Getting Settled In A New Land

Last Family Outing Longwood Gardens

December 30, Mark and I flew from Philadelphia to Belize City.  We were met by a wonderful group of deaf members (approximately 12) of the Mennonite Church.  We had an hour and a half ride in the van until we arrived in Orange Walk.                                  I am learning how to navigate around orange walk.  There are many people selling fruits and vegetables and may grocery stores.  If one store does not have something you want, you can try another one.   You may find it you may not.  I am learning to improvise.                   The people are very friendly and the deaf community has been very welcoming.  I have learned so much in my short time here.         We had our first week of school and there will be many challenges but God is good and I know he will provide.  I feel blessed to be in such a beautiful place and working with some very amazing people.               

                                           

My new Apartment

   This is a side view of the apartment.  The steps lead up to the roof where you can sit and enjoy the view and cool breezes.

 The inside of the apartment is very nice.  The door in the back leads to the bedroom and bathroom.  I feel very blessed to have such a nice space to call home for the next six months.

View from the roof

Morning Alarm Clock - He is not very consistent on the time.   Somewhere between 4 and 6 AM.

Flower bush in front of my apartment.

View of my classroom building

Sulmi is a Beautiful girl inside and out!   I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with and learn from her.

 WThe school day starts at 8:30.  We have class until 10:15.  We then have a 15 minute break and class resumes from 10:30 - 11:30.  At 11:30, we have lunch break for 1 1/2 hours.  School starts again at 1:00.  There is a 15 minute afternoon break at 2:15 with class starting again at 2:30 and ending at 3:30.  Sulmi is in the class that is getting ready to take entrance exams for high school.  Some days, we stay until 4:30 for extra lerning/practice.   This is to help prepare the students for the high school assessments that will take place in April and May.

New Years Eve Party with the deaf community members of the church

      Mark and I were blessed to be able to spend New Year's Eve with the deaf community.  There were approximately 40 people preset for the party.  Most were deaf.  Some of the children at the party either had a deaf parent or deaf sibling.  They all came to celebrate the beginning of the new year.
     The party ended around 11:30.  This gave enough time for everyone to go into town so they could watch fireworks.  Unfortunately 5 minutes before the fireworks was supposed to start, the rain started and everyone scrambled for cover. 
     This was a great introduction to the deaf community and Mark made a new friend, Josue:)

The flight to San Pedro

On our way to snorkeling

      Mark and I celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary on December 23, 2013.  We were able to take a few days and fly to San Pedro, a little island off of Belize, to celebrate the anniversary.  This was a wonderful opportunity to spend time together and get to know a different area of Belize.
     We enjoyed the beach, the food and the snorkeling.  We were able to have our first run of 2014 on the beach at San Pedro.  We ran to a coffee shop down the beach and were introduced to the idea of iced coffee with the ice being frozen coffee instead of frozen water.
     The snorkeling experience was amazing!  We saw beautiful fish, octopus, eels, and sting rays.  We also got to swim with sharks!  Very scary but pretty cool!