First of all, Golden Stream was filthy hot. By 8 a.m., I would have sedentary sweat – the inexplicable kind of sweat that forms while doing nothing more than breathing. Conversely, Nebaj is cold and rainy. After one night of shivering in bed, the question “I left Chicago for this?” has already crossed my mind.

In the jungle, nightly entertainment included stream swimming in daylight, reading books, or playing games.  Bedtimes at 7:45 p.m.were not unheard of, and often times I felt like I could have been channeling Laura Ingalls Wilder. With my newly acquired electricity and “big city” life, my evening options have been expanded to things like TV shows online (hello The OC re-runs), trips to a local comedor or café for a cerveza, and cheese (yes, cheese is an activity).

This brings me to the most fundamental difference: food. A refrigerator and toaster oven have opened all sorts of doors for my culinary arts, but not without an initial crippling shock. I staggered around my new mercado as a bewildered gringa, not really knowing what to do with such different produce. Where are the plantains and sweet pepper? I fell into a panic when offered yogurt and milk while visiting the nearest store for groceries. These are things I can buy now. I will never have to eat another bowl of oatmeal for breakfast again.

Despite all the differences, the similarities of such disparate regions are uncanny and beautiful. The shy kindness and giggling of Mayan niñas and the carefully-made, colorful outfits of Mayan women are something familiar and comforting. Even hundreds of miles apart, transcending political boundaries and languages, these similarities are what remind you that we’re all cut from the same cloth… and that tortillas are good everywhere.

To check out my new organization, Limitless Horizona Ixil, visit our website at www.limitlesshorizonsixil.org. For more information on how life really was in the jungle, peruse previous entries from Belize.

But first, let me start by giving you some information about the island past and present as well as bit more about my life here. Ambergris Caye is the largest of some 200 cayes (pronounced as “key,” meaning an island) along the coast of Belize. It is about 25 miles long and a little over a mile wide in some places and four miles at the widest point. Ambergris Caye is located on the Caribbean Sea just off the tip of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Being on the barrier reef makes the island a popular spot for snorkeling and divers. It is 190 miles long and is home to the second largest living coral reef in the world.

Back in Mayan times, Ambergris Caye was a trading post and the Maya dug the narrow channel that separates Mexico and Belize to provide a trade route from the bay of Chetumal to the Caribbean. Following the Maya were whalers, pirates and the ancestors of present day residents,  many of whom were fishermen and worked in the coconut plantations.

Two reasons why we chose Ambergris Caye were 1) everyone spoke English and 2) we were easily able to find a furnished apartment that was a mere 10 minute walk from the beautiful blue Caribbean sea.  I came as prepared for our new life as I could be, and packed everything but the kitchen sink. I could only fit so much in four suitcases and I stuck with the essentials – cutlery, pots, sheets, books and all the little things we needed to establish ourselves in our new place.

We arrived in January 2006 and I was in heaven. We had finally moved away from winter and ended up in a fun, quirky and tropical place. I felt at home immediately. There’s nothing like trading in snow and winter boots for sunshine and flip flops to make a girl happy.