Final Thoughts on Service Learning

It's been over a month now since I left on my flight to Belize.  I still haven't fully recovered from being home.  I don't think I ever will.  This trip changed me in such a profound way.  I'm a completely different person now than I was before, a better person.  I can't even explain this to anyone aside from the people who went on the trip with me, because nobody can truly understand the experience I had.

Now that this will be my last post, I'm sad that this is going to be behind me as well.  I made so many wonderful connections with my fellow classmates and professors while I was in Belize, so I hope those don't fade away as well.

Tonight we had a dinner showcase for a Service Learning Award.  We were nominated for this award through our school and it was great to show off our learning to others.  Unfortunately, Team Belize did not win the student service learning award (although the group that did win definitely deserved it as well!).  However, our professor Dr. Sally Beisser, won an award for her hard work in this.  She deserved it for so many reasons and I'm so glad that I have her as both a professor and an advisor.  She is truly an inspiration, along with Dr. Shelley Fairbairn, who also went on this trip with us.

Thank you for reading about my trip.  I hope it inspires you to do something great and worthwhile in your life as well.  I'm sad it's over, but I'll always have my memories.

"Memory is the diary we all carry with us." - Oscar Wilde

Belizean Bingo - Part 5

Eat something interesting - Try a food or snack that looks like something you have never tasted before.  Describe it.
I'm going to have to say the most different thing I tried while in Belize was conch fritters.  I'm not generally a fan of seafood and I was a bit weary about eating something that came out of a shell, but I figured I'M IN BELIZE!  It was really good actually.

Mayan Ruins - Describe the Mayan ruin hike.  What did you experience?  What did you take away from this day?
http://teambelize2012-jayme.blogspot.com/2012/03/day-6-lamanai-mayan-ruins.html

Simple pleasures - Describe a peaceful moment (a leaf, sleeping baby, old people hand in hand, a bird flying, flower)
One of the most peaceful moments I had was simply sitting in the chair outside my room, with the wind blowing softly, listening to the waves.  It was magical.

Music - What music did you hear?  Describe the setting and the kind of music you heard?
You know, I really thought that I would hear more Caribbean or Hispanic music, but I heard the same kinds of things I listen to!  I heard Katy Perry while I was eating lunch one day.  I heard Johnny Cash, which REALLY surprised me.  In fact, at karaoke night, country was a big hit.  I had no idea.

Help someone else - Did you help or assist anyone else for any reason?  Describe what happened?
I didn't help anyone else on this trip.  I think everyone knew what they were doing. ;)

Belizean Bingo - Part 4

Hol Chan Marine Park - Describe the experience of snorkeling?  What did you see?  How was the experience for you?
Snorkeling was definitely an experience for me.  I'm not the best swimmer in the world, so I was a little worried at first.  However, I got a life jacket on and I was fine.  Then, I jumped into the water and noticed that my face mask wasn't tight enough, so of course there was water all up in it.  Great.  Once that was finally fixed, we got going on our tour.  It was really cool to be able to look down from the top of the water and see all the ocean's creatures moving around.  I saw plenty of fish, an eel, a couple turtles....It was such a cool experience.  The problem here is that I'm definitely a nose breather, so trying to breathe out of my mouth the entire time was kind of difficult for me.  I swallowed water a few times on this trip.  And I got EXHAUSTED.  It might not look like it but snorkeling takes so much energy.  The second place we went to, Shark Ray Alley, was amazing.  We saw sharks and sting rays.  I even got to pet the sting ray a few times.  It was a really great experience.  I'm not sure if I'll ever go snorkeling again, but I'm glad I did here.

Educational environment at Holy Cross - How was this school alike or different from US schools you have visited or attended?

The school environment was definitely different here.  It was a lot more strict than our classrooms in the US and it seemed like there was a lot more copying off the board.  I was in a preschool classroom the entire time, which was pretty typical with our preschool, so I don't know much other than what I've been told by others.

People Watch - Who do you think is a "typical" San Pedro Island resident? 

I think the "typical" San Pedro Island resident is someone who is doing everything they can to support themselves and their family.  They look for all the little ways to stay happy, even if things aren't going their way.  They are very optimistic and have high dreams for the future.  I loved the people I met here.

Did you go shopping? - Where did you go?  What did you purchase?  For whom?

Haha.  Is that even a question?!  I definitely went shopping and came back with tons of souvenirs (although none will top my necklace from my students and of course my memories!)  As for myself, I bought two t-shirts, a collectors shot glass, a replica glass from Playa Chel - the first place I ate in the country, three ankle bracelets, a lanyard, a pack of cards, a dress and two postcards.  For Daniel - a tshirt from Lamanai and a black onyx bracelet.  My mom - a collector's spoon and a keychain.  Dad - collector's shot glass and collector's coins.  Grandma - a painted shell.  Brothers - each got a keychain and a postcard.  Daniel's mom - a black onyx turtle.  Daniel's dad - a frog made out of a nut (I got him a plastic frog in Costa Rica and the tradition has kind of stuck).  So yes, I went shopping.

Public & Commercial Building - What buildings and services did you see?  Were there any you didn't see?

Honestly, I didn't pay a ton of attention to the commercial buildings.  I did see a bank (and used the atm).  I saw a doctor's office and pharmacy.  I didn't see a post office though.

Belizean Bingo - Part 3

Find a "sign" that does not make sense - Sketch it or write it down.  What do you think it means?
You know, I never really ran into something like this.

Find a green park or a restful area - Take a walk to find a restful place you didn't expect to find.
Okay, this is sad.  I also didn't find one of these.  However, I didn't really look for one.  I was too caught up in the excitement of everything else.

Students of Holy Cross School - What did you observe students doing that surprised you?
My first few posts on here were all about the students, but I can try to add some stuff in here.  My students surprised me with how well they knew both English and Spanish.  It was really interesting trying to have conversations with them because they would constantly switch back and forth.  It was also really interesting to see how close they were with their parents.  We had family day one day and each child stuck with their parents for the most part, instead of running off with their friends like I probably would have at that age.  It was also really interesting to see that one of my 3 year olds was still being fed with a bottle.  I'd love to do some more research and see how people raise children as compared to the United States.

Sunset Sail - What was your experience on the Sirena Azul on your sunset sail?  What impressions were lasting?
The sunset sail was my favorite part of the entire trip.  I absolutely LOVED it.  I had never been sailing before. It's such a relaxing experience, letting the waves rock you back and forth.  I also loved it because we all had some really great conversations.  I got to be very close with everyone during the sunset sail, especially my two professors who went along with.  It was really cool to see the sun setting over the ocean, as the water turned from clear to dark blue.  I got to help out with putting the sail up, which was a really interesting experience.  It was really tough!  I don't know how only two people put it up together.  I think it would take 8 of me!  After the sun went down, we had some fun dancing around on the boat, just really enjoying ourselves.  This trip really made me value the small, beautiful things in life.

  

Ask for help - Did you ask for assistance or directions for anything?  What happened?
At one point, my group of friends and we got turned around and couldn't figure out which direction to go back to the hotel.  We stopped at one of the street vendors and asked them how to get there.  The first vendor said they didn't know, so we moved to the next one who was really nice with giving us directions on how to get back.

Belizean Bingo - Part 2

Downtown shops - What kinds of shops did you see?  What was for sale?  How was the town organized?
I saw quite a few shops downtown.  They ranged everywhere from markets to clothing shops to specialty shops.  There were a few pawn shops which were really interesting for me because I've never seen those in the United States either.  There were also plenty of cigar shops and alcohol shops, which is different than what you'd usually see in the United States.  On the side of the island where we stayed, it seemed to be mainly tourist based but if you went far enough down on the opposite side, you'd run into a lot of the shops that the locals might go to buy their groceries.

Blue Tang Inn - Compare and contrast the Blue Tang Inn with other places you have stayed.

I honestly LOVED the Blue Tang.  It was such a nice little inn.  The rooms were perfectly set up to where if you wanted to hang out in it, you could, but you didn't feel like you had to.  Three of us slept in the room perfectly fine.  I loved that the rooms opened up to the outdoors, right along the beach.  The rooms were always clean, even though we'd constantly be tracking in sand.  The workers at the Blue Tang were EXCELLENT and if I ever return to Belize (which I sincerely hope to!), I will definitely return to the Blue Tang Inn.

Transportation - How many different kinds of transportation did you observe?  What did you take advantage of?

There were very few cars on the island.  Instead, many people walked and some would drive golf carts.  There were also a lot of bikes.  All I did was walk around (except for the couple taxi rides to and from the airport) because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get used to the rules of the road, so I didn't want to try driving a golf cart (even though it'd be a lot of fun!)

Observe and wade in the Caribbean - What did you observe about the ocean?  What industries did you see?  Who was in or on the water?

The water in the Caribbean is SO CLEAR.  You could easily see the bottom (and fish!) and when you looked out into the middle, it was just blue.  It was such a magnificent sight.  If you looked far enough out, you could see some small waves but up towards the beach it was calm and clear and beautiful. =]

Restaurants - Where did you eat (other than at school or in the Blue Tang Inn)?  What did you order?

I was a very big fan of a little place called Playa Chel, just down the beach from the Blue Tang.  They had EXCELLENT nachos, probably the best I've ever had in my life.  I also tried Fidos one night, which was great as well.  We ate at Elvi's Kitchen about 3 times and it was excellent every time.  I tried a lot of new seafood on this trip, which is unusual for me but there was nothing I tried here that I did not love.

Belizean Bingo - Part 1

Here's where I'm going to start in on my answers from the "Belizean Bingo" that my professors handed out to me before the trip.  The first five questions and their answers are as follows:

Listening to another language - Can you identify vocabulary or expressions you hear in Spanish at the school or on the street?
I took Spanish for 5 years but for me, I'm a lot better at reading it than speaking it or listening for it.  However, I did understand a few basic phrases when my teacher would use them with the students or their parents.  On Family Day, I understood a few of the parents explaining that they couldn't stay because they had to go to work.  I also had a short conversation with Jose in Spanish, with the very little I still remember.  I asked him how old he was and when his birthday was.  I also asked if he liked school.  I think I may have messed up a little bit of the conjugation, but he knew what I meant and was able to answer me right away.

Grocery or Convenience Shopping - What did you forget from home or just plain need to purchase?
There was nothing that I forgot or just needed to purchase, but I did look around the grocery stores just to kind of get a taste of what they had and how much it cost as compared to US prices.  A lot of the things actually transferred fairly well, but there were some items that I was just blown away by how much of a difference the prices were.

Beach vendors - What vendors did you see?  What did they sell?  Did you buy anything?  If so, what?
We saw tons and tons of street vendors outside selling their stuff.  For the most part, a lot of them sold jewelry they made themselves or some wood carvings.  Everything there was very very beautiful and you couldn't help stopping and looking, even if you didn't buy anything from them.  I did, however, buy quite a bit from these street vendors.  By the time I left I had bought 3 ankle bracelets, a painted shell, a turtle made out of stone, and a bracelet.  One of the street vendors also took my shells from my preschoolers and made the necklace for me.

Travel Challenges - What travel challenges did you face and how did you solve problems, issues, needs, or concerns?
This trip did not present very many challenges.  I think the main one would be the fact that on the airplane I sat by people I didn't know, who weren't around my age.  When I get in situations like this, I generally freeze up and don't talk.  This made for some pretty awkward plane rides, especially on the way down.  There was once when we were walking around San Pedro that we couldn't remember exactly where we were going.  But we found certain stores that we remembered and once we found the clock tower, we knew where to go.

Exchange rate - Did you figure out the Belize exchange rate?  What was the rate in comparison to US currency?
I did find out the exchange rate, however it still confuses me a little.  If you exchanged currency at a bank or an ATM, the rate was some sort of percentage.  For example, I exchanged $100 US dollars and got $170 Belize.  But, if you were buying things with cash, it was a 1:2 ratio.  One US dollar = 2 Belizean dollars.  This was actually extremely helpful because all you had to do was double or half it and you would find your amount, instead of having to carry a calculator everywhere you went.

Day 8 - Leaving for home

After a long, spectacular break, it was time to head home to the states.  It was a really bittersweet experience, as many of us were ready to go back home, but others just wanted to stay in Belize forever.  I'd have to say I was somewhere in between because the experience was so surreal.

We were at the San Pedro airport by 9 to head out on the puddle jumper.  After getting to Belize City around 9:30, we got some food and sat around for an hour and a half waiting for our flight to Atlanta.

In Atlanta, we had a 3 hour lay-over before heading off to Des Moines, where we were finally home.

If I can say ANYTHING with 100% certainty relating to this trip, it's that I will NEVER forget the experiences I had.  In just this past week I have grown up so much and changed a lot as a person.  This trip will definitely help me as a future educator.  It also helped me with my relationships with the people that were with me, especially the professors.  I know I can go to them for professional advice and with all my high goals, I'm going to need them.

Goodbye Belize.  I hope I'll be back soon.

Day 7 - Snorkeling

Unfortunately, I do not have a water-proof camera, so I do not have any pictures to share with you for this day.  You're just going to have to take my word for what happened.

We got up early once again to head out on a sailboat headed to snorkeling.  Again, I was already in love.  Sailing is now officially one of my favorite things to do, even though I don't know when I'll get the chance again.  When we got to the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, we were the only sailboat in the area.  The rest came on the open top speed boats.  We got on our snorkeling gear and jumped right into the water.  I had never been snorkeling before, so I was a little nervous.  I am definitely a nose-breather so I was afraid I wouldn't get used to breathing through the tube.  And yes, it was pretty difficult to get used to.  But once I did, it was awesome.

I saw all kinds of schools of fish I had never seen before.  I even got close enough to touch a few of them, but I wasn't sure how they'd react so I kept my distance.  The same thing goes with the two turtles I saw. :) I was afraid he'd freak out and swim away or that he'd turn around and bite me.  But I definitely could have reached them.  We swam all around this reserve for what seemed like forever.  It was extra tiring trying to keep up with everyone, because I'm not a great swimmer.

We got back on the boat and sailed a bit farther to Shark Ray Alley.  And yes, it's named for what lives there.  I saw sharks (I almost could have touched one but I didn't make it to the guide soon enough after he caught it) and a ton of sting rays.  It was crazy to be swimming in the ocean right next to creatures who are known to be "dangerous".  In fact, I pet one of the stingrays.  It's a really smooth, kind of slimy creature.  After a few minutes, we got back on the boat and started on our way back to the hotel to pack up and get ready to leave.

But of course, we couldn't leave without karaoke night!  It was so much fun and almost all of us sang at least one song.  It was an absolute blast and a few of us were there until it closed.

We also met some natives, who hung around with us most of the time.

Day 6 - Lamanai Mayan Ruins

I woke up this morning, exhausted from the last few days that had passed.  Island time is so much different than time in Iowa.  I was drained, but I was really excited for the day ahead.

We started off with a speedboat ride of about an hour and a half back to the mainland.  From there, an hour bus ride.  Then?  Another boat ride.  This one was different though.  This one had a surprise.  The surprise?  SPIDER MONKEYS!  One of them actually got on our boat and hung out with us for a while.  It was really awesome.  Definitely not something you'd see every day.  The monkey stood up on his hind legs and we were informed that it's because he's used to watching humans do it.  If we had gone deeper into the rainforest where humans do not generally visit, they would be on all 4 legs.  That really stood out to me as a teacher, because I related that to how your students learn from watching you.  As an educator, you have to be a role model at all times.

Finally we were at Lamanai -- The Mayan Ruins.

We had to hike a little bit to get to the ruins, but we learned about the trees and wildlife on the way, so it wasn't too terrible.  It was just extremely hot and I was already sunburnt.

The first ruin was really cool to look at.  I've never seen anything quite so important to history before.  When taking pictures it occurred to me that I could have just looked these up online, so naturally I stuck myself in the picture. =)

As we headed over to the next temple, we were told we were going to get a chance to climb it.  Instead of getting scared, I got SUPER excited.  Then we got to the temple and I looked up.  112 feet above me was the top of this temple.  I heard the tour guide tell us that if we had any knee or back problems, it's advised not to climb.  I have both, but I knew they weren't bad enough to stop me from this once in a lifetime experience.  (And don't worry, I wasn't hurting at all afterwards).  So I took off climbing.  There were 3 levels.  The first, really tall stairs.  And I'm a pretty short person, so it was a struggle.  The second set of stairs were really tall and also really skinny.  We had to crawl up on all fours in order to stay on the stairs and there was also a rope to hold on to, just in case.  After this climb, I was starting to get tired, but I was too close to the top to give up now.  One more set of stairs and I was literally on top of the trees, on top of the world.  It was one of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen in my life.  Definitely worth the tall, hard climb in the heat. 

This was such a great experience and if you ever make it to Belize, I HIGHLY recommend checking out the ruins.  I'm not a huge fan of history, but this was really unique and fun.  Plus, I learned how to say "I love you" in Mayan.

Day 5 - San Mateo and Sunset Sails

Today was our last day at Holy Cross, which created a huge mix of feelings. It started off with our normal walk down there. When I got there, it was playtime for the preschoolers. After that, I worked with Ms. Jamira to co-teach a lesson on Good Touch and Bad Touch. I read aloud a picture book called "Your Body Belongs To You" and then Ms. Jamira talked about the different parts that boys and girls have that shouldn't be touched. Afterwards, the kids colored some pictures. Nothing graphic, of course, just pictures.



After this, Ms. Jamira's helper, Shandy, and I took the kids outside to play. We played duck, duck, goose for a while, then let them play soccer, and then had them dig in the sand. Every time one of my students found a shell, they would give it to me. This was my favorite part and just wait until I tell you what I did with it. I also got a picture with all my kids and they all signed a card for me. :)

We finished school at lunch today because we had another mission, visit San Mateo. San Mateo is one of the poorest villages in the entire country. It was SUCH an eye opening experience. I loved it. It was such a beautiful place to me, even though just looking at the surface, you may not believe it. I thought it was so beautiful and everyone was so happy, despite their living conditions. A very nice woman let us go inside her home and she was so proud of it. It was amazing. We even walked across the "London bridges" which were just wooden boards across the lagoon, since there aren't many streets. It was slightly scary walking across that and then you think about some people walking that every day. Overall, an awesome experience. I learned a ton. Then we came back to the hotel and I talked to a street vendor outside and she took my shells from my kids and threaded them into a necklace. It is soo beautiful. There are 19 shells and I had 19 kids. :) By far, my favorite souvenir. At 4, we took off on a sunset sail. This was so awesome. I loved it, so relaxed just chatting with everyone. This was my first time ever sailing and I can't wait to do it again. So so great. I just love everything about this vacation. :)

Day 4 - Family Day

I have two words to describe today, noisy and exhausting. And definitely not at all what I expected.

Today was family day in the preschool classroom, where parents came to do a craft project with their kids. In the 4 year old class, only about 6 came out of about 15 kids. It was a little disheartening but I know sometimes things come up or you have to work. What really made me sad though was that the students who's parents did not come, couldn't do the project because they didn't have help and it involved hot glue guns, which a 4 year old should never use by themselves.



So what did these other students do? Why, listen to me read of course! Not even exaggerating, I read 25 books to these students in the hour I could keep their attention. By then, they had all run off to play and Ms. Jamira didn't say anything so I let them. However, I did have a little boy, Jose, who wanted me to keep reading, so I let him choose some books and I read.

Then, we got to chatting. I asked him if he liked school and liked this teacher. Then I asked how old he was. I could tell he was thinking about it, but I never got an answer. So, I decided to use a different approach. I asked him in Spanish. Boy, that triggered something. He answered my question and then just kept talking and talking. I've learned in my ESL methods that it's okay to let them talk in their native language, even if you don't understand, just so they can get it out. So I let him talk and talk.

Eventually, it got to be 11:30. We took a picture of the 4 year olds with their projects they made (a bunny made out of a pencil and cotton balls and a bunny headband that makes them have ears and a face) and it was time for them to go home.

Today I ate lunch with Dr. Beisser, Brittany, Melissa, Molly, and Alex. And boy was there a lot of food. And good food! Much better than I ever had at school. And their program is free!

After eating lunch, I went outside and played with a couple kids from Jana's class and Danielle's class. I learned some interesting new hand games (Miss Mary Mack anyone?) from some Infant 2 (2nd grade) girls.

Then, it was time for the 3 year old class. This class is much smaller and quite a few parents showed up. The ones who didn't have parents just had play time, so I just did a lot of observing. And a LOT of taking pictures. These kids are just too adorable. When they finished, they got their picture taken too and the day was over.

But not for me. I had gotten a new assignment yesterday to take a bunch of photos and videos to show a group of people coming to expand the preschool. (And, this blog is being connected to the Holy Cross School Website!  How cool is that? I'm so honored.) Anyway, to help this assignment, I got to interview the vice principal and Ms. Jamira.

I asked "What is preschool?" and both women expressed the point that it is really to help get them ready for Infant 1, basic things like how to hold a pencil, etc. And for letters and numbers. When asked "What growth have you seen through the children who have gone through it", I was informed that this is actually the first year this program has been put in place but that they're definitely more ready to head to Infant 1 next year. My final question was "What are your goals for this program?" The winning answer for both of them is expanding. They want to be able to take in more kids (right now they can only have 15) and so more of their own kids can go to Infant 1. Also to expand the classroom because it's so small. The vice principal also said she really wants a playground so they can run around and burn off steam. It was really interesting to talk to those people. It was great insight.

After school, the whole group had their reflection meeting again, then Alex, Molly and I went to the grocery store for a soda and some homemade chips and salsa. Soon after, we were joined by both of our professors and Jana and we went over to Elvi's Kitchen again. This time I had nachos.

We also had some really really good discussions. I love how well I'm bonding with everyone on this trip. I feel really close to the other students and now I feel really comfortable with the professors as well. I no longer consider Dr. Fairbairn just a professor, nor Dr. Beisser my academic advisor. I'd say they both can be life advisors. I could definitely go to either of them with anything

Anyway, now the day is over and tomorrow is my last school day.

Tomorrow's agenda? Good Touch/Bad Touch, San Mateo, & Sunset Sail

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Day 3 - First Day of School

Today I finally got to go down to Holy Cross Primary School and meet my students and my teacher. Except, that wasn't the first part. First of all, I got a tour of the school. It was really cool to see how it was set up. It was built over a swamp so it's not like the type of school we'd see in the U.S. The school has a really interesting background (see below video).  This school had a truly remarkable beginning and such a great mission.

Finally, it was time to go meet my teacher, Ms. Jamira. This woman is wonderful. She was genuinely happy to see me and seems to enjoy her job, even though she was originally an Infant 1 teacher. (Our school systems are different. Infant 1 = 1st grade.)

For the morning session (8:30 am to 11:30 am) we have 4 year olds. Oh, they are so precious. I got thrown right into the mix when Ms. Jamira asked me to read aloud to the students who were done with the project they were working on. I was really happy to be able to do that, especially since I'm working towards a reading endorsement. So I took a group of about 10 kids to a separate corner of the room and started reading aloud. I read about 4 short books and the whole time the kids were just scooting closer and trying to hear more and see the pictures. It was really great to see them all so involved.

I kind of figured Ms. Jamira was going to stop me when all the kids finished, so she could continue on with her plans but instead she waited until I finished my book and then called the students to get ready because it was almost time to go.

Once the students left, it was lunch time for me and since there were no students, Ms. Jamira told me she didn't eat in the cafeteria. So instead, I joined both of my professors, Dr. Beisser and Dr. Fairbairn, as well as the principal and vice principal of Holy Cross, and the volunteer coordinator who put this all together for us. It was a really awesome experience to be in a conversation with professionals like that. And it wasn't like I was just the lonely undergrad listening in. They actually included me in conversation, which was fantastic. I learned so much from those ladies.


When I went back to my room, the 3 year old class (who come from around 1 to 2:45) was starting to show up. They seemed very very shy and quiet while they were playing with their toys. Eventually they got more comfortable and started doing the usual 3 year old things like running around the room, etc. I had a couple students who brought me books and asked me to read to them so once again I was reading aloud. These students had a long period of play time, which I LOVED. I'm definitely an advocate for keeping playtime in preschool. In my opinion, the U.S. is trying to incorporate too much learning and not enough play. The Creative Curriculum? Don't like it at all.

When we finally did some content stuff, the students got out their notebooks and colored in the number 7 and seven little balls, which Ms. Jamira and I drew for them. I flipped through a couple notebooks and noticed they had done this for all the other numbers on the way, which I thought was pretty neat.



After this activity, Ms. Jamira had me take the kids outside to play. This scared me a little bit because this school doesn't have a playground yet, just an open sand field, right next to a street. And of course my children ran that direction. One little girl stopped and talked to an adult that was sitting out there waiting for school to be out and I have to admit I panicked for a second, before realizing it was her mother.

While we were outside, a group of students were kicking a ball around. Naturally, someone gets tripped and falls flat on their face. It was scary. I wasn't sure what to do so I went and helped her up and comforted her to make sure she was okay. This was when Ms. Jamira came out and started to play some games with them. They played "Ringa Ringa Rosey", which is what we would call "Ring Around The Rosey". And they played a game called "Cat and Mouse", which included a little bit of chasing and helped them blow off some steam. When we got back inside, it was time to leave.

At around 4, the entire group from Drake gathered around the pool at our hotel and reflected on the day at school. It was really interesting to hear everyone's stories of what happened and comparing the similarities and differences of the schools we're used to in the U.S.

Afterwards, a group of us went to a place called Elvi's Kitchen for dinner. We had heard very good things about it and it was definitely all accurate. I had some empanadas, which I had never had before, and some fried chicken. Delicious.

We then walked around the island a bit, browsing the stuff at the street vendors and inside little souvenir shops. I got my parents a couple things that they collect on vacations and some other fun stuff. Then it was back to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow.

Tomorrow's Agenda? Family Day

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Day 2 - Adventure

Who would have thought a person like me could wake up at 6:30 in the morning and actually be THRILLED about it? Don't worry, I fit in some naps.

By 7 am, I had met up with my group and we climbed aboard a boat called "Seaduced". From there we had an awesome hour long boat ride to the mainland. The waves were absolutely breath-taking, the way they crashed against the water. I just stared out in silence almost the entire time.

I've decided that between this and my trip to Costa Rica two years back, I LOVE the Caribbean. I would definitely live here. The culture is so absolutely fantastic. Bright colors, the music, the way people greet you. Oh, it magical.

After my hour long boat ride, was an hour long bus ride. I slept through that one. And that's when the fun began.

I had been ziplining twice before. Once in Colorado and once in Costa Rica. I remember when I went two years ago, I was TERRIFIED. I was shaking, my palms were sweating, the works. But this time, I was just way too excited. I got my gear on and started climbing to our first station. I zipped through the air like a pro and I enjoyed every minute of it. This course had 7 lines and the longest one was 700 feet long. Of course, this is the line that I forgot to brake on and I ran smack dab into the tree.

It was also kind of cool because my professor that went with was pretty nervous and she just kept holding on to me in between. :) It's good to feel needed sometimes. And I really like the relationships I'm developing with my professors (and my fellow classmates) while we are here. I would trust these ladies with anything.

After ziplining, we had a really nice buffet style lunch and then it was off to cave tubing. That's exactly what it sounds. You lay on an inner tube, through a cave. All you've got is a hard hat with a light. The insides of the caves were so beautiful. It'd amazing what nature can do. But eventually, that ended too. And that's when the real fun began.

When we reached our end point, I noticed Melissa going off to a cliff. I watched her climb up and jump off into the water. It wasn't an overly high cliff, but high enough. I was thinking about how that would be really cool but I'm afraid of heights. Meanwhile, Jana decides she wants to go but doesn't want to go alone. Somehow, she convinced me to climb up that cliff and jump into that water. Craziest, most exhilarating thing I've ever done. I was on an adrenaline rush for forever. It was so awesome!

From there we kind of just rewind. Hour long bus ride, hour long boat ride, and we're back at Blue Tang.

When we got back, Molly and I met with Alex and Danielle and went to a little restaurant down the beach called Fidos. I had some seafood ceviche, which was actually really good given the fact I'm not a fan of seafood.

After dinner the 4 of us just kind of hung out and chatted. Then it was finally time for bed.

Tomorrow's plans?

First Day at Holy Cross Primary School.

Wish me luck!

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Day 1 - Travel

I started my morning in a Holiday Inn in the middle of Des Moines, Iowa. Now I'm ending it in the beautiful Blue Tang Inn in San Pedro, Belize. I can't even believe it. How did I get here?!

So I started my morning at 3:00 AM central time. Let me tell you, that was a treat. I laid around until my mom and grandma were up and running, then I got up, got ready, and was on a shuttle bus not 15 minutes later taking me over to the Des Moines International Airport. I wasn't the first to arrive, nor was I the last, which was a total relief. I checked my luggage and barely made it below the 50 pound limit. 47 pounds. I was shocked!

We found our gate, got everything figured out, etc. There were a couple seat changes, but as teachers we know how to be flexible. I was slightly nervous for the flight, mostly take off and landing, but it was so smooth. The only issue was the pilot laid on the brakes a little too hard but if you think about it, it's that or run into something, so I think we can let him slide.

Fast forward a bit and we're in Atlanta, Georgia with a 45 minute layover. No problem. We found our gate with plenty of time to spare.

Fast forward. Because really, what can I tell you about a flight that you don't already know? Unless you haven't flown before in which case I highly recommend it at least once in your life. It's a really awesome experience being so far above the clouds. They look like a giant glob of white cotton candy. And then when you're closer to the ground, it's just magical what you'll see. Definitely check it out.

So, we land in Belize City, Belize. We are in this really small airport, trying to work our way through hundreds of people in our small group of 11. But oh no, we aren't done flying. This last plane is what's known as a "puddle jumper". I believe there were 14 people on it? And it filled the entire plane. I was in the very back between Danielle and Molly, basically playing bumper cars with our bodies going back and forth with every jerk of the plane. It was a little nerve-wracking but I lived!

We finally get to San Pedro Island and go to get our checked luggage. Here, instead of the carousel baggage claims we're used to, they just dump them all in a huge pile and then hand them out to you. When we finally got all our bags (except poor Molly's, but don't worry, hers came on the next flight) we all got in little taxi vans to go to the hotel. Major difference here. In this country, vehicles definitely have the right of way as opposed to pedestrians. The taxi driver was weaving in and out of people like it was nothing. I.had seen this before in Costa Rica, but it was still different.

The first thing I noticed when getting out of the taxi was the smell of the air. Salt water. I love the coast. It smells so wonderful. And the Blue Tang Inn is directly on the beach. Fantastic. The water is so blue and so clear you can see to the bottom.

We were all starving so Molly, Danielle, Alex and I ventured off to find something to eat. We found a little restaurant just down the beach and decided to stop in. I ordered some chicken nachos and let me tell you, they were absolutely the best nachos I've ever tasted. I'm not even joking.

Soon after lunch we decided to walk around town and check out the grocery stores around here. Then we stopped in some little shops and at all the jewelry vendors along the shore.

It's now 4 o'clock (and we've bounced back an hour because even though Belize is also in the central time zone, they don't observe daylight savings) and we have a group meeting at 5. What do we do? Naturally we go lay at the beach and read Nicholas Sparks. :)

After our group meeting we all walked down to see the Holy Cross Primary School where we'll be spending our first part of our week. Wow. That experience was so amazing, even just seeing it. It makes me feel very grateful (and somewhat guilty) for everything I have.

Once we walked back it was time to settle down a bit, but not for the city! A political parade was marching down the street (right next to our hotel room window) honking horns and waving flags. It was really cool to see.

And now here I am, at 10 at night, absolutely exhausted from the long day I've had. Just thinking about it, I was up at 2 AM in this time zone. I'm ready for bed.

Tomorrow's agenda? Cave tubing and ziplining.

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Belizean Bingo

Dr. Fairbairn and Dr. Beisser have created a "Belizean Bingo" for us to try to make the most out of our trip.  My goal is to do as much of these as possible.  Plus, they give me awesome ideas for blog posts.  Here's the list of topics.

• Listen to another language - Can you identify vocabulary or expressions you hear in Spanish at the school or on the street?
• Grocery or convenience shopping - What did you forget from home or just plain need to purchase?
• Beach vendors - What vendors did you see? What did they sell? Did you buy anything? If so, what?
• Travel Challenges - What travel challenges did you face and how did you solve problems, issues, needs, or concerns?
• Exchange rate - Did you figure out what the BZE exchange rate is? What was the rate in comparison to US currency?
• Downtown shops - What kinds of shops did you see? What was for sale? How was the town organized?
• Blue Tang Inn - Compare and contrast the Blue Tang Inn with other places you have stayed.
• Transportation - How many different kinds of transportation did you observe? What did you take advantage of?
• Observe and wade in the Caribbean - What did you observe about the ocean? What industries did you see? Who was in or on the water?
• Restaurants - Where did you eat (other than at school or in the BlueTang Inn)? What did you order?
• Find a "sign" that does not make sense - Sketch it or write it down. What do you think it means?
• Find a green park or a restful area - Take a walk to find a restful place you didn't expect to find.
• Students of Holy Cross School - What did you observe students doing that surprised you?
• Sunset Sail - What was your experience on the Sirena Azul on your sunset sail? What impressions were lasting?
• Ask for help - Did you ask for assistance or directions for anything? What happened?
• Hol Chan Marine Park - Describe the experience of snorkeling? What did you see? How was the experience for you?
• Educational environment at Holy Cross - How was this school alike or different from US schools you have visited or attended?
• People watch - Who do you think is "typical" San Pedro Island resident? Describe why you think so.
• Did you go shopping - Where did you go? What did you purchase? For whom?
• Public & Commercial Buildings - What buildings and services did you see? Were there any you didn't see?
• Eat something interesting - Try a food or snack that looks like something you have never tasted before. Describe it.
• Mayan Ruins - Describe the Mayan ruin hike. What did you experience? What did you take away from this day?
• Simple pleasures - Describe a peaceful moment (a leaf, sleeping baby, old people hand in hand, a bird flying, a flower)
• Music - What music did you hear? Describe the setting and the kind of music you heard?
• Help someone else - Did you assist anyone else for any reason? Describe what happened?

These are my new goals. =) A couple seem easy, but a few I'll have to work for.

Single Digits

This is it.  Finally it.  Tomorrow I'm hitting single digits in my countdown to Belize.  Honestly, there were times that I didn't think I'd make it to where I am now.  It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in my Learning and Assessment class in the basement of the School of Education at Drake being told that "During Spring Break next year, we're taking a group of people to Belize.  If you'd like more information, sign this."  I wrestled with myself for a good while about whether or not I should bother signing up for more information.  But looking back?  Best decision I made in that class, by far.

So here I am, what seems like mere moments but is actually almost a year later (a YEAR?!) and my countdown has reached 10 days.  Ten days from now I will be waking up way too early, making my way through airport traffic, and taking off.  I seriously can't wrap my mind around it.

I made it here.  I made it here by my own choice and by my own will.  I've made sacrifices so I could get enough money to pay for this.  I've given up the idea of seeing my family, my friends, Daniel, for a whole week, in order to do this.  Do I regret it?  Not a single part.  Sure, I'd love nothing more than to spend Spring Break with the people I love.  But what I really love is travel, excitement, experience.

So where do I go from here?  Well, as logic would tell you, I should probably make sure I get all my homework done before I go.  Because frankly, I'm NOT going to be laying on a beach in the Caribbean, getting my tan on, while writing lesson plans.  I love my major, but sometimes a break is good.  And that's what this is.

So what am I looking at getting done in the next nine days?

• Childhood Lit: Midterm, Poetry File, Read Alouds, Read The Hunger Games (And let's face it...I'm going to be finishing that by tomorrow at the latest and I just got the book 2 days ago.)
• Language & Literacy: Midterm - Well, that's easy enough
• Curriculum & Pedagogy: Concept Attainment Lesson Plan - Not bad.
• Early Childhood Methods: Just the normal 2 short reflection papers. Fine.
• ESL Methods: Now here's where we get tricky. Differentiated Lesson Plans and Differentiated Assignment/Assessment with a listening/speaking focus. Due? The day we start back at school.
• Reading in the Content Areas: Midterm, Explicit Lesson Plan on Building Vocabulary (and I have to re-do my last lesson plan because, well, I didn't do too hot)
• Speech & The Classroom Teacher: Crisis/Solution Podcasts

Obviously, it's going to be my night classes (the last 3) that are going to do me in here. And that's a LOT to get done in the next 9 days.

On top of that -- I have to put together a guest speaking presentation for my preschoolers at Holy Cross in Belize.  I just have to point out that this is an AWESOME opportunity that I am so, so grateful to have.  But, at the same time, I have really bad anxiety about speaking in front of people.  Yes, I'll have to get over that as a teacher.  Yes, these are 4 years olds and I'll never see them again (Which kind of breaks my heart, if I'm being honest).  But still, it's terrifying.  Especially considering my topic of conversation is Good Touch, Bad Touch.  Here we go.  Thankfully I have gotten some help from a fellow classmate (and Belize traveler) of mine - Melissa.

So after homework is done, what's next?  Oh right, we have to pack up a suitcase.  What should we bring?

• Clothes (Well, duh. But I'm kind of reminding myself that I bought new clothes specifically for our practicum and I have to make sure I'm bringing them with!)
• Shoes (Again, I had to buy new Keens for this and I can't forget them.
• Medications - in original containers and copies of prescriptions (Also need to leave parents a copy!)
• Sunscreen (and tanning oil. Because let's face it...I'm super pale.)
• Aloe Vera -- I'm pretty likely to get burnt.  That's just the way the world works.
• Chapstick - with SPF
• Lotion - Yes, yes, yes!
• Water Bottle - We can't actually DRINK the water there, so this is super important.
• Coffee (Again, bought specifically for this. Our hotel room has a kitchen)
• Credit Card - I'm thinking of going and buying one of those pre-paid ones so I can leave my actual credit cards at home. Don't really want to lose any of those. Also, copies for mom and dad!
• Cash - Both US dollars and Belizean
• Gym Bag - For holding my stuff while I'm at the beach, etc.
• Sunglasses - I CAN NOT FORGET THESE!
• Insect repellant - Oh yeah, I was going to look online for the good stuff. Need to do that.
• Camera - I CAN NOT FORGET THIS EITHER! I also plan on buying a waterproof disposable one as well, for snorkeling.  Dr. Fairbairn found waterproof things to put over your digital camera, which would be great.  But I just can't convince myself to buy something like that for $25 when I probably won't use it again and I can just get digital prints when I turn in my camera to Walgreens.
• Books for the plane - Oh yes. If I finish The Hunger Games Trilogy before I go, which, I probably will, my next goal is The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire.  I've had both of those for a while, but never have time to read it.
• Essentials - You know, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.

Oh, there's definitely more.  But, I feel like I've got the basics.  I also need to figure out what in the world I'm using as my carry-on.  My backpack?  Who knows...

All I know is, 10 days from now, I'll no longer be on North American soil.

One More Month

Finally, my countdown has reached the one month point.  One month from now I will be waking up at the crack of dawn, heading down to the Des Moines airport and hopping on the next flight to Belize.  Well, the next flight to Atlanta, where I will get on the next flight to Belize.  Yay!

There's still so much I have to accomplish in the next month though.  It's crazy.  And I'm not talking only schoolwork and my job.  I mean FOR the trip.  To-do list?  Okay, you asked for it.

1. Pay my parents back the $100 so I can successfully say I paid for this entire trip.

2. E-mail my mentor teacher and see what she's going to need help with while I'm there.

3. Get a health check up to be approved to go.  Really?  I'm relatively healthy.  I'll be fine.  But it's one more hoop to jump through.

4. Get some sandals.  Like, seriously.  I don't own sandals.  I've always hated them.  But we need some water-proof type ones, like Keens for example.  Do you know how much those cost?  Like $100.  I don't have that.  But, I looked online and found these bad boys:

They're only $51-60, depending on the size.  Which leads me to my next crisis.  What size do I pick?  Do I guess bigger or smaller?  My guess will be relatively close, it's just between a size 8 or a size 8.5.  I'm thinking bigger is probably better.  I should probably do that soon though so they can get here. -sigh- Money.

5. I'm spearheading a supply drive for this trip through my honor fraternity, Kappa Delta Pi.  I have to go get the boxes into the School of Education on the right week and every day I need to collect any money that might be in there.  Because let's face it, college students don't have a lot of extra supplies randomly in their room.  So we're hoping they'll donate some money so we can go buy supplies.  Sounds good right?  Well, that's up to me too!

6. Call my cell phone company to find out exactly how much it would cost if it were used down there.  Chances are, I definitely WON'T be using it once I leave the states.  But it'd still be nice to know.  I also need to look into those disposable type phones that are specifically for this situation.

7. Call my credit card company.  Let them know I'm going to be out of the country so they don't think it's fraud or something crazy like that.

8. Make copies of my credit card, drivers license, passport, health card, etc to leave at home with my parents.  Just in case something happens. *knock on wood*

So yeah, that's where I'm headed.  Not to mention the fact that there's a few other things I'm going to make sure to do/buy.

It's a crazy road but I'm only one month away from seeing the Caribbean Coast again!