It's A Wonderful Life - 5/18/07

Scorpions underneath. Detention ahead. Tarantulas behind, boxes every-where. Crabby kids. Hot wind. Mangoes and exams; Ascension Day and wet chalkboards – overflowing garbage cans and final goodbyes.

These are the sights and sounds of a school year ending in Belize. I watched as my classroom was turned upside down and the books boxed up for the summer break. The desks and chairs were stacked in the corner and the kids ran excitedly from school like lizards on hot sand – most of whom I will never see again. Others I will still run into at church or in the community before we leave for good – which will be on June 14th. It is bittersweet because although I hate to say goodbye to everything and everyone here, it will be so much fun visiting friends and family again.

Melissa and I enjoyed an unforgettable, life-changing year in Belize. Through it all, there were steady reminders that I am in fact teaching in a foreign country – besides the view of the sprawling savannah of Belize outside one window and the hills and wide valley of Mexico out the other. For example, my students were almost all bilingual and many spoke with Low German accents. When my students didn’t like something, they might describe it in their Mennonite German by saying it’s “for sheet.” And only in Belize would a student come to school Monday morning pointing out bite marks on her legs and arm from where she was attacked by a monkey over the weekend. Only in Belize would a student say after coming to school, “I had a scorpion in my pants this morning.” Only in Belize would I walk to school and have a shard of painted Mayan pottery poke through the heel of my sandal and stab me in the foot. Only in Belize would our neighbors complain of the swarm of killer bees that nested outside the door of what used to be our apartment (which also serves as the general store.) Only in Belize would my students bring me gifts of tropical fruit throughout the year. By the way – did you know that cashews come from a fruit that looks like Dr. Seuss designed it? Cashewfruit is crazy looking, and delicious! (The More You Know….)

Throughout this experience I have seen that God has truly filled our cup to overflowing. Why us? Why have we been given so much? I can’t say. The only thing I can say is “thanks” and “to God be the glory.” We have been so blessed.

I had a terrific school year, but it came to a screeching halt at noon on Wednesday, and I’ve been busy with report cards and permanent records since then. The last two weeks were actually quite difficult. My kids – bless ‘em – got it into their heads that teachers have no authority after school on the last day of the year. Therefore, in their perfectly logical junior high minds, that meant they could try to earn a detention by the last day and then skip out on it since I would have no recourse. Or so they thought…

Now, this age group poses its own special challenges as it is, with their broken junior high brains and all. Add to that situation 76% of them trying to earn a detention. How fun was that! Oh boy, I wish I could do that every day! It was just swell! And even the best kids get crabby when you’re only days away from summer break.

In the end, two kids did in fact earn a detention on the last day – they pushed it just far enough. Unbeknownst to them, I had already discussed the situation with the board and cleared “extracurricular activities” for students to participate in on the last day of school. The parents were called, and after serving a lunch detention on the last day of school, the two lucky winners stayed behind all afternoon on what was supposed to be a half day to help me count books and organize the bookshelves of the student library. A real class party, Mr. Lemanski style!

Really though, even at their worst these kids are great. This community has been blessed with a whole generation of good kids.

But good or bad, the school year is over, and Melissa’s mom arrived on Tuesday to visit us before we go home. That put us in “tour guide” mode. So now we’re at a resort in the jungle together and I’m slowly unwinding. As we were sitting in the lounge sipping rum punch, listening to parrots and smelling tropical wildflowers growing at a plush resort in Central America, I thought to myself, “Wow, now that the school year is over, all three of us here are unemployed.” So now I’m wondering, “Why do so many people complain about being unemployed?” I think it’s terrific! In fact, I may never work again…

In the meantime, we’re preparing for the process of returning to los estados unidos. It will be most bueno. I hope to be able to see as many people as possible as soon as possible, because I miss you all! So, see you soon and take care!

N8