Planting a tree, going home

We planted two hibiscus plants to commemorate the semester together, a semester full of growing as a community. It’s strange to think none of us knew each other just four months ago. We have had an incredible time together and the memories will last forever. This week is Debrief Week and we are getting ready for home, while still trying to hold onto each last moment we have together. We made cookies for all of our friends that helped us throughout the semester, we went on an awesome canoe trip down the Caves Branch and Sibun River, we went horseback riding and birding, we had a graduation ceremony for Ashlie and Brent, we had a hilarious night of variety at the semiannual CCSP Talent Show, and we packed our bags, trying to cram in all those hammocks and drums and bottles of Marie Sharps we picked up to take home. CCSP Spring 2007, it’s been so much fun. We’ll really miss you guys.

Thanks for staying in touch with us through this blog. We hope you’ll come back and check us out next Fall.

The Life Aquatic with Ian Johnston

The week we’ve all been waiting for! After loading our gear on the catamaran, we hit the open water for the three-hour ride to Northeast Caye located in the Glover’s Reef Atoll. Stepping off the boat and onto the island it’s hard to believe that this is class! A mere 9-acre island with an authentic Robinson Crusoe feel, we spent the week studying the beautiful underwater world of Belize with the CCSP veteran marine biologist Ian Johnston. Glover’s reef remains one of the most remote and unexplored areas in Belize’s barrier reef, so we had plenty to explore at this World Heritage Site and Marine Reserve. We spent time looking at the entire marine ecosystem from coral reefs to sea grasses to mangroves and learned how important each is to a healthy marine environment. Unfortunately these three environments are being threatened at an alarming rate (even remote locations like Glover’s) – the removal of mangroves and sea grasses for commercial resorts, blast fishing, over fishing and other unsustainable fishing practices, coral bleaching (much associated with global warming), the international market for shells and coral for jewelry making, destructive and insensitive tourism, the list goes on. Getting into the water each day we thought through some of these issues as we got to experience the reef first hand. It’s hard not to be completely overwhelmed with this bustling marine community, all the colors and shapes and sizes of so many different fish, coral, and sponge. And then there was the night snorkel. Dropping backwards into the water at 9pm with only a flashlight is not the most comforting feeling in the world. But we all survived the week, being dazzled every time we stepped foot into the reef that we could reach from the shore. What a memorable week this was, we’re so blessed to have such a unique ecosystem at our fingertips.

Big Rock Falls

Stream ecology is over, and we're already back for more. Finishing up a great week with Dan we decided to celebrate with a trip to Big Rock Falls. It's easy to love Big Rock, the picturesque falls and the great swimming hole beneath. It's also the last fresh water we'll have to swim in for awhile...the reef awaits us.

Streams, rivers, and more streams

This semesters Tropical Stream Ecology course went well! Students, staff and faculty were excited to learn and get a little dirty as we investigated the health of five of Belize’s streams: Mopan, Barton Creek, Sibun, Caves Branch, and lastly the little stream with no name right outside of St. Margaret's Village. With ecoli gels, dissolved oxygen and turbidity tests, to name a few, in hand we set out to find what was swim able and what was off limits. The big interest was the health of our local river the Mopan which runs along the edge of Nabitunich. Unfortunately, the tests available to us were not extensive enough to determine the safety of the water so we remain merely spectators of Mopan. Chemical tests were not the only determining factor of health we looked at. Aqua Dan had extensive knowledge of our little aquatic invertebrate friends. At each stream a kick seine was used to catch aquatic inverts so we could classify and separate them into pollution tolerance groups. We found an abundance of stonefly nymphs, mayfly nymphs, damselfly nymphs and right handed snails which are all signs of a healthy stream system. Here is a sample of a typical aquatic invert collection.


By far the most exciting collection we made was of Belizean Fish!!! All of the sudden stream ecology starting looking more and more like Marine Ecology as we collected colorful cichlids, guppies and a wide range of mosquito fish species. Marine is not the only class snorkels are worn in anymore. We ended the week with presentations and a trip to Cayo Twist. Students, remember to continue to bring your smiles whenever you are sampling streams in Belize!

Caroline and Bethany on Blackbird Caye

Caroline:
My internship week was amazing! I worked as a research assistant for Sadie Waddington, a masters candidate from California. She is studying the mangroves and coral reefs off the coast of Belize on Turneffe Atoll. Mangroves are a natural way of protecting the coral reef because they act as a holding place for sediment. Unfortunately, mangroves are being cut down in order to make room for resorts and white sandy beaches. Sadie’s study consists of two parts: one on erosion in the cut and intact areas of mangroves and one on the amount of sediment on the coral reef near these areas. My job for the week included living on a beautiful island, snorkeling every day, and tromping through the mangroves! It was an incredible week. The mangrove roots are really strong so we easily walked on them; it felt like a jungle gym! My favorite part of the research was snorkeling on the coral reef. While snorkeling, I saw barracudas, a stingray, a shark, and the most beautiful fish imaginable! Bethany, the other student with whom I worked, and Sadie were scuba divers. My job was to snorkel on the surface and scout out the sediment traps. I then took compass readings so the traps could be easily found the next time. Bethany and Sadie retrieved the sediment-filled traps and replaced them. Later, we removed the sediment from the traps and put them in an oven to dry. I am so thankful for this week because it has definitely sparked an interest in me for a marine-based career!

Bethany:
As research assistants to Sadie Waddington, a Masters candidate from California, Caroline and I had a rather adventurous internship! Our work consisted of measuring erosion at sample sites in the mangroves of Turneffe Atoll, and measuring sedimentation on the reef of the Turneffe system. It was fascinating work, and exhausting-we fell asleep shortly after dinner each night! We spent the first half of the week in the mangroves, had a day off to snorkel, and then spent the last half of the internship on the reef study-a total of eight days. Working with researchers gave me a new respect for the work they do, and the frustrations they face, especially in marine environments-Sadie and I seemed to always have new jellyfish and fire coral stings, and the various other bumps and bruises that occur from working underwater. Using scuba to complete research was a new experience for me, as was climbing through the mangroves searching for the PVC pipes that marked our sites. I feel as if this internship was a real learning experience for me, and has helped me to understand how research works. I’m even hoping to go into marine research in the future. What a fantastic week!

Josh at BBG

Check out all the fun I’m having! Can you tell! That’s right I’m in Belize and to boot I’m not in class, two facts that bring this beautiful broad smile to my face. Over the past two weeks I have been working at Belize Botanic Gardens (BBG), the only botanic gardens in the WHOLE country. Although a relatively new garden, due to incredible tropical growth rate this restored piece of degraded grazing pasture has become a paradise to botanists and birders worldwide. Throughout the two weeks the tasks and projects assigned to me helped me to get a holistic grasp on the inner workings of this developing new garden. From creating signs and displays, office work, working with Heliconia’s, plants in the nursery to making my very own batch of compost working with the crew here at BBG has been a blast, refreshing and I guess and educational experience too. From the diversified job tasks, educational conversations with the Belizean/Mayan staff to the quick dips in the river and hitch hiking for rides to my Mayan homestay, these past two weeks have been jammed packed full of events I like to call ‘Ultimate Life’ activities.

Eva at La Loma Luz

For my nursing internship I worked at the La Loma Luz Adventist Hospital in the Cayo District of Belize. During my stay I shadowed several doctors and nurses. My days consisted of observation, training, assisting, and sanitation practices. Some of my tasks were checking patients vitals, inter muscular injections, and assisting the doctors with pre-op and post-op nursing care. I was also able to observe two c/section surgical procedures. Working at La Loma Luz has helped me change my perspective on what it truly means to be a Christian. We are not here to be served but to serve others as Jesus Christ did.

Ashlie at The Green Iguana Project

This is a picture of me with my home stay mom, Shelly. She is one of the ladies that cooks for us at the Nab and her husband (Eddy) is who I have been working with for my internship, so I stayed with them for the last two weeks and we made tortillas! For the last two weeks I’ve been catering to the needs of 55 green iguanas. I’ve been interning with The Green Iguana Project at the San Ignacio Hotel and I have loved it! Eddy takes care of the iguanas and gives tours at the hotel so he was my supervisor and teacher. Every day we rode our bikes to work at about 7 am. Once at the hotel we cleaned the iguana enclosure and fed them papaya, bananas, cucumbers and assorted leaves cut from whatever was growing around the exhibit. For the rest of the day we did general maintenance stuff like raking and gardening, but sometimes there were tours. Eddy gave tours about the iguanas and the history of the project as well as tours on the medicinal plants trail. I have learned a lot about plants here, everything seems to have a special use and there are so many different fruits! I tried a new kind called caimito which I love, and I have now had three different kinds of bananas. This week and last week we also got a canoe and went looking for iguana eggs! Locals like to eat iguanas, they call them bamboo chicken, as well as the eggs and people are killing too many of them. Along with habitat destruction they are becoming highly threatened and that is why the project was started. It was really good to experience how a conservation project works, and also to spend time with the other workers who spoke mostly Spanish so it was great practice for me. I was really nervous about the internship before I started, but I really loved the new experiences and just hanging out with some local Belizeans.

Josh at The Belize Zoo

I interned along with Lisa for two weeks at the Belize Zoo. We both shadowed Zookeepers for most of the time, and our main responsibiliies involved feeding the animals and cleaning enclosures. Much of my time was spent chopping, dicing, slicing, peeling, and coring fruit for the animals. Feeding the animals was a great experience, and I loved the opportunity to learn first hand husbandry techniques. For somebody who is considering a continued career in a zoological environment, it was a first-class, first-hand experience that I will take with me for long into the future. The most rewarding experiences I had were caring for Junior, the eight week old Jaguar cub, and helping repair the Zoo fence along the western Highway. It's nice to know that something I contributed to the Zoo will be there for thousands to see.

Lisa at The Belize Zoo

Boasting itself as “The Best Little Zoo in the World”, The Belize Zoo certainly captures the heart of all its visitors, including its interns. I spent my two weeks of internship getting to know the zoo and the animals which call it home. Here I prepared food daily for all the animals, including the mammals, monkeys, and numerous species of birds. Along with feeding the animals, I cleaned the exhibits and made sure all the animals had fresh water for the hot Belizean days. The highlight of my days at the zoo were feeding and caring for Junior, a two month old baby jaguar. Junior was born at the zoo after his mother was captured from the wild after disturbing the Springfield Mennonite Colony. Now two months old, Junior is growing strong and doing well. Don’t let his cuteness deceive you; his powerful jaws and claws leave quite the mark! Fears are meant to be conquered. Another memorable moment from my experience at the zoo was handling the 6 foot Central American Boa Constrictor, Balboa. My fear of snakes had to be momentarily forgotten as I held the snake for visitors to the zoo to touch and hold, convincing them to face their own fears. Irony is a funny thing.

Pete at Itzmna

For my two-week internship I worked at the Itzamna Society, a community-based organization located in San Antonio, Belize. Itzamna seeks to act as a unified voice for three villages in the region: El Cristo, San Antonio, and el Progresso Seven Miles. All three villages have lost land as it’s sold to foreigners, so Itzamna Society was created to help the communities retain their land while offering training in various subjects to the locals. Currently, they also maintain Elijio National Park, Belize’s youngest national park. I was able to do some work in the park, which is only accessible by horse! My main task was to draw directions to the park for the back of the entrance ticket, do some mapping of the current facilities, and to write a proposal of ways to improve the park. I had a lot of fun riding horses through the beautiful forests of the park and also enjoyed working with the staff of Itzamna. Hopefully they will be able to use the maps and proposal to help develop the park into an asset that can be used by both the community and visitors. In a few years, Elijio Panti may be one of the nicest parks in Belize!

Tikal and Flores

Crossing into Guatemala just a few hours west of Nabitunich is Tikal, the largest of the ancient ruins of the Maya civilization (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Tikal is stunning, not just its size but its complexity. Situated in the middle of lowland rainforest we walked through the massive canopy of ceiba, mahogany and cedar, some as big around as five of us could reach. We spotted two species of monkeys and were told of the five species of cats and over 400 species of bird that inhabit the park. Then there was the site. Gigantic ruins dotted the landscape like the spots on a jaguar. Many of them poked through the forest canopy and climbing to the top one could see a dozen others on the horizon. On one of the highest ruins we had a race to the top. Those stairs are much steeper than they look! Tikal is an incredible place for an imagination to wander – what happened here, what did the forest look like, what did the people look like, what happened to the Maya, why did the civilization collapse? Most of these questions we try to answer throughout the semester, but being there it shows the vastness and intricacy of the Maya empire.



Leaving Tikal we headed to Flores, a town on an island on Lake Peten Itza. We jumped on a boat and headed for our accommodations, a beautiful spot owned by local friends of ours with incredible views of the lake. It was here in Flores that the students had their first real taste of colorful Guatemala, the people, cloths, food, and culture of this unique land. We had a discussion with Rolando about Guatemalan history and the 30-year civil war that left over 200,000 dead. That’s the “official” number – many consider it to be closer to 1,000,000. Many poeple, mostly indigenous, "disapperaed", thousands were slughtered, and children were siezed by the military for training. This is considered the 5th largest genocide (ethnocide) in history. We discussed the involvement the US has had in the politics of Guatemala –the CIA’s overthrow of the democratically elected government in ’54 and the politically-motivated economic imperialism played out by companies such as the United Fruit Company (all so we can have cheap bananas). It’s a messy world and our trip to Guatemala exemplifies the lack of shalom God so desires of us. The students will consider this as most of them will spend their holiday in Guatemala this week. The others came back to Belize to relax and dive out at the cayes.

Spa Night

Everything stinks after a week at Cockscomb (not just our cloths). As the week of forest ecology came to close (quite regretfully) the veranda was transformed into a dimly lit refuge for relaxation. It’s time for the students to kick back and relax at the spa CCSP-style! With mellow music and an atmosphere designed to unwind, students walked around and visited the various stations – massage, facial, foot-exfoliant, and manicure/pedicure. With our natural recipes and skillful application, the night carried a tranquil tone – check out the six pictured above, Courtnay, Peter, Bethany, Lisa, Eva and Taylor. Watch out Chaa Creek – the Spa @ Nabitunich might be onto something here. Who needs to spend $300 on a little bit of oatmeal smeared on your face anyhow?

A Day in the Life….Forest Ecology

Birding Day One
19 March 2007 6:00 am 88% Humidity
20.5° Celsius Outside Aurora's, road to Cockscomb
Great Kiskadee Rufus Tailed Hummingbird Social Flycatcher
Orchard Oriole-nice Red-Lored Parrot Swallow Tailed Kite-nice
Roadside Hawk Pale Bill Woodpecker Crimson-collared Tanager-nice
Keel-Billed Toucan Grayish Saltator-nice Montezuma Oropendola
Passerini's Tanager-nice White Vented Euphonia-nice

Tropical Plant Family Summary Day One
Arecacea
This is a medium-sized, exclusively tropical family with 60 genera and around 850 species. Members of this family are trees or shrubs, and occasionally lianas. Leaves tend to be alternately arranged, very large (with supporting sheaths) and either pinnately or palmately lobed/compounded.
Small flowers are borne in often elaborately branched inforesences (some with over 250,000 flowers per inflorescence!), subtended by a woody spathe. Flowers are usually unisexual and 3-parted. Fruit is typically a drupe with a single seed inside.
Distribution: Lowland neotropics
Pollination: Insects (bees, flies and beetles)
Dispersal: Animal
Notable Members:
Attalea cohune (Cohune or corozo palm)
Cocos nucifera (Coconut palm)
Acoelorraphe wrightii (Palmetto, Honduran palm, Hairy Torn)


Cecropiaceae
Only three genera (and 170 species) are in this family, with one ( Cecropia) that includes more than 100 species. These species tend to be trees or shrubs, fast growing (gap specialist), with distinctive leaf scars along the trunk. Trunks can be hollow, housing beneficial ant colonies. Leaves tend to be large and either palmately compound or palmately lobed, a favorite food for sloths.
Flowers are very small and unisexual, with plants being either male or female. Flowers are very simple, lacking showy petals. Inflorescences are arranged in finger-like projections initially covered by a fleshy spathe. Fruit are small and dry.
Distribution: Throughout neotropics, lowlands to medium altitudes
Pollination: Wind
Dispersal: Wind or sometimes animal
Notable Member:
Cecropia peltata (Cecropia, Trumpet Tree)

After all this, we had class and worked on projects and went on hikes. The days were definitely filled with planned activities that kept us busy. Randy always kept it interesting, though, with his articulate lectures and vast knowledge of all things biotic and abiotic.
The week was not all work and no play. Our first day at Cockscomb Wildlife Basin was spent hiking up to Tiger Fern Falls. Despite the cooler weather and rain we made it up to the ridge and back down the other side to Tiger Fern. It took some staff to jump in first, but slowly the students warmed up to the idea of jumping into cool water on an already cool day. Pretty soon it was warmer to be in the water than out in the rain!
But then it was back to work again. Cockscomb again proved to be a magnificent spot to hold Forest Ecology. Interesting hikes, a vast array of ecosystems, and the ability to make a project out of just about anything made our time fly by. Unfortunately, we were unable to see any Jaguars on our trip this year (Well, we never see them.) despite three being spotted on trails and roads that we had traveled.


After returning to the Nab, we took a trip up into MPR. We visited Chalillo Dam and then had a refreshing talk from two MPR Forestry Department individuals. They gave us a clear picture of how they would like to see the Pine Forests of MPR managed. They truly love their job and want to protect that area for the benefit of Belize. That Thursday night we were able to celebrate Dave Peters' birthday with a Blues Clues pinata. With a final smack, Dave not only broke the pinata wide open but also broke the handle of the broom. Lay off those pushups a little, Dave!
Spring '07 Forest Ecology, taught by Professor Randy VanDragt, brought fresh ideas to the course. These fresh ideas opened out eyes in new ways: not only to biological concepts about forests but also to the human impact on them. He brought up ideas and issues that were discussed during our two sustainable development courses and molded them into the perspective of a science-minded individual. The course was very well rounded and brought a lot of issues to our attention, issues that our generation will be dealing with. The students worked hard and it all paid off. But everyone was definitely ready for Spring Break 2007 by the end. Tikal here we come!!!

Time to Celebrate!

Dave Peters called it quits on his teenage years last night as we celebrated his 20th Birthday with a piñata! In Mexico, the piñata is shaped like a seven-pointed star. It represents the devil and the seven deadly sins - hitting it with the stick makes him let go of the good things he has taken hold of. Well, we found a big Blues Clues looking dog and stuffed it full of candy. Dave had the first and last whacks at it - here he is standing with the remnants.

Ice Cream, Chicken, Papaya, Sugar, and a Prison

Under the brilliant instruction of Jonathan Warner, we took a deeper look at Belize’s economic situation this week during the second week of Sustainable Community Development. We looked at several Mennonite-run agriculture initiatives like Western Dairies and Quality Poultry and we considered Belize’s connection to international commodities markets by visiting Fruta Bomba (a papaya export company) and Belize Sugar Industry. Traveling several hours north close to the Mexican border we did a homestay in Patchakan, a sizable, predominately Mayan village. Staying with our host families we met the people employed by these industries and heard from the local farmers who produce the sugar cane and package the papaya (100% of which is exported to the US). It was a great week of learning, tracing back to the roots those things we find packaged on our grocery store shelves. Is shalom possible amongst such a deeply economic-driven global market? Maybe, but maybe not. We’d prefer the farmers to give us their opinions.


On our way home we stopped by the Belize Central Prison for a tour of their facilities. Belize has the 5th highest amount of inmates per capita in the world, so we weren’t exactly sure what to expect with the tour. It just so happens that the Belize Central Prison, run by the Kolbe Foundation, may also be one of the most sustainable prisons in the world. The prison offers workshops like woodworking, cooking classes, jewelry making, brick making, agricultural production, tailoring, and welding to name a few. A prison run by a Christian foundation, really? Daily devotions are preformed via intercom, praise and worship songs are blasted from the speakers by the prison radio station Jeremiah 33:3, and most of the prison employees are Christian. No guns on the hips of these (Christian) security officers. It’s hard to count how many inmates we met that had a strong testimony because of their time behind bars. Matter of fact, the prison is employed by mostly inmates. It wasn’t until late in the tour we realized our guide was an inmate himself. To top it off, as we were leaving the room where the radio programs are produced, the inmate who controls the microphone asked to give us a quick shout out to all the inmates out in the prison yard. Clearing our throats we all crowded around the mic and sang the Doxology. It’s hard to explain how strange yet how incredible that moment was. We think they recorded our voices for further playlists!

Pictured in order: the group standing in front of mountains of fresh cane sugar at BSI, the group decked out at Western Dairies, chickens getting ready for slaughter at Quality Poultry, and a typical papaya field at Fruta Bomba.

Maya, the dog

This is our friend Maya. We like her an awful lot.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

We’ve been blessed with amazing weather this semester. It’s been hot, sure, but we have also had several unexpected rains. Our garden is loving it! With lots of hard work and plenty of fair-weathered days, everything is growing huge and green. Soon enough the vegetables will be on the table. It’s easy to smile each time we walk past the rows of squash, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, and cabbage.

La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge

This weekend a bunch of students and staff celebrated Baron Bliss Day by taking part in La Ruta Maya! This is no ordinary race, certainly not for the faint of heart. It is a rigorous 4 day, 170-mile canoe race starting on the Macal River in San Ignacio and ending in Belize City on the Belize River. Although we only had a chance to participate in 3 days of the race, the three teams, Team Climate Change, Team OUA (Over-competitive Under-prepared Americans), and Team Granola Corps. paddled an impressive 145 miles. That’s the distance from Philadelphia to Washington D.C., Seattle to Portland, or Los Angeles to San Diego - all in three days! I think everyone agrees it was some of the most enjoyable pain they have ever experienced. Along the way we set up camp at designated spots along the river, enjoyed our rice and beans and loads of bananas, and headed to bed early. Don’t know how much we slept, folks were up at 3:30 blaring music getting ready for the race. But despite the endless bends in the river, the hours and hours and hours of rowing, the rains storms on the 2nd and 3rd day, the crazy amounts of pain in the arms, back, and neck, and the sun burn, I think everyone would say it was one of the coolest things they’ve done yet. Certainly not something to do again, but a really great time. The picture above is at the start of the race, before we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Below we see Team Granola Corps (second boat in) paddling hard off the start.

Reading Week

The books are piled up this week during Reading Week. To catch up on the reading for the rest of the semester, the students have this week to study everything from global corporacy and the effects of the liberalization of financial markets to mineral cycling on oligotrophic soils. Good stuff. Most everyone is resting up, also, for the big race this weekend…

Martz Farm

As the thermometer continues to rise, so does the students desire to visit the beautiful waterfalls of Belize. This weekend we visited Martz Farm and had a good look around. The Martz family knows everything about their farm, the plants, the trees, the birds, the animals. Many of the plants on their farm have medicinal uses - it’s like having a drugstore in your backyard. As we made our way through the forest we came to a series of calcium waterfalls that cascade down into the Macal River several hundred feet below. The bird’s eye view from this point was incredible. It’s kind of wild to hike down waterfalls. Once we reached the Macal we boulder hopped upstream until we found a good place to cross the river. To get across you have to swim upstream against the current so you don’t loose any ground! As the group made our way across we hiked up and explored what we had come here to see - a system of waterfalls a quarter mile in length that spilled crystal clear water into the Macal. The water was chilling, coming straight from the Mountain Pine Ridge, but refreshing on this hot Belizean day. As we hiked up the numerous waterfalls, we stopped for a swim at the pools of each. At the end of the day we got to do it all over again, heading back the same way we came. This is certainly the most enjoyable waterfall trip yet. Check out the students at the base of one of the falls.

God and Nature 2

We were happy to have Bret Stephenson back teaching God and Nature 2. Bret taught the course from a more philosophical angle. In large, the class was an exercise in deconstructing Platonic dualisms that have shaped our reading of the Biblical story. Among other things, we discussed the paradox of wilderness, eco-feminism, and the problem of suffering. A lesson learned?: how inescapably dualistic we are in our thinking. May our minds be renewed in the power of the Holy Spirit…

Mid-week we had some serious celebrating to do. As Lisa turned 21, we celebrated with a good ol' fashion pool party. It was like a childhood memory - boys doing weird flips and who knows what into the deep end of the pool, races across the length of the pool, a see-how-long-can-you-hold-your-breath contest (the winner: Peter Lion @1:57), and cold drinks by the pool side at the end of the day.

Springfield Mennonite Community

No cars. No TV. No electricity. Just peace and quiet. Women in bonnets and wintry frocks. Blond men with blue eyes, suspenders and cowboy hats. Shy, staring children speaking in Low German. Welcome to the Springfield Mennonite community! In case you’re wondering, Belize has a sizeable Mennonite community. The first wave of about 3500 Mennonites settled in Belize in 1958. Today, Belize has both progressive and traditional Mennonite communities. The progressive, many of whom come from Canada, speak English and use tractors and other mechanized equipment. The more traditional groups--like the Springfield Mennonites-- avoid all forms of modernization in order to preserve a simpler way of life. On Sunday morning we arrived at Springfield in time for church. Attending a Mennonite church is an experience in and of itself; not only do the women sit on one side and the men on the other, but the sermon lasts for a few hours and is delivered by a few different people (men of course). After the sermon, we had a question and answer time. It was both fascinating and challenging to learn about their way of life and, in particular, their commitment to non-violence and simplicity. The church in North America could certainly learn a thing or two from their faithful witness in this regard. After a delicious dinner, we hit the sack in order to rise at the break of dawn. Some of the guys went out to help in the fields while the girls helped in the kitchen or relaxed on the porch. All in all, it was an eye-opening experience. We won’t soon forget the hospitality of our Mennonite brothers and sisters. They asked that we not take pictures, and we didn't. This shot is from a similar community in northern Belize.

God and Nature 1

Is heaven the place where we spend eternity? Is it a good thing to be “left behind”? Could it be that the faithful end up where there’s “weeping and gnashing of teeth”? These questions are not typical for a Bible study. But then again, the first week of God and Nature was not a typical Bible study and Sylvia Keesmaat was not a typical teacher. We spent the week exploring the biblical foundations for an ethic of creation care. Sylvia helped us to read the biblical narrative with new eyes. It was a little disconcerting to discover that texts we had always taken for granted as meaning one thing could in fact be saying something completely opposite. We carried on the tradition of the bedtime story, capping it off with smores around the campfire on the last night. More than anything the class afforded us the time to marvel at God's creation, to see how beautiful His fingerprint is on the created earth.

Pete Turns 21!

No better way to celebrate a birthday than with Chinese food and paper hats! 22 February we said Happy 21st Birthday to Peter Clemo in style. We even heard an interesting story about his 8th grade library card and some of his middle school shenanigans (thanks to Pete's mom and dad). With a chocolate cake from Miss Martha it was a true Belizean celebration.

Cruise Ships, Monkeys, and the IMF

Each in their roles as archeologist, anthropologist, economist, banker, lumber company owner, environmental scientist, botanist, school teacher, village chairman, cattle rancher and Taylor the Ceiba tree, the students played out a scenario that probably happens often behind closed doors. This week Sara Alexander spent the week with us for Sustainable Community Development. She has loads of knowledge about Belize so it was sensible to spend a good part of the week talking about tourism and the impacts is has on Belize. We visited several local eco-tourism resorts, a friend in Succutz who continues to make Mayan pottery as it was made in the ancient times, and compared those experiences with mass tourism and the significant impacts cruise ship tourism is having on the make-up of this vulnerable country. We also visited a baboon sanctuary and had a chance to hang out with howler monkeys for the morning. Pictured below is a 6-week-old, her mother, and Bob, the dad.

Vacation Already?

Three days off before Sustainable Community Development begin and the students are already out the cayes. On the first free weekend the ten packed their bags and headed east with not much more sense about Belize than what their guidebooks told them. It's a great way to learn Belize. This is a sunrise and sunset on the same day in Caye Caulker, a backpackers island destination in Belize. It's here at Caulker that the students got their first chance to snorkle the reef and got real taste of the caribbean culture in Belize - the food, the dress, the language, the lifestyle. It's a good life out on the island.

Exploring the Depths

February 18 marked our inaugural trip to Mountain Pine Ridge (MPR). With caving on everyone’s mind we made our way up the main road which had been destroyed by heavy rain storms during December and January. The hour and forty-five minute drive, in my opinion, on one of the worst roads in Belize, was worth it. With a quick trip to Rio Frio Cave, a huge expanse of a cavern with a river continuing to carve it out, we headed back to Twin Cave, our featured destination. With flashlights in hand the group forged into the depths of Belize. As we slipped through tight spaces from one cavern to another we were all in awe of what we saw. Stalactites, stalagmites and columns grew all around us like cathedral columns. Soon enough the caves inhabitants awoke and it was apparent that we were not alone as bats whizzed past our heads! After a couple hours the journey was over and we turned to find our way back. After a few wrong turns we made it and were welcomed back by the sun. MPR is always good for an afternoon full of fun! Surely we will be back to visit the Belize's eerie underworld.

Xunantunich

You know you are in an interesting country when the highest man-made structure is a Mayan ruin. This is our neighbor, Xunantunich (meaning Stone Maiden). The Maya are one of the many diverse people groups in Belize and have left significant cultural and historical impacts on Belize. In the height of their civilization (200-900 AD) they developed complex writing systems, were brilliant astronomers and mathematicians, carried out colorful religious rituals throughout cities like Xunantunich, and developed a calender as accurate as the one we live by today (the Maya calender ends 21 December 2012!). Nabitunich, the farm where we live, served as open land for peasants and laborers (essentially a Mayan suburb). The history of this land is so fascinating - it's easy to be reminded finding shards of Mayan pottery while strolling around campus and surrounding properties! Standing on the top of El Castillo, Jared captured the students working on their tans CCSP-style.

At the Zoo

Arriving at The Belize Zoo, Central America's finest zoo, is like stepping into the rainforest. It is jammed with local flora which creates a great environment for the animals to thrive in. None of the animals have been taken from the wild, and the founder of the zoo, Sharon Matola, spends most of her time educating people about conservation and the importance of biodiversity. It is considered "the best little zoo in the world." As soon as we arrived we all got to wrap a boa around our neck. Other highlights include the Jaguar (above), Keel-billed Toucan (below), Harpy Eagle, Scarlet Macaw, Tapir, Spider Monkey, and the deadly Fer de lance. Many considered the River Otter their favorite.

The Garden of Nabitunich

Look at this soil! Thanks to the students we whipped our garden beds into shape in one afternoon. The tools came out, the most popular one was probably the machete. But the beds have been cleared and the seedlings planted - tomatoes, sweet peppers, lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, squash, and sun flowers. Much thanks to last semesters students for creating some beautiful compost. Everytime we see egg shells in the soil we think of you. The sign in our garden is a great reminder:

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the bird for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in the garden,
Than anywhere else on earth.

Bingo!

Nothing can make you smile like spending time with the elderly in a rousing game of BINGO! They may be a bit older but when it comes to bingo they are on top of their game. We spent an afternoon with the residents of Octavia Waight, the only nursing home in Belize. They shared stories and smiles and everyone enjoyed each other’s company. We can’t wait to go back and visit our new friends. Pictured above is Brent helping his partner put the beans on the correct numbers.

Beating the Heat at Vaca Falls

Vaca Falls or Cow Falls, whatever you call it, continues to be a choice destination for CCSP’s student orientation to Belize. After a quick health and safety talk (obviously the most exciting part of orientation), students were already anxious to escape. We didn's have to do much convincing to spend the afternoon at Black Rock Resort and Vaca Falls! The water was surprisingly high for this time of year which made for nice rapids to swim and float through. After an hour or so at the falls we jumped into our tubes and made our voyage down the beautiful Macal.

Cayo Sensing

Pete, Lisa, Brent, and Ashlie already making friends! We've found that making a fool of yourself in public can often time be a fun and educational experience. We headed into town one afternoon and dropped the students off to get to know San Ignacio a little better. They soon learned how to get to Celina's, which is the Hawksworth Bridge, how much a taxi costs back to the farm, and where the best ice-cream is in town (undoubtably Cayo Twist). Hopefully this will be the last time these guys spend any time at the Police Station.

Home Sweet Home

Nabitunich, 400 acres of beautiful Belize. After a long bus ride across the country we arrived late in the evening and the students settled into their new home. Cows, chickens, goats, and horses roam the pasture while tucans and parrots roam the branches of the palm trees around campus. Xunantunich, an ancient mayan ruin and neighbor just up stream, provides a beautiful backdrop to this Belizean landscape. All ten students anxiously await the morning when they can wake up and explore the amazing country of Belize!

The Road Home

HOME TEMPERATURE
Wenham, Massachusetts: 20F
Orange City, Iowa: 7F
Burlington, Vermont: 4F
Grand Rapids, Michigan: 18F
St. Paul, Minnesota: 9F
Ancaster, Ontario: 15F
Sioux Center, Iowa: 8F
Wilmore, Kentucky: 19F
Chicago, Illinois: 11F

BELIZE TEMPERATURE
Belize City, Belize: 89F

Everyone arrived and met the heat as they walked off the plane into the hot and humid air of Belize. A few hours ride on the Western Highway and we'll be home!