belize: day6.

yay, yay, yay to another sunny morning in belize!

this morning found me back in the classroom with the level five book reporters, this time helping them participate in an exercise where they actually created a small play. we divided them into groups and provided them with two characters, a setting, and a conflict, and they were to provide the rest: an additional two characters, a plot and dialogue. their work was inspiringly fantastic. to see those who had hung back yesterday really come out of their shell today was an indescribable feeling. their creativity and collaboration rivaled our own – my sense of pride was through the roof. i came out of the experience on a high, one that i hope will carry for a long time.

my next experience of the day found me smack in the middle of a swarm of six-year-olds, helping to make clocks out of paper and cardboard, and there, my friends, i fell in love. his name is junior. his face is as round as a basketball and his smile has completely stolen my heart. he clings to me like a little monkey and i love it. junior calls me “miss” because he can’t remember my first name, and i call him junior because i can’t pronounce his. it’s a match made in heaven.

the heat and sun here is so intense (not to mention the humidity…i have completely abandoned all hopes of my hair actually looking decent). we take turns working outside building the kids’ playground so that no one gets too hot or sunburned. of course, we can’t prevent everyone from getting burned, but the inside/outside rotations do help. its amazing how much we have gotten accomplished in just a few days – i can’t wait to see the project complete.

after school, i took a much needed snooze, waking a few hours later to the sound of giggling outside my room. i scurried to the balcony to check it out. kim’s little friend alexis – who sells jewelry as an afterschool job – was throwing a jewelry party for us downstairs. i hurried down to meet him, and he quickly got me started on a bracelet. i chose turquoise beads combined with pearls and ivory shells – san pedro tears, alexis called them. i also took a look at some of his other work, and came away with an ivory shell necklace that is absolutely stunning. kim had purchased some ceviche and fresh chips from a woman on the street and was graciously sharing with all of us.

later, after we finished our jewelry, kim and the rest of the jewelry girls walked down the beach to what appeared to be a run-down asian restaurant. it had been rumored by the boys to have the best pizza on the island. upon first glance, i wasn’t convinced, but i was willing to give it a try.

i’m glad i did, because the boys definitely weren’t bluffing. for six american dollars, we each got our own eight-piece pizza, and every one of us ate every piece. the crust was doughy and slightly sweet, unlike american pizza dough. the sauce was sweeter too, making the whole thing really unique tasting – it was a twist on a really familiar food, which i so appreciated.

still giggling, the group walked back to the hotel with the sea breeze billowing in our hair and dresses.

until tomorrow, my friends. love to you all.

snorkeling.

belize: day5.

today started out much like yesterday. we rose around seven and left the hotel shortly after eight. on the way to school, we stopped at a belizian bakery/pastry shop for breakfast. it was unlike any i’ve ever seen – there were the most decadent, delicious pastries. i swear each one had to have at least a thousand calories.

i bought three…

anyway, when we got to the school, kim recruited the theater majors of the group to work in one of the upper level classrooms. they were working on a book report project that involved picking a certain “scene” from the book and acting it out with others who were also assigned that same book. in other words, their assignment was basically to do exactly what the usf theater department recently did with page to stage. therefore, we were more than qualified to help out. along with kim, colin, dom, debbie and i joined the pupils of level five playing theater games and warming up our bodies. we did our best to convey to them the importance of “go big or go home,” which is the philosophy of our department back at usf. often times, those who look the silliest are the ones who aren’t being silly at all. the kids did really well, and seemed to be excited about us coming back tomorrow. i was surprised and somewhat saddened to find that none of them had ever seen live theater. in fact, it was difficult for them to even grasp that concept. i so wished we could have performed something for them. you can bet i will be fighting to get that on the agenda for future trips to belize.

in other classroom news, though, i was told i looked like lady gaga and was asked if i had a younger sister. i said i did, but that she was recently taken.

you’re welcome, tess.

we ate lunch together following our work in the classroom, and i had the opportunity for yet another cultural experience. fish was on the menu that day, and when i specified that that was my preference, i was completely unaware that i would be served an actual fish – not a fillet or fish sticks, no, but an actual cooked, whole fish. even the eyes and teeth were still attached. it was definitely a little freaky at first, but the meat tasted so wonderful that i soon forgot what the thing looked like. i cleaned the bones, it was so delicious. my dad would have been proud.

after lunch, a small group of us were released for the afternoon. it was our day to go snorkeling, and i was super pumped, to say the least. we grabbed our suits and sandals and jogged over to the snorkel tour station. we paid our money (thirty-five american dollars) and were handed flippers, goggles, and a snorkel (the tube used to breathe under water). we rode a speed boat out to middle water, right by the big coral reef. our instructor told us how to adjust our goggles and snorkels, and with that, we all hopped into the water. because of all the salt, we could float easily without life jackets, but it was still a little scary at first. all nerves were diminished, however, as soon as i put my face into the water. the life under there was incredible! fish of every size and color were swimming around at arm’s length. the plants were all shapes and colors as well, and their vibrancy was absolutely incredible. we swam around for almost an hour, simply observing that brand new underwater world. unfortunately, my mask was way too tight, and was giving me an awful headache. on top of that, the constant “in and out” of the water and the accidental swallowing of all that salt really got to me. by the time we climbed back into the boat, i was so sick i could hardly open my eyes. thus, a word to the wise: always take a precautionary dramamine before swimming with the fishes. you’ll feel much better afterwards, and look much less like a tourist.

later, after a little nap and a catch up session on my blog, kim and five of us girls headed far up the beach to a restaurant called the blue fin grille. the atmosphere was clean and quaint, with icicle lights hanging from the ceiling and the cool sea breeze blowing in and out of the restaurant. i had my best meal so far in belize: fresh, salted edamame and a crispy shrimp salad with peanut soy vinaigrette dressing. walking back to our hotel, i felt delightfully full and content.

what a wonderful feeling.

on our way back, we met more of the group heading out for the night. we decided to turn around and join them, and spent the rest of the evening dancing to live music in a local bar called the tackle box. letting loose after such a long day felt amazing, and bonding with the group was so much fun. every person here has their own unique gifts to contribute, and i am thankful and blessed to be able to share and experience those gifts.

goodnight all, love and sweat dreams to you.

the poverty of san mateo.

holy cross school.

belize: day4.

hello again, friends. fancy meeting you here.

i woke this morning excited, eager to get to the school and meet all the kids. we were on our way shortly after eight, and were greeted at the holy cross gates by miss lydia, the school's event and fundraiser coordinator. she gave us a quick tour of the school, which fortunately was much nicer inside than it looked initially. the classrooms are small, but cutely decorated. there is a nice sized lunchroom, a brand new computer room, and the entire facility is structured to withstand hurricanes. the kids are required to wear uniforms, and they all look so cute. they seemed so happy to see us - it was the warmest welcome.

following our tour, miss lydia walked us down the road to the suburban swamplands of san mateo. this part of the island looked nothing like the touristy fronts of the buildings along the beach. it was drastically run down and stricken with poverty. the smell from the combination of murky water and discarded trash was overwhelming. discarded shoes and rubbish and old construction materials lay everywhere. the amount of garbage made me sick to my stomach; it was literally all around, the roads were even made out of it. miss lydia told us that a majority of the children who attend holy spirit are residents of san mateo. suddenly, the dirty uniforms and unwashed faces we had seen earlier that morning made much more sense.

miss lydia told us that sunday mornings were deemed "community road building" time, informing us that we were more than welcome to join in if we felt led. i absolutely do; thus, sunday morning will find me bonding with the residents of san mateo, working together to construct the road.

when we got back to the school, the group split up, helping to do whatever was needed. some of us worked outside shoveling again, while others worked in and out of the classroom, reading and doing individual tutoring. a couple of us were able to teach a few theater games in one of the classrooms, and the kids went crazy. they loved us and loved the activity and attention. it was an amazing feeling.

after school, we got out a few of the sport toys we brought and played with the kids who were on their way home. many of them remembered us from earlier in the day, running to us and showering us with hugs. we played and played, staying almost two hours after the school had let out. we walked back to the hotel feeling wonderfully exhausted.

that night, after a cool shower and a change of clothes, i walked down the beach with lexy and debbi, two girls from the group who i utterly adore. we found an amazing little restaurant on middle street and decided to try it. i ate a huge chicken burrito and a type of corn tortilla pie - called a papusa. inside the corn tortilla outsides were spinach and melted mozzarella cheese. they were unlike anything i've ever eaten - so amazingly delicious. i topped off the meal with a papaya strawberry milkshake.

yum.

after the meal, i made my way back to the hotel to catch up on my blog and to connect with some folks back home. now it's time for rest. i can't wait to get back to holy cross tomorrow. those kids are stealing my heart.

sweet dreams, all. love you.

mayan ruins of altun ha.

water taxi station.

belize: day3.

we woke to the sunshine again today. i have never felt so joyous to be awake and alive as i do here in the south american sun.

sunday was to bring tours of the mayan ruins, exploring their fortresses and constructions and tubing through their caves.

we boarded the water taxi to the mainland and drowsily bounced along with the waves. when we arrived, we were hurried into a small tour bus, complete with four belizian men, all to be assisting with the day's tours. they passed out breakfast on the ride - plantains and the belizian version of pancakes, a type of fry bread eaten with syrup and creamy cheese.

so delicious.

our first stop was belize's altun ha mayan ruins, great structures of stone, standing high on plains of grass. we were able to explore each of the two courtyards, even climbing to the top of the tallest mayan tomb. henry, our trusty tour guide, was a fountain of historical knowledge about the ruins. he seemed to know everything there was to know, and by the end of the tour, i felt like i did too.

after that, it was back onto the bus for all of us, and this time lunch was served. actually, i should say that lunch met us on the side of the road. we stopped alongside a green minivan about ten minutes away from the mayan ruins. henry and company hopped out, grabbed the bags of food from the driver and hauled them onto the bus. in minutes, we were happily munching (we ate chicken, rice, and beans) and driving again.

when we arrived at our destination, the group piled out of the bus again, this time to a sort of concession stand shack that rented aqua socks and sold (among other things) snickers and spicy pringles.

random, i know.

anyway, we paid three dollars from the concession guy and slipped on the rented, extremely unattractive, aqua socks. henry gave each of us an inner tube, life jacket, and headlight, and we began a hike to the top of a mountain. another one of our guides taught us tricks of the jungle as we walked - which trees were poisonous, which were fruitful, which were medical, etc. we were able to try a nut from one of them, and we even tasted termites - they have a minty fresh flavor, and apparently are pretty good for you.

when we arrived, we were greeted by a small river and the entrance to a cave. henry instructed us to mount our tubes, lights on heads, and secure into our armpits the feet of the person behind us. we formed one long line, with henry at the front, and rode the current into the cave.

inside was absolutely breathtaking. most of the journey was completely dark, we had only the light from our headlights, along with the comforting sound of henry's voice and the comfort in knowing he would take care of us. a few times, though, we would be told to turn our lights off and glide in the darkness for a minute or two. then, rounding a sort-of "bend," we were met face to face with sunlight pouring into the caves. we saw out into the jungle of which we had previously hiked. it was the most breathtaking view. i felt as if it were made just for us, like a secret nobody knew - which of course was ridiculous, but i felt it just the same. henry and the others pointed out formations on our way through, along with the mayan legends that were tied to them.

finally, the current led us out of the cave and we floated along the remainder of the river with the sun on our face. right before we reached the beach where the tubes and equipment were collected, we saw several children jumping from a small rocky cliff, probably twenty or thirty feet from the water. it looked like so much fun, and their laughter was ringing throughout the jungle. a couple of the boys in our group scurried out of the water to join them, and after only a second's hesitation, i followed.

when in belize, right?

standing on the edge of the little cliff, though, my confidence wasn't as high. the boys had jumped before me, so i was the only one of us who had yet to depart from the rock. looking over the edge into the water below, though, for a second i thought i was going to have to turn back. however, the little children around me were cheering me on, telling me the best place to jump from and what to do with my body. kim and the others were shouting encouragement from the water, so finally, eyes closed and nerves high, i lept from the cliff. i hit the water in seconds and popped my head up to sounds of clapping and laughter. i had done it! i had jumped from the little cliff!

as soon has everyone was hauled from the water, we returned our tubing equipment and took our seats on the bus. i slept most of the way home. once we entered the city, we were driven to the dock where we boarded the water taxi once again, this time headed for home.

after a cool shower and a change of clothes, i headed out on the town to a restaurant on the water with kim and the girls. we laughed, ate ceviche (a mixture of fresh vegetables and seafood, sort of like a salsa) and sang karaoke.

we walked back to the hotel with our stomachs full and our shoes in hand, feet tickled by the beach. the perfect ending to a perfect day.

tomorrow is the start of a new week, and we will be meeting the kids from holy cross for the first time. i can hardly sleep, i'm so excited.

love from belize, everyone. until tomorrow.

belize: day2.

today i rose with the sun, easily, with no complaints or feelings of jet lag or exhaustion. i felt its warm rays pouring through the window onto my sleepy body, beckoning me to rise with it. i did, and after a granola bar and a little mascara, i was ready ready for the day. our group met on the sandy beach in front of our hotel and walked together down the beach and across the rusty bridge to holy cross, the school we would be partnering with for the week. it was saturday, so there were no students present, only a couple of men who would be helping to guide us throughout the day.

when i saw the school for the first time, i was curious, but saddened at the same time. holy cross consisted of a cluster of white buildings that looked more like barracks than school houses. there were discarded tools and machinery surrounding the buildings themselves, which appeared to be shabby and a bit run down from the outside. crooked gates swung everywhere - it all felt very surreal.

we were led through the maze of little buildings to a water's edge - the school had been built on the outer perimeter of the city, basically swampland. a huge pile of branches, leaves, and assorted garbage greeted us there. more garbage floated in the sand in the slow current of the water. my initial thought was that we would be clearing this mess of waste and disposing of it somehow. i soon found that our goal was just the opposite. we would be throwing the contents of the pile into the water and shoveling sand on top of it. we were to make an area for a playground to be built, and as we were on the edge of a lagoon, we needed to make our own shoreland. the american in me wanted to pull out my hair and scream, burn the branches and recycle the trash, but in san pedro, they aren't so fortunate. so i gritted my teeth and chucked armful after armful of trash and leaves into the water. i shoveled sand like mad on top of it, so i wouldn't have to look at what i'd done.

we worked on the playground project all morning, finally stopping around one o'clock when our supervisors had to return to their real jobs. the group scooted back to the hotel, quickly traded our sweaty clothes for swimming suits, and dove headfirst into the salty ocean. laughing and splashing, it was easy to forget the harsh reality of the project we had begun earlier that day. monday morning would bring that reality back soon enough i knew, and although i was eager to begin again our real work on the island, i was apprehensive to find out what else was in store.

later that evening, freshly showered and coolly dressed, the group hit the town for some food and fun. we ate in a place called central park - a concrete slab where belizian women bring their homemade food, setting up camp in little carts and selling what they can. the food is authentic, inexpensive, and absolutely amazing. bellies full, we danced on the sand and met new friends, feeling like locals in no time at all. we have been in belize less than two days, and already i feel a fondness, a connection with this island and its people. i am eager to see how that feeling grows and evolves over the next week.

peace and love, my friends. i wish you were here to experience this with me.

belize: day1.

as i write, i am sitting at the bar of wayo's beachside beernet in belize, south america, sipping a coke and trying not to pinch myself. part of me can hardly belive i'm here, yet on the other hand, i can now see experiences in my life that have no doubt been leading to an experience just like this one. it's almost as if i should have expected to be here someday.

but, perhaps i should start at the beginning.

i almost didnt make it here, to be completely honest. when kim returned from belize for the first time and invited us back with her, i wrote her off. i had obligations with the choir during spring break, and more importantly, i couldn't afford the trip. however, after a lot of prayer and a few sleepless nights, i made a big decision. i would indeed be going along with my mentor and seventeen other students, as she led us back to the land that had changed her. kim wanted to share everything with us, from the culture to the people, from the deep poverty to the joyous laughter.

we departed from sioux falls, sd at 12:00am on friday morning, driving through the night in a fifteen passenger van, arriving in minneapolis in enough time to check our bags of books and sporting equipment and board our plane. almost twelve hours (and many short naps) later, we were shedding our shoes on the sandy beach of belize. we checked into our hotel - called "the tides" - and met several of kim's friends. our group cleaned up, rested a bit, and set off exploring the island. ours is a group made up of so many distinct individuals, however, the dynamic is one of unity, loyalty, and collaboration. i couldn't be more pleased with the relationships i've already formed, and look forward to further developing those and more.

tomorrow we will be working at holy cross school, helping to construct a foundation for a playground for the students there. i can hardly wait to get started.

stay tuned, my friends. i can already tell this is going to be the experience of a lifetime.