THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

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.

View over the Sibun River from the lookout at Sleeping Giant

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!

Goodbye 2004 Nissan.  Enjoy your retirement in Belize!

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. 

So... much... stuff.

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.

Oh gosh.  This.  Is.  Happening.

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! 

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.