You've got a birthday... shout hurray...

So since i couldn't go get todd a regular old birthday present, i had to resort to this. which i'm sure he will be happily humilated by, since he loves making a big deal out of his birthday...so HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODD! i thuoght this picture fitting since he spends about 97% of his time in a hammock except when in class, he pretty much finds any place possible to put it up. under the boating dock, in my room.. and because you can see my face in the reflection of his glasses....okay.


i couldn't resist....

just the youth group.


so i got my hair done in corn rolls, corn rows? i don't know. todd's host sister michelle did it. it was a little bit not okay, but it was awesome when i took it out.


just a typical night at todd's house. they love uno. the house is pretty much run by girls. you are looking at daughters, granddaughters, and great granddaughters of miss nora.


And these are my host parents, oscar and katrine (newly weds). yesterday oscar rode up behind me on his bike and told me he had a surprise for me. i was expecting a mango, but yelped when i turned around and found a 6 foot crocadile hanging off his shoulder with it's mouth and legs tied. then they had some fun with it in the yard with a rope leash. it's normal.

Todd's host family... Tamara, Tafara, Miss Nora, and John. Just three of the seventeen kids could make it for the picture unfortunately. and i might add, only changing one letter in a name for the next kid is a normality here. i.e. brea, brena, brenan. latifa, talifa, matifa, and so on.

we went swimming with todd's host family. the water was creepily warm...

and just one more little side note... the menonites. i'm totally facinated. they came here from germany and by some fluke of nature they all of the same genes as tall and skinny. with beards. and suspenders. and when i came home from class one day there was a mirror up on the dresser which the menonites had made, b/c they make all wood things here. and when i asked about it my host parents said "oh yeah, the menonites dropped it off in there big truck that they drive thru here every week full of stuff people have ordered like dressers and doors. and then they take orders for the next week." and i said "ok. that's a completely regular answer." and so it is, in belize.

well we miss you and love you! and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TODD!

a lotta pikchas.

hey everyone... here's just a whole bunch of random pictures. thanks for all the sweet comments. we love you all and miss you.


yep. that's todd on keye calker...

don't they though... i found this in a thrift shop in belize city.

a few neighborhood kids

just hacky sackin at the ruins...

okay, so it's taking way to long to upload... so i'll put the rest on later....

wadda gowan?

well, the first week of training is officially over. somehow we managed to be together every night via hitch hiking and life threatening bus rides. we live about 9 miles apart. the road between our towns is one lane, but not one way. which makes for excitement. it winds through jungle, swamp, and a few small villages and is pretty much one big pot hole, aka 'the old northern highway'...but the use of the word 'highway' is a bit of an overstatement. just picture yourself on the white roller coaster at lagoon, only sometimes on two wheels, and sometimes swerving off the tracks to let another roller coaster go by, and being EATEN ALIVE by mosquitos, and listening to reggae, that pretty much sums up the bus ride. i pray the whole way. it puts a whole new meaning to commuting to work. i prefer the back of a truck, if that says anything. sleeping is another adventure. lucky strike and maskall are notorious for two things: crocadiles and misquitos. not to mention the jaguars and snakes we have been warned about. so at night we have to sleep under bug nets with fans to keep off the bugs. here is a typical night. it starts with the neighbors blaring hits from the nineties on LOVE FM. you know, two hearts that beat as one, eternal flame, kenny rogers. that goes till about midnight. then the dogs bark. for no reason. for hours. right outside our window. then it rains so hard on the tin roof it becomes unromantic, and then it thunders for awhile. by now its about 4 am. people are already awake because of the rain so they turn on country music. tim mcgraw "every time you touch me..." i'm not just talking soft soothing music. it takes OVER THE HOUSE! it's like a college dorm room. so so much for "quiet village" our families are hilarious. they are kriol. todd's mom has 17 kids and they all just run in and out shouting kriol stuff. i can barely walk in our out of my house with out being killed by a dog. i have to threaten them with glass bottles and rocks. everyone laughs at me and small kids walk me to my door. so is life in belize. congratulations if you read this whole thing. WE MISS YOU!
ashli and todd

We da mi dun with stage one....and now we are off to our next training sites. i'm going to lucky strike and todd is going to maskall. we are both learning kriol. should be da kool man. ok, i know. anyway, we got a PHONE NUMBER: #011-501-669-8059! hope to hear from you! well we had a day off so we went to san ignacio to some ruins. we might not have access to a computer for a while... so we love you all! and keep in touch!
si yoo lata.
love ashli and todd

our address

Todd Murdock
Peace Corps
P.O Box 492
Belmopan, Belize
Central America

this works for letters and normal size packages, talk to you all later
todd ash

our sweet group

that's todd "hanging out" at our house.

this is our sweet little house...

Oops, i cut my hair. just with a bucket of water and teacher scissors. (and i know, this is kind of a creepy picture of me..)

Just a party at the U.S. Ambassorders house... WELCOME TO PEACE CORPS!

LET FREEDOM RING

Happy 4th!
Just thought i'd put some pictures from the homefront up in the name of patriotism!