Independence Day Parade

Belize won independence from England in 1981.  September 21 marked Belize's 30th birthday.  Every year there are almost a week's worth of festivities to celebrate this freedom.  My favorite is the school parade.  All of the schools in Orange Walk, dress in uniform and carry flags, decorate a float, select a handful of students to be dancers, play rythmic music on drums, and march around the town.  Here is a glimpse of our students getting ready and marching in the parade.

Yelitza braided Sulmi's hair.

Miss Mesh (The new deaf classroom teacher)  put make-up on the girls. 

Elizanie and Sulmi are all dolled up and ready to dance in the parade.

Jaheed will play the drum.

Cute!

The children from St. Peter's were dressed in their school uniforms and marched in front of the school float.

An "artsy shot" for Mateo.
This is the first year I watched the parade instead of walking in it.   Angelica and I were on the second floor balcony of one of the stores in town.  From up above as we looked down we saw a sea of umbrellas.  Although there was a sprinkle of rain for a short time,  people used the umbrellas to block the hot sun. 

The St Peter's Anglican School float .

Our dancers walked behind the float. They had to dance and walk about a half mile.  You can see Elizanie, Sulmi and Kristel in the middle of the pack.   The other dancers are from our Special Ed. classes.