Day Twelve in Belize:

     I slept so great last night finally! Even though I went to bed late and I woke up at 6am this morning. It was the earliest I have woken up for the whole time that I have been here. I was alone getting ready because our mentor went to pick up a professor at the airport that went home for a long weekend because his grandfather past away and he was the pallbearer for the funeral. Went to breakfast at 7:15 when it usually begins and waited for about an half an hour until everyone else came up and the food was served. We had banana flavored pancakes that was outstanding and some kind of orange juice mixed with something.
     After breakfast, we had a meting at 9. We discussed what our paper consists of and went over a paper that our professor and mentor wrote a few years ago that was well-written about their travels to other countries and helping them. It was interesting to see how it was like twenty years ago in Belize and other places. In one part of the story, our professor broke his foot while trying to kill mosquitoes which I found hysterical because it sounds like something that would happen to me. And how one time they forgot a power cord for a desktop computer that they had brought down to Belize. We worked on the paper that is due this week as a rough draft that has to be 5-10 pages which is not that bad considering we have at least three people to a team so it is easy to divide up the work among each other.
     After working on that for a couple of hours, I finally got to go swimming for the first time while on this trip and it was extremely cold but the hot weather today helped dry me off when I was done swimming. But I was not wet from the water, I was wet because of the sweat that was coming from my head after it was dry. It was not a cloudy day so the sun was shinning bright.
     After swimming, we had our class meeting for the day then headed on over to dinner. We had fish, rice, and a salad. I was afraid to try fish down here but it was pretty good even though I am not huge on fish but it was not bad nor am I feeling anything from the fish yet and hopefully I will not. We took a few group pictures that our professor took that will be remembered for generations. After we ate dinner, we came back to the room and started doing computer work on the computers that we brought up and hopefully will be operational for the people in Belize to use. Not sure what we are doing tomorrow, but I will be ready for whatever comes my way.

Momentary lapse in bloggery

I put off blogging anything for a while because not much was really happening. At least, nothing I felt compelled to write about. A few things I noticed:

School uniforms:
I'll admit, I like the idea of a school uniform, as long as it's not super strict. It gives order, and it kinda feels more professional. Americans love their individuality though, so I haven't been to any colleges up here that have uniforms. It doesn't look like we're required to conform, maybe it's only the high school students that have to?

Big bugs:
There are big bugs and they draw the eyes. Not super scary, but I mean, come on, they're insects. I just have to look at them. Not in disgust or fascination. Just... I always think they're up to something.

Our Van:
We still don't have the new van. What gives? Apparently the shipping company "lost it". Well, they probably also lost their marbles because how do you misplace a van? Supposeably, we'll get it soon.

Day Eleven in Belize:

     I had the worst night sleep last night. I had bug bites itching, my body could not make up its mind on whether it was hot or cold, loud noises throughout the night. Let's just say I was not a happy camper this morning. The hot shower this morning definitely helped though. We ate at our resort this morning for breakfast. We had grilled cheese, eggs, and sausage that was super great. We also had this freshly made orange juice that was to die for and I usually cannot stand it but a fresh glass changes it.
     After breakfast, we packed up and headed on over to the high school for a meeting with the leaders there about computers. After about an hour there, we went over to another high school nearby. When we got there, we got everything set up and ready for our first class session to begin. We learned a lot about how the money worked in Belize. We learned about how the school budget pays so much for just the electricity alone which consists of; laptop and desktop computers, lights, refrigerators, etc.. We also learned how having a laptop computer has it's pros and cons to it. For instance, a laptop is not heavy but can break easily when it is dropped and how small it is but can be easily stolen. Desktop computers also has it's pros and cons but I believe laptops are the way to go for our future because of how much they are evolving and changing for the better for our every day life. After we were done around four o clock, we headed out to go shopping for supplies that we needed. I had to get some anti-itch cream, another guy had to go to the bank, another wanted to get jerseys, and one wanted to go to the hardware store. So we left there around 4:20. Our professor was in a huge rush because he thought it was 5:30 and that is when our dinner is so we had to hurry. When we pulled in, someone said that it was only 4:30 when we got back and made a big joke out of it.
     So after we got back, we relaxed until dinner. For dinner we had chicken, salad, and rice. The chicken was covered in some kind of spicy sauce that was really good but did not look like it. I guess you really cannot judge a book by its cover.
     After dinner, we had our daily class for the night to wrap things up for the day. We talked about how a farmer made his own equipment like tractors and made millions off of it that was really cool to see how he did it.
     When class was finished, I went to the pool to relax finally. It was too cold to get in it all the way so I just stuck my feet in it and looked up to the beautiful clear sky to see all of the stars and a full moon. I took that time to reflect on all that I have done here and realized how happy I am to be here and to be a part of this group that is helping all kinds of people with what we do best. It is truly an experience and a blessing for me to whiteness and to be involved in this ministry.

College in Belize

Sorry I didn't post a blog yesterday. It being a Sunday we went to another local Nazarene church. We then spent most of the day lounging around and relaxing. It was nice to catch up on some sleep and not have to worry about anything for the the rest of the night. Sorry my bligs have been getting shorter and even for this one combining two day. The group from Kenyon College is back in Ohio and so most of our "service" part of the trip is done. That doesn't mean we are done serving however. We are now moving more in to our class which is Seminar in International Development.  Even thought we are not out in villages working as much as we were the first week we are still her to help improve things here. Today we spend most of the day at Sacred Heat College ( part of our group will be staying through May and studying abroad here ). While there we listened to a presentation about how technology has an effect on Belize. We talked about all the factors that have to be considered when deciding the best way to help. We don't want to just send them our junk and them think they are getting something very nice and then it not work within a year. There are alos thing to think about like how well a device will hold up in yhe heat and humidity here. Other things to take into consideration is the electricity here. Weekly power outages are common and the overall cost of electricity is around 5 to 6 time more expensive here. All these taken in to consideration is why our group has been bring laptops instead of desktops for the labs. Not only do we have to think about these things just when deciding laptop or desktop but also when planning on how to set up the networks. Right now we are in the starting stages of planning for a few different server ideas to help schools that already have labs and are now expanding to meet their needs.  We will be talking to the principals and teachers to find out what will work best and most efficient for their needs. Sometimes and really most times what they think they need to solve a problem is not really the best way and often times they really need something else. Its our job totalk to them and narrow it down to give them the best most reliable and easiest to use solution to what they need. It's been near learning more and more about all the different challenges and obstacles that come across for developing countries. We split up in groups and will be writing a paper to discuss these challenges in more detail. Later we will have another class to continue discuss even more aspects that we have just scraped the surface talking about.

It's crazy to think that we're halfway through our trip. Part of me feels like we've only been here a day or two and the other part of me feels like we've been here for a while. The newness has kind of wore off and I do miss home some but it's really nice and weare having a lot of fun with our group. Some of the guys have had some stomach problems just getting used to the different foods here so keep them in your prayers if you would.

Thanks for the continued support!
Josh Aleshire

Day Ten in Belize:

     I went to bed last night with my roommate snoring and the dogs barking at him. Let's just say that it was a musical night for me. But I ended up sleeping well in this big bed by myself. Woke up this morning to get some breakfast that our professor brought from the store. We had cereal and oatmeal with honey and sugar. It was filling despite on how much we had between our entire group.
     After breakfast, we went to church in a nearby village. It was somewhat different from the church last week, some good and some not so good ways but not terrible. The people there were very friendly which every church should have those kind of people. They sang songs in English and then they would sing the same song in Spanish so it was kind of confusing at times to understand and keep up. Then for reading the Scriptures, they would first read it in English and then read it in Spanish. That may seem annoying, but it is nice so that everyone can understand and get something out of it.
     After church, we went to a restaurant that looks like it used to be a hanger for something big. It was a ginormous place. I had a chicken burger and two bean and cheese burritos that was under twelve dollars, you cannot beat that! And it was delicious as well. Finishing up lunch, we headed back to the cabins. We relaxed for most of the day. Some of us watched a movie, and some took a nap. I was one of those that took a nap for the first time on this trip and it was much needed. I woke up and it was about time for dinner. We had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and tortillas which is always a great and delicious meal.
     While eating dinner, we talked about what we were going to be doing tomorrow and see what all we wanted to do. It sounds like our plans are going to require some work, but at the same time, it will be a lot of fun I believe. After dinner, it was more relaxing time which we have not had in quite some time. It is really nice to have some free time every once and a while so it feels like we are on a somewhat vacation here. But I feel like tomorrow is to be a whole new different experience since that is when our class officially starts. I am kind of excited and somewhat nervous about it because we have so much to do every day and the final paper is going to probably be the end of me. But oh well, at least I have enjoyed my time in Belize.

Our New Home

I guess for those of our group staying down here until May its a little bigger of a deal  but still this place is pretty nice! Today we moved from the Nazarene camp groud that we were staying at to a house on a outdoor restort type of place. It's very nice and relaxing. It's great for us now and will be perfect for those staying more long term. They had wifi in one building and part of our stay will be improving their network for them so we started right away working on that as it will benifit both us ( needed internet to classes and to stay and touch with everyone) as well as everyone else staying here having access to the same thing.Oh did I mention there is a pool here!

We had most of the day to explore the place a bit, relax, swim, and even get a nap it. It's been a while since I was able to do that. We alsoIn the evening they had prepared us a very good welcome meal. We had chicken fajitas with beans and rice. It tasted amazing. After dinner we had a class session and talked about the impact that smart phones has on developing nations. It raised a good question that we've all been talking about while being here. Allot of the people have T.V.s and cell phones, yet so many of them are living on dirt floors or don't have reall bathrooms. There are many different questions that this raises as well. Are we helping them in the right way by trying to help them become computer literate? Are there other things we should be doing instead? I think that in keeping them up with technology this gives them resources to fix some of those thing on their own. It give them a learning tool to find out what other peopl and othet countries are doing to solve similar issues.  With the Internet they can get information about anything they need. From construction issues to medical issues there are ideas and solutions to problems out there ever where on the internet. As we continue out time here I hope to see my thought supported by how people use their technology and in the reasons why they have it. If you have any thoughts or comments just leave them below as I would love to hear what other people think about this.

Peace out,
Josh Aleshire

The Squad

     Well, the group is finally settled into our home for rest of the trip, and without any major       setbacks. The van survived a trip to and from Belize miraculously and the Kenyon group got to the hotel in one piece. It was awesome having them on the beginning of this trip, and I am glad there was a great seam between Kenyon and the Naz on this trip. 

It was great to see one of my friends who lives in Belmopan, and be able to connect and relate on some things we have experienced so far. I hooked him up with Dwight Tillet’s son in law Paul in case they wanted to collaborate on any music productions. In a small country such as this I have seen how having mutual contacts can be very beneficial.

Seeing the classroom we will occupy at Sacred Hearts College was great as well. I am excited for us to interact with the Belizean students we will take the classes with. It will be interesting to share perspectives with them in class and broaden my learning experience through that as well. I hope there are no major issues in dealing with the where the students are coming from education-wise. In our discussion yesterday Q mentioned the concept of being a part of something bigger than yourself. That's a simple phrase I always heard growing up and thought about, but I am realizing what that's really like in this sort of context. I am excited to see where this experience will lead and how we'll mature as a group.