Snapshots of Belizian Life...

Living in Belize can be really hard and really good at the same time- I thought I'd share some random events

-yesterday as I was walking home, I came about an inch from stepping on a large Tarantula- I leaped over the thing, shrieking, no doubt amusing my neighbors to no end
-there are two little girls, probably about 6 and 4 years old, who have taken a liking to me. One day in mass the older girl sat in front of me, and kept turning around and grinning at me. I don't know who they belong to (she was by herself), but I invited her to sit with me at mass. She was very attentive the whole mass, except when she fell asleep on my lap during the Homily. Now, whenever I see them in town, they start shrieking in Spanish, and run and fling themselves at me for a hug. They chatter at me in Spanish for a while, give me lots of hugs and kisses, and then go on their way. I don't even know their names!
-I found out the other day that a student of mine is absent often because her family cannot afford the bus fare. It is $1 a day, and she just saves up for a few days until she can afford to get to school again.
-I was at a local grocery store with another teacher last week, when a Mount Carmel student came in. She insisted on treating us both to sodas and popsicles, and then her family gave us a ride home. Students are so generous, even when they have so little.

Yesterday was Belize's Independence Day.  Tuesday some of the area schools held a rally- which basically consisted of us walking through the streets of Benque for two hours.  Belizians are big on Parades- yesterday, every town had a parade featuring school drum bands and dancers, pagent queens, and anyone else who wanted to participate!  On midnight on Tuesday, a runner with a torch arrived in Benque to start the festivities, which included fireworks, drum bands, jump-up (loud music which you jump to) and dancing.

The kids were asked to carry flags from the different countries represented by our school.

Some of my lovely students (that's me on the right with the pink hat)

So the newest Survivor show is being filmed at Tikal- which is about 45 minutes from me. I watched the last 15 minutes or so last week, and it was kind of neat. They are actually filming some parts in the Mayan ruins, which look really fake on tv, but are spectacular in real life. We probably get the same weather here, and I felt sorry for the contestents running around carrying boats and stuff in the middle of the day. It is HOT. I'm curious to know how they safeguard the contestents- there are several species of snakes in the jungle which are pretty deadly, not to mention tarantulas, scorpions, and poison plants that can give you a nasty rash if you just walk under them.

This weekend I had a chance to go to a football (soccer) game which was a pretty big deal- Benque versus Belize City. The players are good, and lots of the town, including our students, show up to support them. Last year there was a big fight at one of our school games, so the town didn't take any chances and had lots of police around. People take football very seriously here. There were a few tense moments when a Belize City fan walked through the Benque stand with a huge Belize City flag, and then was escorted out by the police- followed by about 15 huge Belize City fans- but nothing happened in the end. I think it adds to the overall excitement of the game :) Unfortunately, we lost, but it is just the beginning of the season.

This is one of my favorite pictures from Germany. When the Pope arrived, he took a boat up the Rein to greet everyone. I don't think anyone expected the response- 100,000 people lined the banks, waving their flags and chanting "Benidikto!" It was amazing to me, because no one really knew this pope yet- this was before he had made any speeches for world youth day, and he is still so new as pope. JPII installed such a love for the papacy in the young that they flock to see the pope because he is the Pope!

Ummm, so anyone want to come to Belize?

Sherman's Travel just put out this incredible deal- flight to Belize + 7 nights at a nice resort on the Cayes for only $439. The catch is it's only through October 31st. But, if anyone was thinking of visiting, this might be the time... email me if you want more info! :)

I got back to Benque about a week ago, and it's gone by really fast. A lot of things have changed this year. First, we have a new pricipal, Mr David Ruiz, who is a Belizian. He's made some changes, so it wasn't quite as easy as I thought it would be to slip back into the school year. Second, the new group of teachers is quite different this year- we only have 2 new girl teachers at Mount Carmel, and 15 new guys! I'm still getting used to being the only girl at lunch or breakfast, which happens a lot, and having to sit through conversations such as the merits of Rocky I versus Rocky 2. I am only teaching two classes of biology this term, both of which are girl classes. It is quite nice, I have a lot of free time to organize my lessons and present them more creatively. I'm also thinking of volunteering at a local clinic because I have afternoons free.
Besides all the business of school, it is so good to be back. I realized how much I had missed this country on the ride from the airport-- it had just rained, and the air smelled positively wild. Sometimes you forget what nature is like when you go from airconditioned cars to stores to homes. My students from last year were so excited to see me, which felt really good. And yesterday, I became Madrecita-- godmother-- to Ethan Elijah Pott. He is adorable, and I feel so priveleged to become a part of his life. We had a beautiful, small baptism ceremony, and I added some picutes below.

Ethan Elijah Pott, 3 months old, and his mom, Nancy