Hello there bloggers! Thanks for tuning in to read our experiences in Belize. I can't explain how blessed and thankful I am to be here. Yesterday was our last day teaching at the Red Bank school. Although I was happy to see the growth of my infant 1 (the Belize equivalent to kindergarten) class, at the same time I was very sad to leave the 17 wonderful children I met, especially one special student. Over the course of the week I became familiar with the school system and norms of the children's school day and what I thought was the norms of their day as well. I was sadly mistaken when I walked with one of my students to their home after school.
I had been drawn to this one student all week because of the constant smile and the cheerfulness he always had. During class, my teacher explained to me that Ignacio came from a very poor family of seven children, and sometimes would not have a meal every night when he went home. I immediately was sad and my heart felt for this child who had literally come from nothing, but was still such a bright and happy boy. After hearing that, I went to lunch and grabbed two extra pb&j sandwiches to put in my bag for him. After school was out, I pulled him aside and gave him the sandwich to eat. He grabbed the sandwich from me with a smile and ate the sandwich faster than the Kentucky Derby (ha ha). I put the other sandwich in his bag, along with my water bottle, and walked him home. As we walked down the road, he grabbed my hand, and my heart melted!
We arrived at his house and he showed me where he lived. The floors were made of dirt, the roof of palm tree leaves, and the walls of what looked like two by fours. I asked him where he slept and he pointed to a corner in the room where an old Winnie the Pooh doll laid. As I talked to his Mother for a bit, I watched him take out the other sandwich and feed half of it to his four year old brother. I hugged him goodbye and walked back to our bus where I talked to one of our leaders (shoutout to Nina) and we decided to take our extra sandwiches and bananas back to his family. Along the walk, we couldn't help but hand some of the goodies a few children walking home. I couldn't believe how excited some of these children got over a pb&j sandwich. When we got back to Ignacio's home and gave him and his two other brothers the sandwiches, they began to eat them. I was so happy that I was able to feed Ignacio and his brothers for the day, but still couldn't help but wonder how he will get a meal tomorrow or the next day.
On the walk back, I really began to reflect on my time at Red Bank and how much I had truly been impacted. I'll be the first to admit that I get caught up in silly drama and complain about the silliest things back home. When I think of my day to day 'problems,' I now see they are insignificant compared to the issue this one six year old boy experiences every day. In a week I will be back in America and could easily go back to my normal routines. I don't believe that will be the case though. I would have never imagined an act so simple of eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich would be such a big deal to someone. I will never in my life forget Ignacio and the look he got when I gave him that sandwich. I just hope that can keep him in mind, and remember to use my blessings to help others who aren't as fortunate.
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