The pier
A swing at the yoga pier
The elementary school
The high school
Hi everyone! It has been a busy two days here in San Pedro. Yesterday we woke up and went to get breakfast at George’s, which is a little restaurant down the road. I got a plate of potatoes (little hash brown cubes) and a plate of fresh fruit that was delicious! The food here is so fresh and it just tastes healthier than American food. Even the hot dogs taste healthy! Haha. After breakfast we headed to the schools where we will be teaching for the next few weeks. We walked along the beach for about a mile and it lead straight to the high school. The high school is directly on the water and was a beautiful light aqua color. The students had an “open day” which meant that they were having a fair for everyone to come and see projects that they had been working on to show what they had learned that semester. It was one of the neatest things I have seen, and I got a lot of neat ideas of activities to do with my students. I saw everything from a pressure gun, science banners, math magic tricks, traditional dance and song, and even live animals, just to list a few. I especially loved seeing the animals. There were tiny little puppies, a bird, a chicken, a huge dog, fish, and some bugs. After we toured the fair and talked to some students we went to the elementary school. The school is right off of the beach and is called Isla Bonita. It is a three-story building with a courtyard in the middle. The students eat outside for lunch under a picnic shelter and the cook makes food daily for the students. I toured the school with the girls and we were each assigned a class. At the beginning of the tour Teacher Hector, one of the heads of the school, pointed to a classroom and warned us that it was the “crazy class”. Everyone was assigned rooms one by one and I was left last, and of course I was led to the “crazy class”. The class is approximately grade 3, with about 18 students ranging from age 8 to 11. The classroom dynamic was mind blowing simply because I had never seen anything like it before. The students were yelling constantly at the teacher for help. Not to say that it was a bad thing, but it is just how classrooms are here in Belize. It was really interesting to see! The students were very sweet and welcoming and each one wanted to personally get help from me on their assignment. During my short visit I also learned that there is a visually impaired student in the class who has very little vision. That excited me because I have never worked with a student with physical impairments before, but Mrs. Curry’s class has taught me a lot about adaptations to use with these students so I am excited to apply what I have learned.
After my visit we got lunch and then came back to the schools. I learned that next week the teacher in my class will be helping with a local beauty pageant (which are huge here) and will not be present in the afternoons so I will be jumping in head first and will be teaching in the afternoons. I have no idea what to teach and what their curriculum is but I will figure it out next week! I am really excited and nervous but I can already tell this is going to be an amazing experience. After that we all came back and relaxed at the pier on the beach. Then we had dinner and hung out at Pedro’s for the night.
Today I woke up and a few of the girls and I went to do yoga at a studio on the water. It was a breathtaking view and the class was a lot of fun. We decided to go back tomorrow and get a month long pass! After yoga we got breakfast at George’s again and then went back to Pedro’s. We sat by the pool for a while and then as a group we all rode our bikes to the North end of the island. We rode for about 30 minutes through town and then on the beach and finally ended up at a more deserted part of the beach. There was a neat little outdoor restaurant and a long pier with a huge grass top pavilion at the end. Crystal blue waters surrounded the pier with colorful fish everywhere. We spent the rest of the day snorkeling around the pier and laying out. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. At the end of the day we all rode back and the girls went into town to get ice cream. After ice cream we played cards by the pool and here I am now! So far this has been such an amazing experience. I know it sounds like I have been doing a lot of nothing but just getting adjusted to my new home and easing into the experience has really helped make the transition smooth. I am still struggling with being away from my friends and family for so long, but if they could only see what I am getting to live I think they would want me to stay here! I am taking advantage of this down time while I can because on Monday the work begins in full force. Wish me luck!
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