Fun Day Thursday

Well, Fun Day was exhausting as I expected. I am quasi part of student council. More like I’m one of the ones who will help on the day of, but I’m too busy to commit to anything beyond that. I was designated official MC of the day, which was fun, but confusing since I didn’t really know what was going on… All 400 students were split into ‘houses’ (really they were split into groups and were identified by t-shirt color) and each team chose a few members from their ‘house’ to participate in competitions for points. I was on the orange team and our shirt color was the WORST. It made us all look like pumpkins. The competitions were as follows:

Runathon (starting at 6:30am, whoever wanted could race from the school, to the border of Guatemala (~1.25miles) and back) Each person who completed the race would get 5 points for their team and winners would be given extra. I told some girls that I would walk it with them, but I literally was not aware of my alarm clock until about 6:40… oops… I felt so bad. I owe about 4 girls a coke or slushie or whatever they want. They were okay with the compromise.

House cheering contest (which whole team could cheer the loudest) Orange did not take a place.

Lime and bucket relay (kind of like running suicides, but each time you run to a line, you have to grab the lime that’s there and put it in the Styrofoam bowl at the starting point) Orange won 2nd place.

Slow bicycle race (opposite of a fast bicycle race) Orange did not place.

Tug-a-war (pretty self explanatory) This was the most pathetic event for our team. We had 1 larger student, but it seems that the ‘random’ draw was not so random, because we got all the shrimpy stick kids in the school! When watching the other teams compete, they at least all had some competition, but within one tug, our team was GONE!! It was kinda funny despite not winning any points for our team.

Ghost relay (a member from each team runs across the gym to their designated bowl that was filled with flour. Each time the reached the bowl, they could blow hard once. The objective was to be the first to blow all of the flour out of the bowl faster than the other teams.) This was really fun to watch! We won 2nd place for the boys and 3rd for the girls.

Trivia (a member from each ‘house’ takes a quiz in 3 minutes and tries to get the most correct) One of my 2nd form boys won the competition, but orange did not place.

Baby bottle drinking contest (who can drink out of a baby bottle the fastest) It was funny when the most macho guys in the school refused to do any other event but this one! Drinking from a baby bottle is a lot harder than one would think! For one round, it took about 5 minutes to finish… and there were two rounds (boys and girls). During the boys competition, a couple of the boys cheated when they bit on the nipple of the bottle. As MC I had to announce that it was not allowed, but it was hard to say in an appropriate way. If I were talking to mature adults, I would have said something like, “You cannot bite on the nipple. All you can do is suck,” but of course high schoolers would NOT be able to handle that! I said something like “you cannot bite on the bottle.” Something that could not be taken too wrongly. Orange won 1st place for the boys and no place for the girls.

Obstacle course (they had to start by doing quick feet through tires then somehow get around ropes that were tied between picnic tables, hop over 2 huge logs that were resting on the picnic table benches, then crawl under the football (soccer) nets) All of that was a lot harder than it seems! This was my favorite event to watch! It was frustrating, though, because my orange team kept the lead every time until they got stuck in the net. GAH!

Hotdog eating competition (whoever could eat 5 hotdogs the fastest) This was disgusting to watch, but so disgusting that you just couldn’t look away, and as photographer of the day, I had to document it. By the 5th hotdog, there were 2 boys who were neck and neck. They were both gagging and trying to choke down the dogs. OH GROSS! Just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. Our team member was so psyched about it, but when it came down to it, he was just not a fast eater! By the end, he said he was in it to enjoy the free food. Orange did not place.

Greasy pole (they greased a 40’ wooden pole with lard and put $50 at the top. Whoever could get it first could donate the money to the charity of their choice.) This was ridiculous! We had to cancel the event because of how dangerous it was! I don’t know who came up with the idea, but it was dumb! We started the competition then realized how dangerous it was after teams starting building pyramids with like 6 or 7 kids standing on top of each other. (4 on the bottom to build a base then they would stack up) RIDICULOUS! I don’t know what they did with the $50. I think I might suggest Ms. Shelby’s Travel Foundation… I hope they go for it!

At the end of the day winners were announced and out of 8 teams, orange came in 6th place. A pretty big accomplishment for my shrimpy team of twigs!

While there were breaks between the games, I did jump rope with some students (the kind where lots of people jump into a long rope), which was fun! We linked arms and then all jumped in at the same time. We only succeeded once at it. We used the rope that was used for tug a war, so it was really thick. One guy jumped in just a second too late and was tripped by the rope- it took him out by the feet and he went DOWN! It was so funny! He had a good sense of humor, so he took it pretty lightly.

During lunch, I hung out with my 2nd form girls and taught them a couple of games. The one they liked the best was ninja! I thought they would think it was silly, but they were totally into it- even some of the ‘popular’ girls who care a lot about how they look! It was so fun!

Tomorrow (well, today (it’s 1am (after Fun Day, I came home at about 4 and took about a 5 hour nap, so I’m not too tired now))) begins exams. I get to proctor a 2nd form English exam. I am so excited to walk around a classroom for 2 hours to make sure no one is cheating.

…….







………….


…Not.

Here are a few of the 277 pictures I took from today:


Me with my some of my 2nd form girls at lunch.


The baby boys.


This is at the part where I started gagging.


Green team tug-a-war.


Two students about to begin the obstacle course.

Flores is where my heart longs to be

This past weekend, 4 volunteers and I made the 2 hour chicken bus trip to Flores, Guatemala. Brynne, Dave, Sean and Betsy dove into Guatemala and rocked the karaoke bar, put the "happy" in happy hour, bartered down the prices of dozens of pairs of earrings and entertained the fish in the lake.

Due to "volunteer's day," we got a half day on Thursday and Friday off. By 10am, we were in a taxi to the border of Guate where we could take a 12 passenger non-stop van for Flores for 30 Quetzales. (exchange rate is about 1USD: 7.5Quetzales) The funny thing about a non-stop van is that it stops for every person who needs a ride along the way. At one point, I counted 20 people in our 12 passenger van. I've heard horror stories where there wasn't enough room in the van, so a paying passanger had to hold onto the outside ladder for about 45 minutes. Side note: we also stopped when our van got a flat tire.

It was a relaxing weekend filled with sleep, books and good company. On the way back, we stopped in Melchor, Guatemala to visit one of our students who has been in and our of the hospital for the past week. Luisfredy Contreras was in a motorcycle accident (Motorcycle is the main mode of transportation in Guatemala, especially Melchor)last year and has been in a brace and on crutches since. Last week, his leg got infected (I don't know the medical terminology) and he pretty much went into shock. As he was rushed off campus and into surgery, the whole school stopped to pray a Rosary for him. He's now at home, but not doing so well. He'll get more test results this week. Please keep him in your prayers. We were so fortunate to go to his home and visit with him. As we ate a 5 course meal that his mom whipped up for us, he told us about how lonely and scared he had been while at home all alone and how Christ is really the only one getting him through this time. He is such an inspiration to me and the rest of the volunteers. Please, please pray for Luisfredy.

We're now back in Benque gearing up for our last week of teaching. Next week will be review week, and the following is exam week. Where has the time gone? Oh that's right, into grading over 3,000 assignments, quizzes and tests, planning, and teaching. That's not an exaggeration.

Here are a few photos from the weekend:


Betsy, Luisfredy and Brynne at his house.


Brynne, Sean and me in a tuktuk (Guatemalen taxi) on our way back to Melchor.


Dave and I drinking mojitos and watching the sunset.


The group at dinner, minus Betsy who was taking the picture.


Dave, Betsy and Sean jumping of the pier into the lake that surrounds Flores.

I saw my first Belizean butterflies today and they were beautiful!

Well first and foremost, my stapler is broken. This was no ordinary stapler. Twas coveted by all outside the math department. It had a power force that could staple 20 sheets at a time. It will be greatly missed. (I'll probably end up trying to return it to WalMart over Christmas break...Think they'll let it fly?)

Since my last post, many peculier things have happened. These include, but are not limited to: 1. Being told that I looked ugly.
2. Being told that I looked beautiful.
3. Having to climb through the windows of my classroom in a skirt because the lock on the door was broken.
4. Being given a love poem from a group of male students that I don't even teach.
5. Being told that my Spanish accent it funny.
6. Being told that my Spanish accent makes me sound like I've spoken it for my whole life.
7. Being denied access to the dance room for my Dance Club.
8. Giving guitar lessons.
9. Getting the soundtrack to seasons 1 and 2 of Glee on my computer.
10. Being granted "Volunteer's Day" for Thanksgiving, so now we get a 3.5 day weekend too! YAY!

It's so funny. Here, people will be extremely blunt and tell you exactly what they are thinking, which I appreciate, but if the great majority of Americans were to come down here, they'd be really offended by the things they hear here! For example, last week, the dean came to chat with me and started with, "Miss Shelby, you look like you just woke up an hour ago!" (Which was true...) I just laugh when I hear these things. They don't mean them in a rude way at all, they are simply pointing out the things the notice...without filtering it first. (Kael, if you're reading this, it's like they have No Filter Fridays 24/7/365!)

Since the last post, here are some hightlights: (everything is easier in bullet points)
1. My 2nd form students achieved an 85% average on test #2, which I am VERY happy about! It was not an easy test.
2. The batter life of my computer has completely died. I have to start it up everytime I unplug it. It's more of a portably desktop at this point, but we're still trucking along!
3. Halloween is celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of November here (2 nights!). The kids who dress up just like in the States travel from Chinese store to Chinese store saying "Trick or treat!" The don't go from house to house.
4. Sean's birthday was celebrated with 3 hours filled with games of Mafia. It got really intense. I was the worst narrarator EVER!! I messed up one of the games in about 10 different ways.
5. Dave, Brynne, Sean and I went to Melchor, Guatemala one Sunday to spend the day with some our students. I didn't actually teach any of them, so I didn't know them very well. It was good to get to know some students out of the classroom. Luisfredy, one of the students took us to his house where his parents prepared us a feast! It was delicious! We got a tour of the town; we went to the park; we went shopping at USA2, and we walked around the market. It was such a fun day!
6. We had a hurricane day, which meant no school. Benque is actually 2.5 hours inland, so we weren't really that threatened, but Belize city and other costal villages were. Benque is used as a relief shelter for those evacuated. We closed school for a day in case an evacuation was needed, but it wasn't. I spent the day playing ping pong with some of the Belizean teachers and Sean. We just relaxed at night and watched movies and danced.
7. I spent an evening at one of the Belizean teacher's houses chatting and getting to know them. We had the ever popular cheese dip and chips and some great rum and coke!
8. 8 of the volunteers went to San Pedro (yes, the one Madonna sings about) for the weekend. Betsy (one of the volunteers) has connections with the people who own one of the resorts there, so we got to stay at a really nice resort (even by American standards) for $25USD total for 2 nights! Here are some sub-highlights from this trip:
8a. Dave, Sean and I traveled together. We had to take a bus to Belize City then a water taxi from there to the island. Dave had been there before, so right when we got off the boat, Dave took us to this liquor store where they give away free samples. We got about 3 full free shots. I hadn't eaten anything all day. That's all I'll say.
8b. We went out to eat and got free ceviche and rum punch. It pays to go vacationing during the off-season. People are desperate for some business.
8c. Both nights we went to this bar called Fido's where they have live music and dancing. We got our groove on and even had a dance off with a group of people who were having a very casual wedding reception. Needless to say, WE WON.
8d. Some people went snorkling. I personally do NOT like snorking, so I went along for the free boat ride. They saw the 2nd largest reef in the world at the first stop and swam with nurse sharks at the 2nd. I was official photographer. It was great!
8e. Sean, Dave and I took the rest of our crew back to liquor store and everyone got more free samples and many people bought from the store. I was waiting while everyone purchased their Christmas gifts. The owner asked me if I got anything for myself and I said that I didn't want to buy anything for me, so he went to the shelf and pulled off a $40BZE of coconut cream rum (their best seller- it was sooooo good) and he just gave it to me. I still have some left in the fridge at home.
8f. Dave also wanted us to feed the tarpons (a fish). What you do is hold a small fish inbetween your pointer and middle finger with a flat palm facing the surface of the water. You hold it about 2 feet off the water. The tarpons jump out of the water and grab it from your hand! I freaked out when it jumped and dropped the fish. FAIL. Betsy decided she wanted to break the rules and she held the fist with ther pointer finger and thumb. When the tarpon jumped out of the water it bit her hand. I looked like she had a hicky on her hand for the next week or so. We called it a "fish-icky."
8g. My 2nd form girls wanted me to bring them sand back, but instead I spent a couple of very relaxing hours finding sea shells for them. They loved it.

9. I've been invited to my first Quince Anos (a quincenera). It's this Thursday, which is also Thanksgiving, so I don't think I'll be able to go.
10. 8 of the volunteers went to Bullet Tree, which is a small village near Benque. One of the teachers in the math department, Mr. Mai, invited us to come swimming in the river with him and then a barbque after. We started at one bar, had a beer, then swam down the river, then got out at another bar, had another drink then got back in the river. We floated down to the rope swing and spent time there. I did the hardest back-flop ever. Talk about pain! It was convenient because the river does a curve around Bullet Tree, so we pretty much started at his house, and ended up back there. I can't wait to do it again!

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Gosh, I feel like so much has happened, but I can't remember it all. Life has been good. I'm still experiencing challenges as a teacher and as a friend, but God is getting me though. Pray for me that I can be still more faithful and still more devoted to this mission he has given to me. Peace and Love.

Just a couple pics from San Pedro:

One month later...

It’s a bit different waking up to fluttering of palm trees and the annoying beckoning of the roosters at 4am, but after 2 months of living here in Benque, none of this phases me. So many things that surprised me when I got here ages ago seem so natural to me now.

Here’s a short list of things that might surprise you about living here in Belize but are like second nature to me:

1. Students won’t know what you’re talking about if you ask them to take out a sheet of paper. You have to say, “Please take out a folder sheet.”
2. If you need them to take out another, you can’t say, “Please take out another.” You have to say, “Please take out a next folder sheet.”
3. You cannot reject anything that anyone offers you. They told me that when I first got here, but I didn’t really take it seriously, so I tried to say “no thanks” to a student who was offering me part of their lunch. Well, he was very hurt and kind of offended and I felt awful. Needless to say, since then I have had about 2 times as much as I would normally eat, plenty of escorts to walk me home, and about a billion shushies.
4. Shushies are a brand new thing down here this year and are a HUGE hit! They sell them at many of the Chinese stores (most of the businesses are run by the large Chinese population here in Benque) and students love to get one on their way home.
5. I have counted about 2 blonde people the whole time I have been here. Very different from Midwestern Kansas.
6. They refer to the teachers by their first name, so I am known at school as Miss Shelby.
7. The classrooms have a chalkboard and desks. The windows are wooden shutters that need to be opened in the morning and closed at the end of the day. There are no fans or a.c. It is hot while teaching, so sometimes on especially hot days, I will take my class out to the basketball court which has a tin roof for shade.
8. Instead of having the students rotate classes, it’s the teachers who move from class to class. We do not have our own classrooms. All of the teachers are in one large ‘teacher’s lounge’. Each of us gets a desk. If the students need us, they have to wait outside the lounge and call to us. They cannot come into the lounge. If they need help with something, we have to go find somewhere else to sit. Maybe at the picnic tables or at the basketball court. I do not like any of this at all. I would greatly prefer my own classroom.
9. Students sometimes take advantage of the fact that I don’t speak much Spanish, so that’s what they use to speak to each other when they have their little side conversations during my lessons. It pisses me off.
10. It’s the rainy season here. It rains probably about 3 times/week.
11. I walk to and from school and anywhere else I need to go in town. It’s about a 10 minute walk to school.
12. They have a class that teaches you how to play they recorder. They do not call it a recorder. They call it a flute. On these ‘flutes,’ they ALL know how to play Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On. They do not call it that. They call it Titanic. It is obnoxious.
13. For volleyball games, usually in the States, normal teams would get transportation to the schools. Not here. We have to walk to the schools if we’re playing away. We only play versus 2 different schools, but they are about a 30 minute walk away. We have to bring all of our equipment too.
14. It’s almost impolite to show up to anything on time. You have to live on ‘Belize time,’ which equals about 30 minutes or more late. I hope I can kick the habit when I return.
15. The male students, even the 14 year old ones think that they actually have a chance to marry the women volunteers. Ha!
16. I had not experienced air conditioning or a warm shower until a couple weekends ago when we (the volunteers) went on a mini vacation to Placencia on the coast. It was a magical.
17. Dogs like to have a barking competition every night at about 3am.
18. The roosters think that morning begins at about 4am. These aren’t just normal cock-a-doodle-dooing rooster either. When they cock-a-doodle-doo, it sounds like they are being tortured.
19. I have learned to drown out the sounds of the night with the wonderful fan in my room. At first I thought it was obnoxiously loud, but now I could not sleep without it.
20. I have something else in my body that presents its symptoms as blisters. They started on my legs then moved to my armpit then I got 2 on my face, then a couple on my hand. I haven’t been able to shave for about 3 weeks now because of how many there are. I fit in well with the unshaven Belizean ladies. I should have gone to the doctor a month ago, but I have just put it off. They finally just went away a couple of weeks ago. Praise the Lord!
21. Rice and beans is the main course of any meal and often the only course. As in white rice and black or kidney beans. I think I’ve started getting used to it and am beginning to like it now.
22. I do my laundry by hand and hang it on a line to dry.
23. Students sometimes come by the house to ask for help or if they have a question or whatever. They don’t knock on the door. They just shout your name outside until you come to answer.
24. My proper use of the English language is in a steep downward spiral.
25. In my classes, I have students with many different backgrounds. I have Creole, Mayan, Mestizo (Spanish and Mayan), Mexican, and many many Guatemalan students.
26. Benque is about a mile from the border of Guatemala, so about 30% of the students that come to Mount Carmel are Guatemalan. They come from a town called Melchor. (I have not been yet because the administration still has our passports to work out our temporary visas.)

Well, there’s a “short” list of fun facts for you.

In other news, my classes are going very well. Mid-semester grades were due this past Friday and very few of my students are failing, which I am very happy about. Let me tell you, my class is not easy to pass, so the ones that are, are working very hard. The students who aren’t are the ones who have been very lazy in and out of class.

Volleyball ended on a low note. The team’s confidence was crushed when we lost to Mopan, the school that “always wins every sport.” We were a very talented team, even by American standards, but we lost in a mental game. Now I have unusual amounts of free time after school which will be soon filled with Dance Club. Signups were last week and continue through this week. I plan to have practice 2-3 times/week in which we will learn many different styles of dance. I’m very excited about it!

7 of the 11 volunteers went to Placencia over Columbus Day (referred to here as Pan American Day) weekend in celebration of Dave’s birthday. It was a very relaxing time laying on the beach, but it ended far too soon. FAR too soon. The 15 hours of travel over the weekend were made up for by a 3-story air-conditioned house with hot showers, cable, boating, biking and beaching.

There is much more to write about, but I have to go get ready for Mass. I slept in this morning and will go to Spanish Mass at 6:30pm.

I will try not to go another month without updating you all. Muchisimos amor.

Student Council Retreat:

The group out for Dave's birthday dinner:

Me and Jonathan on the water taxi:

An eventful end of the week

Since being here, I have not been as exhausted as have been this past week and espeicially this weekend! Spirit week just wore me down. It all turned out to be worth it and a ton of fun! Here are some pictures from Friday's Independence Day parade in which all the students in the school participated (even though Independence Day is actually on Wednesday):


Some of the Student Council members just helping to finish up the float. I think we were the only school that brought a float and so much school spirit! So Great!


The whole school celebrated a Mass before the parade, just like a regular Friday. Here are a couple of the musicians practicing before (Luis and Shamir).


Class 4C with their banner. Every class put a ton of time after school into creating a banner that represented the school pillars of Beauty, Truth, Goodness and Unity as well as the theme for the September celebrations of the year: Honoring our History, Celebrating our Culture, Uniting for Peace. Each class paraded their banner throughout the town for all of the onlookers. It was such a neat experience!


Class 2S, a class of all boys who put sooo much effort and skill into their banner. They were one of our winners for best banner, which they greatly deserved!


This is the banner that my homeroom (3C) did. I thought it was very creative!


Here is the Student Council Executive Board who all got to dress up culturally to ride on the float.


Lucia and I got in a last minute picture with the float before we started the parade.


Here we were just beginning the parade and some of the "lazy" boys wanted to ride in the back of the truck that pulled the float. Where they found that sign still remains a mystery...

And this is when the battery of my camera died. Silly me didn't think to charge it before the parade. Grr..



Yesterday, Saturday, I was invited home with a couple of my srudents, Maria and Olivia Pop. They live about 1.25 hours away from Benque in a little village called Valley of Peace. We went for their "brother's" 2nd birthday party. Here are some pictures from it:


Maria and I with Oscar.


Oscar with his pinata! I've been to a couple of birthday parties down here so far and they've all included a pinata!


They do pinatas justice down here! It took them a good 20 minutes to break the thing.


Olivia Pop chillin' in her hammock after dinner.


Oscar helping his "sister" to clean up. So cute!


The Pop family minus their father.



What a great weekend.

Spirit Week!

The pictures you saw beneath this post are from day 2 of Spirit Week. It's kind of like homecoming week in the states, but instead of leading up to a football game and halftime show, it instead leads to Belize's independence day on Friday.

They'd never had a spirit week here at Mount Carmel High School, but Lucia (see in picture below) and I are a part of the student council, which is sponsoring the week's events. Here is an overview of the weeks events:

Monday: Jingle contest. The winning jingle will be presented on Independence day for the whole town in the Cancha!

Tuesday: Red, White and Blue day. (See pictures in the last post) Students and staff alike were allowed a casual day, with some limitations. You had to have red, white and blue as the majority of your clothing color. You could paint your face and hair, so that was neat to see some of the students do that! On Monday, I had to go explain the rules to the 1st and 2nd form girl's classes just to make every single rule extremely clear (because we knew they'd try to push the limits)! When talking about face/body painting I was explaining that you could write things on your face such as "I love Belize!" and "MCHS rocks!" You could NOT, however, write things like "Justin Bieber is my husband" in red, white and blue. You COULD write things such as "I love Miss Shelby!" or "Math class is stupendous!" See picture below:



3 girls did it! BAHAHA! I was kidding and they probably shouldn't have done it, but they like to bend the rules. The girl next to me, Irma, won "best dressed" of the school for RWB day!
We also played some popular Spanish music in the gym during lunch, so that was fun!

Wednedsay: Today is class decorating day. The homerooms have to decorate their class with recycled materials to show their love for Belize and MCHS. This competition might have been changed to tomorrow...I couldn't go to the Stu.Co. meeting yesterday as I was busy with Handmaidens, Math tutoring and volleyball.

Thursday: Baking day. The homerooms get together and create an edible piece of art that also goes along the themes of Belize and MCHS. I had this great idea to have everyone in class make a batch of Rice Krispie treats, which we would use to create a model of the Myan ruins here in Belize. It would have been so great...if they knew what Rice Krispie treats were... They had also come up with another idea, before I presented mine, so they were partial to baking a cake and decorating it with a Belizean theme. I'm still excited to see it. I'll post pictures of the results next time!

Firday: NO SCHOOL! Indepence Day! Students will still meet for Mass at school, but then we'll all go to the parade (weather permitting). Homerooms will, throughout the week, create a banner that will be included in the town's parade. I'm pretty excited for it! This has been an MCHS tradition for years and I'm really excited to be a part of it. I hear the parade is going to be great too! Bands, dancers, people on stilts, junior army corps and such!

Classes and individuals earn points for their homerooms throughout the week and on Friday, we will announce the winning class who will receive a prize! (Don't know what that is either, but that doesn't stop the kids from having a good time with it!)

Pictures: Red, White and Blue Day at MCHS sponsored by Student Council

One of my students, Jomenica, and me.


Students at lunch. David (the crazy guy) is one of my volleyball guys.


Volunteers! Lucia, Brynne and me!


2nd form boys


Just some students at lunch.

"Okie Dokie!"

I'm sitting at my desk on an unmotivatingly hot Saturday afternoon, and not yet wanting to focus and plan for the coming week, I have just been thinking about this past week and a few of the funny things that have happened. I just wanted to share a couple with you.

1. All teachers are supposed to be at school by 7:50am, but on Thursday, I woke up at 7:41am in my bed that is a good 10 minute walk from the school. EEK! I had to sacrifice brushing my teeth or caring about what my hair looked like for the day. Barely made it! I felt like I was sweating for the next hour because of how fast I walked. Funny enough, I got more compliments on how I looked on Thursday than any other yet... Maybe this will become a habit!....Not.

2. While in the pool last Sunday, we were talking about the funny little antics that we pick up from each other (since we live together, work together, eat together, __________ together, ___________ together (fill in the blanks)). We also talked about what the students probably pick up on from us and at the time, I could't think of any. Until Friday. I walk up to my 2nd form girls class and start my lesson. We're reviewing whatever we had gone over the day before and I was asking for questions, but there weren't any, so I said, "Okie dokie, moving on!" and they all responded, "Okie dokie!" Then I realized just how much I say it and how often they repeat me. It was so funny, we just laughed about it for a couple minutes in class.

3. I was talking with a student named David yesterday after volleyball practice. I knew he had a guitar lesson the night before, so I asked how it went and if he had caluses on his fingertips yet and he was confused. I showed him mine and he was like, "Oh, like what you get on your palms after cutting your lawn with a machete!" BAHAHA! Something I could not relate to at all! TIB (This Is Belize)

Well, that's what I have to offer for now. I need to get some planning done for the week before we play Ultimate Frisbee with some of the students and volunteers at 2 then go to a parade in town for the feast day of St. George. Pretty excited!

Hasta luego!

It's Payday!!

$35BZE later, and I am feelin’ muy rica! I’m surprised at just how long this money lasts. Keep in mind that it’s only $17.50US, but I stretch it out and make it last. For only a shilling ($0.25BZE = $0.125US), I can get an Ideal (an Otter Pop, only bigger), which really is ideal in the heat and humidity! They’re great after volleyball practice, which, I decided, is the only sport I truly enjoy playing.

I’m one of 2 dedicated coaches who mediate boys volleyball practice everyday at 3:30pm. Man! It’s rough! These guys are so talented, but have very few positive emotions toward each other and don’t know how to take responsibility for their own mistakes. I’m more of the “ethics of volleyball” coach and Sean is more of the skills coach. I never wanted to be, but I think I’ll have to be the volunteer that many of them don’t like. Each of the volunteers, I have noticed, has their own approach to how they relate with students. I think my style is going to tend toward “tough love” with my 2nd form and volleyball boys. I hope that this year they can learn to be more respectful gentlemen.

It’s completely different with my girls, both 1st and 2nd form! I can show more of my personality in class because they know how to focus when it’s time to focus and be silly when it’s time to be silly. Today in my 2nd form class, I think my students and I formed a new level of respect for each other. We were able to be silly and crack jokes while I was teaching, while still remaining on task. I even felt comfortable enough with them to make them the teachers, and it went surprisingly well! They were able to clearly teach their classmates how to add and subtract algebraic expressions- and it was fun- and they learned!

Besides teaching and volleyball, I am also involved in Student Council, organizing the Math Olympiad, tutoring, grading, planning, Handmaidens (a group of girls at the high school who pray together and play together), drama club (I was designated the head of this club without prior knowledge. Don’t know what I’ll do with it yet.), and dance club (which will start after volleyball). This is all on top of daily Mass, prayer, eating, showering (sometimes twice/day), and trying to get a little bit of relaxation in. This really is a mission and not vacation. I think I’ll have to cut some activities in order to give more fully of myself. At this time, I feel like I’m being spread extremely thin and I can only give 50% when I should be giving 100%. Pray for me that I can understand what my personal mission is here in Benque.

I’ve officially been here for three full weeks, and they have been anything but easy. They have been quite tough in just about all aspects. Just so that I can keep you fully filled in, I’ll mention a couple.
1. Over the past 2 years, I have had some knee problems and they seem to be returning. Nothing awful, don’t worry. I think the constant uneven ground and walking is taking its toll. I anticipated this, thankfully, so I have been wearing the knee brace that I brought with me to prevent anything bad from happening. Needless to say, this drew much attention at school from my students. Many of them are genuinely concerned (“Ay, Miss, what happened to your foot?” (even though the brace is clearly on my knee)) and others are (jokingly) convinced that I’m trying to start a new trend. Haha! “Miss, you look so fashionable!” (They constantly refer to the female teachers as “Miss,” which they pronounce “Mees.” It’s one thing that always makes me laugh!)
2. I’m always sweaty!
3. I have to wake up by 7am..sometimes I can sleep in until 7:15 and still make it to school by 7:45!
4. Though it’s gotten better, I am still struggling to find my spot amongst the other volunteers. Everyone just has such different personalities, which is wonderful, but at times difficult to live with. I think it’s kind of a blessing in disguise, though. When I would normally go to my best friend, Mae, or someone else, to talk about something, I have to find somewhere else to turn to. Since I don’t feel comfortable enough to open up with the other volunteers, I have had to turn to Christ in prayer, which is something I normally I suck at. I guess this might be how God is pushing me even further to come to know him. It’s rough, but I know he’ll give me a friend to talk to when I know him enough and he thinks I’m ready.
5. I’m always sweaty!…Did I mention that already?
6. The diet is very restricting here with NO calcium, minimal fruits and vegetables and lots and lots of rice and beans! To remedy this, I brought a multivitamin with me…which I have taken once in three weeks. Oops.

There are also many good things that have been happening here, so to end on a positive note, I’ll mention some of them too.
1. I really enjoy the other teachers at the school! They are so fun and real and welcoming! This past weekend, we were invited to the Dean’s (Mr. Sunil) daughter’s (Sanji) 8th birthday party. It was so fun! There were a couple of other teachers there who I got to talk with a bit more. They are so funny!!
2. We sit by department and I like everyone in my department. Mr. Mai is the head and he and I just joke around all day. Mr. Marcos has a very sarcastic sense of humor, which I enjoy! Lucia, another volunteer is just so sweet and has never said a mean thing about anyone. Jonathan, another volunteer is really really dedicated to his mission here, and is a true gentleman. Mr. Dionicio is quiet, but will throw in a joke every now and then, but if you’re not closely listening, you could easily miss it.
3. Lucia and I have been working together to get donations for the math department and Handmaidens. So far, we are getting about 70 calculators and other school supplies for math and about $300 for t-shirts and activities for the Handmaidens. We are very excited!!
4. I am so happy that my family paid a bit extra for me to bring my guitar. I has been a great personal getaway!
5. This past week on a very hot Sunday, 6 of us volunteers packed into a small sports car and took the 15 minute trip to San Ignacio (Cayo) where we swam at the Resort’s pool. It felt so so so great!

I have my busiest day tomorrow, 5 classes, so I will need all the energy I can muster up. I’m praying for all of you at home. Pray for me, please. I miss you all and love you even more.

A special thanks to Martin for getting on me to write these! I find myself so busy that I just forget about things!…Like today when I completely forgot to go to my 1st spiritual direction with Fr. John…..Oops.

March 8, 2012: La Ruta Maya

Check out this link which explains the 170 mile race down the river:
http://www.belizehotel.travel/event/La_Ruta_Maya_River_Challenge

I really want to do it!!

1st day of classes

Instead of each teacher having their own classroom while the students travel from class to class, students have their permanent classroom and teachers have to travel from class to class. We all have our desks organized by department in the teacher's lounge (one big room). During the times we teachers don't have class, we are working in the lounge. I don't particularily agree with this method of scheduling, but, what do I know- I'm just a 1st year volunteer.

Well, today, after a homeroom session in which we were missing 12 desks, started with an all school Mass in the gymnasium . (I'll have to take a picture of it; it is a cement floor with a tin canopy over it.) Girls sit on the bleachers (cement levels) and the boys have to carry their desks from their homeroom into the gym and then back again afterward. After Mass, each of the teachers, staff and volunteers were introduced. The students went wild for the teachers they loved, but when it came to new volunteers, such as myself, I could literally hear the crickets in the background. Haha! We began our shortened schedule of classes afterward. I had 2nd form boys first, who were very energetic and fun. Because of the shortened schedule, I barely even got through my ice breaker in each class. I had each student fill out an interest inventory (short questionnaire) about a partner and then they had to introduce them. I told them that whoever gave the most entertaining or creative presentation would get an automatic 100% on the pop quiz later in the class. I told them I’ll still give the pop quiz tomorrow, so I think it freaked them out a big. Good. I’ve got them scared already.

After my boys class, I left campus and went to the rectory for lunch. Another helping of rice, beans and stewed chicken. I thought I liked the fried bananas, but I’m starting to think otherwise. I need to get some more veggies in my diet, so I am hoping to go to the market this weekend to pick some up.

I finished off the day with my 2nd and 1st form classes of girls. I got to the same point with those classes too, so a pop quiz is in order for tomorrow. GET EXCITED! I have yet to announce my winners of a pop quiz perfect score, but that also builds the anticipation. On the interest inventory, my last task was for them to write a couple of personal questions for me on the back. (Here in Belize we are expected to be a lot more open with our students than I would ever be in the states.) Here are some of the funny questions I got:

The most popular one was, “do you have a boyfriend?”
Can I visit you one day?
How old are you?
Do you have any children?
What is your phone number?
What is your favorite song from Justin Bieber?
What is your parent’s contact information? (That was one of the questions I had on the inventory)
Are you married?
Do you like to give demerits?

I’ll use these questions on Turn Around Tuesdays where I start class by picking one of the question to answer about me.

We weren’t supposed to have Mass today; it was supposed to be on Wednesday, so I didn’t anticipate the schedule being so short. I didn’t get a chance to even touch my policies and procedures, so I guess I’ll just have to push everything back. I guess the #1 thing I’ve learned in my teaching experience is flexibility, but here, it is taken to a whole new level- to the extreme. It’s kind of overwhelming, but everything will work itself out. I’m not worried.


Side note: students here are so worried about getting their backpacks dirty that they won't let them touch the ground! The keep them on their laps for the whole class. One kid was wearing it during class, so I said, "Get comfy and stay awhile," but he freaked out when I asked him to take his bag and put it on the ground.


Also, they always call the girl teacher "Miss" (pronounced "Mees"). I am Miss Shelby. I will also be trained to respond to "Miss! Miss!"

Well, it's definitely the rainy season...

I'm only half planned and here I am, writing my little heart out the day before first form orientation. (I don't know if I've clarified it before, but 1st form is to freshman year as 4th form is to sophomore year. The grades below secondary school (primary school) are called standards. You have classes called Infant 1 and Infant 2 (1st and 2nd grade). Then Standards 1-8 correspond with 3rd through 8th grade.)

Well after doing somersaults and jumping through about 15 hoops, I finally received my permanent teaching schedule for the year. Before changing it around, I was teaching 1st, 2nd and 3rd form math. Here at Mount Carmel, classes are split by ability (tracking) into remedial, basic and genral, and 1st and 2nd form are also split by gender. Whoever created the scheduled time tables made it very difficult for our department by giving splitting up each form between 3 or 4 teachers instead of giving it to 1 or 2 teachers. By splitting up the forms, there is a great inconsistency between teaching styles and pacing of curriculum. Another volunteer in the math department, Lucia, and I did a bit of reorganization of the department to make it more efficient and consistent for teachers and students. This is what I have been working on for the past week. As a product of our hard work, I will now be teaching only 1st and 2nd form math. 1 class of 1st basic math and 2 classes of 2nd general math. Confusing, I know.

I have fully planned week one for my 1st formers, but my 2nd form lesson plans are virtually blank. Good thing it's only a 4 day week with 1st form orientation occupying all of Monday. At our last orientation meeting, we teachers asked the administration what the format and schedule of orientation would be and we never got a straight answer. I don't think anyone knows what their doing for tomorrow. Can't wait to see what the homeroom teachers pull out of their bag of tricks! I'm not worried. I love spontenaety! Also, I'm not in charge of a homeroom, so I have no reason to be worried.

Gosh, just this week has shown me how different the education systems of Belize and the U.S. are! In orientation, one of the speakers asked which of us teacher had heard of differentiation in the classroom. There were maybe 2 or 3 of us who raised our hands....out of more than 30! Some of the teachers here think I am the most creative person in the world because of the activities and games I have suggested they use in the classroom. I'm not! It's just basic planning for classes that they aren't comfortabe or knowledgeable about. It's actually very interesting how differently the school is run here. I can tell that they are trying to get more closely in line with American education and it's very exciting to see how they go about doing it. I'm sure I'll learn a lot from their systems as well.

We volunteers have been playing basketball with some of the students outside of school. It's pretty embarassing, I won't lie. To sum it up, we have been getting SCHOOLED! I hope that with a bit of practice I can get good enough to keep up with these guys! Now we've been playing volleyball too, and I feel much better about myself after. There are quite a few of us volunteers and staff members who like to play, so I can't wait for more! I also decided that I really just do not enjoy playing futbol (soccer). That's all.

Well, it's the 'rainy season' here. They weren't joking when they chose the name. We haven't gone a day without a downpour- usually at night. I only hope that my wimpy umbrella will hold up until I can get a better one over Christmas break. The other day, we were walking to the rectory for dinner and had to walk through a street that had turned into a river within 5 minutes. By the time we were done with our dinner, though, much of the ground was dry. How bizarre!!

Okay, I'll go plan now. Pray for me, please. I'm praying for you all.

Just a few photos

Just a little summary of my mission thus far.



The chickens that keep me up in the morning, afternoon and night.



The Mopan River that borders Benque. Just a hop, skip and a jump away from the house.



The outskirts of Benque. Squint and you can see some of the mountains and the jungle.



1st b-ball game with a candidate, other volunteers, refugees and some students. I didn't play, just cheered them on.



Mount Carmel Catholic Church. The only Catholic church in Benque.



My house! It has a wrap around balcony.



Sean and Molly on the drive from the airport in Belize City to Benque.



Sean, Molly and I waiting for our plane from Houston to Belize City.

They all kind of loaded in reverse order.
Enjoy.

Well...I made it!

Here I am, sitting in the computer lab of Mt. Carmel High School in Benque, Belize. I'm finally here and this adventure has finally started! Travels went just splendidly, despite lack of sleep and a student of psychology, working on his master's degree, who decided to impart 2 hours of his knowledge to everyone within 5 rows of his seat on the plane. My ride back from Belize City back to Benque didn't now I was coming (despite the travel itinerary I passed on weeks go), but thankfully I travelled with Molly and Sean, who did have travel plans. After our 2.5 hour ride to Benque, we were introduced to the principle of the school and shown to our houses. Well in short, our house is beautiful. I feel spoiled in such a nice house, which surpassed all of my expectations. After eating my first meal at the rectory with Jonathan, Molly, Sean and Brynne, we came back to the house and discovered that our water was not hooked up...Needless to say that after 2 unclean days and walking in very humid weather, I am sticky and smelly. No one but the flies have mentioned anything yet.

Well, off to my second meal of rice and beans. Peace out, ya'll!

This is the season for a new annointing

It's finally here. The day that will start me on the journey of the rest of my life. I know absolutely nothing that will happen after my flight leaves from the Sunport at 8:55 this morning. Here is a short list of possible future situations:

1. My plane crashes before I even touch down in Houston for my connecting flight.
2. Our van breaks down outside of Belize City, 4 hours from Benque, and I need to use my great wealth of survival tactics in order to weather the 56 different species of snake and the Central American Wooly Opossum.
3. I love my year in Benque and return for a 2nd, 3rd, etc.
4. I fall madly in love with a resident of Belize and decide to raise a family 2,400 miles from my New Mexican home. (My mom's worst fear)
5. I fall madly in love with a religious order and decide to dawn a full habit.
6. I struggle a lot this year, but learn even more.

Any one of these is possible, but pray with me that God's will sides with options 3-6.

I finally graduated!

...Well at least I finally feel like I have now. Until now, it felt like I would still be packing up my room for the 4th time and taking the 14 hour drive into Atchison, Kansas, home of the Ravens. Until now, I have subconsciously been waiting to see my housing assignment telling me that I will be an RA, with the names of my roomies listed beneath my room number. It never really felt like I was done with school (and in reality, I'll be going back to school for years to come), but the infamous facebook has put it into perspective for me. Statuses like "Benedictine, here I come!" (E.B.A.) and "Back to Atch. Love," (F.H.)make me finally realize that instead of packing up an entire trailer with my wall art and desk lamps, I will be confined to packing up two suitcases, a carry-on, and one personal item, much of which will be taken up by school supplies for my classroom.

I've finally realized that it's time to move on to bigger and better things- things that my 3 years in Atchison have prepared me for- things bigger than myself- plans set before me. I pull my hair back into a pony tail and brace myself for what is to come.

There is actually very little of what I know is to come in the future months. Here is a list of facts I do know:
1. I will be a volunteer teacher at Mount Carmel High school.
2. I will be there for a full school year, coming back home for Christmas break.
3. I will live in a house with the other women volunteers while the men will have a house of their own.
4. I believe there will be 13 of us this year- 8 returning from last year.
5. 3 recent Benedictine grads (including myself) will be part of the team!!
6. I am scared to death of reworking my sleeping schedule to wake up 4 times per week for 7am Mass.
7. Our housing and meals are free.
8. We eat all/most?? meals at the rectory of the church there.
9. I will be bringing a lot of bug spray.
10. Snail mail takes approximately 3 weeks to be sent and received with no guarantee of its arrival. (see address below) Good thing I'll have internet access and a 4 year old laptop. As someone famous once said, a four year old craputer is better than noputer.
Shelby Chavez
Catholic Mission
Benque Viejo del Carmen, Belize
Cayo District
Central America
11. Volunteers have the weekends off and are free to travel.
12. Benque is right on the border of Guatemala, which is very dangerous territory at present, so I have my doubts about traveling there.
13. The kids there love to play futbol (soccer).
14. Female teachers wear skirts to the knee or pants with a modestly fitting shirt.
15. I'm failing to recall any other things I know for certain.
16. So I'll just take up space to make my list look longer.
19. Want to hear an anti-joke?
20. Knock knock.
23. Who's there?
24. To.
25. To who?
27. To whom.
28. One more anti-joke for the sake of a longer list.
29. What's green and has wheels?
31. Grass. I lied about the wheels.
32. Please reference anti-joke.com for more.
34. Parental guidance is recommended.
35. When you are at the high school, a student would not say, "I'm a sophomore this year." He would say, "I'm in form two."
36. The academic achievement levels of many students is much lower than students in America. Teaching form one math would be comparable to teaching 5th and 6th grade math.
37. First year volunteers have been asked to refrain from dating while down there. I'm very okay with it, actually.
39. I can't get enough of John Mayer's version of Free Fallin'. Youtube.com it!
40. Bet only a few of you readers actually noticed the number skipping in my list. All for the sake of a longer list.

So you see, I don't know a whole lot about what I will be doing this coming year and it makes me flooded with emotions. I'm very anxious to know what I will actually be teaching, the number of students I will have, what form I will teach, etc. It actually makes me very excited to go into another adventure blindly, not knowing what will happen, going into it with an open mind and no expectations. For some it might be very constricting, but it's very freeing for me.

I'm sad. For the past three years of leaving home for the start of school, the end of Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, it has never gotten any easier to say goodbye. I think this time will be a bit different, though. This time I can't just pick up my cell phone and text my best friend, Mae with something funny that happened during my day. I just can't call my mom when I need to vent. I can't just call my sister, Erica when it's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't remember who said the funny line from the movie that I keep quoting.

While I try my best to cling to those closest to me, I suspect that I'll have to distance myself a bit to find myself clinging closer to Christ than I have ever before. I find myself in a relationship (if you can even call it that) with Him that is in need of some dire repair. This is my prayer request from you while I continue to prepare for this mission- that I can set myself aside in order to truly find Christ. It's hard for me and I NEED your prayers.

Clear water, not words

Words escape my mind. They are formed in mind as clear as water, but come out as clear as mud. My heart has its own laboriously sculpted longings that can be written anywhere but down. When down in graphite or on in this 12 Courier New typeface, my words lose the intention contracted for them. It’s as if reading a memo from the boss, hoping that their lighthearted humor is plainly just lighthearted humor and not an ill attempt at sarcastic frustration. Meaning becomes lost in translation. It’s been a struggle that has pained me throughout my life, throughout my 6th grade creative stories, throughout my 27 page senior philosophy of education paper. I make my main points and ideas clear enough, but the reader is undoubtedly missing my passion.

Please do not misunderstand this as an attempted act of humility. Rather, my reason for this explanation is to let you, the reader, know that I will not be able to easily communicate my experiences in Belize. I will try my best to give insights to my experiences and changes that are as clear as my thoughts. You will read my story and share in my experiences, but I must remind you that I am that 6th grader, that college senior who cannot communicate clearly the story of life. Pray that God works in and through me during my time in Belize and in this blog, that I can clearly share a story of love.

At this point, my mind, heart and soul need to be changed. I cannot go to Benque with the sincere belief that I am there solely to teach at Mount Carmel High School and to help the community and to give of myself. I know that while in Benque, I will receive; my mind, heart and soul will be changed, not by my hand, but by God’s. I invite you to follow along in this journey set before me. I invite you to witness my experiences, my ups and my downs, as they change me. I invite you to become aware of your own experiences as they change you. I invite you to change with me.

A further and more full explanation of my mission will come in the next post. In the meantime, please pray for this year’s missionary staff, especially my friends Molly and Sean, and for the people of Benque Viejo del Carmen, Belize.

I’d like to give a special shout out to the 6th grade staff at Atchison Middle School for helping me to come up with the title for this blog. It’s meaning may make itself known in the coming months if an appropriate circumstance presents itself. I surely hope not. My deepest gratitude Mandi, Annette, Katie, Lacy, Michelle and Erin for your way with titled words and constant encouragement in this endeavor. All my love.

One last note:: My mom will be throwing a “surprise” going away party for me later this month. It would have been a successful surprise if she hadn’t asked for all of the addresses of my friends in the 505. Kudos, Mom… I’ll keep anyone who’s interested posted with the dates.