The online space of Caroline Bach
The room next to me in the office is a conference room, today occupied by UNFPA people in training and loud conference calls.
I just remembered I can block my ears out with some summer. Why didn’t I think of that earlier?! On a roll now – Thanks Majestic.
Back to work.
Saturday night was fun by the way.
We went to Club Elite at the Princess hotel where DJ Private Ryan from Trinidad was playing Soca music and commercial house tunes. The crowd was very young, the place was filled way over its capacity, and the dj was changing the beats a bit too often – but I had a really great night with my new friends from the Danza and Saturday’s bootcamp. We danced and danced and danced. Fun and happy girls!
The selection of nightclubs here in Belize City isn’t the greatest. Apart from the two clubs that are next to each other (Elite and Thirsty Thursdays) and both play the same type of music and host the same young crowd that doesn’t start to dance before it has had enough alcohol by 2am – I haven’t yet found many options.
Apparently there are other places, and I have driven past them a couple of times, but they are referred to as the “ghetto clubs” where somebody gets hurt every weekend and nobody wants to go there. Actually, every single person I have asked says: “We don’t party in Belize City. To have real fun you need to get out – jump over to the islands or take a trip to Chetumal in Mexico!”
That’s not really what I had in mind.. I really like the part of the night when you come home, exhausted and happy, kick the shoes off, take a nice shower, and open the fridge to have some dark chocolate. And a proper breakfast the next day. No checkouts.
I have still not given up, and in the bootcamp I met a Nicaraguan friend who promised that there is a Latino club somewhere. Where people dance bachata. A safe ghetto club.
I was listening in on a presentation about exciting UNICEF C4D initiatives earlier, such as the “Take Poo to the Loo” campaign in India – you need to see that Youtube video! The Word-made calendar behind me is inspired by the huge calendar Camila set up in our office in Nicaragua where we planned each month in detail – it’s really nice to have an overview of all the awesomeness that is coming up, and I’m reminded about meetings and deadlines I maybe subconsciously am trying to ignore.
I feel like I can breathe in my office now that I took the time to go through and sort all of the papers, folders and publications in had in my bookshelf. The communication officer office is usually where at least one copy of all printed material is dumped and stored.. and it was a complete mess that I couldn’t get my head around. Now I know what I have, it’s beautifully organised by theme and programme area, and it’s all marked with cute little tags! Oh, happy day! Efficiency!
Maybe I should create a category here in the blog for all the times I am being German.
Insane day today at Cricel’s The Revelation Bootcamp in the BTL park here in Belize City. The same girl who runs the Danza Revelation sets up these monthly bootcamps where all limits are pushed and the team spirit is in focus. We started at 7am and were almost 40 people split into four teams.
My team came second and we got a bunch of prizes.. but the best prize I gained was a whole set of new fun friends (insert violin) and the fact that my quads are on fire. Haha
We’re going dancing tonight!
There was actually a professional photographer following us today, so I might share some photos of me pulling a big tire, jumping like a frog, running weirdly or carrying a team mate on my shoulders.. can’t wait to see those!
Here’s my hippie moment of the month:
I was looking at the full moon from my window and it reminded me about my crystal and how I had been instructed to “charge it in the light of the full moon” by the person who made it for me. I’m not really into the magic of crystals, but I thought I might as well hang it out there if I’m already being a hippie wearing it.
At least to give it some good vibes and fresh air.
So I went outside – and just as I was hanging the crystal by the grid of my front door, a huge white owl flew by and sat on my fence, looking at me. So beautiful!
Hippie energies for the win. Good night.
I’ve been lousy at this whole blogging thing lately.. and there’s definitely been stuff going on!
Remember Mario from Nicaragua? My brother from another mother, Mario? Well, he came to Belize for work two weeks ago so we hung out and went for dinner, unexpectedly stumbled over a basketball game, and did some dancing and some touristing – good stuff! Then Monday came and apart from working my face off I started going to Zumba and Danza Revelation classes at the gym next to my house.. and on Friday I went with friends for a shopping trip to Mexico and finally got a proper mop and some other things I’m ridiculously excited about. Argentinian Malbec for example.
Now it’s Wednesday again.. work is intense and mega-exciting, and later tonight I have the Danza class! So many good things right now.
It might be a bit geeky, but a Guardian Weekly subscription has for some time been a kind of a definition for me that I have a home. At least somewhat long term.
And so today it came, my favourite summary and analysis of ‘a week in the life of the world’. Thanks for delivering all the way to Belize for free!
Good morning world!
Energy levels still on top, and I’m in my favourite kind of pain!
So I have officially found something that I want to call a routine here in Belize City – if you only knew the immense value of that in an unpredictable reality like mine. So much love for the moves and the beats!
Thanks to Danzarevelation and the super charismatic instructor and booty-popping queen Cricel Castillo. See you next week. :)
So, according to tradition, I made a video-tour of my apartment – this time in Belize City.
As I showed you before, it was already furnished when I moved in. I did remove the ugly TV and move the furniture around a little, but I still need to get curtains and a living room table.. and some nice art for my walls!
Anyhow – I really like my new place, and the fact that it’s all mine, that I can host a lot of people without issues (the couch is also a bed!) and that I can dance around and make juices and just enjoy – and the breeze.. ah, the breeze! (I have hurricane windows installed for that breeze by the way, I might not be as happy about it in the coming weeks when the real winds and rains come. haha)
Oh, and I missed the balcony – it’s behind the door by the kitchen and a good spot for sunset-watching, clothes-drying and wine-drinking. I just need a hammock and some furniture there.
So – what do you think?
Here’s a nostalgia tour of my previous homes:
Copenhagen – The hobbit house – Maputo – And the never-ending staircase – Managua – The house with a gym
Why do I do this? Because I forget. Because I change surroundings so often that I don’t remember the details of them.. and because I wish I had a video of my apartment (and roomies!) in Warsaw, or the apartment we lived in in Malmö when I was little.. and because I guess I will be living in quite a few places in my life, so I might as well make a collection. I hope this is fun for you as well, it’s like you’re visiting me in my space. Welcome.
Which reminds me that I somewhere in Sweden have a photo album of the cars I have owned.. the white Suzuki definitely needs to go in there! (I’m a memory hoarder. haha)
Some photo flashbacks.
I need to grab my camera and get out there and meet some of the people in this new city of mine..
Click the photos for the full stories.
Yaruselka, 20, and her son Haythan in Bluefields. Nicaragua, 2013
Lady I met by the Fishermen’s neighbourhood in Mumbai. India, 2013
Have a lovely day!