That Sunday June 12th we went to Mass at my parish St. Agnes in Catonsville. I think it was a great opportunity for them to experience the universality of the Catholic Church in that everywhere there is a Catholic Church there is the same Mass with the same readings as in Benque Viejo del Carmen. This helped them feel at home even away from home. We then got ready for the Orioles Major League Baseball game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. My dad and I escorted all seven guys to the Orioles game where they each received a free orange O’s hat. They were excited to be able to experience a professional baseball game. Even though
the O’s lost that game, they had a great time in the baseball atmosphere with the huge stadium, with the chants, the cheers, the wave, and even a homerun. In a short amount of time, these Belizeans had become Orioles fans. When the game had finished, we headed down past Ravens stadium where they each made sure to touch the foot of the bronze statue of Johnny Unitas. We then made our way to my sister’s house for dinner. There my sister Alison, her husband Pete, my nephews Michael and Matthew, my Aunt Patricia, my Uncle Mike, and my cousins Amanda and Jayne eagerly awaited meeting the Belizean boys. We had a cookout with games. In the backyard alley, the boys held a relay race for fun, where they each ran barefoot showcasing their amazing speed. They were all beginning to bond with different members of my family, but one particular bond warmed my heart: Rolfy and my two year old nephew Matthew. There was a special connection between the two, perhaps it was that Rolfy could det
ect the mischievousness in Matthew or perhaps that Matthew could detect the mischievousness in Rolfy, whatever the case, these two hit it off. They chased each other and teased each other. It was something to behold. We played a game of Guesstures or charades, which was a blast, but when it was time to go the boys were not ready to go home to sleep. So I took them to downtown Baltimore to be enchanted by the lights of Baltimore at night reflecting upon the waters of the Inner Harbor. I marched them up Federal Hill urging them not to look back until we had reached the top of the hill. When they finished climbing the steps, they turned right and then they lifted up their heads to be awed by the lights of an American city shimmering in the distance. This was the place that so many of my nights in high school were spent, now I was able to share those moments with my own students in a much more personal way. In my heart I knew that I was creating for myself and for them new memories that would be forever remembered.
the O’s lost that game, they had a great time in the baseball atmosphere with the huge stadium, with the chants, the cheers, the wave, and even a homerun. In a short amount of time, these Belizeans had become Orioles fans. When the game had finished, we headed down past Ravens stadium where they each made sure to touch the foot of the bronze statue of Johnny Unitas. We then made our way to my sister’s house for dinner. There my sister Alison, her husband Pete, my nephews Michael and Matthew, my Aunt Patricia, my Uncle Mike, and my cousins Amanda and Jayne eagerly awaited meeting the Belizean boys. We had a cookout with games. In the backyard alley, the boys held a relay race for fun, where they each ran barefoot showcasing their amazing speed. They were all beginning to bond with different members of my family, but one particular bond warmed my heart: Rolfy and my two year old nephew Matthew. There was a special connection between the two, perhaps it was that Rolfy could det
ect the mischievousness in Matthew or perhaps that Matthew could detect the mischievousness in Rolfy, whatever the case, these two hit it off. They chased each other and teased each other. It was something to behold. We played a game of Guesstures or charades, which was a blast, but when it was time to go the boys were not ready to go home to sleep. So I took them to downtown Baltimore to be enchanted by the lights of Baltimore at night reflecting upon the waters of the Inner Harbor. I marched them up Federal Hill urging them not to look back until we had reached the top of the hill. When they finished climbing the steps, they turned right and then they lifted up their heads to be awed by the lights of an American city shimmering in the distance. This was the place that so many of my nights in high school were spent, now I was able to share those moments with my own students in a much more personal way. In my heart I knew that I was creating for myself and for them new memories that would be forever remembered.
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