Carolina livin'

It's hard to believe that I am back home in Wilmington... Such tangled emotions surround me right now, as I am so happy to be home, but desperately missing Belize already. No matter the readjustment period I might have to go through, I am forever grateful for the experience that I had in Belize. From being in the schools with the children, to cultural immersion in daily living, to adventures that help me see more of Belize, I am forever changed. I hope that many more students in the future have an opportunity to take on this life changing experience and bond with their cohort the way I did. Here are a few tidbits of advice for those embarking on this journey in the future:

-Take time to just explore. You don't need the paid excursion experience to obtain valuable experiences 

-Reach out and get to know your cohort members. They are a huge part of your experience, with them, you are less likely to feel homesick, because they make Belize your home. 

-Go out on a limb. Experience things you never thought you would. Try new foods. Conquer your fears. 

-Brace yourself for the unexpected. You can never prepare yourself enough for this trip, because no matter how much you are told before hand, you will never truly understand until you are there. It is a scary thought, but so worth it in the end!

See you soon, Belize! You can't keep me away for too long...

Bittersweet

There is no other way to explain my last few days other than bittersweet. This experience has changed me in so many ways, and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity that I had to come here, and all of the support along the way. 

Having the opportunity to work with a partnership teacher both in the U.S. and here in Belize was an awesome experience. Teacher Loreni has taught me so much about how important it is to let kids be kids sometimes and how crucial it is to be able to go with the flow. While I've always been able to improvise on the spot while teaching, these skills have been taken to a new level since I got here. I had to learn by example by watching Teacher Loreni. I'm excited to take these experiences and the knowledge that I gained from Teacher Loreni back to my future classroom in the U.S.! 

When people ask me about my experience in Belize, I think the first thing that I will tell them is that it changed me. It taught me that you cannot prepare yourself for some things in life. It taught me that sometimes, letting students have the control is okay. But most of all, it has taught me that I am capable of accomplishing anything that I set my mind to successfully.

On Thursday night, I got to go on a crocodile hunt, which was an amazing experience. Not only was it fun, and I got to hold some baby crocs, but it was also extremely educational. I learned about the differences in crocs and gators, the environment that these crocodiles live in, and how crocodiles are not naturally aggressive towards humans. What a fun experience to look back on! 

Yesterday was my last day at Isla Bonita Elementary School. I cannot believe that my time with my sweet students is already up, but I hope that I have left the impression on them that they have left on me. Even though I was only with these students for a short time, I will forever remember them and hold them dear to my heart. 

While I'm sad to be leaving, I'm so anxious to get back home! America, I'm comin' for you tomorrow! 

From the Inside Looking Out...

I cannot believe that I am halfway through my last week in San Pedro. My time here has flown by, and I am so excited to see how I can apply all I have learned to my class and life in the United States. School this week has been great! I've had a lot of pull-out opportunities and have even been working with some of the kids from other classes who are presenting difficult behaviors for the interns who are in there. I am so glad that my friends and classmates feel that they can come to me and ask for help with these behaviors! Additionally, I am SO glad that all of us here have different teaching strengths, it creates a great pool of resources to use and refer to as we need them.

Last night, I got to go on a night snorkel at Hol Chan Marina. This is my second time snorkeling at this location, and it wasn't a let down! A huge sea turtle swam right in front of me and I even saw an octopus! Personally, I liked the day snorkel better (partly because the water was super cold last night), but am glad that I got to experience both!

Today, with the three other special education interns here, I went inland to Belize City one more time to visit the Stella Maris School for students with disabilities. I absolutely love this school and how they are so determined to help their students reach their goals. We interviewed a lot of the students for the documentary we are making and we even interviewed the school librarian, Marlin, who was a student at Stella Maris before becoming employed there! His story really embodies all the work that Stella Maris is doing and I can't wait to share our documentary with all of y'all so that you can see everything that this school and their students have to offer!

As my time in Belize is coming to an end, I've really been spending some time reflecting on my experience here. I am so thankful that I had this opportunity and am beyond grateful for all of the love and support that I received at home throughout my journey. While I'm excited to return home, here are just a few things that I'll miss about Belize:

• The cultural experience - I've learned so much about acceptance and differences, and I never want to end this personal growth
• The sense of community - Everywhere I go in San Pedro, I feel extremely welcomed. This island has a way of making you feel at home
• The kids - This one is a no-brainer. Those sweet kids, they've touched me in so many ways. 
• Taco Stand Dinners - I mean come on, who can beat a huge, delicious dinner for just $3 American? 
• Fresh Fruit Juices - Orange, Watermelon, you name it. It doesn't get better. 
• My Cohort - This trip has brought me so much closer to people that I never would have known otherwise. I am so appreciative of all of the friendships that I have made on this trip. We have bonded in a way that I can't explain, as this experience has molded us into a unit that simply fits. From the outside looking in, you wouldn't understand it, but from the inside looking out, you could never explain it. 

Peace, Love, and Pageants

I can't believe that one week from today, I will be flying home! Being back in school with the kids this week has got me falling in love - with the sweet children, with this place, and even more in love with my mission than I already was. While I only have a few days left with the kids, I hope that I am able to leave as big of an impact on them as they have left on me. As anxious as I am to see everyone back home, leaving all of this behind isn't going to be easy. 

Every two years, Isla Bonita (the school I am at) puts on a pageant as a fundraiser for the school. The winner of the pageant is based on who raises the most money for the school. Yesterday morning, a group of us headed out to set up the pageant, and last night we returned to assist with the program! I have to admit that the concept of four elementary school girls participating in a pageant that was such a big production had me wary at first. However, after seeing the pageant first hand last night, I was pleased with the tastefulness of it. I was one of the people delegated to counting money from the booths where the participants families were selling food, and it was a busy night! Between the four girls, $6402.29 was raised for the school! 

This week, in addition to being in the schools, I am going to make sure that I enjoy my last week and get everything that I want to do here done, including going on a night snorkel! So excited to see what wildlife comes out at night! 

See you all in a week! 

Back to School & Lessons I've Learned!

This trip has brought many surprises, and I have learned so much about myself along the way. Here are just a few things:

• No matter how much I want to be social with everyone, I still find myself needing time to myself at the end of each day just to unwind. I guess that doesn't change with my environmental circumstances like I thought it might. 
• I've always been a planner. Changing lessons as needed on the spot has always been one of my stronger traits, but up until this trip, I never really had to jump in and teach a lesson with absolutely no planning. Even though this was outside of my comfort zone, I have become extremely comfortable with this aspect of my teaching experience here. 
• I'm more adventurous than I thought! I expected to be a little bit anxious going into dark caves, scaling walls, or zip lining through the forest, but I jumped into all of my activities head first and had an AMAZING time with all of them! 

In relation to my future classrooms in the US, I do believe that some of the schools aspects I've been exposed to here could be implemented and useful. However, the biggest thing that I have realized is that I feel that students here are given more of an opportunity to embrace their childhood and truly just be kids. While I haven't forgotten the importance of education, I do think that a more laid-back structure (a cross between that of the US and San Pedro) could be more beneficial for students. In terms of emotional and social well-being, I think that this time to find themselves and form relationships with their peers is very important. 

On Monday, we headed back to the schools! I was so excited to get back into the swing of things and to see the students. The first week I was in the schools was extremely laid-back with a lot of games and activities for the students. This confused me, as I had really never seen something like it in the US. However, it was the end of the term, and the students came back on Monday acknowledging that it was time to buckle back down and focus on academics. The teaching style here is much different that what I have seen in the US and is primarily focused around taking notes and discussions. Stephens and I have been team teaching a lot in the Standard I (3rd grade) class, and having the opportunity to team teach has been awesome. I hadn't really experienced this in the States, but Stephens and I work really well together and are able to just flow off of each other in lessons. 

I also started to pull out students who had been identified by the lower grades teachers to provide additional support. After assessing where these students were, I grouped them with other students who were around the same level to provide small group instruction. By doing this, I am being more efficient with my time and am still having the opportunity to teach in the whole-group setting in Standard I. One of the biggest challenges I have faced when pulling students out is the lack of resources that I have. I have become so accustomed to having everything at my finger tips in the US, but I am pretty good at thinking on my toes, and the kids I am pulling out are loving writing in the sand on the playground :) 

In other news, my kids have been asking me to teach them songs, and even sang two at assembly, in front of the entire school, this morning! 

Love to you all back home! 

Snorkel Excursion!

On Friday, we went on a snorkel sail as a group. I cannot even begin to express how amazing this experience was. I have never been snorkeling before, and having my first snorkeling experience in the coral reefs of Hol Chan Marine Reserve was absolutely incredible. I swam right beside sea turtles, barracudas, eels, and so many fish! It was a breathtaking experience and my life is forever changed from it. We then got back aboard the catamaran and sailed to our next snorkel spot, Shark Ray Alley. This stop was pretty much swimming with sharks, which was pretty cool. Getting into the water, literally all you could see was sharks below you. We watched them feed before getting back on the boat and heading toward Caye Caulker. Caye Caulker was a very quiet island, and it was cool to see the similarities and differences between it and San Pedro. I also found my Belizean hammock to bring home, so I'm very excited. We then headed back to San Pedro!

I'm so very excited to be getting back into the schools tomorrow! Our two week hiatus was nice, and we got to do a lot of exploring, but I miss being in the classroom with all of those sweet kiddos! Our first week in the schools was a little crazy since it was the week before Easter break and they had a plethora of special events. I know that our first week will likely be very different from our upcoming two weeks, as academics will be of higher focus since it isn't the end of the term anymore. I am very excited to have the opportunity to see the differences of teaching styles here in Belize and to help as many students as I can during my pull-out time with the students!

Inland Adventures!

"We have two types of weather here: muddy and dusty." - This little tidbit of information came from one of my tour guides this past weekend, and I had to share. I couldn't have explained the weather here more accurately if I tried. Last week we experienced all the rain, but the past few days, we have definitely felt the heat!

Last Thursday morning, we all got up to head inland to San Ignacio for a few days! We took the water taxi to Belize City (which is always a good time, I LOVE the water taxi) and then hopped on a bus to head to San Ignacio! On the way, we stopped at the Belize Zoo. While the zoo was small, it was absolutely incredible! The zoo was set up in a way that made you feel like you were truly in the natural habitat of the animals. I felt like I was walking through the jungle, which I pretty much was. It was also very cool to see the similarities and differences in the types of animals that are native to Belize versus America.

After we finished up at the zoo, we got back on the bus to finish our drive to San Ignacio. Once we arrived, we got split up between three hotels. Savannah, Megan B., and I all roomed together at Martha's Guest House. It was a super cute, very homey hotel, and definitely a little more upscale than Pedro's. We had our own porch and everything, so cute! We took the night to get settled in and relax before heading to the Mayan ruins at Caracol on Friday!

Caracol was AMAZING. It was so awesome to see the structures that were built so long ago still standing, and to get an insight into how the Mayans lived. We saw many different structures, and heard different stories about how the ruins were built and how the Mayans lived within them. For example, they had a small ball field where they would play. At the end of the game, the winners would then be sacrificed to the gods, as they believed that the strongest and most valuable were of higher value to the gods. We climbed many different structures (whew, what a workout!), and the views from the top were always amazing! After leaving the ruins, we headed to Big Rock Falls, a waterfall close by. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and we got to swim for a while, which was awesome!

The next day, we went on an ATM tour (Actun Tunichil Muknal). The ATM is a cave that the Mayans frequented and used as a temple for sacrifices and religious ceremonies. This was definitely my favorite experience in Belize so far. We scaled the inside of the caves, swimming through the water and climbing the rock structures to see all of the various parts of the cave. We heard endless stories of what happened within the cave and even saw skeletal remains towards the end of our tour. We weren't able to take cameras into the cave, and I cannot fully put into words how amazing this experience was. I hope that you all have the opportunity to experience the beautiful impact of this tour one day! This is a picture of my tour group after we finished in the ATM cave with our tour guide, Jam Jam!

On Sunday, we had our "free day," but a group of us decided to take full advantage of our trip and go on a zip lining and cave tubing outing! Zip lining was very exhilarating and gave me the opportunity to see some beautiful views. Cave tubing was very relaxing and gave us another opportunity to see the beauty of the caves here in Belize. After getting back to San Ignacio, Savannah, Jordon, Lauren and I went to explore the San Ignacio Easter Fair! It was a cute fair, and fun to see the differences and similarities between American fairs and the fair there.

(Exploring the Fair)

Yesterday, we headed back to Belize City to hop on the water taxi (hooray!) and head back to San Pedro. While our time inland was fun, I am glad to be back in San Pedro! Now we have a few more days off to get some more community service in before heading back to schools with the kiddos on Monday! I can't wait to be back in the schools!

Love and hugs to you all back home!

Cultural Differences & Experiences So Far

Being in the schools in San Pedro is definitely an adjustment from the schools that I am accustomed to in North Carolina. I came into this experience knowing that things would be drastically different than my past experiences, but I still had some moments of cultural shock and discomfort within my first few days at the school. For example, in the States, I am accustomed to behavioral issues mainly being handled in private if the principal is involved. Within my first few days at the elementary school, the principal came in and verbally reprimanded a few of my students in front of the entire class. At first, I was extremely taken aback, as I had never seen something like this before. As I felt myself starting to panic, I had to remind myself that discipline is handled much differently here than in America. Once I was able to realize that this was what the students and teachers were accustomed to, I was able to take a step back and accept that this is how they handle things. While I'm not sure that I would ever handle behaviors in this way due to my own culture, I have come to terms with the fact that this probably won't be the last time I see this while I am here.

In other news, the schools are on their two week Easter Break right now, which means no school for us. Today, we started community outreach projects such as cleaning and painting the schools, volunteering at the local humane society, and working a day camp at the local library. I am so glad that we are having the opportunity to reach out beyond the schools while we are here. It is giving me an opportunity to get to know others outside of the school and to see more of San Pedro. On Thursday morning, we will take the water taxi inland to San Ignacio for a few days. During this time, we will visit the Belize Zoo, Mayan Ruins, and experience a few other excursions. I'm SO excited for this opportunity. Food here is still as great as ever, and I am definitely going to have to invest in a tortilla press when I get home, fresh tortillas just trump store bought tortillas in every way! Yesterday, Savannah, Ali, and I ventured to the end of the island to a coffee shop called Rum & Bean. It was my first coffee since arriving and it was DELICIOUS. On the way home, it down-poured and we got SOAKED in water and mud during the bike ride. Such a mess, but such a great memory! Love to you all back home!

(After our rainy, rainy bike ride - Totally worth it)

Be Still, My Heart

What an amazing week I have had! Monday was my first day in the schools, and it was a whirlwind! Schools here are much different than those in America. For starters, children are given much more freedom to be kids, which is amazing in some ways, and then a little intense in others. Classroom management systems are also very different, and will definitely take some getting used to. What I love about the school that I'm at is that it is such a mix of cultures. From Russian, to Lebanese, to Latin American children, you can see it all within one classroom. Also, in terms of San Pedro as a whole, I love that it is so hard to see the differentiation in social classes. In America, I feel that we make it really obvious what social status someone has, and that drives a wedge between many people. However, in San Pedro, I don't feel that. Perhaps it's because I'm an outsider, but either way, it's comforting and amazing to see.
Today, I had the opportunity to go inland and visit Stella Maris, and school designed specifically for students with disabilities. My heart is so full of love and happiness as I reflect on my time at the school. They are truly doing amazing things to help their students transition into their future lives. Their librarian is even one of their former students, and he raves about how Stella Maris prepared him for living his life independently. Since there are not true special education classes in San Pedro, getting to go to Belize City and see these children and the program was an incredible experience!
I already feel the impact that this experience is making on me, and can't wait to see what else is to come!

 (Some of the students I've been working with at Isla Bonita)

(A few children from Stella Maris)

A Little Bit of Perspective on Belize

I've spent the last few days exploring and trying to get to know the ways of the island. It's surreal to take a step back from the fast-paced, American culture and see how others live. It seems as though everyone on the island knows each other. There is such a friendly, family atmosphere no matter where you go on the island, and it is truly heartwarming to see. The home-grown feeling of all the different locations I have been brings comfort when I am so far from home. We've been frequenting a small fruit stand by the hostel, and the local fruit is absolutely amazing (you can see a picture of part of the fruit stand below). We have also enjoyed quite a few meals at one of the local taco stands, Lily's. The food is to die for and is so reasonably priced (you can get 4 empanadas for 1 American dollar). And let me tell you, I am all for some tacos for breakfast. The empanadas are DELICIOUS (you can see them below) and they literally put cabbage in everything. Which I never would have thought of, but I will be continuing when I return to the states.
On Friday, we got to go tour the schools that we would be placed at. I couldn't wipe the smile from my face as I walked around the schools and saw all of the beautiful children and the joy that they were emitting. I cannot wait to start my experience at Isla Bonita Elementary tomorrow! Being here and knowing that I will have the opportunity to interact with these children makes my heart so happy. I know that being in the schools here may be challenging at times due to the cultural differences, but I am eager to see how education differs around the world. Having exposure to schools in another country will help me become more understanding of the diversity that I will see in my future classrooms.
Sending love to you all back home, wish me luck on my first day in the schools tomorrow!

Safe Arrival

Arrived safely in Belize yesterday! Our day of travel started at 3 a.m., and we finally landed our third flight in San Pedro at about 12 Belize time, so 2 your time. Our last plane to the island was much smaller than the other two planes I had been on. Only about 10 people on the plane, and you could see the captain driving. One of my classmates even got to ride co-pilot! I shared a short video below of the landing, you can see a little bit of the island (over by the airport) that way. We have all gotten settled in and are exploring the island, trying to figure everything out. Tomorrow we will go tour all of the schools so that we can start our experiences in them next week!

Preparing for Take-Off!

It's so surreal to think that at this time tomorrow, I will be on a plane headed to Belize! I am so excited to be able to participate in such an incredible opportunity. Additionally, I am overwhelmed by the amount of love and support that I have received from everyone as I prepare to embark. From personal donations, to school supply donations, to emotional support, THANK YOU ALL! I cannot wait to share this experience with all of you!