Teaching in Belize

Being in San Pedro, Belize has drastically opened my eyes to what life really is for most Belizeans. I know I have stated it before, but I am still blown away by how simple and adaptive the people are here. Knowing what there is out there, it still saddens me by how little the people have here.

In my class, most of the students do not even have the basic utensils for daily activities. The students are suppose to have the basic items in the beginning of the school year (notebooks, erasers, pencils, etc). But the fact is they are kids, and they often lose items. The kids have to share pencils and erasers because they cannot afford to buy more with the cost of imports being so expensive.

It is just crazy to me to see how the people here are not dependent on technology and luxuries of life. Yes, there is some Belizeans who are, but for the most part life is simpler here. It is also a whole new world here with teaching. Integrating technology in the United States is such a huge part in the schools, but it is rarely if ever used in the schools here. We were lucky to get blank paper for copies let alone have access to any type of technology. There is only one computer at Ambergris Caye Elementary, but it is in the hallway.

Most of the teaching is done through direct-instruction and note-taking. It has been fun to see the kids grow and grasp the information not only taught by the teacher, but that I have taught as well. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to include more hands-on critical thinking activities for the students. I do believe this component is a detrimental attribute for students to acquire and use. Without critical thinking skills, real-life situations will be more difficult to comprehend and solve. From first talking about this notion with my teacher until now, I have seen the students grow and now enjoy the activities. In the beginning, they were very hesitant to be creative and explore the materials, and now they are flourishing with the activities.

Back in the schools

On Wednesday, Ambergris Caye Elementary reopened after the two week long spring break. It was nice to have two weeks off, and the kids were energetic and ready to go Wednesday morning. The day went well, and I got to see a typical day for the students in Infant I classroom. The first week here was different because the students were reviewing and then taking their end of second term exams.


The students are starting to learn about place value and numerical numbers to 100 in mathematics. In language arts the topic of study is adjectives and the "oo" sound, while social studies is the Mayan community and H.F.LE is exercise.


The power went off again on Monday and Tuesday (as well as a long period during the night). Luckily there is now an empty room now, so the Infant I classroom could move to a room with a window to the outside. The Infant I room does not have a window to the outside, and it is very dark if the electricity goes off.

In the Jungle

Last last few days of our inland adventure was spent at Caves Branch. The resort was about a mile or more off the main road in the jungle, but the place was gorgeous. You could either stay in the bunkhouse, canopy, cabana, the honeymoon sweet, or more. The place and view was amazing.

The first night a small group of us got to stay in the cabana and the second night was in a canopy. The only difference between the two was that the cabana had a shower available in the room. For showering in the canopy and bunkhouse, well that was done outside in the little pail-showers outside. It seemed weird at first, but it was actually pretty cool. That was defiantly a first for me.

Being in the jungle, well there was a lot of bugs. The grasshoppers seemed like mutated grasshoppers than ones we are use to in the states. They were huge, but defiantly fun at dinner time. Because we were in the jungle, all meals were included with the stay, and it was served buffet style. Too often this also included extra friends as well. Between the lizards and mutated grasshoppers landing on people while they were tyring to eat dinners were very interesting.

San Ignacio and San Pedro Town

San Ignacio and San Pedro Town I feel are two totally different places in which to live and learn in.

Who wouldn't love to visit an island in the beautiful crystal clear blue waters. Living on the island has to be very expensive. With almost everything having to be imported, it causes the prices of everyday materials to be that much more expensive. Another notion about the island is that it does not have much to offer the children/parents.

San Ignacio is located in the mountains and jungle. It has something to offer for all individuals. Whether you are adventurous and want the thrill of rock climbing, or the gratification of climbing to the top of the mountain this can be found in many places in San Ignacio. If you are more of a history buff, well then San Ignacio is perfect for you. With a variety of different Mayan ruin spots in which some are excavated while others are still claimed by the jungle within close proximity, a history lover can find plenty things to do as well.

After learning about each area, I really do not know where I would rather teach. San Pedro Town from the time we landed almost four weeks ago felt very relaxed and welcoming. The community atmosphere has welcomed us in with open arms, and we were quickly recognized by most as more than just tourists. I really have enjoyed this acceptance and welcoming by San Pedro Town, but I do not feel I know enough about San Ignacio to say one is better than the other.

One thing I can say is that I do think I would enjoy San Ignacio more, for what it has to offer its occupants. I feel because San Pedro Town is on an island there is just not enough offered to not only the children, but parents as well. Whether it be additional governmental assistance, job opportunity, or something as simple as childcare, I feel it would be more difficult to live on the island. Without childcare it would make starting a family very hard. Unless one can afford a full time babysitter or has family inland to watch the baby while you work, families are stuck without many options for their youngsters until the age of three.

Inland Adventures: Actun Tunichil Muknai (ATM)

On Wednesday, April 7th the whole group spent the day on the Actun Tunichil Muknai (ATM) tour.

After trekking through the jungle and streams, we finally reached the entrance of the caves. We split up into three groups, and prepared for our journey into the cave. Helmet on, check. Head-light on, check. We are ready to go.

At the entrance of the cave we had to swim in the stream a short way to start our hike. During our hike, we followed the pathways used by the Mayans many many years ago.

At one point in the cave, our tour guide, Martin, told us to turn our head-lights off, and to walk through the cave in the total darkness. We had to walk through this part of the cave with our hand on the person in front of us just to make sure no one got lost. It was kind of spooky to walk in the pitch black caves without knowing where we were going, or what was all around us. Martin finally told us that we could turn on our head-lights, and the view was spectacular.

All around us we were surrounded by many different shapes and sizes of stalagmites and stalactites. We hiked around the inside of the caves for about three hours and saw an array of different Mayan artifacts. There was an assortment of different size pots. All the pots were broken or were cracked because they Mayan's believe everything had spirits. Smashing or cracking the pots would allow the spirits to be set free out of the pots. Other things we saw were skeletons of Mayans that were sacrificed to the spirits.

At the end of the trip, it was nice to jump back into the water and feel the heat of the day because the cave and water was very very cold. My group ate lunch, and then we headed back to the bus. Once back to the bus, tired and still wet we got to relax and take a much needed nap while waiting for the other two groups.

Inland Adventures: The Belize Zoo

We were all excited to leave Pedro's Inn for a week, especially without water for the last four days. Our first adventure inland was to get on the ferry, the San Pedro Express, bright and early. This ferry took us directly to Belize City in about an hour and half. Once in Belize City, we took a taxi to the bus station to grab the next bus to Belmopan. The bus was not like a typically city bus we have in the states. Rather it was an old school bus. All 19 of us squished on one bus plus a lot more individuals as well. There were so many people on the bus that some people had to stand up in the isle.

We were lucky enough to get a seat, and then we were off towards Belmopan. Our next stop was the Belize Zoo. We were surrounded by mountains. It was an amazing view. At one point in our trip to the Belize Zoo, we drove through a cloud of thick smoke. We later learned that forest fires are prevalent during this time in Belize because it is the dry season. There is no one to put out the fires; consequently the fires are left alone to burn out sooner or later.

When we finally go to the Belize Zoo, it was unlike any zoo I have ever been too. The animals are in a natural cage environment. There really was no animal in which I knew, for obviously these animals are common to Belize. The animals include the tapir, which is Belize's national animal. It is such a weird but defiantly unique animal. There was an assortment of different birds that are unique to Belize. I was most looking forward to seeing the jaguar and the howler monkey. When I finally got to see the jaguar, it kept pacing back and forth in its cage. I was a little disappointed because I could not get a good picture of it.

After we all finished walking around the zoo, we waited for the bus to San Ignacio. Well it defiantly was on Belizean time, and it came about two hours later. But we got lucky, and all 19 of us could fit in the bus. This bus took us the rest of the way to Belmopan and then our connection onto San Ignacio.

Finally, we reached the San Ignacio Resort Hotel. It was so nice to be in a new atmosphere. We went from the island and beach to the foothills of the mountains. It was defiantly a nice transition. We also got to stay in an amazing hotel. The view alone was spectacular, but it also came with a huge pool, hammocks in the rooms, and great rooms. After a long day of traveling, we hung out and prepared for the adventure in Guatemala to Tikal the following day.

Privilege

Coming to Belize has been an eye opening experience for me. It has allowed me grow not only professional as an educator, but as an individual as well. Through this experience I know what it feels like to be judged by the color of my skin. Because I am not a native, I am seen as a tourist that is here to have fun and spend money. Not only were we picked out by vendors trying to selling things, but more than once the price of an object been raised because we are not native Belizeans. It not only happens at the little local fruit stands, but in the grocery stores as well. I have quickly learned to make sure to ask how much the item costs before purchasing it. I do not want to sound like a picky American, but this is one privilege I miss as an American.


Another privilege that is common to most Americans is knowing that you will have water and electricity (if it is paid for). During our experience here the power has gone on and off numerous of times. One time in specific the electricity was off for more than six hours, and since then the electricity has gone been turned off but no as long. Last night in particular the power was off for about three hours. There are many reasons to why it was turned off, but no one is 100% sure.

Since we have been here the water has also been shut-off for a long period of time as well (I think the count was at 4 days). We left to go inland for a week, and came back to the water still not working perfectly. Water was turned off because someone was dredging and caused the filters to be overloaded. San Pedro did not have any filters on back-up; consequently San Pedro went without water until new ones could be ordered. With it being Easter weekend, this notion took longer than usual. Both the electricity and water being turned off is a common for the locals. Most joke around about it with us saying they wake up everyday not knowing if they will have either. As an American, I feel people should get what they are paid for, but this is one privilege Belizeans are not granted.

People here do not see this as a loss though. They have learned to adapt and deal with situations that are thrown at them. This is one thing I really like about the people from San Pedro. If the electricity, water, Internet, or phone was not working in America, there would be an uproar. Here people make do with what they have and are more flexible. When in San Pedro, you just never know, and I have quickly learned to adapt.

Mayan Ruins

On Tuesday, April 6th we took a 30 minute drive to the boarder to head to Guatemala. Once we got through customs with two more stamps in our passports, we were on our way to Tikal. It was about another hour and half drive until we reached the Tikal National Park.

Tikal is one of the largest ruins in the world which covers over 8 miles of land. It use to be one of the most powerful Mayan kingdoms. Today only 20% of the ruins have been excavated by a university from PA (15%) and the Guatemalan government (5%). To full enjoy this site though it would take days just to be able to see everything. In the two hours we were there, we got to see about 6 of the main temples, but there was still so much more to see.

The first place we stopped was Temple Q. There was a few temples that looked like this one which were only used for ceremonies. After that we got to climb Temple IV, which is the tallest temple standing at 210 feet tall. We could not climb up the actual temple itself, which was probably a good thing because of safety. But, there was a staircase that was built up the side of the temple for people to climb, and then sit on the side of the temple. Once on top of Temple IV, we were above all the trees, and we could see other temples as well. In the picture are Temple III, II, and I.

After the hike back down, we headed to the lost world. It consisted of four more temples. Our next adventure was the Great Plaza to go see Temple I and II. We were allowed to climb to the top of Temple II, which is shown in the picture on top. Temple I is known as the Great Jaguar, and is the burial spot for Ah Cacao. Ah Cacao built Temple II as well. This whole adventure took us over two hours, and we did not even get to see all the ruins.

On Thursday, Aprtil 8th some of us went to visit our next Mayan ruin, Xunantunich. This ruin was just a short bus ride outside of San Ignacio, Belize. Xunantunich was the first site to be opened up in Belize to the public. Once across the short ferry ride and a nice mile hike up the hill, you reach the main ceremonial quarter of Xunantuich.

The tallest pyramid is called El Castillo which is shown in the picture. El Castillo is the tallest at Xunantunich at 130 feet tall. On top of El Castillo you have a 360 degree of the surrounding land. Not only will you see part of the Belize jungle and river valleys, but you will also see the boarder between Belize and Guatemala. Right behind me in the picture is the boarder. The adventure to the Mayan ruins was an amazing experience. One in which I will never forget.

Belize National Anthem

BELIZE NATIONAL ANTHEM

O, Land of the free by the Carib Sea,

our manhood we pledge to thy liberty!

No Tyrants here linger, despots must flee

This tranquit haven of democracy

The blood of our sires which hallows the sod,

Brought freedom from slavery oppression's rod,

By the might of truth and the grace of God.

No longer shall we be hewers of wood.

Arise! ye sons of Baymen's clan,

put on your armour, clear the land!

Drive back the tyrants, let despots flee-

Land of the Free by the Carib Sea!

Nature has blessed thee with wealth untold,

O'er mountains and valleys where praries roll;

Our fathers, the Baymen, valiant and bold

Drove back the invader; this heritage hold

From proud Rio Hondo to old Sarstoon'

Through coral isle, over blue lagoon;

Keep watch with the angels, the stars and moon;

For freedom comes tomorrow's noon.

Chorus.