Garden City Primary School

Okay...so apparently I was a bit off in my excited description of adventures in Belmopan and beyond. Really, they're mainly adventures in Belmopan because it is where my site placement is for the next two years. I'm working at Garden City Primary School and Tuesday was my first day here with my counterpart and the various staff. Exciting fact #1: I have my own desk in the admin office that comes complete with internet access! LUCKY! Exciting fact #2: I am traveling to the north finally later today! There is a volunteer from Japan that is traveling to visit a school up north where one of his counterparts lives and he's letting me tag along. WooHoo for finally seeing more of this country than the Western Highway.

The first day experience was interesting. My week was supposed to be full of various community activities: going to the market, visiting classrooms, traveling to some government buildings. Instead, I spent most of the morning listening to children getting scolded for fighting during religion class. Ironic, yes...but it let me see an interesting side of education here. For one thing, several teachers were out sick this week and problems seemed to be escalating at rapid succession for a bit. Needless to say, the market adventure was scrapped. Due to the chaos, I spent most of day one sitting at a computer typing lists for the Expressive Arts Program which begins Friday. Yes, I worked the first day during ORIENTATION. This could be an interesting two years. In fact, these days drag on forever...and then, once I think its time to go home, I'm welcomed into a teacher's home for dinner. Its an amazing gesture, but I always find myself fighting to stay awake and maintain politeness at late hours. I'm calling it a work in progress...

Other than that, I'm slowly adjusting to living in the slow place that exists in Belmopan. My new host family is very nice. My host dad works for the U.S. Embassy and my host mother works as a high school principal in Belize City. They have a relationship much like one you would find in the United States: they both work and share the responsibilities around the house...my host dad was the one prepping dinner last night. I also have a host grandmother that currently lives in the house because her health is poor....she's definitely interesting (and I believe in the first stages of Alzheimer's- she asked me no less than 12x how long I'd been in Belize).

The house is amazing...it has a view to the open space beyond Belmopan, with a deck that lets me watch the sunrise while drinking my coffee. I have my own room complete with a new fan (the first one I had sounded like cats being killed, no bueno). Its my favorite place to hang out at the moment. Most days are chaotic and exhasting but there is a place for comfort and relaxing. Last night my host dad and I discussed soccer to excess, debating our favorite teams in the Premiership League (we agreed on ManU) and then we ate cheeseburgers while watching Cardinal baseball. Completely awesome.

Hopefully I'll have time in the next couple of days to post photos to share with you all the new places I'm living and working. Keep updating me on all of your news, I love hearing from you all!