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.
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
50th 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 35th
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.
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 3rd,
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.
Due to the strikes,
government officials have agreed to sign onto the UN Anti-Corruption Convention
on December 9th, International Anti-Corruption Day. Belize is one of
three countries in the world that has not yet signed on to the agreement.
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!
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
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
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
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