Officially on Island Time

Today we explored San Pedro Town with Dr. C and Dr. K as our guides. The day started out with one of the best breakfasts I've ever had at a tiny place called George's Kitchen just down the street from Pedro's Inn. It was $16 Belize (about $8 US) for a full breakfast. We tried these delicious tortillas called "fry jacks." Soooo good.

Belizian Breakfast! 

We reconvened at Pedro's and headed out again to explore. We walked down the beach and once we got past all the resorts it truly felt like how I imagined an "Island Town" would be. The beach was almost like one half of the main street, lined with restaurants and bars. "Front Street" is really vibrant and very realistic - nothing seems overdone or touristy. We also walked past the schools we will be teaching at, one of which is directly on the beach. The kids in the primary school were all outside for lunch. Some would buy their lunch from a street vendor and eat it sitting at the pier. Heaven! Dr. C and Dr. K also pointed out good places to eat and shop for meals.

Middle Street, San Pedro Town 

After such a late breakfast some of us weren't hungry for lunch so we went to Maria's Fruit Stand and got the most delicious pineapple I've ever had. Maria will also make amazing fresh fruit juice - no sugar or added preservatives!

Maria's Fruit Stand where we got lunch

When we finally got to our island home, Pedro's, I was SO HOT - the humidity is high here and of course most places do not have air conditioning. The first thing everyone did was jump in the pool, and I got an hour or so of pool time before my class. It was very strange watching a live class at UNCW while on an island off the coast of Belize….Luckily there is a good breeze today and the temperature has cooled off so now it is beautiful outside.

Livin' in an Island Paradise….

3….2….1

Countdown is over. Even as I type that I still can't quite believe it. I've been thinking about and planning for this trip since before I even got accepted onto the Masters program at UNCW, while I was still an undergrad student at the University of Edinburgh. Despite that I can't believe it, "it" is finally here. Tomorrow is our last day stateside before we arrive in Belize on Wednesday March 26th. Though I have travelled, lived, and even taught abroad (many times) before, I still have 43456098 things running through my head. Let's go back a few days….

In the last 48 hours I have finished my internship, said goodbye to my amazing school, partnership teacher, fellow interns, and most of all students in Wilmington, said goodbye to my friends, attended a horse show for the US Equine Rescue League, packed up my apartment, including my dog, attended a pre departure meeting, visited school to grade two last assignments/say final goodbyes,  said goodbye to the best arabian pony ever,  and moved everything (+ very confused dog) back to Chapel Hill. PHEW. Now I have to unpack/reorganize and repack for BELIZE! I can't wait to breathe that big sigh of relief Dr. K talked about when we arrive at Pedro's Hostel, which will be our home for most of the time we are in Belize.

The last time I  taught abroad was at ACJ Pakade (we never did learn what the ACJ stood for, though we asked) Primary School in Nomzamo Township, Cape Town, South Africa. I lived in Gordon's Bay, a small beach town just a few miles from the township. Then I interned near the beach in Wilmington. Is it just me, or is a pattern emerging here?  I've been thinking a lot about how my experience teaching in South Africa will compare to the one I'm about to have in Belize, and I will definitely report back on my findings in later blog posts. I'll leave you with some pictures, because after all, they do say a thousand words…

The Middle School I interned at in Wilmington, NC

ACJ Pakade Primary school in Nomzamo Township, South Africa 

We'll see what comes next!