Already we are busier than ever. I am working with small groups now as a kind of reading intervention. at the school. It was heart warming to get out of the Bronco and have a swarm of kids come running at you to give hugs. They were clinging to us so hard I had to sit down. Everyone needs a welcome like that!
Buena Vista Government School participated in the annual spelling bee held out at San Marcos village. It is just down the road from us.
This is Hernan. He practice very hard, and represented our school well. I think being up in front of everyone got the best of him and he only made it through the first round. I was very proud of him. I am hoping he tries again next year.
This young lady is Laura. She is in Standard 5 and has enough enthusiasm for at least three other people. She is always smiling in school and whenever we see her in the village. She made it all the way to the final round with some amazing spelling skills. She got second place and goes on to the "regional" spelling bee in April. She is so nervous.
These are some sort of Ministry of Education important people. I don't remember who they are, but it was nice that they were out there. One of the words in the final round was "frigorific", even my spell check says that is not a word. I laughed out loud when they gave it to the kids. I looked it up later and it has something to do with the quality of coldness. Really?...They give that word to kids who live in a tropical environment.
Though the school seems to be doing well, the village is having its difficulties. There are numerous cases of hepatitis, but we are hoping to be coming out of it now. There has been a road block on the main road going into Spanish Lookout just before you turn into Buena Vista. BAHA is like the Belize version of the Food and Drug Administration in America. The road block is to check outgoing cars for chicken and eggs because they have found avian influenza in the area. Last night there was a meeting at the school and they told the village that they have to exterminate all live chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys in the village. Then they are going to have to clean all areas and leave the village without live chickens for thirty days. The government told them that they will give them new chickens after the thirty days. This is going to be interesting. Chickens and eggs are a main food source in the village. Not sure what is going to happen with the bug population also. All those chickens eat huge quantities of insects. Please keep the village in your prayers.
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| So, let's talk about some good food. This is purple sweet potatoes. At least that is what our friend Jessica called them. She has a vegetable stand in Spanish Lookout. |
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| This is what they looked like on our dinner plates. They tasted almost like regular potatoes. I boiled them and mashed them with milk and butter. If you closed your eyes you could have said they were regular potatoes. What a treat! |
I would like to brag about them for just a moment. They are so committed to going to school that they get up at 5:00am to get ready. Their ride to school is a bus that only recently comes all the way into the village. They both are responsible for helping their families at home and still maintain their grades at school. They both have been baptized. Imelda was baptized just last year when their school had Spiritual Emphasis Week. I see them as shining lights of hope for their village. They are working against the odds and many other young women of the village are watching them. They are a blessing to many including Dennis and I. Maybe next time I will get their faces in the picture.
We had the most fun bringing them home the other night. They were already laughing and carrying on with Dennis. He is proud to say that he has them joking around and saying "shush" to each other and to Dennis. As we were driving down the road, just past the above mentioned check point, Lauren burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard she couldn't even tell us why. I finally turned around just in time to see Imelda hiccup. Lauren says, "Imelda catched the hiccups!" Now we can hear them and we all are laughing. Lauren had to wipe her eyes from crying. It was fun!
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| The Cha-cha lakkas have been very active since we've been back. We have been serenaded by them every morning. I would like to say what a wonderful thing that is but they screech very loudly. Very annoying at sunrise when you haven't slept the best the night before. So we just get up, make coffee, and enjoy their music on the back veranda. They are like big chickens mixed with a pheasant. |
Not everything is sunshine and puppies, as Dennis would say. We have a few new kids at the school and one of the smaller ones has attached herself to me. She came up in the library and wanted very badly to read to me. So, we sat on the floor and she read pretty well. You could tell she was in an English speaking environment. I asked her if she reads to her mother. She said no, because she lives with her auntie. "My mother left me," she said. "My mother said I was garbage." That caught me off guard and I had to do a quick "heart-check" to keep from crying. We sat and talked for a bit and she now knows that God made her and God doesn't make anything that he doesn't cherish. When the bible says "God so loved the world..." it really means it. That includes the mama who said those heartbreaking words to her daughter.
I am officially wishing Dennis a Happy Birthday. I made him Black Bean Cakes with a special aioli sauce for dinner. Not exactly a fancy steak, but he liked it. We had home made Pineapple Carrot Cake with creme cheese frosting for dessert. Now that was really yummy!
Our love to all our family and friends back home. Time goes by so fast, don't waste a second! God bless you all.
Love you guys!
Vicki,
ReplyDeleteThoroughly enjoyed your post. It brought back so many good memories of our time in Belize with the Children and John and Beata and you and Dennis.