San Ignacio, Belize

It’s hard to put into words how incredibly light one’s spirit feels when helping others. I think it may have to do with the fact that whatever we give, we receive...so giving love and patience and kindness brings all of that right back in a swirly haze of lightness, hitting us right in the core of our spiritual foundation, throwing us a bit off balance in a wonderful kind of way.

My first day at Cornerstone was this kind of day. Last night, after a round of games and laughter with my four other housemates, I slept hard and deep while my inner thermometer tried to regulate my internal body temperature with the external blistering heat. I awoke to roosters crowing, trucks zooming by, and the sound of life on the streets. These first two weeks, we’re meant to sit back, take it all in, watch, listen, and decide how we want to make a difference. But in the meantime, there are things to jump on board with - such as the feeding program.

This foundation cooks for and delivers hot lunches to approximately 91 school children in the town and about 10 elders in the community. Today, we got to be a part of that small miracle. We helped load the rice and beans, potato salad, and chicken into containers, loaded the back of the pick-up truck, and set off. At Santa Elena school, we handed out the lunches to the flock of children in green and yellow jumpers, feeling a bit like caged animals, backed against the wall in the face of hungry kids. They were the loveliest kids - shy and belligerent, grateful and demanding, satisfied and still hungry, and playful and thrilled to see new faces. I get the sense that being a gringo baring food in front of 30+ kids is a lot like being rockstars at a concert. We went on to deliver the food to the elders, had a nice tour of the town, and then came back to the Foundation to sit in front of fans and in the hammock. Later this afternoon we’ll join the Women’s Group to participate in a presentation about AIDS and offer support and answer questions. There really is no limit to how one can make a connection here.

I feel incredibly lucky to be here - the people are brilliant, the opportunities are endless, and there’s nothing like seeing a new part of the world for the first time. There are five of us in the house - two girls in their young 20’s from San Francisco who know each other, Beth and Sarah, and Mario, also from the Bay area, by Berkeley, in addition to Helen and I. Mario’s gig is at the local hospital, Beth is in a special needs classroom at the local school (where we dropped off lunch), and Sarah is working with AIDS outreach. I’ve heard that there’s a women’s shelter in town, Mary Open Doors, that deals with domestic violence and that the children at this shelter are in need of counseling. My resume seems destined for this possibility, but I will keep my options open this week and see where I fit best. The Universe puts all kinds of marvelous things in our path if we’re willing to take a leap...so I trust that no matter where I end up offering my services, I will indeed be making a difference in this world.