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.

Adjusting To Belize.

After being in Belize for three weeks now (On that note-I can't believe I've been here for three weeks already!) I have to say that I am slowly buy surely getting more used to the weather, the streets, the way of life, the people, and the culture here. During my time here in Belize I have noticed some similarities with America and I've also noticed some differences as well. I'm going to share some of the observations that I've made and some of my impressions while I've been here in Belize so far:

• Kids are kids no matter where you go. All kids like to have fun and do the same silly behaviors in class, outside of class, etc. I loved how on the first day I observed at Isla Bonita Elementary School I saw a student shaking their pencil up and down to make it move so that it looked like it was wiggling because 1. I've been guilty of doing that when I was younger and 2. Kids still do that back home. Some things just don't change regardless of where your geographic location is and I think it's great! 

• Men are men. Catcalling occurs back home but it happens here in Belize far more often. It happens once in a blue moon back home but it happens COUNTLESS TIMES in one day here. Thankfully I had a friend who came last year to warn me about that before I got here so I wasn't very surprised by it when it happened. & In response to it I just do the same thing I do back home: I ignore it, continue about my business (while pretending I didn't notice it), and they don't bother me. It's as simple as that. 

• I'm pretty sure there aren't many traffic laws enforced in San Pedro (I have seen ONE Check-Point but)...I honestly see my life flash before my eyes AT LEAST twice a day, sometimes three, anytime I am on the roads here in San Pedro whether I'm walking around or riding my bike. I feel like people just go wherever they want to go whenever they want to without much warning. I've seen who knows how many POSSIBLE accidents SOMEHOW be avoided and the vehicles here are often too close for comfort. I don't think of myself as an aggressive person but here you have to be aggressive when riding your bike and almost fight for your spot on the road when you're riding your bike. On a brighter note...I do like that the longer I've been here the more familiar that I'm getting with the streets here and am able to recognize where I'm at more often and mostly know how to get from Point A to Point B though. I still don't know exactly which streets are Front, Middle, or Back just yet but hopefully I can finally get that figured out before it's time for me to leave. We shall see how that goes!  

• Island time (or Belize Time rather) is such a real thing. & I kind of love it. I never know what the date of the week it is until I have to make myself look at it. & Throughout the day I honestly and genuinely lose track of time. Back home I am someone who has to know what time of day it is at any moment but here in Belize I barely look at the clock. I tend to only know what time I need to wake up for the day to be at a Commitment or Obligation I've made and what time I need to go to bed. In between that the time doesn't matter. When I go out to eat most restaurants here take their time to bring their food to you and in America I would be tapping my fingers on the table becoming very impatient while waiting on it but for some reason here in Belize it doesn't bother me. I love how laid back the atmosphere is here and I already know that I'm going to miss it. I just hope that I don't lose myself in it too much so that I can keep up with my Schedule once I return back home to North Carolina. But I am in no rush at all. I can AND will gladly wait to find out while I enjoy the rest of my time here. 

• People here in Belize are all so welcoming, open, and friendly. I've been spending a good amount of time talking with some of the people I've met here in Belize (some of the Teachers at Isla Bonita, a parent to a student at Isla Bonita who works at Caribbean Villas, a housekeeper at Pedro's Inn, the librarians at San Pedro Town Library) and they have have open with me and willing to share about their lives and answer any questions that I have asked them. I wasn't sure how people on the Island would respond to us (we're obviously not from Belize-You can tell just by looking at us) and I feel like everyone has been so welcoming. I'm not sure how I would feel if someone from a different country just came into my Classroom or Library Day Camp and started volunteering but everyone I've had experience with here so far has been so receptive and appreciative so it's been very encouraging. 

There have been a couple of situations that have happened where I've been somewhat uncomfortable and I've been unsure of what to do while I've been here in Belize but there is one situation in particular that sticks out to me at the moment since it has actually occurred more than once. During our first full week here in Belize (and our first week in the Schools) I've noticed multiple students in multiple classrooms cursing out loud right in front of their teachers and the teachers didn't say a word to them about it at all. Now I'm not naive because I know kids curse...But I just feel like it's something that they do when they're only around their peers and not around adults. At least that has always been my experience and was what I noticed as I was younger. Each time I heard students curse (& I know it's not the worst thing in the world for a student to do but I honestly cringe ANYtime I hear ANYone curse no matter the age they are because I personally just don't like it or see the point in it when there are many substitute words that carry the same exact meaning and don't sound as harsh) but when I heard the cursing I sort of froze and would watch the student and the teacher to see what would happen. The student kept on going about their business and the teacher didn't even flinch. I honestly didn't know what to do because 1. I wasn't sure how the teachers here in Belize deal with cursing and 2. It wasn't really my place to do anything since I was simply observing in the Classroom. 

Another thing that made this situation a little tougher for me is that during my experience in working with children I am used to working with children who are not in School yet and during Student Teaching back in North Carolina I was used to working with seven students who are nonverbal so cursing is something I haven't really dealt with much since the children I have worked with never cursed. It hasn't been something that I've experienced or had to deal with yet. Only now has it been something I've had to face. If I was around an older (and verbal) student in America who cursed I feel like I would simply redirect them and tell them that we don't use that type of language. I wanted to do that here in Belize when I heard the cursing but I didn't want to overstep my boundaries while being in the Classroom so I just sat, listened, and observed instead of doing anything about the language that I heard. I'm not sure if the teachers were at the point where what the students did and said didn't bother them as much since it was the last week of School before Easter Break or cursing simply isn't something that seen as big of a deal here (or as big of a deal as it is to me). 

I think it'll be interesting to see how the students behave once we return to School next week since they will have been out of School for their Two-Week Break and it will be the beginning of a New Term. I'm still very curious how the Teachers here in Belize feel about students cursing and what it is they do about it to address it when they do hear it (if they do anything or acknowledge it at all) so I'll probably be asking the Teachers at Isla Bonita Elementary about their thoughts and how they handle it once School starts back next week. 

We Made The San Pedro Sun!

The San Pedro Sun is the Newspaper in San Pedro and the 7th Belize Cohort is featured in it!

On March 31st the owner of our Hotel arranged us to meet Danny, the Mayor of San Pedro: http://www.sanpedrosun.com/education/2015/04/03/unc-wilmington-teacher-students-on-ambergris-caye/.

On March 30th - April 1st a few of us volunteered with The San Pedro Town Library at an Easter Camp: http://www.sanpedrosun.com/education/2015/04/03/san-pedro-town-library-hosts-easter-camp/.


It's so neat that our Program is mentioned in the paper talking about what we're doing in Belize!

Week Two! (March 29th - April 4th)

Day Twelve: On Sunday I woke up at 10:00 a.m., got ready and met up with Tiffany, Jessica B., Abby, Casey, Stephens, and Cyrus to go to Church. Tiffany came across a Church that was just on the next road over behind our hotel call Living Word Church. I was a little nervous and hesitant to go a Church in a different country but it actually ended up being really nice and I enjoyed it a lot. I'm glad that I went. While we were in Church it had poured down rain but thankfully after Church was over the rain had stopped so we were able to stay dry on our short walk back to the hotel. We all changed and then we to eat lunch at La Divina Providencia. I got a delicious Banana Smoothie before my lunch came out and once my Chicken BBQ plate with Rice and Cole Slaw came out I had a coke to drink with it. It was so delicious and was $16.00 (BZ), which was only $8.00 (US), which isn't too bad. It was really windy on our bike ride back to the hotel and it looked like it was going to rain and once again, we were thankfully able to stay dry on the ride back to the hotel because it didn't rain until after we got back. Since it was raining most of us just spent time hanging out either in the hotel or in the Restaurant at the hotel. Instead of trying to transfer my laptop from my room to the restaurant I decided to just stay inside in my Room. I spent a long while getting my Fifth Blog Post JUST RIGHT only for the Wi-Fi to be goofy because of the rain and not save all of my hard work so I had to start all over and spend double the time on one Blog Post. After spending entirely too long on it I worked on a Newsletter before going to bed. I made the Newsletter to post on the UNCW International Field Experience to Belize Facebook Page as well as for the Communications Committee to provide our Group a way to update people from home about what was going on during our first week and a half in Belize. It was not fun staying cooped up inside because of the rain on Sunday but then again it helped a lot of us to have time to be productive and get stuff done and/or just to spend time resting which was nice as well and very much needed. Even though I can't stand rain for a variety of reasons it was nice having it be gloomy over the weekend just because the weather was cooler AND I didn't have to wear any sunscreen. I've gotten so used to applying sunscreen at least 3 - 5 times a day but with it raining I wasn't spending any time outside in the sun so sunscreen wasn't necessary. Even though it rained for most of the day on Sunday I'm glad there was enough of a break in the rain to go to Church as well as lunch so I wasn't inside doing nothing THE ENTIRE DAY, just most of it. It was most definitely strange having everybody staying around the hotel not doing too much of anything since we've all been so busy ever since we've gotten to San Pedro.

Day Thirteen: On Monday I woke up at 8:00 a.m. and got ready for the day. Since the Schools are out for their Easter Break and we have to spend time doing Community Service Hours in San Pedro I decided to volunteer at the Easter Program at the San Pedro Town Library for this week and Monday was the first day of it. There were two different camps during the day for two different age groups. The Morning Camp was for kids ages 5 - 8 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and the Afternoon Camp was for kids ages 9 - 13 from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Ashley, Lindsay Mc., Jessica M., and I decided to walk to the Library and we all got there at about 8:45 a.m. on Monday Morning and we met Brianne, Nikki, and Sonya (who all work at the Library) when we got there. Eleven kids came to The Morning Camp on Monday. Brianne didn't really have a plan set in stone for the day so Ashley, Lindsay, Jessica M., and I had to wing it. There were books on the tables that we pulled (before the kids got to Camp) and we had the kids look at them for a little bit once they got to Camp. After a little while Lindsay, Jessica M., and I each took a group of kids and read a book with them while Ashley worked on finding Easter Videos to watch later in the day. I read "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" with Sam, Danae, and Leannie. I first read it aloud to them and then afterwards I had them all take turns reading the pages in the book. Afterwards I cut out three muffins from brown construction paper and had them decorate their muffins to be what kind of muffins they wanted them to be. After each small group finished reading we got the kids together for a Whole Group read aloud. Lindsay, Jessica M., and I all took turns reading "Oh, The Places You'll Go" while Ashley worked on cutting out materials for the Arts and Craft Activity to go along with it. After we finished reading the book we had the kids decorate balloons and write what it is they wanted to be/do when they grew up. Once the kids finished their Balloon Arts and Craft then it was time for a snack so the kids each got a juice and a banana and took it outside. After the kids finished their snack they all played three rounds of “Cross The Ocean” (which is another name for Sharks and Minnows). After the kids played the game we went back inside and Brianne talked to the kids about why we celebrate Easter and then we ended The Morning Camp by watching a few videos about the meaning behind Easter (Jesus's Death and Resurrection). After all of the kids left Ashley and Jessica M. went back to the Hotel while Lindsay and I went to get some lunch at Lily's. We also spent some time looking at some of the shops near the Library so I could get an idea of some souvenirs to get. After looking at the stores I waiting at the Library for The Afternoon Camp to start. As I was waiting Joe, Dani, Tiffany, Abby, and Sarah come to join me and volunteer at The Afternoon Camp. Brianne had more of a plan for The Afternoon Camp than she did for The Morning Camp so Tiffany, Abby, Sarah, Joe, Dani, and I just followed that. When the kids got to the Library we let them hang out before we watched “The Easter Story” Video. After we watched the video the kids were all given construction paper to use to make an Easter Book (that they would be writing in on Tuesday). After everyone made their books the kids went outside to drink their juice and eat their banana for snack. We played a game of Shipwreck (which is really Trainwreck) before going back into the Library and making Paper Mache Easter Eggs. After the kids left Camp Abby, Tiffany, and I walked down the beach back to Pedro’s. I spent some time hanging out at the Hotel and then went gallivanting around San Pedro with Jordon, Savannah, and Brittany. We spent time walking around the island and then ended up just eating supper at Lily’s. After getting back to Pedro’s from eating supper I spent some time downloading pictures off my camera to my Computer and uploaded some pictures to Facebook before calling it a night. 

Day Fourteen: On Tuesday I got up at 8:15 a.m., got ready, and then walked to the Library with Jessica M., Stephens, Maddi, and Brittany to go help at the Easter Program. The Morning Camp had 14 kids on Tuesday. As the kids arrived we let them spend some time looking at books for a little bit before starting the day. Brianne found a video for the kids to watch so we started the day with the kids watching The Berenstain Bears Easter Surprise. After the kids watched the video we split the kids into different groups to read with them. Jessica M. was with a group of kids at a table, Stephens and I were with a group of kids at a table, and Brittany and Maddi were with a group of kids at a table. Stephens read a book to the kids in our group and I read “If You Give A Pig A Party” to the kids in our group. I learned how to sign the story when I was in my Communication with the Deaf and Hearing Impaired Class last Spring so I asked the kids if they knew any sign language. Sam knew “mother” and “father” so I taught those to everyone. I taught the title “If You Give A Pig A Party”, the colors, the numbers 1-10, and the alphabet to the kids in mine and Stephens' Group. I haven’t really tried to teach signs to children before and they all picked it up fairly quickly. The kids were beginning to get a little restless so we took the kids outside for their Jello snack and then let them play “Cross The Ocean” again since they liked it so much on Monday. After being outside for a little bit we took the kids back inside and had them make their Easter Bags that they would be using during their Easter Egg Hunt on Wednesday. Brianne made an example and I was so impressed by how well the kids (who are fairly young) were able to create their own Bunny on their Easter Bags because they all looked so similar to the example Brianne made. After the kids made their Easter Bags I read aloud the book “Guess How Much I Love You” to everyone. After I finished reading Maddi and Brittany sang “Little Bunny Foo Foo” and “Five Little Ducks Went Out One Day,” with the kids and then it was time for them to go home. I walked back to the hotel with Maddi and Jessica M. and ate a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich for lunch and took a little cat nap since I had the time to do so before The Afternoon Camp. 

A little after 1:30 p.m. Abby, Tiffany, Sarah, and I all left to walk to the Library for The Afternoon Camp. The Afternoon Camp had 12 kids on Tuesday. After all of the kids got to Camp we started it off by reading “Peter’s First Easter” to the whole group. Sarah read Chapter 1, Abby read Chapter 2, I read Chapter 3, Tiffany read Chapter 4, and one of the kids read Chapter 5. There are 10 total chapters in the book so we decided to read half of it on Tuesday and the other half of it on Wednesday. After we read the first half of "Peter's First Easter" we let the kids all work on writing their own Easter Stories in their Books that they made on Monday. Abby, Tiffany, and Sarah all went outside with the kids during their snack and while they played Shipwreck and Red Light, Green Light while I stayed inside with Samantha cleaning up the markers on the tables since she was still working on her story. After all of the rest of the kids came inside from being outside they got to paint their Paper Mache Eggs that they made on Monday. At around 4:00 p.m. (when Camp ends) one of the girls asked me “Can we leave now?” and I asked her, “Did your parents bring you or did you come by yourself?” and she told me that she came by herself. I forget that the “supervision” here in Belize is so different compared to back home so I told her that it was time to go home. (Most of all the younger kids in The Morning Group at Camp got dropped off and picked up but most of the older kids in the Afternoon Group bring themselves.) Abby, Tiffany, Sarah, and I all walked down the beach again to go back to Pedro’s like we did on Monday. Once I got back Pedro’s I didn’t have much time before our Group Meeting at 4:30 p.m. Since we weren’t in the Schools this week Dr. K and Dr. C mainly went over the plan for our trip Inland and then Tracy led everyone in a game of Trivia where we all had to guess the facts about everyone on the trip. I was in a Group with Meghan, Jessica M., and Callie and we won with getting 23 out of 28 facts. It was pretty awesome because we definitely had to guess on a couple of them. After Trivia was over I spent time hanging out and didn’t want to go far from the Restaurant at Pedro’s because the Mayor of San Pedro was coming to Pedro’s at 6:00 p.m. to meet all of us and Peter (the guy who owns Pedro’s) was having All-You-Can-Eat Pizza for the Event and you can NEVER pass up Free Food! Plus it was super neat knowing that we were going to get to meet the Mayor. The Mayor came in while we were all eating our Pizza and then our whole group got a picture with him. A little while later a few of us got our own personal pictures with Danny, the Mayor. He was really nice and gave each of us his card. After getting full on pizza, a group of us (me, Tiffany, Cyrus, Meghan, Tracy, Callie, Jessica M., Maddi, and Casey) all went walking to get some Ice Cream at Manelly's. We walked back on the beach (which was the first and will probably be the only time we’ll walk on the beach at night here since we were in a pretty big group) and it was so beautiful. When we got back to Pedro’s they had Karaoke and I was so sad that I walked in just as Abby and Jessica B. were finishing up one of my favorite Jo Dee Messina Songs (Heads Carolina, Tails California). After enjoying Karaoke for a while it was finally time to call it a night since it was almost Midnight. 

Day Fifteen: On Wednesday I got up at 8:15 a.m., got ready, and then walked to the Library with Jessica M., Stephens, Maddi, Brittany, and Savannah to go help at the last day of the Easter Program. The Morning Camp had 17 kids on Wednesday. When the kids came in we allowed them to first read and/or look at books on their own until everyone arrived. Once all of the kids were at Camp Jessica, Brittany, Maddi and I all took turns reading "Winnie The Pooh’s Easter" to everyone. After we finished the Winnie The Pooh Book we split the kids into the same groups as Tuesday (Jessica M. was with a group of kids at a table, Stephens and I were with a group of kids at a table, and Brittany and Maddi were with a group of kids at a table). I spent time reading with Kate, Stephens read with Franklin, and the other two girls at our table read independently. While all of the kids at camp were reading the people who work at the library were hiding Easter Eggs outside. Once the Easter Eggs were all hidden the kids got to get their Easter Bags that they made on Tuesday and we took them outside so that they could hunt Easter Eggs. After everyone found their 5 Easter Eggs (5 was the limit for each kid) they all played “Aloha Run” (Potato Sack) Relay and had a blast. After playing the game the kids got to enjoy their juice and marshmallow snacks outside. Once the kids all finished their snacks we went back inside and then they all got to get a cupcake. Before the kids all left we got to take a group picture with them. After Camp was over Jessica M., Maddi, and I walked around until we found a Chinese Restaurant that is (sort of) on the way to Isla Bonita Elementary School. We sat and ate for a little bit before walking back through town and glancing at the shops. I did some souvenir shopping and then went back to the Library while Jessica and Maddi went back to Pedro’s. I sat and waited at the Library for a little bit until Abby, Tiffany, Sarah, and Joe all showed up at the Library for The Afternoon Camp. There were 15 kids at Camp on Wednesday. We let the kids hang out for a little bit and read books as everyone arrived. Once everyone was there we continued reading Peter’s First Easter. Tiffany read Chapter 6, Joe read Chapter 7, Abby read Chapter 8, I read Chapter 9, and Sarah read Chapter 10. After we finished reading Peter’s First Easter it was time for everyone to read their Easter Stories that they wrote on Tuesday. Not everyone wanted to read their stories but most of everyone’s stories were read aloud. After the Easter Stories were read it was time for the kids to go outside to find their Paper Mache Eggs that the ladies that work at the Library hid. After everyone found their Easter Egg that they made they all got to enjoy their juice and marshmallow snack outside before playing “Aloha Run” (Potato Sack) Relay, Shipwreck, and Little Sally Walker. After playing the games we all went inside and the kids got to enjoy pizza and cupcakes. Before the kids all left we got to take a group picture with them. After the kids left to go home I stopped by the store before heading back to Pedro’s. After getting back to Pedro’s I spent time hanging out and then decided to eat my leftover food from lunch and finished it for supper since Maddi and Jessica M. were nice enough to bring it back to Pedro’s for me since I had to stay at the Library for The Afternoon Camp. After heating up my food I made a couple of phone calls home and then spent some time working on my Blog. At about 10:00 p.m. I decided to go upstairs and get all of my stuff packed up to go Inland on Thursday before going to bed (& Of course I waited until the last minute. I always do.) 

Day Sixteen: On Thursday I woke up at 7:00 a.m., got ready for the day, and finished packing up my stuff. Since we were leaving to go Inland everyone was only taking one bag and we were all leaving whatever we weren't taking in one room at Pedro's. I wasn't very smart when packing to come to Belize so I forgot to bring a backpack (which is what was recommended for people to being to travel Inland with so I had to use my Carry On Suitcase. I packed it at light as possible with THE BARE MINIMUM of what I would need to go Inland (and it honestly wasn't too bad to travel with like I thought it would be). Everyone met downstairs by 8:00 a.m. and then we all started walking to Town to get to the 8:30 a.m. Water Taxi. We all boarded the Water Taxi and then we were on our way to Belize City. I met a sweet couple from Texas (Kurt and Crystal) who were in San Pedro for Vacation and talked to them for a little bit while riding to Belize City. I'm thankful I've ridden to and from Belize City on a Water Taxi before already because this one was closed in (so I didn't have a pretty view) and the ride was also rougher. We got to Belize City just a little after 9:30 a.m. I couldn't believe it only took us about an hour to get there. Once we got to Belize City we got on a Bus and headed to The Belize Zoo! It was kind of neat having all 28 of us on a bus going to do something together (like a Field Trip) since the only thing we've done together before coming Inland was having our Group Dinner the first Saturday we were in San Pedro. The Bus Ride was a little rough but since I was pretty tired (since I was up late on Wednesday Night packing) I was able to take a nap on the bus and woke up right when we got to the Zoo at around 11:00 a.m. We had two hours to walk around the zoo (which was not enough time to see everything whatsoever) but I was able to see a good bit while there. What's neat about The Belize Zoo is that EVERY SINGLE ANIMAL there is native to the country of Belize. If you go to a Zoo in the U.S. that is not the case. 

The Belize Zoo had all sorts of very funny and interesting signs for each of their animals too. The Belize Zoo is so different when compared to the Zoos in America but in a good way because they build the zoo around the animals habitats here as a way of conservation for the animals and it's just so neat. I really wish we would've had more time to spend taking our time at The Zoo since I felt a little rushed but I really enjoyed what I got to see and I took TONS OF PICTURES. However...Most of the animals were hiding and/or laying around in the shade when I saw them. Which, I can't say that I blame then because it was pretty hot. All of us got lunch right before leaving The Zoo (I unfortunately was the last one to order and everyone had to wait on me before we could leave but I got my lunch to go and took it on the bus with me) to head to San Ignacio. I ate my lunch on the bus and then was still pretty tired and slept until we arrived to San Ignacio. I hated I didn't get to enjoy the scenery of the Mainland but I was so tired that I couldn't help but fall asleep. Once we got to San Ignacio we all got settled into our Hotel Rooms. The 28 of us are split between two hotels (in three different locations). One group stayed at the Mallorca Hotel and one group stayed at Martha's Guest House. I'm with the group that stayed at Martha's Guest House (which is the hotel that has two different locations) and it was a pretty nice place to stay. I was nervous since this Hotel hasn't been used during this trip before but I had no complaints about it at all. After hanging out for a little bit a few of us went to a store to get a couple of snacks and drinks, took it back to our rooms, and the decided to walk around the corner and find a place to eat down the road not far from our Hotel. Ashley (my Roommate while in San Ignacio), Maddi, and I ran into Callie, Tracy, Meghan, and Jessica M. and we all decided to eat at a place called Tandoor Indian Restaurant and Bar. I got a Stew Chicken Traditional Belizean Meal that was really good. After eating we all parted ways and went back to our hotel (Ashley, Maddi, and I are at one location of Martha's House with Megan, Savannah, Brittany, Dani, and Lindsey M., while Callie, Tracy, Meghan, and Jessica M. were at the other location of Martha's Guest House. Not too long after getting back to the Hotel Ashley, Maddi, Casey, and I decided to venture back out and explore some of San Ignascio. We didn't go far and we ran into a few people from our group who were staying at the Mallorca. While Maddi and Casey went to grab supper, Ashley and I decided to head back to our room. I went ahead and got ready for bed and figured I would call it an early night since we had to be up early in the morning. 

Day Seventeen: I have to say that Friday was definitely the most incredible day of my time here in Belize so far and I'll go into why. I woke up at 5:30 a.m. (now that part wasn't so great), got ready, went to get Breakfast at Eva's with a big group of us, and then our one big group split into two smaller groups so that we could ride in two different vans to go on our Excursion. Our Excursion for Friday was a Tour at the Mayan Archaeological Ruins of Caracol. We had a very bumpy 2 hour ride to Caracol and got there at about 10:00 a.m. After we all applied our sunscreen and put on big spray when we arrived we were then ready to begin our Tour at the Mayan Site. We were first shown the tallest ruin that was about 140 feet tall and had 92 steps. I am terrified of heights and couldn't believe I made it to the top but when I did the view was so very worth it. It was so beautiful. Our Tour Guide showed us the few excavated ruins at Caracol and I climbed every single one that was possible to climb. It got a little tiring and some steps were steeper than others but I knew I would regret it if I didn't climb to the top of each ruin that I could just to see what it looked like since I knew it would probably be the one and only time in my life I would be there. After our Tour Guide showed us the different ruins it was time for all of us to eat lunch. We all had sandwiches, soda, watermelon, and cinnamon rolls that were provided with our tour. It was a very nice and filling lunch after getting so much exercise climbing the Mayan Ruins. We left Caracol at about 1:30 p.m. and headed to Big Rock Falls (which is a waterfall we got to go swimming in). I was so excited because I've always wanted to jump off a cliff into the water (as safe as possible) for as long as I can remember and I knew that I would be able to at Big Rock Falls. After the very steep (and what felt like a treacherous) walk down to the Waterfall we all found a place for our stuff on the rocks and began jumping into the water one by one. I was surprised that I wasn't really nervous when I went to jump the first time but it did take my breath away for a minute. 

I got out to get my waterproof disposable camera (I had to be old school since I don't have. a Go-Pro like so many other people here do) and then jumped into the water a second time. I spent time swimming, sitting and watching other people jump into the water (from the less safer rocks that we were not recommended to jump from), and getting right by the bottom of the waterfall. It was so amazing and I loved every single minute of it. I hated to leave but I was able to jump back in the water off the cliff one last and final time before making the VERY STEEP walk back up to where our van was. After all of the climbing I did in one day I finally got out of breath and got to a point where I didn't think I was going to make it up the stairs but I kept pushing on and made it back to the top. We had about an hour ride back to San Ignacio but it wasn't without it complications of course. At one point the bus stopped on a hill and the bus driver asked all of us to get out so that he could get it up the hill. On the way to Caracol there was a point where the van went SUPER SLOW up a hill (but he made it) so I thought that the same thing was happening this time and thought he was kidding when he said that but he wasn't. Sure enough one-by-one we all got off the van, watched him drive up the hill, and the had to walk up the hill and get back on our van. I asked Dr. C of that had ever happened before and she said, "Nope! Something new happens every year." It was definitely a priceless moment that I will never forget. After we got back to San Ignacio I went with Maddi, Casey, and Ashley to see Callie, Tracy's, Meghan, and Jessica M."s Room at the other location of Martha's Guest House. It was really nice and their "rooms" were really more like Apartments. After seeing their rooms Maddi, Casey, Ashley, and I decided to walk to the park just behind the other Martha Guest House Location to check out the Annual Easter Fair that was going on. It was just getting started for the night so we all walked around and check it out to see what it was like. It was very similar to the County Fair back home but the rides just seemed a little older, that's mainly the only difference. & There were of course more Taco Stands than at the Fair back home. I spent time hanging out at The Hotel for a little bit and then went to get supper with Tracy, Callie, Meghan, Jessica M., Maddi, Casey, and Ashley at Tandoor (again) since it was one of the few places that were open on Friday (many places shut down on Good Friday in order to observe the holiday). After eating Supper we all went back to our Hotels and decided to call it a night since Friday was a long and busy day and we has to prepare for yet another long and busy day on Saturday. 

Day Eighteen: On Saturday I woke up at about 6:30 a.m. and got ready for the day. My Roommate and I went to meet everyone at about 7:20 a.m. since we had to leave at 7:30 a.m. to go on our Excursion. Our Excursion for Saturday was a Tour at the ATM Caves. We all got on the bus and as we were starting to leave San Ignacio I noticed so many cars and people on the side of the road. I was wondering why and then found out that there was a race called the Cross Country Cycling Classic (a bicycle race that where the bicyclers start in Belize City, ride to San Ignacio, and turn around to ride back to Belize City) so everyone was waiting for the bicyclers to ride by so that they could cheer them on. The person driving our bus pulled over and one of the Tour Guides told us we were stopping to watch them since they would becoming up the hill soon. All 26 of us lined up on the side of the road and soon enough we saw the bicyclers and cheered them on. I had no idea the Cross Country Cycling Classic even existed but it was so neat getting to witness the 87th one occurring since it's an International Event with people from multiple countries who compete in it. After most of all of the bicyclers went by we got back on the bus and were officially on our way to the Caves. When we arrived we all got our helmets on and had to walk 1.5 miles to the entrance of the cave (which included crossing the river three times.) Our group of 26 got split into three groups of eight people (the Tour Guides only take eight people per group) and two people went on a tour with another Tour Guide since we didn't divide evenly. I was in a Group with Meghan, Jessica M., Tracy, Callie, Maddi, Casey, and Jordon. I honestly don't know if I can put into words about what the ATM Cave Tour was like. It was one of those experiences that you can't really explain and you just have to experience it for yourself to truly understand what it's like. It was just so neat. I have no idea how much time we actually spent in the cave but I know after we all finished eating lunch once we got back from the Tour we were on the bus to head back to San Ignacio at about 3:00 p.m. We got back to our Hotel at about 4:45 p.m. and then I made a Phone Call home. After about an hour of hanging out at the Hotel my Roommate and I were getting bored so we decided to venture out and about. We walked down Burns Ave., looked in a store, and then ran into some other people from our group. I ended up going with Abby, Tiffany, and Sarah to San Ignacio's Annual Easter Fair and that was so much fun. I just love Fairs so much! It only cost $3.00 BZ (which is $1.50 U.S.) to get in which wasn't bad at all. We walked around, got some supper, enjoyed listening to the live music, ate some donuts/cupcakes, and Abby and I split a Cotton Candy. With everything I bought at the Fair (tickets and foods) I spent less than $20.00 (BZ) which is less than $10.00 (US) and I found that to be so neat because it costs a little under $10.00 U.S. (possibly over) to go to the County Far at home not to mention $20.00 U.S. for the Wristband to ride the rides an unlimited amount of times, as well as more money for all of the food you want to eat and games you want to play. I was so glad I got to go to the Fair in San Ignacio. I really enjoyed it. As Abby, Tiffany, Sarah, and I left to go back towards Burns Ave. we ran into more people from our group who were getting Ice Cream at a Gelato Place. Since I had so much junk food at the fair I decided not to get any Gelato. Ashley and I left to go back to the Hotel around 9:00 p.m. and needed to call it a night a little early since we had an early morning and a busy day of traveling to Guatemala on Sunday.

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

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


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

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


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

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


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

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


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

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


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

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


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


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