Week One! (March 22nd - March 28th)

Day Five: On Sunday I woke up at about 9:15 a.m. and got out of bed at 9:30 a.m. I took a Pop-Tart and my Laptop downstairs with me and sat outside the hotel under the shade. I worked on my Blog (perfecting my second post to make sure it was how exactly I wanted it) and then listened to a Ted Talk that was assigned by Dr. C for all of us to listen to by Monday. I then left to go get lunch with Ashley, Jessica M., Callie, Meghan, Casey, and Tracy. Dr. K recommended a place called Robin's so we asked one of the guys who works at Pedro's for directions and then we were on our way. Robin's was in the same direction at New Horizons (South) and was relatively easy to find off the main road. A lot of places here in San Pedro have BBQ (which is really chicken) on Sundays so we wanted to go to an authentic Belizean Place for it. Robin only had four orders of BBQ left so three of the seven of us ended with Stew Chicken. It took a while to get our food but Robin was so sweet as he served us and apologized for the wait. I ended up with the stew chicken and was a little nervous about it by how it looked but I ended up really enjoying it! So much so that I literally cleared off my entire plate. It had chicken with potatoes and carrots, a cabbage salad of some sort, some rice, and I also had a coke to drink. Everything cost only $7.50 (14 Belizean Dollars) so not only was it delicious food, but it was very well priced also! After eating lunch Ashley and I went to Caribbean Villas since it was on our way back from Robin's Kitchen while everyone else went back to Pedro's. We spent some time laying out on the beach before heading back to Pedro's. We then spent some time laying out by the pool at Pedro's as well. I felt so weird laying around pretty much all day doing nothing because I felt like I should have been doing something but I was also trying to enjoy my time to relax as well. A little while later I went to the market to get a couple of food items and then when I got back to Pedro's instead of eating the food I bought, I went to the Restaurant at Pedro's and split a Pizza with Maddi, Casey, and Jessica M. The funny thing is I do that at home all the time too. I’ll spend so much money grocery shopping and decide to go out to eat for Dinner that same day. It’s funny how some things don’t change no matter where I’m at in the world. After we all ate I decided to head back to my room and call it an early night since I didn't have anything else to do. I was in the bed by 10:00 p.m. which is so strange for me since I’m a night owl but I figured that I better to get to bed as early as possible since Monday was going to be our first day at School.


Day Six: On Monday I woke up at 7:15 a.m., got ready for the School Day, went downstairs, ate my Pop-Tart for breakfast, and put on Sunscreen while waiting for everyone else to come downstairs. Both New Horizons and Isla Bonita start at 8:30 a.m. and we were all supposed to be there by 8:15 a.m. I’m placed at Isla Bonita Elementary School and we left to go to Isla Bonita at about 7:50 a.m. When we got to Isla Bonita the Principal introduced everyone to their Partnership Teachers before the students all arrived to School. Since Brittany and I are Special Education Majors we don’t get placed in a Classroom and were told that we could spend time talking to each of the teachers to determine which students they would want us to work with by pulling them out for either Small Group or 1:1 Work. The School Day started at 8:30 a.m. by the students all lining up with their Classrooms for Assembly/Devotion and singing the Belizean Anthem. Miss Sharon started by giving some announcements and then introduced all of us UNCW Students and explained to the School why we were there and had each of us introduce ourselves by telling them our names. After the Assembly was over the students were dismissed to go to their classes. One of the neat things at Isla Bonita is the students have to form a line in certain assigned places and cannot go into the classroom until the teacher gives them permission to do so. Brittany went with Stephens to the Standard 1 Classroom and I went with Jessica M. to Standard 4 Classroom since I learned that there is a student with low vision in that Classroom. The teacher for Standard 4 is Miss Delmy and after Jessica and I introduced ourselves she started the day off with Language Arts. She had the students all turn to a page in their book and started reading about Wetlands. She would then call on students randomly and have them read until the passage was completely read. Afterwards she split the students up into groups of 3. Jessica went with one group and I decided to work with Caroline, Dyanara, and Kyle since Dyanara is the student with low vision. I got to know the students a little bit while hanging out with them as they worked and once they finished their assignment. After Language Arts was over at about 10:00 a.m. it was time for a 30-minute break so all of the students had time to hang out with their friends, play on the playground, and/or eat snacks/drink drinks. After the break was over we went back to the Classroom and Miss Demly talked to Jessica and I about the Braille Machine that she uses with Dyanara and how she is still learning how to use it. Miss Delmy was going to give the students a test so I took Dyanara downstairs to the picnic tables and worked with her on reading a page from a short story the way Miss Delmy told me that she does it with her. The only experience I have with Braille is seeing it used by a girl who is blind that I met when I was younger. Since becoming a Special Education Major I have not worked with any students who are blind so I was just trying to figure it out as I went. I worked with Dyanara until about 11:30 a.m. I wasn’t sure if the Class was finished with their test or not and if they were I didn’t want Dyanara to miss anything so I went ahead and took her back to her class. The class was still working on their test so Dyanara and I could have spent more time working. 

Just in the 45 minutes that I spent working with Dyanara I could tell that it took a lot of energy for her to read Braille so I didn’t want to push her too much with it being my first time working with her but it gave me a good place to start of knowing what level she is on. Lunch at School is from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. and many kids leave School to go home to eat and some students stay at School to eat. A group of people from our UNCW Cohort went out to find some lunch but I stayed with a few people and just got a lunch at School that costs $7.00 (BZ), which is $3.50 (US). After lunch Miss Delmy had Jessica teach the Class a Math Lesson about Area. I asked Miss Delmy what she did to teach Dyanara Math and she showed me the materials she uses with Dyanara during Math so I decided to improvise and use those materials to help incorporate Dyarana into Jessica’s Math Lesson. I had no idea what I was doing but just did the best with what I had and I believe I was able to help Dyanara grasp the concept of Area a little bit. At least I hope so. Dyanara was too funny because I did a few problems with her and she would say, “Another one” and I couldn’t help but laugh. I was so used to working with my students during my Student Teaching and it was like pulling teeth when we worked on Math and here Dyanara was wanting to do more Math Problems. It was definitely different and not what I’m used to at all but it was a nice change because she actually wanted to learn and it was so great. We worked on Math until about 2:00 p.m. and then it was time for another break (this time a 15 minute one). Standard 4 usually does Computer Work on Monday Afternoons after Break but since Miss Delmy didn’t have anything planned for it she just let the girls in the Classroom work on their dance for the Isla Bonita Pageant which will be taking place in the middle of April. The School Day ended at about 3:00 p.m. so we all left Isla Bonita a little after 3:15 p.m. and made it back to Pedro’s a little before 3:45 p.m. I was so tired from the hot day at School that I just spent time hanging out in the shade until our 4:30 p.m. Meeting. At the Meeting we all introduced ourselves, stated where we were placed, and also said one thing we were looking forward to for the week. Dr. K had told us before we left Wilmington that we would all be having different experiences here in Belize and just after one day of being in the Schools here in Belize I could see the truth in that. At our Meeting on Monday Afternoon multiple people in our Program said that they didn't see any Classroom Management in the Classrooms they were in (and I'm not going to lie-I felt like the kids in the Classrooms I've seen this week were a little rambunctious and the Classes felt a little crazy at times) but Dr. K pointed out to us really quick to be careful not to think there’s no Classroom Management since it just may be DIFFERENT Classroom Management. And that was a very good point for us to help us make sure that we’re very careful when gathering impressions of the Classrooms we're in. Dr. K pointed out to us that the teachers here may have a high tolerance for certain behaviors than we would if we were in a Classroom back home so that was something good to be able to keep in mind. After the Meeting all of the Committees had their own meetings to touch base now that we’re here in Belize. After hanging out for a little bit I went to get supper with a group of people at Lily’s Deli (which is another cheap taco stand just like Neri’s Tacos). I decided to try something new so I got 2 chicken empanades, two beef empanades, and a coke (that was super cheap-I can’t quite remember the actual cost) and it was pretty good. It was not a bad choice for Supper at all. After eating supper I spent time hanging out at the Hotel with everyone. Before going to sleep my Roommate, Jessica, and I had a really nice heart-to-heart life talk before crashing for the night.


Day Seven: On Tuesday I woke up at 7:15 a.m. and got ready for the School Day. We left to go to Isla Bonita at about 7:50 a.m. - 7:55 a.m. and got there in about 10 minutes. On Monday Morning during the first break I had talked with Miss Sharon and Miss Crystal and told them that I was a Special Education Teacher and told them if they had any students in their Class who had a disability or needed any additional help then to let me know. Miss Sharon told me she had a few students I could work with so on Tuesday I spent the day with both the Standard Six & Standard Five Classes. Miss Sharon is the teacher for Standard Six and Miss Crystal is the teacher for Standard Five. Dani was placed with the Standard Five Classroom and Joe was placed with the Standard Six Classroom so he and I went with Miss Sharon to the her Classroom when the School Bell rang. Miss Sharon introduced Joe and I to the Class since they weren't at School on Monday because they were taking the High School Entry Test called the Primary School Exam. Miss Sharon started the Class by having them do a Journal Entry for their Language Arts Block. She wrote "My first experience with P.S.E." on the board as a Reflection Prompt for them from taking the P.S.E on Monday. She wanted them to write how they felt and what they thought about it. A couple of students read what they wrote and then Miss Sharon gave the Classroom over to Joe. Joe introduced himself and then had students introduce themselves so he could learn their names. After the introductions Joe spilt the Classroom of 16 students into 4 groups and gave each group a prop and gave them 20 minutes to create skit using that prop. After the students performed their very interesting skits (3 out of 4 of them had violence), Joe then had the Class play Two Truths and A Lie. After playing Two Truths and A Lie for a little bit it was 10:00 a.m. and time for a 30-minute break. After the break Miss Sharon and Miss Crystal switch classes and Miss Sharon teaches Standard Five Language Arts while Miss Crystal teaches Standard Six Math. Joe and Miss Crystal were going to play Math Jeopardy with Standard Six and Miss Sharon invited me to go with her to the Standard Five Classroom so I did. Miss Sharon started the Language Arts Block by having the students write in their journals. After the students wrote in their journals then Miss Sharon announced that the Class would be going for a walk on the beach and they would write a poem with 4 stanzas. One of the students asked, "What is a stanza?" so Miss Sharon told the class that a stanza is a verse in a poem and said that there are many different poems. To provide an example Sharon said, You look at the Caribbean Sea and write one word at the top, two adjectives to describe the word on the first line, three adjectives to describe the word on the first line, a sentence on the third line, and then you write one word at the bottom to tie in everything in the middle. The example Miss Sharon wrote on the board was: "Caribbean. big, beautiful. deep, clear, blue. The place I want to be. Sea." We all walked to the beach and found a shady spot for the students to sit so they could begin writing their poems. The students would show Miss Sharon their work as they finished and she constantly had to remind them of the assignment: "One word, two adjectives, three adjectives, a sentence, one word to tie in everything in the middle." since they weren’t doing it correctly. 

During our time outside I got to learn A LOT about Miss Sharon. I asked her small questions like how long she had been teaching at Isla Bonita, where she was from, and how she ended up in Belize. Miss Sharon used to be a Nurse and then had been a head teacher and even a Principal at a School but she got to where she didn't like being a Principal and has been teaching at Isla Bonita for the past 8 years now. I thought that was so neat because it's not often someone goes from a leadership role of being a Principal BACK to being a teacher but she really enjoys it. I know I'm a Special Education Major but I really enjoyed observing Miss Sharon teaching Language Arts because it flowed so well and she did it so effortlessly. It just came so natural for her. Miss Sharon also talked to me about San Pedro and told me that it was split up into different areas since it's so big and told which areas were which. Miss Sharon and I also talked about Special Education as well. There currently aren't any students in Standard Five who need assistance but there is a student who has Down Syndrome named Kyla who is supposed to be in Standard Five but just doesn't come to School often. Kyla is actually the student that my friend Lexi (the girl who participated in the International Field Experience last year) worked with who I was hoping to also have the opportunity to work with while I was here. The Principal went to check on Kyla on Tuesday for me but no one was at home. She said if she heard anymore then she would let me know. After walking back to Isla Bonita from the beach it was time for lunch. Casey, Maddi, and I went walking around to find lunch but didn't really have any luck. Well, Maddi did but it would've taken too long for Casey and I to wait for food so we went back to Isla Bonita and I just got the lunch there and scarfed it down as fast as I could.  After we got back from lunch Standard Six played the game Four Corners. After playing Four Corners Standard Five and Standard Six got to go to the Beach and played the games Infection, Human Knot, and Chicken Run. I spent time talking with Miss Sharon and Miss Crystal while Dani and Joe played with the students. While walking to the beach Miss Crystal had some Flan from the cafeteria and offered for me and Dani to try it and IT WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. I LOVED IT. It reminded me of a softer and smoother version of Paula Deen's Ooey Gooey Butter Cake. After being at the beach for a little while (getting to go to the beach twice on one day was actually pretty nice-I definitely chose the right Classrooms to observe on Tuesday!) it was time for the kids to go back to School. Plus it was really hot and after all of the running around the students needed some water. When we got back to Isla Bonita the students got some water and then packed up to go home. The School Day ended at 3:00 and not long after some of us left to go back to Pedro's. Lindsey M. and I made a stop at a Market to pick up a few things and then went back to Pedro's. I am not used to the heat here so it wears me out and after I got back from School I decided to relax in the shade for a little bit before changing into my bathing suit out of my sticky and sweaty clothes and hopping in the pool for a little bit. It was so nice and refreshing after a long and hot day of being at School. At around 5:30 p.m. or so I went with a group of people to Lily's Deli and got a chicken burrito and a coke for Supper. After I got back from Supper I spent some time talking with Joe reflecting about the day. A couple of the girls here on the Trip decided to do a Bible Study on Tuesday and Thursday Evenings while we're here so at 7:00 p.m. we started that and had it for about an hour. It was really nice and I'm really looking forward to having a Community of believers here. After the Bible Study I made two phone calls home and spent time working on organizing Mailing Addresses for my Graduation Announcements so that my Grandma can mail them off for me while I'm here in Belize since I didn't have a chance to get everything done before I left North Carolina. Once I finished with that I decided to go to bed as early as possible since I had to be up early on Wednesday Morning so I could leave with Dr. C and the three other Special Education Majors here and go see the Special Needs School that's in Belize City. 


Day Eight: I had to be up and ready to go on Wednesday by 6:00 a.m. so since I'm not a morning person I set three alarms just to make sure I woke up. Well...I forgot my iPod Touch is still on Eastern Time (I tried to change it but it just didn't work) so I set my alarm on it for 5:45 a.m. (which was REALLY 3:45 a.m.) while my other two alarms were actually set for 5:45 a.m. and my Roommate woke me up since my iPod touch Alarm was going off so I bolted out of bed and got ready as fast as I could (thinking it was 5:45 a.m.) because I did NOT want to miss going to the Special Needs School. I went downstairs and was looking around wondering where everyone was when the Security Guard asked me if I was okay. I told him I was looking for the people I was going Inland with and he said that maybe in two hours at 5:30 they would be. I was still very confused at this point but as I headed back to my room I realized what he was saying because it was 4:00 a.m. So needless to say once I realized my error (after feeling like an idiot) I went back to sleep until 5:45 a.m. I was already ready so I met up with Megan, Brittany, and Savannah (who I will be referring to as The SPED Girls from now on) in the hallway and we all walked downstairs together. Dr. K was up and ready and once Dr. C came out we all got on the golf cart so that Dr. K could drop us off at the Water Taxi. After Dr. C got our tickets for the 6:30 a.m. Water Taxi we sat and waited for a little bit and then we started getting on the Water Taxi for Belize City. They have Multiple Boats for Water Taxis and the one we got on wasn't what I expected since most of it was fairly open. We made a stop at Caye Caulker for more people to get on the Water Taxi and then we had ONE FULL WATER TAXI. Some people fell asleep and I was tired enough to do the same (waking up two hours earlier than I was supposed to and all) but I unfortunately just wasn't able to. The Water Taxi Ride to Belize City only took an hour and a half so we got to Belize City at about 8:00 a.m. Once we got off the Water Taxi we got into a Taxi and the Driver dropped us off at the Ministry of Education. We met someone from the Ministry of Education and he walked us next door to Stella Maris School and introduced us to the Principal, Miss Joy. Miss Joy told us that we could meet some of the students and teachers and then at 9:00 a.m. she would give The SPED Girls and I a Tour of the School. The SPED Girls and I went to the playground to meet the students and Dr. C left to go give a Presentation about Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (Dr. C was asked to help begin implement PBIS in the Schools here in Belize last year since they removed Corporal Punishment).

I have so many more details about my day at Stella Maris School that I devoted AN ENTIRE BLOG POST about it here! The SPED Girls and I spent four hours at Stella Maris and when we returned to Stella Maris after eating lunch at a Belizean Chinese Restaurant directly across from the School Dr. C was there waiting on us since she was finished with her Presentation. While at lunch The SPED Girls and I came up with AN AWESOME idea for our Documentary (everyone on the International Field Experience has to make a Documentary Film) but I don’t want to spoil it before the Red Carpet Event on May 7^th so I’m going to be keeping it a secret for now. After mentioning our Documentary Idea to Dr. C we all got in a Taxi to go back to the Water Taxi. We got there about 45 minutes before the Water Taxi was scheduled to leave so The SPED Girls and I killed time by shopping for souvenirs. By the time we finished shopping it was time to get in line to board for the Water Taxi. Dr. C, The SPED Girls, and I all sat on the top level of the Water Taxi and had an amazing view of the BEAUTIFUL BLUE WATER on the way back to San Pedro and it was a lot of fun. We made a stop at Caye Caulker to drop people off and once we all got back to San Pedro Dr. C, Megan, and I walked down the beach to go back to Pedro’s while Brittany and Savannah got a milkshake before heading back to the hotel. Once I got back to the hotel I hopped in the pool to cool off for a few minutes. I honestly love being able to come back to Pedro’s from School and getting to cool off in the pool. It’s been really nice. I made a Phone Call home after swimming for a little bit and then I later got supper at Neri’s Tacos with Savannah and Brittany. I decided to be brave and eat a Fryjack and it was pretty yummy! Once I got back to the hotel I spent some time working on my Blog to talk about my amazing day at Stella Maris while enjoying listening to Karaoke that started at 7:30 p.m. (and occasionally getting up to sing along as well on the songs that were too good to not sing along with). A few people were still up but it was getting late so Maddi and I decided to call it a night at about 11:30 p.m. 


Day Nine: On Thursday I guess I slept through my alarm because Jessica had to wake me up and it was 7:45 a.m. so I had to get ready very quickly since I'm supposed to be at School at 8:15 a.m. We all had a School Supply Drive while we were still in Wilmington so we had School Supplies to bring to the Schools that we were volunteering at here in Belize. On Tuesday Afternoon the School Supplies got split up between each of us to take to our Schools and we all took them to School with us on Thursday Morning. The Principal at New Horizons said everyone could take their School Supplies to their Partnership Teachers but the Principal at Isla Bonita wanted us to give the School Supplies to her so she could disperse them throughout the Classrooms herself. After arriving to Isla Bonita I went to Miss Addy's office and gave her the School Supplies. While there she told me that she saw Kyla's Mom the day before and told me where she works at so that I can always go introduce myself to her and she would continue trying to get in touch with her about me possibly working with Kyla. I ate a Nature Valley Bar for Breakfast after I got to School since I overslept and didn't have time to eat Breakfast before I left Pedro's. Brittany (the other Special Education Major placed at Isla Bonita) and I talked on Wednesday while at Stella Maris and decided that she would focus on working with students in Infant 1, Infant 2, Standard 1, and Standard 2 while I would focus working on the students in Standard 3, Standard 4, Standard 5, and Standard 6 at Isla Bonita. It just seemed to make the most sense to split it up that way so that we weren't all over the place and it made the process of figuring out which students to work with simpler. I hadn't spent time in Standard 3 yet so I introduced myself to the teacher (Mr. Jaime) Wednesday Morning and told him about me being a Special Education Major and that I could work with any students he had in his class who were behind on anything. Mr. Jaime told me that he had two students that I could work with. Once the bell rang I went with Mr. Jaime and Ashley (the girl who is placed with Mr. Jaime) to the Standard Three Classroom. I'm not sure what happened with the Class on Wednesday but apparently they did not behave very well because the students were all talking about Wednesday and Mr. Jaime kept saying to them: "It's over. Yesterday was yesterday and I don't want a repeat of it again." Mr. Jaime gave the students a copy of the Belize Junior Achievement Test (BJAT) and started going over the English Paper 1 Section. (The BJAT is the Standardized Test that Standard Three must take and pass in order to move up to Upper Division.) The School was giving out Report Cards on Thursday and when Mr. Jaime went to meet with a parent he had Ashley take over in continuing to go over the answers to the BJAT since they just took a practice version of it on Tuesday and Wednesday. I found it to be interesting how loud the students were while Mr. Jaime was in the room but once he left they were calm and quiet for Ashley and only spoke when they answered the questions she asked. Once Mr. Jaime came back in the Classroom the students went back to talking over each other a lot just like they were earlier before he left the room. They finished going over the English Paper One Section of the BJAT and waited until the Bell Rang for break. Mr. Jaime was having a Classroom Meeting with the parents of the students in Standard Three while the students were on break to go over the student's behavior, how the students are doing in regards to the BJAT, as well as going over each student's Report Card with each parent. (None of the students at Isla Bonita can get or see their Report Cards until the parent has come to the School and picked it up.) Standard Three's break was extended because of the Classroom Meeting so Ashley and I just stayed outside with them. While we were outside on the playground the teacher from Infant One had two students from Standard Six hide Easter Eggs around the playground so that the students in Infant One could come outside and find the eggs. The students from Infant One came outside with Easter Egg Baskets that had Bunnies in them that they made throughout the week and I just thought it was the most precious thing. 

During break Arielle (a student in Standard Four) asked when I was coming back to their Class and told me that I belonged with them and it was just too sweet and meant a lot to me considering I was only in her Class for one day. I told her I had multiple students to work with throughout the School and that I would be back soon. The Standard 3, Standard 4, Standard 5, and Standard 6 Classes were all just hanging out and taking it easy to pass time before lunch. After lunch the students were killing time before going to watch a movie. While the students were watching the movie Ashley and I spent some time talking with Mr. Jaime and learning about how he became a teacher and his thoughts on Education in Belize. Mr. Jaime said that here in Belize how you teach is up to you. They are provided a Curriculum but the teachers get to teach it how they want to. They follow the curriculum by splitting the different months into different themes and standardize the Unit by making the Unit and giving it to the Ministry of Education so that they can follow it. I’ve noticed in all of the Classrooms here in Belize there is SO MUCH on the Classroom Walls so I asked Mr. Jaime if the teachers had to put it all up and he said that all teachers have to make their own charts for their Classrooms. The Ministry of Education observes the Classrooms and look for the map of Belize, a World Map, Math Charts, the Days of the Week and Months of the Year in both English and Spanish and also like seeing student work. The Ministry of Education is split into six districts and people from those districts will go observe the Schools. The Government doesn't interfere with Private Schools and they can only visit Private Schools if the Principal wants them to and Miss Addy (the Principal at Isla Bonita) wants the Ministry of Education to visit. Mr. Jaime also said that people go to teach at Government Schools to get more money. Mr. Jaime also said that with Private School you can do whatever you want and with Government Schools you can't. I really enjoyed getting to learn about Education in Belize from Mr. Jaime. It was a lot of very interesting information I might not have ever learned if I never asked. Mr. Jaime let his students go home a little early so since it wasn’t 3:00 yet I went to Standard Four and hung out with them for a little while. A group of us left Isla Bonita at about 3:15 p.m. and when I got back to the Hotel I spent time hanging out before going to get Supper with Tracy, Callie, Maddi, Casey,  and Jessica M. at a Salvadorian Place that Tracy heard about from her Partnership Teacher. I got a Banana Milkshake and tried two chicken pupusas that were really good. After I got back to the Hotel I spent time on my Laptop and then called it a night around 11:00 p.m. 


Day Ten: Friday was not a typical day at Isla Bonita. Friday was the last day before the School’s Two-Week Easter Break so they always have a Beach Party to celebrate. All of us left Pedro’s to get breakfast at a Bakery before the beach party. After getting the most delicious cinnamon bun that I have had in my entire life at the Bakery Casey, Maddi, Jessica, and I went to the Park by the Bridge (since that's where the Beach Party was supposed to be) but we didn't see anyone there so we decided to head to Isla Bonita. When we got there only Miss Addy (the Principal) and a few students were there so we spent time hanging out waiting to figure out where it was we needed to go. Finally a teacher came and we all followed her to go to the Beach Party which was at the Beach Entrance that was just across the street from the School (they had changed the location for the party last minute without letting us know but at least we eventually got there). We were all on the beach for the party from about 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The whole School wasn't there but I would say at least half of the students were! They had a blast swimming in the sea and they all ate nachos for a snack, ate hotdogs for lunch, and then ate cupcakes for dessert. We were all able to get some of the food as well so that was nice. I spent time sitting in the shade watching the kids have a good time, I spent time in the sea with the kids, and I spent time on the dock supervising the kids who were playing in the water by the dock as well. I did jump off the dock once but it was so hard to get back on the dock that I didn't do it again even though I wanted to. It was just more trouble that it was worth. When I was trying to climb back on to the dock I scratched all of my toes on my left foot and then I couldn't even pull myself up like most of the kids could since I have no upper body strength whatsoever. Thank goodness Joe was on the dock and he was able to help pull me up even though my arms were slippery from the sunscreen I was wearing. One neat (but sort of a little scary) thing from the Beach Party is I saw a sting day in the water while I was standing in the dock looking at the water. He was a big one too. 

All in all I have to say that I really enjoyed the Beach Party. It was really fun and I'm so glad I got to be a part of it! It's such a fun way to end the Semester before the kids go on Easter Break. At one point while I was sitting down under the trees (to stay in the shade) I had a moment where I realized how much I loved simply sitting there on how beach and hearing the chatter and sounds of the kids having fun playing in the water. It was a really sweet moment. After I left the Beach Party I went back to Pedro's and worked on my laptop briefly. I also spent time talking to Carolyn (the housekeeper I met last Friday) and she told me about how her daughter (who goes to Roman Catholic Primary School) did on her report card, I told her about the Beach Party with Isla Bonita, and I showed her where UNCW is since she asked how far we traveled to Belize. She is such a sweet lady and I enjoyed talking with her for a little bit. Most of everyone in a group wanted to go to Caribbean Villas so I went with them and laid by the pool (while taking catnaps) to relax. Between spending all day at the beach and then staying at the pool I have to say that Friday was a rough day...NOT. It was truly wonderful! After spending a while at Caribbean Villas a few of us were getting hungry so we headed back to Pedro's. For supper I was going to go with a group of people to try a new restaurant that I haven't been to yet but the sky was really dark and it looked like it was going to storm really bad so I just decided to stay at Pedro's with a few people and split a Pizza with Jessica M. The group of people that went out to eat got back before it started raining so I could’ve went to eat with them without getting wet but I would rather be safe than sorry. I still have a few weeks here in Belize with plenty of more opportunities to try eating at new restaurants. After eating Supper I played Cards with Tracy, Meghan, Callie, Jessica M., Cyrus, Casey, and Maddi. We played Spoons as well as BS and it was my first time playing either game. Karaoke started at about 8:00 p.m. so after playing BS and everyone else was going to start playing a new Game that I had no idea how to play I decided that I had played enough new card games for the night and went to enjoy the Karaoke for a little while before driving to crash for the night at around 11:30 p.m. 


Day Eleven: On Saturday we were supposed to go snorkeling for an all day excursion but since it had rained the night before and it was still gloomy when we woke up the trip got canceled and will be rescheduled at a later date. Since all of us were up and awake and hungry, a big group of us (16 to be exact) decided to go get breakfast at The Coconut Café and we filled that restaurant up. A couple owns the restaurant and the woman said that it was the first time since they’ve opened where they’ve had every seat filled and even had to get a couple of extra chairs to accommodate for us. She even took a picture of us all there and posted it on their Facebook Page. It was too funny. I really would’ve liked to try the cinnamon bun because it looked so delicious but since I had one yesterday I decided to get a Breakfast Sandwich so that it was more filling. After I got back to the hotel from breakfast I was still very tired so I decided to take a nap and I didn’t wake up until about Noon. It was the first day since I’ve been here in Belize where I got to take a nap so it was nice getting to be lazy for once. After I woke up I finally got around to doing my laundry after putting it off all week. I poured some laundry detergent into the waste basket, filled it up with hot water, dunked my clothes into the water, rinsed my clothes in the sink, and dropped them in a pile on top of a towel in the floor. I’m sure my clothes didn’t get all that “clean” but it’s what will suffice for now because I was not paying $12.00 (American) just to have the hotel do my laundry. It would have defeated the purpose anyway because between the dust, sweating all the time, wearing sunscreen and bug spray all the time, wearing clean clothes just doesn’t last very long here. My roommate brought a clothesline with her so I had her put it up in our room for me and I put some of my clothes on it and then put the rest of my clothes up on the line outside at the hotel. I then ate some peanut butter crackers and fruit snacks for lunch and went outside in the picnic area to hang out for a little while. It started drizzling and someone mentioned my clothes were outside so I went to take them down and had to lay out two towels in my hotel room floor for my clothes to dry that way. I then went back down to the picnic area and spent time working on a Survey that needed to be completed by 5:00 p.m. Sunday Evening. A few people were getting ready to leave to go to Supper so I joined them and we rode our bikes to La Divina Providencia. La Divina Providencia is a restaurant that is just around the corner from New Horizons and the people placed at that school ate there AT LEAST once a day all throughout the week and kept coming back to the hotel talking about how good and cheap it was so I was glad to finally go try it. I ended up getting some Chicken Nachos that were pretty delicious. After getting back to the hotel I spent time hanging out in the hammock watching everyone else play a card game while we were waiting for the rest of our group that went and played The Poker Run to come back to Pedro’s. Once everyone got back I spent time hanging out with them and played a card game for a little bit until most of everyone decided to go to bed. I stayed up a little later to finish and submit my Survey since I only had one question left to do before I went to get Supper and then I called it a night. 


After being here in Belize for Eleven Days now I have to say that one of the things I'm loving about Belize is that I lose track of time here. 3/4 of the time I honestly have no idea what time it is. & Each day I couldn't tell you what the date is. I mean…I know what day of the week it is and I know what time I need to be somewhere in the morning after I wake up or what time I should go to bed by but other than that I really don’t need to pay attention to what time it is or what the date is and it's honestly been really nice. I already know that it's going to be hard to adjust back to the fast-paced lifestyle back home once I get back. Thankfully I still have four weeks left before I have to worry about that and I'm going to make the most of every single minute I have here as best as I possibly can! Since the students are going to be out of School for the next two weeks we all will be spending time over the next two weeks doing Community Service Projects in the Community to work on our required Community Service House. We will be leaving on Thursday to go Inland until Monday. I have no idea what all the next two weeks will entail but I’m looking forward to finding out!

"Embracing Otherness, Embracing Myself"

On Sunday I watched a Ted Talk by an actress named Thandie Newton that was required of us to watch before Monday. It was a very interesting Ted Talk that really gets you thinking. There were a few things from it that stuck out to me and I wanted to share my reactions to it.

One of the things Thandie said as she was describing her life was: "Another world was opening up around this time: performance and dancing. That nagging dread of self-hood didn't exist when I was dancing. I'd literally lose myself. And I was a really good dancer. I would put all my emotional expression into my dancing. I could be in the movement in a way that I wasn't able to be in my real life, in myself." It hit me because for a long time I was someone who loved to read books, watch movies, and listen to music because I just love stories. And I also loved getting lost in them since I felt like it was better than my reality. I also did Theatre when I was a Senior in High School and could really relate to what Thandie said about losing herself in a role. I don't really lose myself in fantasties anymore like I used to but this was a quote from Thandie that really resonated with me when I heard it.

At one point Thandie was talking about herself and said: "I had a degree from Cambridge; I had a thriving career, but my self was a car crash, and I wound up with bulimia and on a therapist's couch." I felt bad but I couldn't help but laugh when she said herself was a car crash because I couldn't tell you how many times I have felt like that in my life. And I still do sometimes! I describe myself as being a mess ALL THE TIME because I honestly am SUCH A MESS more times than not (I never feel like I'm put together) but a car crash is a much more descriptive image and I like it a lot better so it may be my new way of describing myself when I feel like I'm a mess. When I heard her say that I honestly felt like it just fit me in a nutshell.

During the talk Thandie said: "I still valued self-worth above all other worth, and what was there to suggest otherwise? We've created entire value systems and a physical reality to support the worth of self" and it hit me like a ton of bricks. For a long time in my life I was very selfish. It wasn't that I didn't care about other people...I could just care less. I was on a Mission Trip last Summer and came back a completely different person and was a lot more selfless than when I left to go on my Mission Trip. When Thandie said that I just felt like it really related to me because I used to be so focused on only me, my life, and my success but now that I invest in others and put others before myself I have so much more joy in my life than when I was selfish and only focused about what was going on in my life. Plus it's a lot less boring now than it used to be. 

Later during the talk Thandie said: "I always wondered why I could feel others' pain so deeply, why I could recognize the somebody in the nobody. It's because I didn't have a self to get in the way. I thought I lacked substance, and the fact that I could feel others' meant that I had nothing of myself to feel." Before I went on my Mission Trip I didn't really feel for other people. I mean...I did a little bit but I honestly didn't even really feel for my own self and emotions. I was at a point where I was simply going through the motions and had become numb to my own emotions, much less everyone else. While I was on my Mission Trip I took the Myer-Briggs Personality Test and found out that my personality type is an ESFJ. The most important part of my personality type that relates to this Ted Talk is the "F" which means I'm a feeler. Every since I've gone on my Mission Trip instead of being numb to everyone and everything like I used to be...NOW I FEEL IT ALL. I'm not kidding. & Now I'm not sure which one is easier to do. It's tough to go about day to day life and not feel anything but I honestly believe that it's just as hard to feel everything as well. I'm currently just taking one day at a time and am trying to figure out a balance of  the whole 'feeling' thing as I go.

The thing that Thandie said that I honestly loved THE MOST from the Ted Talk was: "And when I realized and really understood that my self is a projection and that it has a function, a funny thing happened. I stopped giving it so much authority. I give it its due. I take it to therapy. I've become very familiar with its dysfunctional behavior. But I'm not ashamed of my self. In fact, I respect my self and its function. And over time and with practice, I've tried to live more and more from my essence. And if you can do that, incredible things happen." I thought it was pretty powerful. I know I keep going back to my Mission Trip I went on last year but it was truly a Life-Changing Summer for me with a lot of Self-Discovery. I used to not be okay with who I was and I couldn't stand where I was in life and wanted to be ANYWHERE ELSE but where I was at in the moment and now I can honestly say that I am finally okay with who I am and actually love where I'm at and mean it. & It's such a wonderful place to be.

One thing that Thandie said that I REALLY LIKED and also relates to my reactions from when she was talking about feeling other's pain is: "Because, hey, if we're all living in ourselves and mistaking it for life, then we're devaluing and desensitizing life...So here's a note to self: The cracks have started to show in our constructed world, and oceans will continue to surge through the cracks, and oil and blood, rivers of it." Once again...I can really relate to this because of my Mission Trip last Summer. I feel like it also goes back to Thandie feeling like a car crash. One thing I've learned since my Mission Trip is none of us are perfect and we don't have to pretend we are. Life is so much better when we don't try to be something we're not. I'm a very blunt, open, honest person and I wear my heart on my sleeve (I should probably work on having a better filter at times) but I feel like it's so much better to be straight forward. One of my pet peeves is when people try to beat around the bush. I CANNOT STAND IT when people try to skirt around the truth. I mean...Just give it to me straight and I'll do the same for you. That's honestly all that I ask and I'll be happy.  

As a closing to the Talk Thandie said: "Crucially, we haven't been figuring out how to live in oneness with the Earth and every other living thing. We've just been insanely trying to figure out how to live with each other -- billions of each other. Only we're not living with each other; our crazy selves are living with each other and perpetuating an epidemic of disconnection. Let's live with each other and take it a breath at a time. If we can get under that heavy self, light a torch of awareness, and find our essence, our connection to the infinite and every other living thing. We knew it from the day we were born. Let's not be freaked out by our bountiful nothingness. It's more a reality than the ones our selves have created. Imagine what kind of existence we can have if we honor inevitable death of self, appreciate the privilege of life and marvel at what comes next. Simple awareness is where it begins." And I feel like there's nothing that I can say to add to that.

12:41 Let's live with each other and take it a breath at a time. If we can get under that heavy self, light a torch of awareness, and find our essence, our connection to the infinite and every other living thing. We knew it from the day we were born."

My Day at Stella Maris School!

On Tuesday after School Dr. C informed me along with Megan, Brittany, and Savannah (& As an FYI-I now refer to all of us as "The SPED Girls) that we would get to go Inland with her on Wednesday to go to Stella Maris School. I got SO EXCITED because I had a few friends (who were Special Education Majors) who came to the Belize International Field Experience last year and I heard about how great Stella Maris was and COULD NOT WAIT to see it for myself!

Stella Maris School is a School located in Belize City that just beside the Ministry of Education. It is the ONE AND ONLY School IN THE COUNTRY that is for Students with Special Needs. Stella Maris School is a Government School meaning that it is run by the Ministry of Education.

Dr. C, The SPED Girls, and I got on the 6:30 a.m. Water Taxi leaving from San Pedro and made a stop at Caye Caulker to pick up more passengers on the Water Taxi. We got to Belize City at around 8:00 a.m. and then got a Taxi Ride to Stella Maris. We met someone from the Ministry of Education and then he walked us over to Stella Maris and we were introduced to Miss Joy (the principal of Stella Maris). She said she would give us a Tour of the School at 9:00 a.m. and we could spend time talking to the students and/or teachers until then. After Dr. C left to give her Presentation about PBIS at the Ministry of Education The SPED Girls and I started playing with the kids on the playground. One little boy gave each one of us a hug and I was pretty sure that my heart was going to burst out of my chest. I enjoy Isla Bonita but I just can't explain the feeling of being around students with special needs. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. While at Stella Maris all day I just had this feeling that I just belong with those students. I was definitely reminded on Wednesday that I am in the right field! Before the School Day started I noticed a couple of girls signing so I of course couldn't resist going over there seeing if I could put my Sign Language knowledge to use (from taking ASL-101 and ASL-102 at UNCW) and possibly communicate with them. I was able to ask if the students if they were deaf, ask their ages, tell them where I was from, and tell them that I was a teacher. I saw one of the teachers signing with the students and asked her is she was their teacher and she said she was. I told her my name and explained to her why I was there a Stella Maris and she was very welcoming to us being there.

The SPED Girls and I spent some time talking as the students dispersed to their Classrooms and while waiting for Miss Joy to give us a Tour of Stella Maris. Miss Joy first showed us the School Cafeteria and Kitchen since they were near the Office. Miss Joy showed us an empty coop and told us that the school likes to incorporate Agriculture into their Practical Curriculum and then informed us that just last week they slaughtered 50 chickens. Talk about an interesting fact. Miss Joy then showed us a building that had Sewing Machines in it. After that we started seeing the Classrooms and the first ones we saw were the three Infant Classrooms. Miss Joy then showed us the Gardens at the School and they currently had Cucumbers that were growing. I asked Miss Joy a few questions and learned that Stella Maris has been open since 1958, she started teaching at Stella Maris, she's been the principal at Stella Maris since 2004, and she has worked at Stella Maris for a total of 31 years. We also learned that there aren't any specific qualifications required for the teachers at Stella Maris to teach there like there are for teachers in the States to teach Special Education but they do have a Training at the Ministry of Education about working with students with Special Needs before each School Year starts. The one requirement for each of the teachers at Stella Maris is that they ARE required to learn Sign Language since there are 15 students who have a hearing loss of somesort. After walking and talking with Miss Joy she continued showing us the Classrooms and we saw three Upper Division Classrooms. After that Miss Joy showed us the Adult Autism Classroom, the Reading Group Room, and the kitchen where the students cook. We also got to see the Physiotherapy Room and meet the Physical Therapist there. After seeing the Library (that is called The Hector Hoare Resource Centre) and meeting the Librarian (Marlin - who used to be a student at Stella Maris), we saw the three Middle Division Classrooms. As Miss Joy took us into each Classroom she would introduce us to them saying that we were Special Education Majors visiting the School and everyone was so welcoming to us. Once Miss Joy finished showing us around the School she said that she would leave us and let us pick to observe whichever Classrooms we wanted to see and that was that. I was amazed how she just let us have the freedom to basically just do what we wanted just like that.

Megan and I decided to check out the Adult Autism Classroom and Megan and I got to observe them during their Math Block while they worked on telling time. They each got up to pick their clocks (that they made at a previous time) and then worked on counting the hours on the clock. Their classroom was so neat because with it being an older age they have a lot of Daily Living Skills they need to practice and they had all of the means and materials to do so. They had an area to wash dishes, they had a dining table, they had an area of personal care items, and they even had a bedroom to practice making a bed. I also loved the visual schedules that the Classroom had as well because it's EXACTLY the same things that we use in our Autism Classrooms in the States as well. After the Math Block it was time for the School Break so The SPED Girls and I spent time playing outside with the students and taking pictures with them. During the break one of the girls from one of the Middle Division Classroom who is deaf (her name is Annie) came up to me since she found out I sign so I started signing with her a little bit. Annie and a few other students in her Class wanted me to go to their Classroom with them after break so I did. In their classroom one of the teachers is deaf as well and I had introduced myself to him and signed to him earlier when Miss Joy introduced us SPED Girls. The Class was doing Language Arts. The teacher wrote four questions on the board regarding synonyms and opposites and barely had to give any directions to the students. The students immediately got their notebooks out after the teacher started writing on the chalkboard, started writing down the questions, answered the questions, and took them to the teacher to get graded. After the students got their papers graded they would come up to me and show me how they did. Annie spent some time telling me each of the sign names for the students so that was neat. I also spent a good bit of time signing with the teacher who is deaf (I hate I didn't get his name). I haven't practiced signing in a while so I was definitely rusty but it was good getting some practice. I knew from taking ASL that ASL is NOT a universal language. Each country has their own Sign Language but I always heard that different sign languages can still communicate and between fingerspelling and similar signs the teacher and I were able to communicate fairly well. He was very patient with me as signing slowly, but surely, came back to me. One of the fun things that happened while signing with the teacher was I learned the sign for Belize! You make the letter "B" and then move it in front of you in the shape of a "Z." I THINK IT'S THE NEATEST THING. I was nervous to start signing with the girls earlier in the morning but I'm so glad I did because the more I signed, the more comfortable I got with it. I am SO GLAD that I took a chance and just put forth the effort in trying to communicate with everyone at School. Lunch started at 11:45 a.m. and all of the students ate in the Cafeteria together at the same time and the teachers left Campus to get their lunch. The SPED Girls and I got lunch at a Belizean Chinese Restaurant across the street from Stella Maris and then had fun talking about our experiences in the different Classrooms we got to visit.

I honestly just love Stella Maris SO MUCH. My heart was SO FULL after being there just four hours on Wednesday. I honestly hated that we had to leave when we did but after talking with Dr. C I believe we'll be able to go back one more day to visit sometime after Easter Break when Dr. C has to take another trip Inland and I ALREADY CANNOT WAIT TO GO! I am so excited and am looking forward to learning more about Stella Maris and spending more time with the students! I had no idea what to expect when we went to Stella Maris but it was such a wonderful experience! I was so impressed by it. Stella Maris is an incredible School and I have officially fallen in love with it. I can honestly say that Wednesday has definitely been one of the top highlights of my time here in Belize so far! It was actually probably the best day that I've had yet. I am truly so thankful that Dr. C provided us SPED Girls the opportunity to go visit Stella Maris. IT WAS TRULY AMAZING.

The First Four Days! (March 18th - March 21st)

Day One: I stayed the night at my Grandparents house on Tuesday Night and I went to bed at 2:00 a.m. I got up at 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday Morning and my Grandparents took me to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. I was honestly a basket-case of emotions on Wednesday Morning. I had so many mixed emotions...I was nervous, scared, excited, anxious, and honestly just didn't know what to think or how to feel. All I knew was that I was overwhelmed and just ended up crying in the car as I was on my way to the Airport. I think I was so busy in trying to get through my Internship back in Wilmington and prepare for Belize as best as possible that I didn't feel prepared ENOUGH for Belize and the reality of what was I about to do (LEAVE THE COUNTRY FOR FIVE AND A HALF WEEKS AND ALL) FINALLY hit me. My Grandpa helped me get checked in at the Airport and then I was on my own as I went through security and sat waited to board the plane (I have only flown twice in my life and that was two and from New York City when I took a trip there with my Grandparents the Summer before my Senior Year of High School). I was still unsure about everything but once I got onto the plane I actually (and surprisingly) felt a little better. My plane departed at 6:50 a.m. and Meghan got to the Gate just as it was starting to board. Meghan and I were the only two people from our Belize Cohort who flew from Charlotte on the 6:50 a.m. Flight. Meghan and I didn't even book our tickets together and happened to be on the same row! The two guys who were originally on my side of the plane in my row with me moved to the back of the plane since there were open seats so Meghan came over and sat beside me and that was neat. The flight to Miami was about two hours and I was thankfully able to nap on and off during the flight. Our plane arrived to the Miami International Airport at around 8:45 a.m. so Meghan and I both got a yogurt parfait for breakfast and then met up with eight other people at our gate who flew to Miami from Raleigh. We had almost an hour long layover and then started boarding the plane a little before 10:00 a.m. Our plane departed at 10:20 a.m. and then we were on our way to Belize City! The flight took two hours but since there is a two-hour time difference between Belize and North Carolina we arrived to Belize City a little after 10:30 a.m. After arriving to Belize City we all went through Immigration and Customs and then had to wait to board YET ANOTHER PLANE. This plane was a smaller one called a Puddle Jumper with Maya Island Air and I was really nervous to get on it since only 10 of us could fit on it at a time but it actually ended up being a pretty smooth ride to San Pedro. It was also so beautiful and really neat to fly over the water.

We got to San Pedro not long after 12:00, waited for our bags to get taken off the plane, and then the group of 10 of us took two Taxis to Pedro's Hotel and Inn (our home for the time we're staying in San Pedro). We had to wait about 20 minutes to get checked in once we got to Pedro's but after we got checked in and got our bikes (that we are renting and will be using to get around the Island while we're here), we went to put our stuff in our rooms and then decided to walk around the Island a little bit to find some lunch. We were looking for a place called Caribbean Villas to eat at (the man who owns Pedro's Inn and Hotel ALSO owns Caribbean Villas) but we went the wrong direction so after walking on the beach for a while we all just finally decided to eat at a place on the beach we found called Blue Water Grill. We went the complete opposite direction of Caribbean Villas but Blue Water Grill ended up being such a good choice after a long day of traveling (that I really did not realize would be as long of a process as it was-But I survived!). I ate a Turkey Pita that was very yummy so I had no complaints about our lunch choice one bit. One of the fun things about the restaurant is it had a "I ❤️ Belize" Sign on the wall so we all took a picture by it before we left. I really liked that restaurant and am glad we treated ourselves to a nice meal since I had only eaten a yogurt parfait and drank water all day. After we finished eating we went back to Pedro's and just spent time hanging out by the pool as the rest of the people in our group slowly but surely started showing up (I was part of the group that was the first to arrive). When my roommate (Jessica B.) got to the Hotel I helped her take her bags to our room and then we both unpacked a little bit. Jessica B. and I had one our the first Education Classes that you take at UNCW together and she and I also live in the same On-Campus Apartment Building so she and I are both excited to be roommates while we're in Belize! At 6:00 p.m. all 26 of us went to the restaurant at Pedro's for complimentary pizza for it being our first night in town. I unfortunately didn't get a piece of the complimentary pizza since there was so many of us and it was gone before I even got up there. Thankfully Jessica M., Maddi, and Casey ordered a pizza so I was able to go in with them and get some slices of their pizza. Pedro's also had Karaoke on Wednesday Night so a good number of people in our group sang at least once and we all had a blast for our first night in Belize! I even sang to three songs ("Blank Space" by Taylor Swift, "Love Somebody" by Maroon 5, and "Goodbye Earl" by Dixie Chicks) so it was a lot of fun. My roommate and I headed back to our room at about 10:00 p.m. and decided to call it a night since it was such a long day.


Day Two: I slept so well on Wednesday Night. I was actually surprised by how well I slept but was not complaining by any means since I did not sleep very much between Tuesday and Wednesday before arriving to Belize. I woke up at 7:00 a.m. but it was still early so I went back to sleep and finally got up at 8:30 a.m. I was meeting a group of people (eight including me) at 9:00 so I got up, got ready, and we all got our bikes and begin exploring the island on our free day. We were trying to find a fruit stand but did not have any luck. We did however find a Restaurant called San Pedro Melt Cafe which was a restaurant that was literately ON THE BEACH. (How I always end up in a group who ends up in a different place than the one they originally tried looking for I'm not sure. HAHA.) The group I was with sat outside and we had SUCH A BEAUTIFUL VIEW of the beach from our table. It was so nice. I got a Banana Rama Smoothie and some French Toast with bacon for breakfast and IT WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. It was the perfect portion of food and tasted so yummy. After eating breakfast my group and I rode our bikes to the Fruit Stand, we stopped at a Market, and then we dropped off the food we bought back at the Hotel. Afterwards we rode our bikes to the Caribbean Villas and we spent four hours laying out by the pool at the beach. It was so nice and I enjoyed getting to spend such a long time relaxing on Thursday after the long day of traveling on Wednesday. At about 3:00 some of us were getting a little hungry so we decided to go find the taco stand that we heard was cheap and yummy but they weren't open. This time we actually found the place we were looking for but their hours were from 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. so we just decided to go back to the Hotel to hang out for a little while. I spent time laying out by the pool and ate some of the snacks I bought at the Market to tide me over until supper since I was pretty hungry. At about 5:30 I left with a group of people to go to the Neri's Tacos (the Taco Stand we tried to go to earlier). I ended up being the only one in my group who knew where it was so I ended up leading the rest of the group there. I ate a BIG BURRITO and had a coke for four Belizean Dollars (which is only TWO AMERICAN DOLLARS) and could not believe it. It honestly blew me away. I thought it was incredible eating a meal that cheap. After spending a good chunk of money on two meals here it was on nice to pay barely anything for something that was so filling. I definitely found the place where I will be eating supper on most evenings. You just can't beat the price!! After eating supper I went back to the hotel with a few people and we all hung out outside and played the games Heads Up to kill time before the Trivia Night started in the restaurant at the hotel. Trivia Night started at 7:30 and ended at about 9:00. I didn't play but it was entertaining to sit and watch other people play. I barely knew the answers to many of the questions so it was a good thing that I didn't play. After Trivia Night was over my roommate and I (as well as many other people) decided to head back to the Hotel and call it a night.


Day Three: On Friday I woke up at 7:45 a.m., got ready, ate breakfast, and went downstairs to meet the whole group and our directors at 8:30 a.m. Dr. C and Dr. K briefed us on what the day would look like. We would be going to two Schools and then have the rest of the day free while Dr. C and Dr. K went to visit the High School to see if anyone would be placed there. Before I came to Belize a lot of people asked me what I would be doing here and all I could tell them was that I would be volunteering in Schools because that was really all I knew. Coming here to Belize was definitely something where I didn't know what all I would really be doing until I got here which has been and still kind of is tough because I'm a planner and LOVE knowing what exactly I'm doing when so it's been interesting to learn to be more flexible and go with the flow (thankfully my Internship in Wilmington prepared me to go be a lot more flexible than what I used to be) while I've been here. At our Departure Meeting on Monday Dr. K told us that our International Field Experience here in Belize would be COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from our Internship in Wilmington. Before our group headed out to the Schools on Friday Morning Dr. C and Dr. K gave us some advice and guidelines to follow about expectations of us while we're here, about going to the schools, and interacting with people while at the schools. One of the things that Dr. C and Dr. K told us that stuck out to me the most was that Belizean people are very relational people and personal relationships usually form before the professional relationships do. I was very happy to hear that because in the few jobs that I've had I have always enjoyed the ones where I've formed both a personal and professional relationship with my coworkers more compared to the ones where I only had professional relationship with my coworkers. To me there's just something about having that personal component to the relationship that makes me feel closer to someone and in turn be able to work with them better. Our big group split up into two groups to head to our first school. One group followed Dr. C and one group followed Dr. K. I was in the group with Dr. C. The first school we visited was New Horizon Seventh Day Adventist School. When we arrived to New Horizon the Principal and Vice Principal came to welcome us and the Principal was so so happy happy to have us there (his words when he spoke to us, not mine). He told us about the school and let us explore it a little bit. I really liked New Horizon. It had all of the Classrooms on the outside so there was a big courtyard type area so it made it seem big and open however the classrooms are fairly small with large class sizes. The Principal said that they have a little over 500 students enrolled there. New Horizon is a public school that is run by Seventh Day Adventist so one group of students were in the Chapel for Devotion. (Just as a side note: Schools can be considered public as long as they accept any students and the teachers are paid by the Ministry of Education. Most Schools here are run by a Church and there are not many state-run Schools at all.) While at New Horizon I talked with Dr. C a little bit and learned that the only requirements for teachers in Belize is for them to have a High School Diploma. I was curious about the qualifications of teachers in Belize and only about half of the teachers here actually have a College Degree. Dr. C also told me about the few colleges here in Belize as well.

One thing we learned about the Schools in San Pedro are the grades run differently here than they do in America. There is Pre-School, (there's no such thing as Kindergarten here) Infant 1 is our equivalent of First Grade, Infant 2 is our equivalent of Second Grade, Standard 1 is our Equivalent of Third Grade, Standard 2 is our equivalent of Fourth Grade, Standard 3 is our equivalent of Fifth Grade, Standard 4 is our equivalent of Sixth Grade, Standard 5 is our equivalent of Seventh Grade, and Standard 6 is our equivalent of Eighth Grade. And the "Grades" here do not depend on age like they do in America; it depends on if the students can pass the tests of knowing the information required for each grade here. The second school we visited was La Isla Bonita Elementary School. We didn't really get to learn much about the School itself by the Principal since there are so many of us there and it was very busy with the group of students who were outside for recess and the group of students getting lunch. The people who will be placed at La Isla Bonita Elementary will learn more about the school when the Principal speaks to them on Monday Morning. La Isla Bonita was gated and fairly small and tight-knit but still very nice nonetheless. I liked it as well. I have a friend from UNCW who came on the Belize International Field Experience last year who was also an Adapted Curriculum Special Education Major (which is what I am for those who didn't know) and was placed at La Isla Bonita Elementary. My friend had the opportunity of working with a student at Isla Bonita who I was hoping to have the opportunity to work with as well but when Dr. C and I talked to the Principal of the School she said that the student hasn't been at school since First Term so I'm not sure if I'll be seeing her or not. The Principal said that she would see if she could get in contact with the Student's Family and would let Dr. C and I know. After exploring Isla Bonita we all had the rest of the day free so I followed a group of people to see where the Bridge on the Island was. We didn't go over it but we stopped at this Park Area just before it that was absolutely stunning. It was so beautiful that it honestly took my breath away. We hung out there for a brief moment and took pictures (of course) and then all decided to go find some lunch. I went with a few people Neri's Tacos and got six tacos and a coke for Three Belizean Dollars (which is only $1.50 American Dollars.) I could honestly get used to eating meals for that cheap and will honestly probably be getting my meals at Neri's Taco on most days. After eating lunch I went back to Pedro's Hotel and decided to rest in my air conditioned room for a little while after a very hot morning of bike riding in the sun.

Quite of few people went exploring around the Island and some people went to go to Caribbean Villas. I didn't have the energy to explore the island and since I spent about four hours at Caribbean Villas on Thursday I decided to spend time relaxing at Pedro's for the day. I worked on my Blog (this post to be exact) and uploaded some pictures on Facebook so that everyone could get an idea of where I'm at and what I'm doing here. I honestly want to spend the least amount of time on technology as possible while I'm here because I don't want to miss a single thing since I will never have the chance to be here on this exact trip EVER AGAIN for as long as I live. At about 6:00 p.m. a group of fifteen of us went to eat Supper at Pinneapples for Cyrus' Birthday. Jessica M. and I split a Rasta Pasta and it was the perfect amount for the both of us. Had we ordered something for ourselves it would have been too much food for one person and also a little bit more than what we would've like to paid for just one person. After we left Pineapples we went back to the restaurant at Pedro's to hang out and they had karaoke again so it was a good time. I sang "22" by Taylor Swift with Abby for Cyrus' Birthday since he was turning 22 and I also jumped up with three other girls and sang "Wide Open Spaces" by Dixie Chicks." At about 9:00 p.m. everyone in the restaurant got together ad sang to "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey and it was recorded for a guy who spent about 18 months here at Pedro's and has been diagnosed with terminal cancer so that was a very neat experience to be a part of. I also spent time talking with a man named Florence who owns part of Caribbean Villas so it was neat getting to learn about him and how he ended up in Belize. Florence also told me about the San Pedro Sailing Club which is located just in front of Caribbean Villas. Other than that I spent my evening just watching everyone else sing karaoke and it was very entertaining. At about 11:00 p.m. my roommate and I were pretty tired and decided to call it a night. That was the latest I had gone to bed while I've been here.


Day Four: On Saturday I woke up and spent a little bit of time outside in the shade. At about 11:00 a group of us were ready to go to the Palapa Bar and Grill on the part of the island past where the bridge is. It was this neat place that was on the water and had intertubes you could sit in the water and just relax. I decided to stay in the shade (I'm trying to be cautious and do everything I can to NOT get sunburned while I'm here since I'm so fair-skinned) and enjoyed the view of the water as well as the nice breeze that kept me cool. I wasn't starving but I was a little hungry so I was boring and just got some cheese fries to eat since I couldn't find anyone to split anything with me. I ran into the same problem I had at Pineapples on Friday Night. Most items on the menu were more than what I wanted to pay for and/or some of them would be just too much food for me to eat since I didn't have a huge appetite. Plus I knew we were having our Group Dinner later in the evening so I really did not want to stuff myself for lunch and not have any room for my Supper. I left the Palapa Bar and Grill with a small group of people and got back to Pedro's at about 2:00 or so and spent time hanging out by the pool (in the shade of course) for a  couple hours. The ride to the Palapa Bar and Grill was nice but the ride back took a lot out of me since it was so hot and was a good trek. While hanging out at the Pool we all got an E-Mail from Dr. C with our School Placements and I found out that I placed at La Isla Bonita Elementary School. I honestly didn't mind being placed at either school but I sort of hoped that I would be placed at Isla Bonita and I honestly had a feeling when I was New Horizon on Friday Morning (as much as I liked it there) that I wouldn't be placed there.

At about 5:00 I decided to get ready for Dinner and ended up walking over to Caribbean Villas with Meghan, Tracy, Callie, and Jessica M. Everyone had to meet at Caribbean Villas by 6:30 so we all sat down at the two rows of tables they had set up for us once everyone was there. They started us off with a chowder that had conch, carrots, and potatoes in it. The conch was okay (I had tried conch fritters earlier at Palapa Bar and Grill) but I ate them first to get it out of the way so I could enjoy the carrots and potatoes. After the soup they brought us our entree which could have been a choice of either fish or chicken. I decided to play it safe and got the chicken so it was chicken covered in some kind of mushroom sauce (that I scraped most of it off since I don't like mushrooms), vegetables (I only ate the broccoli and carrots out of it), and mashed potatoes. (& If you couldn't already tell I'm a picky eater. The food I would be eating was honestly one of my main concerns as I was getting ready to come to Belize because of how picky I am.) I did get to try a piece of Tracy's fish and it was alright. I'm glad I went with the chicken though. We got to enjoy some music during our Dinner and at one point the singer got Dani up and had her dance the "Sexy Chicken" Dance in front of everyone. I was sitting at the end of a table and tried to avoid eye contact with him once he said he wanted someone else to come up and sure enough I hear: "The girl in the red dress." I hesitantly turned to look at him and he was waving me up so I reluctantly stood up and walked over to him. He asked for my name and where I was from. He then asked if we had mosquitoes where I'm from and asked how big they are. Then he had me do "The Mosquito" which consisted of he and I both just swatting at mosquitoes that weren't there along with the rhythm of the music. It was fitting for me though since I hate mosquitoes with EVERYTHING IN ME and they just LOVE ME. Ironically though I haven't gotten bit once yet while I've been here which has been nice. Hopefully I didn't just speak too soon and it'll stay that way. I would really like to not get bit here. I got to sit down after "dancing" and Cyrus and Jordon were both called up the dance as well. It was very entertaining having us all up in front of everyone dancing and definitely caused laughter. After the entertainment they brought us out a piece of key lime pie for dessert. I was already stuffed but managed to eat every bit of my piece of pie anyway and it was good. Immediately after everyone finished their dessert everyone stood up to leave and we all headed back to Pedro's. I walked back to Pedro's with Meghan, Tracy, Callie, Jessica M., Maddi, and Casey. We got back probably just a little before 9:30 so Casey and I walked over to the Pool for a minute to see if anyone was hanging out at all and there were a people who were. My roommate and I did not stay up much longer before deciding to go back to our room. Before we got to Belize Dr. C told us that we would be wanting to crash about 9:00/9:30 every night and I honestly did not believe her until we got here but she was exactly right.


It's hard to believe that we've been in Belize for four days already...It hasn't hit me yet and still feels like a dream. The time feels like it moves slower here and the days have gone by relatively slow for the most part so far but I am not complaining one bit because I know that the next five weeks are going to go by so fast and I'll be back in North Carolina before I know it so I want to enjoy every minute here as much as possible! There hasn't been too much structure the first four days of being here in Belize which has been an adjustment for me because I am a planner and VERY "Type A" but I'm slowly but surely trying to adjust to being able to just relax and not have every single part of my day planned out with no room to breathe or think (which is what I'm used to feeling like back home). I believe Saturday was the first day where I have truly felt the most comfortable here in Belize. I was walking around and riding my bike around San Pedro on Saturday and I realized that Belize has honestly started feeling like home a little bit so I believe that's a good sign. Especially since I'm living here for a little over a month and all. Now...I  have no idea what I will be doing while I'm at La Isla Bonita Elementary School so that's a little tough for me. I feel out of my comfort zone not having a clue what I have to do and will do yet but I know that I will figure it out and just have to take one day at a time. Before we went to visit the Schools on Friday Morning Dr. K told us that when we signed up for this trip we all said that we wanted to have a transformative experience and transformation does NOT come easy. I don't know what to expect over the next five weeks but I'm looking forward to seeing what is in store for me during my time here in Belize! Ready or not, here goes nothing...