Party!

The Toledanos (and Janine!) with their children (L-R): Omar, Glorycela, Angelica, Amira, Delilia and Froylan

I was introduced to the customs involved in a Belizean celebration (and more relatives than I could count) last weekend. It was Mrs. Toledano's 80th birthday on February 8th. Due to schedules, the party was on Sunday. This is my story of a Belizean party - from beginning to end:

Saturday 

On Saturday, I went into the kitchen, which was the center of activity. Ribs were being prepared, veggies were being cut, and people were gathered. One of the granddaughters mentioned I would get to watch the whole family run around like chickens with their heads cut off. [Side note: I saw no headless people. On the contrary, I was awed by how everyone had a job and knew what to do without asking. While the discussion may have been in Spanish, I would like to think that it was just tradition. Everyone knew what to do because they had done it before and this was the way it was done (in fact, they all assured me if I got married in Belize, they would help with the party).]

Watching preparations for the Rellano Soup

It was very interesting to think that no one expected me to be caught up in the preparation. I wanted to help anyway and I did get to. I started by peeling garlic (ajos) and then onions (cebollas). The Toledano family says if you cry when you peel onions, you are jealous. I must have MAJOR jealousy issues because my eyes were gushing! The crazy thing was, I didn’t even cut them. Mrs. Toledano did. I just separated the rings. We were making Escabeche for lunch because that is the birthday girl’s favorite soup. Me too! It was the best Escabeche I’ve had so far! Sour oranges make it SO much better than vinegar.

Cooking Escabeche the Belizean way!

When lunch was finished, one of Mrs. Toledano's daughters and I started decorating for the party. She decided we needed supplies and I offered to join her shopping trip. It took one long time! I really enjoyed it because it was just like shopping with my aunts. We first went to party shop in someone's house to buy a castle princess piñata. I should mention that this party was not ONLY for Mrs. Toledano. It was also for her two granddaughters. One was born on 8th and the other on the 9th. One of them was having her Quinceañera this year! She loves piñatas. Everything we bought had to be in three – from masks to cakes (yes, we had three cakes) to balloons. As Mrs. Toledano's daughter herself admits, she likes to go all out. Through her dedication we found some pretty “rare” things, like balloons that said "Quinceañera"on them. 

Birthday girls!

After going to the piñata shop, a party shop, A&R, SP Warehouse and Western Dairy, we came home. Then it was time to do the actual decorating.  Midway through, we went out again for paper plates because, “nobody else was going to worry about what to put the cake on.” We tried out three different stores and found them at Beijing Store. While I went to bed before the decorations were done, the results that I saw in the morning were beautiful!

For dinner, I had a bun with the leftover pork stuffing from the Relleno. Relleno is a Belizean soup that is generally only eaten on special occasions, like Christmas and birthdays or weddings. It is chicken stuffed with ground pork and egg. It also has jalapenos for flavor. I have to say I was shocked at the color of the stuffing. It was so gray, but it tasted good. I was looking forward to trying to whole soup.

Sunday

Interesting tidbit: in the morning all close family members started pouring in to help with the party. They all had breakfast here before they started working. The thing is, they all ate the Rellano. I was so confused. What were we going to eat for lunch, if we ate it all for breakfast? I needn’t have worried (we had SO much food leftover!), but I didn't expect to eat the special food before the special meal...

Birthday Mass

Before the party there was a Mass. It was set for 11am, but the actual start time was midday. The Father has lived in Belize for umpteen years but even I can recognize that his Spanish accent needs help. I can’t complain (or criticize; mine is atrocious too) because it meant that more of the Mass than I expected was in English. The service was simple. There were some prayers and songs (in Spanish), the Father said a few words about Mrs. Toledano and her granddaughters (in English), then we gave the sign of peace and it was done.

While the mass was happening, I noticed that all the daughters were in the service and their husbands were monitoring the food. I thought that was really cool!

I helped serve drinks and food, until I realized my help wasn’t helping. There were too many willing hands. So, I sat down and ate my Rellano. It was good. The conversations that flew around me were mostly in Spanish. Unless, someone was talking to me, I zoned out. Everyone was talking SO fast, I couldn’t even recognize the topic of conversation. I realize now that the Toledanos had been speaking very slowly to me. That's okay; now I know that I still have a lot to learn! I wasn’t a wallflower though. Many relatives came up to me to chat. The Toledano family has produced MANY teachers (at least five maybe more) which is why Mr. and Mrs. Toledano call me, “La Maestra.” It is quite an honor.

The Toledanos love pork (or maybe all Belizeans do too). We had Rellano, Pibil (pork that has been smoked underground for 8 hours on hot rocks) and ribs! Wow!

Time for the Rellano!

Being at this party was similar to partying with my family. In fact, I couldn’t help but remember Dzia Dzia’s* 80th birthday party. I kept noticing similarities: traditional food was served, family was reunited after many years, kids were running around, many pictures being taken, there was dancing and lots of laughter. I guess it doesn’t matter which culture you grow up in: family is family.

After eating, I moved outside. It was there I got to see the piñata smashed and the kid games. They dragged me into the games, so I got to partner with one of the kids to pop a balloon. It sounds simple but the balloon was placed in between us and we had to hug each other tightly to pop it. We won, so we must have been skilled.

From about 5-7pm (some 8 hours later), people started to trickle out. The festivities hadn’t ended though, which is why some people stayed. Around 8pm there was supposed to be a memorial for Mrs. Toledano’s sister who passed away last year. I was pooped and so I bowed out of that event. I think it was a good idea for me because it didn’t actually started until 9pm. That would have been a full day!

Mr. Toledano, Me, Mrs. Toledano!

 That was my experience of Belizean party!

*Polish word for "grandfather"

“There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit 

 

A Day in the Life

On a typical school day, I find myself getting up before the crack of dawn to go running. That's right; Nancy, Kathy and I have formed a "missionary running group" of sorts. We try for three times a week. It feels good to start my days off that way!

*None of these pictures were taken by me. My camera is broken, so I figured pics from the internet are the next best thing! Don't worry; I'm getting a new one.

After our run, I return home to spend time with Jesus and get ready for school. Kathy meets me at my house at 8:10. From there, we bike to work. Biking to school is a fulfillment of a dream for me! I love car-less commuting.

School starts at 8:30am. I am in kindergarten with Mrs. Yam (the teacher), Morine (the Deaf student) and twenty-some bright smiling faces. They call me, "Teacher Chelsea" even though I am not really a teacher. I love my title all the same because it is said with such love. In the mornings sometimes, the children will get warm milk and maybe bread from the kitchen. Morine is a slow eater and savors every bite, so she is usually the last one done. After this snack until break at 10am, Morine and I work together. I interpret what Mrs. Yam says into ASL. Usually, language arts happens during this time. I love it because we are using a British phonics curriculum. Maybe when I come back I will have a British accent (in addition to Kriol and Spanish)!Morine is fascinated with the speaking world and so tries to speak the word blends along with everyone else. On some of them, she does a good job!

During break the kids get about 15-20 minutes to be outside (rain or shine), buy snacks and play with friends. I think it is cool that our school has what I would call a, "concessions stand." You can buy anything from candy, oranges, chips, coke, and chocobananas to more substantial snacks like, hot dogs, garnaches and chips and dip. That is, when it is in stock. I have tried many things and I really like the chocobananas!

From 10:20 to 11:30, Mrs. Yam usually teaches math (which is pronounced, "mat" here). We have been learning about the greater than and less than crocodiles.

When the bell rings, it heralds in the lunch break. We have a super-long break (11:30-1) so the kids that live far have enough time to walk home, eat and then come back. Some days I bring my lunch. Other days I go out to each because there are so many little shops that sell lunch foods. I love that I can get a great lunch of tacos, tostadas, or burritos for under $4 USD.  Either way, I am eating my lunch with someone – Nancy, Kathy, Miss Mesh, Miss Karla, and/or Mrs. Yam. I am so blessed by my friends!

I'll admit after lunch class is a little slow. We have religion and either science, social studies, health or PE. I think the kids are sleepy from eating lunch and then being inside. So, some of them sleep! This is Morine's most distracted time. Because eyes are a muscle (and ears are not), I think her poor little self is done watching me wave my hands around. God has blessed me with a few inspirational moments, though. To this day, she still remembers one of our first science lessons about sources of heat.

The lower division (kindergarten and first grade) finish school at 2:30pm while the others finish at 3:30pm. I really enjoy this "extra" hour, though sometimes I spend it helping Mrs. Yam in evening classes. "Evening classes" happen from 2:30-3:30. It is a tutoring time for those children who are behind. I think it is special that I get to have one-on-one time with some of the hearing kids in class. During the school day, I cannot really pay attention to them. When Morine goes home, then my attention can turn to them.

I love the kids in my class! They are so sweet and funny. For example, Adrienne (Morine’s younger sister) was teaching me the Spanish words for animals. When she got to the sheep picture, she looked at me and then the card before exclaiming proudly, “El sheep-o!”* That one try to pull the wool over my eyes in a second! The other children will come up to me and start signing or gesturing. This is especially true of Carlos and Darrel. Both Mrs. Yam and I have told the class that I can hear, but it doesn’t make a difference. It is so cute, so I just sign back! There is a real reason for their behavior, though. Nancy who is Deaf, was working with Morine last semester. They got use to needing to sign and tap a person for attention (they “tap” really hard sometimes!).

I do my errands right after school finishes. Since I am already in town, it makes perfect sense. My errands consist mostly of grocery shopping now, but before my time was consumed with the work permit and teacher's license. Sometimes, I treat myself with a trip to the library before heading home.
At home, I take some time to sit with Mrs. Toledano (she became eighty on February 8th!). Every time, I spend time with her, I learn something new! Our conversations teach me a lot about Spanish. The Toledano's are so kind and generous. When I returned home the other day, they were eating coconut meat and drinking coconut water. They shared one with me. Together we sat around peeling the coconut out of its shell and sipping the water from the “young” coconuts.

It is usually very hot by this time of day, so I am ready to take my cold shower. I’m sure this sends shivers down your spine, but I really look forward to it now.

A few days a week, I also go walking with Miss Delila, Mrs. Toledano’s daughter. She said she has no one to go with her, so I volunteered. I am so thankful for the extra time to be outside and the chance to spend time with Miss Delila.

Immediately after my walk, I head over to Nancy’s house where the four of us (Nancy, Sulmi, Kathy and I) share the evening meal. We take turns cooking which is SO nice. I love all the gourmet meals everyone comes up with.

In the evening, I come home and crash into bed. Sometimes, I will watch part of a movie or TV Show. Other times I will read. Then its lights out and off to dreamland.

And that’s a day in the life of this Belizean missionary.

*For those of you who are wondering, oveja is actually the correct word for sheep.

“This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit