Day 4 by Danny and Lucila

Day 4: 

After waking up from a night of rain and no electricity, to the sound of roosters crowing, we all got ready and refreshed for the new work day ahead of us.  Some had the extra delight of waking up at 5:30 in the morning to go bird watching with our great guide, Peter.  We then had a delicious breakfast of bread, beans, and eggs. After rushed and vigorous preparation, we walked to the school to commence a fun yet tiring morning of work.  Our group split up so that some of us taught in the class (our favorites were Reading and Math class) and some worked on the library.  During break we played tag with the kids and saw them climb trees, like cute little howler monkeys.  After running around with them, until the bell rang for class, we switched work shifts.  Painting the library was a very gratifying job and, oddly enough, it brought out the artist from within quite a few of us.  We worked until we were about to drop, then walked back to the cottages and had an amazing leadership lunch.  While having a delicious meal, we talked to many leaders of the community.  We all split up into groups of about 3 or 4 and talked to the many amazing leaders of this Mayan Center (Kitty Softpaws was also pretty intrigued; he kept us company the entire time).  Once again, we rushed and scrambled to get our things together, and headed off to the Mayan Museum.  There, we sampled the wonderful Mayan culture.  We learned about the way they live, cook, and entertain themselves.  We danced to the Mayan marimba and harp music (although we were terrible), and then we learned how to crush coffee beans and corn.  They also taught us how to make the most delicious corn tortillas in existence.  By the time we return to Houston, we’re sure many of us will be craving to make them for our dinner.  We then proceeded to pack and move into our homestay families, who were all very welcoming and nice.  We settled in and some of us even got to make tortillas again!  Then at 6 we attended the Lower School graduation ceremony at the church.  The ceremony was wonderful and very complete, with guest speakers, speeches, and a torch lighting procession.  After the ceremony, which some students claim lasted an eternity, we walked with are homestay families to their houses.  Some of us attended graduation parties while others ate and went to sleep quickly as a result of the long and tiring day.  All in all, this was an excellent day and we made many new friends!  A shout out to our parents and pets, we can’t wait to see you next week!

                                                                                                                                With love,

Lucila and Danny

Day 3 - Danna and Adrien

This morning began with breakfast at the Nuuk Cheil Cottage soon followed by a short walk to the St. Jude R.C. School. We were greeted by the smiling faces of children awaiting some new playmates! An assembly took place in which we were introduced formally to the school and Danna and Tyler introduced the World Leadership School program. We were then divided into two groups: one began continuing the work on the library, pretending to know how to use the tools, while the other group ventured into the classrooms to play educational games and read with the students. Luckily, we quickly got the hang of using a hammer and saw so that we were able to start painting on our first day. At this rate, we are likely to see some windows installed by the end of our trip. Yay! At around noon, we had our lunch and spent our afternoon doing team building activities. Not only did we build spaghetti structures topped with marshmallows, but we also were given the chance to explore the village and talk with the locals about their lifestyle. Our evening was filled with group bonding, journal writing, and banana cake. Most importantly, we discussed our expectations of the homestay experience, as our first night with the families will be tomorrow. Shout outs to the Ghafir and Lhemann families! We love you and miss you. 

                                                                                                                            -Danna and Adrien 

P.S. Sorry about lack of photos. Our internet connection is slow so most of the pictures will have to be uploaded later.

Day 2 Danna and Viviana

Where to begin with this action-packed day? We began by waking up quite early this morning (like, 5:30) ready to start a second day in the wonderful country of Belize. We consumed a brekkie for champions that included beans, eggs, and fryjacks (Google it). We packed our things and our bus driver Minor took us on a mystical bus ride of wonder (so basically it had AC) for a little over an hour to reach the Mayan ruins. Xunantunich was high up on a hill, and the only transportation we had were our own feet. After eating termites because YOLO and lighting the juice of plants on fire, we concluded our mile high trek to the Mayan ruins. Our guide, Peter, told us of all the fascinating stories behind the ruins and took us to the peaks of the Mayan structures (but YOLO). Although our legs were about to fall off, we successfully made it back down the steep hill and had a packed lunch of chicken, fried plantains (yummy!), coleslaw, and snickers in the mystical bus of wonder. After completing our meal, we had the opportunity to wander among the vendors selling handcrafted goods. We then hopped back on the bus and enjoyed a two hour scenic route through Belize to the Mayan Center Village. Many spent this time yelling at cards, while others decided to sleep (us). When we arrived to the Mayan Center, we met a wonderful little kitten named Kitty Softpaws who seriously distracted us from our team building activities. We did not knock down a telephone pole during these activities. Why would you think that? Jeez. We discovered ourselves and our leadership abilities as we worked out our contrasting ideas that came along with these activities. Dinner was soon ready and we filled our stomachs with chicken, rice, mashed potatoes, and cake. Students have unfortunately not lost interest in four square, but are fortunately clothed. We are excited to begin working on the library tomorrow. But for now, we must rest up and re-energize for the long days ahead of us.

                                                                                                                                With love,

                                                                                                                                Danna & Viviana

We have added photos from Day 1. Check them out!! We are heading to the Mayan Ruins then off to the Mayan Centre Village on Day 2.

Day 1 by Nick and Tyler

Waking up at 5 a.m, We realized that in the next couple of hours we would be embarking on a journey that would change us, physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Many spent the last bit of time left scrambling to pack, but me, I spent it reflecting on the new world that would open.   Arriving at the airport, I finally realized that this was the beginning: the beginning of everything. Little did we know that this experience would change our life forever.  Upon arriving at terminal E, at 6:30, I was greeted by many familiar faces including the smiling kind face of Lisa Bastedo.  After greeting friends that I haven’t seen since school ended, I proceeded to reassure my mother that all would be well.  After saying goodbye to the loving parents (SHOUT OUT TO MRS. MARIE AND MRS. GOULDING), we smoothly flew through security as if it didn’t exist.  Even though Nick’s boarding pass was printed under the wrong name, using his skills in verbal communication, he was able to seduce the security guard who was named Bill.  We then proceeded to board the plane. Although we were scattered across the aircraft, we felt a strong bond hold us together, as one. This proved to the instructors that this was the strongest emotionally connected group in all history.  After a quick two and a half hour flight, we found our selves in the center of learning. Everything we did, increased our knowledge vastly. Seeing the vegetation, it astonished us since we were coming from an urban environment.  We passed through customs with ease and exited the airport only to be greeted by Kristi Winegarden, Kelley, and Peter. Kelley and Peter are the representatives of the World Leadership School.  We boarded the air conditioned bus, taking a long bus ride to lunch, while Peter gave us helpful incite on the geography and fauna of Belize. We arrived at “Cheers” (where everybody knows your name) LOL, we had scrumptious native food such as cheeseburgers and burritos. These were very fresh and tasty. After this filling meal, we proceeded to go to our accommodations where we unpacked our luggage and proceeded to get a tour of the location. This hotel has a classroom, a fresh water tap, a bathroom, showers, and many man eating crocodiles. Unluckily, we still count 15 students as of now. After this, we received a lecture on Belize and a bit of the history from our trusty guide Peter. Kelley also showed us the safety hazards and rules of this area. This was very insightful. We then performed many team building activities such as explaining your deepest fears about Belize. After the meeting concluded, the boys engaged in shirtless four square for about an hour (for clarification, no girls participated in this event).  After the boys were told to stop their team building activities, dinner was ready. We had a scrumptious mystery meat and rice. This was accompanied by assorted vegetables and spongy chocolate cake.  Dinner concluded and the group left for the Zoo. We were taken on a night tour where we saw animals ranging from: Black Howling monkeys to Tapirs. Right now, you might be asking yourself: “What is a Tapir?”. In order to fully comprehend this majestic animal, imagine superman as land creature. Not only can he extend his nose, crunch peanuts, and swim for a solid 3 minutes underwater, he also weighs up to 500 pounds. This animal is the national animal of Belize. I know how you are feeling, you are asking yourself “why do we have an eagle as the national animal when we can have a Tapir?” I know that feeling. So we conclude this blog post with a shout to the girlfriends of Nick and Tyler: Liz Hirs and Madison Aguilera. <3333333333 hey guys we miss you tons!! From nick and tyler

                                Sincerely your blogging specialists,

                                                                                Tyler Goulding and Nicolas Marie

                                                                                                                                                                                                YOLO.

Belize 2012 PHOTOS!!!!

Made it!

All students hav arrived safely! We had a nice lunch at a restaurant called Cheers and are now settled in at the Tropical Education Center. We are doing some activities now before dinner and a night tour of the Belize zoo. We will update again soon! -Kristi