Day 1: I Belize it's going to be a great week!!!

We Made It!!!

The day began for most of us around 2 or 3 am.  We made sure we had all of our bags and we hopped in for a ride to Logan.  I was the first one there.  I enjoy airports, watching people come and go.  I also freak out about a couple of things and be late is one of them.  Today, I arrived around 3:30.  Shortly thereafter, students and teachers began to appear.  The automatic check-in worked for most of us and it looked like there would be no issues with traveling to Belize.  It looked it...but there was one major issue.

We have three Nicks on this trip.  That's not the issue, but the issue revolved around one of our Nicks.  In this case, Nik.  Apparently, his reservation had been terminated and he wasn't going to be able to travel.  It took a long time to get it resolved.  At one point, it looked like Nik and I were going to get a few more hours of Boston.  Eventually, a new ticket number was issued and Nik and I took off through security.  As we approached our gate, we heard thunderous applause from our fellow "Belizers."  I've experienced some travel hiccups in my day, but this was one of the closest calls I've been a part of.  Throughout the entire ordeal, Nik was pretty chill.  I was impressed with that and know that a lot of other kids would have been much more frantic.  It is not that I'd blame them, it would be really tough to go through, but being chill about things has huge advantages when one travels.

Nik slowly making his way to Gate A16.

 Our flight to Atlanta was pretty relaxing.  Most everyone slept.  I was able to catch up on some work.  I teach an online course at North Shore Community College and the two hour flight was more than enough time to correct last week's assignments.  When I bought the little Chromebook that I use for this blog, I received 12 Gogo Wireless Internet credits.  I still have eight left.  I love the idea that we can be a few thousand miles above ground traveling at incredibly fast speeds and still be able to connect with our loved ones back home.  The increase in internet technology is really one of the reasons why I started this blog.  To build connections among the students' experiences and their family and friends back home.  Checking my Facebook on today's flight, while taking quick breaks from correcting, reminded me of that as I was able to "chat" with a few parents.

We didn't hit much turbulence on our first flight and after just over two hours we had touched down in the ATL.  We had studied the terminal/concourse maps and knew exactly where to go.  We only had an hour to make our connection, so planning ahead was essential.  As it was, we made it to the gate without much issue and we began to board almost instantly.  I ran off real quick to fill my water bottle with a cool little machine near the gate.  On board, we heard an announcement stating that the flight was not booked and that there might be some empty seats around.  Quite a few of us has some extra space as our three hour flight took off.

This blog usually consists of a couple consistent elements.  One is my complaining about how tired I am (more on that later) and another is me trying to explain what I've eaten.  I've received a few comments from readers about my vivid descriptions of airplane food.  Unfortunately, we did not have meals provided on either flight.  Therefore, I will just let you know that I had a lot of junk food on the second flight.  A snickers bar, some trail mix, a granola bar, and multiple bags of free airplane pretzels.  I wasn't alone on that front and by the time we landed in Belize most of us were craving some real sustenance.

You can barely make out Belize in this photo from the air.

Our descent into Belize City was a bit bumpier than most of us were expecting.  We flew through some cloud coverage and had a couple of big drops.  I told Dan what to expect and told him it would be more fun than a roller coaster.  I think most of the kids agreed because I heard quite a bit of laughter.  Once we landed, we stepped out of the plane and walked down the staircase to the tarmac.  It is always cool to be outside when you leave a plane...makes me feel like Richard Nixon (I have no idea why Nixon, I wasn't even alive during his presidency).  We entered the security area and made it through customs.  All of us got our bags and we went to meet our Tour Director, Albert.

Cool palm tree awaiting us in Belize.

Albert introducing himself to us.

Albert seems like a great guy.  He welcomed us a with a great big smile while he helped our bus driver load our gear.  Once on the bus, he did a formal introduction and gave us a quick rundown of the day.  He also introduced us to our bus driver...a man simply called "Warrior."  Driving through Belize to a local restaurant was many of the kids first time seeing some real poverty.  While the roads look like they are under construction, it is clear that not much progress has been made recently.  There are also quite a few abandoned and rundown homes.  There were also some stray animals and impoverished looking people milling about.  I'm not telling you this to make you depressed, but instead, to bring up the reality of where we are.  The kids who noticed seemed to understand that they are very fortunate to who they are and to live where they live.  Seeing these kinds of places helps our kids grasp the concept of wealth.  I heard many of them stating that they would love to be able to help these people, or their animals.  Even still, I heard some of them saying that they wouldn't mind living here.  We know that we will see some breathtaking scenery this week, but this understated drive through Belize City might have its own impact on our kids.

Behind the fallen trees stands a small abandoned house.

Our restaurant happened to be across the street from our hotel.  It was called Cafe Sahara.  It had mostly Mediterranean foods, like kebabs and shwarma...they also had french fries.  Albert originally wanted to take us to a place that has more traditional fare, but it is only open when cruise ships are landing.  I found it funny that I was having some Greek/Turkish food while in Belize even though I'll be in Greece and Turkey next April.  The place wasn't that big, but they handled our large group fairly well.  I ordered the mixed kebab dinner.  It had chicken, steak, and ground beef kebabs.  The chicken was my favorite.  It almost tasted like BBQ. The steak, for me, came next.  Not much seasoning, but well cooked and juicy enough.  The ground beef tasted a little like meatloaf.  I ate it first so I could enjoy the other two kebabs more.  I also had some fresh hummus and fries.  Overall, I was satisfied with my meal.  The kids ordered a few gyros and a lot of fries, but many of them tried foods that they would never have tried back home.  It is the adventurous spirit of the kids that keeps me want to travel with them.  They rock.

Patiently waiting our lunch at Cafe Sahara.

After lunch, we checked into the Best Western Biltmore.  It is a nice hotel.  They have a great pool set up and everyone of us took advantage.  To me, that was one of the coolest parts of day one.  We have a lot of great kids on this trip and they might not all be the closest of friends back in Saugus...here, in Belize, however, everyone was hanging out with each other.  I only dipped my feet in the pool, but everyone else was fully committed to swimming.

A small group of us changed and headed down the street to visit a local grocery store.  We needed a couple more toiletries and some good snack foods.  The walk was short, but we got a good sense of how bad Belizean drivers are. The market was well stocked,  The sign read groceries, department store, appliances, and pharmacy.  We walked around for a little bit and collected our items.  I bought a strange looking can of drink.  It turned out to be a version of Iced Tea.  

Brodies Market

Hard to explain.  Possibly a shout out to our fellow travelers in China.

We then had dinner.  The main course for dinner was fish.  I can't remember what kind.  I think I heard some say snapper?  I wouldn't know because I don't like fish.  Always the adventurer, however, I ate every last bite.  It wasn't that bad.  Mostly everyone seemed to like it.  We also got rice and potatoes. As a huge fan of double starch, I was ecstatic to put some Belize hot sauce on both.  It really spiced up the night.  Albert joined us for dinner and gave us some insight on Belize.  Dinner was also a good chance for me to get to know a couple of travelers that I had never taught.  Fran and Emerly are juniors and I didn't teach their class as Freshman.  Chatting with them and getting to know them a bit more was great...even though Fran thought I was 50 years old. We followed the main course with Key Lime Pie.  It wasn't the best I've ever had, but I'd put it in the top three.  (I've only had Key Lime Pie three times)

Our dinner table.

After dinner, we had our first "on tour" trip meeting.  Albert highlighted our upcoming adventures and explained some things about what to wear and where we'd be.  He played a little ice breaker too.  Partly to help him get to know our names, but also to help some of the kids realize that they have more in common with each other than they might have thought.  The ice breaker allowed us to share some things that we might have an opportunity to complete while in Belize.  After our meeting broke up, we noticed we had a little friend hanging out with us.

Krissy pointing out a lizard of unusual size.

Most of us headed towards bed after our meeting, but some of the kids went out for a night swim.  It was nice hearing the laughter and splashing rising up to the second floor. It is refreshing to see kids being kids.  As chaperons on these tours, we try to embody the right frame of mind and to exude a positive attitude when things look bleak.  We can control the emotions of the kids with us...if we are having a good time, then they are more than likely having a good time.  If we are trying new foods, then they will probably try new foods.  The same effect can take place in reverse.  I didn't really get any sleep on the flights today.  That said, I was a little tired when we came to the hotel.  The kids, and other chaperons, seemed a little more refreshed than I...and I caught some of their excitement.  Tomorrow, we are visiting some Mayan ruins.  It might not be the thing the kids are most looking forward too, but I will do my best to make the history come alive for them.  Something tells me, however, that they'll be fine and won't need some 50 year old guy to make them smile.

Well, it is nearly 10:30 hear in Belize.  According to my fitbit, it is 12:30 back home.  That means we've been up for 21 hours or so.  Not too bad.  We have a 6am wake up tomorrow and another full day ahead of us.  I am struggling a bit with the wifi and it took me four different attempts to find a way to post pictures.  Tomorrow, I'm breaking out the GoPro.  I'm hopeful I will have better results.  For the newcomers, I hope you've enjoyed tonight's post.  To the veteran readers, I also hope you enjoyed following along with us.  As we begin the rest of this tour, I am fairly confident we will be doing some unbelievable things.  It's good to have you along for the ride.

Mr. Lavoie, currently thankful that someone in history invented air conditioning.