So our last night the school had several parties for us. We all hung out and talked about the good times we had. It made us all very sad. That night they had a bonfire in our honor. All the kids from the school gathered at Boca Del Rio Park and we played games and sang songs. It was so hard to leave all of our students that night. We all cried of course but we had other places we had to be so we had to leave. The next day everyone left except for me, Tess, Natalie, and Jeanne. We all stayed an extra night there instead of in Miami. Teacher Hector and Teacher Evette borrowed a 3 seat golf cart and took us to the next island to go to the beach and see all the great sights. The cooked us each a whole fish (the pic. above) and we ate it with the head attached and everything. I do not eat fish but I didn't want to hurt their feelings. It was surprisingly good! I may actually start eating fish now... haha. It is just amazing to me how generous these people are. They had to split a fish and gave their children hot dogs because that is what they could afford. They would rather give you all of their things that have anything for themselves. I just have never seen that kind of generosity anywhere before. I hope that I can be like these wonderful Belizean people that we have become great friends with. I want to keep in touch as much as possible and go visit if I can afford it. I had such a great experience that I will never forget!

The Whole Trip

The whole trip was so amazing. I can not put into words how much I learned and how I have grown. I feel like a completely new person and teacher. I was immersed in this unfamilar culture that I became so fond of. I love that they have such a great sense of community and help one another out as much as possible. It is a small island where everyone knows everyone and they were so appreciative to have us there. It reminded me a little bit of home because I come from a small town. We were celebrities to the children and to most of the adults. We met so many great freinds both Belizean and from other countries including the United States. Staying at Pedro's was awesome because we had people coming in and out from so many different countries because it is a hostel as well. I was so sad to leave because of all the wonderful people that I met. I don't know how I will keep in touch with these people but I know that will not be my last trip to Belize. This trip has made me realize that I want to teach abroad or go to Grad School somewhere interesting. I think it has just opened my mind to the possibilities and needs out there. I am so excited to be graduating but scared of what that holds for my future. This was the last trip that I will have before I have to grow up and get a big girl job. Wow! What a wonderful ending to my college career. Something that has changed me forever. You can't put a price tag on that. Yes, it did cost a lot of money but in the end... college is expensive but I think that this was more real than anything I have done in my college career. Well, that and student teaching! It just opens your eyes to more opportunities and different teaching styles as well as learning styles. I believe I have become a better teacher because of this experience! I think everyone should study or teach abroad and just see what else is out there. Thanks for this opportunity Mom, Dad, and UNC-W!

This experience has really opened my eyes to opportunities in other countries. I don't know if I can go back to the United States and be satisfied with what I am doing. I would love to travel and be immersed in many different cultures. I have enjoyed this experience so much and it has definately affected me as a teacher and a person. Here I have realized that I need to be more flexible in my teaching. Also, now I will be prepared for any school. Whether they have supplies, technology, or nothing at all. I am excited to learn more about my teaching style. The kids down here are so appreciative and they are super cute. Every morning when I walk in the classroom they say in unison "Good morning teacher Brianna!" It brightens my day! We are celebrities here. If we see our students out in town they flag us down and yell at us because they are so happy to have us here. I love it and think that in the United States we need a little more appreciation as teachers. Even the parents are more respectful and helpful. I can sense it whether or not they can speak English. It is just they way they talk to us and support us. I love this island and would move here if it was possible! I love the laid back environment and the sense of community!

San Pedro Vs. San Ignacio

I have been both to San Pedro and San Ignacio now. I think that they are both very interesting places that I love but, I didn't teach in San Ignacio. If I had to choose where I would like to work based on what I observed, I would say San Pedro. There is less poverty here than in San Ignacio. Many houses there had no electricity in their houses at all. It would be a different experience completely. It is much cheaper to live inland but that is because San Pedro is an island and everything has to be imported. I have talked to several parents who move from Belize city to San Pedro because they make twice the money doing the same thing that they would be doing inland. The problem with that is that everything here is more expensive to buy. Many parents have the grandparents take care of their children inland for a couple years while they make money here in San Pedro. Which I find strange because I don't think I could leave my child but it is very common here. I have learned a lot more about San Pedro than San Ignacio because we have been here longer. I love this island and think that it would be amazing to live here.

Belizean Culture

I have noticed alot of things that are similar and different in Belizean culture and in the United States. I have lost all sense of time since I arrived on the island. There are no watches or clocks anywhere. I have realized that I rush around at home way too much and that I need to just relax sometimes. Yet, I have enjoyed eating only when I am hungry, getting somewhere within the hour or so of telling a person. The only problem is that you lose track of the days and things don't get done as quickly as you would like. If someone says meet me at 6... it probably means be there around 7 or 7:30. I think it is crazy how different time management is here. I have also noticed that there is a lack of discipline in the classrooms. The students call out all day without raising their hands or listening when the teacher is talking. I have put some rules in place in my classroom but I am judged as mean. I just feel like no learning is taking place if the students can not hear me. I know it is their culture and that it is alright to act that way. I don't want to step on toes but if I am teaching and my students are saying "teacher, I can't concentrate because of all the noise," I will fix that right away. It's not fair to the students who actually want to learn. Another thing that I thought was ironic this week was teaching Science and teaching Social Studies. I am teaching about land and sea this week. I had to teach them the story of creation... umm don't science and religion conflict? It took me awhile to figure out a plan of action for teaching that lesson. haha. The interconnectedness of religion and school amazes me. I love that the students sing their national anthem every morning and the lord's prayer. My biggest problem here is the lack of supplies for the classrooms. The teachers don't get paid much but are expected to buy all the supplies for the students. We have a copier but it is ancient. It is hard to teach or get activities when I don't have a printer or a copier. Everything that we do takes more time and effort to create. What I have realized though, is that my student's like copying in their notebooks and doing book work. I think it is so funny when my students say "Teacher, teacher, we are tired. Can we write now?" I would never hear that at home. I just want to do what is best for my students. It would just make it more fun and exciting if we had the resources that we have back home. Although it is different from what I am used to, I think that this place is amazing and could picture myself teaching here or another foreign country. I love this island and will never forget what I have learned from my teachers and students.

Teaching in Belize VS. the United States

I don’t know if I would rather be a teacher here in Belize or in the United States. They are two completely different styles. Here it is more direct instruction with limited supplies. At home I have everything I could imagine needing but we are missing the basics. What if we no longer had technology? Most of our students in the United States would be lost because they learned to rely on computers and calculators. I think that it is a great experience to teach abroad so that you grow as a teacher. You must realize that there is more to teaching and that many different styles that work for students. My students here in San Pedro keep saying “Teacher, teacher, I am tired. Can we take notes now”? Which I think is funny because I would never hear that sentence uttered from a student back home. I love being here and I love that it is a different culture and atmosphere. I don’t think that you can say one is better than the other. The students are learning both here and at home, it is just completely different. It has be difficult not having unlimited use of the copier and printers. Everything must be hand-made and paid out of pocket because the school doesn’t provide it.
I also think it is funny that the students are allowed to walk home for lunch and are given the responsibility to come back to school. At home I don’t think many students would come back. If you give them an assignment that they need posters, crayons, or supplies you can just send them to the store or home to retrieve it. Haha. That would be a joke back home. I think they just have more responsibility here. Which I feel like our students are sometimes lacking in the United States. Another thing that is different is that the students are not as creative here. When I try to do an art project or journal write they don’t get that they have to use their imagination and create their own thing.
If I could give the school here one thing I think it would be sports equipment because they have PE once a week but they have no balls to play with so they use soda bottles or pretend. It is very difficult to teach a PE lesson without balls. How do I teach dribbling? I can show them the hand motion but that doesn’t guarantee that they will learn to dribble or that the ball will even touch their hand. But, all in all I love both places! I think here you just have to be more flexible and work at their speed and teach the way that is best for them.

Excursions

The next day we went hiking to the ATM cave. This cave was an amazing museum. It had so many artifacts from ancient Maya ceremonies and skelatons. I loved to learn about all the different places in the cave and it made me realize what it would be like back in time when they had nothing. The guide really helped us visualize everything. I loved when we turned all our headlamps off and just sat there listening to him talk about the ancient Maya. I learned so mauch about their culture and it was the best history lesson I have ever had. haha. When we were finished in there we went back to our awesome hotel to shower and hang out until we had to leave for Caves Branch which is in the rain forest. Caves Branch was another story completely! We drew straws to see which place we were staying either the bungalow or the bunk room.. I'll let u guess which one was better. Well I got the bungalow that was made for 6 or 7 people. I was so excited because we had a shower that was inside and one outside while everyone else had a bucket with holes in the bottom of it outside... haha. So we settled in and went to the pool to wait for dinner. Dinner there was served in courses and started at 6:30. We all ate and looked at the excurisons that we could do the following day. I decided on the Waterfalls which looked amazing. After dinner we all went back to our rooms and listened to the sounds all around us. The rooms there were solid but the whole thing was screened in so we could hear everything all night. I love the jungle noises and think it reminds me of home but alot of the other girls were scared. That is how we ended up 13 deep in our bungalow. All the girls came screaming in our room from the bunk rooms. haha. So we doubled up in the beds. It was like a big girl sleep over. lol. The next day we were all exhausted but excited... Esperanza our tour guide was so good. She drove us out into the jungle to the hiking trail to the waterfall cave. I didn't realize the waterfalls were in complete darkness. We hiked up the trail and she told us about different plants and animals and when we got in the cave she told us about the different bats. We climbed and climbed into this cave. We got to go upsatirs.. well I call it upstairs because it was a hidden chamber int he cave that we had to climb up the rocks to get to. We were all sliding in the clay. It moved everytime we grabbed it to hold on. Upstairs they let us hold the different artifacts which would never happen in America. After we saw all the firepits and artifacts we headed back down to continue on to the waterfalls. When we got to the first one I was so scared. It was 15 or 20 feet high and we had to rock climb with our face in the waterfall. We of course had a harness for this one but not for the next 6 waterfalls. This waterfall was very difficult to get up and I thought.. there is no way I can do 6 more of these. Thank goodness it was the biggest one. Once we got to the top we had to jump down the waterfalls. Esperanza would say, "Don't jump here, here, or here. You want to jump right here so you don't hit any rocks." I tried not to think about how dangerous that was and closed my eyes and jumped. It was the most amazing feeling ever, like we had just accomplished so much. When we got back to Caves Branch, we all had dinner and laid by the pool. Courtney somehow got us an upgraded room so Jessi, Brittany, Courtney, and slept like the grandparents in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, head to foot, head to foot. haha. We were in heaven but scared to death of the noises that were so close to us.

Inland

It was such a relief for us to get out of San Pedro. I love it here but there are so many girls staying with us that we needed to get some alone time. The water taxi soothed my nerves and gave me time to be alone with my IPod and the beautiful water. I usually can get away from my roommates by going in my room. Here it is a completely different story. We are in dorm-like rooms with no privacy. I enjoy being around all these people most of the time because it is fun and we are busy all the time. When we got to Belize City we took a cab to the bus company. We rode on the crowded bus to the Belize zoo. We saw all sorts of different animals. My favorite was the Tapir; which is their national animal. After the zoo we went to San Ignacio, Belize. When we arrived I was shocked at the resort we were staying in, it was amazing!!! The pool was awesome and our rooms were huge. We have to thank Peter for that. We slept 4 deep in a room. Courtney, Brittany, Jessi, and I stayed in a room together with a hammock outside. We relaxed for the rest of the day except for walking up the enormous hill to the town. First thing I did when we got there was take a shower. It had great pressure and since I had not had a shower in 3 days, it was amazing. The next day we went to Tikal in Guatamala to see the most amazing Mayan Ruins. We waited 2 hours at customs just to get into Guatamala. Tikal was beautiful! There was so much to see with all the different ruins. We walked around the area to see 4 different ruins. We couldn't see all of them so we just looked at the ones that were unique. The tallest one had stairs for us to climb to the top. We were above all the trees and could see for miles. After the trip we had lunch and decided to go ziplining. Half of us went while the others shopped. We thought it was awesome and had a blast flying through the forest. We realized half way through that it was a little unsafe... but it was well worth the money. They definitely wouldn't have that in America.. It would have more rules and precautions. I mean we did "the superman" and went face first through the forest while they jerked the line up and down. That was the perfect ending to an incredible day.

Day 16- We really take things for granted in America. We have been without water for 3 days now and it is just normal to ration water. That would not go over well in the United States. We have a lot of privileges that the people here don't. We have water and electricity almost all the time in America. Here it is normal for the power to go out or having no water; hot or cold. It is an experience here. It made us all realize what we do have at home. I am missing having a kitchen and American food. There is a variety here but the prices are astronomical if you want some Italian food or anything other than Belizian food.

This week all of the spring break kids are here on vacation and you can see the difference. I understand now why most people have a bad idea about Americans. We act like we own the world. The prices here have gone up for all the tourists. We met some 17 year old boys who gave us a ride on their golf carts from the bridge to The Tackle Box. They were from Winston-Salem which is close to Boone, where I am from. We paid to get into The Tackle Box because we heard American music playing. As soon as we got in there they changed it to a band that sang in Spanish. Don't get me wrong, I love the bands here but every once in awhile it is nice to hear radio music. I miss listening to my ipod in my car everyday. Another thing that is nice but weird is not driving and just walking everywhere. We don't realize the luxury we have in America. It's the little things that I miss. I mean it has only been a little over 2 weeks and I miss things like that.

The Consulate's house- We had the best time the other night with the Consulate of Belize. He invited our group out to his home in Sueno Del Mar. It was a 30 minute boat ride, about 17 miles from San Pedro, Belize. We got to talk with him and his family all night. Burgers and fries were on the menu which made us feel right at home! I can't even explain how beautiful and comforting it was to be there. The Consulate enjoyed dancing with all of us. haha. It was awesome to see how he and his family were just as fun as people our age. I was just very honored that the Consulate of Belize would want to buy us all dinner and have us over to talk with us about our experiences here. I loved it!

Community Service- This week we have been volunteering at the San Pedro Public Library. They have an Easter program for children where the librarian creates activities for the children for 3 days. A lot of the parents here are working during the children's break from school so they have no where to go. I think that it is a great opportunity for the kids to learn and have a good time. This year we arranged all the activities and took care of the kids. We had about 15 children in this program. We created palm crosses, bunny puppets, bunny masks, Easter baskets, and cards. Yesterday afternoon we played duck duck goose. It surprised me that the adults didn't know what game we were playing. After that we had an Easter egg hunt for the kids. All the kids loved it and they all shared with each other which we are not used to. The children down here are so polite and love everything that we do. The Easter egg hunt was different than back home because they were only allowed to get 1 egg. I really enjoyed volunteering for the library and working with the parents and more children in the community. Only one of my students participated in this program so I got to know more students in the community.

This is my classroom. I have 12 students at Isla Bonita Elementary School. I am in the Infant 1 classroom which is equivalent to Kindergarten in the United States, except that they don't have preschool here. I love my students! The teaching is a lot different from America though. My students don't know the letters of the alphabet they only know the sounds. In America we teach both so I thought that was interesting. Also, the students work mainly out of 12 workbooks that they have to take home everyday. It hurts me to see these 5 and 6 year olds trying to carry all those books home. One thing that surprised me was the reaction that I got when I put my students into a cirlce on the ground to read to them. They all looked at me like I was crazy and they didn't know how to form a circle so everyone could see. The books that they use are very old and out-dated as well. I am very interested to learn more about their education programs. I have a student who is blind in one eye and mostly blind in the other. I want to see what kind of modifications they do for her but I have a feeling that it is not much judging by my first week here.

Paradise

Day 8- I am in love with this place! Everything is different and new. We went snorkeling the other day and it was amazing. There were 7 of us who went with our friend Lou. We met Lou at Lola's Pub 2 days before we took him up on his offer to go out on his boat. So we go and rent snorkel gear and Lou picked us up on the dock. We went out to the reef and all jumped in. It was awesome looking at all the different fish. After that, we caught live conch and took it back to Lou's house/ restaurant. He cracked the shell and made us eat the raw conch. I ate a muscle that was still moving when I bit into it. It tasted like spaghetti and looked like it as well. I have been so surprised at how brave I have become. I just don't want to offend anyone as well as, I want to learn the most about their culture. I have tried so many new foods and I have enjoyed most of them; not really the pigs toes though.

Today was my first day of full-time teaching and I was surprised to find out that my partnership teacher is younger than me and that I may be the expert in some situations. I have learned a lot from her and she has learned from me as well. I have a student in my class that is blind in one eye and mostly blind in the other. I was surprised that the school wasn't doing much to accommodate her needs. My teacher is making her papers darker so that she can see it a little better but it doesn't help that much. I decided that I am going to give my teacher some resources and ideas of what to do to help her. My teacher is a first year teacher and loves that I am here to help her as well as learn from her. I was surprised at the teaching style here in Belize because it is not what I have been taught or what I am used to but it seems to work for them. The students are smart and very polite. Everyone is very laid back and they are teaching the sounds first instead of the letters. Yet, my students here have trouble when I tell them to write and a or b, they don't understand. I have to say the sound or they can't put it together which is not what I am used to. I am so excited to learn more about their culture and get to know more people.

Day 4

Day 4-I have tried so many new things since I got to Belize. I have tried snapper, grouper, plantain chips, mangos, and new kiwis. I love all of them! I was so surprised by myself. I never try new things so it was a great experience. We have been walking soo much which is great. I enjoy walking and I am getting the feeling of being like the locals. Everyday is a new experience. Yesterday we went to Legends which is acroos the bridge on another island. We walked there near dusk and it was a little scry but we had a flashlight. I would definately travel with a bunch of people. We had a blast once we got there. It was a 30 minute walk... haha. I We all got to dance and raise money for a 16 year old guitar player to go to Boston to play. It is a great feeling to help people out. The most surprising thing that I have seen are the children that are out selling necklaces all day and night. It makes me feel terrible. They will walk up to you anywhere, whether you are eating or sitting by the beach and boy are they good salesmen. Today we went to a BBQ to raise money for the High School. It was delicious. I have found that I am loving the food more and more the longer I am here.. and I am picky usually. After that we went to go find the guy that we met yesterday with a boat to go snorkeling. We met his whole family and he offered to take us snorkeling and fishing for 15 dollars. WOW. I was shocked! So we will go tomorrow. We are all going to pitch in and pay for the 2 High School teachers who walked with us all day today. I am so excited.
Yesterday I met my teacher and I was in shock. She seemed really young but, I am excited to get to know her better! I think she has some great ideas for me to learn from. I am teaching Reading on Monday which is crazy! I can't wait to get into the schools and get to know the students. I met them breifly on Friday morning but I couldn't really talk to them. 6 of us stood in front of the whole school for an assembly while all the students stared at us. I knew exactly how it feels to be a minority because we are. We stand out so bad in Belize especially if we go in a group of 19. haha. I am loving the weather but the breeze is the only thing saving me right now. I have gotten burnt everyday even though I am using sunscreen.. I guess I need a stronger one.
On day 1 and 3 my room had no hot water. The water was so cold that it took my breath away. Today we have no water at all. haha. I am a shower person so it is hard for me to adjust but I have a super roommate who keeps me positive. She said " You will want a cold shower after you have been outside all day in the heat." I am working on that positive attitude! lol. I would recommend coming here to everyone. It is a completely different world than back home but it is so laid back and relaxing. Belizean time and my time are so different that it is hard to get used to. As an American I am used to time schedules and being prompt. Here in Belize it is a round-about time. You just go at your own pace. I love it here! Everyone is soo nice and helpful; they would do anything for us which is a great feeling.

Day 1

Day 1- Today we traveled from Charlotte, North Carolina to Miami, Florida. From Florida we traveled to Belize City, Belize and took a puddle jumper plane to San Pedro. The little plane was crazy. Jeanne got to be the co-pilot and it shook like crazy and felt like we were driving on an icy road. It was great once we got into the air though! We could see everything. The water is beautiful blues, greens, and purples. I took lots and lots of pictures! Ican't wait to upload them. We then took a taxi from Tropic Air to Pedro's Inn where we met Peter, the owner. He is so nice and invited us to a St. Patrick's Day party at the pub. We decided to eat first and ate right on the water. After that, we explored San Pedro. We walked everywhere and stopped at the fruit stands on the side of the road. I was shocked at the weather here! It was actually cold. I enjoyed the breeze and clouds that we will probably never see again! haha. I can't wait to go see the schools tomorrow! We saw kids walking all around the island and playing sports. I am so excited to meet the students and get into the schools.

3/15/2010

I am getting ready to go to Charlotte tonight! I am so excited!