“She just caught the spirit.” –Me (attempting to settle the Infant II class)
“You mean like a scorpion?” –Abraham (Infant II)
The Spirit takes hold of Silver Creek:
This past week has been one of my most interesting. Besides the head of the entire Belize Library System just 'stopping by' to talk to me, and Greg redoing his library... a student at my school became possessed. I broke it into phases, I don't really know what to think of all this so I mainly will just state what I saw. The quotes that begin each phase were from staff or religious leaders, here goes...
“She was in a trance…it seemed churchy.” Phase one:
There’s no such thing as a ‘normal’ day in the Peace Corps, for a case study let’s look at my Wednesday. After our morning break, while I was happily checking writing notebooks from my model lesson, I became aware of a crying noise. Around this time an older ketchi lady walked by, I bid her good morning and she cheerfully responded. I was now intently listening. The upper division was across the street at mass, and I thought perhaps one of the infants got hurt. As I was postulating the source of the noise it started to change to loud wailing, at which time the lady walked back by my room. I scrambled up and located the source…the Standard III & IV room. What I saw inside no Peace Corps panel could have prepared me for. Inside were three girls and one boy. Two girls surrounded the third who was seated and screaming, eyes closed, and swaying back and forth. The girl in front of her was jumping and praying in Ketchi while the boy lay slumped on a desk crying. I felt my mouth swing open; I couldn’t help but stand, unblinking, at the situation unfolding before my eyes.
“You no feel fraid?” Phase two:
I backed out of the room just as the Infant II teacher came towards me asking what was going on. I literally had no words for what was going on so I just did the lip point towards the room with a shrug. As soon as she got close enough to see, she grabbed my arm and nearly pushed me down in her effort to get away saying, “she da catch bad spirit!” We both now turned to the Std. III & IV teacher…who seems calm and collected. He explains she is praying and that the girls will try to help her. Just let them work it out. By now the screaming had really gone up and Mr. Baltazar ran over from the church followed closely by most of the village. There was now quiet a crowd around each door and the windows to the room. All the remaining teachers and women of the surrounding houses were there (even the young men who were not at work came over). The pastor of the girl’s church was called. The women of the village asked me to tell the principal to have them move to the church. I pleaded their case but, not wanting to make the pastor drag the girls, he said to just leave them be. The pastor and the girl’s parent said they needed to close up the room. Both doors and all the windows were shut as loud praying from the men blended with the screaming and crying of all three girls.
“God uses some people to call out other’s faults.” Phase 3:
The crowd moves off the school property and onto anyones' yard with a view of the school. I talked with one of the preschool moms for a while and she told me this is exactly what happened at Greg’s school a few years ago. A bad spirit moved into that school and lots of children started getting ‘sick’ throwing desks and striping off their clothes and running to the creeks. It got so bad eventually the teachers closed the school and they had to pray at the school for days until the bad spirit went away. I kept on looking around in disbelief. Was this seriously happening? Finally, since everyone left the porch, I walked back to the computer room to attempt some work. When I looked up across the street there was a large crowd just staring at the school…I picked up some exercise books and walked past the shuttered room to Ms. Delphine’s . I stayed there until the pastor came out…he then explained to us that God was speaking through her and telling the faults of the people around her (mainly that they are not in the right church and are sinning) and that he didn’t want to ‘call anyone out’ but that God uses people to help others see their wrongs. He leaves with the now exhausted girl, leaving several children quietly crying and a very stunned Kevina. Around this time mass finished and the students came spilling out. I will stop my tale here. As I am laying in my hammock typing this very story I can hear church music playing as I still ponder the strange events of the day.
“You mean like a scorpion?” –Abraham (Infant II)
The Spirit takes hold of Silver Creek:
This past week has been one of my most interesting. Besides the head of the entire Belize Library System just 'stopping by' to talk to me, and Greg redoing his library... a student at my school became possessed. I broke it into phases, I don't really know what to think of all this so I mainly will just state what I saw. The quotes that begin each phase were from staff or religious leaders, here goes...
“She was in a trance…it seemed churchy.” Phase one:
There’s no such thing as a ‘normal’ day in the Peace Corps, for a case study let’s look at my Wednesday. After our morning break, while I was happily checking writing notebooks from my model lesson, I became aware of a crying noise. Around this time an older ketchi lady walked by, I bid her good morning and she cheerfully responded. I was now intently listening. The upper division was across the street at mass, and I thought perhaps one of the infants got hurt. As I was postulating the source of the noise it started to change to loud wailing, at which time the lady walked back by my room. I scrambled up and located the source…the Standard III & IV room. What I saw inside no Peace Corps panel could have prepared me for. Inside were three girls and one boy. Two girls surrounded the third who was seated and screaming, eyes closed, and swaying back and forth. The girl in front of her was jumping and praying in Ketchi while the boy lay slumped on a desk crying. I felt my mouth swing open; I couldn’t help but stand, unblinking, at the situation unfolding before my eyes.
“You no feel fraid?” Phase two:
I backed out of the room just as the Infant II teacher came towards me asking what was going on. I literally had no words for what was going on so I just did the lip point towards the room with a shrug. As soon as she got close enough to see, she grabbed my arm and nearly pushed me down in her effort to get away saying, “she da catch bad spirit!” We both now turned to the Std. III & IV teacher…who seems calm and collected. He explains she is praying and that the girls will try to help her. Just let them work it out. By now the screaming had really gone up and Mr. Baltazar ran over from the church followed closely by most of the village. There was now quiet a crowd around each door and the windows to the room. All the remaining teachers and women of the surrounding houses were there (even the young men who were not at work came over). The pastor of the girl’s church was called. The women of the village asked me to tell the principal to have them move to the church. I pleaded their case but, not wanting to make the pastor drag the girls, he said to just leave them be. The pastor and the girl’s parent said they needed to close up the room. Both doors and all the windows were shut as loud praying from the men blended with the screaming and crying of all three girls.
“God uses some people to call out other’s faults.” Phase 3:
The crowd moves off the school property and onto anyones' yard with a view of the school. I talked with one of the preschool moms for a while and she told me this is exactly what happened at Greg’s school a few years ago. A bad spirit moved into that school and lots of children started getting ‘sick’ throwing desks and striping off their clothes and running to the creeks. It got so bad eventually the teachers closed the school and they had to pray at the school for days until the bad spirit went away. I kept on looking around in disbelief. Was this seriously happening? Finally, since everyone left the porch, I walked back to the computer room to attempt some work. When I looked up across the street there was a large crowd just staring at the school…I picked up some exercise books and walked past the shuttered room to Ms. Delphine’s . I stayed there until the pastor came out…he then explained to us that God was speaking through her and telling the faults of the people around her (mainly that they are not in the right church and are sinning) and that he didn’t want to ‘call anyone out’ but that God uses people to help others see their wrongs. He leaves with the now exhausted girl, leaving several children quietly crying and a very stunned Kevina. Around this time mass finished and the students came spilling out. I will stop my tale here. As I am laying in my hammock typing this very story I can hear church music playing as I still ponder the strange events of the day.
Update: The parents of two children involved have come to the school asking for them to be allowed to drop out (at 12 and 13 years old). Mr. Baltazar is trying to convince them to come back to school.
There was a prayer service in the classroom and a parent meeting to discuss the events. We will see what happens...so far no other students have 'caught the spirit.'
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