Ray of Sunshine Travel

¡Hola! This post covers our mission team’s second full week in Belize. Thanks for reading!

Monday was the boys’ first day of school! Public school looks a little different here; all students wear uniforms, and at least here in our town, school is only offered through about the equivalent of seventh or eighth grade. (I say the equivalent because they use “standard” instead of “grade”.) They start younger though, as young as four! Here’s some pictures from their first day!

After seeing the boys off, MK and I had a nice slow morning before walking over to the farm store where Mama L works. For the rest of the morning, we split bulk purchases into smaller quantities – mostly nails and screws, though we also counted and parceled 5000 zucchini seeds! In the afternoon, we helped price a truckload of new product. It was really nice to do some work that wasn’t physically or mentally draining, and I really enjoyed having some time to talk more with my host mom!

That evening we didn’t have church, so we got to hang out with the fam, and J and A took us up the hill for sunset! It was absolutely lovely, and it was a good reminder of how beautiful Belize is. I need to go up there more often, just to take a break from the chaos and recenter myself in God’s creation.

Tuesday we walked back to the store to help Mama L, only to find the rest of the group there too! With everyone working, we knocked out a ton of work, so much that Mama L didn’t need any more help in the afternoon, so we stayed home and worked on laundry and dishes.

Wednesday was our first day volunteering in the local school! It was a lot of fun, just pretty hectic. So far we’ve helped a lot with creating learning tools, grading, reading to kids, and playing with them during recess. It’s been a real blessing getting to build relationships with the kids and the teachers too.

A typical school day starts at 8:30; we usually get there around 9:00, at which point the kids are a little more settled. There’s a snack break in the morning, then we break for lunch at noon for an hour. Students have the choice of purchasing lunch from school/a restaurant nearby or returning home for lunch, the latter of which our family does. An hour may sound like a lot of time to those of us who only had 30 minutes in school, but by the time you factor in a 20 minute roundtrip walk, it’s always one of the quickest hours of the day! We return at one, then the younger standards are released at 2:30, and the older standards at 3:30.

Thursday was much the same as Wednesday – helping out at the school. We did get to have our first round of “frates” – short for “friend date” – after school. Each week we’re paired up with another member of the team and we decide on something to do together for 1-2 hours, just to get to know each other a little deeper. All three pairs ended up at a little restaurant across from the school this week. I was paired with E and got to bond with her over a love of creation, going on walks, and photography! I also got to try an Oreo Frappe, and man did it hit the spot.

One of my favorite moments of the week happened that night after going back home; Mama L asked me for help chopping down some plantains in the yard, so I followed her there. She tried tugging on a big bunch to pull them down, but no luck. She says to me, “¿Listo?” (“Ready?” in Spanish), then before waiting for an answer gives the plantain trunk a good thwack with the machete. I had just enough time to jump out of the way before the whole plant came crashing down! I don’t think either of us expected it to come down so easily. We got a really good laugh out of it, as well as a huge bunch of plantains!

Friday MK and I took the morning to rest because we were pooped, and then we joined the rest of the group at school again for a reading day. By the afternoon, though, the reading was done, so we just continued working on our projects from the previous day.

After school, we headed to Mami and Papi’s house for dinner, then hopped next door to the church for some worship time. MK and I walked back afterwards, expecting to help our host family plant tomatoes. Instead, we were roped into a plan to help celebrate our middle host brother’s birthday! We distracted the boys with their tablet, and all four of us adults took off on the motorcycles. We ended up at the house of some fellow church members, who had made an amazing cake for A! MK got the honor of carrying it on the back of the moto – I was glad because I had carried a huge pot of beans home on the back of the moto the week before, and while I didn’t drop it, I was still a little scarred!

A was so excited when he saw the cake – lots of jumping up and down, and I think every one present got a hug! Probably one of my favorite moments of the trip.

We had company over too, and before long the kids had migrated back to the bedroom while the adults hung out and chatted. It was kind of fun to try to follow along with the conversation, since it was all in Spanish. I found that as long as I paid close attention, I could usually figure out what the conversation topic was about, and I was even able to crack a joke or two! I’m praising God for being able to learn and understand more Spanish and praying for continued growth!

Saturday morning came bright and early, as MK and I hopped on the bus into town at 6:30, along with L and H. MK and I stayed at a coffee shop for nearly the whole time we were in town, just taking some time to rest and catch up on things we had neglected throughout the week. It was a much needed respite, and the coffee and air conditioning were wonderful!!

We picked up a couple groceries for our family, then headed back on the bus. We had a couple of hours before heading to a birthday party for some of the girls at our church. The food was delicious, and it was good to have some time with the team too!

Afterwards, MK and I headed back home and helped the family plant tomatoes once it got dark! We had a pretty good time, and all the rows were planted in around two hours – it went by quickly!

Sunday I woke up to birthday hugs from Mama L and the boys, which was so sweet! From there it was pretty go-go-go, because there was a wedding at our church! I helped Mama L with making food for the reception most of the morning, then MK and I attempted making some Southern fried chicken for lunch. It probably would have turned out disastrous had Mama L not stepped in to help a little, but as it was, we thought it was rather tasty!

After lunch we got cleaned up and raced off to the wedding!

The wedding was very similar to weddings I’ve experienced in the States. Probably the biggest difference was the size and roles of the bridal party – there were several young people who seemed to be like bridesmaids and groomsmen; two flower girls, two ring bearers, another young woman dressed in a beautiful green gown, two older people I assume were the maid of honor and best man, and – the most interesting to me – a mini me of the bride and groom!

The bridesmaids and groomsmen had a beautiful entrance, slowly stepping and twirling until they lined the archway. They each carried a stick covered in flowers, which they raised over the bride and groom to form a tunnel when they entered. They also held two ribbons across the aisle, which the girl in green cut when she walked through. The only other main difference was that the bride and groom wore two necklaces that were attached together towards the end of the ceremony. The reception was relatively standard, except for the lack of dancing – dancing isn’t really common in religious communities here. The food was delicious – worth getting rained on! I am somewhat sad that we didn’t stay for cake, but I ended up getting my fill the following day (spoiler alert!).

I’m so glad we got to experience it – it was a real treat, both from a cultural perspective and a holy perspective. Seeing two people who love Jesus joined together in marriage is so beautiful – even if you’ve never met them before! Definitely a really neat way to spend a birthday.

Well friends, that wraps up a busy, busy week! Thanks for reading – I’m hoping to have another post up soon!