the strike continues...

(click on the above link to read news about Belize)

Mexico was great, but on the bus ride home we discovered that the teachers in Belize were continuing the strike through Monday. All the utilities are working, but the teacher's unions are holding out until the Prime Minister gives in to (what will probably only be some of) their demands. It's Tuesday, the classrooms in Benque are empty and Mr. Tim told the students who showed up to school today that Mount Carmel won't open until this is resolved. This is turning into an interesting lesson in Belizean politics, I have a much deeper appreciation for all the checks and balances in the United States government-- still not an infallible system but far less vulnerable to corruption than the Constitutional Monarchy that the Belizians are struggling with. I guess this is how developing countries iron out their wrinkles. People get frustrated and protest, and then the government has to give in. What remains to be seen is who will emmerge victorious- the leaders or the people. What I find to be disheartening is in the midst of all this, the kids aren't getting any smarter sitting at home and it's education that's going to help this country in the long run. As I walked through Benque this morning and saw all the kids playing in the streets and the classrooms closed down, the town seemed so depressed. When you're tripping down pot-holed filled roads, dodging stray dogs and walking by houses without indoor plumbing, things don't seem so bad if there's a classroom full of kids learning their times-tables within earshot. Seeing little girls in their skirts and pigtails and boys carrying their rulers and books cause you to think that despite the present circumstances, things can only get better if the kids are learning. It's when the classrooms stand vacant that progress in Belize seems to have come to a grinding halt.

Well, these are my thoughts on politics. Ultimately, as our fearless leader Father Dan has said, Belize needs prayers right now!