It's about 6pm.
In about 12 hours, a group of Saugus High School students and teachers will embark on an adventure of a lifetime to the coastal nation of Belize. For eight days, we will explore the rich culture, unique history, and beautiful landscape of this small Central American country.
About a year ago, I had never really given Belize much thought. I'm sure I had seen it on a map, or perhaps in "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" The nation, as a whole, is slightly smaller than our own commonwealth of Massachusetts and it received its independence in 1981...although, like Canada, it is still considered part of the British Commonwealth of Nations. I think, the only real trivia I knew of Belize was that its official language was English. It was at that time that I spoke to Ms. Usseglio and found out she was planning this trip. I was immediately excited.
All of the educational tours, that I had been on, were trips to Europe. I love Europe...but this was something new. The itinerary for this trip is amazing. We are doing some unbelievable things, but one of them in particular really piqued my interest. Ever since I was in 5th grade, I have been infatuated with sharks. I read "Jaws" that summer and couldn't stop learning about them. Once I saw that we would be able to swim with Nurse sharks on this trip, I knew I had to sign on.
It's been a long year. The time in my classroom has flown by, but the routine of daily life in Saugus has crept on. We've had an historic winter and, I personally, have had some rough times. That aside, I am looking forward to this trip in a way that my European adventures cannot compare too. This trip happens outside of the normal school schedule. I will not have to return to Saugus High and correct papers. I will be able to relax a little bit.
Tomorrow morning, we will board a plane and begin our journey. Our first stop is Atlanta, but we still land in Belize in the morning. It should be a long and exhausting day, but it is totally going to be worth it. When we touch down, we will be one of three groups of Saugus High School students out in the world. Saugus High School will be represented in three very different countries in three very different parts of the world. When we first started student travel, I never dreamed we'd see a day like this. Students are volunteering their time in Malawi, Africa and others are in Asia exploring all that China has to offer. This school year, we've had nearly 100 kids in a total of 10 different nations. The critics of our school system, and of our town, can say what they want, but it is clear that we are doing something right.
For those new to this blog, I welcome you. I hope that you find it enjoyable. There are a couple of things you should note. Blog updates usually occur at the end of our days. That means you will usually wake up to updates. I am usually the last one awake at our hotels. I wait until Internet traffic has died down and then I post. The posts will almost always include pictures. I take a bunch and post some select ones. I try to post the others on Facebook. All of this, however, is dependent on the internet connections. Another thing of note, is that my philosophic self emerges when I write. I look for connections. While I provide a recap of the things we see, I tell the story from how I see it. There are usually allusions to my past and my thoughts of the future. I can get deep sometimes. A while back I started to change the way I look at the world and it has made a huge difference for me. This comes out in the blog. As we travel, I encourage you to post comments or to shoot me an email. My school email address is rlavoie@saugus.k12.ma.us.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this upcoming week. I know we will.
Mr. Lavoie, currently wrapping up his packing and preparing to get an early night's sleep...like all of the kids should be doing.
P.s. You can read along with the other school trips by checking out the following blogs:
Malawi, Africa: https://emvinmalawi2015.wordpress.com/
China Trip: http://mleeengtchr.weebly.com/
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