Young Marrieds Retreat '06!! - 9/24/06

"A place for everything and everything in its place" must be a mantra of Mennonite living. They have a club, group, or association for every aspect of life here in Blue Creek. Since Nathan and I have been married for 10 yrs. or less, we qualify to be a part of the "Young Marrieds" group. This weekend the Young Marrieds retreated to the Cahal Pech Ruins in San Ignacio, Belize and Nathan and I went along!

The weekend was great, wonderful speaker with excellent material from the book Love and Respect, a book I have just finished reading and I highly recommend! But we didn't just sit around in an air conditioned room with a great view the entire weekend. We had a lot of free time which we spent bonding with other couples during volleyball and croquet matches (yes dad, I have now played croquet in the Caribbean!), canoeing the Maya River, which passes directly by the ancient ruin of Cahal Pech, lounging by the pool and exploring the open air market of San Ignacio! Central America is sooo COOL!!

Friday was a holiday, so we headed to San Ignacio at 10:00 a.m., right after I finished tutoring my little 1st grader (I tutor two students for "extra" money and to keep me from being bored during the day). We arrived at our resort 3 hours later and one of the leaders passed a blank sheet of paper around which contained all the rules for the weekend. Get it? A blank sheet of paper? There were no rules!! Oh yeah, Mennonite couples getting crazy in Cahal Pech!! It was also announced that breakfast would be served the following morning at 7 a.m.

Cut to 7 a.m. Saturday morning, we shared a suite with Rosy and Cuatro (see my birthday celebration for their pictures) and as I was emerging from my bedroom, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, there they were, fully dressed and showered, ready to start the day. Nathan and I went down to breakfast without having showered or brushed our teeth- in fact, I was still in my pajamas. Everyone else was bright-eyed and scrubbed clean! Most of the group headed out to golf immediately after breakfast and since Nathan and I were not ready to face the public, we were not able to join them. Instead we opted to shower, hang by the pool, and go on a canoe tour of the Maya River and it's "rapids."

What a beautiful ride!

We saw iguanas the size of beagles (that's a big ol' boy there, on the left), beautiful tropical birds, HUGE termite nests (at least they were in the jungle, where they belong) dozens of fruit bats flying by our canoe, and Jesus Christ lizards ran across the water alongside us. I always thought they were small, which helped them run across the water, but we saw one that was about 7 inches tall, pretty big for a lizard that can walk on water! We had a wonderful time and got some great sun! You can see Nathan there on the right with his pearly white skin just ready to soak up the its rays! He burned, of course, but I walked away a few shades darker. We could not have asked for a more pleasant outing and our guide, Clifton, was soo friendly! After the canoe trip, he even dropped us off at a HUGE market before taking us back to the resort.

Oh the markets here, I must take a minute to talk about them! I LOVE THEM!! So many people, speaking any number of languages, selling their colorful produce, hot food, second hand clothing, jams, pickled EVERYTHING, canned fruit, pirated DVDs and CDs, and so much more. There is always someone preaching. At this particular market it was a woman, speaking Spanish into a microphone connected to large speakers which broadcasted her every word. I did not catch her message but I heard over and over, "para la gloria de Dios" for the glory of God.

At the market, I bought a bunch of apple bananas, which is my new favorite fruit. That's right, I used "bananas" and "favorite" in the same sentence! But these aren't your ordinary no flavor, squishy, blech bananas. These are a lot firmer and smaller and they have the tart taste of a really crisp apple! I can eat them raw but I also made amazing apple banana bread out of them! Here is a bunch that I saw in the market, I bought some of them, but I snapped this picture first.

It was a wonderful weekend, we had a great time seeing more of the countryside and making new friends. Hopefully, this was the first of many weekend getaways for us!

Independence Day! - 9/21/06

Happy Independence Day! Again? Really? I did this already this year. Oh, what? I get the day off for it? Awesome! Belize rocks! Yay, Belize! *waving miniature Belizean flag*

I have a three day weekend now…

We were told however at the last staff meeting that the responsibility for organizing the festivities for the Independence Day Celebration would fall on the school. Each class was to come up with a skit, song, poem, or game to perform in front of the community. Oh, my students. Bless ‘em. They are SO JUNIOR HIGH! The ideas they came up with! They didn’t exactly fit in with the tone of the evening. The first graders wanted to recite their memory verse for everyone, the 3-5 graders got together to sing a sweet song, the high schoolers had a quiz game about Belizean facts and history. Then there’s my class...

They wanted to paint a large cardboard bus. They wanted to make paper mache birds to have flying over the bus. Then they wanted to paint the birds black. They wanted them to be the large vultures you always see around here. Then they wanted to act out a tragic bus ride (rolling over dogs and other animals) with kids falling out of the bus and getting hit, dying on the road, and the vultures (the “oss aka“) feasting on the junior high students in their one-act tragedy.

Hmmm……no. Creative, but, no.

We ended up keeping the bus idea because for the life of me I could not get them to let it go. “This is an Independence Day Celebration. We don’t need a bus.” Really, when all was said and done, I think they just wanted to paint a big bus somewhere. (Did I ever tell you about the clinical study proving that adolescents have the same brain patterns as the clinically insane? I work with crazy people).

In the end, they wrote a song about the road to Orange Walk, which they sang to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus.” Here are some lyrical highlights of what we came up with as a class for your reading pleasure:

The road to Orange Walk goes BUMP BUMP BUMP [all jumping]
BUMP BUMP BUMP
BUMP BUMP BUMP
The road to Orange Walk goes BUMP BUMP BUMP, all the way to town.
The kids on the bus go OW OW OW [all swaying back and forth]
OW OW OW
OW OW OW
The kids on the bus go OW OW OW, all the way to town.
The road to Orange Walk NEEDS TO BE PAVED
NEEDS TO BE PAVED
NEEDS TO BE PAVED
The road to Orange Walk NEEDS TO BE PAVED, so our bus won’t break!

And, well, you get the picture. These kids are as funny as they are crazy. They act like their brains are broken, but then they show a very proactive, very mature side. They all want to write “social action” letters to the people in charge of making the road-paving decision. Then they want to send them all - one student’s letter each week - until everyone’s voice is heard. I love my job!

Packages Galore!!

The past two weeks have been pretty exciting as they have brought packages, mail and well-wishes from our friends and family back home! First, we recieved the shower curtain from our "Wish List"--thank you to the mystery friend who sent that!! (Was it you, Sara?) It was exciting to find that our Wish List acutally works!!

We have also recieved a package from Auntie Reda--thank you thank you THANK YOU!! And our birthday package arrived from dad, Debbie and their crew! Thank you for the wonderful gift you guys and when we're not using them for their intended purpose, they make beautifully colored knick knacks for our empty shelves!!

Grandpa Cliff and Grandma, we got your card, thank you for you generosity and for remembering us. I hope Grandma is healing well, I love you both!

Just so you all know, we appreciate the gifts, pictures, kind words, and moolah. We are saving the money for a nice weekend trip. This weekend is the "Marrieds Retreat" and we may use some of it then. Two weeks from now is the "Teacher Retreat" and we may use some of it for a fancy, romantic dinner at that time!! We love you all and miss you very much!

(By the way, Nathan hasn't been able to post anything for a while because he has been busy, busy busy. But, just today, he was able to post two new entries. You'll have to scroll down to read them, they were saved between some of my older posts.)

It Takes a Village - 9/10/06

This is a loooong one!...

We are quickly moving from observers and foreigners in a new country to active participants in this community that has become our home. Both Nathan and I are finding our nitche and building relationships with the people of Blue Creek. We are beginning to become a part of the landscape of Belize.

Nathan and I have both recently, and unexpectedly, found ourselves in "mentoring" roles with several of the students. In each case, the kids seem to come to us, not out of curiosity, but out of a genuine interest to build relationship. For Nathan, one of those kids is Earl Dyck, who he wrote about as the "Croc Keeper" in an earlier blog. It is obvious that Earl is a big fan of Mr. Lemanski!! He comes to visit us after school at least twice a week to talk about video games, drink an iced mocha, or just visit with his teacher.

Another student who seems fond of Nathan is a 10 year-old boy named Jonathan Dyck. He has 4 brothers and sisters, including an older sister who is one of Nathan’s students. Jonathan first entered our lives the day before school started when he walked into Nathan’s classroom while we were setting up and said, "Hi! My name is Jonathan. I am just coming around to meet the new teachers. Who are you?" After brief introductions and a few pleasantries, Jonathan said, "Well, I have to be home soon and I still want to meet the other teachers. Can I come by your house tomorrow and show you my bug collection?" (How cute is that?) "Sure Jonathan, do you know where we live? "Sure! You live above the store!" Oh okay, so our lives are open books, we thought so, but thanks for making it official. Jonathan did come by but he didn’t wait until the next day, he arrived at our apartment about 2 hours later-but he didn’t bring his bug collection- he brought his little brother, Bryton, instead. He is in Liz 1st grade class. It turns out that all 5 of the kids in the family are not only adorable but good-natured, loving and a lot of fun. They live with their father, who was out-of-town all last week, so we had them over for dinner on Tuesday. I made sloppy joes, broccoli, and mashed potatoes. Since most of the kids are very young- the oldest is Nathan’s 14 year old student Mary Anne, they pretended to be picky eaters at first. But, everyone cleaned their plates and ate plenty of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies for dessert- I think little Bryton snuck 3. Nathan enjoys all of the kids, but seems to have a special connection with Jonathan, who continually asks how long we will be staying here.

While Nathan seems to be building fast relationships with the young men, I have been blessed with the company of the High School girls. I am continually reminded that God’s timing is perfect. A year ago I couldn’t stand girls, didn’t want to even work with them as probationers, now it seems I spend most of my evenings surrounded by them! Skye, it’s a good thing I co-lead Girl’s Circle with you, it was like bootcamp, preparing me for this year!

One 12th grade girl, Cynthia Dyck, (pictured on the left) recently asked that I be her prayer partner as she goes through baptism classes at the church. The Mennonite faith does not practice infant baptism, instead they opt to have dedication ceremonies for infants and give the kids the opportunity to choose baptism later in their life. Cynthia decided to participate in the classes this year. Each participant must chose a member of the community with whom to meet once a week, share and discuss the baptism class curriculum and pray. I was overwhelmed when Cynthia asked me to be her partner. As a non-Mennonite, and a new-comer, I would have never expected to be asked to fill such an important role. But more overwhelming than that, is the kind of person I had already found Cynthia to be. She is a humble, bright, compassionate young woman with a hunger for God and a fierce desire to grow in her relationship with Christ. She comes from a well-respected, close-knit family and both of her parents are very active in the community and the church. At first I thought, "God is this one of those times where I am going to learn more than I teach?" But I have already found that I have much to give this girl. Her heart is good and she asks a lot of questions. I am reminding her that questioning her faith is good, it leads to more study of God’s Word and will eventually strengthen her walk with Him. She is a joy to me and I enjoy our Monday evenings very much.

It seems that at least 4 times a week, our evenings our interrupted by surprise visits from various kids in the community. Often, Nathan’s students will stop by in groups and ask for mochas. They have begun to bring their own coffee and syrup with them when they come. I am guessing their parents know how expensive the coffee is and don’t want the poor teachers to go broke. What they don’t understand is that we are from the Pacific Northwest, going broke in our quest to assure the next generation is raised addicted to caffeine is an honor we would die for!

While these visits are usually no more than 15-30 minutes, it is an opportunity to see the kids outside of school, joke with them, see them smile, and send them back out into the world a little more energetic and jittery. Recently, we have also had a few high school students stop by to talk with us or our neighbors. So far, they have come to share concerns and ask for prayer and council—which is a blessing that blows my mind every time it happens!!

Each year, the graduating class goes on a Senior Class Trip to one of the many first class Caribbean resorts all located within 80 miles!! This year they have decied to go to San Pedro, which the rest of the world calls, Ambergris Caye, one of the most posh and popular Caribbean cayes and they have asked our neighbor, Maria, Nathan and I to chaperone! Isn't that wonderful? Exciting? Amazing? I felt like an overstimulated cocker spaniel about to pee all over the kitchen floor when I heard we had been given such an honor. So, come May, Nathan and I will be soaking up the beach, sun, and rum in the Caribbean surrounded by 9 12th graders. Until then we will also be participating in many community-wide fundraisers to raise money for the event.

We have also begun participating more in church activities as well. Two weeks ago, Corrina, the pastor’s wife, invited me to a Thursday morning small group Bible Study with her and 4 other women. At first I though, Thursday morning, I dunno…. But how could I pass up such an invitation? I have been going for 2 weeks now and it has been wonderful to get to know a few of the women of the community a little more intimately. In this environment they are able to let their guard down and speak a little more freely than they do when I run into them at the store. I have learned even Mennonite wives are human- imagine that! It is also nice to hear them ask my advice and offer their own on Spiritual matters and day-to-day life.

Nathan and I also signed up to go on a "Young Marrieds" Retreat, which is scheduled for September 22-24th. Yesterday, Nathan and I were approached by one of the women planning the retreat who asked if we would be willing to do a special presentation at the retreat. She said it could be a song or a skit or a bible study, anything we wanted. We gladly accepted, again, how could we pass up such an invitation?

We are becoming a part of the community in a more significant way than I would have ever thought possible. I have to admit, it is odd for so many of my daily activities to revolve around the Church, but I knew this would be a time of spiritual growth for me. I am not only learning patience and how to sew curtains. I am learning what it means to live out my faith on a daily, even hourly, basis. As Pastor Dietrich (the pastor of the German services) reminded us two Sundays ago;

Someone is always watching you. They know you are a Christian and they want to see how you live.

It's all about the Benjamin's Baby! 9/8/06

..Actually, it's more like the Hamiltons, but anyway, I got my first Belizian paycheck! I know I haven't mentioned it yet, but Nathan isn' the only Lemanski working at Linda Vista School in Blue Creek, Belize. That's right, my official title is "Mrs. Lemanski!" I supervise one period of Independent Study for Algebra 2, Canadian Civics, and Art students. I actually end up teaching quite a bit of the Algebra 2 because it is such a difficult subject for the students to teach themselves. Does anyone else find it funny that I am teaching Algebra? Because I think it's HILARIOUS!! I help the art students quite a bit also and I really enjoy it. I am also finding out that I am a pretty good art teacher! Apparently I have an eye for detail, who knew?

I also supervise one period of Study Hall and oversee Detention on Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays. I laughed when I was asked to be the detention monitor, I thought, "Oh sure, ask the Juvenile P.O. " But I am realldy enjoying it. I was also approached this week to tutor a first grader for 3 hours a week. So, on Tuesdays and Fridays from 3-4:30 I will be sitting in a 1st grade classroom helping a little Belizian boy read outloud and write cursive. Yes I said cursive in first grade!! The curriculum at this school is very advanced. The work that this first grade student is doing was work that I learned in 2nd and 3rd grade!

Anyway, that is what I am doing with my time. Just so you all know. They actually let me be a teacher. Don't look at me like that or I will give you a detention.....I get paid to do that too.....

Mis Cumpleaños! - 8/28/06

Woo Hoo! I'm 29!

Wait, I'm 29. I'm almost 30. What the... how did that happen again?

I was walking home at lunch time, and as I began climbing the stairs to our apartment, I thought to myself, "It's my birthday! I'm 28! Wow! Wait......no I'm not...." Then I realized the last year of my twenties began that morning and I could never again, for the rest of my life, say that I was 28 years old. Which I thought was a pretty good age. I look back fondly on my 28's.

It was a fun day, though. Melissa crossed the river to Mexico and bought me a Nemo Piñata full of Mexican sweets, and then brought it to school. During recess, she surprised me and all the students on my level gathered around for a Mexican birthday fiesta. I, of course, got the first whack. The only thing we didn't count on was the tropical rain that arrived out of the blue. We were under a wide covering, but the wind soaked everyone anyway. It only started at the beginning of recess, but didn't dampen our spirits. The kids were excited too about all the candy. Let's just say that afternoon they were a bit more energetic than usual...

Later she made a kick-butt dinner for me and we invited all of our friends over. We had eleven people over for dinner in our little apartment! It was so much fun! She made a taco bar with meat, cilantro, onion, lime, homemade guacamole, corn tortillas, salsa, rice, beans, the works! It was SO good. One guy remarked to his wife, "This tastes like Mexican food. Like, ACTUAL Mexican food. Like, if you went to somebody's house in Mexico and they made dinner for you. It would taste like this."

Then she served dessert. Hecka yum! She made one of my childhood favorites that my mom would sometimes make: Yellow cake with chocolate pudding for the icing. And, she poked holes in the cake before pouring it on, so each slice had a little puddin' surprise in the middle. Mm MM mm!

In the middle of all the brouhaha, Melissa's mom called to wish me a happy birthday. It was nice to hear a voice from home. Sounds like everything is going well over there, and we had a good conversation about all the stuff happening here in Belize. I love the people here!

So, stay tuned for the next installment. Same bat-time, same bat-channel. Miss all y'all! Don't be afraid to leave us a comment, it's good to hear how others are doing!

Café Lemanski - 9/8/06

So, who's the most popular couple in Belize? Well, it's not us. However, we have been a hit with a lot of the kids in Blue Creek because we brought with us a fancy-shmancy espresso machine. Many of them have never had espresso. Our mission is now clear. . .

I told my students about some of the priorities we had when planning out move down here, and one thing we had to accommodate was the espresso machine we received as a wedding gift. Some of my students had lived in Canada and got really excited about the idea of being able to have an iced latte or a mocha once again, others were like, "What's the difference between that and regular coffee?"

So, Melissa and I were enjoying an evening to ourselves with a cool breeze coming through the window. The breeze brought with it the desperate cry of an eighth grader, "CAN WE HAVE AN ESPRESSO?" We shouted back, "Sure! Come on up!"

About five seconds later, eleven junior high and high school students were at our door - excited to either finally have another latte or to try one for the first time. I don't think their feet actually touched the stairs on the way up to our apartment. So, we made them all some coffee, and they LOVED IT! A couple days ago in class, a few students whispered to each other, then several hands shot up. I called on one girl who asked, "If a bunch of us come over Friday night with chocolate syrup and coffee will you make us all espressos?"
"OF COURSE!"

So, it looks like we've placed the groundwork for a little espresso bar. And, so many people run businesses out of their homes, Melissa is thinking of doing the same with coffee. Like the woman who has a video rental store in her kitchen with a sign out sheet and cash box by the door. That would be so cool! It would also be a fun thing to do in the giant upper room by our store, like a youth outreach. Just have a "Coffee Night" where the kids can come and hang out (since they don't have a place like that) to talk and listen to music and sip espresso. How cool would that be? It's also a great way to get to know the kids and influence their lives outside of class. What an opportunity! Stay tuned! We'll let you know how it goes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US- 9/8/06

“So, are you guys gonna have another birthday next week too?”

This was a question asked by Cuatro, one of our guests at Nathan’s birthday dinner on Monday, the 28^th. He was referring to the fact that both Nathan and I have now celebrated our birthdays since our arrival here. Apparently, the fact that they are only 10 days apart has people suspicious that perhaps we are just starving for attention!

We celebrated my birthday on the 18^th. Nathan woke me up to say “Happy Birthday” before he left for work. I went back to sleep immediately, of course, since it was 7 a.m. and I had no where to be that early! When I finally rolled out of bed at about 11 am, I went into the kitchen and saw that my neighbors, Liz and Maria, had baked me blueberry muffins and brought in a white board that said, “Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear Melissa, Happy Birthday to you!” That made me smile, what a kind gesture from girls I had known just over 2 weeks!

During the afternoon Liz and I went to check our e-mail at Abe’s house and his parents invited me for faspa, afternoon coffee. When we got back to my place, Nathan had baked a birthday cake and had a bouquet of tropical flowers waiting!!

For dinner, our neighbors went with us to Three Flags where a group a people was waiting to celebrate with us! I had no idea it was going to be a dinner party!! The pastor and his wife, Darryl & Corrina (pictured to the left), where there with their children, Natasha, Kenton, Shaina, and Jessie. Our old friend Abe (he's the blue-eyed gentleman in the picture sipping the iced tea and he is single and ownes his own planes ladies!) was there, as were his sister and brother-in-law, Lisa & Poncho, along with their two daughters Rhonda and Michelle. Rosie & Cuatro, another couple who have been married just over a year, also came to celebrate. (They are the beautifully tanned couple on the left) Rosie teaches 6th grade and she and Nathan pray together every morning for the Middle School students. Two teachers from the UK- Rhoda & Daniel, joined us later. What a blessing to be surrounded by new friends so soon after our arrival. The picture to the right, is Rhonda- Poncho & Lisa's oldest daughter- and Jessie- Darryl & Corrina's youngest daughter- What pretty girls!

After feasting on salbutes and iced tea, it was back to our place for cake and ice cream! Most of those at dinner joined us and our apartment was full, full, FULL! We followed dessert with a little Texas Hold ‘Em—yes even the good people of Blue Creek joined in and learned how to throw those chips into the pot! (No daddy, I didn't win, Abe did actually. But that's good, cuz now he's hooked and will be coming back for more!)

This was a wonderful day, I will let Nathan tell you about his himself…