ONWARD TO BELIZE... VIA PARIS

At last!  After months of training in DC, I was finally able to pass muster with the Spanish department at the Foreign Service Institute.  Bear in mind that passing this test means that I can speak in Spanish about globalization and human rights… but I can’t really ask for directions, order a meal, or talk about what I did yesterday without great effort and many errors, so I’m still not sure that I actually “learned Spanish.”  At any rate, it was good enough to make the grade as far as the powers that be were concerned, and so as of January 27, my training in DC officially ended.  

My snowy last day at FSI.

I had a week after my training ended before we were scheduled to head to Belize.  We spent a few days getting our apartment packed up, doing a few final strolls around DC, and getting together with the many great friends we made here.

Before...

...during... 

...and after our packout.  It's like we never even lived there!

A final stroll around our neighborhood in Arlington and past the Marine Corps memorial.

And a final view of the DC skyline during our walk.

A few early cherry blossoms!  I've come full circle!  They were blooming when I arrived in DC last year. 

The last supper in our apartment with our friends Shannon and Geoffrey... and a bottle of Dom Perignon to celebrate.

After all the goodbyes were said and our belongings were shipped off for Belize, we had a few days to catch our breath.  We took advantage of this little gap to get in a change of scenery in… PARIS!  Andrew had never been there, and I haven’t been there since a high school French class trip in the 1980s, so it seemed like a great way to reboot after DC and get ready for a fresh start in Belize.  Our friend Allyson from my orientation class was posted to Paris and was kind enough to allow us to stay with her for a few days while we saw the sights.  And I mean ALL the sights.  The weather was a bit dreary but it did not stop us from hitting all the highlights.  We were there for 4 days and we covered a lot of ground.  It was a fantastic whirlwind vacation.

Air France economy does it right - complimentary champagne, red wine, brie and baguette. 

Hello Paris!

An amazing self service coffee machine on board our Seine River cruise.  So many decisions...

The final products!  Delicious - and much needed caffeine after our red eye.

Cruising along the Seine.

A beautiful day for a cruise!

Begin sequence of selfies... in front of the Arc de Triomphe...

...and view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe...

...and at the Louvre...

...and at Notre Dame...

...and at night.

The Eiffel Tower in its full sparkly splendor.

With our friend and gracious hostess, Allyson.

We returned to DC for one night – on Superbowl Sunday – and got together with our friends one last time to watch (most of) the game before our early morning flight to Belize.  We arrived in Belize City around noon on Monday and were met by our “social sponsor” from the Embassy who volunteered to get us to Belmopan (where the Embassy is located – about 1.5 hours from Belize City), show us around our house here, and take us on a tour of the town (not a long tour – only 18,000 people live here).  They also took us grocery shopping and to dinner that evening, and got me to and from work this week until I was able to get a loaner car from the Embassy to hold us over until our car arrives next week. 

The hacienda.  We're got 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and plenty of room.  C'mon down anytime!

The reception from everyone here has been exceptionally warm and welcoming.  There is a housing compound of 18 houses which provides housing for the majority of the US staff here, but there are also several off-compound houses.  We are in one of those, but have access to the compound (and its pool and tennis court) and were invited to an outdoor happy hour at the compound yesterday evening.  About 30 of us turned out for it, including spouses, kids, and one family dog. 

Our stuff from the DC apartment arrived on Thursday, and the rest of our stuff from storage will be here mid-March.  Our house here is mostly furnished anyway, and we have a temporary “welcome kit” that includes pots, pans, plates, linens, and everything else we need to be self-sufficient here until our things arrive.  Andrew has been busy unpacking and setting up shop down here and has been great at sorting through all the logistics so I could just be focused on the job.  We're a good team!  

We’re looking forward to getting out and starting to discover this new country as soon as our car arrives.  More photos and stories of our discoveries will be coming soon!