Last pre-trip meeting
It's almost departure day! One last meeting to cover some practicals. We're chatting about the Millennium Development Goals.
1. Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,
2. Achieving universal primary education,
3. Promoting gender equality and empowering women,
4. Reducing child mortality rates,
5. Improving maternal health,
6. Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases,
7. Ensuring environmental sustainability, and
8. Developing a global partnership for development
Make sure you have your passport and journals ready! See you Saturday morning!
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Ready for take off
We're all on board, fed, and ready to go! Dulles was allow and steady. We took a quick team pic in the waiting area. The excitement is building!!
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We've arrived!
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All fed and ready to learn
We've made our way to our first destination, the Tropical Education Center at the Belize Zoo. We had a lovely dinner, have refilled our waters, applied our first liberal layer of bug spray, and are now learning a bit about the geography and culture of Belize. The kids (we're still working on a team name) will start crafting their own blog entries tomorrow! Time for a little get-to-know-you activity!
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Introducing...Our First Student Blog Entry!
Great news! Despite a LONG travel day, we have some eager bloggers who wanted to share their initial impressions from day 1. First up, Kate and Cayla...
Our first impressions included the following:
- HOT
- a lot of bugs
- Welcoming
- Many different types of animals
- Many families
- A little like Mexico (if you've ever been)
Currently, we are staying at the tropical education center in Belize city. Dinner today included simple foods such as rice and chicken. After dinner, we gathered in the upper floor of the education center for a team meeting. We discussed things ranging from the geography of Belize to the names of our classmates. Tonight, we will sleep in bunk beds. Although there are reportedly stray dogs and snakes, we have all managed to safely walk around. Tomorrow will be a packed day. We will visit Mayan ruins and transfer to the guest house, which we will stay in for about 5 nights. Can't wait!
(P.S. don't worry moms and dads...headlamps and close-toed shoes are required for safe walking around and the kids are being really great about that.)
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Welcome to Mayan Center Village
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Mayan Ruins and Our New Home
Today's blog comes to you from Andrew and Matt!
Our First Day at the School
This morning we went to the school to help in the classrooms and work outside. At first, many of us were sent back to Aurora's place because of the numerous bees flying outside, while others were sent to classrooms to aid the teachers, though all of us had the opportunity to be with the children. Most of us were put In pairs and sent to different classes, teaching subjects like math and english to small groups of kids.
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Erica and Anna were sent to the first classroom where they helped a group of 4-6 year olds with workbooks that contained spelling and reading problems. The kids were also interested in making figures out of blocks, stories, tic tac toes, and stickers. Other classrooms had older kids around our age that Kate, Greer, and Andrew helped teach math to.
After all this, the kids had a break (recess) in the main courtyard, which was an open field with a seesaw and tree. During this time, we played duck duck goose and hand games with the kids. Erica and Lexi paired with two other young girls, Sephra and Christina, and swung them around the field and carried them everywhere. The young girls were very clingy (in a cute way) and the boys were fun and rowdy, climbing on all the trees, playing ball, and wrestling with the guys.
Some of us went back into the classrooms, where we helped the teachers with more subjects. While some of the kids didn't want to complete their work, others were very diligent and interested in learning. After, we all bid farewell (unwillingly). We then came back for lunch at Aurora's, where we are now. Some of us are playing cards while others are eating burritos, plantains, and fruit!
Special thanks to Kate for taking photos at recess!
- Erica and Lexi
Mmm, lunch
I'm guessing you're wondering what the kids are eating, right?! Well, it's delicious. Here's a quick pic from lunchtime today.
_____________________________________________Scavenger Hunts and Leadership Activities
Sorry for the delay in blogging! The power, and thus the Internet, were down after dinner when we usually blog. Thank you to Maggie, Skyler, and Mike for sharing their thoughts on yesterday afternoon's activities!
For my group in the scavenger hunt, our favorite question was what do you want to be when you grow up? The most popular answer was a teacher. Before diner we went to an orange orchard and picked oranges and walked between the endless rows of oranges. After diner, we did more activities. We did one where we where split up into two groups and each group was a separate culture with different cultural ways of life. We then mixed together. The moral of this activity was that when different cultures mix there will be differences, and without meaning to you may do something offensive. After that, we went outside and learned how to make one eye have night vision and find spiders in the dark with a flashlight. We did not write yesterday because we lost power.
So we are at Belize which you probably already know, it is awesome. I'm about to go float down a river and take a nap on a hammock. The people in Belize are amazing and they always stay happy and active. The nights are nice and peaceful besides the heat. Last night the four boys slept in the dining hall with the fans, (I slept like a rock with them on.) The food is amazing and freshly made. I couldn't ask for better food.
Pics from Today: Construction, Classrooms, Kids, & Chocolate
Working with Kids...and Making Chocolate
Every day at 8:15 we head down to the school. We are then split up into two groups that either go to work on the classroom or we join one of the four classrooms where we help the teacher and play with kids. Many people have found a new love for working with kids or discovered some that we get along with great. Everyday they have break at 10:15 and we all play with them in the fields. The first day we threw tennis balls to kids who hit them back with tennis rackets. The second day and from now on, we play blob tag with kids from ages 4 to 10. It's super fun and we can never wait for break/recess.
Nine of us went to the chocolate factory yesterday. We were told how they make the chocolate and how much work is required to make chocolate. With the aroma of cocoa in the air, we ground cocoa beans on a stone. We then added oil and sugar, put it in a mold, and cooled it. The result was a big slab of dark chocolate. After our time at the chocolate factory, we went to a shop. Hundreds of miscellaneous things were scattered on the shelves. Knives, pens, flutes, and more were being sold there. We then walked back to the guest house, while seeing many houses and people along the way.
Construction Progress, Tubing...and More Chocolate
Today we continued our work on the service project, making significant progress on the classroom. We also got to know the kids some more. We all were sweating in the hot sun, but we fought through it and got the work done. Afterwards, we went to lunch and cooled off for a while. Then, we spilt up into two groups again and some of us headed to chocolate factory, and others went to the river and went tubing.
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For the tubing, we had to drive to the nearby jaguar preserve and once we got there we got our tubes and hiked for about 10 minutes to the river. On our walk we saw a lot of leaf cutter ants which are ants that carry leaves way bigger then them back to their homes. They chew the leaves and spit them out and then fungus grows on the leaves and they eat the fungus. Once we got to the river, we got in the tubes and coasted down the rapids, bumping (it hurt only for a few seconds...we're all fine!) into rocks and sticks and other pointy things. We cruised for about 45 minutes, learning how to read the river and direct ourselves. It was extremely fun, and a great experience!!
We also learned how to make chocolate! In order to do this, they had to turn the beans into nibs by burning them (don't worry, Julio our guide did this for us) and we turned this into cocoa powder by grinding them in a large mortar and pestle (see photo). And then we froze it!!! It was delicious!!! After that, we went to the market bought merchandise from the women's co-op to bring home. On our way back, we walked by a mango tree (fresh unripe mangos are the best). We had so much fun throwing stick at the mango tree to get them down. Today was super fun we can't wait until tomorrow!!
-- Greer, Anna, and Matt
Highlights from Recess! (Get excited for a video!!)
Recess is always a highlight of the day for both the Holton and Landon students and the local kids. Lots of games and new friends. It's a great break from the hard work of building the new classroom.
And in case you're wondering how our Middle Schoolers are keeping themselves entertained without all their phones, iPads, computers, video games, and other electronic gizmos, be sure to watch the video all the way to the end for a special, post-recess bonus clip......
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An Ode to Belizean Coca-Cola Light
Coca-Cola Light is amazing...It is soooo much better than diet coke back at home. Apparently they use real cane sugar so it isn't processed. It tastes like a beautiful sea breeze on the beach in a La-Z-Boy-type chair but, you know, waterproof. Anyway... So perfect.
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Lasting Bonds and Hard Farewells
Cecil and Erica have formed particularly strong bonds with some of the children at the Maya Center School. Here are their thoughts on our last day at the school.
Today, is not only our last day on the worksite, but also the last time we get to work with the kids. Throughout our time at the Maya Center, I have grown particularly close to one young girl: Sephra. Sephra is a bubbly 5-year-old who loves to learn, and each day when our group is asked which class we would like to work with, my hand shoots right up for Sephra's. I have spent the past four days helping her learn subjects like math, reading, and spelling. She loves to hear stories and passes time by playing tic tac toe on the chalk board. Two days ago, I taught her how to spell my name, and since, she has began to write out my name on her papers whenever she has the chance.
At recess, our group waits anxiously for the kids to race out their classrooms to come play with us. Each morning at 10:15, I count the seconds till they ring the bell, indicating that recess has begun. Sephra marches out of her classroom with her classmates, but as soon as her eyes lock mine, she darts toward me, arms wide open, ready to be swung high up into my arms. I spend recess carrying Sephra around, swinging her up and down, playing catch, frisbee, and attempting our try at a hand game that many other kids here play. Though I'm looking forward to playing with her today, I'm dreading having to say goodbye tomorrow. Sephra and I have made an inseparable bond and she has taught me that even in unfortunate conditions, it's still possible to have a positive attitude towards everything.
Throughout this trip, the kids have taught me that I have patience that I never thought I had. I also learned that I am really good at working with kids: They seem to like me a lot. I also have been taught that the kids in this area value their education way more than the kids I know back home. I recently have befriended a kid that reminded me of myself. Mostly because he is popular, really optimistic, ticklish, and chubby. But what really hit me was his name. His name is Ivan. It excited me so much, that I went by Ivan to the local kids throughout this whole trip.
Over the past days working at the school I've bonded with Ivan. I learned what he likes, what he doesn't like; he learned what I liked and didn't like. Recently Ivan did something that is going to make it even harder to leave him tomorrow. Ivan gave me a bracelet, with a note that read "I love you Ivan....your friend Ivan Pau." That note gave me a good slap in the face, and said that no matter where, or what race, age, weight, height, or religion, all these kids around the world will always have one thing in common. That one thing, that most important thing, they all have in common is that they are kids. The same kids I see at home, the same kids that I see on television all are kids. And when I say kids I mean people that can't care for themselves, feed themselves, and most importantly educate themselves. And after reflecting on that, I now truly know why I am here. I was brought here to learn this lesson, whether I like it or not. So I can understand personally for myself the difficulties children of the world face, and to also realize how spoiled I am and how grateful I should be. Not only for my lesson, but for this trip.
I am thankful for the World Leadership School thinking about kids like me, to spread a lesson like this. I'd also like to thank my parents for not letting me back out, whether you saw this in my future or not. And also the adults on this trip for doing their best to make this trip be the best it can be. But mostly I'm thankful for being introduced to kids like Ivan. Meeting him is making it harder for me to leave and has made it easier for me to reflect and learn my lesson from this trip.
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Roommates and Making New Friends
Roommates and making new friends in our group can be hard and easy. Some of us have our best friends on the trip, while others don't know anyone. But everyone has been really good with each other! There have been some times when people have gotten upset, but we just talk it out and usually the problem gets resolved. Making new friends is always fun and it gives us new opportunities to share our ideas and thoughts.
Roommates have been chosen for us by the teachers on the trip. Some people are put in rooms with people who they aren't really friends with and this encourages us to widen our friend circle. It was kind of hard to choose who was sleeping where, because in our room there is a single bed and a bunk bed. In our room, the smallest girl is sleeping in the single! But in the end, we all got where we wanted to sleep. I didn't really know my roommates at first but now I love them! It's overall been a really good experience.
-Shreya
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The Nuuk Cheil Guest House
A few favorite things about our guest house from a poll of random kids nearby:
- food (lots of this one)
- fresh fruit
- the colors
- the dining room
- hammocks
- mosquito nets
- fans
And now a little more detail from Colleen!
So we are staying at the Maya Center in cabins, each with a couple roommates. Two of them do not have their own bathroom, but the rest do. The ones that don't, use the bathrooms that are outside. But the girls do share the showers with the rooms that have bathrooms. The hammocks are where lots of people hang out when there is free time, which is under a little covering. The dining room also is where many spend their time playing cards and bananagrams. It's been really hot and humid, but we've been using lots of fans to keep us cool. The food has also been really good with lots of fresh fruit beans and rice. Everyday the cooks at the Maya Center have given us a variety to choose from, even for those with special dietary needs.
Saying Goodbye
Over the past few days while working at the school, I have developed a strong relationship with a little girl named Luyann. She is no older than 9, and is about half the size of me. She has black hair, usually worn in two cute pigtails held together by sparkly orange hair ties. Her uniform is a green dress, usually worn with a white polo underneath. Her little teeth form the cutest smile. You can't resist from smiling back. She wears little black shoes with straps, on which she runs on when we play tag. Her little purple backpack always bounces on her back when she runs to school. She is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen.
Today, June 14th, I had to bid farewell to my little friend Luyann. All the games of tag and frisbee will be missed greatly. Most of all, when she asked me to pick her up and hold her. Luyann is in STD1 (standard one), the grade after preschool. Her classroom is located in room 1, where she works along with about 10 other infants, such as my other good friends Christine, Sephra, Daniel, Joshua, etc. Whenever assigned to go to a classroom, Luyann begs me to come in with her. She makes sure I come to room 1. While in class, together we complete alphabet and math work pages. We tackle religious assignments and finish science papers. Occasionally, she would request for the pencil she forgot at home, and I'd give her the purple pencil in my pencil case. I also gave her my princess towel and mirror in which she loved and begged for.
Today, i received a very pretty bracelet from her in return from the women's shop down the road In which she lives. She signed my journal, so whenever I get sad from missing her, I peek at reminders I have of her, such as her signature and the bracelet. Throughout the trip, we have become very close, so whenever the break bell rang at exactly 10:15 a.m., she would come running towards me, arms open, ready to jump in my arms.
Now that none of this will happen, I remember all of our times together. Although I feel most of the kids don't realize we aren't coming back again tomorrow, I know Luyann understands because she started to cry at break today when i told her I wasn't coming back. She made me promise I will visit again, so maybe I'll come on this trip again next year! People like Luyann remind me to treasure the memories I have and always have fun when I can. You will be missed Luyann. I will always remember you.
- Cayla
This afternoon we said our goodbyes to the kids we have been working and playing with over the last five days. We and all of the kids at the school where gathered, and we all sat down together. The youngest kids who where 3 or 4 years old sang their ABCs for us. It was extremely cute. Next, the infants one and two classes sang us a prayer. Then, we were called up and each of us was presented with small gifts. A child from the community would come up and present us with a gift--if it was a bracelet the child would tie it on your wrist for you. Then, six of the kids did a traditional dance. After the celebration, we were dismissed to spend the next hour to play with our new friends and then say goodbye.
I played games with the friends that I had made this week, and we walked around the school talking. A very sweet gesture of the friends I had made was that they wrote me a letter, gave me pictures of them, and gave me a present of their own. When it was time to go, there where lots and lots of goodbyes and hugs. I know I will never forget the friends I made and the lessons and memories they and their community have taught me.
- Maggie
Check out a video of the farewell on YouTube: http://youtu.be/m0yZrUypMKQ
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Next Stop: Tobacco Caye
We're headed to Tobacco Caye today for a little snorkeling, relaxation, and marine adventure. We're not certain about the availability of Internet there, so don't worry if you see less posts today than you're used to! It's either because we're having too much fun to write....or because there's no Internet.
_____________________________________________We've arrived in Tobacco Caye!
We've made it! The kids are excited to blog tonight, but I just wanted to send a quick post to let you know we're here. The internet is limited, but does exist! And the view is pretty nice....
_____________________________________________At the Beach!
Today we arrived in Tobacco Caye. We took a bus to Dangregia, then while we waited out the rain of the day, we met Sean, Jen, and Kelsey, who are our snorkeling instructors while we are here. We then split onto two boats, and had a bumpy, but fun ride to the Caye. It was a little uncomfortable at first, they made the best of it, mostly by singing (cough, cough Ms. Mahr), and eventually had fun.
When we got to the 5-acre island, we had to sort out the rooming situations. The teachers played a mean trick on us girls, by telling us that we had no separate bathrooms and that we had to shower in the ocean; but everything is good now. We then had a delicious pasta lunch, and a tour around the island. We went and got outfitted for snorkel gear and had a presentation on snorkel safety.
We headed over to one of the docks and made sure that all of our gear was secure, then we hopped into the water. We all have snorkel buddies, who we go to if something happens in the water, or if we see something cool (which happens a lot). We didn't go very far today, but we still managed to see some cool things, like stingrays and scorpion fish. We then got out of the water and headed back to our rooms to prepare for dinner.
After dinner we went had another presentation on fish, behaviors, and coral. We were told what is happening tomorrow, which includes Bingo: fish edition! We are all going to bed now, so goodnight!
- Kate
P.S. We are using several waterproof cameras, so pics will be shared when we get back to the states.
Snorkeling in paradise ( Emoji included)
Yesterday was our first day that we got to snorkel. We saw many fish. However, no whales, dolphins, or sharks were spotted. Coral and sponges were everywhere! ☀The sun was really bright too so we have to wear a lot of sunscreen, even the people who are tan☀.
Today, we are going to go snorkeling all day. However, the squalls☁, or storms⚡, make it impossible to travel on boat⛵ on the sea during the storm. We are waiting it out, and it is 10:45 a.m. ⏰ right now and we are still waiting. No worries though because we will get to go snorkel very soon.
Anyways, back to our snorkeling yesterday. Jen and Sean are our main tour guides, while Kelsey Is an intern helping out. They are super cool and taught us all the snorkel skills we need.
Well, we are leaving soon so we have to go get ready (sunscreen, water, towel, etc.)
Cayla, Erin, and Olivia
Back at the TEC
We are safely and happily back at the Tropical Education Center on the mainland. As you may have heard, the weather isn't great here. We're taking it easy this afternoon and will hopefully post a more extensive update from the kids this afternoon! Please be sure to keep an eye on our flight status tomorrow (in case the rain gets worse). We will post as often as possible, but the airline should be your source for the most up to date info.
A last pic on a long day
The weather is pretty gross, but we've still managed to have some fun today, including a trip to the zoo! Hopefully we can get a real post up for you tomorrow, but in the meantime, here's a pic from our final evening activities.
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