Psychological Wedgies and Hiking in Flip-Flops

After my adventure with the infamous mountain cow named April, we went even deeper into Belize (where Sirius doesn’t play) and arrived at a random parking lot.  It was zip-lining time!!!!!  We got out of the car and started walking, which is what we always do here in Belize. 

We were met with a VERY not ugly Hispanic lookin’ dude and another worker from the Zip-Lining/Adventure place.  He walked us to the beginning of the ropes course and strapped us up.  Being strapped is like purposefully giving yourself a fortnight-psychological wedgie.   Then they warned us that we were about to climb 128 stairs.  At about 40, I was out of breath, but I did survive.

At the top, I was the first one to slide on the steel cable that could hold over 6,000 pounds (I’m glad I didn’t eat that last doughnut!)   They asked if I was scared.  I was a bit apprehensive, but that’s the way I live my life.  A slight bit of fear and a great story afterwards is one of my mottos.

We had 8 cables to slide on.  Two were exceptionally long, a couple were really fast, and all of them were a complete blast.  It definitely gave me a rush.  They took pictures of us sliding, but the ones they got of me in action were ones where you couldn’t see my face.  I got nervous when I was nearing the landing edge and switched my hands (what they told us not to do).  Therefore, no good pics.

When my feet were on solid ground, I wobbled back to take my harness off.  Then we were off to our next adventure—CAVETUBING!

We were the typical starving Americans and ate bar-b-q before hiking.  Ooey-gooey-goodness-all-in-your –fingernails-bar-b-q with a thick flour tortilla to complement.

After lunch, we started up the mini mountain with rubber tubes in hand.  Belize has no mountains.  The hills and rainforests make up for it.  We climbed and walked and climbed and walked some more—about 2.5 miles.  We saw the tree where the Mayans discovered chewing gum and the tree where Elmer’s glue is extracted.  There was tree that makes you itch really bad, but “it just so happens” that it’s antidote is always 10 feet away.  So he pointed to the itch-tree and then walked over to its’ cure.

When we got to the top, they told us the water is very “refreshing”, not cold.  It was about 75 degrees.  We jump in with hot bodies and were greeted with “refreshing” water.  I think it’s entertaining how we as 20+ year olds can still play in water.  Water brings out the child in everyone.

Then they said to start paddling.  We looked like little ducklings with headlamps.  It was quite a sight.  We passed through caverns that were 20 feet high and some were higher.  We got to this one “secret” passageway where you had to go in one at a time.  They said it was a main water source for the cave.  There was about 2 feet of air space and we swam through it about 15 feet.  Inside there was this mud on the wall that we got to put on our faces (as if I needed to be more brown).  I tried some of the smooth mud and climbed back out.  As a side note, my face the day after was baby soft and completely pore-free.

We continued down the cave for a total of 4 miles and 5 cave systems.  This cave is the only place in the world where you can cave-tube.  I’m sure if you were to you-tube it, you could find where I was.  Just awe-inspiring.

When we finally exited the cave (after about 2 hours), we saw what we were swimming in.  It was the clearest, bluest water I’ve ever seen.  There were tiny little fish that were blind because of the lack of light.  I tried to be Tarzan’s wife by swinging on a rope and splashing into the water, which was truly a distasteful sight.  Not the most graceful thing I’ve ever done.

After that, I ate some Almond M&Ms and a package of cookies because I was starving!  I made it about 15 minutes before I was fast asleep in the van.  I had no change of clothes because I fell like 8 times in the mud while hiking.  One should not hike in flip flops with no treading.  I had to do the old-fashioned air-dry thing and my cute khaki shorts are now destroyed. 

So, until next time…

 

 

 

 

 

Where Sirius Doesn’t Play and the Mtn. Cow Sprinkles

Well, I guess I should start out with my weekend of insane coolness.  We had finished up our first full week of teaching and were ready to chill out!  We left for San Ignacio to spend the weekend at 7:30 in the morning. 

After about 2.5 hours, we arrived at our first activity of the day which was the Belize Zoo.  We entered and were welcomed by the signatures of people from all over the world.  Pennsylvania, all over Europe, Aurora, Colorado, everywhere!

The zoo is world-famous (which I didn’t know) and I now know why.  It was the most natural habitat for the animals.  I didn’t feel bad for them.  It was a non-profit organization and they have rescued the hurt animals to nurse them back to health.  All the native vegetation, smells, and sounds made me feel like I was in a rainforest. 

So, it was pretty much a normal walk through the zoo.  Then we were invited to spend more money (to support the Jaguar Foundation) and to actually go pet a real live jaguar.  I was like “Heck Yeah!”  So, I donated my $10.  They put the jaguar in its cage and we walked in to the “human cage” which was in the middle of his pen.  5 of us piled in and they closed the pen.  The jaguarist had a bowl of delicious chicken feet that he fed to the jaguar as he did tricks.  They trained “Junior” to do somersaults which were the cutest.  Then, Junior jumped on the top of the cage.  The jaguarist let the animal lick his head so that we could pet his paws and get more pictures of his head.  He was absolutely beautiful—marigold yellow with black spots and a white underbelly.  Quite humbling to see one up-close.  Unfortunately, that’s not the whole story of the zoo.

Then, the most terrific story happened.  We had just finished looking at the rest of the zoo and had taken lots of pictures of some pretty cool animals.  Then we saw a sign for April’s Birthday.  The mountain cow or Tapir had turned 26 years old and I am guessing that it was a momentous occasion.  Given that I know so much about the mountain cow, I was a bit of a party pooper.  The two people I was with were just fascinated by this ugly animal and got pretty close to the cage.  One of them even pulled a long piece of grass out of its mouth so that he could keep eating without gagging.  He/she/it kept giving us some mean looks.  Then one in our group saw a sign that Tapir had a bit of a pee-problem and liked to spray people randomly.  I thought that was interesting, but it didn’t quite register.

As I watched April turn around, she passed the others (who happened to be melanin-less a.k.a. white) and then she paused for like 1/100^th of a second and decides to spray me with her white, veggie smelling urine.  I was a bit shocked to say the least.  How many people can actually saw that they were peed on by the national animal of Belize???  I personally/jokingly think that the animal was racist because I was the only person of color in my group, but it all makes for a great story.

I went to their water pump and unpeed myself and my camera.  I did smell like grass for a while, but what can I say….

Our driver travels all over Belize and parts of Mexico and has Sirius radio.  He is always listening to Sirius Station 50 which is called Gangsta Love.  It has songs from Black Eye Peas, Take Me Down which gives me fond memories of the Kappa’s step show performance at MSU, and lots of others. 

Well, I distinctly remember hearing that Sirius always plays no matter what.  I wanted to let the manufacturing plant that I have been to a few places in Belize where it does NOT play.  It seemed like we went to the boonies and then took a left on an unmarked road. 

What we did on this unmarked road will have to stay a mystery until you read my next entry.

 

So Black People CAN Tan and The Thigh Sticker

I'm sitting with one of my most favorite companions as I type this blog--BREAD! The elementary schools here have the coolest system for school. They/we have a 90-minute break from 11:30 to 1 everyday. The kids walk or ride their bikes home so they can eat with their families. Since all the schools are centrally located, it helps. There are no busses to transport them. Watching the wave of students in their blue bottoms and white tops walking to school is such a sight. They yell out, "Good Morning Miss!" when they see my partner in crime (Samantha Carroll) and me.

Today, I taught on multiplying decimals and this afternoon I will teach on bodies of water and story writing. The content is not all that important to write about in this blog. I love listening to the students read. Their accents are very island or Jamaican. I found out today that Belize is the only country that is a part of the Caribbean and Central America--they double dipped.

I brought my laptop in yesterday to read them a story (can't print out because of resourcelessness) and they were amazed. They wanted to know what the finger pad was used for and how I could type on it. They wanted to see how heavy it was and they LOVED the pictures that I had on it. I showed them my brother's band, VOP from MSU, all my friends, and whatever else I could think of. Their complete and total fascination was humbling for me. The only question I did not answer was how much my Apple cost. I was like, "Uhh....a lot."

I asked what one of the kids wanted for her birthday. She didn't hesitate to answer. She exclaimed, "I want a GameBoy!" I stood there and was thinking, "Is that it? No PSP? No Wii? No 360???" Just a GameBoy. The throwback one from 1995. To be that isolated and content is astounding.

Also today, I asked the students to bring home a notebook to start working on this geography project. Some of the students didn't have money for a $1 notebook. It kinda reminded me of Freedom Writers, but the Belize version.

So. Back to the bread that I just put in my mouth. I found a pasteleria or pastry shop down the street from the school. I actually smelled it, then found it. Bread is one think I can eat all day and be satiated. It warms my deepest of spirits--both the Bread of Life and the thigh-sticker versions. Today was one slice of pizza with green peppers and pepperoni, two types of sweet bread, and I also bought a loaf of white bread made fresh this morning all for (drum roll please) $2.60! Tada! Life is bliss!

Oh and just in case you were wondering, black people can get tans. I have a flip flop tan now and am pretty proud of it. I also have approximately 30 bug bites. 15 of which are on my left arm.

Well, it's been real. I gotta start getting ready for the afternoon teaching.

JLP

Teaching, Beaching, and Shopping

Today was my first day of teaching—the whole reason I can down here. I woke up with the birds at about 6 and laid in bed until 7:50something. Laying and listening is one of my favorite things to do here.

School starts at 8:30 here which is definitely different (can’t really say better or worse) than South Christian’s 7:15. We get a Belizian shuttle to our schools. My school is out in the BOONIES! We just rode and rode and rode pothole after pothole after pothole. It was the cutest thing seeing the kids walking and riding their bikes to school in their uniforms. Their was one 6-year-old that was riding a mini bike with a smaller girl riding on the handle bars backwards. That was quite impressive. Where there is a will, there is a way.

We walk in the Standard 3 classroom which is the equivalent of 4th-ish grade. I got to see the kids interacting and found it fascinating. They were from ages 9-12 which made them all different sizes—some pubertized and some not. They ALL speak Spanish and a
Lot of it. They were so interested in teaching me words. That part was fun.

There were 28 students, lots of fans, and no electricity when we got there. Having random spurts of no electricity is a common thing down here. I’ve learned to grow accustomed to it. They greeted us which was too cool. I’m such an adult and a contributing professional to this world! I can hardly believe it. Quite surreal.

The teacher’s name is Mr. Sanchez. He’s been teaching for about 23 years and will be retiring at the end of this term. He told us the kinds of things he will be teaching. There is very little order I gleaned from talking to him. There are a variety of books they use because they don’t get new ones every year. Some books were written in from last year and the students work on the pages that have not been written in. They are at least 10 years old—some are 20 or 25 years. There is no SmartBoard or even dry-erase. Just chalk. They don’t even have teacher’s manuals which made it interesting for some of the math. The students write all their lessons from the board onto Composition notebooks. I couldn’t double-check myself. Good thing my dear mother made me go through Mennonite math bootcamp with no calculator when I was growing.

Despite all the things that were not in the classroom, I actually will like teaching in this atmosphere more than I do in a school that has more stuff. It took a minute to get used to it because I just came out of a first-grade classroom in the States that had every possible thing imaginable in it. Here, there’re pencils, paper, 2 kick-balls, desks, 6-7 erasers, and a few random things. School here is school. No beauracracy, no No Child Left Behind, no help. Just me, kids, learning, and a chalkboard. I am the music teacher, PE teacher, subject teacher, assessment coordinator, and everything else in between. I can be what I have been trained to be.

We went to Mexico yesterday. There is a beach about 45 minutes into Mexico. The water we swam in was not salty. I don’t know how God did that, but I think it’s called a lagoon. It was amazing. Bright blue, sandy, peaceful. I had a mango on a stick that wasn’t my favorite, but a mango on a stick is a mango on a stick. I also tried the pumpkin seed version of the nuts you get in the mall that are laden with sugar. That was great. Since I didn’t bother trying to get a tan, I spent most of my hour in the water. Man I’m glad I’m chocolate brown!!! I wanted to dive off the jump-off thingy more, but there was a couple “not drinking a margarita” and I didn’t want to intrude on their happy times lol.

I went to a market and found some insane dresses. I’m pretty excited about how decked out I’m gonna be for the summer. I also found out that nowhere south of the border has my shoe size. They stop at about an 8.5. Their faces were hysterical when I would try on their biggest size shoe and it still wouldn’t fit. Is a 9.5 really all that big?? I was disheartened, but the dresses made me feel better.

Well, before the electricity dies away, I will post this and continue my life south of the border.

Adios for now!

JLP

Our Trek to the Waterfall

We were supposed to stay for the entire Education Union meeting, but quickly found out that there were only 3 hours that were relevant to us non-Belizians.  So unfortunately, we had to go travel and look around the country.  We found ourselves in Dandriga which is in the Toledo district—about 2 hours north of Punta Gorda. I tried fry-jacks which are sopapillas or friend tortillas without honey and ice cream.  Chicken and beans supplemented my fry-jacks. 

In Dandriga, there were the Belizian version of California Beach Boys.  I was highly entertained.  They all spoke Creole, wore sunglasses, had dreads, were clothed in beach attire, and were “too cool for school.”  The atmosphere was laid back.  They liked to talk and be out in the water. 

After Dandriga, we continued on our trek north.  WE saw a sign for a waterfall called Davis Falls and thought that would be refreshing.  The sign said it was 8 miles away.  Carlos, our Belizian host, went to go pay for us.  The fee collector said that we did not have to pay because he wasn’t sure if we could get up there.  So, our attempt to get to the falls was free.  Yay for us!

We go through extremely non-smooth roads and I got the first ever bit of motion sickness.  We got to our first river crossing.  We decided to ford the river.   We got out of the car and walked through it to find a shallow crossing for our jeep.  We start slowly and made it about half-way when we hit sand and the jeep lost its grip.  We tried pushing and rocking the car, but to no avail. 

Carlos took the van that we also had to go find a tractor.  Fortunately we were in an orange grove, but it still took an hour.  It was one of the most beautiful rivers I have seen.  We were in a valley of sorts and the water was relatively clear and had little “fishies”.  The trees were exceptionally green and there was a hint of orange scent in the air.

After our waiting, we hear a tractor and we cheered.  They hooked up the jeep and pulled it to the other side of the river so we could continue our trek.  We made it about 3 more miles and over 2  more miniature creek streams.  We got to a bigger one and decided to walk the rest of the way to the “waterfall”. 

About an intense hour of walking and much supplication, dirt hills, orange tree after orange tree after orange tree, we got to another stream where we just stared at the water and felt the sand flies.  I was tired, completely out of breath, but totally exhilarated.  I actually survived with both legs still attached!  We were all completely nasty and didn’t even need to talk—that took too much work. 

Unfortunately, at the stream, there was no more trail.  We never did find the waterfall.  Water did fall, but it was in the creek-version, not the Niagara Edition.

Going back went a lot fast since we knew where we were going.  We made it back to our jeep and all 8 of us climbed in.  I sat in the trunk and we went clunking through the orange grove.  We got to the lake again and were ready to get cooled off.  I changed clothes in the bushes which was an adventure.  There was a native that was quite hormonally excited to see a bunch of American chicas in bathing suits. 

The water was warm by them but had a cool current flowing through at the bottom.  I can officially say that I swam with fish—little ones, but fish nonetheless.  I have never done that before.  After about 30 minutes, we got out, dried off, and piled into the van and the jeep.  I was bitten alive by sand flies, but my skin was smooth from the swimming.  Pure bliss!

I was nearing the starving growling of my belly.  We went to the next town for the most incredible pizza ever.  It had a homemade crust and juicy cheese.  Unbelievable!  It was called Pascuales.  I even ate the cheese and I don’t even like cheese.

3 hours later, we arrived back home.  All my clothes were disgusting and I pretty much dumped my backpack into the washing machine.  While waiting for my clothes, we all convened in one of the apartments to debrief and swap stories.  I tried some carrot cake which was fabulous.  I will have to find a recipe.  It was a write base with carrots, pecans, and this coconut icing.

Then, I hung my clothes on the clothes line outside for the first time ever in my life.  I felt so domestic.

Well, that’s it for now.  I will be chatting soon!

 

JLP

Rastaman and Bootleg Media

 I have arrived in Punta Gorda which is in the southernmost district of Belize.  We came here to attend an education union annual meeting.  The first thing that we thought was quite cool was this business meeting had a DJ.  The music had a really cool groove to it.  I was kinda concerned that the reggae music would just be Rastafarians with the tin drums that look like inside out trash can lids.  Well, just like music in the States, reggae has evolved.  My friend Matt—master of all random facts, told me that this new genre is dance hall reggae.  Quite cool.

The issues at this education summit were those the US had in the 1980-90s.—maybe even before.  They were afraid of taking prayer out of schools and were trying to figure out ways to make education more equal.  They are on their way to the content standards and the joys that we have in LiveText, Murray State University’s online portfolio dream for all education majors.  I wanted to tell them to look at the progression of the US in its’ education.  The choices that they were making were leading towards No Child Left Behind.  Lots of it were good.  Some need to be polished.

I spoke with a Rastaman today.  Apparently (according to Matt), the Rastas trace their heritage back to the said child the Queen of Sheba and Soloman had had.  They claim Judeo-Christian roots although they don’t follow Christianity.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of his hair.  He had natural Black hair.  I asked him how he takes care of it.  He says that you have to throw the comb away and let it be.  He had done or not done this hair style for over 10 years.  Even his beard had been “Rastafaried”.  It was an interesting way of life—vegetarian, close to the earth and sea—but I think I will stick with my comb.

Last thing for the day.  I usually go to a internet café of sorts to check my email and such.  They do all the computer stuff and they also burn and sell bootleg DVDs of the all kinds of movies.  I even saw Tyler Perry!  Amazingness.  I will probably buy one, just to say that I supported an illegal, legal store.  I can get whatever movie or CD I want for only $2.50!  This beats Blockbuster.

 

Bugs, People, and LOTS of H2O

So I have officially made it to Belize. This country is like paradise. No rich people, no poor people....just people. Nobody cares what car you drive or the clothes you have on. That you wear clothes is vital.

We are approximately 200 paces away from the ocean. It is a nice color bluish-green. I can faintly hear it when I go to bed. The food is incredible. Lots of rice and beans. Mangoes are from My Father above. It's like sipping on a juice box.

I think the part that I am most excited about is how well I fit in with the people. I am in a group of very melanin-less people. So of course I stick out. But here in Belize, I fit in and they stick out. I am pretty psyched about that!!! I was the only one the customs and migration guys flirted with. They kept saying, "Ooh! Are you sure you are not Belizian--You fit in so well here!" I was honored. And just thought, "Well i'nt that just precious!"

I am becoming acclamated to the bugs. They are quite large and disturbing at night. We have had several occurances with spiders and last night with cockroaches. I am just asking my Savior to shield the bed where I lay my head. He has done that so far.

I went to a Catholic church yesterday for Easter. It was the liturgy from regular services (as far as I know) and music from the 70's--all synthesizer. I was amazed at how simple it was and yet worshipful. Lights, camera, and action aren't necessary when it comes to Jesus I suppose.

Our group was painting a pre-school today and we heard clapping and singing from across the way. Of course I had to go figure out what was going on. They said that it was a catholic workshop. I peeked into a window and someone saw me and invited me in. When I entered, I was warmly greeted and figured out it was NOT just Catholicism being practiced. It was a Charismatic service if I've ever seen one. Jesus shows them to me often and I think that is so cool. Hearing people of different languages start speaking in tongues just gives me chills! It is the most beautiful and awe-inspiring occurance I think. There was a nun playing guitar. Only 3 chords maybe 4. 60 people in a 4-5th grade classroom. It doesn't take much when you are willing to "Turn your eyes to the hills...".

I am eager to start talking with natives and seeing their country from their eyes. I am an official tourist of Belize, but I want to be a temporary citizen if that's possible. I would LOVE to talk to a Creole while they loc my hair. That would make my trip. I have heard there are a few people here who have that as their business. My goal is to find one.

But as for now, I will enjoy my 3rd 32-oz bottle of water next to the ocean.

My fellow Americans, it has been real. Peace out G's!

JLP

1st Blog Entry

So I just found out how easy it is to create a blog. Now I can bore you to death with all the monotonous things I do on a regular basis. And just to think that people may actually be interested!

I will be going to Belize for 4 weeks starting tomorrow. My flight leaves at 5-something. Yay me! I'll be teaching and traveling all over the country.