A Wonderful Weekend Admist Chaos

That last entry was pretty depressing. On a lighter note, last weekend was wonderful even amidst the chaos at school.

I went snorkeling last Saturday. One of the major tourist draws on Ambergris Caye is that the second largest barrier reef in the world is located ½ mile off the coast. Standing on the beach, you can see the waves breaking on the reef. Without the reef, Ambergris Caye would have eroded away a long time ago but the reef protects it from waves and rough waters. At its highest point, San Pedro is less than 10 feet above sea level.

Going snorkeling is a big deal for me. As you may already know, fish and I don’t have the best relationship. In fact, I have somewhat of a phobia towards them. It’s rather ironic because I absolutely love water sports (rowing, windsurfing, whitewater rafting, kayaking…). My policy so far in life is that if the fish leave me alone then I will leave them alone.

I went snorkeling the last two times I came to Ambergris Caye. I figured that I couldn’t come to such a destination without taking advantage of its uniqueness. The only difference is last time I had my dad nearby to latch onto when I started hyperventilating.

I went with one of the local dive shops in town. It was a really slow day so it was quite an informal trip. Just as we were launching, my guide said that we’re going to “Hol Chan Marine Reserve” and “Shark and Ray Alley”. Oh boy. I don’t like Shark and Ray Alley. I went there on my first snorkeling trip in Belize and it didn’t end well. There isn’t a lot of coral there but the fish are attracted to the sound of the motor because they know the guides bring chum. On my last trip, I couldn’t stand how close the fish were to me. The Horse-eye Jacks swarm around you by the hundreds and the 3ft rays and nurse sharks are a little too friendly. My guide last time knew that I didn’t like fish but still got a kick out of throwing chum at me in the water. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I went back to the boat. As I climbed up the ladder, one of the guides lifted a ray out of the water and put it on my back. A “Ray Hug.” No thank you.

So here we go again, back to Shark and Ray Alley. Seeing all the Horse-eye Jacks, I was really hesitant to get in the water but I didn’t want to look like a wimp so I jumped in. Not bad. The Jacks didn’t seem so big or close to me this time. I just kept telling myself that, “They are more scared of me than I am of them.” Then to my amazement, the guide swam down a couple feet and wrapped his arms around a nurse shark and brought it up to the surface in his arms. Touch the shark? You’ve got to be kidding me. After my heart skipped a beat, I touched its back and stomach. Did you hear that, Mom and Dad? I touched a shark! The guide did the same thing with a sting ray and I touched its back too. The trip to Hol Chan was very nice. There are beautiful 30ft deep coral walls there. I never minded Hol Chan because the water is deeper and the fish stay below me where I can keep an eye on them.

Since it was a slow day, one of the guides taught me how to make cerviche, from start to finish beginning with the sea floor. Out by the reef, the water is only about 3 ft deep so looking for conch shells isn’t too hard. The only hard part is finding ones that are alive. After gathering about 8, the next step is to get them out of the shell. A couple hits with the back of a hammer put a hole near one end. The tricky part is to stick a knife in the newly created hole to separate the animal from the shell. A little finessing with a knife from the big opening of the shell and the animal comes right out. I never knew conch have eyes. Separating the meat from the rest of the animal is pretty quick and then it’s ready to make cerviche. Conch pieces plus some lime, onion and peppers make a delicious and refreshing snack.

Sunday was Harvest Sunday! The holiday is sort of like our Thanksgiving holiday but is a religious celebration. Rather than sitting down to gorge oneself on turkey, cranberry sauce and pie, people come together with non-perishable food to donate. The school brought a priest in from the mainland and held a celebration at the high school’s outdoor auditorium. Each class processed in with donations, a bag of rice here and a packet of Tang there. Little by little the donation added up to hundreds of pounds. Each class also prepared a song or poem to recite. Pictured are select students from the Standard V class reciting the poem, Giving Thanks. They nailed it. I was very proud of them. The school also hosted a very creative raffle afterwards. One parent donated a nicely decorated, large sheet cake. The contest was like a blind auction. Participants would put their bids in an envelope for the cake, without knowing what other amounts people bid. The person with the highest bid won the cake. (If you didn’t win, you don’t get your money back, that’s your donation). The highest bid went to Mr. Freddie with a winning bid of $33 USD. The school raised over $200 USD in the process.

So even with all the chaos of substitute teaching for a dysfunctional class, I am still having a very enjoyable time down here!