Happy Washing of Hands

October 15th was Global Hand Washing Day and to celebrate, Santa Teresa R.C. School dedicated a whole week to the cause and even had a parade! Throughout the week the teachers added hand-washing activities to their instruction and let their students get creative by making posters and singing songs. My favorite was the Infants, to the tune of Happy Birthday, "Happy washing of hands, happy washing of hands, cleaning all my little fingers, happy washing of hands."

PSE Writing Class

This year instead of helping Florentina with the math evening classes I will be leading my own session on writing. I wasn't sure how much I liked doing a class on my own because I really liked the set-up last year of co-teaching with Florentina, but I decided just to go with it and I've really enjoyed it so far. I was reminded that if I ever was to teach it would be the middle grades and I realized that I like teaching writing more than math because there really are no wrong answers. We talked about class expectations right away and they came up with their own, "communication and cooperation." I was really impressed with this and have found those two words to be quite inclusive when I refer back to them. The first week I had them write a letter to themselves and this really threw them off. "You want me to do what?" They thought I was crazy, but still did it anyway. My favorite was one who introduced himself, "My name is.... I am .... I live in....." But really, that's how they start their friendly letters so I understood where he was coming from. The second week I gave them a quote to journal about which was also a foreign concept but they gave it their best shot and my favorite from that was the following.
"This quote means to me that may be this "let the beauty we love be what we do" is telling us to love the beauty in what we do and the beauty will love us in what we do too. I find beutifull is by loving one another. and it would be one loving each other."
What we could all learn from 12 year old boys! I'm finding myself excited to plan the lessons and looking forward to class. What a pleasant surprise. If you have any fun writing games, send them my way. They really liked paper trail.
Loves and hugs!

Happy One Year as Volunteers!

I can't believe I've been in Belize over a year now, and this got me thinking...

You might have been in Belize too long
~when it's 75 and you're wanting a blanket for your afternoon nap.
~when you go to visit a neighbor and as soon as you walk in the house, start dancing to the marimba music playing on the radio without thinking twice.
~when you get excited about the Apple for Amy facebook group because you think you'll be sent real apples to TASTE test.
~when you can whistle by squeezing your bottom lip together and call that an accomplishment.
~when you state the obvious as a question.
~when you wonder what it feels like to not be itchy all the time.
~when you can drink a cup of powdered milk.
~when the latest news you have to share is the huge snake you saw while walking down the road and you feel the need to tell everyone in your village.
~when you fi.nally know the bus schedule. (well, I'm still working on this one :P)
~when you're wanting to learn how to make more and more so you can buy less and less.
~when you have a suitcase full of letters from home.
~when someone asks you to sing the national anthem and you start with, "O Land of the Free..."
~when you automatically look for a shilling bag hanging to throw your trash away. Agh! When you call a plastic bag a shilling bag.
~when you're making a list of favorite Belizean songs and have to take one off the list because you realize it's by Akon.

Whatever will I do when I come back to the States?

Loves and hugs!

More of Life

~While walking down the road I saw my neighbor walking from the corn mill with a container full of masa and since the thing to do here is ask obvious questions, I've picked up on it quickly, (so please excuse me if I bring this back with me to the States) I asked, "Are you going to bake?" She replied, "Are you willing?" We'll just say I've baked on a many banquet. And to clarify, baking is what they call flattening tortillas and a banquet is a low round table we sit around. I really like my neighbors to the west. The three girls are in their late 20s, only one is married with a baby and they all take care of him, what a lucky little boy. I always love to go visit them and see all their interactions with each other. The baby was born when I first arrived in Santa Teresa, now a year old. He's getting so big!
~Of the books I've read this past year, here are a few of my favorites: A Million Miles in A Thousand Years by Donald Miller, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, LAMB by Christopher Moore, Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, Belize, A Novel by Carlos Ledson Miller, and My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Currently I'm reading: Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins, Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, and The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw by Bruce Barcott. Plus I found a book of 365 prayers, blessings, and meditations from around the world so of course I'm enjoying that. My favorite so far, "Let the beauty we love be what we do."
~Along with the TFABB visits in October, January, and March, my mom and Jerry are also visiting in January, then Joanna and Beth in March, and maybe Justine in May. When are you coming to visit? :P I'm quite excited!
~While out visiting and tasting a golden plum for the first time a little boy told me, "You can try everything in Belize, not like in the States." A couple days later, Carlos, the same boy came to my house at lunch time, inviting me over, "We have something nice for you, Miss Amy." And indeed they did. Carlos and his father had went hunting the night before, getting a large gibnut. I think he thought I hadn't tried that yet either because he really wanted me to come. I guess while he was eating his own he remembered he wanted to invite me so left his bowl of caldo to come by my house and get me. And I'm so glad he did, how I love halau.
~Louisa knows everything like a good mother should. For example, I couldn't find my flashlight which made me sad because I was just without it for a week or so after taking it to town and having a mix up. She asked if I had taken it visiting but all I could think was no, because I hadn't been able to find it. In the middle of the night though I woke up thinking, "maybe I forgot to take it out of the bag I had been taking to visit" and Tada! There it was! So even though you didn't know I was without a flashlight yo can worry no longer. And if you're wondering how I got by, just know I'm well taken care of in my village. If ever I was visiting too late I was always escorted home, usually by nine year-olds.

More Little Bits

~If anyone wonders where I get my positive outlook on life, they need to meet my mother.
~I finished testing each student's reading level in record time, and not only do I already have pull-out reading groups set up but there are two teachers interested in learning how to administer the test! All I did was share the results and they were curious so I promised to show them the day I am in each one's class. Woot woot! Goal number one: Transfer of Skills! I had planned to do a tutorial workshop last year but it never happened. To me this is way better because the interest is there. I thought that would be the hardest part, even chatted with Kevina a bit on how we could get the teachers to see the results of the test were important enough to motivate them to learn how to then use the MICO DRA. I figured I had a year to work on this so when Mr. Pop asked aoubt the test I saw my in and thought, "yeah." Then when Mr. Ical wondered too, I thought, "oh yeah!" And back to reading groups. I'm downsizing the number of students to work with, and after Kevina's workshop have a better idea of what I'm doing. The reading will take place during gardening, allowing me to then help there when we finish. "Nab'al nab'al lix q'atz'ol." (we read a lot) from the song Mr. Chub wrote.
~I'm helping with the Peace Corps 2010 Annual Report we will distribute to stakeholders, counterparts, potential counterparts, Washington, current volunteers, etc. Peace Corps Belize used to make a year book which was more for the volunteers but that was a few years back so this is a first and I'm pretty excited about it. Our theme for the booklet is, "Because we work together," so we're collecting success stories plus trying to get volunteers to inform the committee of upcoming events to come take pictures, videos, and interviews. Our goal is to show the importance of building relationships in country and not only are we making a difference in the lives of Belizeans, but being here has a huge impact on our own lives, which is what I'm experiencing and am remided of everyday.
~Anne Marshall, a TFABB Volunteer working with the preschool came back to Belize a month before the workshop to spend July sharing the beautiful country with her family. I didn't think I would get to see her when they first came in, but because of Tropical Storm Alex, we were not able to stay in Placencia for Lobsterfest so instead I was in town and got to spend a whole Sunday with Anne and her two children. I just have to say I enjoyed it so much, maybe because it was unexpected, but it was so nice. What great kids she has! I feel very lucky to be working with TFABB, not only because it's great for the school, but also the wonderful TFABBers I've been able to get to know.
~I have a problem leaving umbrellas. If I would buy one everytime I lose one and carry it with me in case it would rain, who knows how much money I would waste. Instead I'll wait until it is raining, if there's noone around to share nor a shop to buy one quick, I'll either get wet or stay where it's dry. So I guess umbrellas aren't as important as I thought they would be here.