It's official! We just returned from our trip to consummate our land purchase. As seems to be the case in Belize, things unfold magically and the planets align. We ran into our seller at the collectivo (taxi) station, (hey, a free ride), and wrapped things up quickly. Talk about a happy collectivo driver and two gringos. The land is lush and has ample floral and fauna growing haphazardly all over it, but simple things like road and river access, and of course, adding a pineapple bush were in order. The village community there is fully resourceful and knowledgeable about how to get simple things done (that completely escape those of us who have never had to work any sort of land in any sort of way) so over cold beers we began mapping out the landscaping and were able to arrange to have some of the work done while we are back in the states.
It should be noted that almost everyone we know in the US thinks we are insane to consider moving us and our baby to the jungle. Grandparents are appalled. Friends are humored. We are idealistically insane but have met enough ex-pats to know it's possible to create this life. The fact that most of them have money and we do not does not escape us, but we are forging ahead (blindly) anyways. Dreams are in order.
My question to you (if anyone actually looks at my blog) is this: How would you create a sustainable living in another country if you had the opportunity to do so? Organic gardening? Cabanas on the river? Day camps for youth? Charter school?
Lastly, I need to give a shout out to Big Slice http://bigslice.clubmom.com/ - I ate nothing but fry jacks and beer on my trip and that has done absolutely NOTHING for the summer challenge. I want to repent for it but they were damn good....