You Better Belize it

Yeah, that pun wore out the first day, but I thought you'd all still enjoy it. I wanted to post some photos today, but I forgot my flash drive back at camp so that will have to wait until next week.

For those of you who know my love of squash, I found some when we were picking limes and oranges yesterday. I think squash was first domesticated in Mesoamerica so it's only right that I experience this delicious food down here. I wrapped the squash in big leaves picked by Santos, our lab helper, and put them on the tortilla gridle. Unfortunately, the leaves and sqaush just started burning and it smelled rotten. The whole thing reminded me of a Martha Stewart recipe I tried once that involved artichokes and lemons in a paper bag in the oven. That one did not turn out either. Oh well.

Work is going well. We had orientation and hiked around the site. Uxbenka, like other ancient Maya communities in this area, is like a small city with plazas, courts, other structures and homes on hill tops surrounding ceremonial centers. Keith helped me pick my settlement group to excavate. Last week we excavated a unit behind the building that might be a kitchen garden area. The guy I worked with is going to run some soil samples for his own research to look for evidence of what sort of plants were grown in the soil and he will let me know the results of the tests. Next week I am visiting a cave with a canoe in it. Curious. Then I will start excavating the main structure in the settlement group. It should yield some neat stuff.

Yesterday we had a day off and we went to Nimli Punit, a Maya site that has been turned into an interpretive park. Then we ate a traditional Maya meal with Keith's friend, Pedro. We had chicken soup (1/4 of a chicken in a broth) with corn tortillas and corn and beans wrapped in leaves and steamed. Pedro fed us freshly brewed cocoa drinks. The fresh organic chocolate beans tasted wonderful. We sat around, sweated a lot (a fact of life here, I am pretty much sweaty all the time, even when I sleep) and then went back to Big Falls (the town we are staying in) and swam in the river for a while before supper.

In Belize

Well, I'm here in Belize. Yesterday was a really long day of travel and the car I was in had an overheating problem. We had to stop about 7 times to fill it up with water and radiator fluid. I was sitting above the radiator so my seat got pretty hot every time it overheated. Crazy. Reminded me of a Taurus I used to drive.

It is really hot and humid, but considering it's a third world country and all, the accommodations are pretty good. I have a bed and we have running water and showers. The rainwater we have been drinking is delicious, but it tastes like smoke because of all the burning (accidental and agricultural). I am paying for this service and others are waiting so I'm going to let someone else get on.

It's Fishy

I bought some tilapia from the butcher/deli section of my local grocery store. The guy helping me asked me if I wanted some preperation tips. I said sure thinking he would give me some interesting tilapia-specific recipie ideas I could try. No, this is what he said: "I put it in an oiled pan and cook it. Sometimes I put salt or herbs on it. You could also grill it."
This is what I said: "Great idea, thanks."
This is what I thought: "Um, I know what how to use a pan to cook things. I am also familiar with the benefits of salt and herbs. Do you really get people in here who need that kind of information?"

Here is where I need some help from all who read my blog. I am purchasing a digital camera this week before I go to Belize and I would like suggestions. I am hoping to spend under $300, but if it's a little more and you really, really, really think it's the best thing out there, I might consider it. Also, remember, I am going to a hot, humid, dirty jungle, so spending a bunch of money on the fanciest digital SLR out there might be risky. Thanks!

Thank you Dora Wallace Hodgson

I applied for a $1000 Dora Wallace Hodgson Summer Research grant through the WSU graduate school and I just found out today that I was one of the recipients. How exciting! This means I don't have to get student loans for the summer. It also means there are people who think my research proposal is interesting enough to give me money so that feels reassuring.

I know I said this on my last post, but I can't believe I'm heading to Belize so soon. Crazy.

I also found out today that I have a job next year at school. My City Archaeologist position ends, so I was hoping I could find something on campus. My new job, to put it simply, will be coordinating and managing study session leaders for various courses on campus. I also have to generate/compile reports to prove that the program (called Supplemental Instruction) is worthwhile. Getting a graduate assistant job on campus is really beneficial to me because not only is it a meager paycheck, but it gets me cheap health insurance and in-state tuition. So basically, I'm having a really good day.

May 7, 2007

I went back to SoDak again this weekend for Jeremy's graduation. The PhD candidates were the first to be recognized. All of his hoopla was over early and then we sat on the butt-numbing bleachers for another hour and a half while the other 1000 graduates walked across the stage. I was looking at the other PhD candidates on the list and saw one of Sioux Falls' local TV weather guys, Jay Trobec, was graduating too. Unfortunately, I don't think he was at the ceremony. Maybe he had to be on TV - there was some really bad weather on Saturday.

After graduation the Javers family and Sue and I went to Royal River Casino in Flandreau to celebrate. I lost $23 in the slot machines, but I bet Hard Spun would get second in the Kentucky Derby and won $14.50.

School is defnitely winding down for the semester. I finished my final Geographic Information Systems mapping project last week. Today I had my Advanced Cultural Anthropology final test. Now I just have a Biological Anthropology take home final to work on and I'm done. Yipee. Now I have to start thinking about / planning for Belize. I can't believe I leave in two weeks!

States I have visited

I found this interactive map online. It brought back lots of road trip / vacation memories.



create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.