hurricane felix...

hey guys...

another email about a hurricane watch here in belize....geesh.

hurricane felix currently looks like it is heading south. it may hit belize, but more likely it will hit honduras. however, as one can never predict the path of a hurricane, we will be preparing as best we can up in belize city.

we're supposed to get a tropical storm today and tomorrow AND THEN the hurricane (or the hurricane winds and rain) on wednesday. everyone is getting ready today, packing up, buying supplies, and heading inland.

i'm at work right now but just for the morning. soon i'll be heading home to get the house ready. ha. getting the house ready will, i predict, be embarrassingly simple, like last time. we will likely put the impenetrable black trash bags on our windows (note the sarcasm), move things up from the floor and possibly move mattresses and such in the hallway.

then, we will go bunk with the jesuits in SJC again.

like last time, we are in no physical danger and the worst that is going to happen to us is sitting in a concrete building with no electricity---meaning no fans or airflow, since all the windows will be boarded up.

again, like last time, the folks who need your thoughts and prayers are our neighbors and friends who have board houses and no place to go....also, the pg volunteers and their friends/neighbors, as it looks like they will be hit worse than we will.

if we do have electricity, i will try to email updates when i have them. otherwise, sit tight and know that myself and the other volunteers are safe and that we will email when we can.

on a fun note, my housemates and i participated in the BDF (belize defense force) running events yesterday and did really well. quite similar to last year, we decided very last minute to participate and thus had little physical or mental preparation.
kate ran the full marathon--crazy--and won! (again)--VERY crazy!!!
maria and monica ran the 1/2 marathon--why in the world we did that is beyond me--and placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively! what!?!?
molly ran the 10k, WON it, and immediately went home, showered, and went to work (she works at the parish and had to be there for mass at 9am.

so, that's good news in the midst of some troubling news.

i'll try to write more about the events above because, as you probably guessed, i have some pretty fun and funny stories about the day!

be well and pray for those who are going to be affected by all the rain and winds.

thanks!
blessings, maria