My last week teaching at Isla Bonita was one of the best weeks of my life. On Tuesday it was Winston’s (one of my students) 9th birthday. A few minutes before class dismissed for lunch, my teacher announced there was a surprise for our class; a taxi would be picking our entire class up at 3pm and taking us to a secret location to celebrate Winston’s birthday. Basically, after school I would be spending the evening with my kids. I was ecstatic! These are the kinds of things that happen so easily and quickly in Belize but never happen in America! The taxi arrived at 3 and we all piled into the stifling hot van. Thankfully, the surprise location was only a few blocks away. We spent the afternoon at an outdoor pizza shop and park. I played games with my students for hours then we ate pizza and birthday cake, and finally busted open the much anticipated piñata. I stayed with my students at the party until well after dark so Winston’s parents drove every child home on the golf cart. It was an awesome day…I’m so glad I got to experience an authentic Belizean birthday party with my amazing kids!
The fun continued on Thursday at the school-wide Easter egg hunt on the beach. During lunch the other interns and I hid hundreds of candy-stuffed eggs along the seaside. When the students returned from lunch, we walked the classes to the beach and began the festivities! It didn’t take too long for the kids to find the eggs, but they weren’t interested in eating the candy quite yet. The kids wanted to swim! Luckily even the youngest children can effortlessly swim so it’s not too stressful for the teachers. We spent the remainder of the afternoon jumping off the dock, playing games in the ocean, and eating delicious snacks. Again, another wonderful day.
Friday was my last day with my students. I was sad to say goodbye to the sweet kids I grew so close to over the past weeks. My teacher had warned me that there would be surprises during the day, but I never anticipated what he planned. Friday morning, I brought my class breakfast from the local bakery and we watched a video I made with pictures of them. It was only a half day so we spent most of the time playing games and talking about Easter break. Shortly before school was dismissed, my teacher announced that he wanted to give me a few things. He presented me with many thoughtful gifts including a Belize t-shirt and towel, a signed picture frame from my kids, and a beautiful handmade necklace. I was in tears reading the adorable cards and letters from my kids. I felt guilty leaving because they were literally begging me to stay in Belize as their teacher. However, the final bell did ring and my kids did leave. I walked back to the hotel reminiscing on how dramatically my life has changed as a result of my precious students. A few hours later, one of my friends yelled into my hotel room that my students were outside on a golf cart waiting for me. I was confused, but I knew better than to doubt the situation. Long story short, my entire class along with my teacher was outside of my hotel with a golf cart (a limousine style golf cart…very long). They were waiting to take me to the beach! We drove to the south part of the island and swam and played games all afternoon. The best part of the day was that I rode with my teacher to take all of the kid’s home so I got to see each of my students’ homes. It was so cool!
The fun continued on Friday evening at the going away party at Isla Bonita. The teachers hosted a huge party for the teachers and interns and cooked a delicious Belizean meal for us. I can’t believe how good the staff has been to us! I was truly blessed to have been placed at such an amazing and welcoming school.
We leave San Pedro today to visit the mainland for a week. We are spending the night in a zoo, visiting Mayan ruins, caving, zip-lining, hiking in the jungle, etc. Needless to say, I’m very excited about the upcoming week!
Thanks for reading such a long update!
Katy G