Home Safely!

We have returned home safely! Thank you to all of you that have followed our trip and kept track of our adventure. We appreciate it greatly!
Thank you!
-Danielle Young

Final Day of Teaching: Red Bank Village

              Today was a day full of emotions. We all started the day out knowing that it was going to be a rough day having to say our final goodbyes to the students, teachers, and staff at Red Bank Christian Primary School. During the twenty-five-minute van ride from our hotel to the village, we all discussed how we knew that it was going to be hard having to say goodbye and that we wanted to do everything we could to make the last day great for everyone. Once we arrived at Red Bank, we all went our separate ways to teach our last math lessons to the students. During the day, many of us had our students write letters to us about themselves so we would have something to remember them by. It was heartbreaking to have a majority of the students write about how they wish we weren’t leaving, how they hope we come back soon, and how they will cry once we leave. In one of my classes, the students wanted to teach me a traditional Mayan dance, The Punta. The students enjoyed being able to teach me something new about their culture. When the students were teaching the dance, everyone formed a giant circle around the people in the center to watch and laugh as we tried to learn. As the dance continued, other students came into the classroom to join in.

              The teachers and staff at Red Bank were gracious enough to make and serve us lunch today as a thank you for the past six days we have spent in the school. They made us one of their traditional meals: stewed chicken, rice, beans, potato salad, and watermelon.  The teachers made the plates for the students who were assigned to their class and served them their lunch. After lunch, one of the UofL students, Ashli L., gave a speech to thank the teachers for how much we appreciated them making our lunch, for welcoming us into their school and community with open arms, and for teaching us so much more than we ever thought we would learn on this trip. When we thought that lunch was coming to an end, the teachers surprised us by giving each of us a special gift to thank us for everything we have done for them over the past week in regards to teaching math and helping in any way possible in the classroom.  After this special moment, we went back to class with the students to finish out our day before we had to say our goodbyes.

After school let out it was difficult for everyone to say goodbye to one another with the possibility of never getting to see the kids that changed our lives so much in such a short amount of time again. The hardest part was being asked by the students when we would back to visit them. While many of the other UofL students walked their kids home from school for one last time, myself and three others (Ashli L., Karima, and Kelsey C.) played soccer or as they call it “football” with a group of the boys. For me personally, this was a great way to end the day with the students. It allowed for the last moments spent together to be fun rather than emotional. Needless to say, the students in Red Bank were much better soccer players than we have ever dreamed of being! After our game was finished and everyone had finished their goodbyes, we took one last drive through the village and stopped at two of the stores to purchase additional souvenirs for ourselves, and our loved ones. Being able to purchase gifts in the village was a great way for us to help support the Red Bank economy and purchase souvenirs that we will forever hold close to our hearts.  After our final stops in the village, we headed back to our hotel to start preparing for our day of traveling back to Belize City tomorrow. 

-Amber Huser: Standard V

Our Return

Once more, the internet is not working in our favor. We will be departing for the airport shortly, and will leave from Belize City to Atlanta and then fly into Louisville. Once in Atlanta, I will post our remaining reflections and pictures. Thank you again for your patience; we look forward to returning to Louisville this evening!

Final Day of Teaching: Red Bank Village

Today was an emotional rollercoaster. It was so hard for us to say goodbye to all of these students and teachers that we have fallen in love with. We spent the weekend avoiding talking about this moment because we knew it would be hard- but today there was no escaping it.

            On our way to Red Bank this morning we were already holding back tears. We knew this was the last time that all of us would be piled in the van making the journey on the bumpy road to the village. As we entered the village, it became harder to hold back the tears but we all vouched that we would not cry, at least not yet. When we pulled up to the school we unloaded all of our supplies and played outside with the children until the bell rang. We all started our days as usual.

            In my classroom, I concluded my time lesson. My students have been working on telling time to the hour and half hour as well as using the vocabulary of various times of day (morning, noon, and night). All week, my students have been writing and illustrating pictures of what they like to do at various times of day. Today, I surprised them with their own time books. Their faces lit up when they saw them. I never realized that the happy faces I see daily could become any happier. My students ran up and hugged me when I told them that they could take their time books home. This brought joy to my heart. All week I had been searching for a way to give just an ounce of the happiness back to my students that they have been providing me. Who knew that me simply adding construction paper to their drawings and tying them together would be the answer. At break, a few of us bought popsicles, cookies, and sweet treats for our students. We spent the break outside enjoying our sweet treats and playing games with our students.  

            For lunch, our teachers prepared a delicious meal for us. Each teacher served us chicken, rice with beans, potato salad and a soda. We were so thankful, grateful, and appreciative that our teachers cooked for us, but that was not all. Each teacher surprised us with a gift of appreciation. We exchanged our gifts, took pictures, and said our thank yous. We all thought we had survived without tears until Dr. Finch stood up and gave his final words. This week has helped us realize how ungrateful we can all be. We have so much, but we are never satisfied; we are always wanting more. Being immersed in a culture of people who are so happy with what we consider to be so little at home (in America) has been life changing. We have all come to realize that it is not about what you have, but what you do with what you have. We have come to learn that teachers and the people here are so appreciative and resourceful with so little. If each of us can take a little bit of the joy, happiness, motivation, and encouragement that the people in Red Bank Village have, then we can help change the world.

            At the end of the day, most of our students had to go directly to house (classroom) meetings. Since the majority of our group did not get to say goodbye to our students, we stayed in the village for about an hour and waited for our students to get out of their meetings. We spent the hour walking around the village, buying sodas, and enjoying Belizean ice cream (which is amazing!). When the students were out of their meetings, we spent every minute of time that we had with them. Kelsey C., Karima, Amber, and Ashli L. played futbol (soccer) with some of the boys from the Red Bank soccer team. Katie, Trinity, Cara, and I sat at a picnic table while children played with and braided our hair. Who knew the boys could braid just as good as the girls! Amy, Mallory, Kelsey B., and Courtney let children use the Snapchat filters on their phones (a huge hit here!) and had their last conversations with students. When 3:30 rolled around and it was time to leave we gave our last farewell hugs. We were all doing well on holding back tears until one of Cara’s students broke down crying. It immediately hit us that we may never see these amazing children again. Although it was hard to leave, we knew that they would be in good hands and that Sister Margaret (Dr. Pentecost) would be back to see them and take pictures for us soon.

            On our way out of the village we picked up a villager who was heading to Independence. While talking with him, we discovered that he had known Dr. Pentecost since he was ten years old; He is now 26. He talked about how thankful he is to know her and how thankful he is that this is a partnership that has continued over the years. For me personally, this has been a life-changing experience. It will be hard for me to mesh back into a society that is materialistic and focused so much on looks rather than emotions. In the United States, our society is constantly focused on what objects you have and how you can get more of what everyone else has. Here, it is about who you are and the impact that you make as a person. Coming here to Red Bank Village has taught me that you can do a lot with a little. All you need is a smile and a positive attitude and you can produce positive results. 

Blog Update

We are having a difficult time connecting to the internet, and I apologize for not being able to post on the blog recently. Yesterday was a very emotional last day of teaching in both villages, and I know that several students are looking forward to sharing their reflections with you all. Today, we are headed back towards Belize City to visit the Zoo. I hope to have a stronger internet connection later this evening, and will upload all of our recent posts as soon as I can.
Thank you for your patience!
-Danielle Young

Day 5 of Teaching: Red Bank Village and the Trip to Cockscomb Basin

          Today was day 5 of teaching at Red Bank. Due to Teacher Appreciation Week, the school day was cut short and students and staff ended their day at 11:30 am. The day flew by! I finally came to the realization that tomorrow will be my last day seeing these beautiful, smiling faces. In such a short period of time, I have grown a connection with these students. When discussing with my peers, we all realized how much we truly have learned from working with these teachers, students, and administrators. As a future teacher, I will take all that I have learned during this International Teaching Experience and use it in my own classroom. Tomorrow’s lessons may follow with some tears as we wave our final goodbyes to Red Bank.

          Due to the shortened school day, we were able to participate in an excursion through the rainforest at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. As a group, we hiked on Ben's Bluff Trail. The trail lead to a waterfall and eventually a beautiful scenic view of the mountains. Hiking the first part of the trail was not very challenging, however the heat was. The waterfall had been perfectly placed. At this point in the hike everyone wanted to jump in the freezing cold water. We then proceeded to what I consider the most strenuous hike I have ever experienced. The heat was extreme and the hills were never-ending. We were consistently taking breaks, as it seemed the trail continued to become more challenging. When we finally made it up the hill, we realized how spectacular the view truly was, and although in the moment the hike was strenuous, in the end it was all worth it!

-Karima Badouan: Standard II

Day 5 of Teaching: San Pablo Village and the Trip to Cockscomb Basin

          Teaching day five was very exciting, not only because it was great to see our students after a long weekend, but we had the opportunity because of an early release day to go to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Our day at San Pablo was shortened due to it being Teacher Appreciation Week and the teachers were all traveling to a conference. Our day started with whole school devotional. All the students then went back to their classrooms to start learning. My class is Infant I, where most of my students are 6 years old and this is their first year in school.

          Today our day started by singing our days of the week song which we sang in English and Spanish. My students really enjoy singing and dancing, so during transitions and to engage students in the learning process, my teacher and I often teach through songs. Today, during math we read books and reviewed addition and subtraction. Dr. Pentecost joined our class to practicing counting. She led my students around the classroom marching, singing, and counting to the song “The Ants Go Marching.” They were all very excited. After we sang and danced, we read a book and subtracted along with the words in the story. Time passed quickly and the day was over before we knew it. 

          We packed our belongings in the van as the students quizzed us on counting numbers 1-10 in Ketchi, a language that most of the students in the village speak. Then, we were off to hike in the rainforest! We met up with the others coming from Red Bank and traveled about 45 minutes away to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Once we arrived we ate lunch, and started to hike. The first trail we hiked was the Waterfall Trail, which led us to a waterfall with a small pool of water underneath. Jordan, Kelsey C., Trinity and I all took advantage of the unique opportunity to swim in the waterfall.

          After visiting the waterfall, almost everyone walked up a very strenuous, steep trail to the top of a mountain called Ben's Bluff Trail. There were many pictures taken, laughs to be had, and complaints made along the way, but everyone that attempted the trail made it, and we all agree it was worth the difficult climb! The view from the top was absolutely amazing. After probably close to 100 pictures were taken, the trek back down began. It was almost as difficult going down the hill as it was going up, but we all made it together. Like many of the experiences we have had so far this week, today was another wonderful day to add to the list.

-Christina Burkhardt

Sunday's Activities

          My morning began by attending church in Red Bank Village with Dr. Pentecost and a few other UofL students. There were couple of preachers that spoke today, one spoke in English and the other spoke in Ketchi (The Mayan Language). The message was very personal about building a relationship with God and not just being religious. One thing that stuck out to me was when he said "students' hearts can always change for the better". It made me think of all the students I have taught in Red Bank and also the ones that I have had the opportunity to work with throughout my four years in the Education Program at UofL! The people in the village were very welcoming and stayed after to ask us many questions about our time here.

          After church, we headed to Robert's Grove to enjoy a relaxing day on the beach. There was a little dock that many of us went on to relax in the sun and also eat a delicious lunch! While we were out on the dock, we saw a mother manatee and a baby manatee-- just in time for Mother's Day. The waitress said she had never seen a manatee before, so we were all very excited and running around the dock trying to capture the rare moment.

          After eating, some people decided to explore the water in a sailboat while others kayaked through the waves. Ashley Barnes and Kelsey Barrick got all the way to the dock and while they were saying hello, the kayak filled up with water so they had to swim back with their paddles and overturned kayak. We were all laughing, but making sure they were safe!

          We are having a group dinner at the resort and beginning to think of the lessons we will be teaching Monday and Tuesday. I can say with certainty that we are all excited to see the children tomorrow. We look forward to teaching and receiving smiles and hugs when we arrive. The students have been a blessing to each and everyone they have met and have touched us all in many different ways. They are the definition of happiness!

-Cara Martinell

Time to Rest and Relax

About Day 7, trip fatigue sets in for groups traveling together.  We combat that by making sure that we have at least one day to relax.  After a long hot week of working in schools, we took a day to rest at one of the most beautiful resorts in Belize.  The Inn at Robert's Grove is a lovely place to relax and take in the beautiful view of the Caribbean Sea!  Each of us found our own way to relax and enjoy the day.  Some chose a hammock and beach chairs, while others of us found more adventurous ways to relax by sailing the Hobie Cot or paddling in sea kayaks.  The pools, the sea, the sand, and the scenery made for a perfect day at the beach.  Our team will enjoy a lovely dinner at the seaside restaurant before heading back to reality and getting ready for our teaching day tomorrow. 

Thanks for following our blog!

Dr. Pentecost

Saturday's Excursion

          Today we traveled to Placencia, Belize and had the opportunity to go snorkeling and then shop and eat in the town. We took a water taxi to Placencia, and then took another boat out to a little island in the Caribbean Sea, they call them Cayes (pronounced keys). We went on 3 separate dives. On the first dive, we circled the island seeing the coral reef, fish, and other plant life in the sea. After the first dive we returned to the Caye for lunch and a break. Once lunch was over those that wanted to could go on the second dive. This one was my favorite. At first, we were just going to go a bit farther out and see some larger coral reefs and more fish but we got some unexpected visitors that put on a little show for us. These visitors were 2 dolphins; they were very friendly and swam right next to most of us. I was able to get some pictures and videos of them with my GoPro camera and it was truly an amazing experience. The third dive was with nurse sharks, eagle rays, and sea turtles. This dive was not as long as the others because the animals did not stay very long in the location. I was able to swim with each one of them! This was my first time going snorkeling and it was the best time I have ever had.

           After snorkeling was finished, we took the boat to a port in town where we had the rest of the day to explore, shop, and eat. Some of the restaurants had signs out for the Kentucky Derby. Even though we are in Belize, some of us watched the derby on TV. Our day came to an end with a ride back to Independence on the water taxi. I cannot wait to go through all the pictures and videos I have from today and see what all I was able to catch on film. Overall, each of us had an amazing day and cannot wait to see what the rest of the weekend has in store for us. More than anything, we are looking forward to being back in the classrooms and working with our students on Monday and Tuesday.

P.S. – the sun in Belize is very different, sunscreen is a must!

-Jordan Priddy  

Trip to Placencia

          Today our group was fortunate enough to get some relaxation time in the sun!  We woke up for our morning breakfast and headed out to the dock to take the “Hokey Pokey” to Splash Dive.  We were fitted for our snorkel gear and headed out for a boat ride to a private island.  While on the island, we were able to snorkel in small groups with fabulous instructors while learning about the marine life of the Caribbean.  We enjoyed lunch on the island and snorkeled three different times throughout the day.  During one trip out into the ocean, a group of students was able to snorkel side by side two, friendly dolphins!  It was absolutely incredible!  The group also headed out a little further from the island and were able to snorkel with Reef Sharks and get up close and personal with a large Sea Turtle.  These snorkeling trips were so much fun and we loved every second of each one.
           After our snorkeling trips, we took another boat ride into Placencia for some more free time.  While in town, several students walked around to buy souvenirs and to watch the Kentucky Derby on T.V.  GO NYQUIST! J  The local restaurant owners were excited to meet people from the city of Louisville to watch the Derby race with them.  After the race was over, everyone ate a delicious dinner on the beach as we watched the sun set.  The view was beautiful, and we certainly enjoyed each other’s company.  After eight days here in Belize, we were all thankful for our day off in the sun!  We are very grateful for the wonderful opportunities we have participated in so far.  We are truly blessed.

-Katie Enzweiler and Trinity Shell

Silk Water Caye Excursion

Today we spent the day snorkeling near the Silk Water Caye, and shopping in the town of Placencia. The weather was great, and the students were grateful for a chance to relax. Everyone tried out snorkeling, and were able to see different types of fish and coral. We had a great day, and have arrived safely back at Cardie's. The students cannot wait to share their reflections with you!

Day 4 of Teaching: San Pablo Village

          Day 4 at San Pablo was absolutely incredible, and as mentioned before the students are amazing! We are in the Standard III & IV classroom which is the U.S. equivalent of 4^th and 5^th grade but the students range from age 9-15. Driving up in the van is one of our favorite parts of the day, watching them run up and wait and want to carry all of our bags to our classrooms is so humbling. Everything they do makes us smile. They are so brilliant, happy, and excited to spend time with us and learn from us. We constantly get asked if we will be back the next day and if we will be staying with them. These kids love us just as much as we love them; this has been an awesome experience for us and it's crazy to think that we only have 2 days left with them.

          The past few days we have been teaching our kiddos about graphing and all of the different types of graphs (bar graph, line graph, and pictograph). We’ve also spent time with them working on collecting and organizing data. Today we specifically spent time teaching the students about bar graphs. We made linked chains in groups and created and labeled bar graphs. Showing the students and our awesome teacher new resources and hands-on activities is what is making this experience so amazing. Knowing that we are making a difference not only within the students' lives but with our teachers as well is incredible. Still yet, the biggest difference is happening for us. These kids are changing our lives everyday and we are so excited to see what the next two days have in store for us, but also so sad that we only have two days left with them.

-Paige Sidebottom and Jordan Priddy Standard III & IV 

Red Bank: Day 4 Teaching Photos

Today was another great day teaching in the village. In addition to teaching, we were able to spend time with the students, learn more about their village, and embrace their culture.

Here are some pictures from our eventful day!

San Pablo: Day 4 Teaching Photos

Today was another wonderful day spent with the students at San Pablo. In addition to teaching math, we were able to enjoy playtime outdoors with the students.

We enjoyed both teaching and learning from the students at San Pablo!

Day 4 of Teaching: Red Bank Village

          Today was a wonderful day at Red Bank Christian School. I cannot believe that Friday came so fast. The students have been working hard all week with all of our teachers. As soon as we arrived, a few of us teachers decided to walk through the village. As we walked through the village we were greeted by smiling faces of students on their way to school. We also saw many pigs, chickens, dogs, and horses in the yards on the road.
          In the morning I taught math and language arts. For language arts, I had the students write letters back to my students in Kentucky. I learned that the students live in a Mayan community or Ketchi community. Some of their favorite food consists of caldo chicken with corn tortillas or a dish called posh. Students talked about going to the jungle to hunt for animals like the gibnut. Most of the students live in what is called a tach house and have more than one sibling. Students talked about how beautiful their school is and how much they love their teacher. Other students talked about the river and using the river to swim and wash clothes. The national symbols of Belize are the toucan, tapir, mahogany tree, and black orchid. I was so intrigued listening to their experiences they have had in Belize that we do not have back in America.
          During lunch, we had some of the families come to sell items they made such as bracelets, bags, baskets, and much more. One of the mothers there made embroidered handkerchiefs and told me that it took her seven days to make. They truly put a lot of effort and time into what they create. I bought some bracelets, a bag, and a basket that looks like a chicken.
           Today, most of us had the opportunity to walk some of our students home. It was nice to see their family, what their houses look like, and see how far they have to walk to school. I walked one of my students home and his mother gave me a basket she made. The people are so kind and welcoming. In a tach house, there are some hammocks to sleep. Most of them do not have bedrooms, but may have separate houses for the kitchen or bathroom.

          Lastly, we had some of the students come back that had gone to a football (soccer is called football here) to compete. Red Bank came in second place overall and the students were cheering as they got off their bus. The kids are wonderful, always smiling, hard working, and just amazing. I never realized the impact the kids would have on me. I feel that I have changed so much by understanding the life my students have. These students are so grateful for everything and I am forever thankful to have had this experience with them.

-Kelsey Clark Standard III

Red Bank: Day 3 Teaching Photos

Day 3 brought cooler weather and exciting new challenges in teaching the students in both villages. We are very excited to share some of the pictures from our day!