A sweet Saturday in Belize

Yesterday I went into town to meet my teacher at Isla Bonita Elementary School. I was lucky enough to also meet the students who I’ll be teaching. I am in the Standard II class, which is the equivalent of third grade in America. All of my kids are 8 years old. My Belize partnership teachers name is Hector, and he is one of the only male teachers on the Island. He is hysterically funny, has an amazing sense of humor and I know I will enjoy working with him. I was astonished by the size of the classroom. It is tiny…smaller than most bedrooms in America. It is extremely cramped with very little room to move or walk around.

Hector told me that we only have 9 kids in the class. So naturally, I’m thinking “Yay! This is going to be a breeze!”  I was brought back down to earth when the students entered the classroom. They are quite an energetic and lively bunch to say the least. Friday was a school wide movie-day, so my students returned to class with an insane amount of energy. But, they were so sweet to me! Within minutes, the kids surrounded me asking me questions. The girls sat on my lap and the boys constantly kissed me on the cheek!  I gave them a chance to ask questions about myself, and one of the students asked if everyone in the States has really white skin like me. Many of the local children do not see blonde hair and fair skin too often!

I had about an hour alone with the class in the afternoon so I taught them how to play two games that I learned in my internship in America. My Belizean students already love playing “Good morning Mr. Judge” and “Heads up 7-up”.  I asked my class to teach me a game that they play and they were amazed that I already knew Simon Says!

I begin teaching on Monday. I start with reading comprehension, grammar, Spanish and math. Hector gave me two small books to bring home over the weekend and make lesson plans for the entire week. In America, I had access to unlimited books and resources to lesson plan, so it will definitely be a challenge! The schools are low on all resources. The students have to supply all materials and many kids do not have pencils or paper. The school supplies that our group brought is going to be such a blessing! I am so excited for us to distribute the materials to the kids next week! Not to mention the fundraising money that is going directly to the schools. We can already see the impact we are making on the local schools. I cannot wait to get started teaching!

In other news…Belize is beautiful and I just might move here after graduation! San Pedro is so beautiful and everyone is friendly. Living here would be so simple and peaceful. Last night a local restaurant prepared a huge, tasty meal for our entire group. The Island is so small that almost all the restaurants and businesses know us as the American teachers. Many restaurants want to cook for us and offer us cheap meals and stores give us discounts.

This morning a small group of us went scuba diving on the barrier reef, which is less than a mile off the shore of the Island.  It was awesome! Definitely one of the coolest things I have done so far in life. I saw tons of fish, multiple stingrays, an eel and beautiful coral reef. My favorite animal was a gigantic sea turtle that was only a few feet away from me. Never quite imagined Belize would be this perfect…I am so grateful!

More pictures soon...I forgot my camera today..

-Katy G

We're here!

The ocean is just a short walk from Pedro's Inn.

We arrived in Belize City on Wednesday in the late morning. We took a tiny plane from Belize City to the island of Ambergris Caye. On the plane, the pilot let me sit beside him in the co-pilots chair. It was so cool! However, I tried to help him steer one time and he snapped at me. The plane ride was a little wobbly and scary at times, but the view was totally worth it! I could see straight through the water and the views of the islands were amazing.

I was traveling with 5 other students, so once we arrived in San Pedro we found the hostel we are staying in and waited for others to arrive. Our entire group is staying on the third floor of Pedro’s Inn.  Kristi and I were pleasantly surprised to find that our room has air conditioning and a TV (which doesn't work).

We spent the rest of our first afternoon on the beach. We swam, walked on the boardwalk and explored the local resorts. Our first group dinner was pizza at Pedro’s Inn. Most of us hadn’t eaten all day so we were starving by dinner time. After a busy day of traveling, most of us were asleep by 8 oclock, only to be woken up in the middle of the night by a ferocious rain storm. It was SO loud; I thought for sure it was a hurricane!

Thursday morning our group met for breakfast at a cute local restaurant. Breakfast was delicious, but it took forever. One of the craziest things about Belize is that no one is ever in a rush, or cares what time it is. It’s called “Belize Time” although I have heard the same thing about every country besides America. Basically, people take forever to do the simplest tasks. It took me over an hour to withdraw money at a bank and I was only the 3^rd person in line! It will take time for me to get used to, because I am very time conscious and I like following a schedule.

Thursday afternoon we visited the three different schools that our group is working in: San Pedro Roman Catholic School, Isla Bonita Elementary School, and San Pedro High School. The schools overlook the Caribbean!  I will be teaching in Isla Bonita Elementary School. It is two stories tall and the classrooms are claustrophobically tiny. I am super excited about meeting my students today and starting teaching on Monday. The kids are so cute and playful! They love having their picture taken and seeing what they look like on the digital camera.

Yesterday evening we had another group meeting to discuss our schedule and “rules” for living here for the next 6 weeks. There is a local woman, Lara, who is kind of like our tour guide while we are here. She works closely with the schools and businesses on the island to prepare for our arrival. She also arranges our excursions on inland Belize. She explained that the families have been waiting for us since last year, and that we can make a huge impact on the local children. There are 12,000 people on the island and over 50% are under 18 years old. Kids are everywhere. I cannot wait to see what a difference we can make in their lives!

This sweet little girl takes care of her two brothers when she isn't at school.

The Codington interns in Belize!

The room Kristi and I are sharing.

Our group is living on the third floor of Pedro's Inn.

Thanks for reading!

-Katy G

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

The time has finally come...I will be catching my flight to Belize in just a few hours! The past few days have been so busy and stressful that I haven't even been able to really get excited about the trip. With the final Belize meeting and job fair on Monday, and trying to prepare for graduation and moving out of my apartment, I have been overwhelmed!

Last Friday was my last day student teaching. It was a bittersweet day! It was sad to say goodbye to my kids and I will miss them so very much. But, I do have so much to look forward to! My wonderful class surprised me with an incredible going away party! My teacher tricked me into leaving the room for a few minutes and when I returned the class surprised me with a cake, snacks, a visa gift card, a huge gift basket and so many thoughtful presents. After the party, my partnership teacher told me the class had been planning it for weeks...I can't believe that my students kept it a secret for so long!

The rest of my weekend was filled with fun. My best friend, Megan, planned a going away camping trip for myself and our friends. A group of us went to a deserted island and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I am truly blessed to have amazing friends!

I was also able to enjoy more of my wonderful friends on Monday night! All of my sweet teacher friends came to my apartment for dinner. As usual, our conversations consisted only of recent teaching stories and adventures. I cannot believe that we will be graduating in a few months and not living within walking distance of each other! The past 4 years of college have flown by and I am not too sure how I feel about joining the 'real world'..

By this time tomorrow, I will be in beautiful, sunny Belize!! I am so excited, but a little nervous because I have no idea what to expect. I don't know what grade I will be teaching, what resources I will have in the classroom, how many students are in my class, or even what I am teaching. But, I am soooo grateful for the opportunity to travel to another country as a teacher. I know it is going to be a wonderful experience!

For now, it's time to finish packing and hopefully get a few hours of sleep. Goodnight!

-Katy G

It's almost that time...

I can't believe that I leave for Belize in less than 2 weeks! My internship at Codington has been amazing, I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I absolutely adore my precious kids, and I continue to learn so much from my partnership teacher each day. I am so blessed!

Over the next week I will be scrambling to complete my internship, finish my UNCW course work and portfolios, and pack for my trip. Needless to say, it's going to be a busy and stressful upcoming week preparing to leave the country. I am so excited, and I can't wait to finally leave for Belize!

I've never been into blogging, but since I am required to keep a blog during my internship in Belize, I might as well get started. Myself, and the other UNCW students will use a blog to post pictures, videos, and other updates from our experience in Belize. Unlike my blog name suggests, there will not be anything too secretive posted on this blog...but, I hope you enjoy.