Sunday, March 29, 2009

Stefanie & Clemens

We had our first real referrals email us last Monday evening, and we then spent the rest of the week with Stefanie and Clemens, Germans currently living in London. They looked us up when they were in San Ignacio because friends of theirs from London, Leanne and Craig, told them that they would enjoy staying with us. We’ve corresponded with Leanne and Craig for quite a while, and met them when they were in Belize at the end of last year, and we were delighted that they liked our place enough to refer friends.

Stefanie and Clemens went to Barton Creek with Selwyn the day they arrived, and then did a Mountain Pine Ridge tour with Tom and Selwyn on Wednesday. On Thursday they hiked from Moonracer Farm to Big Rock, so over the two days they managed to see most of the waterfalls in the area, as well as a good chunk of jungle and pine savannah.

We really enjoyed comparing notes with them about being expats, and were surprised how similar our experience as expats from the US in Belize is to their experience as expats from Germany in London. Despite the vast differences in cultures, we found that both the things that make it pleasant to live outside your homeland and that sometimes make it difficult are very similar. From food to money to just ways of doing things, we all noticed that the things you take for granted and don’t even think about in your homeland are suddenly viewed differently in another country. But, by being flexible and open to new ways of thinking, we all find it a very rewarding experience.

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