1. All the dogs walking around.
2. People whistling at us as we walk by.
3. Strict classroom discipline and students asking if I am going to lash them.
4. Not flushing toilet paper.
5. Belize time. 6 o'clock means 7 o'clock.
6. Can be a teacher or even a principal right out of high school temporarily.
7. Polly the talking and laughing parrot.
8.Colorful houses.
9. Eclectic mix of houses.
10. The heat. 70 degress is now freezing.
11. Chickens on buses.
12. Using machetes to cut the grass.
13. The language.
14. Random businesses. You could paint a sign on something and it could be a taxi, grocery store or what have you.
15. Kids riding and sometimes sleeping on bikes with their parents.
16. Hot water is hard to come by.
17. "Good Night" as a greeting. "A next one" for another. "Makobe" means lovesick. Subject/verb agreements.
18. Being called "Miss" or "Teach" by everyone... even people I don't know around town.
19. Lack of resources for teachers.
20. Bugs.
21. Vehicles drive right next to you.
22. Selling food out of buckets.
23. Garbage lying around.
24. Reuse of bottles and wrapping a napkin around them to clear them of any rust.
25. Kids eat suckers, or "sweet" for morning snacks.
26. The food in general.
27. Planes flying closely overhead.
28. Punta music and punta dance done by young children.
29. Having to teach all of the specialties like music, P.E.,art and so on.
30. The tiny little garbage bags that everyone uses.
"Life is uncharted territory. It reveals its story one moment at a time.”
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Yup- another weekend in Placencia. Can't get enough of that place.
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| The beach. Magical. |
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| These kids followed us everywhere. I gave them stickers and let them write in my planner. They thought it was the greatest thing. |
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| The Belizean pepper sauce that is found everywhere. Every table will always have salt, pepper & Marie Sharp's. |
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| Cruise ships are not allowed. |
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| Milk is always stored on a shelf. |
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| Sunset. |
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| Friends!! |
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| Star gazing... |
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| Going for a run along the sea. Perfect. |
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| Beth & I having lunch. |
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| Sun setting as we were taking the boat home. |
Eating at Boneville, a Christian Cafe, With Teachers and Friends!
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| Haley, Beth, Me, Teacher Janice, Teacher Bethany & Andrea |
The Students
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| Students reading at the reading table. |
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| The plant mobiles that the students created as one of my culminating activities. |
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| The students' pen pal letters to my class back in Wisconsin. |
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| A letter. |
Friday, December 10, 2010
Week 7 of Teaching
Well today was the last Friday that I will ever be in PG! Only four days of teaching left. I almost can't believe it that I made it this far. My week was good overall, but it did seem to drag on a bit.
Monday- Taught my lessons which went well for the most part although the kids were a little chatty. I have become pretty attached to the students now and I know it's going to be sad leaving them next Thursday, but once I'm finished... I'm finished with school!! Finally. That night I just did lesson planning.
Tuesday- I only had to teach one lesson today because another student teacher taught a lesson. Kind of a boring day.
Wednesday- Had my last observation and it went well! My supervisor and I talked about my successes and challenges and it made me realize how much I have done and gone through. It felt very rewarding. That night Haley, Beth and I watched part of a movie.
Thursday- My lessons went extremely well today and the kids were listening so well. I feel like I control over the classroom and feel like I know my place. This was the last day of regular school for our host brother and sister so we bought them some candy and watched TV with them. I couldn't fall asleep for the life of me though because there were two LOUD dogs and roosters going crazy right outside my room. That is definitely something I will not miss.
Friday- Made it through the week. Today was pretty relaxed at school. My science lesson worked out well. We were learning about plants and did a final culminating activity. Felt good to wrap things up. I enjoy Fridays because everyone seems so much more peppy.
Monday- Taught my lessons which went well for the most part although the kids were a little chatty. I have become pretty attached to the students now and I know it's going to be sad leaving them next Thursday, but once I'm finished... I'm finished with school!! Finally. That night I just did lesson planning.
Tuesday- I only had to teach one lesson today because another student teacher taught a lesson. Kind of a boring day.
Wednesday- Had my last observation and it went well! My supervisor and I talked about my successes and challenges and it made me realize how much I have done and gone through. It felt very rewarding. That night Haley, Beth and I watched part of a movie.
Thursday- My lessons went extremely well today and the kids were listening so well. I feel like I control over the classroom and feel like I know my place. This was the last day of regular school for our host brother and sister so we bought them some candy and watched TV with them. I couldn't fall asleep for the life of me though because there were two LOUD dogs and roosters going crazy right outside my room. That is definitely something I will not miss.
Friday- Made it through the week. Today was pretty relaxed at school. My science lesson worked out well. We were learning about plants and did a final culminating activity. Felt good to wrap things up. I enjoy Fridays because everyone seems so much more peppy.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Weekend in PG
This weekend was pretty chill… Saturday morning I got up, had some good pancakes and then got ready to go on a hike. About seven of us got a ride out to “Sarah’s Hill” and hiked up the pretty steep hill. It was neat and I was even breathing pretty hard, so it was kind of a workout! When we reached the top I could see all of PG, the sea and neighboring villages. It was neat to see PG from a new angle! On the climb down I went pretty fast and only slipped a couple times. I don’t know which was more challenging… going up or down. When we got to the bottom, our host mom picked us up and I went back to the house to have a little lunch.
After lunch two girls and I went to a hotel, the Coral House Inn, to hang around the pool and just relax. It turned out to be a beautiful day. At the hotel we even met a couple who was staying there from Brainerd, MN! It really is a small world. Once I got home, I showered, ate, did a little homework then a couple of us went to birthday party for one of the people from the Peace Corp that is living down here. It was nice, but I was tired so I left rather early.
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| Hike on Sarah's Hill |
This morning I went for a nice run, ate breakfast and then went with Haley and Beth to the Coral House Inn again. I love that place because it is so peaceful and they play good American music. It reminds me of home in a way so maybe that’s why I like it. It was cloudy all day so we just made lesson plans and did a bunch of homework. Overall, it was a productive day.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Week 6 of Teaching
The end is in sight! Less than two weeks of teaching left and only 7 instructional days. This week was a good one. I taught more and most of my lessons went very well. Every night was the same... came home and planned lessons, ate supper, planned more and went to bed. The week went very quickly. I've actually looked forward to going to school each day and when the day was over I was a little bummed because I enjoy being around the kids. The highlight of my week was Tuesday...
In our class, there is one student who is diagnosed with cancer. He was in school for about two or three weeks when I first started, but then he had to go up to Merida, Mexico to receive treatments. He wasn't doing so well for awhile. They couldn't find his vein at one point to take his blood or give him treatments or something. He was doing well one day and the next he would be doing bad. My teacher said that he told his mother that if he has to take anymore pills he would rather die. This was coming from a 7 year old. So everyday our class offered our prayers to him and we always reminded them to include their classmate in their prayers at home. Well on Tuesday after our class sang our gospel songs my teacher exclaimed that she had good news. She told the class that the boy was feeling much better and the doctors finally released him from the hospital. She proceeded to tell them that he would be coming home on the 9:30 am plane that very morning! Then she had even better news... our entire class was to pack up in two vehicles (all 21 children and us) and meet the boy at the airstrip to welcome him home! I actually got goosebumps when she informed us of this.
So, we had the students make welcome signs. Many of them wrote, "Welcome Back", "I love you", and "I miss you very much". It was so cute. After the kids made the signs we went outside to pack half of the kids in my teacher's van and the other half would go in a pickup truck. I had two students sitting on my lap with another adult in my seat. It was so crammed and very illegal if we were in the States but it was all good here. It then ended up that my teacher's van would not start so our truck had to drop us off at the airstrip and then the driver went to pick up the other kids. Once everyone arrived we waited for the plane to arrive. When it did the kids were cheering for their classmate and waving their signs. The little boy looked in shock that all his classmates came to welcome him back. It was one of the most precious things I have ever witnessed. They all gathered around him, took pictures, hugged him gently and gave him their pictures. After that all 21 students, myself, my teacher, the driver and a lady from customs all piled in the little pick up truck. There were kids everyone. Some sat in the back and some in the cab. The driver thought it would be funny to stop abruptly every once in awhile to give a little jerk. The kids were laughing and we all made it back safely. The whole time I was just thinking how crazy it all was but so neat. I was feeling sick and tired that day but after that my mood changed drastically.
In our class, there is one student who is diagnosed with cancer. He was in school for about two or three weeks when I first started, but then he had to go up to Merida, Mexico to receive treatments. He wasn't doing so well for awhile. They couldn't find his vein at one point to take his blood or give him treatments or something. He was doing well one day and the next he would be doing bad. My teacher said that he told his mother that if he has to take anymore pills he would rather die. This was coming from a 7 year old. So everyday our class offered our prayers to him and we always reminded them to include their classmate in their prayers at home. Well on Tuesday after our class sang our gospel songs my teacher exclaimed that she had good news. She told the class that the boy was feeling much better and the doctors finally released him from the hospital. She proceeded to tell them that he would be coming home on the 9:30 am plane that very morning! Then she had even better news... our entire class was to pack up in two vehicles (all 21 children and us) and meet the boy at the airstrip to welcome him home! I actually got goosebumps when she informed us of this.
So, we had the students make welcome signs. Many of them wrote, "Welcome Back", "I love you", and "I miss you very much". It was so cute. After the kids made the signs we went outside to pack half of the kids in my teacher's van and the other half would go in a pickup truck. I had two students sitting on my lap with another adult in my seat. It was so crammed and very illegal if we were in the States but it was all good here. It then ended up that my teacher's van would not start so our truck had to drop us off at the airstrip and then the driver went to pick up the other kids. Once everyone arrived we waited for the plane to arrive. When it did the kids were cheering for their classmate and waving their signs. The little boy looked in shock that all his classmates came to welcome him back. It was one of the most precious things I have ever witnessed. They all gathered around him, took pictures, hugged him gently and gave him their pictures. After that all 21 students, myself, my teacher, the driver and a lady from customs all piled in the little pick up truck. There were kids everyone. Some sat in the back and some in the cab. The driver thought it would be funny to stop abruptly every once in awhile to give a little jerk. The kids were laughing and we all made it back safely. The whole time I was just thinking how crazy it all was but so neat. I was feeling sick and tired that day but after that my mood changed drastically.
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| Leaving the school... |
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| Packing in the van. |
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| A little tight... |
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| He landed!!! |
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| Watching him walk out... |
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| The group. :) |
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| EVERYONE getting into the truck. |
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
A Perfectly Pleasant Placencia Weekend!
This weekend was wonderful. We woke up early Saturday morning to catch the express bus to Placencia ( the peninsula that we visited about a month ago). Right away we put our things in our room and headed to the beach. It was sprinking on and off but we got in a good two hours. In the afternoon it really started to rain and by the evening it was downpouring at times. It was all good though because we were able to hang out, play cards and I finished a book. At night we went to eat at a place called the Tipsy Tuna. It is a newly re-done restaurant and bar. I had a huge fajita which looked more like a burrito. It was awesome but couldn't finish it! Don't worry... I ate the rest the next day. We went to bed at 9:30 that night. I started getting a cold so it was hard for me to sleep.
Sunday morning we went out to the beach around 6:30. The sun was up and we could tell it would be a great day. We laid out, ate a few snacks and I read a little less than a 200-page book. It was great. By the end of the day I was very pink! The waitress told me that I shouldn't lay out anymore. We finally came in around 3:45 to eat a little early dinner. Then we went to get some gelato from the best gelato place ever! I want to go back there soo bad. At 5 we hopped on a water taxi and headed back to the town of Independence. We had to sit around for half an hour on the street. Next we got on the school bus and rode it for 2 hours until we got back to PG. That night I tried to take care of my cold and just relaxed and finished homework.
Today was a good day at school. My lessons went well although it was hard to talk with my voice coming in and out. Thinking I might have to get my tonsils removed someday or something because this is the second time in 2 months that I am losing my voice! The life of a teacher I suppose. Hopefully my immunue system will be stronger than Chuck Norris one day. Anyways, it was a good day and my lessons went well. This week will definitely be busy with planning since I will be teaching a lot.
Happy Monday!
Sunday morning we went out to the beach around 6:30. The sun was up and we could tell it would be a great day. We laid out, ate a few snacks and I read a little less than a 200-page book. It was great. By the end of the day I was very pink! The waitress told me that I shouldn't lay out anymore. We finally came in around 3:45 to eat a little early dinner. Then we went to get some gelato from the best gelato place ever! I want to go back there soo bad. At 5 we hopped on a water taxi and headed back to the town of Independence. We had to sit around for half an hour on the street. Next we got on the school bus and rode it for 2 hours until we got back to PG. That night I tried to take care of my cold and just relaxed and finished homework.
Today was a good day at school. My lessons went well although it was hard to talk with my voice coming in and out. Thinking I might have to get my tonsils removed someday or something because this is the second time in 2 months that I am losing my voice! The life of a teacher I suppose. Hopefully my immunue system will be stronger than Chuck Norris one day. Anyways, it was a good day and my lessons went well. This week will definitely be busy with planning since I will be teaching a lot.
Happy Monday!
More Guatemala Photos...
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| Cllimbing up the waterfall |
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| The guide helping me up- not too scared yet. |
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| Okay, now I'm freaking out! |
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| Did it! |
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| Group at dinner |
Friday, November 26, 2010
Week 5 of Teaching
This week has had its ups and downs and I am actually pretty glad it's over! I've been teaching here for 5 weeks and now only have 2 and a half weeks left! Kind of exciting to think that I will actually be a licensed teacher soon.
Monday- We got back from Guatemala and I had a terrible stomach ache so I did not go to school. I got ahead on some homework and just took it easy with Andrea and the other girls. It was Haley's 24th Birthday so we went to a vegetarian restaurant. We had to knock on the door of the cook and tell him we were there. He had three available things that night: Shrimp, fish, and veggie lasagna with tofu. I choose the lasagna. It was actually pretty good and it came with an awesome salad and fruit juice. All very healthy!
Tuesday- Went back to school and the kids had to take three different exams. The students actually enjoy taking exams and have to pay $2 because the teachers have to run off so much paper. My day at school was okay but it was a little boring because I just read the test questions to the students all day. That night Haley, Beth, Andrea and I had a little movie night on my bed with popcorn. It reminded me of home and I thought about how much I want to go to a movie theather when I get back. Can't wait!
Wednesday- Worst teaching day of my life. Ever. I arrived at school late because I had to go to the market to buy salad for Thursday's dinner. When I got there 5 minutes before the bell the principal told me that my cooperating teacher was out ill. I was to give three exams but I couldn't find them right away. I finally found two of them and the other one I had to make up on the spot. The students were not listening and I was trying so hard not to break down the entire morning. I gave the first spanish exam which was quite a struggle. The students couldn't read the words in spanish so I had to explain everything one by one. Everyone was on different questions and it was an absolute mess. After I got through that, I read a story to the students. They again were not listening too well but it was better than the test. Next was break and I was so stressed I had a girl buy my nachos at 10:00 am to drown my sorrows in. After break I threw in a comprehension activity for the students to do. This went okay but the kids were constantly asking me questions. If you have ever seen Sex and the City 2 when Charolette ends up crying in her cupboard after her daughters are really loud and stressing her out that's what I felt like times ten. Finally it was lunch time and I thought I was okay but then I just broke down especially after I opened my $170 phone bill. It felt good to let everything all out though. I then went back to school and the afternoon was a little better. I gave a Scripture exam which was pretty challenging for the students. Then I played silent ball and "Around the World" with the kids. After the break I gave them the health exam that I made up. At the end of the day I told the students to just go home because I was so stressed. I was very relieved when the day was over. That night I just did a lot of homework.
Thursday- Went much better! My math and language arts lessons were good and the students responded well. Teaching subtraction with regrouping and borrowing was difficult for the students but overall it was a good introduction. That night we had a huge Thanksgiving dinner at Ms. Elena's house. Andrea and I made salad and corn. I ate sooo much but it was absolutely delicious! I miss my grandma's pumpkin pies but oh well.... I will get one in less than a month now! I also got to talk to my grandma's and my dad. That made me very happy and made me want Christmas to be here already. Soon enough it will be though. I was a little upset that I got cut off from one of my grandma's calls but I will have to try again when I get another phone card.
Friday- Today was Children's Day!! Such a fun day. In the morning we went to the church to sing songs, pray and the classes gave little presentations. Being in the church made me feel really good and seeing the smiles on the students' faces was joyful. Next we had a little break then we joined Infant 2 (1st grade) to watch a movie. The students (and myself) loved it. The movie was completed with popcorn and snacks. After the movie we had BBQ! So yummy. There was BBQ chicken, tortillas, beans, coleslaw, soda, cake and brownies. I was so full and decided that I need to cut down on the splurging soon. After lunch the different classes played volleyball. I even joined in on a teachers versus Standard 6 (7th Grade) volleyball match. We won! I stunk but I did help the team out a little. After school some of us girls just went to relax on the pier. Now I'm just going to do some homework so I'll have an easier weekend.
I hope that everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and were able to spend time with the people they love!
Monday- We got back from Guatemala and I had a terrible stomach ache so I did not go to school. I got ahead on some homework and just took it easy with Andrea and the other girls. It was Haley's 24th Birthday so we went to a vegetarian restaurant. We had to knock on the door of the cook and tell him we were there. He had three available things that night: Shrimp, fish, and veggie lasagna with tofu. I choose the lasagna. It was actually pretty good and it came with an awesome salad and fruit juice. All very healthy!
Tuesday- Went back to school and the kids had to take three different exams. The students actually enjoy taking exams and have to pay $2 because the teachers have to run off so much paper. My day at school was okay but it was a little boring because I just read the test questions to the students all day. That night Haley, Beth, Andrea and I had a little movie night on my bed with popcorn. It reminded me of home and I thought about how much I want to go to a movie theather when I get back. Can't wait!
Wednesday- Worst teaching day of my life. Ever. I arrived at school late because I had to go to the market to buy salad for Thursday's dinner. When I got there 5 minutes before the bell the principal told me that my cooperating teacher was out ill. I was to give three exams but I couldn't find them right away. I finally found two of them and the other one I had to make up on the spot. The students were not listening and I was trying so hard not to break down the entire morning. I gave the first spanish exam which was quite a struggle. The students couldn't read the words in spanish so I had to explain everything one by one. Everyone was on different questions and it was an absolute mess. After I got through that, I read a story to the students. They again were not listening too well but it was better than the test. Next was break and I was so stressed I had a girl buy my nachos at 10:00 am to drown my sorrows in. After break I threw in a comprehension activity for the students to do. This went okay but the kids were constantly asking me questions. If you have ever seen Sex and the City 2 when Charolette ends up crying in her cupboard after her daughters are really loud and stressing her out that's what I felt like times ten. Finally it was lunch time and I thought I was okay but then I just broke down especially after I opened my $170 phone bill. It felt good to let everything all out though. I then went back to school and the afternoon was a little better. I gave a Scripture exam which was pretty challenging for the students. Then I played silent ball and "Around the World" with the kids. After the break I gave them the health exam that I made up. At the end of the day I told the students to just go home because I was so stressed. I was very relieved when the day was over. That night I just did a lot of homework.
Thursday- Went much better! My math and language arts lessons were good and the students responded well. Teaching subtraction with regrouping and borrowing was difficult for the students but overall it was a good introduction. That night we had a huge Thanksgiving dinner at Ms. Elena's house. Andrea and I made salad and corn. I ate sooo much but it was absolutely delicious! I miss my grandma's pumpkin pies but oh well.... I will get one in less than a month now! I also got to talk to my grandma's and my dad. That made me very happy and made me want Christmas to be here already. Soon enough it will be though. I was a little upset that I got cut off from one of my grandma's calls but I will have to try again when I get another phone card.
Friday- Today was Children's Day!! Such a fun day. In the morning we went to the church to sing songs, pray and the classes gave little presentations. Being in the church made me feel really good and seeing the smiles on the students' faces was joyful. Next we had a little break then we joined Infant 2 (1st grade) to watch a movie. The students (and myself) loved it. The movie was completed with popcorn and snacks. After the movie we had BBQ! So yummy. There was BBQ chicken, tortillas, beans, coleslaw, soda, cake and brownies. I was so full and decided that I need to cut down on the splurging soon. After lunch the different classes played volleyball. I even joined in on a teachers versus Standard 6 (7th Grade) volleyball match. We won! I stunk but I did help the team out a little. After school some of us girls just went to relax on the pier. Now I'm just going to do some homework so I'll have an easier weekend.
I hope that everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving and were able to spend time with the people they love!
Monday, November 22, 2010
More of the hike...
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| There were breathtaking views like this the entire way. |
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| We had to walk up this. |
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| Ashley crossing... ( More to come tomorrow... too tired to stay up any longer) |
Best Part of the Trip Yet! Hiking the Waterfalls in the Guatemalan Rainforest- Part1.
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| This is where our captain dropped us off. |
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| Up the stairs.. |
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| The plant that is said to cure diabetes if you drink the juice every morning... |
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| Worship area. |
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| So the waters were raging and we had a tiny cord to hang on to. At first I thought this was scary, much to my surprise it only got more challenging (but awesome). |
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| Some of the group hiking up the first part of the falls. |
Around the Town of Livingston, Guatemala
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| Community Laundromat |
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| Concrete Playground |
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| Beth on the see saw! |
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| Ouchies. |
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| Yes. There were two of these delightful creatures in the children's playground. |
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| Port. |
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| Didn't see any monkeys, but there were kids climbing in the trees! |
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