Privilege

Today was our last day at Maya Center and working at St Jude's School. We had to say goodbye to all our new friends which was hard but we still will have the memories of them. Today I got to help out in the Kindergarten classroom where they were taking their phonetics exam. It was very different from the classrooms I am used to. There were so many kids in one room and it was hard for the teacher to control them. The teacher sometimes had to step out of the room and I was left in charge. They all began to talk and came up to me with complaints of biting, kicking, and punching. They were passing their exams to each other so they could look at eachother's answers. I wasn't really sure what to do so I just told the teacher of the complaints.

Watching them take their exam was also very frustrating for me. Most of the kids can't read and they are not fluent in English. I looked around at their papers and saw wrong answers everywhere. The teacher told me to go around and read the questions to them. She said to give them a couple opportunities to get it right. There was so many kids and even with four of us it was hard. I don't know how the teacher does it by herself. When I went around and orally asked the kids the questions on the exam, most of them new the correct answers. They would know the answer but they circled the wrong thing because they can't read.

One girl that I got close to named Andrea had a whole paper full of wrong answers. I had to sit with her for a while and repeat the questions multiple times, but she got all the right answers. This made me very sad. If no one had done that then she would have gotten a really bad grade on her exam. All the kids are very smart, it's just the teacher can't just sit with every one of them until they get it. This gives these kids a disadvantage.

I realized I am privileged because I was taught how to read at a young age. I went to a school with a reading teacher and I had parents and grandparents who exposed me to books and helped me to learn. These kids did not have this privilege. This made me think about how I can use the privileges I have to help others. It really felt good when the kids I helped figured out the right answer. Though it's a couple of questions on a kindergarten exam, it meant more to me and I am really glad I had the opportunity to work with them.

Hi Mom and Dad,
I am having so much fun in Belize! I can't wait to see you in a couple of days. I hope you are not too depressed without me. I love you and I miss you.
Keshini
PS: There are a lot of chickens here.

Reaching New Heights

Today, we visited the Mayan ruins at Xunantunich. After traveling almost the entire width of Belize by bus, crossing a river by ferry, and hiking up a gargantuan hill, we arrived in a vast plaza. Towering above us all loomed a huge plaza by the name of El Castillo. After learning more about it, we began our ascent to the top. Personally, being afraid of heights, I was nervous about scaling such an unenclosed structure, but I began climbing the steep first set of steps. We had reached about the halfway point of the plaza when we were directed to a smaller, more precarious set of stairs. At this point I figured that I must scale the entire building since I had made it that far. I was uneasy at first since there were no railings, but I just kept climbing because I knew the view would be unforgettable.
When I finally reached the top of El Castillo, I was astounded by the sheer beauty of what we saw over a hundred feet below us. Our view stretched far across Belize and even into Guatemala. The people truly resembled ants, walking around in clusters. It is difficult to fully explain the wonder of the world lying below. I realized that it didn't matter that I was afraid to climb. All that mattered was that I had reached the top and experienced the view. I learned that I should always take a chance if the reward is great and unforgettable.

Dear Mom, Dad, Henry, George, and Red,

I'm having a great time here in Belize. All my teammates are super nice and I'm surprisingly not sick of anyone!! My favorite part so far has been visiting the Mayan ruins today. Hope you're having fun in Maryland/VA and I'll see you soon!

Love,
Lillian

Discovering New Things

The school here is awesome. Although it doesn't look like the nicest school, the kids inside are full of joy. Our second day here when we were building the back wall for the school, we were getting really tired. The kids were on their break time, so a lot of them came to help us build. In this generous act of kindness, I met a new friend. His name is Edwin and he is in second grade. He helped me carry the blocks to the wall. He did this with all of the blocks. It was awesome.

The next day, we had fun in the classrooms. Not many of the kids seemed to like me, except for one. He came up to me and asked if I play soccer. In turn, I replied yes, so we went outside to play. A lot of kids joined so we started a game. I did a few fancy moves to which everybody shouted olé! It was really fun.

Dear Mom, Dad, Burke, and Maeve,

Things are going great here. Today, we had a bus ride down to some Mayan Ruins, and climbed to the top of the tallest building. It made me feel pretty tall for once. The school here is awesome and so are the kids. Two days ago during our community hour, I took some time to play some soccer with the kids. They were really good. Anyways, I miss you all and I'll see you when I get back home.

Love,
Conor

Leader

leader
[ ˈliːdə ]
NOUN
noun: leader · plural noun: leaders
The person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country.

But is this really the only thing that can define a leader?

From today's experience, I say no.

Today we spoke with local leaders in the community. I got the chance to speak to one in specific-- a healer (traditional doctor) named Aurora. She told three of us her life story, and how, at one point, she wanted to be an artisan. In the meantime, she also was training with her uncle, who was a Mayan healer that was renowned throughout Central America. One day, her uncle got very sick and told her that she was to take over.

However, Aurora still wanted to be an artisan. This changed upon her uncle's death, when she put aside her personal wishes and decided to go become a healer for the sake of her community.

A leader, as I have discovered today, does not just need to be as defined by the dictionary-- "a person who leads or commands a group." A leader is someone who is, more than anything, unselfish. Aurora knew that this was must she must do, and as stated above, put the community and every stranger, every person she lived with, before herself. Any leader should strive to be like that. Then, they are not just a "commander."

They are a true leader.




Dear Mom and Dad (and Whiskey)--

There is a frog that makes goat noises. It's driving me crazy. Send help and cheeseballs.


See you soon--
Anu

Passion Leads to Inspiration

Passion leads to inspiration

Inspiration comes from different places, different moments, and from people with different perspectives. Leaders of this community have to be truly passionate and hard working to get where they are today.

Today we spoke with leaders of the Mayan community. I sat down with two girls and Liberato Saqui, the principal of St. Jude's school. This man was the most inspirational man I have ever met and he showed us the true meaning of passion. He was dedicated to his work and single handedly ran the school. I had never met a man as inspiring as him because when he was a kid, he grew up in a poor family. His family barely had enough money for shoes, let alone high school. He always wanted to be a teacher but with no education this could not happen. He
went to high school with aid from the school and even in poor conditions at home, he never stopped believing. Later in life, he was asked to run St. Jude's school and immediately said yes. Today, Liberato strives to Improve his school because he cares about his kids. I was extremely inspired about his dedication because he dealt with the stress of upset parents and frustrated teachers. When a teacher was sick he covered the class and ran the school. He was so passionate about his work that the stress never threw him. Inspiration and passion go hand in hand when shaping leaders.

Dear Mom, Dad, Claire, and Nellie,

I miss you so much and I'm having a great time! I hope everything is going well at home and Claire is having fun in Spain! Love you!

Love,
Brooke

Fear

Fear - Noun
|fi(e)r|

An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat to someone's or something's well being.

Everybody has fears. They sit in your head and play with your mind. They make you scared, frightened, and distressed. The only way to beat them is to conquer them- and that's what being part of a team is for. In a team, everybody has to bring something to the table. Whether it be excellence in math, or knowing how to pitch a tent, every single person has something to offer. And, teammates can help you with your fears. Just like I do.

Growing up with outdoorsy parents meant that I would have to adapt to the outdoor surroundings. Because of my parents (and my natural born adventurer side) any type of bug, frog, beetle, snake, and anything else does not bother me. My goal for this trip has nothing to do with my well-being. It has to do with others'. I'm the person called upon when there is a frog in the room to be removed. I'm the person to go first down the path at night. I'm the one who tries the super spicy peppers before anyone else to tell them if they will survive. I'm the person who makes people face their fears.

Here in Belize we are all just one big team. We all help each other in different ways, and this one is mine.

Mom, Dad, Grayden, Eve and Annie,

I am having a really good time! I can't wait to see you and I hope you are all safe and sound. I love you!

PS: I did have a good birthday! Just be sure to check in on Kate and Peggy!

Love,
Taylor Mitchell

Connecting Through Language

Today when I visited the Saint Jude R.C. school for the second time, I experienced the feeling of gratitude. I chose to help a class of third graders take their English writing exam. Because the classes were so big, and there was only one teacher, the writing skill levels varied. The English literacy rate being very low in the classroom in which I helped played a large role in this. The kids who could speak English well were the ones writing two page essays while the kids who could speak very little English barely wrote anything at all. I tried my best to use my knowledge of Spanish to help the kids translate their essays, and I had fun doing so. This experience has helped me see the best in things, and has made me appreciate the things in life that I may take for granted.

Hi Mom and Dad,

I am having a great time in Belize and I love and miss you all so much. I can't wait to share the experiences I have had when I return to Maryland, and to find out who won the Cleveland vs Golden State games.

Love,
Rachel