Sally: The Last Days

The youth trip to Belize definitely ended on a spectacular note. Friday was special in that we got to do a little less manual labor and a little more hanging out in classrooms. I particularly enjoyed it when a class spontaneously asked us to sing some songs for them, and then they sang for us in return. It was also fun to see all the Standard VI kids getting excited about graduation; I even got to sign one girl's uniform. We also spent some time on Friday meditating on the beach, afterwards going out for some lobster burritos. Saturday was also a great day, despite getting off to a bumpy start on our malfunctioning water taxi. The best part of this day for me was definitely getting to go to the youth group meeting of a church in Belize City. It was really interesting to observe the similarities and differences between their meetings and ours. They were very welcoming, and many emails and Facebook names were exchanged before we left. The Sunday morning worship at the Cathedral was definitely memorable for me. It seemed much shorter than its 2+ hour length, just because there was so much to absorb: the time they took to honor the fathers for Father's Day, the countless plaques from the 1800s lining the walls, the different ways in which they said the prayers. The travel home went very smoothly, and as much as I loved Belize, I was surprised by how nice it felt to land in Miami and feel back at home. This trip was all that I had hoped for and more. I think we all learned a lot about our group and ourselves. The people of San Pedro, San Mateo, and Holy Cross were incredibly generous, welcoming, and inspiring. I really hope I will have a chance to go back someday.