literacy day

the front of our float

louisiana government school

"quality schools promoting literacy for a better belize"

the literacy parade: orange walk, belize 2010

louisiana's float with a big book that i didn't make and mine nowhere to be seen.

reading is cool at home and at school...

that's right... this little guy was harry potter. love love love.

belizean folklore

bible stories

some float.

belizean folklore booth

one of the literacy booths

today was the literacy expo.

part 1- the parade.

part 2- a fair at the stadium.

each school put together a float showing some sort of representation of literacy. our school had put together a nursery rhymes float. that's what the big book i had to make yesterday was for. me and my cooperating teacher, miss lucy, had to meet our class at the street where the parade was going to go and so we were not a part of putting all the things on last minute. i was really excited to see it!! : )

we met our class at 8:15 out in the street. that is where we remained... for over 2 hours. nothing. we had no idea what was going on. the parade was supposed to go though at 8:30. what i, and what i never, took into account was belizean time. in belize if someone says that they will meet you at 12:30 for lunch, they mean 1:30... at the earliest. it's not just people, it's business that take you on tours, stores are on a pretty lenient schedule as well, and it is just not a customary thing to be early anywhere. ever. so when the parade FINALLY came through at 10:45 i was pretty excited to see it.

the louisiana float was first. i could hear it before i could see it. there was a large speaker set on board that was playing our nursery rhymes while the float drove by. it was beautiful! and then as it drove by me and i was pointing out my book to the person next to me i realized... it wasn't there. my book that i had worked on for 4 hours was not even on the float anywhere. i was a little annoyed. why did they make me make that thing?? oh well.

there were about 20 floats in total and when they were all past us we had to wait for a bus to come and pick us up to take us to "the stadium". now, orange walk is not a very big place so anything that happens here that requires a stadium is done at "the stadium". we waited and waited for the bus and arrived at the very crowded stadium where booths that the schools had set up were ready! they weren't what i was expecting when i heard the word booth. i was expecting a booth with a flyer or an activity work sheet. instead there were tents with lots of tables set up and there were books and puzzles and people talking to kids about why it is important to read. SO COOL!! i think that this is an amazing thing! today i got to be a part of a parade that celebrated reading! and then got to talk to kids about why it is important to read everyday!!

today was ridiculously hot and sunny and i had to become one of those people who carries around an umbrella in the sun. i kinda resented it. it just seems silly to use an umbrella unless it's raining. and even then, i'm still pretty against them... umbrellas that is.

tomorrow i'm going to merida with my host family. i am really excited. we are going to chetemal tomorrow night and we take the midnight bus to merida and get there around 6 in the morning. : ) nay is going to the doctor that morning when we get there and then after that we are just going to enjoy mexico!