Sunday, May 04, 2008
Sun., May 4, 2008
Day two in Belize!
I woke up..."Hokay...where am I? Oh right...Belize!" What a great thought! I looked across the room and saw the two girls from the home who had been allowed to stay at the guest house with me-they were still sound asleep; when I looked at the clock I realized that it was 6am and that the time difference was making a morning person out of me! The lack of sleep the night before quickly knocked me back out and I woke up at 10. Bob had decided to go to church even though Darlene and I stayed at the home, so we spent the morning in a quiet fashion, waiting for him to return.
Lunch was served as soon as he arrived- it was delicious and consisted of rice and beans or beans and rice (Bob informed me tonight that there IS a difference), chicken, and potatoe salad. After lunch I spent some time with the little boys and also took some time to journal and reflect. The afternoon was relaxing; I sat and talked with Bob and Darlene about the children, the home, and this country.
Around 4pm, Bob, Darlene, and I went to Dangriga. We bought some food supplies and also stopped to visit girls who had used to live at Hosannah house. I was also able to see the hospital I will be helping at this next week. I enjoyed watching Bob and Darlene interact with the people of Belize- everyone is a friend to them and they seem to be quite popular with the local people. After grabbing our supplies, we ate dinner at a chinese restaraunt and I had my first taste of freshly squeezed pineapple juice. Absolutely amazing! I even let myself slurp my straw when I reached the bottom of the glass. :)
When we returned to the Hosanna house, I spent some time with the older girls watching a movie. I am not surprised, but is interesting how they base their knowledge of America off movies. I fielded questions such as if I went to school with Troy Bolton (of Disney's "Highschool Musical") and if I knew Paul, from America. I laughed as they sang and showed off dance moves they had learned from movies. Before I knew it, bedtime had arrived and I said goodnight to the girls. Now I'm alone in the the guest house- excited and eager for tomorrow to begin. Tomorrow with its new experiences and blank slate waiting to be filled...
I woke up..."Hokay...where am I? Oh right...Belize!" What a great thought! I looked across the room and saw the two girls from the home who had been allowed to stay at the guest house with me-they were still sound asleep; when I looked at the clock I realized that it was 6am and that the time difference was making a morning person out of me! The lack of sleep the night before quickly knocked me back out and I woke up at 10. Bob had decided to go to church even though Darlene and I stayed at the home, so we spent the morning in a quiet fashion, waiting for him to return.
Lunch was served as soon as he arrived- it was delicious and consisted of rice and beans or beans and rice (Bob informed me tonight that there IS a difference), chicken, and potatoe salad. After lunch I spent some time with the little boys and also took some time to journal and reflect. The afternoon was relaxing; I sat and talked with Bob and Darlene about the children, the home, and this country.
Around 4pm, Bob, Darlene, and I went to Dangriga. We bought some food supplies and also stopped to visit girls who had used to live at Hosannah house. I was also able to see the hospital I will be helping at this next week. I enjoyed watching Bob and Darlene interact with the people of Belize- everyone is a friend to them and they seem to be quite popular with the local people. After grabbing our supplies, we ate dinner at a chinese restaraunt and I had my first taste of freshly squeezed pineapple juice. Absolutely amazing! I even let myself slurp my straw when I reached the bottom of the glass. :)
When we returned to the Hosanna house, I spent some time with the older girls watching a movie. I am not surprised, but is interesting how they base their knowledge of America off movies. I fielded questions such as if I went to school with Troy Bolton (of Disney's "Highschool Musical") and if I knew Paul, from America. I laughed as they sang and showed off dance moves they had learned from movies. Before I knew it, bedtime had arrived and I said goodnight to the girls. Now I'm alone in the the guest house- excited and eager for tomorrow to begin. Tomorrow with its new experiences and blank slate waiting to be filled...
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Welcome to Belize!
My first glimpse of Belize was the tops of trees. Lots and lots of trees. I grinned and mentally prepared myself for my first foray into this new land and culture. I was starting a two week trip to learn and observe nursing and health care in the Belize culture.
My name is Ericka and I am a senior nursing student at Indiana Wesleyan University. My curriculum requires that I spend a minimum of 42 hours serving or observing the health care of a culture different than my own. My parents suggested I meet Bob and Darlene and explore the possibility of going to Belize to fulfill this requirement. Before I knew it, all of the plans were in place and I was seeing the forests of Belize.
We were greeted by a wall of heat and a white 16 passenger van- our transportation to 20.5 miles down Hummingbird Highway, also known as the Hosanna House. We pulled into the driveway and I saw the compound. A large home designed for children that need shelter, care, and love while difficult home situations are resolved. Suddenly 10 or 15 children were jumping and running and waving their arms- they were so excited to see Mr. Bob and Ms. Darlene. After some hugs were exchanged with Bob and Darlene, they began to watch me. I nervously grinned and squeaked out a tiny, "Hello." Names were rattled off as I desperately tried to match them with faces- a daunting and rather important task in any new situation.
Before long, the timidity was gone. A few squeezes to the sides of a ticklish youngster, some basic conversations with girls almost my own age, and we were buddies. Walking through the hallway in the children's home now consists of pretend shootouts with young boys, smiles and giggles from younger girls, and laughter and hand holding with the older girls. All this, and I've only been here 8 hours. I wonder what it will be like when I have been here a whole day?! Now where is that bug repellent...
My name is Ericka and I am a senior nursing student at Indiana Wesleyan University. My curriculum requires that I spend a minimum of 42 hours serving or observing the health care of a culture different than my own. My parents suggested I meet Bob and Darlene and explore the possibility of going to Belize to fulfill this requirement. Before I knew it, all of the plans were in place and I was seeing the forests of Belize.
We were greeted by a wall of heat and a white 16 passenger van- our transportation to 20.5 miles down Hummingbird Highway, also known as the Hosanna House. We pulled into the driveway and I saw the compound. A large home designed for children that need shelter, care, and love while difficult home situations are resolved. Suddenly 10 or 15 children were jumping and running and waving their arms- they were so excited to see Mr. Bob and Ms. Darlene. After some hugs were exchanged with Bob and Darlene, they began to watch me. I nervously grinned and squeaked out a tiny, "Hello." Names were rattled off as I desperately tried to match them with faces- a daunting and rather important task in any new situation.
Before long, the timidity was gone. A few squeezes to the sides of a ticklish youngster, some basic conversations with girls almost my own age, and we were buddies. Walking through the hallway in the children's home now consists of pretend shootouts with young boys, smiles and giggles from younger girls, and laughter and hand holding with the older girls. All this, and I've only been here 8 hours. I wonder what it will be like when I have been here a whole day?! Now where is that bug repellent...
