We had some major tropical thunderstorms last night. The thunder, lightning and wind made us think we were going to whatever the Belize equivalent of Oz might be!
By morning the weather was greatly improved and we headed out for breakfast and shopping along the boardwalk in Placencia. Most of us stopped in the Swiss Chalet for homemade cinnamon rolls (they were un-Belizeable!) We bought lots of souvenirs, the charms and earrings carved from conch shells were a popular purchase.
It was a bummer that chance of more storms and rough water stopped Chris, Elizabeth and Judy from going out on a snorkeling trip. Elizabeth made the best of it by spending the day on the beach digging a hole almost as deep as she is tall! The storms brought in a lot of seaweed, so we heard many screams of, something is touching me!!! throughout the day. We enjoyed playing in the waves, napping, reading and/or just soaking up the sunshine when it finally peeked out.
We all went to dinner together at a great fresh (caught today!) seafood restaurant called "De Tatch." Our group of 18 was really loud and pretty much filled the restaurant. We felt a little bad for a young couple who were there for a nice quiet romantic dinner! Oops!
We got some great pictures of the full moon reflecting on the ocean right outside the restaurant.
After dinner we all walked to the other end of the boardwalk for an after dinner treat of gelato, well worth the walk!
We sat on the beach and had an beautiful sharing of prayer and reflection about the week. A few tears, a lot of laughs, and many hugs from old and new friends were shared.
It's hard to believe the week is over. Please continue to pray for our safe travel as we begin our journey by boat, bus and airplane.
Quote of the day: That burrito is as big as a baby!
Monday, June 20, 2016
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Saturday
Took a quick trip into town this morning. One group visited with Mr. Vernon from the Ministry of Health and stopped in for a visit at the hospital. Margie was able to talk with a nurse in the labor and delivery area. She found out that if a laboring mom has complications that might require a cesarean section, she would be sent by ambulance TWO HOURS north, down some very bumpy roads, to have the surgery in Dangriga. That makes me appreciate good local hospitals.
A second group strolled around the market. Chris was really excited to find star fruit, and even more excited that she got four of them for 50 cents.
We headed north by bus to Independence and then caught a water taxi to Placencia. The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the beach and thinking about how blessed we've been to spend the week together.
A huge storm chased us off the beach late in the afternoon, just in time to clean up and head out for dinner.
A second group strolled around the market. Chris was really excited to find star fruit, and even more excited that she got four of them for 50 cents.
We headed north by bus to Independence and then caught a water taxi to Placencia. The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the beach and thinking about how blessed we've been to spend the week together.
A huge storm chased us off the beach late in the afternoon, just in time to clean up and head out for dinner.
Friday
Another busy day in Belize.
We headed out to the three villages to wrap up construction projects and visit the schools. We played a lot of classic games like Barrel of Monkeys, Uno, dominoes, ring toss and checkers (on a giant outdoor checkerboard.) We also did some face painting and finished up some other projects.
The entire team went to Pueblo Viejo for a beautiful presentation by the students and staff. They performed traditional dances including the Cacao dance and a modern interpretive dance. The students sang their national anthem (all five verses) and the principal presented small thank you gifts to everyone who helped in the village.
After the presentations, we were treated to lunch in the school dining area. The chicken soup was delicious and we even got carrot cake for dessert.
Tessa and Barb had to leave from Pueblo Viejo to catch a ride to the Punta Gorda airport. Our woodworking friend, Pedro, was kind enough to offer to pick them up. He was a little late which leads to the first quote of the day: Just call an Uber!
From there we drive back to Santa Cruz for another lovely thank you celebration, and, you guessed it, ANOTHER LUNCH! This time it was chicken caldo, tortillas and a cacao drink. Ann was presented with a Mayan blouse made by a woman in the village. The seamstress must have been measuring her in a sneaky way because she got the size just tight.
The next stop was Santa Elena for a third thank you ceremony, but thankfully not another lunch!
We stopped at a waterfall on the way home and took some nice pictures. There was a lot of thunder as we headed back to the car, but the rain held off until after we were all tucked in for the night.
Dinner was at a restaurant right on the water, the perfect ending to a great week.
A coupe funny quotes today. The first was from Dawn. She noticed that Abbe had a bunch of mosquito bites and said, "If you don't get malaria, no one will!" (FYI- we are all taking anti-malaria meds).
Chris and Barb were painting picnic tables with a really bad paintbrush and one of them said, "that's not a paintbrush, it's a hairbrush!"
We headed out to the three villages to wrap up construction projects and visit the schools. We played a lot of classic games like Barrel of Monkeys, Uno, dominoes, ring toss and checkers (on a giant outdoor checkerboard.) We also did some face painting and finished up some other projects.
The entire team went to Pueblo Viejo for a beautiful presentation by the students and staff. They performed traditional dances including the Cacao dance and a modern interpretive dance. The students sang their national anthem (all five verses) and the principal presented small thank you gifts to everyone who helped in the village.
After the presentations, we were treated to lunch in the school dining area. The chicken soup was delicious and we even got carrot cake for dessert.
Tessa and Barb had to leave from Pueblo Viejo to catch a ride to the Punta Gorda airport. Our woodworking friend, Pedro, was kind enough to offer to pick them up. He was a little late which leads to the first quote of the day: Just call an Uber!
From there we drive back to Santa Cruz for another lovely thank you celebration, and, you guessed it, ANOTHER LUNCH! This time it was chicken caldo, tortillas and a cacao drink. Ann was presented with a Mayan blouse made by a woman in the village. The seamstress must have been measuring her in a sneaky way because she got the size just tight.
The next stop was Santa Elena for a third thank you ceremony, but thankfully not another lunch!
We stopped at a waterfall on the way home and took some nice pictures. There was a lot of thunder as we headed back to the car, but the rain held off until after we were all tucked in for the night.
Dinner was at a restaurant right on the water, the perfect ending to a great week.
A coupe funny quotes today. The first was from Dawn. She noticed that Abbe had a bunch of mosquito bites and said, "If you don't get malaria, no one will!" (FYI- we are all taking anti-malaria meds).
Chris and Barb were painting picnic tables with a really bad paintbrush and one of them said, "that's not a paintbrush, it's a hairbrush!"
Friday, June 17, 2016
Thursday
Despite the forecast of a rainy day, we had another HOT, sunny, jam-packed, wonderful day.
Sydney and Kristen should be asking for substitute teacher pay from the Ministry of Education since they basically took over the classroom of the principal/teacher who was absent again due to her injured foot. Despite the craziness, they were able to finish PenPal letters and make foam crosses with the Our Father. They made bracelets using special beads that change colors in sunlight. It was fun to see how excited the children were when their beads changed. They also did some amazing face painting, including several full face tiger paint jobs.
Four picnic table are totally finished (including paint) and two more should be ready to go by tomorrow. After sharing tools all week between Santa Elena and Santa Cruz (about a 10 minute drive in between), we discovered last night that Lee, the owner of Tranquility Lodge where we are staying, has tools we can borrow. Typical way things work in Belize!
In Pueblo Viejo the students finished PenPal letters and finished their clay beaded necklaces. Dawn and Kathy made beautiful tissue paper butterflies with the younger kids. Judy taught the students the song "Go Make a Difference" which they will sing at their graduation next week. They added a bit of choreography to help make their celebration extra special.
As Dawn was walking from one classroom to another, she noticed a dog with its nose in the bag of lunches. She ran over to shoo the dog and it took off running carrying the whole bag of lunches! We wish we had a video of her running after the dog! The dog eventually dropped the bag but had apparently eaten several sandwiches, plastic wrap and all! Good thing our teachers were invited to lunch in the home of the principal, Stephen.
In Santa Cruz Tessa, Elizabeth and Barb also finished PenPal letters, worked on foam crosses and made acrostic poems using their names. They had fun teaching the younger girls how to bump a volleyball.
Another group headed down the long bumpy road to Otoxha. Holly and Margie presented another Women's Health discussion. About 35 women showed up, plus a few more peeking in through the window! They were joined by some pharmacy school interns from the U.S. working at Hillside Clinic.
Anita and Alli tagged along to visit "their kids." Lots of hugs and smiles. They did a quick art project with all of the students.
Ann, Roy and Abbe met with Mr Manuel, the principal, to get the information we need to help solve the ongoing water issue. Roy took a GPS reading to find the highest elevation point for locating the system.
From there the group drive to San Lucas for more Women's Health discussions and a quick school visit. As soon as we got out of the van we heard many loud shouts of "Miss Alli, Miss Alli!" Despite the 90+ degree heat and 90% humidity, Alli joined in a wicked soccer game during their hour long PE class.
Ann, Roy and Abbe worked with people to be sure they are correctly cleaning the bucket filtration systems our group brought last year. The systems need to be back flushed once a week and some families have be bad about doing this vitally important step. Roy was handed one bucket to flush and as he took it apart he realized the bucket had sat unused for so long that there were flies and maggots in the filter (ewwwwwwww!). He cleaned out the filter,and then to prove to the family that the water was really safe, he drank a big cup of the freshly filtered water! Go Roy!
Quite of the day is a funny story. As we stopped to drop of something at Corazon Creek High School a man asked if we had supplies to repair his broken glasses. We used our MacGuiver type skills, a red pipe cleaner (actually part of the uterus model) and white medical tape to get the glasses repaired!
We're a little sad that it's the end of the week😕
Sydney and Kristen should be asking for substitute teacher pay from the Ministry of Education since they basically took over the classroom of the principal/teacher who was absent again due to her injured foot. Despite the craziness, they were able to finish PenPal letters and make foam crosses with the Our Father. They made bracelets using special beads that change colors in sunlight. It was fun to see how excited the children were when their beads changed. They also did some amazing face painting, including several full face tiger paint jobs.
Four picnic table are totally finished (including paint) and two more should be ready to go by tomorrow. After sharing tools all week between Santa Elena and Santa Cruz (about a 10 minute drive in between), we discovered last night that Lee, the owner of Tranquility Lodge where we are staying, has tools we can borrow. Typical way things work in Belize!
In Pueblo Viejo the students finished PenPal letters and finished their clay beaded necklaces. Dawn and Kathy made beautiful tissue paper butterflies with the younger kids. Judy taught the students the song "Go Make a Difference" which they will sing at their graduation next week. They added a bit of choreography to help make their celebration extra special.
As Dawn was walking from one classroom to another, she noticed a dog with its nose in the bag of lunches. She ran over to shoo the dog and it took off running carrying the whole bag of lunches! We wish we had a video of her running after the dog! The dog eventually dropped the bag but had apparently eaten several sandwiches, plastic wrap and all! Good thing our teachers were invited to lunch in the home of the principal, Stephen.
In Santa Cruz Tessa, Elizabeth and Barb also finished PenPal letters, worked on foam crosses and made acrostic poems using their names. They had fun teaching the younger girls how to bump a volleyball.
Another group headed down the long bumpy road to Otoxha. Holly and Margie presented another Women's Health discussion. About 35 women showed up, plus a few more peeking in through the window! They were joined by some pharmacy school interns from the U.S. working at Hillside Clinic.
Anita and Alli tagged along to visit "their kids." Lots of hugs and smiles. They did a quick art project with all of the students.
Ann, Roy and Abbe met with Mr Manuel, the principal, to get the information we need to help solve the ongoing water issue. Roy took a GPS reading to find the highest elevation point for locating the system.
From there the group drive to San Lucas for more Women's Health discussions and a quick school visit. As soon as we got out of the van we heard many loud shouts of "Miss Alli, Miss Alli!" Despite the 90+ degree heat and 90% humidity, Alli joined in a wicked soccer game during their hour long PE class.
Ann, Roy and Abbe worked with people to be sure they are correctly cleaning the bucket filtration systems our group brought last year. The systems need to be back flushed once a week and some families have be bad about doing this vitally important step. Roy was handed one bucket to flush and as he took it apart he realized the bucket had sat unused for so long that there were flies and maggots in the filter (ewwwwwwww!). He cleaned out the filter,and then to prove to the family that the water was really safe, he drank a big cup of the freshly filtered water! Go Roy!
Quite of the day is a funny story. As we stopped to drop of something at Corazon Creek High School a man asked if we had supplies to repair his broken glasses. We used our MacGuiver type skills, a red pipe cleaner (actually part of the uterus model) and white medical tape to get the glasses repaired!
We're a little sad that it's the end of the week😕
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Wednesday
In Pueblo Viejo Margie and Holly hosted a Women's Health discussion. About 15 women attended, they asked a lot of good questions, and seemed very interested in the conversation. Abbe then met with the women to discuss sanitation for food preparation. In the afternoon the girls were presented another class on puberty.
Ann took pictures of all the kids for PenPal letters. Anita and Elizabeth worked on STEM lessons. This was Elizabeth's third day in the village and all day the little ones would shout "Miss Elizabeth" when she would walk in their classroom. We were all treated to a delicious lunch of chicken, rice and tortillas prepared in the new school kitchen. Some of the equipment in the kitchen was bought with donations from All Saints!
It was a crazy day in Santa Elena. The principal was back today ( turned out she had an abscess on her foot) which meant that she had to administer standardized testing to several classes. With multiple grades in each classroom, kids were in and out all day, needless to say the students were a bit wound up. Tessa had great discussions with girls of all ages and they enjoyed watching videos of music on her phone.
Debbie and Kathy made a large rosary with the students. Parents helped hang the rosary in the new outdoor seating area. This is where they will put the new picnic tables we are building.
Two tables are complete, two more are cut and ready to be assembled.
In Santa Cruz Barb, Chris and Roy got the doors painted. Flip flops were distributed and PenPal pictures were taken. Judy showed the children videos of her Youth Group students back home and then took videos of the children in Santa Cruz to share with them when she returns. What a great way to build community.
Quote of the day, while eating lunch in Pueblo Viejo, eating a chicken leg: This is the tiniest chicken in Belize.
Ann took pictures of all the kids for PenPal letters. Anita and Elizabeth worked on STEM lessons. This was Elizabeth's third day in the village and all day the little ones would shout "Miss Elizabeth" when she would walk in their classroom. We were all treated to a delicious lunch of chicken, rice and tortillas prepared in the new school kitchen. Some of the equipment in the kitchen was bought with donations from All Saints!
It was a crazy day in Santa Elena. The principal was back today ( turned out she had an abscess on her foot) which meant that she had to administer standardized testing to several classes. With multiple grades in each classroom, kids were in and out all day, needless to say the students were a bit wound up. Tessa had great discussions with girls of all ages and they enjoyed watching videos of music on her phone.
Debbie and Kathy made a large rosary with the students. Parents helped hang the rosary in the new outdoor seating area. This is where they will put the new picnic tables we are building.
Two tables are complete, two more are cut and ready to be assembled.
In Santa Cruz Barb, Chris and Roy got the doors painted. Flip flops were distributed and PenPal pictures were taken. Judy showed the children videos of her Youth Group students back home and then took videos of the children in Santa Cruz to share with them when she returns. What a great way to build community.
Quote of the day, while eating lunch in Pueblo Viejo, eating a chicken leg: This is the tiniest chicken in Belize.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Tuesday
In Santa Elena today Ray, Shannon and Jack finally got the bolts they needed to put together the first picnic table. They borrowed tools from the local men and are working with one drill. They discovered that 2 x 4s in Belize are actually 2X4 inches, the men here seemed pretty surprised that in the U.S. ours are not.
In the school, the principal/intermediate grade teacher was absent for the second day which meant a whole class of students was basically unsupervised all day. Our team stepped right up to help keep the children occupied. Kristen had all the kids paint on a long canvas banner that will hang in the school. Dawn made chickens with the little ones and the kids loved their "shaky eggs" (especially the candy treat inside!)
In Santa Cruz Roy and Holly finished hanging two more doors and were able to start painting. Shannon and Anita worked on STEM lessons. The kids loved making kaleidoscopes and building bridges with Solo cups and Popsicle sticks. There was a contest to see whose bridge could hold the most small elephants. Bubbles, the puppet, made another appearance to help Abbe teach about health and water. At the last period of the day, all of the older kids ran down the road to the soccer field for their PE time. It was easily 90+ degrees and high humidity, we were all sweating like crazy just thinking about them running around in the sun!
Margie and Holly presented a class on puberty and adolescence to the Standard 4-6 girls (our 6th-8th grade). This went really great. The girls wrote questions down on notecards so they could ask them without being embarrassed. They were very interested in the diagrams, especially the uterus, created by our team artist, Kristen, that she fashioned out of a paper plate!
In Pueblo Viejo, Tessa had the kids doing a lot of acting like animals and exercise type activities. She asked the girls to teach her two of their favorite songs and in return taught them two songs. We heard the concert was amazing!
Chris was asked to work with the women who cook in the school feeding program. She didn't get much information before we left, and then Monday found out that the principal was expecting a formal presentation (no pressure there!). She put together lots of good info on food requirements and hygiene in the kitchen. She then worked with the ladies and baked sugar cookies and a large breakfast scramble. The ladies were very appreciate and asked if she could come back and stay for a month.
Ann, Alli, and Margie met with the family of our little friend, Amaya. She was born with no external ears and we are working with a doctor in SanAntonio, TX to have corrective surgery performed. This doctor is an expert on this complicated surgery and takes two pro bono cases a year. They made a video of Amaya and her home to send to the doctor. Our Dr. Margie, was able to explain some medical aspects to Amaya's parents. Amaya is an amazing eight year old. She made fast friends with a member of our January team, Christy, and thought Christy would be here this trip. She had hung a sign on her bedroom door that said, "Welcome Ann and Christy!" Alli was happy to step in and ate lunch at the little table Amaya had set, complete with fresh flowers. Please add your prayers that this all falls into place for her.
Quote of the day comes from Chris. After finding out that she was expected to give a presentation at the last minute, she got to school and the principal asked: Do you need a projector?
In the school, the principal/intermediate grade teacher was absent for the second day which meant a whole class of students was basically unsupervised all day. Our team stepped right up to help keep the children occupied. Kristen had all the kids paint on a long canvas banner that will hang in the school. Dawn made chickens with the little ones and the kids loved their "shaky eggs" (especially the candy treat inside!)
In Santa Cruz Roy and Holly finished hanging two more doors and were able to start painting. Shannon and Anita worked on STEM lessons. The kids loved making kaleidoscopes and building bridges with Solo cups and Popsicle sticks. There was a contest to see whose bridge could hold the most small elephants. Bubbles, the puppet, made another appearance to help Abbe teach about health and water. At the last period of the day, all of the older kids ran down the road to the soccer field for their PE time. It was easily 90+ degrees and high humidity, we were all sweating like crazy just thinking about them running around in the sun!
Margie and Holly presented a class on puberty and adolescence to the Standard 4-6 girls (our 6th-8th grade). This went really great. The girls wrote questions down on notecards so they could ask them without being embarrassed. They were very interested in the diagrams, especially the uterus, created by our team artist, Kristen, that she fashioned out of a paper plate!
In Pueblo Viejo, Tessa had the kids doing a lot of acting like animals and exercise type activities. She asked the girls to teach her two of their favorite songs and in return taught them two songs. We heard the concert was amazing!
Chris was asked to work with the women who cook in the school feeding program. She didn't get much information before we left, and then Monday found out that the principal was expecting a formal presentation (no pressure there!). She put together lots of good info on food requirements and hygiene in the kitchen. She then worked with the ladies and baked sugar cookies and a large breakfast scramble. The ladies were very appreciate and asked if she could come back and stay for a month.
Ann, Alli, and Margie met with the family of our little friend, Amaya. She was born with no external ears and we are working with a doctor in SanAntonio, TX to have corrective surgery performed. This doctor is an expert on this complicated surgery and takes two pro bono cases a year. They made a video of Amaya and her home to send to the doctor. Our Dr. Margie, was able to explain some medical aspects to Amaya's parents. Amaya is an amazing eight year old. She made fast friends with a member of our January team, Christy, and thought Christy would be here this trip. She had hung a sign on her bedroom door that said, "Welcome Ann and Christy!" Alli was happy to step in and ate lunch at the little table Amaya had set, complete with fresh flowers. Please add your prayers that this all falls into place for her.
Quote of the day comes from Chris. After finding out that she was expected to give a presentation at the last minute, she got to school and the principal asked: Do you need a projector?
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Monday
Posted a nice long blog about the day, but due to some internet issues at the Lodge, it did not post. Typical Belize, on to another plan.
A couple of highlights: children playing instruments while Judy played guitar in Pueblo Viejo, getting invited to lunch with the entire village, Debbie and Kathy making a huge rosary with students in Santa Cruz, Roy's life being changed with the discovery of Frog Togs cooling neck wraps, glitter germs, Bubbles the fuzzy blue puppet teaching about water and health, making kaleidoscopes, walking up the hill to the woodworkers shop to pick up doors made from local wood, sharks and Minnows, and the list goes on!
Quote of the day (as we tried to figure out what was for dinner): We're pretty sure this is NOT beef!
Anita Dutrow
A couple of highlights: children playing instruments while Judy played guitar in Pueblo Viejo, getting invited to lunch with the entire village, Debbie and Kathy making a huge rosary with students in Santa Cruz, Roy's life being changed with the discovery of Frog Togs cooling neck wraps, glitter germs, Bubbles the fuzzy blue puppet teaching about water and health, making kaleidoscopes, walking up the hill to the woodworkers shop to pick up doors made from local wood, sharks and Minnows, and the list goes on!
Quote of the day (as we tried to figure out what was for dinner): We're pretty sure this is NOT beef!
Anita Dutrow
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Sunday
We arrived LATE last night, safe and sound after a long day of traveling.
Had some big storms last night, but woke up to a dry, hot day.
We split up into a couple of groups today. Tessa and Barb headed into town to catch up with their guide, Oliver, who took them out to snorkel off Snake Caye. They climbed the ranger tower, had a picnic lunch on the beach, and saw many interesting fish (lobsters, blow fish, sting rays, crabs and sea urchins).
Ann took a group out to mass in San Lucas. Mass was said by a priest from Texas who was here with another mission group. Twelve children received their First Holy Communion at mass. Afterwards, we were served our FIRST lunch, a delicious, steaming hot, spicy bowl of cahoun cabbage (just what you want when it's 90+ outside!)
From there we drove down the road to Corazon Creek. The high school graduation ceremony was today, so we had to wait around for an hour to catch up with some friends who were at the graduation.
We continued on down to Otoxha where we were served our SECOND lunch! This was a steaming hot, spicy bowl of chicken caldo! We drove up to the school and were able to get in the church to see the beautiful tile floor our team laid in January.
Margie and Holly needed to meet with the Peace Corps worker, Rachel, to get the details about a women's health clinic they will be presenting on Thursday. In typical Belize fashion, this meeting, which was scheduled for 2 pm, finally happened around 4:00.
We then drive back through San Lucas to and stopped in to visit with the Caal family to help them celebrate the graduation of their son, Juan Carlos. We were then offered our THIRD lunch, more chicken caldo!!
We made another stop to congratulate another graduate, Karen Chubb, and politely told the family we could NOT EAT any more hot, spicy food! The families were kind enough to send us down the road with caldo-to-go!
Captains Log- Hey families! It's Abbe, Anita needed to hop off and prepare for tomorrow's lessons so I am taking over. Today a small group headed out on a slightly different path. Side satchel, hiking books, and adventure map in hand we headed out to discover ancient Mayan ruins. Now I know what your thinking families, "Abbe, you all sound like Indiana Jones, this is ridiculous!" Perhaps, unless the first Mayan ruins you head to are the ACTUAL site that the real Crystal Skull was excavated in 1926! Talk about a start. We then headed into a second site of ruins, called NIM LI PUNIT, which translates to "big hat" (spoiler: we never found the big hat). The second ruins were amazing with a stunning view of the mountains, incredible stelae (big stone pillars that documented political events, village moments, and since they knew we were coming; my birthday!) and tombs! If you don't know me, here's a great way to. The first thing I did when I saw a tomb was think; "if I jump in, can I get out?" The answer is yes, considering I'm now here typing. After most of the group hopped in different tombs to take a photo, we realized that they were royal tombs that held the Maya elite. The only thing I can say to that is, the groups got good taste (but if this trip goes awry, it's 100% because we got the entire group cursed.) We ended our day making oceanside PB&J's while waiting to pick up our snorkeling friends and then headed back to the lodge.
At this moment we would like to add that after heading back to the lodge we watched the news and got word of the mass shooting that occurred in Orlando, FL. We are sending prayers all the way from Belize for the families and friends for the victims and are deeply saddened by such actions of hate.
Had some big storms last night, but woke up to a dry, hot day.
We split up into a couple of groups today. Tessa and Barb headed into town to catch up with their guide, Oliver, who took them out to snorkel off Snake Caye. They climbed the ranger tower, had a picnic lunch on the beach, and saw many interesting fish (lobsters, blow fish, sting rays, crabs and sea urchins).
Ann took a group out to mass in San Lucas. Mass was said by a priest from Texas who was here with another mission group. Twelve children received their First Holy Communion at mass. Afterwards, we were served our FIRST lunch, a delicious, steaming hot, spicy bowl of cahoun cabbage (just what you want when it's 90+ outside!)
From there we drove down the road to Corazon Creek. The high school graduation ceremony was today, so we had to wait around for an hour to catch up with some friends who were at the graduation.
We continued on down to Otoxha where we were served our SECOND lunch! This was a steaming hot, spicy bowl of chicken caldo! We drove up to the school and were able to get in the church to see the beautiful tile floor our team laid in January.
Margie and Holly needed to meet with the Peace Corps worker, Rachel, to get the details about a women's health clinic they will be presenting on Thursday. In typical Belize fashion, this meeting, which was scheduled for 2 pm, finally happened around 4:00.
We then drive back through San Lucas to and stopped in to visit with the Caal family to help them celebrate the graduation of their son, Juan Carlos. We were then offered our THIRD lunch, more chicken caldo!!
We made another stop to congratulate another graduate, Karen Chubb, and politely told the family we could NOT EAT any more hot, spicy food! The families were kind enough to send us down the road with caldo-to-go!
Captains Log- Hey families! It's Abbe, Anita needed to hop off and prepare for tomorrow's lessons so I am taking over. Today a small group headed out on a slightly different path. Side satchel, hiking books, and adventure map in hand we headed out to discover ancient Mayan ruins. Now I know what your thinking families, "Abbe, you all sound like Indiana Jones, this is ridiculous!" Perhaps, unless the first Mayan ruins you head to are the ACTUAL site that the real Crystal Skull was excavated in 1926! Talk about a start. We then headed into a second site of ruins, called NIM LI PUNIT, which translates to "big hat" (spoiler: we never found the big hat). The second ruins were amazing with a stunning view of the mountains, incredible stelae (big stone pillars that documented political events, village moments, and since they knew we were coming; my birthday!) and tombs! If you don't know me, here's a great way to. The first thing I did when I saw a tomb was think; "if I jump in, can I get out?" The answer is yes, considering I'm now here typing. After most of the group hopped in different tombs to take a photo, we realized that they were royal tombs that held the Maya elite. The only thing I can say to that is, the groups got good taste (but if this trip goes awry, it's 100% because we got the entire group cursed.) We ended our day making oceanside PB&J's while waiting to pick up our snorkeling friends and then headed back to the lodge.
At this moment we would like to add that after heading back to the lodge we watched the news and got word of the mass shooting that occurred in Orlando, FL. We are sending prayers all the way from Belize for the families and friends for the victims and are deeply saddened by such actions of hate.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Our Bags are Packed and We're Ready to Go!
Its hard to believe that by this time on Saturday we will be in Belize and well on our way down to Punta Gorda!
For the first time on a June trip, we will be traveling with a full team of 20. With just six returning volunteers, we are excited about welcoming a mostly new crew. We had to make a last minute player substitution due to Father Don's injury and the need for Father Bob Suit to remain at All Saints.This is tougher than one would think because of the vaccinations required for travel. We are happy that a designated hitter stepped up into the spot!Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Construction projects
The small, blue building is St Francis of Assisi Church in Corazon Creek. We got the entire outside of the church painted in four days (with only one ladder!)
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Sunday
There is really nothing we can write about today that won't make it sound like we are rubbing it in that we are sitting on a warm sunny beach while our friends and families at home are freezing! It was a little windier and the water was much rougher today, but we're sure you have no sympathy!!
So we'll just add some things we missed from Friday.
As part of the religious celebration in Otoxha, a "King" us named. This is usually someone who has done a selfless act to help others. Vernon was chosen as the King due to his efforts in getting all the tile and supplies donated. He had to bow down as a woven crown was placed on his head. We have had a lot of laughs about King Vernon and his royal subjects.
Also on Friday, Christy set out to assess the water situation in Otoxha. Another group installed a pump from a stream in the mountains and ran pipes into every home. However, within a few weeks water was not getting to the homes. Working with her organization, Shoes and Hope, Christy has been in contact for months with Mr Manuel Ack, the principal, and Rachel, a Peace Corps volunteer, to isolate the problem. Christy, Ken, Gary and Vernon checked out the lines and discovered that the pump is actually broken. They will be working on getting the proper parts shipped to repair it.
We are heading out to dinner as a group to enjoy one last meal together, reflecting and giving thanks for a wonderful week.
So we'll just add some things we missed from Friday.
As part of the religious celebration in Otoxha, a "King" us named. This is usually someone who has done a selfless act to help others. Vernon was chosen as the King due to his efforts in getting all the tile and supplies donated. He had to bow down as a woven crown was placed on his head. We have had a lot of laughs about King Vernon and his royal subjects.
Also on Friday, Christy set out to assess the water situation in Otoxha. Another group installed a pump from a stream in the mountains and ran pipes into every home. However, within a few weeks water was not getting to the homes. Working with her organization, Shoes and Hope, Christy has been in contact for months with Mr Manuel Ack, the principal, and Rachel, a Peace Corps volunteer, to isolate the problem. Christy, Ken, Gary and Vernon checked out the lines and discovered that the pump is actually broken. They will be working on getting the proper parts shipped to repair it.
We are heading out to dinner as a group to enjoy one last meal together, reflecting and giving thanks for a wonderful week.
Saturday
We woke up early to pack up and be ready for the bus to pick us up at 10:30. A group headed into town to experience market day, several bargains were found, including a couple of hammocks.
Father Don, Ann and Anne met with ALL of our scholarship students and their parents. Some of them had to get up at 3:00 am to take the bus into town from the furthest villages. They discussed expectations and introduced them to Olive, our new scholarship coordinator.
We hit the road right at 10:30 for the bus ride to Independence. From there we took a quick water taxi ride to the beautiful village of Placencia. We relaxed all day, enjoying calm water, warm breezes and sunshine. We were sorry to be missing the cold weather at home, NOT!
The highlight of the day was celebrating Mass together on the beach. Our "bread" was a tortilla, a perfect end to a wonderful week.
Father Don, Ann and Anne met with ALL of our scholarship students and their parents. Some of them had to get up at 3:00 am to take the bus into town from the furthest villages. They discussed expectations and introduced them to Olive, our new scholarship coordinator.
We hit the road right at 10:30 for the bus ride to Independence. From there we took a quick water taxi ride to the beautiful village of Placencia. We relaxed all day, enjoying calm water, warm breezes and sunshine. We were sorry to be missing the cold weather at home, NOT!
The highlight of the day was celebrating Mass together on the beach. Our "bread" was a tortilla, a perfect end to a wonderful week.
Friday
From the village of Otoxha: what an amazing day! When we arrived the entire church community was waiting to pray with us to celebrate one of their biggest feast days. This pilgrimage to the Basilica of the Black Christ at Esquipulas is celebrated in Guatemala. This is a feast that honors members of the community who are sick or who have passed away. They included lighting a candle for Vernon's mother who recently passed away and Gordon's mom who was diagnosed with cancer. It was a very moving ceremony. We were blessed to be invited to pray with our community.
The prayer service took place in the newly tiled church! We arrived to find that the village members had completely finished the work in our absence on Thursday. The men who were ready to work helped with the final cleanup and left many of the tools there for the village to have for future use.
The students received their pictures and completed the pen pals which are now in route to the classrooms back home.
Goodbyes were said (some tearfully!) with the understanding it is really so long for now - we will see everyone next year!
We left under the instruction of the Alcade (mayor) to call when are safely back on American soil. Ann obediently will comply!
After a nice lunch in Otoxha, the group drove to Corazon Creek to pick up our painters, and discovered that they had been invited to eat another lunch ( same menu, Caldo!) Mike and Bobby were happy to show off the completely painted church!
Don, Desiree, Jill and Rose were back in San Lucas. It is a small school, with 38 students in just two classrooms. The principal was gone to a workshop in Punta Gorda, so there was only one teacher present. When they arrived they discovered Maria, the teacher, was not feeling well so Father Don drove her to the health post in the next village, Santa Teresa, only to discover it is only open and staffed on Wednesdays. When they got back to San Lucas they sent Maria home to bed leaving our teachers in charge of the whole school.
They had a great day, playing cooperative games with jelly beans, doing a STEM activity based on the Three Little Pigs, built towers with Dots candy and toothpicks, and learned about carbonation by "dancing" raisins in Sprite. Three of the four raisins danced and one child's observation was that the fourth raisin was dead! They ended the day with relay races, maybe not the best decision on the hottest day of the week, especially when one of the students told them it was too hot to be outside.
Cathy, Phil, Suzanne and Anita were in Blue Creek. The principal was also gone to a meeting, so the Standard 1 and 2 students were dismissed for the day. We finished the PenPal letters, made foam crosses, created pipe cleaner dogs, and worked on short vowel sounds.
Cathy and Phil taught the oldest kids how to play chess and then had a friendly math competition between the boys and girls. Cathy prepared the girls to remember their fours times tables by having them do a different motion for each fact, they will remember those facts forever.
We heard "GIRL POWER" many times during the competition.
The village of Blue Creek literally sits on the water, so we ate lunch sitting with our feet in the water, ahhhhh, heaven.
The teachers and students ended the day with a beautiful celebration, students read simple speeches and presented each of us with a small gift. Very touching and heartfelt. The students sang their national anthem to end the celebration.
The quote of the day comes from Blue Creek. Cathy was really hot after running around with the kids, so she stuck her head under a water pump to cool off. One of the boys said, " Miss, don't get your head wet, you will get a headache!"
The prayer service took place in the newly tiled church! We arrived to find that the village members had completely finished the work in our absence on Thursday. The men who were ready to work helped with the final cleanup and left many of the tools there for the village to have for future use.
The students received their pictures and completed the pen pals which are now in route to the classrooms back home.
Goodbyes were said (some tearfully!) with the understanding it is really so long for now - we will see everyone next year!
We left under the instruction of the Alcade (mayor) to call when are safely back on American soil. Ann obediently will comply!
After a nice lunch in Otoxha, the group drove to Corazon Creek to pick up our painters, and discovered that they had been invited to eat another lunch ( same menu, Caldo!) Mike and Bobby were happy to show off the completely painted church!
Don, Desiree, Jill and Rose were back in San Lucas. It is a small school, with 38 students in just two classrooms. The principal was gone to a workshop in Punta Gorda, so there was only one teacher present. When they arrived they discovered Maria, the teacher, was not feeling well so Father Don drove her to the health post in the next village, Santa Teresa, only to discover it is only open and staffed on Wednesdays. When they got back to San Lucas they sent Maria home to bed leaving our teachers in charge of the whole school.
They had a great day, playing cooperative games with jelly beans, doing a STEM activity based on the Three Little Pigs, built towers with Dots candy and toothpicks, and learned about carbonation by "dancing" raisins in Sprite. Three of the four raisins danced and one child's observation was that the fourth raisin was dead! They ended the day with relay races, maybe not the best decision on the hottest day of the week, especially when one of the students told them it was too hot to be outside.
Cathy, Phil, Suzanne and Anita were in Blue Creek. The principal was also gone to a meeting, so the Standard 1 and 2 students were dismissed for the day. We finished the PenPal letters, made foam crosses, created pipe cleaner dogs, and worked on short vowel sounds.
Cathy and Phil taught the oldest kids how to play chess and then had a friendly math competition between the boys and girls. Cathy prepared the girls to remember their fours times tables by having them do a different motion for each fact, they will remember those facts forever.
We heard "GIRL POWER" many times during the competition.
The village of Blue Creek literally sits on the water, so we ate lunch sitting with our feet in the water, ahhhhh, heaven.
The teachers and students ended the day with a beautiful celebration, students read simple speeches and presented each of us with a small gift. Very touching and heartfelt. The students sang their national anthem to end the celebration.
The quote of the day comes from Blue Creek. Cathy was really hot after running around with the kids, so she stuck her head under a water pump to cool off. One of the boys said, " Miss, don't get your head wet, you will get a headache!"
Thursday
Already in Placencia, and just now catching up on the week.
The trip packing list includes: a flexible attitude and a willing spirit, we used both today.
Due to some change of plans, we were not able to get to the villages today. Several people went into Punta Gorda in the morning to use the Internet and run some errands. Gary and Suzanne walked the four miles into town, and then bribed one of the sisters (with ice cream) to drive them back to the retreat center.
Another group (Derlene, Mark, Ken, Anita and Christy) decided to walk back from town. The long hot trip was made a little more bearable with stop for both pizza and ice cream!
A few years ago we helped build a senior center in Punta Gorda. The Pallotine sisters run the center. When she saw the center last year, Sister Rose started formulating a plan for us to host an afternoon with the senior guests. About 15 people attended, after a nice lunch, they played Bingo,a ring toss game and sang songs. We had put together some small bags of hotel sized personal care items as the Bingo prizes. Desiree managed to be the big winner with two Bingos! The guests had a lot of fun and the sisters appreciated the energy and kindness of our team members (Rose, Desiree, Anne, Gary, Suzanne, Jill and a few others I have probably forgotten to mention). The two hour event seemed to fly by.
After all that Bingo and singing, the group rewarded themselves on the way home with a stop for refreshments at the Coral Garden Hotel. They sat by the pool surrounded by a beautiful garden and soaked in the sunshine.
Our guest at dinner on Thursday was Olive Woodye, the local coordinator of our scholarship program. Olive has done a great job making sure that are students are getting the uniforms and supplies they need as well as checking that the students are getting good grades in their classes.
Back to the villages tomorrow.
The trip packing list includes: a flexible attitude and a willing spirit, we used both today.
Due to some change of plans, we were not able to get to the villages today. Several people went into Punta Gorda in the morning to use the Internet and run some errands. Gary and Suzanne walked the four miles into town, and then bribed one of the sisters (with ice cream) to drive them back to the retreat center.
Another group (Derlene, Mark, Ken, Anita and Christy) decided to walk back from town. The long hot trip was made a little more bearable with stop for both pizza and ice cream!
A few years ago we helped build a senior center in Punta Gorda. The Pallotine sisters run the center. When she saw the center last year, Sister Rose started formulating a plan for us to host an afternoon with the senior guests. About 15 people attended, after a nice lunch, they played Bingo,a ring toss game and sang songs. We had put together some small bags of hotel sized personal care items as the Bingo prizes. Desiree managed to be the big winner with two Bingos! The guests had a lot of fun and the sisters appreciated the energy and kindness of our team members (Rose, Desiree, Anne, Gary, Suzanne, Jill and a few others I have probably forgotten to mention). The two hour event seemed to fly by.
After all that Bingo and singing, the group rewarded themselves on the way home with a stop for refreshments at the Coral Garden Hotel. They sat by the pool surrounded by a beautiful garden and soaked in the sunshine.
Our guest at dinner on Thursday was Olive Woodye, the local coordinator of our scholarship program. Olive has done a great job making sure that are students are getting the uniforms and supplies they need as well as checking that the students are getting good grades in their classes.
Back to the villages tomorrow.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Wednesday
We're a little late again posting, crazy busy days and have internetaccess only if we get into town.
It was another great day in the villages. Otoxha: Our construction crew is happy to have about 85% of the floor competed. It is breathtaking to see, will post pictures when we have wifi in Placencia. The community members have been working along with the guys while their wives have made snacks and provided lunch every day. Their generosity is humbling.
The teachers, Ann and Anne, completed an art project with every students. Derlene and Jody did a STEM project based on the "Three Little Pigs" with the intermediate and older students. It was a teacher's dream to watch the students engage engage in critical thinking and working together to build community. Not wanting to be outdone, Derlene got to take a spin on Olario's bike today, riding it down the hill to lunch in the village. One speed bikes on hilly dirt roads are quite a workout.
Mark demonstrated first aid techniques to several villagers.He spoke with the Health Worker about getting some supplies to treat minor injuries.
San Lucas: We forgot to add a funny story from earlier in the week. Father Don was working with the students folding Origami figures. He was attempting to make a paper crane and was on step 12 or so when he gave up, unfolded the paper and taught all the kids to make paper airplanes!
Jill, Suzanne, Father Don and Rose were happy when the second teacher finally showed up today. They taught water cycles, did math projects with jelly beans (projects with candy are fun in any country!), and played many math games.
Blue Creek: Phil, Cathy, Christy and Anita were in Blue Creek. Phil got to experience handing out the "slippers" After putting a child's flip flops on the wrong feet, he got the hang of it pretty quick! Once again our best laid plans had to be altered. One of the teachers was at a workshop so her students were just dismissed all day and two other teachers were being observed by Ministry of Education (as part of getting advanced certification) so we could not teach in their rooms in the afternoon. The principal needed to be in on the observations, so he sent his students home after lunch!! We still managed to work on PenPal letters and art projects. Christy taught the oldest kids how to draw self-portraits and we ALL made pipe cleaner dogs. Cathy had a little trouble with shaping the pipe cleaners and when we do the project again tomorrow we suspect she will be hiding in another classroom claiming to be playing math games.
We walked down to see Blue Creek, it is beautiful. There is a pavilion where women sell their hand made crafts so we told everyone we had shopped at the Blue Creek Mall.
Corazon Creek: Chris, Bobby, Desiree and Mike got a lot more painting done. There was a high peak that needed to be painted, it was too high to reach on a ladder, so a man from the village climbed right, leaned way over and got it done! They were invited to lunch at Sebastian's home, Chris pronounced it the best caldo he's ever had, Desiree asked for seconds!
The quote of the day comes from Vernon. Several men from the village were sitting by the side of the church "supervising" the tile work and he told them we should create a new tv show called "The Real Husbands of Otoxha!"
Tuesday -
So sorry we are late; we have been busy working!
The Village of Corazon: There was mourning in the village today. One of the village founders past away at 80 years old. We were invited to attend the funeral. It was a beautiful tribute to a man who had 41 grandchildren. Almost the entire village members attended. Witnessing the women mourn was reminiscent of what the women standing at the foot of the Cross must have experienced; wailing and weeping for One loved so deeply.
Our painters: Bobby, Chris, Phil, and Mike finished the second coat of paint and are ready to paint the windows. The color of the church is a "Mary Blue". Beautiful! The guys continue to work hard in the hot sun and the village men showed up to help after the funeral.
Our teachers: Cathy, Rose, Ann, and Derlene worked with all grade levels. Ann completed art projects while Cathy, our Math Ace, challenged the students in math facts. Derlene and Rose worked with the intermediate and junior high students in a STEM project based on the story of the Three Little Pigs.
The Village of Otoxha -
Our teachers: Anita, Suzanne, Christy, and Anne, along with the construction crew: Vernon, Gary,and Ken, were pleasantly surprised when they arrived and the tile was laid all the way down the center of the church to the door! One of the villagers, Dean, is an excellent tile layer and continues to work long after we head home. The men immediately got to work along side Dean, stopping only long enough to inhale lunch.
The teachers did Pen Pal letters, spelled words with Play Doh, shared water cycle lessons and built towers with Dots candy and toothpicks.
They all had lunch at Olario Ical's house and got to hold his beautiful 6 month old baby girl! Anita not only held his precious little baby, Daisy, she also took a ride on his new bike! It was her experience of heaven on earth! The children had a good laugh watching her trying to ride a bike (that was way too small) up the road at school!
The Village of San Lucas -
Jill, Desiree, Jody, and Fr. Don were very busy as one of the teachers was not at school again. The did matching activities, domino multiplication, and animal bingo. They presented the health & hygiene lessons and made beautiful crosses after reading the story, "The Legend of the Three Tress." Needles to say, rest was welcomed with open arms.
We all went to join our friend, Chantel (principal we have know for many years), for dinner at the local restaurant. The food and company was wonderful!
Quote of the day: Derlene getting dressed for the day, knowing that the village was preparing for the funeral announcing she was wearing her, "Ecclesiastical Purple" to honor the village member. (really Anita just wanted to see if she could spell "ecclesiastical") Yeah spell check!
Monday, January 11, 2016
Monday
We started our morning with a breakfast that included Fry Jacks. They are like fried puffed up tortillas (that in no way describes how delicious they really are!). There was not one left!
Otoxha - Anita, Christy, Jody, and Suzanne taught a religious lesson about the cross with all grade levels. The ;day got a little crazy because two other groups were visiting the village. They still found time to teach the water cycle to two grades, do some color by numbers, and some hands-on math. The highlight of the day is always cranking out the Ipod and dancing the Cupid Shuffle with the kids! The men of the village had a good laugh at our expense!Sunday
Hello friends back in the US! We are all excited about our arrival and have already had two fabulous days!
Sunday morning we traveled to Otoxha to join in prayer with our friends as they sang and worshiped together. Christy,Mark and Gary checked out the water supply to see what is needed to make it completely functional. Vernon, Ken and Gary checked out the floor of the church for our tile project. We then split up and went to four different homes for lunch. We were all served chicken caldo and flour tortillas. Thursday, January 7, 2016
And We're Off!
We are packed and ready for another adventure in Belize! The bad news is that our flight leaves at 5:55 a.m. on Saturday (ugh!). The good news is that after a brief layover in Atlanta, we land in Belize around noon! It will be nice to arrive at the retreat center (a five hour drive from Belize City) and unload our mountain of supplies in daylight.
We have a very busy week planned, here are the highlights:
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