Updates from Belize

Hello my friends :) I hope you are well and thriving.

I am writing to you from a space and time of balance in my life…what a gift! Here are some glimpses of what has been going on in Belize over the past few months.

Birthday celebrations

After enjoying a margarita with some good friends, I got to go to my first concert in Belize! We saw KES the band, a Soca group from Trinidad and Tobago. Lots of other local artists played first and then KES came on around 2am, typical for a concert in Belize. It was a blast! Here’s one of their most popular songs, Endless Summer. 

Visitors

At the end of the school year, Mom, Dad, and Matt came down to Belize for a week. We spent a few days in the city where they got to meet some of my friends, check out my school and parish, and spend time in my neighborhood. We spent an afternoon at Caye Caulker and then headed south to the small beach town called Placencia. Our days were full of yummy meals, swimming, kayaking and relaxing. It was such a gift to just be together.  

Fam time is the best time :) 

I also got a visit from my sweet friend Nora! We got to explore parts of Belize neither of us had ever seen before. Some highlights include: snorkeling on the reef and Benque fiesta. Swimming amid the vibrant corals and fish was absolutely breath-taking. It was like Finding Nemo down there! We got to swim with sharks, eels, and sting rays, among other aquatic creatures. Benque fiesta was a big carnival, close to the border with Guatemala. We went with some other friends of mine. That was quite an adventure. One for the books.

  Fun Fact: Belize has the second longest barrier reef in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.

In Country Orientation and New Friends

After a few weeks of sweaty cleaning days and much anticipation, we welcomed five new volunteers to Belize (Noah, Grace, and Jenna in the City/Hannah and Anna in Punta Gorda). It was packed and stressful and life-giving all at once and at different times. We all got to do some exploring together and meet new people in the city and from some of the villages. I feel like I have learned to see and appreciate the beauty of this place in a whole new way--riding in the back of a pick up truck through the thick jungle and dirt road to visit a Quechi Mayan family and make tortillas with them, jumping and swimming at the bottom of a waterfall, dancing and singing in a Garifuna village, writing and reflecting in front of the sea or the mountains. I am falling in love with this place all over again.

Dinner with some Jesuit friends.

Ava, Jenna, and I on our way to the Quechi village, San Vicente.

Hurricane Earl

In early August, we went through a Category 1 Hurricane Earl. There was no loss of life, but there was much damage. Zinc fences and roofs were flying down the street and palm trees danced violently. Power and water were out for days. Many people sustained significant damage to their homes, severe flooding occurred, bus stops and docks were destroyed. Generally speaking, the city is back up and running as usual, but many families still recover from losses. Our thoughts and prayers are with those suffering in Haiti from the recent Hurricane Matthew, a Category 5 hurricane. 

Back to School

Being back at school has been energizing. With my new co-worker and friend Carolie, I moved into a new Campus Ministry office. It’s been really humbling and rewarding to be so involved in creating a welcoming, comfortable space for the guys, which will serve them far beyond my time here. A few weeks ago after school I kicked off my shoes and put up some posters while playing some favorite tunes. Minutes later, a group of students joined me, kicking off their shoes and playing Jenga on the tile floor. It made me smile to see them being themselves and enjoying the new space. There are dozens of students in and out daily, playing games, asking about community service opportunities, and engaging in great conversations. The other day a student said “Miss, this place is like an oasis on campus for us”.

Since the beginning of the year, we’ve had three senior retreats so far. I have a lot of freedom to create and incorporate new retreat ideas and activities for the guys this year, which has given me a lot of energy. I want to make these days full of stuff that they can use or reflect upon beyond the retreat—different Ignatian practices, considering women’s empowerment as a key component to their identity as Men for Others, interactive forms of prayer and Mass, recognizing and sharing values, fears, identities. It’s been hard work, but it is fruitful.

Students from class 4A participating in a team building exercise called "Human Knot".

 Students from class 4B writing to important women in their lives. 

The breakfast club is going strong. There is a group of five or so students who volunteer to help prepare and serve breakfast to about 80 students every Friday morning for free. Although Saint John’s College high school has the reputation of serving the elite of Belize, in reality we serve a wide variety of young men. Many struggle to eat three meals a day. There is so much value in greeting the guys in the morning and starting the day off well.

Students starting their day off right with a balanced breakfast. 

Happy Friday!

St. Martin de Porres Parish’s 50^th Anniversary

Our Jesuit Parish in Belize City, St. Martin de Porres, celebrated 50 years this August. We were blessed to be a part of the celebrations, most particularly the giant outdoor Mass which included the whole community. The vibrant Garifuna choir led us in song and praise, Fr. Matt, SJ, and Bishop Glancy led us in Eucharist, and the youth group performed a liturgical dance. Sharing a sign of peace with such a loving, welcoming community of people who have become friends was incredibly humbling and filling. The service was followed by snacks, conversation, and an incredible display of fireworks. It was such a treat to be here for that unifying moment.

My dear friend Ms. Caine and Fr. Matt at the St. Martin's celebrations. 

 Roomies Grace and Jenna and friend Stephen at the St. Martin's Mass. 

September Celebrations

September 21st, 1981 marks the day Belize gained independence from Great Britain, making this year the 35^th anniversary! The whole month is full of celebrations and life. From watching the Steel Pan show with friends Jasmine and Monique, to dancing through the streets before dawn at Jouvert, to watching carnival parades in Belize City and Orange Walk town. We had a blast.

 Shajay, the star of one of the junior steel pan groups, performing at Pan Yaad. 

Left: Pan Yaad with Kareem, Jasmine, and Monique. 

Right: Anika in the Belize City Carnival. 

Orange Walk Carnival with Shajay, Sharret, Saddith, and Monique.

Games Weekend

This weekend we headed down to Punta Gorda (PG) to meet up with the other volunteers and Jesuits for a long anticipated “games weekend”. The ever witty Brother Glenn, SJ road tripped down with us, stopping at Country Farm for some heavenly Mennonite-made raspberry ice cream and then again under a bridge for a dinnertime picnic. Time in PG is always refreshing and oh so cherished. We met up with our friends, ate meals, laughed a lot, baked cookies, swam in the sea, read books…I got to visit Ava in her library at the primary school, admire the beauty of the sea and the mountains, chat with an old friend from San Vicente village. The crux of the weekend was the board game Pandemic, a game of curing the world’s diseases before everyone dies, much like Risk or Katan. The marathon of saving the world and cracking jokes with Br. Glenn and Fr. Drew was just a blast. Such a life-giving weekend.

Taiga, Alyssa, and Br. Glenn strategizing. 

The beautiful Caribbean Sea with the mountains of Guatemala and Honduras in the background. 

Teacher’s Strike

Since Monday, October 3^rd, there has been a national teacher’s strike organized by the Belize National Teachers Union (BNTU) where teachers, joined by members of other unions as well, are standing against government corruption and other issues through an 8-point agenda.

Here is an article reporting the widespread absences of teachers and students alike across the country from the Amandala, a prominent newspaper in Belize. http://amandala.com.bz/news/bntu-strike-success-strike-continues-tuesday/

Due to the strikes, government officials have agreed to sign onto the UN Anti-Corruption Convention on December 9^th, International Anti-Corruption Day. Belize is one of three countries in the world that has not yet signed on to the agreement. http://lovefm.com/2016/10/04/belize-to-sign-anti-corruption-convention-on-december-9-2016/ This is one of the many points that was being pushed for by those striking across the country. 

Here is a petiton which our Saint John’s College Junior College students started in order to show support to our teachers and the BNTU. What a testament to the Jesuit education they are receiving! 

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/sjcjc-in-support-of-bntu 

Big Up Belize

I’ve been incredibly inspired, especially lately, by mentors and friends here in Belize who are making smart, progressive opportunities for the youth of Belize and I want to highlight some of them here.

1.     Like Bush Fire by Herbert Gayle

This book is changing my world and further igniting my passion for serving the young men of Belize City in radical ways. The book is a synopsis of The Gayle Report, “a study of male participation and violence in urban Belize”. Incredible. I highly recommend you checking it out if you’re interested in learning more about the reality of the city I call home.

This and other books have been published in The Belize Collection which “aims to:

·        Provide Belizean scholars with an avenue of publication for their research.

·        Encourage the use of the published material, especially in schools and among Belizean professionals.

·        Make these high quality publications on Belize available to a worldwide market.”

2.      ROC (Rhythm of Change) Om Shanti

“R.O.C ( Rhythm of Change) Om Shanti, Belize, a non- profit organization dedicating to promoting and implementing activities designed to bring forth social, environmental and individual change through an innovative and value-based approach to peace-building through yoga, meditation and other forms of wellness; as well as environmental consciousness.” http://www.omshantibelize.com/roc/

ROC Om Shanti runs regular yoga and wellness workshops in our Southside primary schools, in the Kholbe Foundation prison, and in high crime areas around the city. They also offer mindfulness training for teachers regularly among dozens of other health and consciousness workshops. They are also one of the few places I’ve seen promote recycling in Belize. Michelle and her team are constantly pushing the envelope and contributing to peace in Belize.

Rock on Om Shanti!

3.      The Image Factory

http://www.imagefactorybelize.com/lab3.html

This art gallery has facilitated countless events promoting forward thinking art and personal expression in Belize. I am incredibly inspired by the leadership of friends and artists, Yasser Musa and Katie Usher, among others who have presented and shared their creative perspectives through this venue and community. I encourage you to especially check out Lab 3, an “experimental art project” that took place this summer. Really cool stuff.

4.      Drums Not Guns

Drums not Guns does workshops and summer camps in Belize City and around the country, teaching and promoting Garifuna drumming as another outlet for our youth in Belize. Check them out on Facebook.

This was a long one so I'll leave it at that! I would love to hear from you and catch up on what's going on in your life. Feel free to email/write/call. Sending you lots of warmth and peace from Belize xo

Snapshot

To lead is really to serve. And to serve is really to love. 

Hello friends! I hope you are well during this season of renewal.

What I'm doing at work:
 I want to share with you some updates on what's going on at my job. I feel like I'm hitting my stride, building strong relationships with students and faculty, enjoying my work, and creating spaces for students to be open and be themselves. I created a newsletter to share with the faculty and staff about the happenings of Campus Ministry and some of the projects I've been working on. Hopefully this can give you a better picture of what I do: SJC Campus Ministry Newsletter: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

What I am watching on YouTube these days: 
James Corden Carpools (hilarious), One Direction interviews (always), and Feminist Fridays (super interesting!). 

Poetry that's rocking my world: Rupi Kaur

Snapshots of my life: 

Valentine's Day Fair with my “nieces”

 

Walking/Running by the sea with Monique

Being artsy on retreat with the Belize JVs

Here's a Kairos favorite for you: (Work Song)

And of course a little Beyonce feature ;) Beyonce-Formation

Follow the Sun

Hello! I hope you are well and feeling grateful as we are amidst Thanksgiving and Advent! Speaking of Advent, last night at Mass Fr. Matt called Advent the “season of dreams”. He said, “there is one question that will define you perhaps more than any other, What do you hope for?” Something interesting to sit with. Anyways, here are some updates from the past month or so! Sending you love and good vibes from Belize City. xo

A coworker's front yard

Floods: In mid-October a tropical depression (storm) caused major flooding and damage across Belize. Belize City sits below sea level along the coast of the Caribbean Sea. It rained for days. On Sunday, I sat up in my bed and saw children swimming in the street by my window. Men found a crocodile and a 12 foot snake in the water downtown! A couple of us trudged through the streets to find some food and then hunkered down for a marathon of Orange is the New Black at our neighbor’s house. Water was as high as 3 or 4 feet at my friends’ houses and at Saint John’s College (SJC), where I work. Many homes were damaged and shelters were temporarily opened, but the flood waters subsided within a day or so of the rain stopping. 

      

The UDP flag downtown

Elections: Being in Belize for elections was fascinating. The two major parties PUP (blue) and UDP (red) rallied against each other, offering favors and bribes to constituents for their votes. As Belize is still a young country (34 years old) in terms of independence, it is still difficult to nail down what each party actually stands for. Election day felt like a carnival. Lots of people crowded the streets near voting stations playing drums, eating street food, campaigning, etc. After voting (in pencil…), voters’ fingers are dipped in ink to reduce the possibility of people voting twice. In the end, the incumbent party, the UDP won the election.

Garifuna Settlement Day: November 19^th marks the day the Garifuna people came from Honduras to settle in the south of Belize. The Garifuna culture is a rich combination of West African and Caribbean traditions. At Saint John’s College, we hosted a Garifuna Mass to celebrate the holiday. Men wore dashikis and women wore traditional dresses and headdresses. Ms. Martinez, a warm, joyful Garifuna woman from the community, came to teach some of my students the dances and processions associated with a Garifuna Mass. Traditional drumming and the Garifuna language filled our chapel. For the Garifuna Our Father, instead of holding hands parishioners lock pinkies and sway together. It’s beautiful. That evening, I walked with two neighbors to go find a gathering of Garifuna drummers. We listened and danced and laughed. It was a lot of fun. Check out this video from Garifuna Collective, a popular music group in Belize. 

Retreat: Last weekend we met up with the beloved PG crew (Andy, Ava, and Taiga) at Chaya Garden Ashram (picture a giant thatched roof palapa hidden in the jungle near a waterfall). Our hosts, Lanie and Evan, were welcoming and inspiring yoga gurus from Canada. They taught us a lot about healthy eating and refreshing self-care practices. We did a lot of yoga, volunteering, swimming in the waterfall, and hammocking. We saw some beautiful toucans (Belize's national bird) and enjoyed the quiet retreat from the city.  

Chaya Garden Ashram
pc: Alyssa Perez

Thanksgiving:Thanksgiving was enjoyable. That day was St. John’s Berchmans Day of Service which I coordinated at the high school. After an opening prayer service, all 700 boys went to their service sites on campus and within the community. Everything went smoothly and I felt like I could relax. Because there are two Americans on staff (me and Louie, SJ), SJC hosted a little Thanksgiving luncheon for faculty and staff. While Taylor Swift hits and rice and beans haven’t typically been a part of my Thanksgiving experience, it was endearing and thoughtful. The rest of the day I ran errands and spent time with friends. The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth hosted us for a beautiful dinner that evening. We prayed and laughed together. It was lovely.

Random things:

<--At Halloween we carved various squashes and gourds. This one was originally green, but I painted it orange. 

I've been settling in more, doing little things to make our JV house a home. Christmas lights, candles, cards and pictures from home are making my room cozy. -->

Many of you have heard of and may subscribe to The Skimm for breif, daily news. They also have Skimm guides to catch you up on various world events and the history that goes along with them. It's super user friendly and helpful! Examples range from the Syrian Civil War, The Paris Climate Change Conference, and the Benghazi Attacks, to the 2015 Oscars. Enjoy! 

Since it's been almost two months since my last post (and because they're both awesome jams), here are two new songs!

1. Follow the Sun by Xavier Rudd

2. Something Beautiful by Alexi Murdoch

All Ah We Dah Wahn

Hey guys! I hope your day is full of peace, contentment, and joy.

I have been in Belize for almost 10 weeks now. How full and blessed I feel to be here, to feel settled, to have made strong relationships in Belize, to sense deep connection with loved ones at home. As I learn Kriol from friends and coworkers, one of my favorite phrases yet is “All Ah We Dah Wahn”. It translates to “we are one”, but its meaning is deeper, something more like the Swahili word Ubuntu which means “I am because we are”.  There is something unifying and Eucharistic about it. It rings true for me now.

This JVC experience has already opened up so many complex questions, inviting me to unlearn and relearn many things, launching me into a place of potentially fruitful vulnerability. In all the excitement and confusion, my relationship with God has remained essential yet looks so new here. I see God most clearly in connection with other people, and with creation. If God is Love, then God must be revealed in relationship. That is something I have recognized so clearly here when I laugh with coworkers, when I am invited to a new friend’s home, when someone at Church knows my name, when I sit in silence by the sea.

As I continue my work at SJC High School, many more responsibilities and programs unfold. By this point, weekly retreats have begun. The two largest school Masses of the year have come and gone. Both Peer Ministry and the Breakfast Club started up, giving me more time to be with students which I love.  I’m continuing to learn as I go, which is both exciting and frustrating at times.

I often think back to a moment in PG, when we were visiting a small village in the Toledo District. We set out to have lunch with a Peace Corps friend and her host family. We arrived in the village after a long drive down a bumpy dirt road. The Peace Corps volunteer had texted her host mother with the number of people coming, but there was evidently no service and she didn’t know how many of us to expect. As we stood there in their thatch-rooved kitchen around the wood burning Kamal, young girls producing corn tortillas with amazing speed and grace all around us, the mother said contently, “Well, you can’t know everything”. How true it is. We can’t know everything. At a time in my life when I feel I know very little, it is comforting to think of that woman’s contentment in the unknown. I smile at the wisdom and humility that memory brings.

I’ll leave you with a poem that a dear Jesuit friend shared with me this past week. Be well :)

I exist as I am, that is enough

If no other world be aware of it, I sit content

And if each and all be aware, I sit content.

One world is aware

And by far the largest to me

That is myself.

And whether I come to my own today

Or in ten thousand or ten million years

I can cheerfully take it now

Or with equal cheerfulness

I can wait.

-Walt Whitman

Random things:

• Among other news sources that I've been following, Humans of the Refuge has been a powerful testament to individuals' experiences as they flee violence and war in Syria and Iraq. As the number of refugees grows and economic and political forces come into play, it is important to remember individuals and their stories. 
•  JVC was in the Huffington Post! Check out the video here! 
• Caterpillars are called “hairy worms” here. If you touch them you immediately get a fever.

"Green, Green Rock Road"