Back to Belize

Journal #24

Back to Belize

January 26, 2012

Back to Belize

The morning started late, I woke up at 7:00 and the girls both got up at 8:30. After we hurried and got ready, we headed down to town so we could get breakfast. We had walked past this cute little cafe and knew that we wanted to try it. It was called Paradise and everything was homemade. I ordered a bagel with cream cheese and a fruit bowl. After breakfast we walked back through town and stopped at some gift-shops and markets. We then headed back to the hotel and dropped all of our purchases off. We changed into our swimsuits and walked down to the ocean. It was really warm and sunny which was super nice for our last day in the water. After we were done swimming, we asked opinions for lunch places and decided that we wanted our last meal on the island to be delicious! We ended up eating at Bambooze, an outdoor restaurant where you eat on swings. I had bbq grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and cole slaw. After lunch we went back to the hotel where we swam for a little bit in the pool, until our boat was scheduled to arrive. We headed down to the dock and waited for the ferry to arrive.... and, we waited.

Like this entire time in Belize, this too was not on time. When the boat did arrive, I started to get a little nervous- it was tiny, all enclosed, and there was no way were were all going to fit inside. We literally ended up sitting on other people and had to share what little leg room we did have. As soon as my feet hit the dock, I started to get sick. I ended up laying across Hannah and fell asleep to keep me from puking. Thankfully, Hannah and Damon took care of me the entire hour (that seemed like an entire day!)!

When I was on land, it took me a few minutes to feel stabilized. We met Dwight after a long walk to his bus, and he took us to dinner. We ate at Birds Isle, an outdoor restaurant right on the water. It was awesome to eat dinner where we could see the lights on the shore of Belize, see the lightening in the distance, and watch the boats and activities on the water. I had a pork chop, mashed potatoes, cole-slaw, and lime juice! I will sure miss the fresh lime juice when I return to Ohio.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel that we stayed at Sunday night, and I was excited to have warm water again! We had a communion service with the Senior Colloquium group as well as the business group. We were challenged to think about what we had given, and also what we have been given.

I do not even know where to start in reflecting on all that I have been given. I have learned so much from this experience and have a different view on relationships, material possessions, and so much more. I have not given this country near as much as it has given me. I know that the people of Belize are very appreciative of all that we have done and the prayers that will be said for them as we return home, too, but the gifts that I have given are not comparable to the gifts that I have been given.

We packed all of our things and went to bed.

Island

Journal #23

On the Island

January 25, 2012

On the Island

I started the day with eating breakfast at the hotel- watermelon and toast. I will for sure miss all of the fresh fruit when I return to the States! After breakfast, I grabbed my computer and backpack, and headed towards the High School with the rest of the group.

At the high school, we sat in the computer lab with our laptops and waited for the high schoolers to come in. One by one, they started to come in to check out what we were doing. I had the privilege of working with two boys that had come in. One of the boys had a computer at home, and the other one did not. It was fun to teach them both different things that we could do with my laptop and it was also fun to get to know them. Through teaching somebody, I feel that I had the opportunity to learn so much and have great discussions with both of the boys.

After we left the high school, we had the rest of the day until dinner to explore more of the island. Sarah, Amelia, and I decided that we wanted to do some window-shopping. We spent a bit of time looking at all of the little shops on the island. We then decided that we wanted some lunch, so we stopped at a restaurant that was on the side of the beach. The restaurant had swings instead of seats at the tables and the floor was sand. I ordered a Caribbean quesidilla which had chicken, pineapple, cheese, and sour cream.

When we finished lunch, we headed back to the hotel to change into our swim wear so that we could head down to the beach for our last day of swimming in the ocean. During our swim, we went out pretty far so I could find a star-fish for Amelia. I was very successful and found a large, very pretty star-fish. We took lots of pictures and got to feel the star-fish move around while we were holding it.

We then headed back to the hotel room again so we could get ready for dinner. Tonight we were going out to a fancy dinner at an Italian restaurant and we were super excited to get to eat some good food finally! Before dinner, we walked the streets of the town to see if anything fun was going on for the Chinese New Year. We found a parade with lots of drums and cymbals on one of the main roads. We then headed to meet the rest of the group at dinner. I had fettuccine with peas, mushrooms, and chicken. The meal was very filling, was served in a timely manner(!), and was delicious!

After dinner we quickly went back to the balcony of the hotel to have class. Tonight we had more presentations from students about issues related to their majors. It was awesome to have class with the warm ocean breeze, clear sky, and stars!

Water

Journal #22

A Day in the Water

January 24, 2012

A Day in the Water

We started out with having breakfast at the hotel which included toast, cereal, fruit, and juices.

After breakfast we walked down to the shore to meet the people that would be taking us snorkeling today. After being fitted for our gear, we walked out behind their hut and waited for the boats to arrive. Once the boats arrived, we loaded onto them and started out forty-five minute ride to our destination, Shark-Ray Alley. Here we would snorkel with sharks, fish, sting-rays, and much, much more. It was scary at first to jump into the water with lots of sharks swimming around, but it was super fun! I was able to touch both a shark and sting-ray multiple times, and all that I could think of was my two little guys (two boys that I babysit a lot at home) and how much they would LOVE this experience. After we left here, we headed to a location where we would get to see sea turtles and other tropical fish. Well, right before we headed to our second location, I could not fail myself- so I started getting boat-sick! This lasted the rest of the day while we were on the boat, but when I was in the water I felt fine. We then headed towards San Pedro, a little tourist-island where we would eat lunch. Brighton did not have anybody to sit with, so I sat and ate lunch with him- after waiting over an hour for our food- we received it right after the other 90% of the group had already finished dessert! After we left the island, we went to our third and final destination to snorkel, and here there was a lot of tropical fish and corals.

When we got back to Caye Caulker, I was excited to be on “land” and no longer on the boat! We had a few hours until dinner, so we swam in the pool for a few minutes and we then showered and got all of the small sea-weed pieces out of our hair. After showering and getting ready, we headed to town so we could do a few minutes of shopping and then find somewhere for dinner. Well, since this is Belize and there is no schedule: some places decided not to open at all tonight, some places did not open until half an hour after their posted times, and some places were closing early. That changed our dinner plans when we discovered that our restaurant that we wanted to eat at was not open. We also laughed as we walked by the place we ate last night, because it looked completely abandoned and we had just eaten their last night!

After dinner we stopped at a little gift shop for a few minutes and then headed back to the hotel so we could make it in time for class. I did my final presentation tonight, so I am COMPLETELY FINISHED with my Senior Colloquium class! A few of my other classmates also did their presentations tonight, and it was fun to learn about their interests that relate to their majors in their senior year of college.

I'm excited about tomorrow- we get to go to the high school and minister to the students there! There are 59 students that attend high school on the island, and the high school has only been there four years. Before the high school was built on the island, if students wanted to attend high school- they had to catch a boat to Belize, attend school for the day, and then catch the boat back home.

Caye Caulker

Journal #21

Caye Caulker

January 23, 2012

Caye Caulker

The morning started with us packing all of our stuff, taking only one small bag and a carry-on. Our large suitcase had to stay in the hotel in a room until we return on Thursday. We loaded up the bus and headed towards the water-ferry.

After about half an hour on the bus, we made it to the port. While at the port, we bought our tickets and waited until our 9:00 departure time. Once on the boat, I realized that the feeling I was getting was all too familiar and I needed to move to a place that would allow me some air and a way to see out of the boat. I ended up moving to the back of the boat- and then to the top of the boat when a few of us asked if we could go up there. It was fun (and I didn't get sick) to see where we were going and to hear stories and information about the islands that we were passing. Damon (my buddy that takes care of me & I take care of him when he falls off of swinging vine) sat up top with me and kept me company on the ride. The ride was very relaxing and I am super glad that I was able to enjoy it. Here's to hoping that I will be able to sit up there on the way home, too...

Once we got to the island, we had the entire day (until after dinner) to explore the island. Sarah, Amelia, and I walked other places on the island and visited lots of little gift shops, markets, and we scoped out all of the good places to eat and get snacks! For lunch we went to The Sand Box where I had a chicken sandwich, coleslaw, and fries. The food was really good and the people were really nice. We met a family there who was from Canada and the man asked us if we were Buckeyes! This brought a smile to my face and he was excited to share with us that he had been to Columbus before.

After lunch we had more free time. Sarah, Amelia, and I took a hike with Dr.Skon through the jungle trails. We probably walked over four miles and were able to see the southern, more primitive part of the island of Caye Caulker. The walk ended up taking quite some time, but it was lots of fun... we may have gotten lost a few times (well at least four detours) throughout the trip, but we made it back in time to eat dinner.

Most of the dinner restaurants do not open until six, so we waited for a little bit and then headed down to the “town” to find something to eat. We ended up stopping at an outdoor restaurant that took over forty minutes to serve our food, but it was well worth it. I had grilled chicken, steamed vegetables, and a garden salad. After dinner we quickly walked back to the hotel to make it in time for class. Class was delayed a little bit due to everybody's food taking so long- but, it was awesome that we were able to have class outside, in the dark, and feel the warm breeze.

Church & Caves

Journal #20

Church & Caves

January 22, 2012

Church & Caves

This morning we had a continental breakfast at the hotel which consisted of an egg sandwich and orange juice. I CANNOT wait to get home and eat the amount of food that I normally eat! While I know that I eat more than I should, it really gets me feeling sick throughout the day if I don't have enough...

After breakfast we headed to a Cathedral in Belize City. It was an Anglican Church and it was the first time I had ever been to an Anglican service. It was a lot of fun, the church was pretty, and it was a completely different experience than I have ever had before. We had at least three different books that we had to keep referring to, and it was a challenge to figure out which book they were talking about or reading from. The sound system was not working, so it was hard to hear what they were saying, and not being familiar with such a church, there was lots of sitting and standing. As soon as we would stand up we would have to sit right back down, and because we were sitting at the back of the church, it seemed that by the time we sat down we had to stand back up!

After church we went to the Best Western Hotel because they had a restaurant there. There we went to the outside serving line and were able to choose lobster or chicken, rice and beans, mashed potatoes, cole-slaw, dinner rolls, and flan. The food was very good and we appreciated a good meal!

After lunch we hurried back to the hotel to change. We were to change into our swimsuits and grab a towel. We were picked up by a local tour company who drove us to go CAVE TUBING! This is something that I did not know much about, but I have been super excited for. We drove forty-six miles to get to our destination. Once there, we walked a little over two miles carrying our tube, life jacket, and head lamp. Once we reached the river, we jumped in and started down the river. It was lots of fun to go through giant caves with only the little light that the head-lamps put off. It was awesome to travel through a cave for minutes and minutes, then to come to the opening where we could see daylight and trees! It reminded me of John 8:12 that says, "When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said,
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Once we were finished cave-tubing, we loaded back onto the buses and headed back to the hotel.

After we had a chance to get cleaned up from cave-tubing, we walked about five minutes to get some pizza. There was a nice supermarket beside the pizza shop, so Sarah and I bought a few “side items” (chips and colby cheese!) to go with our pizza.

After dinner we packed what we would need for the next three days into tiny bags that will take the water-taxi with us tomorrow!

Ladyville

Journal #19

Ladyville

January 21, 2012

Ladyville

The morning started with a quick breakfast and then we loaded up the bus. We actually got moving at a decent time and were headed to Ladyville.

Well, not without problems...

After we filled up at the gas station and had a chance to stretch our legs and buy some snacks after two hours on the bus- the throttle cable broke on the bus- so we had no power for the bus to make it where we needed to go. We sat along side the road while Dwight and Damon fixed it well enough to get us to the museum. We stopped at a small museum and toured it, looking at pictures and artifacts. While there, the bus was fixed up (more correctly) and then, one of the students started feeling ill. We left the museum and headed towards lunch. On the way to lunch, the van (that the business majors and professor use) got a flat tire. We sat on the side of the road again, up the side of a mountain, waiting. When Dwight ensured their safety- we needed to move and get to a more safe location- not around the curves, hills, and less than one lane bridges of the road that we were on. Up the road we found a citrus farm and were able to park there until we got word from the van that they were on their way. We then headed towards Cheers, the outdoor restaurant that we have eaten at a few times, and thoroughly enjoy! By this time it was after 2:00pm, so Dr.Skon called Cheers and placed our orders of burritos for us.

Throughout the bus ride, we did have “mobile wi-fi!” Doug and Mary set it up and it traveled with us and was pretty accurate throughout the trip. This allowed many people to email, Facebook, or (maybe) work on homework. I am DONE with all of my homework, so I didn't need to use it- and I was also worried about getting bus-sick if I were to use it!

After lunch we were headed towards Ladyville, the town that the airport is in. It was a relief to get to Ladyville and know that we had the rest of the day to relax. It was super hot today, with showers on and off- and sitting on a bus (on the side of the road more than once) just wore us out!

After laying in a (real!) bed for about half an hour, we decided to get up and tour the town. There is a supermarket directly across the road, and not far from the supermarket is a little gathering of shops and stores. There is also a laundrymat and a bakery near the supermarket. I was pleasantly surprised to find the bakery and I was super stoked to get to check it out! I love anything from a bakery (well, anything without chocolate) and I knew that they would have some different things. I got a twisted doughnut type pastry with cinnamon sugar... it was $.50 Belize, so $.25US! They said that during the week they have more options, so we will definitely have to make a trip back there when we stay at this hotel again Thursday night.

Although the day handed us many problems and obstacles, it was awesome to drive so much of this country on such a pretty day. The colors and views would never get old, the smell of orange blossoms will never be a bad thing, and the smiles on the children's faces never anything but priceless! I have grown to love this country and appreciate all of it's beauty, not only the beauty of the land and scenery but also the beauty of the people and of the people's hearts!

Columbia

Journal #18

Camp

January 20, 2012

Camp

The morning started with tortillas and eggs for breakfast. After breakfast we had class, where we talked about truth-telling and we also had a debate on affirmative action. We had a very involved discussion on racism- I think that today was the first day everybody had something to say about the issue.

For lunch we had sandwiches and fried potato chips. After lunch we finished class. It has been very, very sunny and humid- and then randomly rains throughout the day. After class we had free time, so four of us students and the professor walked to Columbia. We were told that the walk would only be twenty minutes and about two miles. The walk ended up being over fifty minutes each way, and I would guess total that we walked six miles. It was fun to see the houses and families that lived in Columbia. There were two little stores and we visited both of them. A few children were out playing in the yards, or climbing trees.

We spent much of the time today working on homework and filling our time talking with each other, as well as the local Belizean children and adults. I had a little boy sit beside me for about an hour and we looked at pictures of Monster Trucks online. It was so much fun to talk with him and show him pictures. He also wanted to see pictures of my family. There were a few girls who soon appeared because they too wanted to see pictures of my family. The girls were super cute and kept asking about the pronunciation of the names of everybody in my family.

Dinner was burritos and they were good, but I am excited about getting to eat pizza tomorrow! After dinner we watched a video and had to reflect on the video. We then packed everything up and prepared for tomorrow. We are leaving this camp and heading to Belize City. We should have transportation (and a driver) from here on out- so we should not be stuck at the camp anymore!