AcrossBelize : A ROW Expedition

The Blog

Installing an outdoor light

This entire week we will be working with Brainard August and his ministry, MEBAM, in an effort to help the village of Santa Familia. Today we started the morning preparing for the village’s Mother’s Day celebration. This celebration will take place in the evening at the home of one of the members of the congregation. One of the problems that we faced was that there wasn’t a street or porch light to provide illumination in the evening, so we traveled to the home this morning to install a light.

This type of rugged craftsmanship that spawns from necessity has always fascinated me about Belize; today was no different. Brainard provided an old florescent light bulb and fixture that were connected directly to an extension cord. Then, with some metal twine that the woman in the house found, Brainard and I crudely fastened the fixture to one of the roof beams. The job was not up to any code that I was aware of, but the important thing is that the light that it provides will help to bring a village together to celebrate mothers around the world.

Let us know what you think about our job, and we will be sure to update you on how the celebration goes tonight!

2007 05 15 Nick All Entries Comments (0) Permalink

Come to Belize in July

As a matter of public safety I would never recommend people ride in the back of a pickup truck. However, today the only way that we were able to get to the work site at San Ignacio was in the back of a pickup truck; and the day had been so productive that I couldn’t help but to make a quick video message to invite you all to come down to help.

The rest of the church roof at Santa Familia needs to be built and we have re-bar to tie, concrete to mix and beams to pour. Also there is a village of children and locals that are eager to meet all of you and hear your story. Let me know if you are interested in coming to Belize either as a group or individually.

http://acrossbelize.org/annex/july-21-28-2007/

Are you interested in coming to Belize with ROW?
(Safe transportation will be provided)

2007 05 14 Nick All Entries Comments (1) Permalink

A Lesson in Hammering

Today I got a lesson in hammering. Our Belizean friends showed me how to hammer. Then, I promptly forgot it all as it took me over five minutes to hammer in a few nails–but boy, did I show those nails who’s boss!

Nick captured the best moments on the camcorder, and we’ve uploaded a video for your pleasure. Leave a comment and let me know how I can improve my form.

2007 05 14 Matt All Entries Comments (3) Permalink

Happy Mother’s Day from Belize

Mother’s Day is not just a US holiday. In fact, here in Belize there have been celebrations with marching bands and cookouts to honor the mothers of Belize. With these reminders all around us, and our own mothers back home, Nick and I jumped out of the car for a second to record a brief Mother’s Day message. We celebrate all mothers around the world who are being honored on this special day.

Happy Mother’s Day!

2007 05 13 Matt All Entries Comments (0) Permalink

Belize on Fire

As the plane took off from Miami for Belize, I looked out the window and could see a haze over the city that I assumed was from the wild fires that have been burning in Florida this past week. I hadn’t realized that smoke and wind could change the look of a city that was miles away from the fire, but now that I have arrived in San Ignacio, Belize, I have once again seen another city that is clouded with another fire’s smoke.

The 72+ mile drive from the airport to San Ignacio revealed brush fire after brush fire which made me believe that Belize is quite literally, “on fire,” yet no one seems to be alarmed by this. Instead our friend Brainard joked that the fires are “purifying” Belize, which holds a partial truth. The agriculture does benefit from the seasonal burning of the under growth to allow the larger plants to survive and carry on, but I wondered if the man that was trying to keep his house from catching fire thought that the burning of the under- brush was such a great thing. Despite the occasional lone fire fighter, no one was seen paying the fires much attention, or trying to put them out.

Again, the interesting thing about smoke was how well it traveled across Belize. At one point during the drive I pointed out the window and asked Brainard if it was getting ready to storm because of how dark the sky was getting. He chuckled and told us that those were not rain clouds that were threatening to block out the sun, but rather, the smoke from the brush fires that were being blown west towards San Ignacio. And blow west it did. All over the city was a “fog” that clearly was unusual given the weather, and everywhere there was a strong smell of a smoke. Of course, no one seemed too bothered by any of this, and in fact it seemed quite normal. The football match still went on, the dogs still barked, and the little town of San Ignacio still bustled about like any other day. I guess the Belizeans will do just fine chalking up the hazy days to being part of a usual season of purification in Belize, instead of my worried thoughts that Belize is on fire.

More to come this week…

2007 05 13 Nick All Entries Comments (0) Permalink

Purchasing Materials for a Church

In April of 2006, Scott Neely and I (Nick Beazley) traveled to Belize to begin the process of purchasing the materials needed for the church that ROW was going to build in the village of Crique Sarco. The trip started off on the wrong foot when our flight to Belize was delayed a day, which bumped back the schedule for the entire trip. This meant that instead of getting into Belize on Friday and purchasing materials on Saturday before heading to the village, we arrived into Belize late on Saturday and had to wait until Monday morning to purchase the materials. This meant spending all Sunday in the southern town of Punta Gorda, and for those of you that have never experienced what it is like to be in a Central American town on a Sunday, my advice to you is that if you enjoy the the company of others then you should either have friends with you, or go to a church, because that is where the people are going to be.

Nevertheless, we managed just fine with each other’s company and it gave us a chance to explore Punta Gorda on Sunday, which prepared us well to purchase all of the building supplies on Monday. Then with materials and receipts in hand, it was off into the jungle to the village of Crique Sarco.

For Scott and the other two volunteers that were with us, it was first time for them to travel to Crique Sarco, so this was all new territory for them. Fortunately for us all, the people in Crique Sarco are some of the nicest people you will find, and our time in the village was a blessing. By the end of the week we had each made countless friends, helped to clear a spot for the new church, and carved a special place in our hearts for the people of Belize.

Scott Neely (left) and Nick Beazley (right) in Belize in 2006

During the trip both Nick and Scott filmed the experience and Scott put together a video of highlights from that time in Belize. It is our hope to be able to share our trip Across Belize in a similar fashion with daily updates, both video and written, to this blog, so that you can be part of the trip with us. Of course, the videos we take during the bike ride won’t be nearly as long as the one from our trip in 2006, but we will make sure that they are long enough to let you feel like you are part of the trip (just minus the sore legs from the day of riding!).

Enjoy the video from 2006 (below)

You can view the original posting of this video, and many other videos, at ROW’s YouTube Channel, or CLICK HERE.

2007 05 09 Nick All Entries Comments (0) Permalink

Go With ROW… May 12-19, 2007

On May 12 Nick is going to be leading a group to Belize to help our friends in need. Click on the image to watch the video, and hear how you can help.

Click on Nick to Play

If you are interested in going with Nick, and you are able to free up your schedule in May, then contact Nick:

Nick Beazley
nick@row.org
773-572-6181

2007 04 10 Nick All Entries Comments (1) Permalink

The “Belize” in Belize

I have been going to Belize for many years now, and one thing that it has taken some getting used to hearing is how Belizeans often refer to Belize City simply as, “Belize”.

The first time I heard someone refer to Belize City as “Belize”, was when I was in a remote village that I was fairly sure was a considerable distance from the Guatemalan border. When the speaker mentioned how he would sometimes travel to “Belize” to purchase supplies, I suddenly did a double take on where I was standing, thinking that I had accidentally walked too far and ended up in another country.

Of course, I have now gotten more accustomed to the vernacular of Belize (the country) and I will often drop the “City” when referring to Belize City, too. My next step is going to be trying to learn the Creole!

For those of you interested in catching a peek of what Belize City is like, here is a short video clip from my last trip down there, this past March.

I hope you enjoy it!

~Nick

If you want to get a closer look at where exactly I was in Belize City, then click the link below:
Video’s location

***
A general note about Belize City is to be careful if you are going there. It is not a place to wander about aimlessly, so make sure you are with a tour guide or someone that knows where you are going.
***

2007 04 05 Nick All Entries Comments (1) Permalink

AcrossBelize Announcement

In the August of 2007, Nick Beazley and Scott Neely will be riding bikes across Belize. Visit this blog to learn more about the trip, and to see more video.

Click To Play

2007 04 02 Nick All Entries Comments (0) Permalink

…and so begins the blog.

Welcome to the AcrossBelize Blog!

This blog is going to be your way of staying connected with the Across Belize project. Over the next 5 months Nick Beazley and Scott Neely are going to post weekly updates (both in written and video form) that will share everything from training updates and gear reviews, to stories from previous adventures in Belize and plans for the actual trip, to fundraising and projects that will be supported from the trip. During the actual trip we also hope to send in daily updates to the website to help keep you informed.

One of the ideas behind having this blog is to give a larger audience a closer look into the type of work that Rivers of the World (ROW) is doing in Belize. At ROW we are always trying to find new ways to use technology to connect our donors and volunteers to the work we are doing, and this trip, Across Belize, is something new that we are doing to raise money and awareness for a place that we hold close to our hearts.

We also want to hear from YOU! This blog is not just a way for us to share what is going on with us, but it is also designed so we can hear what you think. Scott and I have paired up for this trip because two heads are better than one, but now we want to know what else the rest of you have to say.

So… how can you help? Let us know!

We are putting together advisors that can offer us advice in a range of different areas, and we are also putting together a team of committed volunteers that want to help raise the money and awareness that will make this trip work.

Do you fit into one of these categories? Do you stand in a category of your own? Are you a new category, or do you simply defy all categorization, but still want to help? Well, we welcome all the help you are willing to offer, so contact us!

Send us your thoughts on:
bikes
raising money
camping in the jungle
Belize

long distance rides
gear
solar power
video documentary
and anything else! 

Either post a comment to the blog, or email us:

nick@acrossbelize.org and scott@acrossbelize.org

This blog is a way for EVERYONE to share in this trip, so keep coming back and let us know what you think!

Thanks!

Nick

2007 03 28 Nick All Entries Comments (0) Permalink