Singing Sands

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Took the Suzuki out for a little roadtrip to Placencia in the south of Belize.

We’re staying at the lovely Singing Sands Inn and yesterday we went out for a snorkel/dive trip to see whalesharks, as they only show up during the full moon. We had no shark luck unfortunately, and it was a cloudy and not very exciting day overall. Today is wonderfully sunny, and I’m reading a random novel that I found here in the hotel. We’re all alone on the beach and life is sweet.

(I’m covered in SPF30 mom, don’t worry.)

Love Never Felt So Good!


Michael Jackson ft. Justin Timberlake – Love Never Felt So Good (2014)

Heard this in a grocery store here in Belize City the other day.. and today the official video for the Jackson + Timberlake track was released. This whole thing about really talented dancers, diversity and happy people never gets boring now, does it? Brilliant!

Social Policy on TV

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UNICEFs Regional Social and Economic Policy Adviser Joaquín Gonzalez-Aleman is currently live on the Open Your Eyes morning show at Belize’s Channel 5, speaking about the function and importance of Social Protection, the different issues affecting children in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Millennium Development Goals. Tune in!

Speaking of Beards and Femininity

Men wearing women’s clothes, women with beards, Eurovision Song Contest drama and a whole lot of debate later I stumbled upon the story of 23-year-old Harnaam Kaur. It’s not directly related to Conchita nor her choice of outfit, but still a response to some of the mean and bullying comments I found on my feed yesterday alongside a predominantly positive response. There are as many set-ups of gender, sexuality, preferences and fantasies as there are people out there and that isn’t a problem in itself – the people who judge, bully and hurt are the issue.

“Meet the 23-year-old girl who’s growing a beard — and says she feels more feminine than ever. Harnaam Kaur, from Slough, suffers with polycystic ovary syndrome, which causes excessive hair growth. She was just 11 years old when it started appearing and she spent her teenage years desperately trying to remove it by waxing twice a week and covering her body in baggy clothes. The primary school teaching assistant endured vile abuse at school and strangers would stare at her on the street. Harnaam became so self conscious she refused to leave her house, except to go to lessons, and at her lowest point she began self harming and even considered taking her own life. But, at the age of 16, she finally found the courage to accept her facial hair after being baptised as a Sikh. The religion dictates that the body should be left in its natural state and body hair must be left to grow. The decision proved controversial with her family but Harnaam was determined to show that she was beautiful no matter what she looked like. Today, seven years on, she says she is more body confident than ever before and hopes her story will help other women in her situation.”

Sweet & Love

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Here are some glimpses from my new place at the corner of Sweet Avenue and Love Lane – probably one of the nicest addresses in the world, and I’m in love with the apartment!

The amount of light, the location, the bright spaces, the evening breeze.. After years and years of sharing flats and houses, this space is all mine with an extra room for the friends who want to visit. The furniture and shower curtain were there already, but I had to buy all kitchen utilities, towels, sheets.. (blender!) And I still need to get curtains and other details to make the place more homey, more me.

Celebrated one week in Belize City with dinner in a really nice restaurant just a block from my house yesterday night.. work is exciting and rewarding, my colleagues are great, the palm trees are everywhere – I can now confirm that Belize City has grown on me. This kid is exactly where she is supposed to be.

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