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Recently the St. Benedict Butterflies headed to the school kitchen to make play dough. This simple recipe was lots of fun to make, and the girls had a great time taking turns mixing, stirring, and kneading the play dough. Though a little messy, it was a fun afternoon
Work continues on the school mural, and be on the lookout for the completed project.
During the last week of school the staff from Forest Home Methodist School surprised John with a goodbye dinner at Miss Marian’s Restaurant. John had no idea the teachers were planning a dinner and was so surprised when he walked upstairs to the restaurant. The food was delicious, and the teachers enjoyed reminiscing about the past two years of John’s service. The teacher presented John with a gift, and then we all enjoyed cake together. It is obvious that that John has had a positive impact on these teachers.
It was a very nice dinner, and a great way to celebrate John’s time at Forest Home Methodist School.
Last week the staff and PTA of St. Benedict R.C. School honored those who have served the school in the past year. John and I, a few other Peace Corps Volunteers, and community members who have given their time to St. Benedict were honored with a school luncheon. It was also a time to say goodbye.
The staff made all of my favorite Belizean foods: chicken, meatballs, stew beans and white rice, and fried plantain. The food was delicious. The staff and PTA also presented each guest with a gift.
It was such a nice luncheon, and we had a great time!
The staff at St. Benedict are fantastic! I have truly enjoyed my time at St. Benedict, and I will be sad to leave.
Graduation from primary school is widely celebrated throughout the country of Belize, and last week we attended graduation ceremony of the Standard VI students from Little Flower R.C. School.
Teachers, family, and friends gathered to celebrate in Forest Home Village. Students were excited and ready for the ceremony. The Minister of Human Development and Social Transformation, the Honorable Eden Martinez was the guest speaker. Students received diplomas and awards and performed a song for the audience. John was even honored for his service at Little Flower and received a certificate and gift. After the ceremony we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with the faculty and staff of Little Flower.
We had a lovely time and we enjoyed the celebration.
The St. Benedict Butterflies have been
very busy working on a school mural, but recently we invited Miss Maria to
demonstrate how to crochet. The girls were very excited about
learning how to crochet. Miss Maria was very patient with the girls,
and each took turns practicing starter knots. We also took some
time to create string art with left over string from previous craft
projects.
The girls had a great time and can’t wait for Miss Maria to return and continue the crochet lessons.
As we are approaching the final weeks of our service in Belize, we have begun to say goodbye to so many. Last week we said farewell to Haruka, Yuki, and Noriko, our friends and fellow development volunteers living and working in the Toledo District.
Haruka, Yuki, and Noriko are Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers serving with JICA, part of Japan’s international development assistance effort. Like Peace Corps Volunteers, JICA Volunteers serve a two year term working with community members in capacity building and institutional development.
Both Haruka and Yuki worked at local schools assisting and training teachers in Physical Education. Noriko worked with the Toledo Development Cooperation. Haruka worked alongside John at Little Flower R.C. School, and both Yuki and Haruka lived in our apartment complex.
We have really enjoyed getting to know and working with Haruka, Yuki, and Noriko, and they will be greatly missed.
We celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary in
Playa del Carmen in the Yucatan Region of Mexico.
John and I headed north towards Corozal, Belize’s most northerly town, only 20 minutes form the Mexican Border. We spent some time with fellow Peace Corps Volunteer, Matt, relaxing by the Corozal Bay.
The next morning we headed to the bus station and continued our journey north. We boarded a bus bound for Chetumal. Chetumal is about 25 miles north of the Belize/Mexico boarder. It is the capital of the Mexican State Quintana Roo and has a population of about 200,000. We spent some time in Chetumal last year after a Gibnuts game. Once in Chetumal we headed over the Bus Terminal and boarded an ADO bus headed for the north. Our trip to Playa del Carmen took about 5 hours. The bus was modern with A/C and made a few stops along the way.
Playa del Carmen is the third largest city in Quintana Roo with a population of over 100,000. On the coast of the Carribean Sea, once a small fishing village, Playa del Carmen is a popular tourist destination and is at the center of the Riveria Maya.
Once we were in Playa del Carmen we headed to our hotel, the Blue Parrot on Quinta Avenida, a modern hotel a few blocks from the beach. The room was great, and the staff was very friendly welcoming. The beach in Playa del Carmen is beautiful. We spent the next few days lounging on the beach, touring Quinta Ave., and eating some delicious food.
After a few days of fun and relaxation we headed south back towards home.
We had a wonderful time, and it was a great way to celebrate our anniversary.
Every year on May 22 people around the world celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity, showing support for conserving the Earth’s biodiversity. This year’s theme was invasive alien species, a major threat to biodiversity.
This year Sustainable Harvest International, an international organization that provides farming families in Central America with the training and tools to overcome poverty while restoring our planet's tropical forests, chose St. Benedict R.C. School as the site for a tree planting ceremony as a part of the Green Wave.
Teachers, students, parents, government officials, and community members gathered in the school yard as students planted a mayflower tree. Despite the heat, it was a successful day and students are taking great care of the new mayflower tree in the yard.
Religion and spirituality are an
important part of the curriculum of St. Benedict R.C. School. The students in Standard III have been
preparing for First Holy Communion since January.
Recently seven students received their first communion at St. Peter
Claver Catholic Church. The students were all dressed up and sat
nervously in the pews, reciting their prayers, and answering the questions
Father Perl asked. After receiving
communion the students talked excitedly about how the communion wafers tasted and
how it stuck to the roof of their mouths.
After church we enjoyed a small reception at St. Benedict. It was nice day and I was glad to be able to share in the joyous occasion.
