What is usually thought of as the best part of the work week, Friday afternoons, I start dreading beginning on Thursday. Let me explain. I teach first form, which is the equivalent of Freshmen. There are 4 classes in first form. 2 boys classes and 2 girls classes. They are divided so as to be beneficial to the girls education, which I believe it is. There are 39 boys in one class and 36 in another. We've had 2 boys withdraw so far this year and usually by this point in the year they've lost or gotten rid of about 10. Okay, so, each class I teach 4 hours a week and one of the times I teach them it's a double period, meaning two periods back to back. I am lucky enough to teach these wonderful children for 1 hour and 40 minutes straight. It just so happens that the class that is the worst I only have in the afternoons, never in the mornings. I say they're the worst only because they've had several suspensions for fighting, they are so awful in class I can't teach, and they drive all the teachers crazy, not just me. This class of young men, the worst class in the school, I have been given the opportunity to teach for a double period on Friday afternoons each week. I try to think of it as an opportunity. I honestly spend about 50-70% of the class disciplining. I can't teach anything and I'm surprised they can learn anything. After each quiz I shake my head in disbelief when I see how good their grades are. Another teacher asked me if I thought they were all cheating. Which is funny, because I did think that at first until I graded the other boys' class and they did well also. How is it possible that they are actually listening and learning while their behavior is so awful? It's got to be the grace of God, there's no other explanation for it!
I get all kinds of questions and ridiculous things happening in class. Some are just like high schools in the states, like the spitballs in today's class. But others, like 'stoning' each other with beans you wouldn't see in the states as much. And many times it takes everything within me not to laugh at them when they say ridiculous comments or crazy answers to my questions. On Wednesday one of them said he would be the father of my baby and all the other boys responded "whe-la!!!!!" (which is their version of 'woah' or 'wow') and started laughing. I could barely keep a straight face. They ask me if I'm Jamaican, if my parents are from Belize, if I have a husband in the states, and if we can go hang out with the girls' class. When discussing concupiscence, original sin, the garden of Eden, etc. one of the boys asked "So, when a man has sex with his wife it's a good thing?" This boy is usually very quite and doesn't ask questions. When I answered 'yes' you should have seen his face, a huge smile spread across it. It was quite humorous.
As you can see, teaching high school here is like teaching high school anywhere. . . tough. There are always double periods on Friday afternoons when you give 6 detentions in one class and want to strangle every one of them. (Today one of the boys took off his belt and told me to use it on the other boys, they all agreed it was acceptable here, but I decided not to... for now!) And then there's the opposite, the times when you realize "They're really getting this information and understanding it!" and it feels so nice to look out into the classroom while you're lecturing and see all eyes fixed intensely on you and listening to what you're sharing with them. The more I get to know them the more I love them. I still want to beat them, but I love them :o)
Friday, November 12, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Some little things
Simplicity of life is something you value only after you've experienced it and being in a developing country definitely allows you to experience it. There's not much we have here yet there's not much we need either. I knew within the first week that I "needed" a hammock ;o) Luckily hammocks are pretty common around here, but you know me, I've got to shop around and make sure I'm getting a good price. After our first month some of the volunteers took a trip to Caye Caulker for a 3-day weekend and while we were there I was able to purchase my hammock for $35 BZ, which is one week's stipend and well worth it! Two of us girls bought them, which is good because they are always the coveted spot to sit on our back porch. 
As you can see, we've tested the duability of my hammock by putting up to 3 people on it. It was a little scary since I'm the one who tied the knots of the rope that is holding it up and I'm no girlscout.
One of the days after Hurricane Richard we had our power and water back on and we went to eat at the rectory as usual only to find out that the normal food (rice and beans and eggs) hadn't been delivered and instead were several take-out dishes of Chinese! I just sat at the table and watched people's reactions as they went get their food and saw what it was. It's funny how something like unexpected Chinese food can really make your day. Everyone was in a good mood that afternoon.
Last Friday we had "Fun Day" at school, which consisted of several relay races and competitive games for the students to play. The students really enjoyed it and I did too! I went into it thinking it would be like "Fun Day" as a teacher in elementary school, but it was much much better in high school. Also I think the students appreciate it more here, most of them really look forward to school here. School is their main social activity, they don't hang out at night and on the weekends with their friends much. So, you can imagine how much they look forward to Fun Day! As we waited for the first event to begin I saw one of the boys wearing a Chicago Bears shirt and had to smile. Most of the clothes they wear come from the states and they don't even know what they're supporting. Still, I knew Matt would get a kick out of the fact that there are Bears fans even in Central America (I haven't seen any Packers, Saints, or Cowboys' shirts, fyi)Lastly, we played monopoly on Saturday and it was a blast. It may seem like we have a lot of fun and travel time from my pictures on facebook, but realistically it feels like we have hardly any down time for ourselves. A nice afternoon with nothing to do was a blessing and we took the opportunity to play a great game of monopoly :o) About halfway through the game two of the other volunteers start screaming all of the sudden and pull their legs up into their chairs. I was sitting next to them so I followed suit, of course, assuming it was either the rat or a tarantula causing them to freak out. The volunteers from the other side of the table jumped up and looked. "How did a chick get in here?!" Everyone's heart was racing as we looked at each other and started laughing. We're not sure how it got in, but we are glad for the commotion in the end, it keeps us on our toes and light-hearted about life here! Here's my roommate, Katie, with the chick she name "Leonard". She begged us to keep him but we decided it probably wasn't a good idea so we released him in the wild (aka the dirt road in front of our house).
It's easy to appreciate the little things when you find yourself in Belize. The challenge is to appreciate the small things in your life when it's not made simple for you. To be thankful for the green lights when you're running late, for hot water in your shower (trust me, you should be thankful for that!), for an unexpected fun night with friends, for a great conversation, for getting the house clean quicker than you thought, for the rain starting after you got the groceries in from the car, for a poopy diaper that didn't get all over her clothes, for your favorite song on the radio, for a great homily at Mass, for a clear sky with thousands of stars visible, for a hug or an 'I love you' from a child, and for all those other little things God is giving you everyday that we just plow through and don't even notice.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
A Roach, A Bat, A Rat, and a Tarantula!
Some things that make me realize "I'm not in the States anymore!"
1. Walking out of dinner down the walkway of the church I felt something crawling on my arm. I looked down expecting to see ants. Yes, that's normal here. The freakin' little ants are everywhere, they're climbing in and out of my computer as I type this. Anyway, instead I see a big fat roach. I freak out and shake my arm but it doesn't fall off. I have my waterbottle in that hand and something else in my other so I try to swipe it off but I'm not sure where it crawled because it's dark outside. I end up dropping my metal watterbottle and as it rolls down the cement walkway making all kinds of noise the lid falls off and water goes everywhere. One of the guys sees the roach on the ground and quickly steps on it. I stop jumping and yelling just in time to see the nice Belizeans watching and laughing at me, even the children thought my reaction was funny. Well, at least someone enjoyed it!
2. While we were working out a bat flew in the window. This was not like any bat I've seen before. It was very big and a light gray color. It was circling around the room and we were all ducking and trying to get out of the way. Luckily one of the guys (the other two guys were curled up in the fetal position on the floor) grabbed a shovel and was trying to hit it mid-air as it made it's circle around the room. I went to close all the doors so it wouldn't get into any other rooms in the house and very soon after the bat was taken down, not by a shovel, but by a mop! It was pretty comical and we enjoyed teasing the two guys about how brave they were!
3. The next night myself and one of the other volunteers were up pretty late after everyone else had gone to bed. As we stood at the kitchen counter talking we both saw something furry run along the bottom of the bottom cabinets. In 1 second she was on top of the counter and in 2 seconds I was in the other room. Since it was so late we decided we'd wait and deal with it in the morning. So, the next morning I go to do laundry on the back porch and when I move the washing machine (smaller than those in the states) our little furry friend runs too close to my feet, off the porch on a water pipe and down our stone wall. We look under the washer and discover his wet nasty little home. We cleaned everything up out there and in the kitchen behind the fridge, you know, the usual places. This has been a week ago and we still haven't been able to find rat traps or poison at any of the stores! The sisters were trying to trap a rat in the convent and one of the high school girls (that stays with them in the convent during the school year) ended up killing it by smashing it with a bucket! We came in and saw the trail of blood and it laying there bleeding and couldn't figure out how it died. When we found out Maria had killed it with a bucket I was so impressed but she just kind of shrugged her shoulders as if it was nothing at all. Wow, growing up here is a bit different than in the states! How many high school girls do you know that would see a rat and pick up a bucket and smash it to death?!
4. The day after that in the boys' house (thank God it wasn't our house!) a tarantula climbed up on of the volunteer's legs. Apparently it had crawled into his duffel bag and when he dumped it out to do laundry it fell out and crawled up his leg! In his words "I was barefoot so I couldn't even step on it! I yelled and swiped it off and ran into the other room like a little girl!" I can't imagine and I really hope I never get to experience it for myself... so creepy! The boys have tons of geckos in their house which is probably what's attracting the tarantulas since they each geckos, lizards, frogs, etc. But we like the geckos because they eat the mosquitoes!
So, as you can see... the ants are the least of my issues ;o) Actually, the roaches haven't been nearly as bad as I thought they would be, in fact I think they're worse in MS and TX. Now I have to say that it's really not that bad down here because I don't want anyone to change their plans to come and see me because of the rodents and insects! But Angela you should be happy to know that I check my bed almost every night before I put my feet under the sheet!
1. Walking out of dinner down the walkway of the church I felt something crawling on my arm. I looked down expecting to see ants. Yes, that's normal here. The freakin' little ants are everywhere, they're climbing in and out of my computer as I type this. Anyway, instead I see a big fat roach. I freak out and shake my arm but it doesn't fall off. I have my waterbottle in that hand and something else in my other so I try to swipe it off but I'm not sure where it crawled because it's dark outside. I end up dropping my metal watterbottle and as it rolls down the cement walkway making all kinds of noise the lid falls off and water goes everywhere. One of the guys sees the roach on the ground and quickly steps on it. I stop jumping and yelling just in time to see the nice Belizeans watching and laughing at me, even the children thought my reaction was funny. Well, at least someone enjoyed it!
2. While we were working out a bat flew in the window. This was not like any bat I've seen before. It was very big and a light gray color. It was circling around the room and we were all ducking and trying to get out of the way. Luckily one of the guys (the other two guys were curled up in the fetal position on the floor) grabbed a shovel and was trying to hit it mid-air as it made it's circle around the room. I went to close all the doors so it wouldn't get into any other rooms in the house and very soon after the bat was taken down, not by a shovel, but by a mop! It was pretty comical and we enjoyed teasing the two guys about how brave they were!
3. The next night myself and one of the other volunteers were up pretty late after everyone else had gone to bed. As we stood at the kitchen counter talking we both saw something furry run along the bottom of the bottom cabinets. In 1 second she was on top of the counter and in 2 seconds I was in the other room. Since it was so late we decided we'd wait and deal with it in the morning. So, the next morning I go to do laundry on the back porch and when I move the washing machine (smaller than those in the states) our little furry friend runs too close to my feet, off the porch on a water pipe and down our stone wall. We look under the washer and discover his wet nasty little home. We cleaned everything up out there and in the kitchen behind the fridge, you know, the usual places. This has been a week ago and we still haven't been able to find rat traps or poison at any of the stores! The sisters were trying to trap a rat in the convent and one of the high school girls (that stays with them in the convent during the school year) ended up killing it by smashing it with a bucket! We came in and saw the trail of blood and it laying there bleeding and couldn't figure out how it died. When we found out Maria had killed it with a bucket I was so impressed but she just kind of shrugged her shoulders as if it was nothing at all. Wow, growing up here is a bit different than in the states! How many high school girls do you know that would see a rat and pick up a bucket and smash it to death?!
4. The day after that in the boys' house (thank God it wasn't our house!) a tarantula climbed up on of the volunteer's legs. Apparently it had crawled into his duffel bag and when he dumped it out to do laundry it fell out and crawled up his leg! In his words "I was barefoot so I couldn't even step on it! I yelled and swiped it off and ran into the other room like a little girl!" I can't imagine and I really hope I never get to experience it for myself... so creepy! The boys have tons of geckos in their house which is probably what's attracting the tarantulas since they each geckos, lizards, frogs, etc. But we like the geckos because they eat the mosquitoes!
So, as you can see... the ants are the least of my issues ;o) Actually, the roaches haven't been nearly as bad as I thought they would be, in fact I think they're worse in MS and TX. Now I have to say that it's really not that bad down here because I don't want anyone to change their plans to come and see me because of the rodents and insects! But Angela you should be happy to know that I check my bed almost every night before I put my feet under the sheet!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Hurricane Richard
Hurricane Richard didn't hurt us too badly over here in Benque but I hear there was more damage in Belmopan (the capital) and in Belize City. No deaths but lots of damage and loss of homes for those that didn't have much to begin with. Here we were without power and water for about 24 hours. I think it's easier to be without electricity and water here that it would be in the states. We're already used to living without AC. All the stoves are gas and we live close to the river so we can get water. We all rinsed off in the river for our shower for the day. That's the first time I've taken my soap, razor, and shampoo when swimming in a river. It was a fun Belizean experience. Thank God for our safety during the storm and also for two days off school ;o)
Sometimes I'm having such a great time I seem to forget I'm at a mission... then we have a couple really hot days (like today and yesterday) and have a meal of just beans and sauteed okra for dinner and I remember, oh yeah, this is mission work! Don't worry, we got chicken and rice and beans as usual for lunch today - by no means am I wasting away down here, just sacrificing enough to make me remember where I am! I hope to write later about the islands, Mayan ruins, and more! love to all, Betsy
Grades are due today and I have about 2 kids failing in each class of 35-39. I'm actually pretty pleased about that!
Sometimes I'm having such a great time I seem to forget I'm at a mission... then we have a couple really hot days (like today and yesterday) and have a meal of just beans and sauteed okra for dinner and I remember, oh yeah, this is mission work! Don't worry, we got chicken and rice and beans as usual for lunch today - by no means am I wasting away down here, just sacrificing enough to make me remember where I am! I hope to write later about the islands, Mayan ruins, and more! love to all, Betsy
Grades are due today and I have about 2 kids failing in each class of 35-39. I'm actually pretty pleased about that!
Friday, October 15, 2010
The first 2 months
Finally, after 2 months living here and much pleading from my mom, I'm starting a blog. Here it is, my first blog! I have so much to say I decided to go with a blog instead of mass e-mail so I can update little things as they come to me (and we all know I'll procrastinate and not find the time to sit down and write a long e-mail).
The first two weeks were very busy with preparing for school and experiencing 'firsts'. Upon arrival I traveled to Pine Ridge National Park to meet up with the rest of the teaching staff on retreat there. While there we visited a cave and swam in the pools (small waterfalls in a beautiful clear river).
Also, I saw my first tarantula! This picture is of a tarantula outside the guy volunteers' house - ewwww, creepy!
We spent lots of time in meetings getting acclimated to teaching high school and teaching in a different country. There are some major differences teaching here, like... the students don't have textbooks (except Math), the teachers don't have a curriculum really, or TEs. The students stay in the same classroom for the duration of the day and the teachers rotate in and out throughout the day. In the first 2 years (first and second form) the boys and girls are separated. I've been given all of the first form Religion classes to teach, which is perfect for me! There are 38 boys in each class and about 35 girls in each class. Probably over a third of our enrollment are students from Guatemala that cross the border daily to come to school.
The classrooms are pretty nice for Belize standards. They have cement floors, wooden shutters for windows, a chalkboard, and enough room for 40 wooden desks.
Some rooms even have lights, but most don't have them or they're not working. The students are generally about 2 grades behind academically than those in the states. I teach 1st form (freshmen) and usually teach on about a 6th or 7th grade level. They're English skills are even lower. The students are only allowed to speak in English at school but Spanish is definitely their first and preferred language.
Belize is a country with very different cultures in different parts of the country. The official language is English, which is taught in the schools and most people speak fluently. Outside of the schools and official things the people speak Creole in Belize City and other parts of the country and they speak Spanish the closer you get to the borders. The mission, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, is in Benque Viejo, a town of about 3,000 on the western border. Guatemala is thought to be slightly more impoverished and dangerous than Belize. Melchor is the Guatemalan border town 1 mile from Benque Viejo and where many of our students live.
The heat, the heat, THE HEAT! It was so stinkin' hot the first month. Thankfully it's cooling off a bit now. I would be sweating by the time I walked out the door in the morning. Sleeping at night wasn't ever a problem but it was difficult to sleep past 6am even on the weekends because of the heat. I shower at least once a day and in the the first month I didn't even mind the cold water. (Now I'm beginning to really miss hot water!)
<---- me with the rash
I developed a rash the 3rd day I was here, don't know what caused it and it's only come back (very faintly) once. We can drink the city water without risk of getting sick, but not any water outside of the city. One of the girls I live with had a parasite for a week or so, went to the doctor, was given meds and it took care of it. Things like that are pretty regular around here, it's only a big deal for us gringos.
I drink so much water and still feel thirsty. As far as food, most of you know I love Mexican food so I thought I'd have no problem adjusting to the cuisine here. Well, we have oatmeal or toast for breakfast, chicken, rice & beans for lunch, and rice & beans and eggs for dinner. A few days a week there are cucumbers or watermelon at lunch, which a wonderful surprise. Needless to say, I'm still adjusting to the lack of fruits and vegetables in my diet. Bananas and plantains are always in season, the avocados are huge, and there's very limited (and expensive) dairy products.
The culture here reminds me in some ways of the Indian Reservation in North Dakota where the SOLT mission is. Religion is very much a part of the people's culture and mindset. It's rare to find anyone who is not Christian. The two primary religions are Catholic and Evangelical. Like in the States, it's typical to run into people who don't understand the Catholic faith or Church teachings, or who have had things miscommunicated to them about the Church. Some of these people are the very students we are teaching. Like on the Indian Reservation, there is a lot of superstitious beliefs and folktales that are universally accepted as true. Luckily not everything is the same as on the reservation, there is a great struggle with alcoholism but not much drug use beyond marijuana. Many many many of our students are from broken families. One of my boy's fathers went missing last year. Another one works everyday after school and weekends to support his family because both his mom and dad are sick right now. And another takes care of his younger siblings because his mom is working and living a few hours away. Yes, these are my freshmen boys. For some students school is almost a break from work, where they can have fun with kids their age and enjoy themselves a little bit. The students and the community respect and look up to their teachers a great deal. Of course this isn't always evident in the classroom ;o) but often I see my students out in town and they run up to me "Miss Betsy, Miss Betsy!!!" just wanting to say "hi" and get some attention from their teacher. Some seem starved for one-on-one attention. They love to just hang out and talk to us and ask us questions. All in all they are great kids and I after only 2 months I'm love each and every one of them! And I'm writing this on a Friday afternoon after an exhausting week of school, which means I really must love them.
On that note I think I'll finish my first post of my first blog. I am far from sharing everything I've experienced thus far! If you want to know about anything particular just post your question below or e-mail me. You know me, I love sharing ;o) Have a great weekend everyone!
The first two weeks were very busy with preparing for school and experiencing 'firsts'. Upon arrival I traveled to Pine Ridge National Park to meet up with the rest of the teaching staff on retreat there. While there we visited a cave and swam in the pools (small waterfalls in a beautiful clear river).
Also, I saw my first tarantula! This picture is of a tarantula outside the guy volunteers' house - ewwww, creepy!We spent lots of time in meetings getting acclimated to teaching high school and teaching in a different country. There are some major differences teaching here, like... the students don't have textbooks (except Math), the teachers don't have a curriculum really, or TEs. The students stay in the same classroom for the duration of the day and the teachers rotate in and out throughout the day. In the first 2 years (first and second form) the boys and girls are separated. I've been given all of the first form Religion classes to teach, which is perfect for me! There are 38 boys in each class and about 35 girls in each class. Probably over a third of our enrollment are students from Guatemala that cross the border daily to come to school.
The classrooms are pretty nice for Belize standards. They have cement floors, wooden shutters for windows, a chalkboard, and enough room for 40 wooden desks.
Some rooms even have lights, but most don't have them or they're not working. The students are generally about 2 grades behind academically than those in the states. I teach 1st form (freshmen) and usually teach on about a 6th or 7th grade level. They're English skills are even lower. The students are only allowed to speak in English at school but Spanish is definitely their first and preferred language.
Belize is a country with very different cultures in different parts of the country. The official language is English, which is taught in the schools and most people speak fluently. Outside of the schools and official things the people speak Creole in Belize City and other parts of the country and they speak Spanish the closer you get to the borders. The mission, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, is in Benque Viejo, a town of about 3,000 on the western border. Guatemala is thought to be slightly more impoverished and dangerous than Belize. Melchor is the Guatemalan border town 1 mile from Benque Viejo and where many of our students live.
The heat, the heat, THE HEAT! It was so stinkin' hot the first month. Thankfully it's cooling off a bit now. I would be sweating by the time I walked out the door in the morning. Sleeping at night wasn't ever a problem but it was difficult to sleep past 6am even on the weekends because of the heat. I shower at least once a day and in the the first month I didn't even mind the cold water. (Now I'm beginning to really miss hot water!)
<---- me with the rash
I developed a rash the 3rd day I was here, don't know what caused it and it's only come back (very faintly) once. We can drink the city water without risk of getting sick, but not any water outside of the city. One of the girls I live with had a parasite for a week or so, went to the doctor, was given meds and it took care of it. Things like that are pretty regular around here, it's only a big deal for us gringos.
I drink so much water and still feel thirsty. As far as food, most of you know I love Mexican food so I thought I'd have no problem adjusting to the cuisine here. Well, we have oatmeal or toast for breakfast, chicken, rice & beans for lunch, and rice & beans and eggs for dinner. A few days a week there are cucumbers or watermelon at lunch, which a wonderful surprise. Needless to say, I'm still adjusting to the lack of fruits and vegetables in my diet. Bananas and plantains are always in season, the avocados are huge, and there's very limited (and expensive) dairy products.
The culture here reminds me in some ways of the Indian Reservation in North Dakota where the SOLT mission is. Religion is very much a part of the people's culture and mindset. It's rare to find anyone who is not Christian. The two primary religions are Catholic and Evangelical. Like in the States, it's typical to run into people who don't understand the Catholic faith or Church teachings, or who have had things miscommunicated to them about the Church. Some of these people are the very students we are teaching. Like on the Indian Reservation, there is a lot of superstitious beliefs and folktales that are universally accepted as true. Luckily not everything is the same as on the reservation, there is a great struggle with alcoholism but not much drug use beyond marijuana. Many many many of our students are from broken families. One of my boy's fathers went missing last year. Another one works everyday after school and weekends to support his family because both his mom and dad are sick right now. And another takes care of his younger siblings because his mom is working and living a few hours away. Yes, these are my freshmen boys. For some students school is almost a break from work, where they can have fun with kids their age and enjoy themselves a little bit. The students and the community respect and look up to their teachers a great deal. Of course this isn't always evident in the classroom ;o) but often I see my students out in town and they run up to me "Miss Betsy, Miss Betsy!!!" just wanting to say "hi" and get some attention from their teacher. Some seem starved for one-on-one attention. They love to just hang out and talk to us and ask us questions. All in all they are great kids and I after only 2 months I'm love each and every one of them! And I'm writing this on a Friday afternoon after an exhausting week of school, which means I really must love them.
On that note I think I'll finish my first post of my first blog. I am far from sharing everything I've experienced thus far! If you want to know about anything particular just post your question below or e-mail me. You know me, I love sharing ;o) Have a great weekend everyone!