Don't Worry Be Happy!!!

So I officially have one week until my internship is over. The last couple of have days have been a bit rough as I have been trying to prepare myself for next week when goodbyes will be the majority of my conversations. I went up to Dangriga yesterday to a funeral - I didn't have to do this one, I was just in attendance. I didn't know the woman that died, but I did know some of her family as they live in Mango Creek, so I went up to the city with Miss Lorna and some other members of the community to support their family. As the locals from Mango Creek hopped on the bus to make our way to the grave yard for the burial, I quickly checked my cell phone, and found that there were a number of voicemails from home with no message. It's not like family to phone that persistently and not leave a message so I figured something was up. So I called home asap. It turned out that my uncle Scottie (who is my great uncle and who my family has been quite close to) died suddenly on Tuesday evening from a massive heart attack. I didn't end up making it to the burial of the deceased person due to the shock of the news about my uncle Scottie, but instead I hung out at the sea. My family is really close, so this it's going to be hard for me to be down here and not in Alberta with family during the funeral. I know that this is where I need to be, it's just hard to be so far away. I was able to talk to my family and my aunt last night and just being able to tell them that I was thinking about them and praying for them helped me not to be super upset of the news.

I made my way over to the Peninsula this afternoon to book a hotel room for my parents for when they show up next week and while I was there grabbed a quick bite to eat. While I was sitting at the Hokey Pokey waiting to head across to the Peninsula I was presented with a bit of a reality check as to the culture that I'm about to head back into. Belize as you know is super laid back. I swear the song "Don't worry be happy" was actually written for Belize, and if it wasn't, it should have been. I've learned with time to embrace the laid back way of life, and must admit am loving it. I haven't felt stressed (much). And the one thing that has really been refreshing is the lack of talk about money. In Canada, it seems like everyone is out to make more money then the next person.....not everyone is like this but, we can be. Anyway, I was sitting at the water taxi attempting to read a book and a couple of tourists were sitting beside me. And all they talked about was money and how it just cost them $12,000 to buy something, and how house prices in California are over a million and so on and so forth. They talked about it for 30 minutes. Part of me wanted to get up and say "you know there's more to life then money!" But I held my tongue. But it definitely opened my eyes to potential conversations that I'm going to be moving into in North America. People in Belize don't talk money, and if they do, it's not for long. I didn't come to Belize with a lot of money, and I haven't worried about it all summer because I wasn't reminded of it all summer and I really like that. I like that people down here aren't set on competing with one another (or at least there not in Mango Creek) or maybe they are and I'm just completely oblivious to it. In any case, it's not the centre of peoples conversations, and I like that....and was a bit annoyed by the conversation that I couldn't get away from as these men flaunted their worth loudly in the middle of the Hokey Pokey. This is a feeling and an annoyance that I need to be aware of over the next month, because the topic is going to be something that is going to be discussed in Canada and it's a topic that I'm going to need to be thinking about in the near future. I just kind of wish I didn't have to think about it or be reminded of it.....I like not worrying about money.....I like not worrying about anything and just being happy!!

Tomorrow I will be making my way out to Placencia again. Ruth and Malcolm Lambert, priests in Belmopan, who are hear for 3 years from England doing mission are coming to Mango Creek to visit. They haven't been to the Peninsula and have asked if I will show them around. I'm right excited. Saturday will be spent in Belize City enjoying a dinner with Miss Sonia from St. John's and then Sunday is my unofficial last service in Mango Creek and Placencia. Miss Sonia and Miss Lorna have asked if I would lead service on August 3 so as to have a celebration before I leave.

And because of the busyness of the weekend, I need to sermonize....right now!! :)