Reflections on Community Living - 6/19

Today is our third day in the community and we continued working on our projects in the morning and will go back in the classrooms this afternoon.  We are all happy that the tropical depression in Belize is over!  So after 4 days of rain, we are finally enjoying the sunshine!  After visiting Bullet Tree today, we are going to go to Sacred Heart College (a high school and college) to learn about high school and education in Belize from Dr. Aird, the president.

Faith shares her reflections on living together as a community at the monastery:

Hello all!  Faith here!  After five full days of living together, I bet you're all wondering...are we just about ready to rip each other's heads off?  Well, the answer is NO!  Absolutely not!  Community life is definitely different, but fun, nonetheless.  We share...A LOT...rooms, showers, memories, and FOOD.  Snacks are in high demand as we plow through our personal supplies.  But rest assured, we are being well fed.  I am quite excited to share with you, readers, about the dinner we ate Tuesday night at the monastery: BURGERS AND FRIES!!!  Suffice it to say, those were gone quickly.  Usually, however, we see a lot of chicken and rice and beans.  Breakfast here at the monastery is a tad challenging for the talkative in our group (namely ME).  After we pray the Liturgy of the Hours each morning, we eat our breakfast in silence as Ms. Redford reads about various topics from the assembled writings of Mother Teresa.  It's a tad different from what I am used to, but at least we get to hear and reflect on some very good advice from Mother Teresa.  We also are beginning to get the hand of hand washing clothes...who would've thought?

Waiting in line for the shower is a bit boring at times, but with our community iPod and speaker playing, we stay entertained.  The greatest bonding experience, I believe, is our nightly jam sessions.  The sun goes down, but the volume goes up!  We assemble in Annie and Larissa's room and sing (or scream in my case) well-known songs, even as we make bracelets for our students.  It is quite fun, and the four adults downstairs get to hear our lovely voices before bed.  How lucky for them!

We are all bonding.  Whether through our shared prayer and meals, or our borderline obnoxious singing parties, we are getting to know each other so well.  I can think of various inside jokes already and it has only been 5 days (i.e. Samson, Miss Miller threatening to put us on band-aid probation for talking too much, Bohemian Rhapsody, etc.).  Ask about those later, but anyway folks, the point is we are growing so close.  We are united spiritually and mentally.  We all have the same purpose here, in Belize, and by spending all day together, we become united even more.  What a unique and life-altering experience we are blessed to be apart of.  We are all making memories and friends that we will keep for a lifetime.

And now for a quick personal note:
Family, friends, church, and community back in Dallas, we miss you and are keeping you in our prayers.  Thanks for any prayers you've been sending our way.  Mom and Dad: in the monastery I've earned a reputation for eating a lot.  What do they expect when they put rolls, tortillas, and BURGERS & FRIES in front of me?!  On that note, can I eat a lot of burgers when I come back?  Miss you Christina and Douglas (and Lucy, Emmy, and Nilla, too of course).  If you miss talking to me, just imagine being in the shoes of everyone here in Belize.  I bet they want nothing more than to hear me STOP talking (and singing/screaming).  Love you!

Faith

P.S. I found a Belizean girl who raps!!! Life is good!!!

P.S.S. Living with the adults is cool too!  I forgot to mention them.  They are hilarious and so much fun to hang out with!!!

Charlotte shares her reflections on her experience so far:

Living and working amongst the people of Belize has been such an amazing experience.  Ever since we first arrived, the people have welcomed and embraced us with open arms.  Each day this week our group has eaten lunch in one of the homes of a student.  We have all enjoyed talking to the families and seeing what typical homes in Belize are like.  The families have worked hard and made us delicious meals.  They have been so generous to have us eat in their homes.  The kids we have gotten to teach and play with have been so fun!  They all have a lot of energy and love to run around with us.  We all look forward to being around the kids each day.  The were so welcoming in their classrooms when we were nervous to teach them.  Overall, this whole experience has been a blast so far.  We are all so blessed to have the opportunity to be around the amazing people of Belize.

Mom and Dad - thank you for letting me come!  I am having so much fun!  I love and miss you both!
Love, Charlotte

Hanging out at the monastery

Faith and Charlotte doing their laundry

Evening prayer as a group in the chapel

Caroline and Kate getting ready for the day in their room

Playing at recess

Vivica and Faith writing a rap together!

Caroline and Faith's class waves for the camera