National Tour (Day 2)

Those documents are from 1792!

The National Archives
Te next morning we woke up at 6 for another ambitious schedule. The National Archives ended up being far more amazing that I could have imagined and were the highlight of the trip for me and Mr. Salam. I was expecting an air conditioned building with files full of old newspapers and birth certificates. It was exactly that, until the tour guide started pulling out old historical documents and showing them around. There was a census from 1827 that included slaves (with names like “Coffee” and “Rum and Water”). The crown jewel, however, was the original minutes of the Magistrates Meetings from 1797. This was the original form of self-government used by the old Baymen before Belize was officially under the British crown. She even let me hold and read the faded document that listed who would leave or stay during the Spanish invasion that led to the Battle of St. George’s Caye, the battle that effectively ousted the Spanish from British Honduras. So basically I got to hold the document that eventually led to the creation of Belize. I got a tingle in my spine unlike any I’ve ever felt before. Yeah. I’ve seen the Magna Carta, The Declaration of Independence, a Gutenberg Bible, John Locke’s handwriting, and the Book of Kells among many other historical documents but they were all behind layers of bulletproof glass, hermetically sealed, and as distant and abstract as the centuries they were written in. Sure, this document didn’t have quite the same impact on world history but holding it I was awash with a sense of who they people were who wrote it and what they must have felt as their settlement was at the brink of collapse. Ultimately, yes, this document should be preserved and will probably be mere scraps in a hundred year, but I would never trade anything for that feeling. The students, meanwhile got most excited about old postcards of PG.

The National Assembly
After our trip to the Archives, we went across Belmopan to the National Assembly, the seat of the Belizean Government. The capital was actually moved from Belize City in 1964 after Hurricane Hattie when everyone realized that maybe an easily flooded coastal city isn’t the best place for the country’s most important everything. So in much the same idea as Brasilia, they decided to build a whole new city of bureaucracy around which a population would eventually arise. Unlike Brazil, however, Belize only had 200,000 people at the time and through the 80’s Belmopan was a ghost town where politicians would go to get their business done and then get the hell out. In the 90’s however, refugees poured into the west from civil wars in El Salvador and Guatemala, and now Belmopan is one of the three largest towns in the nation. As a product of the Bauhaus architecture of the 60’s the capital buildings are depressing concrete slabs that are supposedly inspired by Mayan architecture but look like a self-important state college campus. On the inside, the National Assembly is a bland concrete building that would be embarrassing as the seat of government of a medium sized town in the States. Outside of architecture, though, it was amazing to be in such an intimate setting as the capital of a nation. I got to walk on the floor of the Assembly, which was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I expected to see Prime Minister Barrow at any point walking in to pick up a forgotten paper or something. And, everyone got a kick out of the fact that one of the Senators in named Senator Salazar.

Western Dairies
We left Belmopan for the western Cayo District where we once again had lunch at Hode’s before heading to the Mennonite settlement at Spanish Lookout. Spanish Lookout was very different from what I expected. Instead of the bearded, blue shirted, buggy driving Mennonites that we have here in Toledo (and no, I haven’t gotten a chance to meet Mary Ragen’s nephew here yet), the Mennonites in Cayo were just a bunch of blonde folks in cowboy hats. The Mennonites are known for the industrious farming, bargain prices on imports, and Western Dairies. We were supposed to have a tour of the dairy but new health regulations didn’t permit it. And a weird thing was that when the students went to go get ice cream, the black students always got served last. Every time. Apparently the Mennonites here have a reputation for being racist. So after getting ice cream, we went to their bargain shopping center for bit, and we finally drove home down to PG.

Final Thoughts
Overall, it was a fantastic trip. I obviously got a lot of it and the bigger nerds in the class were also taking voracious notes. A lot of kids complained that the places we visited were boring, but kids generally complain a lot when they’re tired and hungry. One student complained really loudly that the trip sucked. I asked him what he thought of the trip when we got back from Hode’s and he said he loved it. It was also fun to be with the students outside of class. Generally, the kids and myself are friendly and joking outside of the classroom and it’s only in the class that the battle lines get drawn between me and the trouble-makers. So for two days it was like we were on extended break joking and talking and me sometimes telling someone to stop fooling around or take of their hat. I’m finally developing a relationship with my students which feels great. In fact, at Spanish Lookout I was talking with two of my biggest goof-offs while eating ice cream. During the conversation, one of them referred to me as a tourist obviously meaning it as an insult and seeing 1. if I was sly enough to catch his veiled insult and 2. if I would say anything about it. I would freely admit that I am a tourist but before I was able to say anything, the other guys said “Hey quit it. He didn’t mean it, sir.” He was actually defending me against his friend! So I guess some of the students are beginning to appreciate me, even if they give me crap in class.