On Saturday, December 29th headed off with Emily (sister) and we met up with Renee (best friend from High School), Sherri (former co-worker and good friend from San Diego) and Mindy (Sherri's cousin) in Belize! Mindy also had some friends there so was truly a random mix of people but had such a great time. I've really enjoyed all the friends I've made traveling so far but it is so nice to be with long-term friends. First night we spent in the c*** comb Wildlif...

On December 20th a great man passed away - my grandfather - Ralph Baskett Jr. I was fortunate enough to be able to return home to Arizona for three days to be with my family for the services - about 200 people joined us in remembering his remarkable life. Was neat to see all the old farmers (lots of cowboy hats and belt buckles) and fun to hear the different stories. He loved farming, dancing, joking, traveling and being with friends and family. Also got to...

Very action packed week! Enjoyed our time at the orphanage - went with another student and one of the professors from our school (needed to help translate the rapidly speaking nun in charge). There are 18 girls in the home and it all seems to be really well organized. We worked with a small group who needed help with English. Really had a great time.On Thursday we went on a great bike ride through some of the villages outside the city - very interesting. So ...

On Sunday, December 16th, headed up to Grenada, Nicaragua on the Tica Bus. The trip went really well - no chickens on the bus but a few odd things to point out:Was told I needed to flag the bus down as it drove through Liberia - given a two hour window of when it will show up - actually wasn't too bad.Customs at the Nicaragua border was interesting. We all had to push a button (similar to one on a game show) and if the stop light turned red you got searched and...

On Monday, December 3rd, headed to another campus of my Spanish school - this time on the beach! Knew I'd love it when the commute was 40 min walk on the beach on the school had a swimming pool. A lot more students here than the other locations - probably not the best for learning but a lot of fun. The school ran out of host families so I had to rough it in a hotel with AC and 2 pools. Met another great group of friends - Merit, Chris, Agathe, Sabrina and Kim...