of ours (Our living space at the Dome is getting rather empty and not much like a home anymore), when suddenly it dawned on me: “Fuck the tree!” In that instant I got what Christmas was really all about & it wasn’t a beautiful tree or being in a lovely house. It was about being with the ones you love! So how could we even consider spending Christmas without Karen?

I quickly phoned Andy and told him not to come, as I was coming back to the Dome. We had to be with family this evening and Karen has, over time, become our part of our family. So that evening we had dinner with her, Ian and Gonzo (our tour guide, who has also become part of our “adopted family”). The only one missing was John really. But he’s back with his mum and dad in Scotland.

Tella and Nora performed a “Jesus” on us that evening. They had cooked for 6 people, but managed to feed 12 of us in the end. Just like that bible story where Jesus feeds hundreds of people with one loaf of bread. It was a great Christmas Eve surprise.

The rest of the night was spent playing Poker with all the guests. What a fun game! I’ve decided that that will be our new Christmas tradition; play poker, instead of the family picture by the tree.

(I did take part of our Christmas tree back to the Dome, but it looks rather pathetic. It’s the size of a large water bottle and stands up by being stuck in a box of wooden bricks)
Still…it’s all about the love. Merry Christmas everybody!

"And that one is for me and that one is for me..." (Check out the tiny Chritsmas tree in the building blocks box)

Brandy tasting session with daddy

Christmas rush

To all my friends....I'm sorry I haven't emailed any of you back recently. My outlook express is playing up (receiving, but not sending emails)

Actually, the whole Internet connection at the Dome is a bit scatty at the moment. I thought that our rescue would be the new DSL line in our Belmopan home. We had waited for weeks to get it installed and were very excited about getting top-notch Skype service and constant good connections.

Well, it wasn't to be. Last night I was planning to use it for the first time, but instead of getting online, I managed to mess up the whole system. I pressed a button and re-programmed everything. Obviously, Andy wasn't around or that would have never happened. It was just Karen and me there. What a fool & how bloody annoying!

Anyway, life here is as hectic as I imagine everyone's life is right now. Crazy Christmas rush, trying to tie up all kind of lose ends....you know the story.

Hope none of you are losing your sanity yet. Still ten days to go. Good luck with all the Christmas parties and hang-overs! (Not missing those much, I have to say)

Adios my dears!

Getting dressed in the carpark outside the courthouse (Andy did find a suit to wear after all)

Look how big I am!

Our wedding party (in front of our new bus)

Moments before the ceremony.....

Present at the wedding: Mr. Flowers, John, Karen, my mum, Andy, Lucas and I.

As plain as the ceremony was, I still got a bit teary-eyed when we got to the "I do's".

You may kiss the bride!

Lucas was bored and ran off straight after the ceremony, shouting "Finished!" (cheeky monkey)

Mr. & Mrs. Hunt with our dear Karen (And look, our wedding certificate!) I have to say, we loved our simple wedding. It was just what we had wanted.

Our post-wedding meal at the local market (chicken, beans & fry jacks)

The wedding day

Today at 9am we're getting married. We haven't invited anybody, the only people there will be my mum, Karen and John (Apart from Andy, Lucas and me). We didn't invite anyone because we want to leave straight after signing the paperwork to get down to the beach. We're staying at Hamanasi resort in Hopkins for the night & want to make the most of our time there. My mum can look after Lucas & Andy and I can hopefully get some time together.

It's funny, Andy's suits are all mouldy, so he'll have to wear a shirt and a pair of shorts to our "wedding". And we're getting married by this old man called Mr. Flowers who sits at the local market every day (his "office" is a table at a food stall). He is, apparently, a senior justice of the peace, so he's licensed to marry people. He looks like quite a character.

Anyway, we better walk past the food stall this morning on our way to the courthouse, to make sure he hasn't forgotten about us. He didn't even write down the date when we told him when we wanted to get married.

I better get a move on. Get packing, have a shower, sort out the washing, get Lucas ready, etc.

I'll blog (with lots of pictures) in a few days. Wish me luck.......

Lucas is already as hard-working as his dad. Here he is listening to sea shells (obviously, a very important job) He gets deadly serious when he is "working" and we have to wait until he is done before we can leave the house with him.

This is what they look like when they are not working....

Our Belmopan home "the town house"

Moving to Belize Guide, Part 3

For those interested in leaving the rat race behind and settling in Belize, here is part 3 of my "Moving to Belize Guide"

Being humble

So you’re planning to leave western civilization and move to a developing country like Belize. Depending on your current social & financial status, you may be fooled in to believing that the developing country will be awaiting you with open arms, happy to receive your financial and professional input. Though this may be the case in some isolated instances, overall I can assure you of a rather rude awakening.

Most likely, the locals will be utterly unimpressed with who you’ve been “back home”. All they see right now is a foreigner who doesn’t understand the local way of life. Europeans, Canadians and especially Americans are generally regarded as arrogant. We talk too loud, we try to rush people and we usually think that our way is the better way (or at least a more efficient way).

We often come to developing countries with huge dreams and expectations; we will build an enormous resort, a hospital, a 300-seater restaurant, a water park, a crocodile park, a research center, the list goes on. We will be providing work and income for the local community & therefore expect the locals to be as excited as we are about our dreams.

We also may believe that we have found the “gap in the market”, like the man who opened the shoe shop on Placencia after noticing that no one had any shoes there. He invested his money, opened his store & then discovered that no one was actually interested in owning any shoes (there aren’t any roads on Placencia, only sandy beaches)

Then there was the man who decided to start the first fly-fishing business on Aruba (I won’t mention any names, but it’s someone very close to me). He paid someone to set up his “www.FlyFishingAruba.com” website & then discovered that no one actually offers fly-fishing in Aruba because it is too windy there.

So, take it easy. Do your research. Start slowly. Get to know the local customs. Don’t rush in flapping your dollars in the air. Be humble. Observe. Then proceed, following the local customs as much as you can. Even if none of it makes sense to you. You are in their country, so you owe the locals a certain amount of respect. They may do things a certain way because it makes more sense in a small country or because it fits with their particular view of life. Who are we to say that theirs is an inferior way?

We always seem to think that we are so much more efficient, yet occasionally we will surprised by how quickly something can get done in a developing country. It just always looks like things move slowly. Mainly because no one rushes around the way we are used to. People chitchat more, take long lunch breaks, most paper work still gets done by hand, women file their nails whilst they are working and often they’ll just sit in silence, without jumping up to help the next customer.

That’s another thing we needed to get used to when we first came to Belize, the silences. We used to fill up “uncomfortable silence” with words, any words, as long as the silence got broken. Now we realize that silence is not regarded as uncomfortable in Belize. In Europe, if a silence continues too long, it means that it is time to move on (we all get that hint, right?) Not so in Belize. Here, silence can be many things. It can simply be a form of togetherness. People will come and visit you even if they have nothing to tell you. They will quite happily sit with you in silence for half an hour before they move on or say the next sentence.

Silence is also a form of negotiation, probably one of the strongest. If you are unhappy with what someone has just told you in a meeting, don’t argue with them, just sit there silently (maybe hum and hah a little & look a tat worried). After a while the other party will come with a new suggestion. Continue this process until you both come to an agreement. It’s an unusual way of doing business for most of us, but much more effective (in a country like Belize) than raising your voice or trying to persuade someone that you are right. And I’m sure it’s better for your heart too, in the long run.

Andy has become a master at “out-silencing” people. I still get uncomfortable. But then, for years I used to get paid to talk. It is my first line of defense when I’m scared. Maybe I’ll get used to it one day.