At the early hour of 6 o’clock, we woke up to finish our lasts bits of packing. After we had loaded the bus with our duffles, we ate breakfast in the Clarissa Falls kitchen for the last time. As we dined on French toast, eggs, juice, and fresh fruit, we all prepared ourselves for the exciting journey ahead. Around 7:30 am, we boarded our bus to drive to the town of Dangriga on the coast of Belize. The trip leaders made a special surprise stop along the road at the Marie Scharpp’s Hot Sauce factory. We were given the chance to buy spicy sauces and sweet spreads for our friends and family members. After our quick purchases, we continued towards the Caribbean Sea. Shortly after our arrival in Dangriga, we hefted our heavy luggage from the bus and onto the two boats taking us to Tobacco Caye and said goodbye to our bus driver. While some of us were getting drenched in sea water on the back of the boat, others had the pleasure of a front row view of paradise.
Once we arrived on the small, 5-acre island of Tobacco Caye, we were met by the owner of the hotel at which we are staying for the next two nights. He gave us a tour of the island and pointed out a tree in what is thought to be the center of the island. From there, we were able to see the Caribbean Sea in every direction. After our tour, the trip leaders gathered all of us into a room and began to explain the rules for a scavenger hunt which they were gracious enough to set up for us. We were split up into five groups of four and given six clues, one at a time. The clues consisted of taking a picture of a coconut tree, a red boat, a local storefront, and many other things around the island. we were also given tasks such as drawing a map of the island, find an interesting fact about the island, and take an ‘artsy’ picture with our group. After our scavenger hunt, we headed towards the Tobacco Caye Marine Station classroom. The station manager, named James, gave us an orientation on snorkeling and proceeded to show us how to put together our ‘kit’ (flippers, mask, life vest). Once we were ‘kitted up,’ we headed towards the dock. Once at the dock, we paired up, slipped on our flippers and masks, and hopped into the water. After a quick lesson on how to empty a flooded mask and snorkel, we began our snorkel adventure. Along the way, we saw a vast array beautiful coral colorful fish. At first, the fish were skittish and swam away from us, but they soon became curious and came towards us. It was incredible to see a new world and completely different environment from the one we know. Soon after our orientation snorkel, it was time for dinner. We made our way over to the dining hall where we were given beans, rice, meatballs, salad, and cornbread. The food was so good we all came back for seconds. Once we had finished eating, we headed to our cabins and played some volleyball during the free time we were given after dinner. Unfortunately, it was a little too dark to see the ball, which resulted in a less-than-perfect game of messing around. As we reconvened at the Marine Station, we watched a presentation on the night snorkel which we were about to embark upon. We learned about the marine life we might see, the possible dangers of our journey, and the route which we would take later on in the evening. As the presentation came to a close, we grabbed our kits, split into three groups, and the first of the three headed off. On the snorkel, we saw animals like lobster, puffer fish (group two even saw a huge one), crabs, octopus, moray eels, water snakes, sea urchins, anemones, and many others. At one point in our journey, we stopped and turned off our flashlights in order to see some bioluminescence. We put our faces in the dark water, and kicked our fins gently to see the display that is commonly used by different types of animals as a defense mechanism. Making our way back to the dock, we were quite tired from all the fun activities from earlier that day. Once everyone had the opportunity to go on the night snorkel, we met up on one of the docks for our first ANCHOR in Tobacco Caye. Returning from the long day of travel and snorkeling, we went straight to bed to rest up for the next day of fun activities.
0 Comments
Hello,
Today we had a refreshing start to our day at 7:30 with delicious egg and green beans with tortillas. Similar to yesterday, we got into our work clothes to work at the Howard Smith Nazarene School. We once again picked up from where we finished from yesterday and also played with the kids. Coming here, we did not expect to have as much fun as we did today for the community project. Being able to work with students in a completely different school community was definitely eye widening for all of us. Learning new games, teaching the students, and helping build the volleyball court are all things we will never forget. In the end, we all had to say goodbye to the students which was a difficult thing to do as some of us made some good friends. After saying our final goodbyes, we got back to Clarissa Falls to our favorite meal, Chicken Tostadas. Eating the delicious meal was an excellent transition to our homestay activity. After getting into our groups, we were assigned to a family where we were able to have a deeper cultural immersion into Belize’s different communities. Being able to spend an afternoon with a Belizean family where we were able to eat mangos and Belizean snacks, and drink coconut water which was definitely a new experience for many of us. After about three hours, we all came back together as a group and, once again, went back to Clarissa Falls. There, we started to clean up our rooms in preparation of our departure to Tobacco Caye in the morning. Knowing that this would be our last night here was difficult but our amazing dinner and bonfire made up for all of it. In our bonfire, we had an amazing time together eating delicious s’mores. Overall, today was an amazing day and we will always have it in our memories. Thank you, Brandon, Alex, Davin, Harry The group woke up and ate breakfast at 7:30. After finishing our delicious meal of biscuits and sausage, we headed over to Howard Smith Nazarene School. At the school, we picked up where we left off with the community project building the basketball court. The basketball court was a great way to give back to them for letting us come into their school and experience the differences and similarities of their education in Belize versus California. We also taught a class of kids while the teacher went to get something. They were learning about time and practicing where the numbers are on a clock by drawing pictures. When playing with the kids they made us feel appreciated. They made us feel this way by telling us they love us, that we are their best friends, etc. A fun game that they taught us to play was “Little Sally Walker”. This game is where one person walks around in the middle of the circle while the others sing a tune. When the tune is done the person in the center stops and dances with the person in front of them and switches positions. After a fun time with the kids we went back to Clarissa Falls for lunch. YAY!!!!!! TACOS!!! Right after our delicious lunch we went to our meeting spot to play some team games where the mosquitos battled the jaguars on an epic “back-tionary” battle.This is a team building game where the two teams stand is two lines and the people at the back of the line get told a word, then they draw their interpretation of the word on the person in front of theirs back(Jaguars won). We then did a Mayan Local Leadership Challenge, where we had a chance to experience different activities performed by local Belizean people. We painted, did laundry (learned to wash our dirty socks!), built kites, made tortillas, danced and got Belizean tattoos. It was a nice way to see what life is like here and some of the things people here have to face. We then had a dinner of beef and mashed potatoes, with bread rolls and fresh lemonade. At anchor it was interesting to learn more about our peers and listen to leadership stories that were a little more personal. Everyone who shared was a good speaker and encouraged others to feel more open. Overall, today was an eye opening experience and we are very grateful to have been a part of it.
We’ll be back before you know it; so just relax. ;) From the leaders of the day: Grace, Charlotte, Ally Greetings from Belize,
Today, we woke up at 7:30 and had breakfast. Some of us woke up earlier as it was a very cold night. Today for breakfast, we had a spread of eggs with salsa, banana bread, and papaya juice to compliment. After breakfast, we packed our daypacks and headed to the ancient Mayan city of Xunantunich. There, we met with a guide and walked a mile up at steep and tiring hill. On the way up, we saw bats and howler monkeys screaming their obnoxious screams. When we got to the city, we were met with a breathtaking sight of the Mayan City temple and main plaza. After a little background info, we began the steep climb up the pyramid. The stairs were slippery and the climb was very steep. The fatigue was immediately swept under the carpet after witnessing the outstanding view from the top. There, you could see to Guatemala and look on for miles and miles on end. The wind at the top was very refreshing and made us all feel great again. After the pyramid, e went on to look at the other various buildings in the plaza. At some point, our guide pointed out a termite nest and invited us to try them. They tasted minty and nutty. After a quick journal sesh (for the boys), we headed back down the mountain and got back in our bus to go to lunch. After a scrumptious lunch of chicken quesadillas and delicious pineapple orange juice, we headed off to a iguana sanctuary at a local hotel in San Ignacio. We went on a hike in the forest to spot a couple of iguanas and then went to the iguana preserve where there were fourteen iguanas. We were able to hold and touch the iguanas. We then headed up to the bus where we were driven to the ice cream shoppe in San Ignacio. We then shared our leadership stories in small groups and then were able to walk around and shop with our friends in the town. After a while, we were driven back to our resort where we were given a bit of free time. We had a delicious dinner of meatballs, beans and rice, plantains, and potato salad. Today was an extreme success. With Mr. Davanzo’s playful attitude at the mayan ruins and the nice journal sesh(for the boys) that we had it made it one of the best days. It was good as us for leaders of the day to see what it was like to stand up and lead activities. It gave us good insight into how annoying we can be at times. Even as I’m writing this you can hear the joy that everyone is feeling on this trip. It’s been a great experience for all the students and the teachers. I hope the this blog can give you insight into our experience here in Belize. Sincerely, Aiden, Harris, and Timi Hola a todos,
Today we had a nice, refreshing wakeup call from our friends the roosters at 6:00. Then we headed to the dining area for a delicious breakfast provided by Chena. We were very grateful for the the warm welcome and kindness of the hotel staff. After breakfast, we got on a bus and headed to the Cave Branch River. We were greeted by some guides who helped lead us on a hike, through the jungle trail leading to the starting river spot. Our guide shared a lot of interesting things about the landscape on the way. For example, we learned that the sap from cashews is actually poisonous, so the farmers have to wear masks and gloves in order to collect them. Also, we saw a termite nest on the way up, and learned that if you eat termites, they taste like mint and it’s great protein. Next, we passed a large leaf-cutter ant nest, and learned that there is more of a variety of types of ants in Belize and they were used to heal large wounds. The ants pinchers would close around a wound to act as stitches. Additionally, the guide shared that mahogany wood is one of the most used woods in Belize. It is very durable and it is the national tree of Belize. Once we got to the starting point on the river, we were able to swim while our guides prepared our inner tubes for the trip. The water was so clear and beautiful! It was surprisingly warm compared to the water back home. Then, we were separated into groups of seven, each led by a guide. We got to explore Mayan caves, and used the lights on our helmets to see bats, crystals stalactites, and fish swimming in the water. We tubed all the way down the river, and back to the starting point. Next, we took the bus back to the hotel and had another delicious meal at 2:00. After lunch, we attempted to lead a team activity. We had a hard time, but we learned how hard it is to lead a group of students, and we learned that we should have practiced between ourselves before sharing it with the group. Afterwards, we talked about what it means to be a leader and started talking about our leadership stories. These are self-reflective stories about an experience, core value, or goal that you have, that had an impact on how you live your life. We were fortunate enough to hear Ms. Edwards talk about her leadership story, and start thinking about writing ours. Finally, we had dinner, had some free time to play games, and went to bed. Hasta mañana, From your leaders of the day; Lucy Scott, Panayiota Preovolos, and Julia Reed Greeting from Belize,
Our first stop of the day was Howard Smith Nazarene School in Benque, Belize. Our group split up and half of us helped build a new basketball court. The other half of the group, visited the classrooms and got the opportunity to teach and collaborate with the elementary students. After the students had a snack break full of duck duck goose, wrestling Mr. D’Avanzo, soccer, and volleyball, the groups switched. After a fun day at the school, we went back to the lodge and had delicious tostadas and tamarind juice. Then we headed to San Ignacio and did a scavenger hunt to get familiar with the city. During the scavenger we got to split into small groups and explore the town. When we got back to the lodge we had dinner and our nightly meeting known as ANCHOR (appreciations, news, concerns, highlights, obscurities, and readings) to reflect on the day we had experienced. While at the school, we noticed that the kids were very welcoming and happy for us to be there. We realized how fortunate we are to live in the conditions we are used to at home. Even though the students didn’t have as good of a living situation, they were warm and welcoming when we visited. They did not hesitate to give us hugs, socialize with us, or ask us questions. People were nervous at first but when we arrived at the school the smiles and waves made us feel welcomed. We didn’t want to leave our new friends and we our extremely excited to see them on Monday. We learned a lot at the school but we also learned a lot in town from walking around. We learned how to navigate without our phones and use our sense of direction. In our small groups we learned quickly that we each had to play an important role in figuring out where we were. We also got to test out our spanish speaking skills and communicate with the locals of the town without help from adults. Asking the locals helped us get to places a lot faster and it was really interesting to see the conditions that the locals were living in. We have learned a lot on our first day of travels. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring. Love, Team Belize 2k19. Written by the Leaders of the day: Audrey, Emily, Kamlesh, and Bear Quote of the day: “I cannot change the wind, I can only adjust my sails” |