Week Five! (April 19th - 25th)

Day Thirty-Three: On Sunday I woke up at about 8:30 a.m. and just couldn't fall back asleep. I laid in bed until about 9:00 a.m. and decided to just get up and get ready. I got a Poptart, took it downstairs, ate my Poptart, and hung out at the Picnic Table until 10:00 a.m. when Jessica B., Casey, Tiffany, Sarah, Cyrus, and I all left to go to Sagebrush Church. After Church was over we all headed back to Pedro's. I then changed into my bathing suit and headed to Caribbean Villas with Jordon, Ali, Stephens, and Lauren. We all got lunch (which I was super excited about because I really wanted to have some Famous Sunday BBQ at Caribbean Villas before I left Belize) and we all got a free piece of Key Lime Pie since it was Lauren's 22nd Birthday. We were all sitting there when out of nowhere Tim (one of the guys who works for Peter at both Pedro's & Caribbean Villas) had a tray of the pies and started singing "Happy Birthday." It was so nice and needless to say I was glad that I ended up sitting with Lauren for Lunch. I mean...You can't complain about FREE DESSERT after a delicious lunch! Ya know? After lunch I got really tired and decided that it was time to lay out by the pool and relax. I spent the afternoon in and out of the pool, laying out, as well as taking a nice cat nap, and it was lovely. I also got to see a few students from Isla Bonita while I was there so that was neat too. At about 5:00 p.m. all of us laying by the pool decided to head back to Pedro's. Quite a few people were going to get Supper with Lauren for her Birthday but since I felt like I was able to celebrate with her over Lunch I got Supper with Jessica B., Brittany, Casey, Maddi, and Jessica M. at La Divina Providencia. After I got back to The Hotel from Supper I spent time in the Restaurant for a while working on my Blog before calling it a night.


Day Thirty-Four: On Monday I got up at about 7:30 a.m., got ready for the day, and left to go to School at about 8:00 a.m. Once I got to Isla Bonita I ate my Poptart and then we had Devotion/Opening Assembly after the 8:30 a.m. School Bell rang. During the Assembly Miss Sharon told the School that Friday would be our last day and there was a collective chorus of "NNNOOO!!!!" from the students and it was the sweetest thing. But also sad too. It's all just so bittersweet. During the first Instructional Block I worked with Dyanara on reading Dr. Suess's ABC's to help give her some more practice on reading Braille and she read the pages with Letters A through J which is A GOOD NUMBER of pages. We only worked for a little over an hour and she did really well. She was able to go through it faster on Monday as well as read a lot more of it before getting really tired compared to last week. I was so proud of her and was also VERY IMPRESSED that I could see progress in just the one week that I've worked with her on reading Braille. IT WAS SO NEAT. During the Second Instructional Block I worked with Nayeli in the Standard One Classroom. There was a Language Arts Quiz so I helped her with that and when she finished she reached out and gave me a hug and it was just the sweetest moment since I wasn't expecting it. I then worked with Nayeli on the Journal Assignment that was assigned to the Class. When Nayeli finished with that she gave me another hug which just melted my heart. I had only worked with her a week and had gotten so attached to her. For lunch I went with Ali, Stephens, Brittany, Casey, Maddi, and Jessica M. to Lilly's. After lunch I spent the Third Instructional Block with Standard Six and observed as they gave Presentations on their Projects about The Food Pyramid. Miss Sharon said I could work with Lorena after the presentations so I decided to just sit in her Classroom so I would know when they ended since I didn't figure they would take too long but the presentations ended up taking longer than I thought they would so I ended up not working with Lorena. There were three groups of students and two of them were not very knowledgeable about the content of what was asked of them so a lot of time ticked by while Miss Sharon gave two of the three groups some time to attempt to finish completing their work together. The Classroom was really hot and after sitting there for an hour I went to go refill my water bottle since I was pretty thirsty and I wanted to make sure that I was staying hydrated. During the Afternoon Break I talked with Mr. Jaime about working with Julio and Genieve after the break was over (Julio saw me after Lunch before the Third Instructional Block started asking if I was working with him since I wasn't sure) and Mr. Jaime said I could work with them. 

During the Fourth Instructional Block I worked with Julio and Genieve on reading out of their workbook. Genieve was nice and said that Julio could pick what we read since she chose last time so Julio chose passages about sea creatures to read. We only had time to read half of it so I told them that we would finish the second half the next time we worked together. After we read the passage I read aloud the statements that were listed after the passage and we all looked back at the text to determine if the statements were true or false. We finished answering the questions just a little before 3:00 p.m. I let Julio and Genieve go back to their Class and I just sat in the Conference Room (where we worked on Monday) to kill some time before the Bell Rang at 3:00 p.m. so I could stay cool for a couple of more minutes since the room felt nice and chilly. A man who was coming to pick up one of the students in Standard Three Classroom saw me and asked if we were here volunteering at the Schools so I explained to him about how we were here in Belize for a Study Abroad Opportunity and then we introduced ourselves to one another. In our brief time together I learned that his name is Cliff and he is originally from Charlotte, NC. Cliff and his wife were both in the Military and have lived in Belize for 17 years now in a house that you can only get to by boat. Cliff has an adoptive granddaughter (who is the daughter of the caretakers of his property) who he was picking up from School. Cliff asked me when we were leaving Belize and when I told him on Saturday he was a little sad and said that it wouldn't be enough time to put everything together for a Party by Saturday since he wanted to have all of us volunteers over. I then got sad because THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLE AND SO NEAT. It's still such a sweet and genuine thought though and means a lot. Cliff gave me his card and told me to let him know if I ever come back to Belize and I will most definitely be taking him up on that offer. On Monday I left School at about 3:15 p.m. (I got caught up talking with Cliff but it was so worth it. I couldn't believe I was just sitting in Belize talking with someone who was from my neck of the woods and we knew of some of the same places that have changed over the years and it was just so neat.) I asked Cliff who his Granddaughter was he asked if I knew Gabby but I couldn't think of who she was. When Gabby came outside of the Classroom she said hey to me (while addressing me by name) and I felt so bad that I didn't know who she was. It's neat being a Special Education Major because I go into a multiple Classrooms and most of the students know who I am but it's also a drawback because so many students learn who I am but then since I only have a select few students from the multiple Classrooms that I work with I sometimes don't know who the other students in the Class are. It definitely has it's pros and cons. That I can't deny. When I got back to Pedro's I spent some time sitting in a hammock before our Group Meeting. Not too long after our Group Meeting I went with Jordon, Ali, Stephens, and Sarah to get supper at YJ's. When we got back to Pedro's I spent the rest of the night sitting in the Restaurant enjoying the Karaoke as well as being productive and getting some work done on my Blog for once before calling it a night so that was nice.


Day Thirty-Five: On Tuesday I woke up at 7:30 a.m., got ready, and then left to go to School at about 8:00 a.m. I ate my Poptart while waiting for the School Bell to ring at 8:30 a.m. During the First Instructional Block I worked with Dyanara on reading Dr. Suess's ABC's to continue giving her some more practice on reading Braille and she read the pages with Letters K through R. She was getting frustrated easily and tired sort of faster so I didn't want to push her too hard or keep making her work and not have her be successful because that would defeat the purpose of even working with her. During the Second Instructional Block I went into the Standard One Classroom and Kevin was too sweet because just as I walked in he yelled: "HUG TEACHER!" and came over to give me a hug. Nayeli saw it and got a little jealous and then came over to give me a hug. AND THEN Zachary came to give me a hug as well. The kids just continued to melt my heart more and more each day. Stephens was teaching Language Arts so I helped Nayeli to complete her Classroom Assignment. At one point I was sitting on the floor of the classroom and Viviannie (a girl who helps Nayeli in Class) hugged me, then Nayeli hugged me, then Kevin came and hugged me, and it was almost a dog pile of children hugging me and I felt so overwhelmed with love but in a good way. It was just a sweet and precious moment. For lunch I went with Brittany, Casey, Maddi, and Jessica M. to Pupuseria Saladoreno. During the Third Instructional Block I went back into the Standard One Classroom to work with Nayeli some more and assist her when needed. I couldn't work with Lorena like I had wanted to because her Class was having a Cook-Off. During the Break Genieve came up to me and told me that I couldn't work with her and Julio because they had Computer and I looked at her asking "Are you saying that or did Mr. Jaime say that?" but I already knew the answer before she told me that she was the one who said it. These kids think they're something else. I told Mr. Jaime was Genieve said and he just smiled and laughed. During the Fourth Instructional Block I went back to the Standard One Classroom so I could continue to work with Nayeli some more. I also got to teach Miss Seleni some signs that she can use in the Classroom. I left School at little after 3:00 p.m. and not long after I got back to Pedro's I was so tired that I had to take a short nap. When I woke up from my nap I ate a PB & J and then got ready to go on a Night Snorkel at Hol Chan Marine Reserve! 

A group went snorkeling on Monday Night and I was part of the group that went on Tuesday Night. We got picked up at a dock not too far from Pedro's, rode to the Ambergris Divers Dive Shop, got our Snorkel Gear (fins, mask, and flashlight), got in a different boat, and then were on our way to Hol Chan! Once we got to Hol Chan we had to wait until the sun actually went down and it was so neat getting to see the sunset set while out in the sea. Once it started getting darker we all got in the water! There were three divers who went went a Dive Master and then the rest of us who were snorkeling were split into two groups with different guides. Not long after I got in the water somehow I used too much pressure when trying to turn my flashlight on and before I knew it the switch had come off. My guide wasn't in the water yet so I went back to the boat and it was definitely broke so for the whole snorkel I just stayed close to the guide and hung on to the lifesaver ring he had with him. It actually worked out to my benefit because I pretty much (for the most part) got to what the guide saw which included seeing A BLACKTIP REEF SHARK. Before we went snorkeling during our Briefing Session the guy was telling us about what we might see and as far as sharks he said we could POSSIBLY see a Nurse Shark. As soon as the guide saw the shark he started yelling "Shark!" and was so excited that he got water in his mouth trying to tell us there was a shark. Everyone else in my group was too far away to actually see it so I was the lucky one out of the 5 of us who got to see it so that was pretty cool. We got to see all sorts of other sea creatures too. We got to see conches crawling on the bottom of the sea, the beautiful coral, sea urchins, a big green sea turtle, quite a few fish, sting rays, AND an octopus! It was such a neat experience swimming in the sea at night with all of the various sea creatures in their natural habitat. It was pretty surreal. After being in the water about 45 minutes (which was plenty of time because I was always scared I was going to touch the coral and you don't want to do that or it dies AND the current was fairly strong at times which made swimming tough at times) we got back on the boat and headed back to Pedro's. Once I got back to Pedro's I showered because my skin felt so sticky after being in the sea. I then ate the rest of my leftover quesedilla from supper on Sunday Night while sitting in the restaurant at Pedro's working on my Blog as well as responding to e-mails before going to bed.


Day Thirty-Six:On Wednesday I got up at about 5:30 a.m. and got ready for the day. The SPED Girls and I all got up early so that we could catch the 6:30 a.m. Water Taxi to Belize City so that we could *... DRUM ROLL ....* GO TO STELLA MARIS AGAIN!!!!! After our first visit to Stella Maris during our first full week here in Belize we wanted to go back and visit because we just loved it so much AND we also wanted to go back so that we could get some footage for our Documentary that we will be completing. Dr. C tried getting in touch with Stella Maris all throughout last week to see if we could go visit it again and we didn't know up until Monday Afternoon (OF THIS WEEK) if it would work out for us to go. Needless to say we were getting a little nervous because it was our last week in Belize and we had absolutely no footage for our documentary whatsoever. Talk about cutting it close. But Megan, Brittany, Savannah, and I were all very excited to get to go to Stella Maris again because we had such a good experience and really enjoyed ourselves the first time we went. We all met by the Picnic Tables, Dr. C drove us to the Water Taxi, and we all boarded the Water Taxi. I don't do mornings very well and was struggling a little bit to keep my head up so I laid it down on top of my bag in my lap and took a little nap while riding the Water Taxi. When The SPED Girls and I got to Belize City we found a Taxi and he took us to Stella Maris. When THE SPED Girls and I got to Stella Maris right as we were walking in there was a little boy sitting on the stairs (who I recognized from being in one of the Classrooms that I observed the last time I was at Stella Maris) and he immediately smiled at me, pointed, and then signed "remember." I asked him (in sign of course) if he remembered me and he smiled and signed "yes." IT WAS THE SWEETEST MOMENT. & I couldn't believe it! I only spent a couple of hours in the Classroom about a month ago and HE REMEMBERED ME. It was just so neat! We got to Stella Maris around 8:30 a.m., found the Vice Principal (since the Principal wasn't there), and spent time with the kids playing before School started. Three of the girls who are deaf that I met and signed with the last time I was at Stella Maris remembered me as well. The School Bell rang and The SPED Girls and I went to the Younger Autism Classroom and spent time with them for about 45 minutes. We sang songs with them, talked with the teachers, and worked with the students on Math. At about 9:45 a.m. The SPED Girls and I went into the kitchen and got to help the Class that was in there cook their Creole Buns and as the teacher said, "It was sticky business." We left as they were putting the buns in the oven and then spent more time outside with the kids during the Break. After the Break I spent time signing with the Teacher who is Deaf that I spent time signing with during my last visit at Stella Maris before joining Megan, Brittany, and Savannah in the Library where we then spent time getting to know Marlin (the Librarian). After talking with Marlin we tried to go visit the Adult Autism Classroom but the Vice Principal was conducting an Observation so we spent some time hanging outside with some of the kids until the Lunch Bell rang. We spent a little bit of time talking with the Vice Principal after she finished her Observation and then thanked her for allowing us to visit Stella Maris. I don't know how many times I would have to visit Stella Maris until I felt like it was enough time but I can tell you that two trips that only lasted 4 hours each WAS NOT ENOUGH TIME AT STELLA MARIS. 

I wish we could've stayed at Stella Maris longer but we needed to catch the 1:30 p.m. Water Taxi so we got lunch at the same Belizean Chinese Restaurant that we ate at when we visited Stella Maris last month and called the same Taxi Driver who drove us to Stella Maris to come pick us back up. We made it back to the Water Taxi at about 12:45 p.m. and then I got some Ice Cream Gelato while Megan, Brittany, and Savannah looked at some of the shops to kill time before it was time to board the Water Taxi. We got on the Water Taxi and sure enough not too much later I was so tired and just laid down on the bench (there was plenty of room without bothering anyone) so I took me a nap on the ride. I woke up just before our stop at Caye Caulker and managed to stay awake the rest of the Water Taxi ride to San Pedro but I guess I am unfortunately "unable to stay awake on Water Taxis for future reference" according to Brittany. Megan even has the picture of me sprawled out on our afternoon ride back to prove it. I wanted to walk on the beach back to Pedro's so I did just that and it was a good thing I did because on the path I took to get back to Pedro's I ran into Tamara, the woman I spent time with two Saturdays ago. It was nice because I wasn't sure if I would get to see her before I left Belize so I was glad that I ran into her. While I was talking to Tamara Dianela drove by on her golf cart and waved at me. After I talked with Tamara and as I was walking back to Pedro's Nikki was driving by me and stopped to offer me a ride so I got a ride back to Pedro's so that was nice. & It worked out so that I could verify our plans for Thursday Afternoon instead of having to send her a message on Facebook. As I got off the Golf Cart I could help but think that I JUST LOVE SAN PEDRO. I mean...I saw THREE PEOPLE that I knew within five minutes. HOW COOL IS THAT?! I love how similar San Pedro is to home. I see familiar faces almost everyone I go and have multiple times in a week ever since the first week I arrived to San Pedro and it's just the neatest thing. Back home I see people I know often around town and I love that I have been able to do the same thing here in San Pedro too. It's just been great. I got back to Pedro's at around 3:45 p.m. and spent time hanging out at the Picnic Tables since everyone placed at Isla Bonita Elementary School were meeting with Leslie to talk about our time here in Belize since she is working on a study to determine how the International Field Experience affects us that are here. After talking with Leslie I went upstairs, changed, and then left to go get Supper with Jessica M. at Neri's Tacos. Jessica M. and I walked to Neri's and then walked to The Office to meet our group to go on a Tour with the American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES). Cyrus, Joe, Meghan, Tracy, Callie, Abby, and Tiffany all arrived not too long after Jessica and I did. We all met Chris and Helen (Well...We sort of knew who they were since they have been at Pedro's on a couple of our Friday Karaoke Nights) to go on the Tour. We had to be at The Office by 6:15 p.m. but we waited a little while longer until it got dark before going on the boat. (Sidenote: Chris is from England and has worked with ACES for the past 5 out of the 7 seven years that he's been living in Belize and Helen is a Graduate from UCLA who is doing research with a woman named Marissa who both got to San Pedro last week.) 

It was REALLY DARK and kind of eerie riding around at night but it was a very slow and nice ride as well. We spent the ride sitting and listening to Helen and Chris inform us about crocodiles and answer any questions that we had. A group of people from our Cohort went on an ACES Tour Tuesday Night, I went with a group on Wednesday Night, and one more group would be going on Thursday Night. Mike (someone else who works with ACES) found a croc on Tuesday Night that had never been caught by ACES before so they chipped it and my roommate Jessica B. actually got to hold the croc while the microchip was put in him. Who ever is on the boat when a new croc is caught gets to name it and the Group on the boat Tuesday Night named the croc they found "Wiggle With It." After riding around for a while it was getting to a point where I wasn't sure if we were going to see a croc...I mean...I felt like it would be rare for EACH GROUP to be able to see a croc THREE NIGHTS IN A ROW. After no luck of seeing any crocs while Chris drove and Helen and Mike shined their lights out onto the water looking for a red glow (of the croc's eyes) Mike tied the boat up and Chris got out to walk through the maze. All of us sitting in the boat spent time talking and soon enough we heard Chris splashing through the water on his way back. Helen asked if he had any luck and sure enough I hear her say: "HE HAS ONE!" & There was Chris walking up to the boat with a little croc. The funny thing is it was the same one that they caught on Wednesday night but it was neat since people from our Cohort are the ones that got to name it! I asked Chris where he released "Wiggle With It" on Tuesday after they caught him and it was further down from where he found him so that was funny that he ended up right back in the same spot where they caught him on Tuesday Night. I told Chris that he knew where he would have to take the Group coming on Thursday Night and he just laughed. After Helen held the croc for a little bit and talked to us about him Chris taped the croc's mouth and we all got to hold him and take pictures with him. I even kissed him on the head! I was a little nervous to hold a croc but he wasn't too big and IT WAS SO COOL. I'm so glad we were given the spur of the moment opportunity to go on the ACES Tour because it was definitely another experience where I felt adventurous! It was just so neat. Plus I knew people who came to Belize last year went on an ACES Tour and I wanted to go. There is a girl named Miriam who was an Intern with ACES, stayed at Pedro's, and spent time with the Belize Cohort who was here last year. She actually came to Pedro's during out first and second full week here in Belize during her Spring Break to do some Research for her Master's Degree (well...she was here a little longer than originally planned due to her passport getting water damaged and she had to wait for her new documents to arrive before she could leave the country) but we all got to know her and I told her that I wanted to go to an ACES Tour so I was SUPER EXCITED when I found out that I was going to be able to on Monday at our Group Meeting! (& A Fun Fact about Miriam is she's from Canada but actually did her Undergraduate Degree at Wingate University which is only an hour or so away from my hometown. IT HONESTLY AMAZES ME HOW SMALL THIS WORLD IS.) After getting off the boat Helen gave Jessica M., Abby, Tiffany, and I all a ride back to Pedro's on her golf cart since we were the only ones who walked to The Tour so that was nice of her. & I thought it was neat that I got to ride a golf cart at three different times in one day. THAT NEVER HAPPENS. After getting back to Pedro's I spent some time eating free pizza that was going around while working on this good ole Blog Post before calling it a night. Wednesday sure was a long day and I felt pretty exhausted by the end of it but IT WAS SUCH A GOOD DAY.


Day Thirty-Seven: On Thursday I got up at about 7:30 a.m., got ready, and then left to go to School at about 8:00 a.m. Right when I got to Isla Bonita Dr. C was there in a Golf Cart and asked me if I wanted to go to visit the Preschools so I of course said yes! (Dr. C was taking Maddi to visit them since she is an Early Childhood Education Major and offered to take me as well since I'm staying at Wilmington for one more year to complete the B-K Licensure Add-On to my Degree). I ate my Nature Valley Bar for breakfast on the Golf Cart ride to the Preschools. The first Preschool we stopped to visit was ABC Pre-School. ABC Pre-School was very colorful and had four classrooms. Maddi and I were allowed to check out any of the Classrooms we wanted so I walked up to one and the teacher let me go in. I asked her about her Classroom routine and how long she had been working there. She had been there for 15 years and was planning on leaving after this year ends. The more I talked with her she told me she chose to work at ABC Pre-School because she has a son with Special Needs so she wanted to only work in the morning. I asked her what special needs her son has and she said that he is hearing impaired. I was blown away. Of the four different classrooms that I could've gone into I went into the one where the teacher had a son who had a "disability." Wouldn't you know it. I just couldn't believe it. It cracked me up. That's just my life works and I love it! Just more affirmation that I'm in the right field. I glanced in one of the other classrooms, and stopped by Teacher Wil's Office to thank him for letting us look around the Pre-School. He was just so sweet. He told me that if I ever come back that I am always welcome to come visit. He may not have known it when he said it but I will be sure to take him up on that offer! After visiting ABC Pre-School we all rode over to The Little Angel's Preschool and visited them. We walked in, mat Marina, looked at the classrooms, and then Marina wanted Maddi to read a book we brought for them to all 50 or so of the kids. Maddi did a wonderful job reading to the Preschool and also sang "Five Little Monkeys Swinging In A Tree" to the kids and they really enjoyed it. I could tell Maddi enjoyed herself and I enjoyed watching her in action since I haven't really had a chance to observe in the Preschool Classroom at Isla Bonita. We talked with Marina for a few minutes to learn a little bit about Little Angel's and she started it 18 years ago. After we were done visiting Little Angel's Dr. C took Maddi and I back to Isla Bonita. Maddi and I really enjoyed our time visiting the two Preschools and I'm so glad that Dr. C took us! It was such a good experience. When I got to Isla Bonita Jessica M. was working with Dyanara on reading Dr. Suess's ABC'c. Jessica and Dyanara were on the last page of the book when I got there so I just watched them as they finished working (Jessica also worked with Dyanara on reading Dr. Suess' ABC's pages with letters S through V on Wednesday while I was at Stella Maris). After Dyanara and Jessica finished working on reading Braille I went with them to the Standard Four Classroom for a little bit and spent time hanging out and talking with Caroline (who is one of the sweetest girls that I have ever met). Carolina asked me if I could come over to her house for a sleepover and it was such a precious gesture and meant a lot to me. I just love that girl. At about 10:00 a.m. I went downstairs to spend time in the Standard One Classroom. On Wednesday when I got back from Stella Maris Stephens told me that Miss Seleni wanted me to teach the Class some sign language so I spent about 30 minutes teaching the students sign language that they could use with Nayeli. 

It was kind of different for me because I'm not used to teaching a Whole Class of more than 7 students since I am so used to working with students 1:1 or in Small Groups. I also didn't really plan for the "Lesson" except by having a few signs I knew I wanted to teach the Class. I still feel like it went well and it always amazes me how quickly young kids are able to pick up signs. Within the hour I had one student signing to me and I saw a few of them even signing with Nayeli. For lunch I went with Jessica M., Maddi, and Casey to Pupuseria Saladoreno. During the Third Instructional Block I worked with Lorena on reading. I had her summarize the book that we read last week, she finished reading the last three chapters that we had left to read, and I had her summarize each Chapter after we finished it. I was getting worried that Lorena and I wouldn't be able to finish the book we started last week but I'm so glad that we were able to finish it and find out what happened. During the Fourth Instructional Block I spent some time in the Standard One Classroom for a little bit and then spent some time outside with both Standard Three and Four as they had P.E. I left School at about 3:00 p.m., sat at the picnic table for a few minutes, and then waited by the entrance of Pedro's since Nikki and Dianela were coming to pick me up at 3:30 p.m. Nikki and Dianela told me about someone they know on the Island who has a Special Education Classroom at Ambergris Caye Elementary School (ACES) so they took me to meet her and see her Classroom. The woman's name is Sarah who is from Massachusetts and she came to Belize for a similar Study Abroad Experience with her University while she was working on her Master's Degree. She came to Belize wanting to start/establish a Special Education Program here on the Island since there isn't one. When she started out the School Year she didn't have her own Classroom but ever since she got her classroom in January she had seen the students make a lot of progress. Sarah has three students in her class who have autism and one student who has a visual impairment. The Ministry of Education doesn't require for students here in Belize to have IEPs like it is required in the United States for students but she writes her own for the students and keeps a portfolio of their work. Sarah is hoping to have her class grow to at least seven students for next year. I wish I would've taken pictures of her classroom but I just spent all of my time listening to her talk and taking everything in. I can tell that she and I both have the same passion in advocating for children with Special Needs and I really enjoyed meeting her and seeing her Classroom even though her students had already gone home for the day. I hope that I can come back to Belize one day in the future and can go see her Classroom again. Nikki and Dianela took me back to Pedro's and I hated to say goodbye to them. Well...I hate goodbyes so I really said see you later because I'm 99% sure that I'll be back to visit Belize one day. Nikki and Dianela are just so sweet and I am SO GLAD that they took me to visit Sarah's Classroom. It was so awesome. After I got back to Pedro's I was so exhausted and just spent a little bit of time relaxing in a hammock before going to get supper. I went to Lily's with Lauren, Brittany, Savannah, Ali, and Stephens and after we ate they left to go on their Tour with ACES (the American Crocodile Education Sanctuary) and I left to go back to the Hotel. I was still so very tired and just spent some time hanging out in the Restaurant at Pedro's and finally went up to my room to get my Laptop, and went back to the Restaurant at Pedro's to work on my Blog while Trivia was going on since I was so tired and didn't have the energy to think about doing anything else. Plus I didn't want to sit outside and get eat up by any bugs since I didn't have any bug spray on so I just played it safe by staying inside for the rest of the night before going to bed.

Day Thirty-Eight: On Friday I woke up at 7:30 a.m. I laid in bed for a couple of minutes because I didn't want to get up since it meant that I would have to start my last full day in San Pedro and I just wasn't ready to do that yet. I did finally made myself get out of bed and get ready. I left Pedro's at about 8:00 a.m. with Maddi and Casey to go to Casa Pan Dulce Bakery. I got two little pigs in a blanket and some sweet treat that I have no idea what in the world it was. But at least it was good and to me that was all that mattered. When we got to Isla Bonita the 8:30 a.m. School Bell rang and it was time for Morning Devotion / Opening Assembly. It started out just like it always does: The kids say a prayer, they sing the Belize National Anthem, and then one Class does something for the whole School whether they sing a song or do a dance (on Friday it was Standard Five dancing). Afterwards Miss Addy (the Principal) announced it was our last day, had all of us who were placed at Isla Bonita go up to the front, and the whole School sang "Goodbye, Farewell" to us. I was definitely close to being on the verge of years because of it too. It was just so sweet. During the first half of the First Instructional Block I worked with Genieve and Julio on reading. We read the second sea creature passage that Julio had picked out on Monday that we ran out of time to read. After I took them back to their classroom I went into the Standard One Classroom. During break I ate a delicious piece of cheesecake and the during the Second Instructional block I spent the whole time in the Standard One Classroom. The kids were taking a spelling test and since I was just observing Brittany had me take Joel outside so that he could finish it since he was refusing to work on it in class. After the Spelling Test I reviewed with them the Sign language that I taught the Class on Thursday. After reviewing Sign Language Brittany and Stephens played games with the kids and also sang songs with them before lunch. For lunch I went with Stephens, Brittany, Ali, and Lindsay M. to Lily's. After lunch I went with Standard Four to the beach and spent the rest of the day with them there since that's what they were doing because it was Jessica's last day and a few of the girls in the class wanted me to go and had asked me if I was going with them so I of course couldn't tell them no. At about 2:30 p.m. I headed back to School and got to get a piece of cake from a Birthday Party for a student in the Infant Two Classroom (she's the student that won the Miss Isla Bonita Pageant on last Saturday). 

As I was eating my piece of cake (that was very yummy and had the most delicious icing in the world that I have ever tasted) I was talking to Alfonzo (a family member of the Birthday Girl) and he thanked us (referring to all of us from UNCW placed at Isla Bonita) for coming and then I thanked him for being so open to having us here in Belize and he said: "Of course! We're all just visitors." It was so neat and so true. Those words really put things into perspective for me. I loved the mindset he had about us being in Belize and definitely want to keep it in mind for the future when I meet people visiting the U.S. from elsewhere (I was honestly not sure how Belizeans would respond to having us in Belize and I have to say that I have felt very welcomed from Day One). Alfonzo also told me that I was welcome to stay at his place (he rents out places) when I came back to visit. As I was leaving I thanked him again and he asked if I would be back. I responded "One day." and he responded to me: "One week." so I said that one day I would come back and stay for a week and couldn't help but laugh. Our exchange just cracked me up. While I was talking with Alfonzo Miss Seleni saw me and said that she had something for me so I went to her room and she had me a little treat bag with a glass to remember Belize by as well as a postcard with the sweetest note on it. As a Special Education Major I didn't have a Partnership Teacher because I worked with a few students in different classrooms so I wasn't expecting a Goodbye Gift of any sort at all. It was such a pleasant surprise and really meant a lot to me. I had so many students give me hugs and tell me bye before I left and it was definitely hard to leave School on Friday Afternoon. One of the nice things about being a Special Education Major is that because I was in and out of multiple classrooms I got to spend time with a variety of students and get to know both students with AND without disabilities so I really enjoyed that. All throughout the School Day I would have many students say hi to me and address me by name and even though I may not have known who each of them were (the drawback of being in multiple classrooms) it was still neat that they knew who I was and I will never forget that. I left School a little after 3:00 p.m. and took a shower once I got back to Pedro's since I was wet from going swimming with Standard Four at the beach. After changing I took a nap and then finally decided to start packing. At about 6:30 p.m. I walked downstairs to the Restaurant at Pedro's since Peter (the owner of Pedro's) was having a Farewell Party (with FREE All-You-Can-Eat Pizza for Supper) as well as Karaoke. Peter gave us a toast and told us that we were the best group that he's had yet. I had a blast dancing the night away to one final karaoke night (I honestly really love listening to karaoke and am going to miss the Karaoke Nights at Pedro's) and honestly couldn't have imagined spending my last night in San Pedro any other way. It was truly perfect (but it went by way too fast just like I knew it would). 

Day Thirty-Nine: Saturday was the day that came entirely too fast for me and I was not ready to face it whatsoever. I woke up at about 7:30 a.m., got ready, finished packing, and took my bags downstairs to wait to be taken to Maya Island Air. I ate a Nature Valley Bar for breakfast and then a little after 9:00 a.m. we and our luggage were loaded onto golfcarts and taken to The Airport to fly out of San Pedro. We waited to board the plane and left to go to Belize City at about 10:00 a.m. When we got to Belize City we got our bags, checked in, and the waited to board our flight to Charlotte, NC. We boarded at about 11:50 a.m. and then took off at about 12:35 p.m. We landed at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport at about 5:35 p.m. The reality of leaving Belize didn't hit me until the moment my plane landed in Charlotte. Even though I wasn't quite ready to be home I was thankful that I had a direct flight home and didn't have to get a connecting flight to Raleigh, NC like most of the other people in my Cohort on my flight had to do (Meghan and I were the two lucky ones who were already home once we reached the Charlotte Airport). After getting off the plane I got my bags, went through Customs, and then saw my Grandma waiting on me. It was my Grandpa's Birthday so we went out to Dinner at Chili's. We spent all Dinner just talking about Belize and it was such a nice way to be welcomed home after a long day of travel.

Week Four! (April 12th - 18th)

Day Twenty-Six: On Sunday I woke up at about 9:15 a.m. and got ready for Church. A group of us wanted to go check out Sagebrush Community Church so we got on our bikes and headed North. Sagebrush is located in the Paradise Movie Theater that is just past the Bridge on the Island. After Church Cyrus and Casey headed back to Pedro's while Tiffany, Abby, and I all went to The Palapa Bar and Grill since we were so close to it. Not long after we got there Brittany, Savannah, Sarah, Stephens, Ali, and Jessica B. all joined us. We spent time hanging out in the shade, laying out in the water in the intertubes, and had lunch. I tried some Fish Tacos and they were very yummy. We all left The Palapa Bar and Grill at about 2:30 p.m. to go back to Pedro's. Once getting back to the Hotel I spent time hanging out and since I was so hungry (and didn't feel like trying to figure out what to do for supper) I ordered myself a White Pizza from The Restaurant at Pedro's and IT WAS DELICIOUS. It's definitely the best pizza I've had here yet and I'm so glad that I finally tried it since I'm not a big fan of tomato sauce. After eating supper I spent time working on my Blog and uploading some more pictures to Facebook. I also worked on a Tentative Schedule for working with Students as Isla Bonita before deciding to call it an early night at about 10:00 p.m. I wanted to get some sleep since we had our first day back at School on Monday Morning but I ended up not sleeping very well since my legs got eat up by Sand Flies on Saturday Night while I was sitting outside (without enough bug spray on). I woke up twice in the middle of the night on Sunday Night, once at 1:00 a.m. and once at 5:30 a.m. It was honestly the worst night of sleep that I have had the whole time I've been here in Belize yet.


Day Twenty-Seven: On Monday I managed to get up at 7:15 a.m. but was pretty tired after not having a very good night of sleep. I got ready for the day and we all headed to School at 8:00 a.m. The School Bell rang at 8:30 a.m. for Devotion/Opening Assembly and then everyone was dismissed to their Classrooms afterwards. I spent the First Instructional Block working with Dyanara on reading Braille. I decided for us to read Dr. Suess's ABC and we read the pages for the letters A through F. It doesn't seem like much but Dyanara is still in the process of learning to read with Braille and it takes a little while for her to do it. She is also very tired afterwards but she always works so hard. There was a break from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. and for the Second Instructional Block I decided to observe a Class since all of the other teachers of the students I was going to work with for Pull-Out didn't want me to pull the students out of class until after lunch. From 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. I observed Miss Sharon as she taught Language Arts to Standard Five. We had from Lunch from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. and during the Third Instructional Block I worked with Lorena on Reading Comprehension. I let her pick a book, had her read the first two chapters of it, and would ask her questions for her to answer about each Chapter after she read them. I misjudged my time and should have worked with Lorena later so I could've worked with Dyanara during Math but I just spent the rest of my day observing in Standard Five's Classroom. I felt like I didn't make the best use of my time I had at the School but at least I was able to live and learn. After School I stopped by the Pharmacy to pick up some more cream for my Sand Fly Bites on my legs (I got eat up during our Second Week here in Belize and was almost out of it) and then I hung out outside at Pedro's until our Group Meeting at 4:00 p.m. Dr. K and Dr. C went over some Assignments as well as Expectations for us during our last nine days in the Schools and told us that we get out what we put in. I was so exhausted from my first day back in the Schools that I took a cat nap after the meeting. After I woke up I ate my leftover Pizza from Supper on Sunday and spent the rest of my evening in the Restaurant at Pedro's and worked on two more Newsletters (one about our Second Week in Belize and one about our Third Week in Belize) to post on our Facebook Page to keep people updated on what we've been up to during our time here in Belize. I decided to call it a night early once again so I could be rested for another day of School on Tuesday. I took some Benadryl (I also bought it at the Pharmacy) in hopes that I could sleep through the night this time and I did thankfully.


Day Twenty-Eight: I woke up on Tuesday morning at about 7:15 a.m. and had a little trouble waking up due to taking Benadryl like I thought I would. But it was worth it because my legs looked better AND I didn't wake up once during the middle of the night because of my legs itching like I did on Sunday Night. I got ready for the School day and headed to School at about 8:00 a.m. I worked with Dyanara on reading Braille during the First Instructional Block again. This time we read the pages for the letters G through N of Dr. Suess' ABC. I thought during the Second Instructional Block I would just observe a random Classroom again but during Break I talked with Brittany and found out that a girl who is deaf in the Standard Two Classroom was at School. Her name is Nayeli and she wasn't at School at all on the first week we were at Isla Bonita. She only came with her Mom to pick up her Report Card on that Thursday. Brittany talked with the Teacher and asked her if I could come in and work with Nayeli and she was fine with it. I spent time observing for a little bit and then pulled Nayeli out to work on some Sign Language and see what all she knew. She knew most of her colors and Numbers 1-10 but she could use some practice on her alphabet. After working with me for a little bit she kept trying to get up and go back to the Classroom so after having her sign to me to request to go back we went into the Classroom. The Class was doing Language Arts so I worked with Nayeli for the rest of the Second Instructional Block before Lunch. I'm pretty sure Nayeli isn't used to working as much as I had her do with me because she was getting pretty frustrated with me at times but we both persevered through it. 

After Lunch I went to the Standard Four Classroom and worked with Dyanara to help keep her involved during Jessica's Math Lesson. After the Afternoon Break I worked with Julio and Genieve on reading during the Fourth Instructional Block. It was my first time working with Julio and Genieve and was more for me to see what level they were at. I felt like I made better use of my time on Tuesday compared to Monday so that was encouraging because I felt a little defeated after I left School on Monday Afternoon since I felt like I didn't do much. I left School at about 3:00 p.m. and then stopped by the San Pedro Town Library for a little bit to visit with Brianne and Nikki. I got along with them while volunteering at the Easter Program and wanted to see how they've been doing since it has almost been two weeks since I last saw them. Plus I told them I would stop by at some point. Brianne did not realize that I was a Special Education Major and told Nikki so Nikki then told me about Camp Starfish which is a camp that she helped volunteer with and is a Two-Week Summer Camp for kids with disabilities. I found out about Camp Starfish a little before I came to Belize because I knew UNCW was having a Field Experience for it where Undergraduate Students can come and help out but I had no idea it was with the San Pedro Town Library until talking with Nikki. I already wanted to come to help at it and after talking with Nikki about it I REALLY wanted to come help at it even more than before. I know I won't be able to this upcoming Summer (considering I'm in Belize already now and I just won't be able to manage it financially) but I hope I can come ONE YEAR and help out at it. Actually...when I get my mind on something I am VERY DETERMINED and go after it 110% and I'm 99% sure that this won't be my only trip to Belize. I may have to work hard, save up money, and be patient, but I will do what I can to come help at Camp Starfish ONE DAY. After getting back to Pedro's I took a catnap, hung out at the picnic tables, went to get Supper at Neri's Tacos, and then spent the rest of my Evening inside the restaurant at Pedro's catching up on reading everyone's Blogs and writing on mine for a while before going to bed. I hated having to stay inside but after getting eat up by Sand Flies the way I did on Saturday (my legs honestly looked SO TERRIBLE) I felt like I had no choice and it really stinks since I'm missing out on spending time socializing with my peers but I have to do what I have to do since I'm scared to get eat up the way I did.

Day Twenty-Nine:On Wednesday I got up at 7:30 a.m. (I was dragging a little bit with getting back into the routine of going to School), got ready, and left to go to Isla Bonita at around 8:00 a.m. I ate my Nature Valley Bar for Breakfast once I got to School and then we had Devotion/Opening Assembly after the 8:30 Bell rang. I worked with Dyanara on reading Braille during the First Instructional Block. This time we read the pages for the letters O through T of Dr. Suess' ABC. During the Second Instructional Block I went into Standard Two Classroom to work with Nayeli again. I was afraid that I may have pushed her too hard on Tuesday and that she wouldn't want to work with me but she didn't get frustrated with me once. I spent time in the classroom helping her on the Language Arts Assignment and I pulled her out of the Classroom to work on Sign Language as well. I honestly think she's not used to having one-on-one attention and I believe she liked it as well as the positive feedback and praise that I was giving her when she was working for me. At 12:00 p.m. I went to get lunch at Lily's with Brittany, Stephens, and Ali. During the Third Instructional Block I worked with Lorena on Reading. We read two more Chapters of the book she chose to read on Monday and I would also ask her questions after we read each Chapter to measure her Reading Comprehension. As I was walking upstairs after working with Lorena, Julio saw me before I saw him and just ran to gave me a hug and asked if I would be working with him that day. It was a really sweet moment because on Tuesday when he had to work with me (and miss Computer Time) he was not happy about it at first so I was afraid he would almost resent me for it but the hug showed me otherwise so that made me feel good. During the Fourth Instructional Block I spent time in the Standard Four Classroom Observing and also talked with Miss Delmy about working with Dyanara on using her Braille Machine to type her Spelling Words. After the School Day ended at 3:00 p.m. I left to go back to Pedro's. I spent time hanging out at the Hotel responding to E-Mails as well as Registering for my Fall 2015 Classes that I will be taking in order to get a B-K Licensure Add-On to my Degree during the next School Year. After being (SOMEWHAT) productive, I walked with Sarah to go get Supper at YJ's and Jordon, Cyrus, Ali, Savannah, Lauren, and Britta all rode their bikes and met us there. Well...I shouldn't say Sarah and I walked all the way there because halfway there Felipe (a guy who works at Pedro's) saw us and gave us a ride the rest of the way to YJ's so that was nice. Sarah and I did walk all the way back to Pedro's though. We unfortunately didn't see any other people who work with Pedro's driving by us on their Golf Carts who could give us a ride after we ate Supper. After getting back to Pedro's I spent time on my Laptop putting together a Document with the Alphabet, Numbers, Clothes, and Colors on it so that I could pull it up on my iPod Touch when working with Nayeli at School so that I could point to each one and we could sign what thy each are. I was super excited about the work I did and was happy to have felt productive for once. I spent some time talking to Maddi and Jessica M. on the balcony before calling it a night.


Day Thirty: On Thursday I woke up at 7:15 a.m., got ready, and left at my usual time of around 8:00 a.m. to go to Isla Bonita. I ate my Nature Valley Bar for breakfast (I just don't have time to eat at Pedro's before I leave since I'd rather sleep as long as possible) and waited for the Morning Bell to ring. I was wanting to work with Dyanara during the First Instructional Block but she wasn't as School so I ended up working with Julio and Genieve instead. Mr. Jaime wanted me to work with them on Reading and Writing. On Tuesday Genieve said she wanted to read a Play and I told her that we could read it the next time we worked together and sure enough when we sat down at the Picnic Tables she opens up her book to the play saying she wanted to read it (I of course was happy because I wanted to take the full opportunity of letting the student(s) have a choice in what we read since she stated it's what she wanted to do because it would've been silly otherwise not to and force them to read something they weren't interested in.) After we read the play I asked them the Reading Comprehension Questions and we talked through them. After answering the questions Julio wanted to read the song "Go Tell It On The Mountain." Since I knew the song it just didn't seem right simply reading it so I sang the first Chorus for them so they could learn the tune of it, sang the first verse, and then they both joined in with me on the rest of the Choruses in between the verses afterwards. It was fun and I enjoyed it, especially because I knew they were interested in it and actually wanted to participate. It definitely made my job of working with them easier. After talking about what "Go Tell It On The Mountain" and what Easter were both about I then had Julio and Genieve write in their Journals 10 sentences about themselves as a way to practice their writing. After they wrote their sentences (with me helping to make sure they were correct) I had them read their sentences that they wrote as a way for them to practice reading as well as so I could learn more about them since it was only my second time working with them. As I was walking Julio and Genieve back to their Classroom Julio asked if we would be working again on Friday and I told him I wasn't sure but we would definitely be working again soon and that made me feel good to know he didn't hate working with me. I really believe these students thrive on the one-to-one attention since they don't get it often. During the Second Instructional Block I went into the Standard Two Classroom (Infant One, Infant Two, and Standard One all joined the Classroom as well) for a Dental Presentation. There were two dentists and they first showed the students a video before talking to them about taking care of their teeth, showing them the correct way to brush their teeth (apparently I've been doing it wrong all these years but thankfully I have a Dentist Appointment not long after I return to the States and I can double check), and provided each student with a toothbrush at the end of it. After the Dental Presentation the Class was doing a Language Arts Lesson on Letter Sounds and since Nayeli is deaf it was pointless having her in there (considering she can't hear and all) so I pulled her out so we could work on more Sign Language. For lunch Casey, Ashley, and I all got food at a Food Stand that is just around the corner from Isla Bonita and is located DIRECTLY IN FRONT of San Pedro High School. We took our food back to Isla Bonita and just ate it there. 

During the Third Instructional Block I worked with Lorena on Reading again. We read two more chapters of the book that she chose to read and I continued asking her questions about each chapter to check for her reading comprehension. We had a few distractions and had to move where we were working because of the distractions but we thankfully got through it even though it was a little tough. I was hoping to work with Dyanara during the Fourth Instructional Block (I was thinking she would come to School late) but she wasn't there so I spent time Observing with the Standard Two Classroom outside at the picnic tables as they worked on an Arts and Crafts activity. They were cutting yarn to make hair for the sock puppets they were making. Just before the School Day ended I was talking with Miss Sharon about talents and how I wasn't talented since she was telling me about how people in her family are artists and musicians (her brother was there at the School painting pictures for the Miss Island Bonita Pageant) and she told me that "not all talents use your hands." I wish I could word everything she told me the exact way she said it because it was so powerful but I can't. I can only paraphrase it (roughly) but she told me that I put kids at ease and that they're drawn to me. I wasn't exactly sure what she meant at first so I just kind of looked at her a little puzzled and said, "You think so?" And she told me that she saw it and mentioned how the kids want to work with me. I have no idea when/where she saw it and/or what exactly I did or how I did it but by the end of the conversation I was literally almost on the verge of tears and I am not kidding. I was honestly speechless and didn't even know what to say to that. I just thanked her for telling me that. It honestly meant so much to me. Especially during this week when I have felt so clueless and unsure about myself since I feel like I have no idea what in the world I am doing. I left School at 3:00 p.m. and made a stop at the grocery store to pick up a few things before going back to The Hotel. When I got back to Pedro's I spent some time relaxing/catnapping in the hammock and then made a phone call home before going to get supper at Lily's. After getting supper we went to get some Ice Cream at this place that has BOTH Bike Rentals AND Ice Cream. How funny is that?! I just couldn't get over it. After I got back to Pedro's I then got ready to go to the San Pedro Town Library with Casey and Maddi for the Reading Workshop that Casey prepared a Presentation for. It had a nice turn out of about 20 people including teachers from San Pedro Roman Catholic School (RC), parents, the librarians (obviously), and 4 girls from Massachusetts who are here in San Pedro completing a Study Abroad Internship at RC through their College. It was really cool getting to meet them and learn about their Program and see the differences between theirs and ours. I also got to meet a parent who is friends with Nikki (the librarian I was talking with on Tuesday Afternoon about Camp Star Fish) because she is one of the founders of Camp Star Fish and has a daughter with Cerebral Palsy who actually went to Isla Bonita last year and worked with my friend Lexi who was here last year. I spent a good while talking with Nikki and Dianela and hope to see them again before I leave. After Maddi and Casey almost had to drag me away from Nikki and Dianela (once I get starting talking about something I'm passionate about it's hard for me to stop) we went to get some Ice Cream since Casey wanted some. We ended up stopping at a Frozen Yogurt Place called Yo Mama's Frozen Yogurt and I wasn't going to get anything since I already had Ice Cream but as I saw Maddi and Casey getting theirs I changed my mind and GOT A VERY SMALL BOWL OF IT. We spent time talking with the cashier (it was more of her talking to us about her two children) but it was still fun regardless. Maddi, Casey, and I headed back to Pedro's and then it was time to call it a night.


Day Thirty-One: On Friday I woke up at 7:30 a.m., got ready, and left to go to School at about 8:00 a.m. I rode with Jessica M. and Ashley to Casa Pan Dulce Bakery to get breakfast before going to School. After we got to School I ate my Cinnamon Bun I got from the bakery and then we had Devotion/Opening Assembly at 8:30 a.m. I worked with Dyanara on reading Braille during the First Instructional Block and we read the pages for the letters U through Z of Dr. Suess' ABC's. During the Second Instructional Block I went into Standard Two Classroom to work with Nayeli. Earlier in the day I paid for get a BBQ Lunch for a Fundraiser so I stayed at Isla Bonita to eat my lunch with Joe, Dani, Maddi, Jessica M., Ashley, and Lindsay since we all got a lunch from the Fundraiser. After Lunch was over I saw Nayeli's Dad and talked with him for a little bit and asked him about how Nayeli communicates at home. He said Nayeli's Mom is working with her on Sign Language and he knows a little bit. I let him know who I was and that I was working with Nayeli on practicing Sign Language. I got his e-mail and am hoping to help give him some resources to use to help with Nayeli. During the Third Instructional Block I worked with Dyanara in Standard Four to help keep her involved during Jessica's Math Lesson about Circumference. The Math Lesson only lasted part of the Third Instructional Block so once I was finished working with Dyanara I went back to the Standard Two Classroom and worked with Nayeli some more on the Social Studies Lesson. After working with Nayeli for four days this week I have really fallen in love with her. She is just the sweetest girl and is so very precious. She is really picking up on the Signs I've been teaching as well as using with her, has been very receptive to working with me, and even initiated some High Fives as we worked on her Social Studies Classwork. During the Fourth Instructional Block I spent a little bit of time with Maddi in her Pre-School Classroom and then I just spent the rest of the Fourth Instructional Block in the Standard Two Classroom observing as well as helping Nayeli as much as possible. I left School at about 3:00 p.m. and spent some time relaxing in a hammock at Pedro's. I later got ready and our whole group had to meet downstairs by 5:30 p.m. since the Minister of Tourism was coming to Pedro's to meet us (briefly). We shook his hand, took a group picture with him, and then all headed to Elvi's Kitchen for our "Official Final Group Dinner." Elvi's Kitchen has a Mayan Buffet every Friday Night and IT WAS DELICIOUS. I had so much food on my plate that I could only eat one plate for dinner. There was no way I could get seconds of anything. I didn't have any room whatsoever. After our Group Dinner we headed back to Pedro's and enjoyed a night of Karaoke (per usual) before going to bed.


Day Thirty-Two: On Saturday I woke up at 8:00 a.m. and got ready. All of us that are placed at La Isla Bonita Elementary had to be at Lion's Den to help set up for the Miss Isla Bonita Pageant. The Pageant is something that the School puts on as a way to raise money for the School. We spent an hour (9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.) helping out and mainly spent time setting up tables for the booths for the four girls who were competing in the Pageant and then set up all of the chairs. After helping to set up Jessica and I were walking back to Pedro's when I saw Dr. C and Dr. K at the San Pedro Town Library. There were having a meeting with Nikki, Dianela, and another woman about the group that Dr. C and Dr. K will be bringing down to help out at Camp Starfish in the Summer. We were there for about an hour and it was really neat getting to be there and observe them discussing and planning for the Summer Camp. It was also good background knowledge for me because I really hope to come back sometime in the future and volunteer at Camp Starfish so it'll be neat to see the development of it from now until then. Last Summer was the first time that they had Camp Starfish and for the sake of the kids with disabilities that live here in San Pedro I hope it is something that only continues and grows in the future. After the Meeting I got to ride in the Golf Cart with Dr. C and Dr. K back to Pedro's. Since I had to go back to Lion's Den for the Pageant later in the evening I decided to eat a PB & J Sandwich for lunch at Pedro's and just spend all day hanging out by the pool. While at the pool I spent some time talking with Sally, a woman staying here at Pedro's, and I really enjoyed getting to know her. At about 4:00 p.m. I called it a day at the pool and went to get ready for The Pageant. Afterwards I went to get Supper at Lily's with Brittany, Lindsay, and Savannah. We had to be at Lion's Den by 6:30 p.m. to continue to help at The Pageant (as part of our Community Service and The Principal also expected us to be there to help) and we just went straight there after we finished eating Supper and got there a little early. Lion's Den looked like a completely different place from how we left it earlier that morning. Throughout the day all of the booths had gotten decorated as well as the stage. It was pretty cool how much they got done in just a short amount of time. I had no idea what to do to help when we first got to The Pageant so I spent a little while sitting down since I wasn't sure who to ask for directions of where to go/what to do from. Thankfully that problem was solved for me when Miss Crystal came over asking me to help her cut out some pieces of paper for the raffle. A little while after I finished that Miss Sharon asked me to help out with Jennifer's Booth (one of the girls competing in the competition) so I spent my whole evening at Jennifer's Booth with Maddi helping to sell snacks and drinks as well as running the money we made at the booth to the counters to be totaled. I enjoyed seeing the various students that I've gotten to know during my time at Isla Bonita dancing as well as participating in The Fashion Show. It was a long night but it was a neat experience. Dr. C warned us that the Pageant wouldn't start until a couple of hours after we got there and that it would run late and she was right. People started showing up to The Pageant around 6:30 p.m. but it didn't start until a little before 8:00 p.m. and it ended a little before 11:00 p.m. There were a few people hanging out in the Restaurant at Pedro's after getting back from The Pageant so a couple of us spent some time there before going to bed.


Now that my Fourth Week here in Belize is over I am feeling so many mixed emotions...I cannot believe we've already been here in Belize for exactly a month already. & On that note I can't believe we have a week left here in Belize. It honestly feels like we just got here. Time flies by so fast and I really just want it to slow down. I've been having an amazing time here in Belize but am also so sad that my time here is almost over...I have truly fallen in love with the town of San Pedro (I mean...How can you not love living on an island?) and have honestly gotten used to be here. I'm also not sure if what I'm doing here is making any difference at all...All I want to do is be able to help one student in some way and I have no idea if anything I have been doing and will continue to do will stick at all. I also feel like I have no idea what in the world I am doing and am just trying to make do with what I have. But I guess I can't worry about that and all I can do is just do the best I can with what I know and have learned during my time during my Program at UNCW as well as the materials I have and just pour into the students that I am working with as best as I can and just leave it at that. Also...I know I shouldn't be feeling stressed out (considering I'm in the most laid back atmosphere that I have ever been to in my life) but I am beginning to stress a little bit because our last week here will honestly probably be the busiest one yet as crazy as that seems. I have a lot of work to do as we finish our time here and the reality of having to return home in just seven days is also slowly starting to creep in which means I will have to face all of my responsibilities back home soon (Final Seminar, Final Assignments, Graduation, Work, etc.) but I just can't worry about that right now. I'm still in Belize and that is my priority at the moment. Everything waiting for me back in North Carolina will be there when I get there. I still have a week left in Belize and am just going to not worry about it and take one day at a time. Which honestly...It's all I can do anyway because when I wake up each morning I honestly never know how each day is going to turn out. (Which has been an adjustment but I'm getting there.) At this point I'm just going to make the most of my time left here in Belize and I want to make sure that I enjoy every minute of it! Mixed emotions and all.

Belize Is Full Of Surprises and Things To Learn!

All of us on the International Field Experience were given two prompts from Dr. C to respond to.

The first prompt is: What has surprised you about yourself on this trip - either good or bad, in schools or not; and why was it a surprise?

- I believe that I have surprised myself in multiple ways over the course of the four weeks that I have been here in Belize so far but I have to say that there is one weekend in particular where I truly surprised myself the most and that was the weekend we went Inland from April 2nd - 5th. I feel like for as long as I can remember I have always been someone who always sticks with what I know and doesn't really take chances in life because I usually play it safe. I have most definitely NEVER been someone I would consider who was adventurous in any way, shape, or form but I have to say that I surprised myself in how adventurous I was during our time we were in the Cayo District on our trip to the Mainland. I love traveling, meeting new people, seeing new places, and experiencing new things but I did SO MANY things that I would've never dreamed that I would have ever done in my life had I not been on this Trip and I WAS SO PROUD OF MYSELF. Now not in a cocky "I Can Do Anything Life Throws At Me" Kind-Of-Way but in a  "Wow...Did I actually do that?!" Kind-Of-Way. I mean...I climbed all of Mayan Temples at Caracol that could be climbed (one of them being 143 feet tall and DID I MENTION THAT I'M SCARED OF HEIGHTS?!) and I jumped off a cliff into the water at Big Rock Falls on Friday. I then went spelunking at the ATM Caves and swam and basically free climbed all sorts of rocks I have no idea how much during the almost three hours we were inside the Cave on Saturday. I also went to Guatemala for the day on Sunday and went Ziplining (for the first time ever in my life-Again, I AM SCARED OF HEIGHTS) AND I climbed all of the Ruins you could climb at the Mayan Ruins in Tikal (the tallest one being 212 feet tall). Once more as a reminder...I AM SO SCARED OF HEIGHTS. & Honestly...It was kind of weird but I didn't really feel that scared at all when I was doing any of these Excursions and usually I'm always so scared to do anything. I mean I'm not going to lie. I had moments where I was a little nervous or apprehensive at various points throughout the weekend but they were VERY BRIEF and didn't last long. I didn't let them get in the way of me getting the most out of my experiences and there was no way I was going to. I really pushed myself to not let my fears get the best of me and it worked to my benefit. Our Trip Inland was DEFINITELY one of MY FAVORITE things about our time here in Belize. It was such an incredible weekend. I challenged myself so much in ways I never have before and it was just one of those experiences that I can't even completely put into words if you know what I mean. I felt like I was a completely different person and honestly wasn't even sure who I was because I NEVER do anything like what I did in just three days that we were Inland. Our Trip Inland was truly incredible and really allowed me to push my boundaries. It allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and I had the time of my life while doing so. There's a quote that says: "Take a chance, you just might surprise yourself" and it couldn't be more true. I feel like in life I tend to doubt myself and my ability to do a variety of things but I believe my confidence in myself has grown some while I've been here in Belize. We really never know what we're capable of until we take a risk and just go for it which is exactly what I did. I can honestly day that I didn't think twice about anything during any of our excursions during our Trip Inland. I just went for it as best as I could and have so many wonderful memories that came from it that I will never forget for as long as I live because I did that.


The second prompt is: What is one thing you would do differently in your classroom in the US that you learned here? 

- One thing that I will do differently in my classroom in the US is to incorporate more Sign Language in it. For as long as I could remember I knew I wanted to learn American Sign Language ever since I was little. I always had American Sign Language Books but was never able to teach myself any Sign Language. I was thankfully one of the lucky ones who was able to take American Sign Language as my Foreign Language Requirement at UNCW (it's a really hard class to get into here since it fills up so fast) and have really fallen in love with the language. My passion for it only continues to grow the more I'm able to use it. The fact that it is possible to communicate using our hands just amazes me. Since I've started learning American Sign Language I have seen it in each of my Field Placements during my Course Work at UNCW and I've also been attending Silent Events in town as an opportunity to practice my American Sign Language. I chose to take American Sign Language for multiple reasons (one being that I took Spanish in High School and knew that I wold NOT place in the Spanish Class that I would need to take at UNCW so I knew that I was better off to start over learning a new language) but one of the MAIN reasons I wanted to take it is because as a Special Education Teacher I will most likely have nonverbal students who can use Sign Language to communicate. During my time in Belize I have used Sign Language a lot more than what I realized I would do. I actually honestly didn't think I would use Sign Language here at all but it has been a skill that has come in handy while being here. When I went to visit Stella Maris (the Special Needs School in Belize City) during my first week here I was able to communicate with some of the students and a teacher there who are all Deaf. During my time at Isla Bonita I've been able to use and teach Sign Language to a student in the Standard One Classroom who is Deaf. The more I've used Sign Language here in Belize I am reminded of how during my Internship (what I completed in the States before coming to Belize) I only used Sign Language throughout the songs during my Morning Meeting. I had a perfect opportunity to use Sign Language in my Internship Placement (especially considering most of my Students were nonverbal) and one of the suggestions my Supervisor actually gave me at our Last Meeting was for me to use more Sign Language during Instruction. I've seen Sign Language in many places since I started learning it but it wasn't until I came to Belize when I realized how critical and important it is and can be for people to use. I have finally connected all of the dots and realized that I want to encourage the use of Sign Language with my future students whether they're verbal or not. If it wasn't for my time here in Belize I may not have come to this realization as soon as I have. I'm not exactly sure how I will incorporate Sign Language in my future classroom in the U.S. yet but I do know that I plan to do so and I am really excited about it! It was already something I knew I wanted to do but thanks to Belize I am more serious about actually doing it than ever before.

Week Three! (April 5th - April 11th)

Day Nineteen: Sunday was our Free Day while being Inland which meant that we all got to choose what we did for the day. A group of fourteen people went on a Ziplining & Cave Tubing Tour, a group of ten people took a Day Trip to Guatemala, and two people went Horseback Riding in the mountains. Three of the fourteen people who went Ziplining and Cave Tubing didn't actually go Cave Tubing but they did go to an Iguana Farm earlier in the morning before the Ziplining and Cave Tubing trip. I was a part of the group that went to Guatemala for the day to go Ziplining and Tour the Mayan Ruins in Tikal and I'M SO HAPPY WITH MY DECISION. My Roommate (Ashley) and I got up early and then went to meet Joe, Cyrus, Megan, Lindsay Mc., Britta, Maddi, Casey, and Jessica M. at 7:00 a.m. and we waited for our ride to pick us up. Zachary picked us up and drove us to the Border (San Ignacio was only about 15 minutes from the border of Guatemala). We all had to pay a fee to leave Belize and once we got through Customs we then met our Tour Guide Mariella. We all got in the van, gave her our Passports to get stamped, and had to pay our fee before we were able to enter Guatemala. After riding for a little bit we stopped at Restaurante "El portal de Yaxha" (a Restaurant that Mariella's Mom owns) for a Bathroom Break. A little while later after some more riding we stopped at a Souvenir Shop to do some Souvenir Shopping at the only place we would be stopping for souvenirs in Guatemala. After walking around the Souvenir Shop for a while and buying entirely too much, we left to go Ziplining at Canopy Tour that is located just before the entrance of Tikal. I had never been Ziplining before and was super excited but a little nervous. We got our harnesses and helmets on and then made our way to the first platform where the Guides gave us instructions about Ziplining. I am not a big fan of heights and was a little scared at first but I felt better knowing that I was ALWAYS hooked to something even though some of the platform structures did feel unstable at times. I don't know if I have any words to describe Ziplining...IT WAS SO NEAT. On the Second Line the guide went upside down and I was in shock. A couple of people tried it and I thought there was no way that I could do it but the more people that did it the more I wanted to do it so on the Third Line I mustered up the courage and practiced letting go to go upside down while Ziplining before actually doing it. I ended up going upside down while Ziplining 2 more times and even did Superman once! I was so amazed, surprised, and proud of myself! On the last line we couldn't do any tricks but the Guides shook the line up and down so we bounced up and down and that was surprisingly the one and only time that I screamed while Ziplining. I cant believe I didn't scream on any other line while Ziplining but I honestly think I was just so amazed at the view while Ziplining that I couldn't scream. Ziplining was such an incredible experience and I'm so glad that I went. We had the best guides who were so good at what they did. And they were so patient with us and took all of the pictures and videos that we wanted and asked for. They were truly incredible and the ten of us HAD A BLAST! I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I was sad that it was over since it went by so fast. It took about two hours but it felt much shorter. 

After Ziplining I HAD to buy me a shirt and once most of us got our shirts we went to eat Lunch at a restaurant just inside of the Tikal National Park. There were four choices for lunch and I decided to get chicken, veggies, and rice, and IT WAS SO YUMMY. After we finished eating our Tour Guide Mariella took us on a Tour to see the Mayan Ruins of Tikal. I'm not sure what it is about Mayan Ruins but they fascinate me so much. They are so stunning. & The views from the top just blow me away. I always feel so powerful when I climb up and make it to the top and get to look down at the ground. Tikal was so neat because they have excavated temples, temples that have parts of them excavated and some under still vegetation, and many under vegetation. I feel like it's hard to put into words about my time at Tikal as well...It's another one of things that you just have to see for yourself to really have an understanding of what it's like. The tallest Temple at Tikal is 64 Meters Tall (212 Feet Tall) and it takes 198 steps to get to the top and I CLIMBED IT. We all sat at the top for about 30 minutes completely amazed by the view. All you could see was the canopy of Tikal with the tops of some of the Mayan Ruins with the prettiest blue sky. It was unreal. We could've stayed longer but we figured it was time to head back down. We headed back down the 198 steps and then walked back to the van to head back to Belize. I was honestly so sad to leave Guatemala. IT WAS THE BEST DAY. I KNEW when I heard about the Day Trip to Guatemala that I COULD NOT miss it. I have no idea when I'll EVER make it down this way to Central America again and why not get another stamp (my second one to be exact) in my (first ever) Passport while I had the chance. While driving back to Belize the sunset was absolutely beautiful and we go to stop for a minute at a lake before the sun really started setting and got some pretty pictures. Mariella was an amazing Tour Guide and I'm so glad she was our Tour Guide for the day. She informed us of a lot about Tikal and made it such a fun day for us. When we made it back to the Guatemala Border Mariella took our Passports again to have them stamped that we were leaving and then we parted ways to go through Belize Customs and Zachary was there to pick us up and takes us back to San Ignacio. I was a little nervous about crossing the border and going to a different Country but it went so smoothly and was a phenomenal day. It honestly felt like a dream and I can't believe it happened. After getting back to San Ignacio a group of us found Dr. C and Dr. K. and got our Water Taxi Tickets for Monday. We all ended up eating supper at Mr. Greedy's and then afterwards I went back to hotel and called it a night after yet another incredible, but exhausting day.


Day Twenty: On Monday I woke up at about 6:30 a.m. and Ashley and I got ready and packed up. Dr. C and Dr. K arranged for us to get to San Ignacio but we were all on our own to get back to Belize City because all they gave us was our Water Taxi Ticket to get to San Pedro. Ashley and I checked out of Martha's Guest House, and met Tracy to wait for our Shuttle Ride that would be taking us to Belize City since Tracy was nice enough to help Ashley and I find a way back home with her. The Shuttle arrived a little after 7:15 a.m. and we were on our way. I love San Pedro (I am a complete coastal girl) but I really enjoy the city at times too. I am SO GLAD that our Trip to Belize included a Trip Inland so that we were able to see and experience more than just San Pedro and see more of the country of Belize. Up to this point the Trip Inland has definitely, WITHOUT A DOUBT, been my favorite part of the Trip. It was truly amazing and so incredible. I had the time of my life and am so proud of myself for how adventurous I have become. I really enjoyed being in San Ignacio and was honestly a little sad to leave. Our time Inland went so fast but I'm so thankful for the four days that we had there. I spent the whole ride to Belize City sleeping on and off. We got to the Water Taxi Terminal at about 9:15 a.m. and spent time looking at the Souvenir Shops and then sitting while waiting to board the Water Taxi. While waiting Cyrus, Jordon, Savannah, and Brittany joined us after getting a Taxi Ride to Belize City from San Ignacio and we all got on the 10:30 a.m. Water Taxi to San Pedro. While riding the Water Taxi I was so exhausted and could not keep my head up so since there was enough room I laid down on one of the bench seats and just slept on and off on the ride back to San Pedro. We got back to San Pedro about Noon and walked back to Pedro's Inn. Our rooms weren't ready yet and I was starving so Jordon, Cyrus, Ashley, and I all went to get lunch at Melt Cafe. I didn't finish my sandwich so I took the second half of it back with me to the Hotel so I could eat it for supper. When Jordon, Cyrus, Ashley, and I got back to Pedro's my Room was the only one that was ready since I was on the Third Floor and they were on the Second Floor. Jordon was nice enough to help me carry my big suitcase up to the Third Floor and then I spent time getting my stuff in my room. Well...I got all my bags in my room and I was so tired that I ended up laying down on my bed and took an hour long nap that was much needed after the morning of traveling back to San Pedro. Once I woke up I unpacked some of my stuff and organized my bags how I wanted them. Afterwards I spent some time on my Laptop catching up on e-mails. I ate my leftover sandwich from Lunch for Supper and then spent hanging out in the shade downloading my pictures from going Inland to my Laptop. The bugs ended up getting pretty bad once it started getting dark so I went inside the restaurant at Pedro's while everyone was watching The National Championship Basketball Game and uploading some pictures to Facebook. Once Karaoke started picking up when the Game was over I put my Laptop up and joined in on the fun before calling it a night around Midnight. It felt a little different and weird being back in San Pedro but it was nice being welcomed back with Karaoke. It's always a good time!


Day Twenty-One: On Tuesday I had no plans whatsoever except to spend time relaxing at Pedro's and that was exactly what I did too. I was so exhausted from running around for four days straight during our Trip Inland that I wanted to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that required energy. I slept in until about 10:00 a.m. and it was ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. Especially after getting up super early and staying busy ALL DAY for five days in a row. I needed a day to catch up on sleep so I was thankful for it. I finally got ready for the day and took my Laptop and Nature Valley Bar downstairs. After eating breakfast I spent ALL DAY sitting in the shade either working on my Blog, reading everyone else's blogs, or responding to the few e-mails I had. I sent time chatting with people as well. At about 5:00 p.m. Jordon, Cyrus, Ashley, and I went to get supper at Lily's since we were the only few people at Pedro's who hadn't ate supper yet. After getting back to Pedro's I got my Laptop again and sat outside working on my Blog some more (I spend a lot of time writing down the small details as you all very well know by now) while a group of people played a Card Game and spent time hanging out and talking. I decided to call it a night at about 11:30 p.m. I know I didn't do much of anything on Tuesday but I have no regrets at all because I truly needed a day to recuperate from my Weekend Trip Inland.


Day Twenty-Two: On Wednesday Morning I got up at about 8:30 a.m. and got ready for the day. A group of us were meeting at 9:00 a.m. to go to Rum + Bean for Bible Study! Rum + Bean is a Coffee Shop and Rum Bar where you can have any drink of your choice. We were all obviously all going there for the coffee (Random side note: The Country of Belize LOVES THEIR RUM. Rum Punch is very common around here and they even sold Rum at The Belize Zoo. It's interesting and for some reason it kind of makes me laugh.). We left Pedro's at about 9:15 a.m. and all eight of us got on our bikes and were on our way. Since our first week in San Pedro I saw signs for Rum + Bean but had no idea where it was. It turns out it's a cute little building tucked away in a beautiful part of the island. Had we not had Bible Study there I probably would've NEVER KNOWN that it even existed. A few people from our Cohort have been to Rum + Bean and failed to mention how pretty the area was of where it was located. As we rode our bikes closer to Rum + Bean I was blown away. I kind of loved how it was a little secret on the Island though and am glad that I had the opportunity to discover it. When we all got to Rum + Bean we all ordered our drinks. I'm not a coffee person but a couple of people got a Caramel Macchiato that LOOKED DELICIOUS so I tried it and since the coffee flavor wasn't too strong I decided to go ahead and order one for myself. It was pretty good and I figured I had to have a drink from Rum + Bean just so I could say that I did. Once everyone got their Coffees we started our Bible Study and went through a Lesson in Begin Again: A Series In Galatians since one of the girls in our Cohort is going through it with her Church and was kind enough to invite us to go through it with her. After Bible Study the eight of us left and went to The Baker to get breakfast. Most of us got a cinnamon roll and there I HAD THE BIGGEST CINNAMON ROLL THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN AND EATEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. After eating my cinnamon roll (that I honestly wasn't sure I could finish but did) some of us stopped at the grocery store before heading back to Pedro's. After hanging out at Pedro's for just a little bit a few of us decided to go to Caribbean Villas and hang out for a while. I was completely up for relaxing after such an exhausting Inland Trip (it really took a lot out of me) so I took one of the three books (I haven't opened yet) that I brought here with me to Belize, sat on a chair, and read it. It has been FAR TOO LONG since I've actually gotten to sit and lose myself in a book and it was so nice. Since it was a short book (only 200 pages) I actually started and finished the entire thing before leaving Caribbean Villas to go back to Pedro's. Once I got back to Pedro's I hung out for a little bit before going with Jordon, Cyrus, Ali, Lauren, and Ashley to get Supper at YJ's Deli. YJ's is another cheap Taco Stand on the same road at Lily's that I hadn't been to yet and I got a Fryjack for Supper that was of course delicious. I made a phone call home not long after getting back to Pedro's and once I got off the phone I decided to go into the Restaurant at Pedro's to see if anyone was up to anything. Tracy, Callie, Meghan, Tiffany and Kenzie were playing Spoons with Kaci and Trevor (two kids from Colorado who are on Vacation here with their parents and two of their Dad's Coworkers). Tiffany was getting up to leave so I took her place in the game and got to play. I ended up losing so I just sat and watched the rest of the game. It was getting late and everyone stopped playing the game so we all decided to call it a night somewhere close to Midnight.


Day Twenty-Three: On Thursday I once again didn't have any plans for the day so I slept in until about 11:00 a.m. I took my time getting ready and at about Noon I decided to head into town to mail of a couple of Postcards to the Three Special Education Classrooms at the School where I completed my Student Teaching at since they all did so much for me on my Last Day and wished me well before coming to Belize. When I got to the Post Office it was closed for lunch so I stopped at Casa Pan Dulce Bakery to get a sweet treat (Why not?! It only cost $1.75 BZ) and did some more Souvenir Shopping. Once I did that it was almost 1:00 p.m. (when the Post Office would be opening after lunch) so I headed back to the Post Office so I was able to have my Postcards be mailed off. After I got my Postcards ready to go I decided to head back to Pedro's since it was so hot. I wasn't sure of my plan for the day but a few people were heading to Caribbean Villas so I figured I would go enjoy another relaxing day while I had the opportunity to do so. I was pretty hungry when we got to Caribbean Villas so I ate some lunch and played Fetch with Jambo for a tiny bit (Jambo is the dog who belongs to the owner of both Pedro's and Caribbean Villas who enjoys playing Fetch in the Sea with a coconut) before beginning to read another book that I brought with me to Belize. I spent about three hours reading and headed back to Pedro's only to sit by the Pool there and continue reading for another 4-5 hours until I finished the book. I just love reading and honestly have so much trouble putting books down once I start them. Nothing much was going on so I figured since I had the time why not just sit and enjoy reading a book while I could since I never can anymore. I wasn't too hungry since I was pretty full from my lunch at Caribbean Villas but to keep from starving when I woke up on Friday Morning I ate a PB & J for Supper and then spent time hanging out and talking with Kaci, Trevor, and Tony (the two kids and one of their Dad's Coworkers from Colorado) before calling it a night at about 11:30 p.m.


Day Twenty-Four: Friday was definitely one of my top favorite days while being in here in Belize (I think I've had about five of those now). I got up early and got ready for our Snorkel and Sail Excursion. We all had to be at the dock at Ramon's Village Resort by 8:30 a.m. We all got fitted for our fins when we arrived, were given a snorkel and mask, and then got on the Catamaran with SEAduced. We sailed to Hol Chan Marine Reserve and snorkeled there first. I've been snorkeling in The Bahamas before as well as The Florida Keys and I have to say that Belize is the best snorkeling that I have done yet. Hol Chan was so beautiful. The second we got into the water there was a Green Sea Turtle just below us. There were so many different sea creatures I got to see and the coral was so pretty. I almost don't have any words for it. I was just taking in the view and really enjoying my time in the water. After snorkeling at Hol Chan we got back on the boat, ate some fruit, and then sailed to Shark Ray Alley to snorkel there. They brought chum with them so as we were getting into the water there were SO MANY nurse sharks right below the boat where we were supposed to get in. I was a little apprehensive about getting in considering THERE WERE SHARKS IN THE WATER but Cyrus encouraged me to go on in so I finally did and IT WAS SO NEAT. I saw a few Rays and THERE WERE SO MANY NURSE SHARKS. I have no idea how many there were but there were a good number of them. Some were small, some were medium sized, and there were a couple of pretty big ones! I couldn't believe that I actually got into the water with sharks but it was such a neat experience and I'm glad that I did! After we were finished snorkeling we all got back on the boat and got to relax while sailing to Caye Caulker. During the sail to Caye Caulker we all ate chips and salsa that they made us. When we got to Caye Caulker we had two hours to eat lunch as well as walk around and explore the Island. I went with Maddi, Casey, and Jessica M. to find lunch. We ended up eating at Belita's Deli and it was pretty good. After eating lunch we spent time walking around the Island a little bit and looked at a few shops. Caye Caulker isn't very big so there wasn't too much to see but it was definitely a pretty place and I really liked the vibe of it. (Have I mentioned that I've fallen in love with The Island Life? Because I have.) Maddi and I walked to see The Split (the Island of Caye Caulker is split into two areas) and unfortunately couldn't get in the water since we didn't have enough time to do so (If I ever come back to Belize I know what I'll be doing!). Everyone had to be back on the boat by 2:30 p.m. and we all got to enjoy the hour long sail back to San Pedro and IT WAS INCREDIBLE. The whole time we've been in Belize I've been wanting to ride on a sailboat and I'M SO GLAD THAT IT FINALLY HAPPENED. It was just amazing and I will never forget it. After getting back to Ramon's Dock Meghan, Tracy, Callie, and I spent time looking at the shop there and of course each of us ended up spending money since we couldn't help but buy something. After getting back to Pedro's from Ramon's I spent the evening just hanging out in the Restaurant for the rest of the night. I spent time talking with Kaci, Trevor, their parents, and their two Coworkers as well as enjoying the night of Karaoke. Friday was definitely a fun day and I enjoyed it a lot. The Snorkeling and Sailing Experience was one that I will NEVER forget for as long as I live. After this Friday I honestly can't choose between Last Friday (the day I went to Caracol and Big Rock Falls), Sunday (the day I went Ziplining and to Tikal in Guatemala), or This Friday (Snorkeling & Sailing). I loved all three Excursions and I honestly believe it's a Three-Way Tie for being my Favorite Day(s) on this Trip yet.


Day Twenty-Five: On Saturday I didn't have any plans for the day so I slept in until about 10:30 a.m. which was nice after such a busy and long Friday. I spent time hanging out in my Hotel Room and decided to finally exit it at about Noon. I was sitting in the shade downloading my pictures and uploading some to Facebook when I started talking to Tamara. Tamara is a lady I met a couple of weeks ago who has been staying here at Pedro's since January. Tamara has been learning to sign while being here in Belize so I began talking with her about Sign Language since I love it from learning it at UNCW. She so happened to be planning on going to a Meeting at 2:00 p.m. with the Church she's been going to here that would be done in all Sign Language for the Deaf Congregation. Tamara invited me to go with her and I decided to go with her since I haven't been in a complete silent environment where Sign Language was the only mode of communication in a while and I wanted to work on practicing my Receptive Skills and see if I could understand any of the signs at all. The meeting lasted about two hours and I honestly did not understand very much. I knew a few signs here and there but I did feel like I was able to put together the MAIN IDEA of what was talked about during the Meeting based on the few signs that I did know/remember. During the meeting there was an Opening Song, an Opening Prayer, a Speaker who flew just to Belize for the Meeting spent time signing to the people at the Meeting, a video was watched, questions were answered based on the Video, there was a Closing Song, and then there was a Closing Prayer. Even though I'm not a Jehovah's Witness and have not had the opportunity to learn many signs when it comes to faith, spirituality, and religion, it was still a neat experience and I'm glad that I went. Everyone was nice and welcoming and I feel like I learned more about having an open mind to experiences that I am not used to. Tamara had just found a new place to live in and was about to move and since a few people from our Cohort have gotten to know her and wanted to know where she would be going I followed her to her new place so I would be able to inform everyone else of where she would be. Tamara is a chef so she offered me some of her homemade hummus (which was so delicious and I can't wait to get her recipe for it) while we sat and talked. I had learned bits and pieces about Tamara throughout a few small conversations over the past three weeks but it was really neat getting to learn more about her life story and how she ended up here in Belize. I really enjoyed my time with her and am thankful for her sharing with me. Tamara is very passionate about sharing her faith and is in the process of learning Sign Language in order to reach out to people in the Deaf Community. I already LOVE Sign Language but after spending time with Tamara I was encouraged EVEN MORE than ever before to REALLY want to continue and practice Sign Language. I know it will take a lot of work but I really hope to become fluent in it one day (We'll see what happens. Hopefully it can become a reality one day.). Not long after getting back to Pedro's I went with Maddi, Casey, Jessica M., and Ashley to get Supper at Neri's Tacos. When I got back to Pedro's I was going to work on my Blog and get started on some of my Assignment but Tiffany invited us to play "Shout It" so needless to say that didn't happen. I'm so glad I took the Evening to play a fun game like "Shout It" because I laughed so much and so hard and I haven't done that in so long. Even though I'm pretty terrible at "Shout It" (it's just like Catch Phrase) I still had a lot of fun and enjoyed myself. I'm not entirely sure how long we played (I lost track of time like I usually do here) but we played it for a while. I spent a little bit of time working on my Blog before going to bed and decided to save the Assignments for another day.


As Week Three comes to an end I have to say that I honestly CANNOT BELIEVE that we have LESS THAN TWO WEEKS left here in Belize. It doesn't seem real at all. In exactly two weeks I will be back in North Carolina and I honestly don't know what to think of that. I realized on Saturday that I only have ONE LAST WEEKEND here in Belize and that makes me SO SAD. Before we left to go Inland I remember Dr. C told me that after the Inland Trip our time here in Belize WOULD REALLY FLY BY since it's the Midway Point of our Trip and I didn't believe her but now that we've been back for almost a whole week I realize that she was so right. I have really enjoyed having a relaxing Third Full Week here in Belize and it's a good thing I did because our "Vacation" is over now. The School's Easter Break is over and we start back going to the Schools on Monday. After not being in the Schools for Two Weeks I honestly forgot that is the entire reason why we're even here in Belize. I'm not going to lie...I'm a little nervous to go back to the Schools because I don't have a set schedule or know quite what I'm doing when but I know I will figure it out as time goes on. I spent time learning about the the students I'll be working with during the First Week we were in the Schools before the Easter Break and now I need to make a Tentative Schedule of who I will work with when. All I want to do while I'm here in Belize is to be able to help make some sort of difference in AT LEAST one student's Education and it will make this whole trip worth while. Dr. K told us that if we can teach in Belize then we can teach anywhere so here's to hoping over the next two weeks I can achieve that.