Two months almost to the date since my last update. It was a short and hectic summer and since work wasn't keeping me "busy" updating my blog was a little difficult. so here was my summer in a short synopsis. like i tell my students if you have any questions feel free to ask at the end of the lesson.
JUNE:
School ended and i attended graduation and a few grad parties fun times. There was a real sense of accomplishment amongst my students and it felt great to be a part of that and support them.
two weeks of chill time then commenced, preparations for my summer "job" began and i hung out with my soon to be departed roommates.
Said goodbye to bobby on an unexpected early departure from PG, life as a second year was quickly approaching.
JULY:
Departed to pick up my family with departing room mate number two. Sad times had by all indeed. Susannah i miss you!
thankfully the sadness was soon overcome by the arrival of my family (well mom dad and will)!! exactly 342ish days since the last time i saw them.
Had an amazing time with said visitors, seeing mayan ruins eating mayan chocolate, traveling to caves, waterfalls, and introducing them to JV life in Belize. I again realized how blessed i am to have such an amazing, accepting, supportive and most importantly laid back family.
After family departed i returned and hung around Belize city for a few days until departing back home to PG where i planned more intensely for the arrival of our new volunteers in 2 weeks time.
Went to Caye Caulker, a tropical island paradise, with John (a volunteer in belize city) and his sister laura and her friend sarah to run a summer camp for the local kids. We had an amazing time, building sand castles, swimming, making tie dye, and paper mache, it was probably one of the best camp experiences i've ever had. Not to mention i ate lobster three times that week for a measly 12.50 USD!! insanity.
AUGUST:
on August 3rd. we welcomed the 7, yes 7!! new JV's to Belize adorned in clothing graciously donated to the St. Martin de Porres donation box from a very fashionable woman of the 80's. I in my neon colored house dress, kristen in her 80's prom/powersuit ensamble, john in his hippy clothes and pat sporting jort cutoffs and a skater boy shirt arrived in style to the airport to greet our newbies. The were surprised and we had the time of our lives freaking out local belizeans with our crazy wears!
Three weeks of orientation followed with highlights such as Iron Chief Belize, a trip to the zoo (which included two boys getting peed on by a Tapir the national animal of Belize) horseback ridding through the muddy rain forest of Belize, jumping off waterfalls, crossing rickety bridges, pickup rides, dinner in mayan villages and drumming sessions with Garifuna grandmas! not to mention summer camp round 2 and work orientation for me.
Work started this past Monday and my new year is starting out just fine!! They are the same students and i can see this year presenting the same issues, only now i have a slight clue how to handle them. I'm super excited for my new community and am completely in love with all 11 of us here serving in Belize.
needless to say in the land of eternal summer, my "summer" flew by with a wink of the eye.
note: I apologize for the sporadic incoherence of this post but i wanted to get it all down as fast as possible. once the internet starts working at work I'll have some more introspective entries. I hope everyone at home is doing well and had a safe happy and beach filled summer MISS you ALL!!!
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I was a Papal Volunteer at Punta Gorda from 1964 to 1966. I along with three other Papal Volunteers taught at St. Peter Claver College. Our names were Bob Hollern (me),Don Desjardin, Julie Vinci, and Kay Sullivan. If my memory serves me right, Father Doyle and Father Ruoff were the two Jesuits priests there at that time.
From reading what you wrote, I can see that things have changed since I was there. Back then there was no all weather road to Belize City. When we went to Belize City, we went by boat (the Honduran?) which was quite an experience in itself.
We all lived in a large house next to the school. Julie and Kay lived upstairs and Don and me downstairs. Our drinking water was collected off the roof of the house into a large vat. We had a local lady (Aurora?) who cooked for us and did our washing, all by hand. We only had electricity a few hours in the evening, so we had to use candles once the electricity was turned off.
I taught math, religion, and science classes. I was kept busy just trying to keep one lesson ahead of my students. At that time there were no Mayan or Ketchi Indians at the school. I wonder if any of my former students from that time are still in Punta Gorda.
I have not been back since I left.
For recreation we went on walks, fished and played cards. There was no email back then, so letter writing was the way we kept in contact with the people back in the states (for me in Wisconsin).
I was surprised to see that volunteers are still being sent to Belize (in my time British Honduras).The Papal Volunteer program ended I believe in the seventies.
God bless you in your volunteer work. If you meet anyone who still remembers me, please greet them for me.
Bob
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