Since I last spoke with you on Thursday, a lot has happened. Well, maybe not so much, but is has been one incredible weekend. Friday, we left bright and early at 7:20 and made the bus in Belmopan for Dangriga almost right on time. The bus ride down was packed. There were at least 75 people on the bus when we pulled up to a stop and 20 more workers crowded on. Luckily we had a seat.
When we got to the bus station in Dangriga, we walked down to the water taxi. It was the exact same place we left from 2 years ago when dad and I were in Belize for our first time. The water taxi didn’t leave until 12 so we sat around at a restaurant, drank grapefruit juice and played hearts. The captain (Captain Buck) was out doing errands for the islands, picking up groceries and such. The ride out was bumpy but it was enjoyable. We were going to paradise. After one stop, we cruised out and finally made it to Tobacco Cay. When we made it, we jumped on the hammock and lost track of time. Our friends from the GLS program came over and we jumped in the water. Swimming around we didn’t see much but the water was spectacular. Later, we went snorkeling right off of the south dock. There was some beautiful coral and some great fish.
The rest of the day was just spent relaxing and playing cards. Saturday morning, we got up at 5:45 to watch the sun rise. At first I didn’t seem like there would be one, due to partial clouds on the horizon. At around 6:15 the sun peaked and rose with great speed. It was a spectacle to behold. Then, at 6:30, it was back to sleep. Breakfast was at 8 so we didn’t get much of a rest, but it was enough to sustain us for the rest of the day. Until lunch, we lazed around on the porch watching the clouds go by and reading. After lunch, we went snorkeling again at the same spot. This time, Jessica got carried away with her camera and got into the area where the waves started crashing at a spit of land that was part of the barrier reef. It wasn’t too dangerous, but she got spooked, so we decided to get out of the water. The rest of the group joined us later and those who had rented snorkel gear returned them. While they were doing that, I went looking for a volleyball, which got the interest of many people. When we finally found it, we had two full teams ready to play. It was Jess, Ali, Terra, Shannon and I and then 6 Belizeans ranging from our age to the mid 40s or 50s. We asked if they played much and they told us no. As soon as we had warmed up, though, the ball started flying. Lloyd and his brothers Greg (older) and Noble (younger) were killing the ball. One spike Lloyd hit at one of the older men and it smacked him in the head and bounced 20 feet in the air! It was intense, but all in good nature. That was probably the highlight of the weekend, because we made friends almost instantly. These men we had met earlier, but in the game, we really bonded.
Next, a swim was in order to cool off. However, we found a ship blocking our way. It turned out to be run by the same company we went snorkeling with on Caye Caulker and the 2nd captain the same guy: Reynolds. It was funny seeing him again and he immediately got us a rum punch. Apparently he was friends with Lloyd and so we all got to talking. It is funny how small a country Belize is, and how nice everyone is. It is exciting to see old friends and make new ones all over the place. When we left, Noble told us to come back every free weekend we had. Next time I will probably go fishing with them. Reynolds is coming to Cayo soon so hopefully I will see him here at Faya Wata.
That night, we got to hang out with Lloyd some more and watched him and Greg play the Garifuna drums. I remember, two years ago, when dad and I watched the islanders play the drums and I wondered if they were the same people as last time. The one thing I wish I could have done was kayake over to Tobacco Caye Range and seen the campsite again. There were some good memories playing cribbage there.
The next morning we got up for the last sunset. It wasn’t that great because the clouds hid the sun at as it broke the horizon, but it was still pretty. After breakfast Jess and I went for a quick swim to top off the trip. The water taxi made it to Dangriga via the Bird Island, where hundreds of ocean birds nested. There were so many that you could see them as a dark cloud hovering over the island from a mile away. After getting to Dangriga, we enjoyed a nice comfortable, sleep filled ride back to San Ignacio on an empty bus.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
a week in review
Alright, I might have finally made a short post. This last weekend we didn’t do anything extravagant per-se.
It all started last Thursday. Earlier in last week, one of the people on my program, Dan, suggested we have a party where we dress like other people in the group. After drawing names out of a hat at our weekly Wednesday night dinner, we exchanged clothes Thursday. The catch was that all the girls drew guy’s names and the pair had to switch clothes. My partner was Bitsy, the smallest girl in the group. She dresses and acts like a hippy so I had a pretty fun night. I wore one of Jess’s skirts around my chest to look like one of those moo moo type dresses. Then I wore a head band and that was it! It was funny standing next to Bitsy in my Fighting Quaker’s T-Shirt and baggy shorts. She looked like a mouse in my clothes.
The whole night we just danced and pretended to be the other person. Meg and Jay even came up as surprise guests! It was hilarious!
Originally this weekend, Jess and I were going to go to Tobacco Cay for Valentines Day, but we had a meeting with our service learning class group in the town we will be working at: Arizona. That was also great. Saturday morning we left the bus station at 12:30 and got to Arizona around 1:30. The bus was packed, but I stayed cool with some shaved ice (kinda like a snow cone). My group is made up of 9 people: Emily Falta, Jess H, Jess C, Logan, Shaun, Devon, Jenn, Margret, and I. When we got to the stop, we rode in the back of Andrea’s truck to make it down the dirt road. Andrea is the director of an organization called STAND and is trying to organize the creation of a community orchard in the town of Arizona. So there we all were, 9 of us, 2 of Andrea’s babies and 3 residents of Arizona, crammed in the truck! Luckily it was only a half mile drive; otherwise someone would have fallen out!
There we met a woman named Ruby. Then we got showed around the town. It was quite small and had pretty much only one road. The people lived close together and had no electricity or running water. The one place that did was the local store. The people of the town worked in fields and orchards a couple miles down the road. The orchard we proposed would have avocados and fruit beneficial to the health of the people and be easily accessible. The job will entail cutting down an area of forest by their soccer field and then planting. Also we will teach the people about Terra Pretta, a type of soil that is very fertile, made from char.
After our tour of the town, we went out to the STAND center witch was maybe 5 miles down the bumpy road. On the way we saw beautiful fields and groves of trees. When we got there, we were shown around a retreat that housed a bunch of hippies. Andrea lived there with her husband and occasionally young folks would come down and work and live on their land. They were all very environmental and have a model for the orchard we are to build. We got to have a tour of their lands and got a refresher on what type of plant life lives in the rainforest. It was beautiful land and a beautiful home. We even got to play with some cute fuzzy creatures that Andrea had adopted.
We spent the afternoon there and then took the bus back. The next day, Sunday, I made breakfast with Dan and Logan and just hung around all day. That night Bitsy’s parents took us out to dinner at Firenza’s, a pizza/Italian place. It was wonderful. After that, since they treated us, I treated Bitsy and Jess to 2 rides at the community fair! It was a good relaxing time. Bitsy nearly fell out of one though, but we are all still alive.
Tuesday night, I played basketball with one of my friends from Galen, Cody. I met up with him at a court very close by with Dan. I had played Dan back at school and knew he was good. When we got there, Cody had already been playing for a while, but we got in and played 3 straight games. It was very rewarding to get back out on the court. I hope to do it every other night from now on!
Last night was the Lunar Eclipse. The moon rose huge out of the east and around 8:30 it started to turn black. The whole process was very cool. It also prompted me to play with my camera a bit. I took some pictures of my roommate Pete’s camcorder screen. As the moon rose, I took pictures of the lights of the city. Then the Suns game was on and, as you all should know, Shaq is now on the Suns. This was his first game out and I practiced taking pictures of the TV as well.
This coming weekend Jess and I will be going to Tobacco Cay. I can’t wait to get things going!
It all started last Thursday. Earlier in last week, one of the people on my program, Dan, suggested we have a party where we dress like other people in the group. After drawing names out of a hat at our weekly Wednesday night dinner, we exchanged clothes Thursday. The catch was that all the girls drew guy’s names and the pair had to switch clothes. My partner was Bitsy, the smallest girl in the group. She dresses and acts like a hippy so I had a pretty fun night. I wore one of Jess’s skirts around my chest to look like one of those moo moo type dresses. Then I wore a head band and that was it! It was funny standing next to Bitsy in my Fighting Quaker’s T-Shirt and baggy shorts. She looked like a mouse in my clothes.
The whole night we just danced and pretended to be the other person. Meg and Jay even came up as surprise guests! It was hilarious!
Originally this weekend, Jess and I were going to go to Tobacco Cay for Valentines Day, but we had a meeting with our service learning class group in the town we will be working at: Arizona. That was also great. Saturday morning we left the bus station at 12:30 and got to Arizona around 1:30. The bus was packed, but I stayed cool with some shaved ice (kinda like a snow cone). My group is made up of 9 people: Emily Falta, Jess H, Jess C, Logan, Shaun, Devon, Jenn, Margret, and I. When we got to the stop, we rode in the back of Andrea’s truck to make it down the dirt road. Andrea is the director of an organization called STAND and is trying to organize the creation of a community orchard in the town of Arizona. So there we all were, 9 of us, 2 of Andrea’s babies and 3 residents of Arizona, crammed in the truck! Luckily it was only a half mile drive; otherwise someone would have fallen out!
There we met a woman named Ruby. Then we got showed around the town. It was quite small and had pretty much only one road. The people lived close together and had no electricity or running water. The one place that did was the local store. The people of the town worked in fields and orchards a couple miles down the road. The orchard we proposed would have avocados and fruit beneficial to the health of the people and be easily accessible. The job will entail cutting down an area of forest by their soccer field and then planting. Also we will teach the people about Terra Pretta, a type of soil that is very fertile, made from char.
After our tour of the town, we went out to the STAND center witch was maybe 5 miles down the bumpy road. On the way we saw beautiful fields and groves of trees. When we got there, we were shown around a retreat that housed a bunch of hippies. Andrea lived there with her husband and occasionally young folks would come down and work and live on their land. They were all very environmental and have a model for the orchard we are to build. We got to have a tour of their lands and got a refresher on what type of plant life lives in the rainforest. It was beautiful land and a beautiful home. We even got to play with some cute fuzzy creatures that Andrea had adopted.
We spent the afternoon there and then took the bus back. The next day, Sunday, I made breakfast with Dan and Logan and just hung around all day. That night Bitsy’s parents took us out to dinner at Firenza’s, a pizza/Italian place. It was wonderful. After that, since they treated us, I treated Bitsy and Jess to 2 rides at the community fair! It was a good relaxing time. Bitsy nearly fell out of one though, but we are all still alive.
Tuesday night, I played basketball with one of my friends from Galen, Cody. I met up with him at a court very close by with Dan. I had played Dan back at school and knew he was good. When we got there, Cody had already been playing for a while, but we got in and played 3 straight games. It was very rewarding to get back out on the court. I hope to do it every other night from now on!
Last night was the Lunar Eclipse. The moon rose huge out of the east and around 8:30 it started to turn black. The whole process was very cool. It also prompted me to play with my camera a bit. I took some pictures of my roommate Pete’s camcorder screen. As the moon rose, I took pictures of the lights of the city. Then the Suns game was on and, as you all should know, Shaq is now on the Suns. This was his first game out and I practiced taking pictures of the TV as well.
This coming weekend Jess and I will be going to Tobacco Cay. I can’t wait to get things going!
Monday, February 11, 2008
a very long post
Last Thursday was Election Day here in Belize so I got off of school Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. After class on Tuesday, Jess, Phil, Bitsy, and I prepared for a trip to Cay Caulker. That night, though, we had a bit of a scare. One of the members of our trip, Dan, went missing at 5 o’clock. People said they saw him leave class at 4:30 and thought he was going to take the bus back. But by 8, no one had seen him yet. It was unlike him to wonder off so we searched around town, called different people from Galen and eventually talked to the police. They found him at a bar at the top of the hill with a couple of Galen students. He had gotten a ride home with them and gone out drinking and didn’t think twice about contacting anyone because he felt comfortable. It’s hard to realize you might be missed when you are with people you know. He was brought back to the Inn around 11 o’clock after a long search. Meg and Jay were mad, but I was just glad to have him back. When he was gone people began to worry a lot.
I was also glad we found him because that meant we could go on our trip still. We got up at 6:50, grabbed some pre-ordered breakfast burritos and headed for the 7:30 express bus to Belize City. There we joined up with Katie and Becky from the other international program. Global Learning Semester
Being one of the more comfortable buses, we were able to get some sleep on the ride there. At 10:30 we were on the water taxi over to Cay Caulker and grins were on all our faces! After a 45 minute ride we arrived there, excited to get started on our vacationing. The last time people had come, they had been greeted by people trying to take them to hotels and places to stay on the island so we didn’t make a reservation. When we got off, there was no one so we wondered the streets asking here and there about places to stay, but no one had room. One man offered to show us a room in the south part of the island and we walked for 15 minutes to find that it was a dump. We returned to Center Island and by now our bags were heavy and the sun was getting to us. Some people were getting antsy about finding a place so we split up. I went to talk to a land lord who rented houses to tourists. She said she was full but her friend had a 3 bedroom house that would be perfect for us, so I said yes and called everyone to meet up. The house was beautiful. It was set back from the street and elevated on stilts. There was a pink bush to the right hand side and it had a porch overlooking a basketball court across the street and beyond that, the sea. The rooms were spectacular and for 20 U.S a night it was affordable! Imagine if Cape May was that cheap! We could stay for a month.
Anyways, we went in and got settled and found out that one of our members, Phil, found a hostel for himself and decided to ditch us, making the rent $25, but still affordable. After, Phil and I went searching for dive shops and the girls went out to lunch. Later, I met them up at the Split, which is the divide between north and south island. The split was created a while back by a hurricane which cut right through the middle. It was some incredible swimming with a huge diving board, 20 foot clear water, a big rock to tan on, and the Lazy Lizard bar. We relaxed there all afternoon before heading back.
For Thursday, Phil booked a dive trip to the Blue Hole, one of Belize’s main attractions. It was tempting, but I wanted to save my money. Plus I was pretty sure dad was going to go with me over Spring Break (which he wasn’t but now he is!!!). So Thursday was just more relaxing. It was also Election Day so everyone was anxious to hear the results. I decided to book a dive trip for Friday and see if Phil would join. I couldn’t go to Cay Caulker and not dive after all.
That night our house was a burn ward. Jess needed some extra aloe for her sensitive skin, but I turned out alright after one day in the sun.
The next morning, my dive was scheduled for 12 and Phil did decide to come along. The dive shop was called The Black Durgon, and the day before the Dive Master, Simeon, had sold us on a dive to Hol Chan Marine reserve, but that was for Thursday when Phil wanted to do the Blue Hole. This dive was my first dive in 2 years, but I remembered everything. The ride up was 20 minutes and took us very close to Ambergris Cay. We could see San Pedro not to far off. After going through the dives, we headed through the channel in the Great Barrier Reef and got out to see, where we dove close to 70 feet! It was great being underwater again and I feel like I did very well. I sucked air fast though and ended up with only 500 PSI remaining. After that, we took a break for a snack of fruit and got to snorkel around the channel. There were many other guided snorkel trips on but Phil and I got to go on our own. As we were ready to jump over board we hesitated an instant, because sharks were circling the boat, and jumped in. Here, we saw more wild life than on our dives. It was teaming with all kinds of life, from Eagle Rays to Barracuda. Then came our second dive, and that time, we got to swim with a turtle. It was a shorter dive, but still just as fun. There was so much to see and we got to swim through some of the canyons that developed on the reef’s outer wall. At our safety stop before going to the surface (every dive has a safety stop at 15 feet to decompress) Phil and I played under water rock, paper, scissors. We each won 2 so the championship game will be held at the Blue Hole. Also, the assistant who stayed with the boat, a boy named Ozzy, dove down and sucked on the dive masters air for a while. It was pretty awesome.
When we got back, I could feel it was my turn to get the burn. There was lots of sun. After leaving the dive shop, I spotted a parade heading up the street, fire engine wailing and golf carts cruising with many people on board (no cars on Cay Caulker). It was the UDP, the party who, I assumed, had won the election! They drove around the Cay twice and then the music parked right in front of our house and the basketball court until 11 at night. Basketball went on and people partied on the street, but we were pooped and stayed inside. The UDP won 25 seats and the PUP got only 6. What a change of power. People say change was necessary. Let’s just hope the government can do its job right.
The next day, Katie, Jess and I went snorkeling with a tour group called Ragamuffin. The ship was captained by Jermaine, Jose and Reynolds. The day before, Simeon had yelled across to the boat and they talked trash to each other. They were good friends and I got to hear about their exploits on the ride back to Hol Chan. It was a long ride because the boat was a sail boat. It was very fun riding the wind all the way up there. Jess, it turns out, was the only person who hadn’t snorkeled before and the snorkel felt funny in her mouth at first, but after two swims, she was able to graduate from the floaty. She also brought her camera and we took some AMAZING underwater pictures of Moray Eels, Barracuda, Sting Ray and more. I hope you check them out. I even got to dive through an underwater cave filled with fish. It was pretty sweet and I was very impressed with Jess who was able to swim against the strong current.
On the way back we had a little rum punch to drink and took an even slower trip back. It was very relaxing and enjoyable.
The next day we took a water taxi back at 11, caught the 1 o’clock bus, which was packed, and made it back to San Ignacio. It was a great time and I wish you all could have seen it. I hope you can live vicariously through my photos.
Sorry again for the long post, but this will be the last for another week. Jess and I plan to get away to Tobacco Cay this weekend in honor of Valentines Day (and our 1 year 3 month anniversary haha)
My internet is down so I again am having trouble doing work and checking my email.
Hope everything is still going well in the states,
Lots of love,
Colin
I was also glad we found him because that meant we could go on our trip still. We got up at 6:50, grabbed some pre-ordered breakfast burritos and headed for the 7:30 express bus to Belize City. There we joined up with Katie and Becky from the other international program. Global Learning Semester
Being one of the more comfortable buses, we were able to get some sleep on the ride there. At 10:30 we were on the water taxi over to Cay Caulker and grins were on all our faces! After a 45 minute ride we arrived there, excited to get started on our vacationing. The last time people had come, they had been greeted by people trying to take them to hotels and places to stay on the island so we didn’t make a reservation. When we got off, there was no one so we wondered the streets asking here and there about places to stay, but no one had room. One man offered to show us a room in the south part of the island and we walked for 15 minutes to find that it was a dump. We returned to Center Island and by now our bags were heavy and the sun was getting to us. Some people were getting antsy about finding a place so we split up. I went to talk to a land lord who rented houses to tourists. She said she was full but her friend had a 3 bedroom house that would be perfect for us, so I said yes and called everyone to meet up. The house was beautiful. It was set back from the street and elevated on stilts. There was a pink bush to the right hand side and it had a porch overlooking a basketball court across the street and beyond that, the sea. The rooms were spectacular and for 20 U.S a night it was affordable! Imagine if Cape May was that cheap! We could stay for a month.
Anyways, we went in and got settled and found out that one of our members, Phil, found a hostel for himself and decided to ditch us, making the rent $25, but still affordable. After, Phil and I went searching for dive shops and the girls went out to lunch. Later, I met them up at the Split, which is the divide between north and south island. The split was created a while back by a hurricane which cut right through the middle. It was some incredible swimming with a huge diving board, 20 foot clear water, a big rock to tan on, and the Lazy Lizard bar. We relaxed there all afternoon before heading back.
For Thursday, Phil booked a dive trip to the Blue Hole, one of Belize’s main attractions. It was tempting, but I wanted to save my money. Plus I was pretty sure dad was going to go with me over Spring Break (which he wasn’t but now he is!!!). So Thursday was just more relaxing. It was also Election Day so everyone was anxious to hear the results. I decided to book a dive trip for Friday and see if Phil would join. I couldn’t go to Cay Caulker and not dive after all.
That night our house was a burn ward. Jess needed some extra aloe for her sensitive skin, but I turned out alright after one day in the sun.
The next morning, my dive was scheduled for 12 and Phil did decide to come along. The dive shop was called The Black Durgon, and the day before the Dive Master, Simeon, had sold us on a dive to Hol Chan Marine reserve, but that was for Thursday when Phil wanted to do the Blue Hole. This dive was my first dive in 2 years, but I remembered everything. The ride up was 20 minutes and took us very close to Ambergris Cay. We could see San Pedro not to far off. After going through the dives, we headed through the channel in the Great Barrier Reef and got out to see, where we dove close to 70 feet! It was great being underwater again and I feel like I did very well. I sucked air fast though and ended up with only 500 PSI remaining. After that, we took a break for a snack of fruit and got to snorkel around the channel. There were many other guided snorkel trips on but Phil and I got to go on our own. As we were ready to jump over board we hesitated an instant, because sharks were circling the boat, and jumped in. Here, we saw more wild life than on our dives. It was teaming with all kinds of life, from Eagle Rays to Barracuda. Then came our second dive, and that time, we got to swim with a turtle. It was a shorter dive, but still just as fun. There was so much to see and we got to swim through some of the canyons that developed on the reef’s outer wall. At our safety stop before going to the surface (every dive has a safety stop at 15 feet to decompress) Phil and I played under water rock, paper, scissors. We each won 2 so the championship game will be held at the Blue Hole. Also, the assistant who stayed with the boat, a boy named Ozzy, dove down and sucked on the dive masters air for a while. It was pretty awesome.
When we got back, I could feel it was my turn to get the burn. There was lots of sun. After leaving the dive shop, I spotted a parade heading up the street, fire engine wailing and golf carts cruising with many people on board (no cars on Cay Caulker). It was the UDP, the party who, I assumed, had won the election! They drove around the Cay twice and then the music parked right in front of our house and the basketball court until 11 at night. Basketball went on and people partied on the street, but we were pooped and stayed inside. The UDP won 25 seats and the PUP got only 6. What a change of power. People say change was necessary. Let’s just hope the government can do its job right.
The next day, Katie, Jess and I went snorkeling with a tour group called Ragamuffin. The ship was captained by Jermaine, Jose and Reynolds. The day before, Simeon had yelled across to the boat and they talked trash to each other. They were good friends and I got to hear about their exploits on the ride back to Hol Chan. It was a long ride because the boat was a sail boat. It was very fun riding the wind all the way up there. Jess, it turns out, was the only person who hadn’t snorkeled before and the snorkel felt funny in her mouth at first, but after two swims, she was able to graduate from the floaty. She also brought her camera and we took some AMAZING underwater pictures of Moray Eels, Barracuda, Sting Ray and more. I hope you check them out. I even got to dive through an underwater cave filled with fish. It was pretty sweet and I was very impressed with Jess who was able to swim against the strong current.
On the way back we had a little rum punch to drink and took an even slower trip back. It was very relaxing and enjoyable.
The next day we took a water taxi back at 11, caught the 1 o’clock bus, which was packed, and made it back to San Ignacio. It was a great time and I wish you all could have seen it. I hope you can live vicariously through my photos.
Sorry again for the long post, but this will be the last for another week. Jess and I plan to get away to Tobacco Cay this weekend in honor of Valentines Day (and our 1 year 3 month anniversary haha)
My internet is down so I again am having trouble doing work and checking my email.
Hope everything is still going well in the states,
Lots of love,
Colin
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
La Milpa
Hello folks,
It has been quite a while since I wrote you last. At least it seems so. This last weekend was packed with so much excitment. On Friday, I got to skip my social issues class because our program took a field trip to the La Milpa Field Station far away in the Orange Walk District.
At 8:30, we left on the bus. It was 18 of us students, Jay, Meg, 2 of our Service Learning TA's: Christian and Shantel (who are Galen students), and our driver, Carlos. It was quite early for some who had stayed up until 2 the night before, but it was also quite early for me, after having watched the season premier of Lost!! Everyone slept for quite sometime. When we all woke up, we made a pit stop and then found ourselves driving through fields of sugar cane. There was an incredibly long line of trucks packed full of the cane. Some of the fields we passed were scorched while others were growing tall. The smell, though, was attrocious. There was a dump along the road where it looks like all the junk they collected was burnt.
After riding down that bumpy road for a while, we turned off on to pavement and made our way into the Orange Walk district. It is right above where we live in the Cayo District, but you have to go all the way back to Belize City (the Belize district) and drive north from there, so distance wise we werent that far from home, but driving wise, we were 5 hours.
We made one last stop before going to the field station at a Menonite Dam. There we ate lunch and some swam in the river. I was picturing a huge mountain lake with a dam at one end, but it was a tiny little thing that only covered the river. Aparently it is very efficient and powers the nearby towns with electricity while not damaging the river's ecosystem.
After lunch, we passed the border to Mexico. It is not too far from where we stayed.
On the road to where the Field Station was, we passed by fields of cows grazing. The road was lined with beautiful trees with pink blooms. At that point we knew it was going to be a great weekend. After a few miles, we made it to the field house. There we got a brief introduction and had free time for a while. The place where we stayed was set up like a summer camp, with 4 or 5 different rooms in a row with 2 bunk beds each inside. It was set up on the side of the hill slightly overlooking the rest of the field station. Jay and Meg stayed in some rooms that were small cabins in the field below. The field was beautiful. After traveling down a wooded road for so long, the openness of the field station was surprising. It was a clearing in the jungle where farmers had set up agricultural fields long ago. Now the jungle was encroching.
That night, we had rice and beans for dinner and while some people went night spotting in the truck, others of us played a game of poker... Which I won! I was surprised, this was my first game for money since highschool! I won 60 bucks with my pair of kings to finish off the table. There were some upsets so I owe a few people a beer for drawing out on them :)
Friday was a good start to the weekend. The next morning some people got up early to go birding... I decided to wait for the last day to do that. We had breakfast at 7:30 and then went on a hike in the Jungle. Our guide, Ramon, told us so much about the forest. Like DuPlooy's we got to even taste the nuts and fruits of the jungle! Some even tasted the termites! In the jungle, we didnt see much wild life, but it was there. Ants made super highways across the path where hundreds upon hundreds marched carrying leaves back to their giant nests. Birds chirped in the forest and occasionally we would hear a howler monkey. Check out my pictures to get a better sense of the forest and different tress and vines we saw.
After the walk, we had lunch before going out to see the La Milpa ruins. These ruins are hardly dug out at all, so all we saw was a bunch of tall mounds of tree covered hills. Still, it was thrilling to think a group of people lived here ages ago. We even got to climb to the top of one of these mounds. It was very steep and overlooked most of the area. On the walk, we saw some howler and spider monkeys jumping from tree to tree. Some said the howl was like a dinosaur out of Jurrassic Park.
That night, I got to go spotting and sat in the truck while everyone else was on back. I got to have a great conversation with the driver, Mauricio, and heard all about his life. We got to discuss everything from travel to sports. So far I have really enjoyed talking to the people of Belize. Most are very wise and have much to say about their lives. I find this openness welcoming.
The next day, I did my birding session and saw some parrots and Tucans! I got some great pictures of it in flight and on a tree branch. Again, check out snapfish.
After lunch we headed home, because the most important game of our lifetimes was occuring. The Patriots v. the Giants. When we got back it was nearly game time so we rushed around and went down to the local bar Fiya Wata and watched. It was so intense the back and forth. However the Giant fans were more vocal and had alot more to cheer about... The funny thing about this game was that there was a bet between our proffessor, Jay, and two students, Dan and John. The bet was that Jay would shave his mustache if the Patriots won and Dan and John would shave their heads otherwise. Jay got to show off his barbership talents on the return to the Inn... It was quite a funny experience since everyone was still in shock that the Patriots had lost. Oh well.. there is always next year to be perfect...
Today is a good day. It is the last day of school before a 5 day break because Belize's elections are happening. Me and a bunch of friends are going to go to the Cayes! I hope to do some diving in the Blue Hole and elsewhere around the warm Carribean waters :)
Enjoy the snow in Vermont and cold weather on the East Coast!
Adios,
Colin
It has been quite a while since I wrote you last. At least it seems so. This last weekend was packed with so much excitment. On Friday, I got to skip my social issues class because our program took a field trip to the La Milpa Field Station far away in the Orange Walk District.
At 8:30, we left on the bus. It was 18 of us students, Jay, Meg, 2 of our Service Learning TA's: Christian and Shantel (who are Galen students), and our driver, Carlos. It was quite early for some who had stayed up until 2 the night before, but it was also quite early for me, after having watched the season premier of Lost!! Everyone slept for quite sometime. When we all woke up, we made a pit stop and then found ourselves driving through fields of sugar cane. There was an incredibly long line of trucks packed full of the cane. Some of the fields we passed were scorched while others were growing tall. The smell, though, was attrocious. There was a dump along the road where it looks like all the junk they collected was burnt.
After riding down that bumpy road for a while, we turned off on to pavement and made our way into the Orange Walk district. It is right above where we live in the Cayo District, but you have to go all the way back to Belize City (the Belize district) and drive north from there, so distance wise we werent that far from home, but driving wise, we were 5 hours.
We made one last stop before going to the field station at a Menonite Dam. There we ate lunch and some swam in the river. I was picturing a huge mountain lake with a dam at one end, but it was a tiny little thing that only covered the river. Aparently it is very efficient and powers the nearby towns with electricity while not damaging the river's ecosystem.
After lunch, we passed the border to Mexico. It is not too far from where we stayed.
On the road to where the Field Station was, we passed by fields of cows grazing. The road was lined with beautiful trees with pink blooms. At that point we knew it was going to be a great weekend. After a few miles, we made it to the field house. There we got a brief introduction and had free time for a while. The place where we stayed was set up like a summer camp, with 4 or 5 different rooms in a row with 2 bunk beds each inside. It was set up on the side of the hill slightly overlooking the rest of the field station. Jay and Meg stayed in some rooms that were small cabins in the field below. The field was beautiful. After traveling down a wooded road for so long, the openness of the field station was surprising. It was a clearing in the jungle where farmers had set up agricultural fields long ago. Now the jungle was encroching.
That night, we had rice and beans for dinner and while some people went night spotting in the truck, others of us played a game of poker... Which I won! I was surprised, this was my first game for money since highschool! I won 60 bucks with my pair of kings to finish off the table. There were some upsets so I owe a few people a beer for drawing out on them :)
Friday was a good start to the weekend. The next morning some people got up early to go birding... I decided to wait for the last day to do that. We had breakfast at 7:30 and then went on a hike in the Jungle. Our guide, Ramon, told us so much about the forest. Like DuPlooy's we got to even taste the nuts and fruits of the jungle! Some even tasted the termites! In the jungle, we didnt see much wild life, but it was there. Ants made super highways across the path where hundreds upon hundreds marched carrying leaves back to their giant nests. Birds chirped in the forest and occasionally we would hear a howler monkey. Check out my pictures to get a better sense of the forest and different tress and vines we saw.
After the walk, we had lunch before going out to see the La Milpa ruins. These ruins are hardly dug out at all, so all we saw was a bunch of tall mounds of tree covered hills. Still, it was thrilling to think a group of people lived here ages ago. We even got to climb to the top of one of these mounds. It was very steep and overlooked most of the area. On the walk, we saw some howler and spider monkeys jumping from tree to tree. Some said the howl was like a dinosaur out of Jurrassic Park.
That night, I got to go spotting and sat in the truck while everyone else was on back. I got to have a great conversation with the driver, Mauricio, and heard all about his life. We got to discuss everything from travel to sports. So far I have really enjoyed talking to the people of Belize. Most are very wise and have much to say about their lives. I find this openness welcoming.
The next day, I did my birding session and saw some parrots and Tucans! I got some great pictures of it in flight and on a tree branch. Again, check out snapfish.
After lunch we headed home, because the most important game of our lifetimes was occuring. The Patriots v. the Giants. When we got back it was nearly game time so we rushed around and went down to the local bar Fiya Wata and watched. It was so intense the back and forth. However the Giant fans were more vocal and had alot more to cheer about... The funny thing about this game was that there was a bet between our proffessor, Jay, and two students, Dan and John. The bet was that Jay would shave his mustache if the Patriots won and Dan and John would shave their heads otherwise. Jay got to show off his barbership talents on the return to the Inn... It was quite a funny experience since everyone was still in shock that the Patriots had lost. Oh well.. there is always next year to be perfect...
Today is a good day. It is the last day of school before a 5 day break because Belize's elections are happening. Me and a bunch of friends are going to go to the Cayes! I hope to do some diving in the Blue Hole and elsewhere around the warm Carribean waters :)
Enjoy the snow in Vermont and cold weather on the East Coast!
Adios,
Colin
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