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