Splunking, Mayan Ruins and Rope Swings!

HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYONE!!

This week we went back inland for the trip with our group to the mainland. It was a very different week than the week with the high school, but exciting none the less. We left Saturday morning and went back to Belize City where we returned to the Belize Zoo. That night, we stayed at the Zoo’s lodge which reminded me of a summer camp. The nine girls in my room even stayed up late that night playing cards! We had dinner and breakfast the next morning there and then headed to the ATM tour.

Cave Entrance

The ATM is a cave system in Belize. Belize has some of the largest cave systems in the world, and the tour proved to be much more than I expected. I’ve been on cave tours in other countries before where they take you into one large cave, however, the ATM was very different. At the beginning of the tour you are given a very attractive helmet and headlamp and asked to swim in water over your head to the inside of the cave. The first part of the cave had some tight places to go through and some deeper water. Most of the cave had ankle deep water, however, toward the end of the tour the cave opened up into large caverns full of stalactites, stalagmites, and different types of rock formations! The tour was definitely an Earth Science teachers’ dream!

             In addition to the formations, the cave is home to so ancient Mayan artifacts, from where they had used the cave centuries ago. The Mayans believe that there are three parts of the world, the upper world, earth and the underworld. Therefore, they thought that the cave system was a connection to the gods of the underworld. Including pottery and other offerings, the cave has a few human remains, which are believed to be human sacrifices. Most of the artifacts have been calcified; therefore some have literally been engulfed by the cave. The tour was fantastic, and a lot more adventurous than I thought it would be.

After the tour we went to our hotel, Cahalpeech, in San Ignacio Town. Monday, Kathleen, Kyle and I spent the day exploring the town. The hotel where we were staying sits on the top of a hill overlooking the very hilly town of San Ignacio. We figured out quickly that the best thing to do was to walk down and then pay a taxi $7 to get back to the top because it would be a very steep hike back up. The city is interesting because it is one of the most western cities in Belize, close to the Guatemala border and has a river flowing at the bottom with only two major streets that are filled with hills. It reminded me of a very small Belizean version of San Francisco. We walked down to the river and found a group of boys jumping from a rope swing into the river, before walking back up to look at the shops and find lunch at a good local restaurant called Elva’s. That afternoon we sat by the pool for a little bit, before returning back down the hill for dinner at a fantastic restaurant called Han-nahs.

The following day, we got up early and went to the Mayan ruins of Caracol. In order to get to the ruins you have to endure a very bumpy car ride along the windy mountainside, because most of road on the way is unpaved. Along the way we stopped at a cave system to look at the massive cavern formed by a 'dead' cave. I learned that caves dye when they no longer have rapid water running through them, therefore they cannot make new formations.
Unlike Tikal, Caracol was home to a large population of the Mayan people, so we got to see homes of both the peasants and nobles. I loved learning about the history of the people that lived there and seeing the amazing temples that they created, but I especially liked getting to walk through the forest and see all of the unique animals!

After Caracol they took us to stop at the Big Rock waterfall on the way back. It was a steep hike to get to, but then was beautiful to see. Most of the people in the group went cliff diving off of the ledges of the waterfall which was a lot of fun!

Wednesday, myself and a group of eight other people decided to go to the neighboring country of Guatemala, to see a town called Flores. The town sits on an island inside of a big salt water lake. I was very surprised how drastically different things became as soon as we crossed the border into Guatemala. First, the money conversions become much more difficult, because seven quetzal are equal to one American dollar, versus the two to one Belizean to USA ratio. We drove through some very poor cattle farmland to get to Flores, but it felt like we were in a different world when we arrived. The island was not extremely large, but had a plethora of little shops and restaurants, and actually reminded me of a small town in Europe rather than Central America. We shopped a little bit while there, explored the town and had lunch ad a fantastic little restaurant called Cool Beans. It was nice to get to see somewhere so different than Belize. After spending a few hours there it was time to return for another great dinner at Han-nahs. (In case you decide to do this trip yourself, you should know that you have to pay 37.50 Belize to exit this country, and another 10 quetzal to exit Guatemala.)

Thursday it was time to return back to San Pedro, so we got up early to catch a bus to the Belize water taxi station. Three of us stopped in San Pedro to spend the day on the beach :)

Until next time,

AAA

Cucumber Beach

Day 3: High School Inland Trip

                The third and final day of the high school inland trip was fantastic! Once again, we got up early and drove back to Belize City to meet the group of juniors at the Belize Zoo. As a group we toured the zoo, which showcases a lot of the animals that are native to Belize.

                After the Zoo we went to Old Belize, which features a museum, zip-lining and a water park. The museum was really cool because it outlines the history of Belize, so I got to learn a lot more about the place that I’ve been living. It actually reminded me a lot of the Museum of Natural Science in North Carolina, but on a much smaller and historical scale. Then we went and watched the students Zip line and hung out at 'Cucumber beach' and played volleyball with the students until it was time to catch the ferry back to San Pedro!

Until next time,

AAA

Hot Mama!!

Day 2: High School Inland Trip

       Today was another very fun day! We got up again early this morning and had a fry jack and egg breakfast at the place we were staying. Then we drove back though Belmopan to get to Spanish Lookout in the Cayo district where we toured the Hot Mama factory where they make hot sauce. I learned that the difference in the pepper color is due to it’s maturity. As peppers grow they gain more of the chemical capsiacin, and therefore the more mature peppers will be hotter. Peppers start out green and then as they mature they turn into a bright red color. Therefore, the red peppers are hotter than green ones! At the end of the tour they let us try a few of their products. I bought some pepper jelly which makes an amazing dip mixed with cream cheese! I can’t wait to get home and try to make some!

     After the hot sauce factory we went and had lunch before touring Western Dairy’s. At the dairy they have an average intake of 15000 pounds of milk from dairy farms in the area. They then process the milk by pasteurizing it (which means heating it to a certain temperature and then cooling it quickly which I taught in Integrated Science 1 at SPHS) and then homogenizing it (which mixes it so that it is the same throughout which I taught in Physical Science at THS). After the milk is homogenized it has 40 days until it will spoil. In addition to milk, I learned how they make other products such as cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. And of course, I got some ice cream from the dairy! (In case you’re wondering Dad it was Chocolate Chip)
     Possibly the highlight of the day was the students crevice competition. If you do not know, crevice is raw shrimp, conch, octopus or fish that is sterilized with lime juice and then mixed with vegetables (onions, tomatoes and cilantro). The boys and girls competed to see who could make the best! We went to the market in San Ignacio where the students bought vegetables, spices and shrimp for the cook-off! The girls ended up winning because they had sliced the shrimp before adding lime juice, but the boys added carrots which made it fantastic as well!

All in all, today was a fantastic day! Time for me to go listen to the kids sing Karaoke at the place we are staying at!

Until next time,

AAA

Where the Oranges Grow!

(High School Inland Trip: Day 1)

Sunrise

As I’m writing this blog, I’m sitting on a school bus with about 30 high school seniors!

The trip began early at 6am when the boat that took us to the mainland left the dock. Once we arrived in Belize City we waited for a bus and then the lead teacher, Ms. Michelle said a prayer for our safety during the travel, and read a poem about perspectives. I found the poem really interesting because it talked about how important opening your perspective and trying to see each day with open eyes. I’ve loved this trip because it has really changed the way I look at the world.

Hummingbird Highway

After the prayer we rode on the bus on the hummingbird highway and drove through the Belize landfill, so the students could visually see where their trash goes, and the impact that it has on the environment. We also drove through the capital of Belmopan, and then into the lush green countryside.

Landfill

Then we arrived at the Petters Research Institute. This organization was started by Dr. Arlie Petters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlie_Petters) who is a native Belizean, but attended college at Duke University. We talked about a variety of Science and Math topics and were joined by volunteers from the Peace Corps who talked about conflict management, sexual awareness and opportunity. Then, Dr. Petters gave a talk about mathematics and physics. My favorite part was when we talked about stars. Did you know that there are over 7.5e18 grains of sands covering all of the beaches in the world? But, there are about 1.6e22 stars in the universe!

Check out the Ingredients!

We also went to the plant for the Citrus Products of Belize, in Dangriga, Belize, where they make fruit juice. We learned how they weigh the fruit, sort it and process it into juice that is proper for drinking. They even let us taste the orange juice before it was fully processed! It tasted very sour! Once the juice is processed, it is packaged into large containers where it is frozen to be shipped out to bottling plants. This was by far my favorite part of the tour. They took us into the freezer room, and the students and teachers that we are all with got VERY excited about being in the freezer room! They said that it was the coldest place that they had ever been, and asked me if I had ever been somewhere so cold. (It felt like at home during the winter!) I really never thought I would get the opportunity to tour a citrus plant in Belize!

Bus ride!

After the citrus plant we went back to the Petters Institute for ice-cream and the went to see the beach. There are more waves here than in San Pedro, because the reef does not slow down the waves as much. However, the waves here are nothing compared to the ones at home. We had dinner at our hotel, and then went to the local super market. I was surprised at how much food the students got just for one day! I'm sharing a room with four high school girls!

We have another early morning tomorrow!

Until next time,

AAA

300th Dive

Today was a great day! It was the end of my last full weekend in San Pedro (since I will be inland next weekend) and a very good one. It's hard to believe that I've been diving for ten years since I started! I've had a lot of great dives in the past ten years, but I have never seen dolphins hang around underwater like I did today. That's the great thing about this experience and diving, there is always something new and unexpected to be seen!

Until next time,

Ashton

Turtle Poop

Dinner... Yum!

This week has been great and really flown by! Monday I finally broke down and took Cipro for my stomach bug and felt completely better the rest of the week! We also discovered another cool place on the island that has great local food, so I had that for dinner twice this week! They serve panades (which are like fried cornmeal with either fish or chicken and onions on top), Garnachas (which is like a giant chip with beans, tiny sweet onions and cheese), and Tostadas (which is a hard shell, with cabbage, chicken, cheese and tomatoes). The best part about the little place is that the food is so unbelievably cheap! And Yes, Mom, I still picked all the veggies off! It was great to be able to really eat real food again!

Hunting Lionfish

Wednesday and Thursday, Nick and I stayed after school to take some footage for our documentary on the reef! It was really fun to talk to some of the students and we found out how knowledgeable they are about lionfish! Thursday was a really awesome day overall! I got observed and then filmed by a film crew from UNCW that are doing a documentary on how teachers that are studying abroad adapt to their environment. I taught a lab to the students in which they devised a way in which to dissolve sugar. It was really different than when I did the lab at home partially because it was the first time many of my students here had EVER been in a lab. It was really fun to be able to teach them their first lab, but if I had known that prior to doing the lab I definitely would have changed things a little bit. I also got a chance on Thursday to go with the students to a health fair to chaperone. The teacher decided that day to take the kids for their Life Skills class (can you imagine taking kids back home to the center of town with no permission forms!). The health fair was a very different experience than what I would have expected in the USA. They had various tents set up talking about things from the Water Cycle, Hygene, Drug and Alcohol prevention, all the way to HIV/AIDS. It was good to see that they were educating their public because Belize has the second highest rate of HIV in the world. People could even get tested on the spot.

Friday we didn’t have school because the track team and business school were both going inland, so there weren’t enough teachers to run school. Here, when teachers are absent they fill classes with other teachers who have planning, so it is not like you can easily call in a substitute. Can you imagine if a school in the USA decided to just close school?

HUGE Grouper!

Since we didn’t have school I went and did three dives on Friday and I’m going diving again tomorrow! Friday I saw turtles, and spotted eagle rays, and huge green morays! It was a great day of diving. We went to the South end of the island where we had 100 foot visibility and the reef was in great shape. Then we dove the reef in the middle of the island, and then the last dive was at Hol Chan, which is the national marine park. For the first time in my life, I saw a turtle poop! (If you're wondering, it looked a lot like dog poop.) I can't believe how many new, and simple things that I have experienced on this trip. I've really gotten the opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone!

This week (Wednesday- Friday) I get a once in a life time experience, I’m going to go inland with the Science students at the high school. Each year, the juniors and seniors go on a trip to visit their country and see some of the local business that they could look for jobs at, as well as some museums and national parks! Monday, the school is hosting all of the eighth graders, and so we are going in to proctor the exams. Then, on Tuesday, my class will be reading and responding to my letters that my students at Topsail High school wrote to them, and I will be teaching a first aid class. That means, that Thursday was my last REAL day teaching in Belize! That’s crazy! I’ve learned a lot about myself and how I teach while being here. I was really surprised at how difficult it can be to implement certain classroom management techniques when students are so used to one type of instruction. I was also very surprised and proud of myself at how flexible I have been able to be in such a different teaching environment!

I can’t wait to do my 300^th dive tomorrow!

Until next time,

AAA

It's Halftime in Belize...

I can’t believe that this amazing experience is half way over! I have experienced so much in the last three weeks, so I’ve decided to write this blog as a sort of reflection on my time here so far. Most importantly, I’ve learned a lot about myself and my abilities as a teacher.  I have learned that I can teach and live in an environment that is out of my comfort zone and do very well. I've even managed to not do laundry yet during my time here; don't worry though, I'm washing clothes tomorrow because they are starting to get smelly :)

As far as the educational aspect of this trip, I have learned a great deal about some things I want to do in my classroom at home, as well as some things I will not. For example, students in San Pedro are used to very direct instruction. They are phenomenal at memorizing information, and providing it on tests. However, they are not are not as good at explain information in their own words as many of my students at home. One thing I have definitely learned from the teachers here is how to gain respect from your students. The students really respect the teachers. They will ask permission before even thinking about walking into the teachers’ lounge. 

I’ve also learned a lot about the culture in Belize. I love this island because it feels like the TV show Cheers’ where ‘everybody knows your name’. On my way to school I get stopped by students saying “Good morning Miss Ashton”, and then by vendors on the way home who as “how are the teacher’s doing?” I have also loved the walk to school in the morning, despite the heat. We walk to school on the beach, and it’s a great way to wake up in the morning and really reflect on how you want your day to go. Plus it is a lot better for the environment than getting in a car. Although, on the island of San Pedro cars are hard to come by! Most people here drive golf carts, and only service vehicles and taxi’s are actual cars.

I’ve decided to add a few more pictures to this blog than normal, to hopefully give you a little taste of some of the sights that you might see during a day in San Pedro, Belize.

One of the best shore snorkeling sites on the island.

Can't go on a trip without a turtle picture!

Lunch time!!

A Coatimundi that someone has as a pet. I have also seen people with raccoons as pets.

Notice anything strange about this picture? (You might have to click the picture to enlarge it)

The major intersection in San Pedro.

Palm Tree's are everywhere!!

Cleaning fish after a long day fishing. Must be dinner time!

Maneli's has the best ice cream on the island!

Kristi doing a little shopping!

The walk back home after a great day in San Pedro. (Don't worry, those aren't ghosts, those are my friends.)

Time for me to go teach my last class for the day,

Until next time,
AAA

Stingrays, Starfish and Pig’s Tail!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post, unfortunately, I’ve been fighting a stomach bug that was going around the group. I caught it late Tuesday night and was sick at home all day Wednesday, and have spent much of the time since then in bed. The good news is I’m starting to feel better!

A lot has happened since my last post! Tuesday after school I went and played volleyball with some of the guys from the high school! They are very good! Especially for the virtually concrete court that they have to play on! Afterwards, we met for dinner at a place called Wayo’s. The restaurant is right on the beach and they made grilled chicken, rice, beans and homemade tortillas for us! It was a fantastic meal!

Teaching Vitamins to the Class of 1G

Unfortunately, this is the point in the week where I started feeling sick, and spend a good portion of the rest of the week either teaching or taking naps in bed. Thursday, one of the teachers at the high school, Ms. Michelle, invited us to her house and cooked us dinner. She made split pea, pig tail, rice, vegetables, plantains, and curry chicken. Don’t worry, if you did a double take on that last sentence, you read it right. I did, indeed, eat pig tail! In fact, it was actually pretty good! It tasted like very, very salty ham. When I was sitting at dinner I was thinking about how incredible and special my experience in Belize is. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to many parts of the world, but here I’ve really gotten to know some of the people and learn about the culture of this awesome country!

Saturday morning the rest of the group went to the barely excavated Mayan ruins at the south end of the island. I decided not to go and rest instead because of the heat and the 5 mile bike ride required to get there. I went to the beach for a couple hours in the morning and then went back home to take a nap. When I woke up it was time to go to the high school for the Ms. San Pedro High School Pageant. Each year the high school holds a pageant for the girls at the school as a fundraiser. The pageant includes talents from the girls, a fashion show, as well as other acts like dances and singing from other students. Some of the costumes the girls had were very elaborate, and it felt like the whole town of San Pedro was at the pageant because of how crowded the auditorium was. 

Today was my favorite day! We had an excursion to Caye Caulker, which is the next island over.  On the way we got to stop and snorkel at Hol-chan Marine Reserve and Shark-Ray Alley. The reef was in fantastic shape! I saw a green moray, turtle, hogfish, nurse sharks and sting rays everywhere! After our two stop snorkel, we made it to Caye Caulker. I had a fantastic fish sandwich for lunch at a restaurant on the water named Rainbows, and then we went for a walk through the town. There were a few places to buy local jewelry and a really cool art shop where I got some gifts for people back home!

Tomorrow begins another week at San Pedro High School and new adventures!

Until next time,

AAA