Sierra Nevada Airstreams: Memories – Travelogues

Clint and Kathy Norrell's Belize Adventure

Belize first page -|- Belize second page-|- January 17, 2010

January 17, 2010

Buiti Binafi!

Happy New Year! We are finally in our new home, the first story of a cement house with 2 bedrooms (one for visitors), nice kitchen, small bathroom (with running water and flushing toilet), and ceiling fans in most rooms. Above us are two more stories, used by the landlords when they come down from the States. It has separate living quarters from ours. We are adjacent to a Garifuna park, which is right next to the sea. We can hear the water lap on the beach when we wake in the morning. Of course, we also hear the dogs bark, the distant drums, the squeaky swings in the park, and greetings as people pass in the street. We also hear a car alarm every morning, which I guess someone hasn’t figured out yet, each time they start their car. This is all part of the charm. At home, it would be driving me nuts!

I was noticing the other day how things one sees everyday seem to fade into the background, and become less noticeable, at least consciously. I know this happens at home as well. The litter along the streets, dogs barking, two or three children on a bicycle which is too big for any one of them, the conditions of some of the homes, etc. don’t dominate my thoughts anymore. Things are different here, but it is Belize, and the differences are what make it so special. The people here are wonderful.

Clint and I were going to go kayaking after work the other day, and as I was carrying the kayak to the water, I stepped in a pothole and fell. I am now on crutches and unable to get to my school. I will go up to Belize City this week to see an orthopedist. The X-ray showed a chipped bone at the tip of the fibula, down by my ankle. PC has been terrific, and will either come get us or fly us up to Belize City for treatment. Since nothing was displaced, they wanted the swelling to go down a bit. Meanwhile, a neighbor, an older community member whom we have met and had many conversations with in the past, came over with an old Garifuna remedy. When she left, my ankle was wrapped in Noni leaves, brown paper, with vinegar poured over it, and a prayer had been said for good measure. I smelled delightful! She also brought freshly made fry-jacks and lemon grass tea, a treat she knew I enjoyed. The fry-jacks were in a basket she had made a long time ago from coconut leaves, and she gave it to me as a gift. Quite special! She came later in the day bringing freshly baked bread and homemade mango jelly, along with more vinegar for my foot. We sat on the veranda and listened to her stories for about an hour. She told us of Hurricane Hattie in 1961, which devastated the area and took many homes and lives. She told us of a hungry stranger who came to her door pleading for food, and then turned down her offer of cassava bread and beans. She finally found something he would eat, not wanting him to leave hungry. She is a treasured friend and an example of the kindness we feel from the people here.

The previous day, Phyllis, our home host for the past 2 months, came to visit as well. She offered for us to move back into her home while I am laid up, so our needs would be met and I could use internet. We declined, but it was a sincere offer. Last night she sent over dinner. Another family whom we previously met was walking to the park with their daughter, Luna, saw us on the veranda and came over to visit. We are not in a village, but it is different in appearance only. We are definitely integrating into the community, and being treated as family. We are getting our Peace Corps experience, something a paid vacation couldn’t give us. Of course not being able to work bothers me more than anyone else. Americans are definitely more goal oriented and high paced than Belizeans. I hope some of the “take time to smell the flowers” stays with me, as it certainly puts an emphasis on the personal things in life that really matter.

I am adjusting to the slower paced and much less pressured classrooms. My goal is to bring more hands-on and student involved learning to Gulisi School, which means teaching the teachers how to make homemade resources, how to use them, and offering ideas and modeling lessons. I was going to be introducing word walls to the Infant classes beginning tomorrow, but of course that will now have to wait a bit. Workshops on child development, positive behavior techniques and classroom organization and planning are planned for the future. There are ideas I want to present so that the teaching doesn’t have to stop because of a forgotten notebook or broken pencil. My home here is beginning to look like my US home, with cereal boxes, toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, and various other things piling up, awaiting use as a homemade resource. Just as at home, teachers here don’t throw things away either! There are huge differences here in classroom techniques and school structure. Lunches are 1 ½ hours, allowing children to go home if they wish. There is no one on yard duty, as the children play on the pipe going into the septic tank (their jungle gym), jump of the wall at the monument, jump rope, or chase each other with sticks. There is also an occasional ball being kicked or thrown around. The children also help burn the garbage, which is an open fire at the edge of the school yard. When a teacher is absent, the children are still in the classroom, often with a neighboring teacher occasionally checking in on them. There are no substitutes here. If something is needed at the store, two teachers (only one teacher has a car so he is always one of the two) run to the store to get it, leaving the children working unsupervised in the classrooms. These are all the norm for Belize. I often wonder, with the odds stacked against education in its present form, if we can make any difference. And in the whole scheme of things, I’m not sure it will be much of an impact. But in the lives of the children and teachers I work with, on a more personal level, the answer is yes, I think we can. That is what keeps me prodding on. I am working individually with about 8 children to help them with reading. I sent home a small book I had made with a story using high frequency words (on binder paper and hand written sentences) with a small box of crayons my niece had sent in a box for the school, and her smile made me think I had given her a pot of gold. She treasured those crayons, and said she would keep them at home in a safe place.

I saw my first scorpion last week! I was told it had babies on its back, but I couldn’t see that well to tell. It was high up on the Garifuna monument in the school yard. I also heard a gecko last night, the first I’ve heard at our new home. The sounds of Belize…….it made me smile.

I now hear a bicycle bell outside the gate. Ms. Felicia is here again with some rice, chicken, and a piece of black cake . . . and, oh no, more leaves and vinegar.

Miss you all. Aiyo!

Love, Kathy

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