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A Day in the Life Belize
Rice & Beans,
Coconut Water, and the Dewey Decimal System: |
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I left Belize the first time a sniveling mess. As I waited on the tarmac watching my homestay family teary-eyed up in the waving gallery, I thought of the homemade kite I made with my seven year-old homestay brother the day of my arrival, the two students at St. Andrew's Primary who couldn't read when I met them but were mastering simple sentences by the time my four months were up, the conversations I shared with my homestay mom while we made tortillas, and the evenings spent running up and down the dirt roads with the whole motley crew of grandkids who were always at the house. In many ways, I was like most volunteers leaving the country. I had experienced a unique culture, been embraced by a welcoming and loving family, and found a great deal of satisfaction working alongside a teacher in a local school and helping the students there. I wasn't ready to go. Maybe this is why, three years later, I came back. I have been working as a ProBelize Staff Intern now for about eight months. My experiences in that time have been many and varied, but one of the most meaningful has been a library project I undertook: While
helping with a group construction project at the
Faith Nazarene School, I noted that the school had
no library for its over 500 students. For someone
who lapped up Anne of Green Gables,
Ramona Quimby Age 8, and Huckleberry
Finn, and wouldn't go to sleep before hearing a
chapter from Indian in the Cupboard or
Swiss Family Robinson, I saw a school with
no library as a grave injustice to the students.
Since I first saw the need, my mission has been to
work with the school to get a library up and
running. The process has been less than expedient,
but slowly boxes of books have trickled in from
family and friends. A building had to be given over
by the government before anything could go ahead.
Just acquiring the keys took months. But now, keys
are in hand, we're working on shelving, and just
under 3,000 books arrived a few days ago from a
book drive I set up in the States. Faith Nazarene
will soon have a library. The progress has been rocky, but the support I have had from community partners, specifically the principal, Mr. Anthony Morris, has been invaluable. Mr. Morris is concerned about his students' performance in both reading and writing, and hopes that a library at his school will go a long way in helping them not only learn these fundamentals, but also spark their imaginations and foster a lifelong love of reading. He has a vision that the library will house not only books, but a station for art classes, and an area for after-school tutoring in class work and practical life skills. To call Mr. Morris inspirational is to do him an injustice, but to find the right words to express this man's kindness, generosity, dedication, and love for his students is impossible. He works tirelessly each day, getting to school well before the first bell and often not leaving until after dark. He greets each student as they pass him in the compound and they always respond cheerfully with an "Afternoon, Maestro," or if they are smaller, give him a hug around the knees. He sees the potential in each of his students and wants to give them all the tools he can to help them reach it. He has instituted a model of positive reinforcement; he wants to see the institution of a meditation garden on the school grounds, a healthy snack program, and an after-school parent-student tutoring program. He also wants to expand the school to encompass a high school that will be affordable for all Belizean students. His aspirations for his school are big, but those for his students are bigger. He truly believes in each one and wants to see them get the best from their education and flourish. Close work with community partners is one of the things that initially drew me to ProBelize, inspired me to come back, and has continued to help me see the meaning in the work I'm doing down here. Whether I am mixing cement alongside Mayan villagers, packing dinners with local women for hundreds displaced from flooding, or standing in awe and respect of the beautiful work Mr. Morris does to give his students some of the greatest gifts they will receive in their young lives, it is always rewarding to be doing this work in communion with these members of the community; knowing that they are the true leaders of the growth, empowerment, and betterment of their community. Article contributed by Molly McGillicuddy ProWorld
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