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From Camping to Couture, the YWAM Roaring Creek Belize Experience

by tacogirl 11/12/2013
written by tacogirl 11/12/2013
belize red cross

19 volunteers from the San Pedro Branch of the Red Cross attended the Volunteer Encounter that was held at YWAM in Roaring Creek on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7th & 8th, 2013. The event attended by over 100 volunteers from the 6 districts of Belize, was an  enormous success and an extremely productive weekend on many levels. Everyone got to meet new people and learned a lot about themselves, each other and the Belize Red Cross.

Thanks to Caye Caulker Water taxi for transporting the San Pedro Branch to Belize City where we headed for HQ to get our team shirts. They had every attending district wearing a different color of the same shirt so we could easily tell who was on what team. Belize City was darker turquoise, Dangriga green, the lone Punta Gorda person in royal blue, San Pedro got baby blue, Corozal in Red and I do not have to tell you what color they gave Orange Walk 🙂

Not long after we arrived at Headquarters, a Blue Bird school bus arrived to take us to YWAM. We made it there just in time to catch the end of breakfast and have a few minutes down time before the action started.

water taxi to belize city
San Pedro Branch taking the Caye Caulker Water taxi to Belize City
belize red cross headquarters
Belize Red Cross Headquarters
caye caulker water taxi
Stop off at Caye Caulker
caye caulker water taxi from san pedro to belize city
Arriving in Belize City
caye caulker ater taxi
The Harbor was busy
caye caulker water taxi terminal
Caye Caulker Water taxi terminal
san pedro belize red cross
Team San Pedro boarding the bus
roaring creek belize
We had rain on the way to Roaring Creek
volunteer encounter
Checking in at the Belize Red Cross Volunteer Encounter
volunteer encounter breakfast
Breakfast by by Mike Memeo

Day one of the event held many challenges including various skill tests about the Belize Red Cross and first aid, these came in the form of puzzle challenges, hands on demonstrations and Jeopardy style Trivia. There were also athletic events including an obstacle course rescue mission and a relay race. An impromptu tug of war was added to the challenge list and our Chairman of the San Pedro Board Eiden Salazar revisited childhood memories participating in that one. All the districts had great fun competing against each other.

san pedo red cross

Team San Pedro doing a puzzle challenge by Mike Memeo

belize red cross

Waiting for the first Aid Challenge

belize red cross volunteer encounter at ywam

Tug of War by Shirlee Arnould

san pedro belize red cross

San Pedro Team rescuing a girl with a broken leg

san pedro branch of the belize red cross

San Pedro Branch rescuing 3 people who have been visually impaired from the scene of an accident

As we sat down to dinner many of us were amazed at the ground cover of twinkling fireflies I had never seen anything like it before and it was truly magical. After dinner many enjoyed the ultimate camp experience, a bonfire and marshmallow roasting.

 firefly pictures

My picture does not do justice to how many fireflies we saw and how magical it was

Day two was an awards ceremony which is where the couture part comes in 🙂 well not exactly but everyone was asked to bring semi formal wear and look sharp for Governor General Sir Colville Young was handing out the awards. All the branches received recognition for their hard work, from San Pedro awards were given too Natalie Palen, Atlantida Eiley, Philip Ramsey and Laurie Norton. It was an honor to shake the hand of the Governor General of Belize as he handed me my award. The winning teams of the previous days activities were also given trophies, hand down  Dangriga was the big winner of the challenge events. San Pedro team all agreed we will start training sooner for next year 🙂 Before the awards The Belize National Anthem was sung followed by the Red Cross Prayer, The Red Cross song sung by Grace Primary Choir. Speeches were given by Director General Ms. Lily Bowman, Patron of the Belize Red Cross, Governor General Sir Colville Young and youth Dev. Officer David Sobers.

governor general sir colville young

Patron of the Belize Red Cross, Governor General Sir Colville Young

lily bowman director general of the belize red cross

Director General Ms. Lily Bowman and Governor General Sir Colville Young

laurie norton and governor general of belize sir colville young

Receiving my award and shaking the Governor General’s hand

belize governor general sir colville young

Philip receiving his award from Sir Colville Young

shirlee arnould belize red cross volunteer

Shirlee Arnould accepting an award on behalf of Nurse Natalie Palen

belize red cross

Posing for a picture for Governor General Sir Colville Young’s office

san pedro branch of the belize red cross

San Pedro Branch group picture after the awards ceremony

It was nice to see how much the San Pedro High School kids enjoyed themselves. Many of them had never experienced ‘camp’ before, they expressed wanting to do more events like this and have the opportunity to see more of the country.

San Pedro Branch would like to thank everyone at headquarters and all the other districts for a wonderful time. It was great to meet everyone, we appreciate the experience and the hard work  that was put into organizing it.

Stay tuned for a future post with nature and accommodation pictures and video from camp YWAM in Roaring Creek.

Related

tacogirl

Laurie Norton grew up dyslexic and was very challenged by the school. She never dreamed she would move to Belize and become a writer. A year after her move to Ambergris Caye, Laurie became an entrepreneur and professional writer starting tacogirl blog in 2007. Since then she has helped many people plan their vacations or move. She also has been published in Great Destinations Belize Guidebook, Moon Guide to Living in Belize, Insight Guides, Island Magazine several times and USA Today. Currently Laurie resides in downtown San Pedro and enjoys being a "city girl" on a tropical island.

previous post
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I just returned from my trip to Belize in mid-June 2022. I had been planning the trip weeks / months in advance and... Laurie (taco girl) wasextremely helpful in preparation for my trip. Her intimate knowledge as an expat who was ONCE a tourist, really helps because she is able to share first hand knowledge of how a tourist can explore Ambergis Caye like a "temporary local". An example of this, was she recommended 2 yoga classes for my wife to enjoy while on vacation that we would not have known about otherwise and the class was far better than a class arranged by a hotel, as you get the local experience not a staged one. In addition, she was helpful in providing recommendations for dinner and sharing some discounts she has arranged with local retailers. Reviewing the taco girl blog and reaching out to Laurie is like having a tour guide, but more important a tour guide that KNOWS Belize.read more
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Laurie was super helpful in providing places to eat, things to do and best yet had ongoing blogs that allowed us to... look back on other places that she pointed out. A fantastic resource for both first time and return visitors of Ambergris Caye!read more
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Fantastic service .I needed to find a place where I could buy a local sim card as my UK sim doesnt work in belize and... Tacogirl put me on the right path .Decided to walk across town and discovered so much more in beautiful San Pedro.Many thanks.BWread more
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We have been using TacoGirl for what feels like decades when planning our trips to Belize! It has only been a few... years but she is the first place we stop to see what is happening in our favorite vacation spot. She knows all the best spots to get away and do so many fun things - whether it is relaxing or exploring! We are planning our next trip with our twins and she was the first person I reached out to. Knowing we have a resource like her, makes trip planning a breeze!read more
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Found tacogirl while doing some research on an upcoming trip to Belize. This is the place for all the information you... need to plan your vacation. Incredibly helpful and responsive. I sent an email with lots of questions and received a very quick and detailed response that helped us finalize our plans.read more
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We have been following TacoGirl for years now and before booking any trip to San Pedro we check to see what is... currently happening. We love the emails to let us know when a new blog has been posted. Keep up the great work Laurie, we feel like we know you.read more
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I first got my Passport in 2012 and Taco Girl was my first connection back then Great then and Marvelous Now! She's... blossomed and developed into a wonderful contact for any and all information Belize. She goes above & beyond to respond with information that you need whether visiting Belize or relocating! I wasn't able to fund the move then but now that I have much more equity I am doing it.This time she was the 1st person I reached out to! Now I am selling and moving to Belize. She responds immediately! Like I do in my Pet Sitting Business! I was so impressed I followed her all this time. And was not disappointed!Pamela Nixonread more
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I've spent the last month exploring Belize. I'm retired & seriously considering moving down to Belize permanently from... the US. I contacted the local San Pedro expert "Taco Girl" to help me get started in finding an apartment to rent. With her help, I've located several places that meet my needs & budget requirements. Thank you Laurie!read more
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It was my first time visiting Belize and San Pedro so naturally I had a ton of questions when it came time to planning... the travel. Taco Gril's blog was an invaluable source of information for all the travel questions in Ambergris Caye. I was able to learn a lot of basic information, as well as many tips and tricks. In addition when I reached out to Taco Girl for advice on finding a local photographer and a restaurant recommendation, she was very quick to respond and gave me many helpful suggestions. She also provided a lot more information from a local's point of view, which was much for valuable than than a typical guidebook. Thanks to her helpful suggestions we were able to celebrate my daughter's birthday at a nice restaurant, and had a great photo family session with a local photographer. I'm very thankful for all her resources and knowledge.read more
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I take the seniors from our academy to Belize every year for their senior trip. One of the first people I contact when... I start planning the trip is Laurie with TacoGirl Belize. She knows the island of San Pedro better than anyone else out there. Trust me, I have looked. If you are looking for the best restaurants, hang outs and shops then Laurie help plan your vacation.read more
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Love Taco Girl Blog @LaurieNorton!I've been reading this blog since I started visiting Ambergris Caye in Belize almost... 10 years ago. It is filled with helpful up-to-date information and recommendations that I wouldn't necessarily find on my own. Laurie Norton's knowledge and extensive network on the island provides her with the ability to share perks/discounts/coupons with her readers, which come in handy year after year. Things on the island change daily - new businesses pop up constantly and LaurieNortonstays on top of these developments. Whenever I plan my return trip to the island, I always check her blog first - and I recommend you do the same. Trip Advisor ain't got nuttin' on Taco Girl!read more
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I am considering a move to Belize and I have serendipitously found tacogirl.....what a treasure! She is full of great... advice, helpful hints.....knows everybody on Ambergris Caye and has a thousand useful recommendations and suggestions. Whether you are planning a vacation or relocating, you should make use of the many services she has to offer…..read more
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I’m so pleased to see tacogirl's blog on Google. Laurie's blog is my official “go to” source for tourist and local... information on San Pedro. Of course, it’s always nice to see her guides on “what to do” in San Pedro, but I also appreciate her “insider” advice and human interest stories on what it’s like living as a local on the island. I especially enjoy her guest articles, providing a different perspective of all things San Pedro. Her tipping quide is a classic, and don’t forget her Tropic Air flight code and on-island discounts. You’re not up-to-date with what’s going on in San Pedro if you’re not regularly reading tacogirl's blog.read more
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Do yourself a favor. Read this BEFORE any trip to San Pedro - Ambergris Caye or Belize in general. Not saying “do what... everyone else says”, but Laurie has frank and honest info which will make your stay in country a little more fun, a little more informative, and often at a great cost savings. Best thing: it’s unbiased, honest, and factual. Personal note: thank you for your personal tailored help in answering mine (and my wife’s) questions.read more
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Since 2003, my wife and I have been to Ambergris at least once a year to experience the fantastic diving. About twelve... years ago we me Tacogirl on a blog giving us discounts on golf carts, local airfares, and restaurants. Over the years we have grown a friendship and I look forward to her weekly blogs about he changes on my favorite home away from home. The island changes every year, and she always shows you what to see, do, and eat.read more
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Belize Blog Est. 2007

belize travel specialist

ABOUT ME

I took the plunge and moved to San Pedro Town on the Island of Ambergris Caye, off the coast of Belize, Central America. Originally from Canada, I made the life-changing move to escape winter for good (in 2006) after one three week vacation. If you have any questions or want Belize help planning and booking, please feel free to contact me.

SPARKING MY DESIRE

A few childhood memories that shaped my desire to move to Belize from a young age. Sailing in the Virgin Islands, seeing a rainbow out the window of an island hopper as we flew from Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico, Christmas in Hawaii and many trips to Florida.

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