A lot of updates...and whatnot:)

I’m sorry I haven’t written in about two weeks! Yeesh! It’s been very busy getting all my things together and writing the last of my papers and lesson plans.

Last weekend, Daisy, Beth, and I spent our time at Placencia (Our third time, and last time L)

Our waitress (who we had already known and seen for the past two times) told us about all the fun clubs, but we turned her down because we were too tired. In fact, we were such grandmas—we were in bed at 8pm, and then we were complaining about the loud music those young whipper-snappers were playing at the bar a block over. We turned up our TV and watched Honey I Blew up the Baby. I did a lot of swimming/getting out of the Carib, but the getting out part was quite the scene because there was a fish that kept attacking me and sucking my thighs. I kid you not—this was probably the same fish, and he somehow had my DNA on his mind. He was slapping his body against me and twice I found him just sucking on my thigh. Since this fishy gentleman was coming on too strong, I began to scream and flail my arms frantically as I rushed back to shore. No blood was lost, just creeped out.

I just completed my last week of school, and boy was that Crazy:

Monday—The kids made sparkly Christmas cards, and then we practiced for the Christmas entertainment. MY kids wanted to do a storytelling skit based on a book I had brought called “Hush!.” I made their animal costumes and we rehearsed daily numerous times.

Tuesday—I took off the day to cancel my flight in PG. Since we’re bussing up to Caye Caulker, I forgot that from there, we just go to Belize City, so the flight would not be needed. I got my refund, and then I worked on homework for the rest of the day. After homeworking, my friend Beth and I got pedicures from this lady and Elena knows. It took a bit of a wait to get in, but it was totally worth it. She also does designs on your toenails that are so cute. I got purple toes with a cool design on it. It was very pleasurable and inexpensive. One thing I marvel about this place is that if you want to start a business, you can just do it. If you want to start a taxi business, all you have to do is write “Taxi” on your car. If you want to do nails, you just get nail polish, a cheap foot bath, and some feet scrubbers and you’ve got yourself a business. The same way works for store clerks (buy in bulk and set it up in your home—make a sign that says “Store.”) It’s so simple, they don’t need much education for it, and the people get word. Elena’s “job” is cooking and catering. They supply her with ingredients or ideas, and she just cooks. It’s interesting.

Also, my friend Daisy’s boyfriend came in. I’m so excited and envious! I wished Andy were here all the time!

Wednesday—Entertainment day. All the students in each grade have at least one entertainment—some classes have as many as four entertainments. The teachers arrange for students to sing, dance, do a skit, or recite a poem—this revolving around a Christmas theme. Parents and community members come, and it’s the school’s longest practiced tradition. The kids practiced from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm. My kids did great at practice, but they were a little stage fright. After they left for lunch, teachers prepared food, decorations, costumes, and moved chairs. I sold at the school store with Yukki for a while. I was asked to MC the entertainment. I refused at first because I don’t speak the Mayan language, and that is primarily what the people speak here. They also wanted me to tell jokes, but I felt that comedian career wouldn’t fly here with my goofy sense of humor. Haley Eckard Live in San Luis Rey would not have flown well.

The program starts: it’s packed. There were foods, drinks, kids running around, performances (singing, country music, dancing, skits, poems, mc-ing) It was a fun long night and I got some videos from it that I can’t wait to show you!

Okay, so here’s where it gets sketchy. You remember how I take a bus everyday at 6am and then I take the 4:40 pm ride home? Well, after 4:40 pm, there are NO RIDES back to PG. Me and the three other teachers that live in PG arranged for a ride to pick all of us up at 9 pm. We had called our ride hours before and it was still going through. However, our ride never showed up. I was panicing because I did not want to spend the night in San Antonio. I was thinking my situations was bad because I couldn’t contact my host mom to tell her where I was. Then I started thinking about the other women who lived in PG: Verlene has four kids to watch over, Delsia has 2 kids, and one of them is a 3 month old baby that needs to feed before bedtime, and Yuki’s mom just flew in from Japan the day before. My situation didn’t seem as bad. After waiting around, my vice principal of the school volunteers to drive us half way (she lives at the half way point.) She drops us off at her house, saying that her truck did not have enough gas to get back to PG. We sit outside in the cold (it was a windy 50 degrees, without a sweater.) We are stumped. None of the ladies nor their husbands have vehicles. We call everyone we know, and finally, Verlene’s husband says his buddy would let them, but he’s got to scrounge up some money for gas. He goes around town asking for money to get enough gas to pick us up. They finally arrive at 12:30 am. We get home around 1am. I’m beat…

Thursday comes.

I’m up at 5 am to get ready for my last day at SLR-RC. I’m cranky. The night before, the gals and I talked about leaving early from school. Then I’m told that the staff is having a special goodbye dinner on my behalf. So obligation strikes again ;) The kids party turned out to be fun. The party just said “Merry Christmas kids, let’s sing and play games!” The kids danced, made pictures, and played games. It was a good time. They ate, and said Goodbye. The goodbyes were a bit disconnected. There were no emotional hugs or “you’re the best” comments. They are very detached kids, and I guess that’s what I should have expected. I guess it’s different in the states. They cry, they make promises to call you, and they vow upon their lives that you are the best teacher they’ve ever had. It’s funny how much more open kids in the US are.

Then after the children’s lunch, we prepare our own Christmas Lunch for teachers. The menu consisted of Turkey legs, potato salad, cakes, rice and beans and other Christmas candies. Some people gave speeches speeches, they asked to me to say a couple words, and I was surprised to see how much I would actually miss them, even though this experience was so hard for me. They gave me a traditional hand-made Mayan shirt that was truly beautiful. They asked me to come again and visit as well. We made toasts, there was dancing, and then the principal got awkward and said, “Haley, if it would be alright, would you please have a farewell dance with Ernesto?” Ernesto is my friend here who teaches a grade above me. Nothing romantic with this kid, so it was totally awkward and goofy for the principal to ask me to dance with some other teacher in front of the group. I politely turned him down and proceeded to tape Yuki doing the Punta dance!

The gals and I took the bus home, and it was very fitting this way. The last time riding Bol’s bus home from San Antonio. Mr. Bol at the wheel in his black cap and flannel shirt, the same old people on the bus, the sun setting behind the jungle, and pulling into PG and seeing the length of the pier through the left side window.

We said goodbye to Elena on Friday morning, and we caught our bus, that took a five hour drive to Belize City. We hopped a ferry, and have been on this little island since.

It reminds of me a tropical Madaline Island. It’s so small, everybody knows everybody. There is kayaking, boating trips, snorkeling trips, shopping, and cool unique bars Some of them have swings for chairs! How cool is that?!

I have also seen tropical fish, swordfish, and a HUGE stingray that Beth nearly jumped on because she didn’t even see it. I got pictures!

Apparently I look Belizean because I guess I’m getting dark. Beth and Andrea went wakeboarding….and I was not that daring to try. I guess since my horrible water skiing experience on Lake Nebagamon when I was seven, I haven’t had any goals or aspirations to die ;) Plus, hours before they went on the water, we learned that there were crocodiles, sting rays, and baracudas in the channel where they were boarding. Personally, the water is something I’ve always been skeptical about because you can’t see what’s in it. I guess when the girls were boarding they saw all the sea creatures. EEK. So instead I tanned, drank beer, and had good conversations with Daisy and Cory.

So, I’m not as daring as I thought I was, but I think I can forgive myself for not trying it.

Now, I finally found some free internet on the island. I just saw an iguana in this vacant restaurant I’m sitting in. Pictures to come. Tomorrow, our group will go snorkeling and we get a special present for doing the trip, but you’ll just have to wait and see what I bring back from this trip! I’m so excited.

Well, I’m off to lay on the beach. Again. Third day in a row. Gosh, life is so hard.

;)

Hope you’re doing well. I miss you! Only Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and we LEAVE Wednesday! I’ll be home around 10pm. Hopefully I’ll blog on the way back. I’ve got a four hour layover in Miami. Yuck.

Miss you, and talk to you soon!