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