New journey...

Instead of traveling to Costa Rica with students, I'm looking for a job. I was told at the beginning of our spring break that the principal is going in a different direction next school year and I don't fit the direction he is going in. So needless to say, after June 18, 2010, I will be without a job. Finding one right now seems to be a daunting task since there really aren't many postings looking for a high school teacher with my experience along the south shore. I'm even entertaining the thought of getting out of education completely.

So for awhile, I will be exploring the wonders of my state and surround areas instead of heading to the tropics or some other exotic place. I'll be joining thousands of individuals trying to find a job. That in itself is a journey! Wish me luck.

"Leave Her, Johnny, Leave Her!"- Cohasset Belize/Guatemala 2009

  "Leave Her, Johnny, Leave Her!" -Cohasset Belize 2009

Oh the work was hard and the wages low, Leave her, Johnny, leave her. 

But now once more ashore we'll go, For it's time for us to leave her.

Chorus:

Leave her, Johnny, leave her. Oh leave her, Johnny, leave her.
For the voyage is done and the winds don't blow and it's time for us to leave her.

From the Chilly north, to the sunny south, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

Just to catch some rays and let our skin hang out, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

We soaked up rays just to get a tan, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

While we bounced along in our big white vans, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Ross Wooly's here and what a hunk, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

He wows the girls when he bares his trunk, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Tina's next, but first in the shower line, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

When her hair is wet she's feeling fine, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Katie D. is blessed with a brother twin, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

She spends her time taking care of him, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Tyler is that lucky brother twin, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

He quietly lets her be a mother hen, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

A heartthrob sure MacKinzie is, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

She's effervescent with lots of fizz, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

No Tory Heart is one of a golden pair, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

Of course that simply means her hair, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Now Tori Lehr is the other one, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

Her golden hair shines in the sun, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Now Tori and Sam are both named Lehr, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

They've gotten used to breathing really thin air, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Sarah loses this, Sarah loses that, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

What she doesn't lose is what's attached, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

The spice seller came to Kristen M., Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

She bought some tea to feed her 'friend', For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

August sure is an EMT, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

I'm glad he didn't have to me, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Conor is the one who sucked the hot sauce down, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

On the floor next day, it was he they found, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

O, Erika put the Marie Sharp down, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

She beat the girls in the whole big town, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Carly S. lugs a really heavy bag, Leaver her, Johnny, Leave her.

It almost had to have a special tag, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Graham S. came along to help all he could, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

He was at his best when it came to food, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Jeanie was afraid of 'bout all we did, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

But she came right through with a courage big, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

David T. won the test as the hot sauce king, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

He discovered that Maire burned both his ends, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

D.J. Weiss loves to feed all his little friends, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

The biting bugs will never end, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Susan S. we can't leave out, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

When the river was deep she jumped right out, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Jon Fortin came to learn all he can, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

If he learns any more his head will expand, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

Now the real thanks must surely go, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

To the teacher who really made this go, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

We clap for you who bring us Joy, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

Without your help this would never go, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

And now from your guide, just one last word, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

I'm awfully glad you (and you and you...) were all aboard, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

And so my friends on the homeward track, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

The adventure road will bring you back, For it's time for us to leave her.

(Chorus)

....After landing in Boston....

The trip is done and we're tired to the bone, Leave her, Johnny, Leave her.

But of how good it is to be back home, For it's time for us to leave her.

Leave her, Johnny, Leave her. Oh, Leave her, Johnny, leave her.

For the voyage is done and the winds don't blow, and it's time for us to leave her!

BELAY!!!!!

-words written by Dr. J. Philip McLaren and Joy Higgins

-sung by Dr. J. Philip McLaren to the tune of "Leave her, Johnny, Leave her!"

Journey's End...Day 9

Early start since we would be driving straight to the airport back in Belize. Since the girl at the Belize border decided to make things 10x more difficult, we had to book it to the airport. Keeping up with Doc, dodging pot holes and sleeping policemen, avoiding drunks walking into the road sure made for a challenging drive. However we arrived in plenty of time. All bags got checked and Doc sang his version of a sea shanty "Leave Her Johnny, Leave Her!" The kids were touched though some of them were nervous about missing the plane.  While on the plane, I handed out the essays. Just a reminder to the kids that though this trip was fun, it was still a class. Let them know that the journals and their essays were do a week after we got back to school.

In Houston, customs took 2 hours but at least we were in the same terminal as our connecting flight. Unfortunately we were unable to pick up some food before boarding so there were some hungry students on the plane. It's always nice to hear "Welcome Home." We arrived in Boston on time and sang the last verse of "Leave Her Johnny, Leave Her!" before heading out to baggage and the waiting parents.

The journey may have ended but the experience of the journey lives on. Wrap-up dinners, FaceBook group, college essays were just a few items that came about from the trip. One chaperon was able to share his experience in a graduate course since the topic was the on the Mayans and how they invented the number "0". Another chaperon made the pineapple upside down cake from a recipe given to her from the cook at IZE. Younger high school students are already looking forward to the trip planned for their senior year. The excitement and experience of this trip lives on in the lives of these students. It was an amazing trip and the students were outstanding. This is an experience that will live on in me also.

Tikal National Park...Day 8

 Today we spent the morning walking around Tikal National Park. Before heading out, we ate breakfast. I ordered French Toast and due to extremely slow service most of us didn't eat until 8 am. We met our guide, Rony, at the main building which has a replica of the national park. Rony gave some background information on the park, the Mayans, and what we would be doing for the morning.

During the day we stopped at several temples for the students to climb. It was nice to see some changes done to the park since my last visit. Instead of insane stairs to climb at temple IV, they had added a better stair system to get to the top. We still had some insane stairs to climb but the views from the top were worth it. The day was bearable. With some cloud coverage, it wasn't as hot until we reached the central complex then the students got to feel what it was truly like in the tropics.

After the tour, some students bought trinkets from the vendors and we all ate lunch before heading back to Rio Mopan.

 Along the road back to the border, we once again entered the Waiting Place. This time, road paving. Needless to say this was at least an hours wait while one side of the road was being paved and traffic traveled on the other side of the road. We headed back to Melchor and stopped at the Boutique Antiqua and got to meet the entire Hernedez family. After loading up our purchases, we headed to Rio Mopan and to a very nice steak and potatoes dinner.  Last night in Guatemala. The kids headed back to their rooms to pack up their belongs and to put aside anything that they wanted to donate to the clinic.

Good Shepherd Clinic, Road to Tikal...Day 7

After on last stroll around Jaguar Creek, we packed up the vans and headed to the Good Shepherd Clinic to see Margret Wann. While we drove the miles to the clinic the topic of conversation in the van lead to faith and God. When we arrived at the clinic the other van was having the same type of conversation. Margret showed the kids around the clinic. Her clinic focuses on woman's health but also treats others from the surrounding area. They have doctors that come and to do surgery. Margret spoke to the kids about being a servant. She stated, "No matter what you do, give 2005 of yourself. You will be tired but you'll be able to say you lived a full life!" After this moving talk, we were treated to lunch before heading to the border.

 It took awhile at the border. Leaving Belize wasn't so much of an issue but entering Guatemala was. First there was no one present to stamp the passports, then the man filing the information on the vans only did one van and had to do another one when we thought we were ready to go, then we had to pay an illegal fee to cross the river. Needless to say this was the point of the trip where the kids stated they could have done with out. We started using the term "Waiting Place." This was just one of the "Waiting Places" we would experience while in Guatemala.

We took a brief stop at Rio Mopan to leave a lot of the bags since we were only staying in Tikal for a night. Marcus was out in the bush leading a team so his wife took care of every thing. After rio Mopan, we stopped at Boutique Antiqua, owned by the Hernedez family. This would give students a chance to see what textile items they could purchase so that they wouldn't spend a lot while in the park.

The road in Guatemala heading to Tikal is always an adventure. Some improvements were being made, like paving the road, but we still had to bob and weave to avoid massive pot holes, sleeping policemen, etc.  Eventually we made it to Tikal National Park. Along the park road, we stopped to look a different type of wildlife or to take interesting road crossing signs that you wouldn't see in America.

Once in the park, we headed to the Jaguar Inn where we would be staying for the night. Here we would have our meals, being able to pick from a menu was a nice change, and in the morning pick up our guide to the park. Doc and I worked on a little project before calling it a night.

Footprint Cave...Day 6

 At some point in the night, I was awaken by a few students because there was a nasty scorpion in the bathroom. Normally I would have tried to get it out without killing it but needless to say this scorpion was looking for a fight and was the size of my shoe, so I killed it, asked the girls if there was anything else they needed, and headed back to bed. Early morning wake up call was the sound of Howler Monkeys in the trees along with some other nocturnal animal dropping nuts on the roof of the dorm. Since I was up, I decided to take my morning stroll around the compound and enjoy the sounds of the rainforest.

 After breakfast, we headed over to Ian Anderson's for our cave adventure. After filling out paperwork, we loaded up the buses and headed out to Footprint Cave. Since there is a lot of karst topography in the area, caves are predominate and cave exploring is a favorite past time.

 Each student would be tubing into the cave. Since we had such a large group, one group would start at the beginning while another group would go further back into the cave and then work their way forward. Lunch would be served in the cave and all students would then drift out of the cave on the current.

Before heading back to the buses, those students, and chaperons, who were adventurous went cliff diving. Of course the local guides climbed trees and jumped from higher heights. I had to tell students that they could only jump from the cliff and not some place higher as they wanted to.

After dinner, there was a hot sauce eating contest. Only a few brave souls decided to participate. The contest sure had the rest of us laughing at the agony and pain the contestants but all survived after eating a few left-over biscuits. 

Jaguar Creek...Day 5

 Up early and headed inland to Jaguar Creek. Here we would be able to stay put for a few days. One the way out of the Mayan Village, we stopped at the Mayan Women's Gift Shop. The ladies of the village have their crafts for sale. These handmade items include carved slate from the river, jewelry, hand-weaved baskets, and other items. Riding shot gun with me was the chaperon who had the tarantula jump at him. On the way out of the village, he stated that "I want what they (the villagers) have." This started a discussion in my van and most of the kids stated that the villagers put family first and are happy even though they don't have the gadgets we do. Some of the kids even stated that they felt like going home and getting rid of half of their items because they have more than enough. If this is all that the students picked up while on this trip, it's enough.

We arrived at Jaguar Creek ahead of schedule so we headed into Belmopan for lunch and a dip at the Blue Hole. While at the Blue Hole, students washed some laundry, explored the cave, or just relaxed in the refreshingly cool water.  Once back at Jaguar Creek, the students were given their room assignments and spent time walking around the facility until class started.

After class, we headed over to Ian Anderson's Adventure Lodge. While on our night walk, we spotted the  Fer-de-Lance snake. This snake is the most poisonous snake in the Western Hemisphere. It was curled up on a leaf blending in very well. Luckily none of the students stepped on it while they were exploring road.

 A few Mexican toads and other frogs were seen and another poisonous snake, the hognosed pit viper, was seen slithering across the road. Students hung out in the lodge playing games or headed to their rooms for a shower or some much needed sleep.

Man-of-War Caye and Mayan Village-Day 4

Morning started out as it had every morning so far, peaceful and beautiful. We headed back to the mainland to make our way to the Mayan Village. Students packed up their gear and took one last tour around the island.

 One thing the students did was to decorate a coconut to leave behind for future groups to see. All along the main area were coconuts decorated by high school and college students. After everyone signed the coconut we took a few group shots before loading up the boat to head back across the lagoon.

 On the way we stopped at Man-of-War Caye. This caye is the home of many Man-of-War birds, also known as the the Magnificent Frigate birds. The males have a red pouch underneath their beak and fill it up with air during mating season. All over the caye were these red pouches. Also on this caye are nests for the Brown Boobie birds.

 After reaching the mainland, the students headed into the Pelican Beach Resort gift shop to purchase some items while the luggage was being loaded back into the vans. After goodbyes were said, we headed out to the Mayan Village. Along the way we stopped at an orange groove, owned by the owner of IZE, to pick some very ripe oranges. This was a comical adventure for some of the students but it was worth it. The oranges you buy in the grocery store taste NOTHING like the oranges we picked.

A long dusty ride had us winding our way to the Mayan Village at the Base of Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve. Here the students visited the primary school and split into groups to learn how to make tortillas by two Mayan ladies, Thomasa Pope and Dominica Ical.

 While at the primary school, they sang songs to the classes they visited. The songs sang were B-I-N-G-O and the Star Spangle Banner. The Mayan children sang to the students the National Anthem of Belize. At recess, the kids played either duck-duck-goose or soccer. After saying goodbye, the high schoolers headed to their tortilla lesson.

Making tortillas isn't easy. First the maize is soaked in lime water to soften the seed. After that, the maize is pasted through a grinder several times until it is ready to be formed into a round tortilla. The tortilla is cooked over an open fire on a rounded piece of metal. Using just their fingers, they flip the tortilla to brown it on both sides. I can definitely say that if we had to rely on making tortillas for dinner, most of us would have gone hungry that night since it is a skill that isn't easily picked up.

We headed back to Aurora's for dinner and an evening talk by a scientist that is doing work on the migratory patterns of the Scarlet Macaw. While we were enjoying the talk, a scorpion made its way into the dinner area. It didn't last long. As the students were winding down for the night, several of them came across a tarantula. I pointed out to the students early in the day the holes in the ground where the tarantulas hide and stated that they'll probably be out later on at night. One of the chaperons was excited and wanted to see a tarantula. When it was spotted, one of the students dropped a leaf in front of the spider and the spider, thinking it was something to eat, jumped. Of course both the student and the chaperon nearly had a heart attack. When I mentioned to the chaperon that he wanted to see a tarantula, he stated he wanted to see one, not have it jump 2 feet in the air!

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