life in Benque

I've been in Belize for about five weeks now, and finally the dust is starting to settle.

I live in a lovely house with three other women missionaries who teach at the high school next door. It's an 8-10 minute walk to the parish in one direction and a 15-20 minute walk to John Paul II (the school) in the other, though I often ride to school in a van with the other teachers.

laundry (ft. the high school across the street)

The weather has been almost uniformly pretty hot and humid--upper 90s during the day and dropping down into the 80s at night. We're supposed to drink 3-4 liters (around a gallon) of water per day just to replace the sweat! And because it is so hot, showering multiple times per day is a cultural norm here. Neither the school, the house, nor the parish have AC, but we do have electricity and so keep fans running constantly.

our kitchen

There's a kitchen in our house, but we mostly eat in the refectory at the parish with the priests and other missionaries (there are 26 or 27 missionaries living in four houses). The food is extremely good: homemade refried beans or stewed red beans, homemade tortillas and rolls, rice, and chicken or beef cooked a variety of different and delicious ways. We also have fresh juice at almost every meal: watermelon, cantaloupe, lime, or tamarind (tastes a lot like apple).

I got an infection in my foot last week (which has almost healed by now, thanks be to God!) so I've been trying to keep off it. One of my favorite times of day when I have been able to walk, though, is a walking rosary around Benque in the evenings before Mass. The air has cooled off by then and the sun is setting. One of the altar servers who usually comes has taken to carrying the cross before us, and it's really beautiful to look up and see the cross superimposed on the sunset. I tend to get pretty distracted praying the rosary, but walking actually helps me keep my mind from wandering, and walking past different houses and shops suggests immediate needs and people to pray for. 

a simply enormous avocado
which cost the equivalent of $1.50

Belize was a British colony until the early 1980s, and is the only Central American country to have English as an official language. I've encountered a few people whom I have to talk to in Spanish, but in general I'm not forced to do so, so I can't say I've gotten much better at speaking the language. Most Masses as well as morning prayer and many of my students' conversations are in Spanish though, so I've gotten much quicker at hearing and understanding when others are speaking. I'm really loving teaching--the material we're studying is very interesting to me personally, so it's a lot of fun to prepare for class and to think about how I can most effectively and enjoyably teach the material to my students. Many of the students are excited to be there, and it's incredibly fulfilling when they make a connection that isn't obvious in the material but that I was hoping they would pick up on based on the trajectory of our discussion.

It's been a great first month and I'm thankful for how good this life is. Blessed be God.