Next Friday, my tour here in Belize will come to an end, and
one week from today, we will head back to DC.
My assignment here lasted almost exactly two years. Some days, it felt like 10
years. But in the waning hours, I
realize how quickly the time really has gone by. In an effort to try to cram as many memories
into our brains as possible, last month we had lots of get togethers with
friends to remember how many amazing people we’ve met here, and we took one
last hike in the jungle at the Sleeping Giant resort to remember just how beautiful this country can be.
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| View over the Sibun River from the lookout at Sleeping Giant |
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| One of many dinners with friends. Our friend Rob who had just left post was represented by a rum bottle with his face on it. No one is forgotten. |
Of course, getting ready for a move back to the States and
then on to Africa entailed a lot of household preparations, so January was also
filled with lots of logistics. Since
Zimbabwe is a right-hand drive country, we had to sell our trusty
Pathfinder. I turned the keys over to
the new owner – a locally employed embassy employee – yesterday. We also found a new(-ish) car to buy in
Zimbabwe. We bought it from another
embassy employee in Harare who will be leaving a week or so after we get
there. Good timing!
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| Goodbye 2004 Nissan. Enjoy your retirement in Belize! |
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| And hello 2008 Toyota waiting for us in Zimbabwe. Can't say we don't have a type. |
We also had to sort through all our stuff to see what gets
sent to Zimbabwe, what goes back to Portland, and what just gets tossed
out. Our stuff all shipped out on
Tuesday.
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| So... much... stuff. |
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| Oh yeah. This is definitely making the move - our "ulee" game. Sort of like corn hole. Or, "polo hole" as I guess it's called in Belize. |
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| Oh gosh. This. Is. Happening. |
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| Goodbye, worldly possessions! I hope we meet again! |
Since all of our worldly possessions – except for a couple
suitcases each – are now in a container awaiting transport, we are living out
of an embassy-supplied “welcome kit” that consists of some towels and sheets, a
few pots and pans, and place settings for four.
No more big parties for us this week!
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| Drinking wine from welcome kit coffee mugs? Sure. Necessity breeds invention. |
A week from today, we’ll check into our corporate apartment
in DC that will be “home” for a couple of months. Then on to Portland where we’ll impose
ourselves on family and friends for a month.
We haven’t totally figured out that plan yet. At the end of each tour, we’re required –
REQUIRED – to spend at least 20 days back in the U.S. to become “repatriated.” They call it “home leave.” We call it “homeless leave.”
As we enter the final countdown here in Belize, a little piece
of me will stay behind. That little
piece primarily consists of my patience and sanity, which were tested daily by
U.S. citizens here for the past 14 months.
But there’s also a micro-portion of my heart that will stay here. This was our first post, our first exposure
to the Foreign Service life. What a
glorious adventure it has been so far.
