Light the Night

A short blog for a short week!

The work week was short.  Dave flew a few times, but the health department has not been calling him, only private "customers."  I wonder what happens to the patients who would otherwise be flown to the hospital.  I am concerned that the budget has a big influence on the quality of emergency care!

This week represents mid-term for the University of Belize students.  I met with each of my three interns to evaluate (both ways) the experience thus far.  The four of us then met with the supervisor from the University.  While the experience is a good one for interns, I think that they have been alarmed with some of the realities of a 60-children residence--the program, the care, the activities, etc.  I am finding it difficult to find a balance between registering complaints with the Department of Human Development and understanding the challenges of being a child care/treatment center for too many children with too few staff.  I've had some interesting conversations that have revealed "the lack of respect" that staff has of me (to quote an intern).  While I feel accepted, I think that my odd thoughts on the use of discipline and the role of positive acknowledgements, along with the realities that emotional problems don't heal overnight (i.e. there are no miracles), do not engender respect here.

On Friday night, Dave and I participated in the Light the Night walk to raise money for Inspiration Center.  Inspiration Center is a community service based center for differently challenged children, providing medical and rehabilitative services as well as social activities.  The cause was a good one, and others from the gym where we work out were participating.



The event started after 7:00 PM, and several hundred people of all ages were aglow with glow-sticks!

A colorful sight!  With music blaring from a truck in the lead, we walked from Memorial Park through the downtown streets of Belize City, cheering and singing and dancing!  As a friend of mine said, it turned into Carnival! Very fun to be a part of!  And a good cause!

To end with a couple of silly pictures that will always be a part of my visual memory of Belize City.

The crosswalks:

And the garbage, hanging on the fence, waiting for the "dirt truck" to pick up the trash (twice/week!!):

Planes, Boats, Kites & Canoes!

Time flies by when so much is going on!  And we don't want to miss a thing!

The BERT airplane came time for an annual exam, and Wings of Hope sent a mechanic, Dan Lorenz, from St. Louis to do the FAA required inspection.  But the 28th of February was the end of the year, and since Dan did not arrive until March 3rd, Dave and I had a weekend to escape!  The timing may not have been ideal for me, as Natalie Lanni and Laura Connelly, the Children's Centre's faithful volunteers from Florida, were here.

Some of their work this trip was to establish Belize Hope, a high school mentoring and scholarship program here.  At least we were able to have them over for dinner one night!


                                                               Dave and I took a boat to St. George's Caye to stay at the resort in a cabana.

What a beautiful spot! Ten people were at the resort, which is on a private island with no roads. Very, very peaceful!  Meals were served family style, and we really enjoyed getting to know people from Georgia, South Carolina, and Edmonton, Canada.  Dave and I must have been exhausted, as we would come up with a good idea of something to do (like kayaking) and then change our minds to continue lying by the pool or on the beach, reading.  We did walk the length of the island!



The first night that we were there, I took pictures of sunset!  Such beauty!
  

I then took pictures of sunrise from our cabana, but the following morning I took pictures from the east side of the island, shown here.
  

The weekend ended too soon, and it was back to work.  Dave had his work cut out for him, serving as Dan's assistant and learning how the Cessna 206 works from the inside!  One night he came home with a pocketful of screws...I wasn't sure that was a good sign!  They were able to get all the pieces back together again, and Dave flew the plane back from International Airport to Municipal.  Today he really gave it a test flight to a new airport for him in Sartaneja!

The week was a busy one for me, too, completing another training for staff.  I also taught a Play Therapy introduction to the Counseling 2 class at the University of Belize.  I had such fun with the students, who had excellent questions and who gamely participated in my role plays!  

A 20,000 Women Strong Rally was held this week, organized by the Special Envoy to Women and Children, Kim Simplis Barrow, the Prime Minister's wife.  A march left Memorial Park and ended at the Marion Jones Stadium (still under construction after years of delays).  

The Rally was a kick-off to a number of planned projects in the months to come.

I walked over and was inspired by the attendance!  The day was really hot (93 degrees, if I remember correctly), so I did not stay long, just long enough for a couple of pictures!  (Umbrellas are to protect agains the heat!)

This weekend began with the Kite Festival held in the field behind the Central Bank.  Dave, Dan and I did see one person land his kite on the top of the bank, which is where I presume it still is.  

The colorful kites were great fun to watch! The breeze was perfect, and some kites stayed up, almost stationary, high in the sky for the entire time we were there!  People entered different kinds of kites in the competitions, and a very nice woman explained them all to us.  

The birds had to get into the act, too!

At the same time as the Kite Festival, a Regatta of small sailboats in honor of Baron Bliss, the greatest benefactor to Belize, was held.  I loved the sight of the small boats, but when a special sailboat (not sure what it is called) sailed by, I thought it made a lovely photo!

Today, Monday and a holiday in Belize, Dave and I took Dan to the Airport for his flight back to St. Louis.  We then walked over to the Belcan Bridge to watch the end of the 4 day La Ruta Maya Canoe Race.  The bridge was crowded with spectators, and cheers erupted at the sight of the first finishers! The winner of this last leg of the race was not the over-all winner, but I believe that the second place finishers won over the whole event.

With the Reals arriving in just a week, the adventures continue!  Time really flies by with all the entertaining activities that we have!