Longer days...
Since the strike is over, the issue now being debated is how to make up the lost school days. At first, we were told we would lose our Easter break, which no one was really happy about. Administration has since changed their mind, and decided instead to add 5 minutes on to each class period, bringing it up to 70 minute periods. Yikes! Keeping 35 15-year-old boys attentive and quiet for 5 minutes total is a big enough deal. Keeping them interested for an entire period is another thing entirely. The other day, one of the boys in my class fell asleep and fell off his lab stool in the middle of class. In my defense, he came into my class looking very tired...he definitely woke up after that, though! 30 minutes of note taking is about all the boys can tolerate, and I don't blame them! So I've decided to treat the class more as two periods of 35 minutes each. This way, I plan the lesson differently,and break up the monotony of notes. We've been on the new schedule for a couple of days, and that approach seems to be working well.
My parents are coming in this weekend, and the weather is beautiful, so all is well!

Some amusing Belizian incidents...

Last night I was reading at Mass, and looked down the aisle to see a dog giving himself a bath, right in the middle of the aisle. He accompanied us up to communion, but left before the final blessing...

A few days I walked into the teacher's lounge to see this note on our board:
"Andrew Jacobs has smallpox. Please sent his work home with Neville."
As I teach Andrew, I was naturally concerned, but slightly confused. So I asked the vice principle what was the matter. He repeated that Andrew had smallpox. I started to get slightly worried, thinking that maybe Belize was going to be the center of a massive smallpox outbreak, starting in my classroom. So I asked the vp what we were going to do, if we should let the kids know so they could be quarantined, etc. He just kind of looked at me funny. I asked him again if he was sure it was smallpox- at which point he said, "oh, maybe it's chickenpox." I just looked at him, and he walked off, totally oblivious. Later I came back to see the note:
"Andrew Jacobs is sick. Please send his work home with Neville." I'm sure the vp was quite confused at my overreaction, and decided to simplify for the American teachers...

Finally, a few pictures from the Belize zoo.

School started back on Monday, without clear resolution to the strike- no one seems to know quite what is going on. But we are back to normal, mostly. Yesterday I dissected a sheep heart and two cow hearts for the class- one of the Belizian teacher's uncle is a butcher, so I have access to all sorts of fun stuff. Cow hearts, by the way, are massive. The boys seemed to like it, especially when I got squirted with water during a demonstration of how fluid flows through the heart :)
Last Saturday, we played frisbee golf on a fantastic course- it winds through the jungle. It was really challenging and fun. If your frisbee curved off the path, you had to tromp through vines and undergrowth to find it. I was a little leery of snakes, but we were told that they don't live in that kind of undergrowth...and then were told to watch out for the poisonous plants. (Ali's mom, if you are reading this, don't worry, Ali didn't come :) )
Some very sad news- the kitten died on Tuesday. I'm not sure what happened, I think she either got hit by a car or a dog got her. Our house isn't the same without her, she definitely had quite a personality!

Believe it or not, we are still on strike here. This morning, supposedly, we were supposed to have school, but typical of Belize, no one knew, so no one showed up- even the teachers (we may or may not have been eating banana pancakes at the rectory instead of going to school). Anyways, keeping busy has been a top priority, and I have managed pretty well so far. I thought I'd give a list of some of the things I have been up to in the last week and a half :)

-went to a mission town in Guatemala, and handed out miraculous metals
-rode horses, and got about a hundred ticks
-planted coconuts
-climbed to the top of a Mayan ruin
-went to the zoo, and heard a puma purr
-read 4 books
-went sailing and snorkeling in the cayes, hugged a shark and held a manta ray
-took a nap on a river beach deep in the jungle
-cleaned to bio lab, and found a dead petrifed frog

I have some fun pictures from the zoo, which I'll put up soon, I hope!