This afternoon we headed out to the fields where the chocolate making process begins. We walked with the farmer to his land and had the chance to see what a cacao pod looks like. Our guide talked a little bit about the farm land and the process of growing the trees on the farm. The students had some great questions for him about farming the cacao pods. He took two and hit them together to crack them open so the group could try the cacao. The inside looks completely different than you would think and it tastes nothing like chocolate. After we left the farm we headed back to the Mayan Museum to hear Julio talk about how the cacao pods eventually become chocolate. Everyone participated in roasting the seeds and crushing them down until they eventually became chocolate. The students were very excited to try the chocolate but they quickly discovered this is not the chocolate that they are used to eating at home. It was much more bitter than they are used to.
We had a wonderful break in the weather late this afternoon when it started raining!! It is the dry season in Belize right now so any rain is very welcomed. Our students had a great time playing in the rain like they were 4 years old again. They have all been doing a great job! Everyone is getting plenty of sleep, eating well, and we haven't had anyone get burnt or sick!
Brooke - So far, the experience in Belize has been incredible. On the first day, we rode on an airplane. It was my first time. It was amazing. Usually I am afraid of heights, but riding in an airplane was different. It was so cool to see things up that high. When we got to Belize, we went to the zoo. I got to pet a jaguar! There were so many different animals that I have never seen before. There was an ocelot that made a weird sound when it ate. It was pretty funny. The first night we stayed at The Tropical Education Center. We stayed in cabanas. It was very hot, but as the night went on it got cooler. The next day, we went to the Mayan ruins. We climbed one of them. It was really fun and I learned a lot. Then we took a 3 hour bus ride to Maya Center. We will be staying here for the next 5 days. The next day, we woke up and went to the work site. The work site has been my favorite part. We work, but since there are 17 kids, we get to play with the children. I have so much fun with them. There is Robot, Kev Kev, Izzy, JJ, and Macaroni. I can't say some of their names, so my friends and I made nick names for them. Those are the ones who I have the best relationships with. They are very good at soccer. I have played soccer every day except the first one. On the third day, we went to the work site again, and then went to the Mayan Museum. We learned about their kitchen utensils, and about their dancing. Robot danced. He was pretty good. Then we made corn tortillas. They tasted really good. The food here is really good. Especially the hot sauce. That's pretty good. The juice, not so much. We have to drink a lot of water to prevent heat stroke. I feel like I am drinking water constantly. Today, we went to the work site again. It feels like we aren't getting very far in the project, but I don't think that we realize how much it means to the Belizian people about how much we have done so far. After that, we made chocolate. It was very bitter and kind of gross. Then we bought some chocolate and it was delicious. Belize has been a wonderful experience and it will just get better from here.
Mary - Belize has been amazing so far!!! We waited in line to go to security for a very long time. We got through eventually, and waited to board. The plane ride was fun I played cards and listened to music. I sat next to Brooke on the way to Dallas. We had a long layover in Dallas and we finally got on the plane to Belize. It was cool because we got to fly over the ocean and the boats in it looked really tiny and also it looked like they were not moving. When we got off the plane it was sooooooo hot!! I was wearing a jacket and sweatpants (not a good idea.) We traveled alot and finally got to The Tropical Education Center. We stayed in bungalos and they were nice, I roomed with Channing. Dinner was good we had chicken, white cake, and other food I can't remember. The zoo was really cool. There were many interesting animals like, an ocelot, howler monkey, and so many more. The second day we ate breakfast, it was good. We traveled a little bit on the second day. We went to the Mayan ruins and they were so awesome!! The top of the building was so high. We drove and ate lunch, I had a hamburger. Then we drove to the Mayan village and I am rooming with Bella and Andi. I got cold the first night. When we woke up we ate breakfast and then went to work. It was good we dug a hole and played with the kids. They are so cute and have interesting names like Zenida, Josefina, Lilliana, and Edica. They like to play soccer and play on the sew saws. Then we went to the Mayan Museum. It was cool there is a cool xylophone, a hammock, and things in a Mayan home. We grounded coffee and corn. The next part of the day we had free time and built a spaghetti structure to hold up and egg. My group failed horribly. I got cold again at night. Today we woke up, ate breakfast, and went to the work site. Today we mixed cement and put the basketball stand in the hole. We played with the kids which was fun. We then came back to our rooms and went to the chocolate farm. It was a fun place to go. The cocoa beans are not very good to taste. But the farm was cool. Then we came back to the village and made chocolate. It wasn't very good. Then we bought some chocolate from the gift shop and it was quite tasty. Then we came back to the village and changed and played cards and ate dinner. Now we are playing mafia, which is quite funny to watch. I can't wait to go to Tobacco Caye. I don't have a ton of bug bites. I miss you guys sooooo much and can't wait to see you!!! Love you!!!
Cassidy - So far Belize has been the best experience I have ever had. The first day we were on the plane traveling almost the entire day. Once we finally got to Belize we got on a bus and drove to the zoo. At the zoo there were little huts that we slept in that night. That day we also met Peter our amazing tour guide for the trip. The second day we got up and went to the mayan ruins and there was a ruin which was 130 feet tall, since I was afraid of hights I only climbed about 90 feet and then stopped.(I entered my stretch zone for that) After we left the ruins we got back on the bus and drove all the way to Maya center which was about 2 and a half hours away. At the maya center we met Arora, Ernesto, and Marroquin. On the third day we started our project to build the basketball court. We also got to meet all of the kids that are here and learn about them and their life style. We also went on a tour at maya center museum and made tortillas. Today we put in the basket ball hoop on the court and got to see the kids again. Then we went back to the cocoa field and took a tour of the field with the beans. Then we went back to the maya center and made dark chocolate out of cocoa beans. So far the best part of the trip has been seeing the children and knowing that they always look forward to seeing us again.
Morgan - When I first got to Belize, the only thing I thought about was how HOT it was! The bus ride to the zoo was so much fun. It was the first time that I had seen how poor some people live. During the night hike at the zoo, there was this really cute animal that said "Om-Nom-Nom" when it ate. The second day, we went to the Mayan ruins. Almost all of us climbed to the top of the tallest ruin.. I can't believe I climbed that high! The bus ride to the Maya Center was so long, and I think I slept the entire time. On the third day, we began digging the whole for our service project. Meeting the kids and seeing how happy they were to see us made my day. In the afternoon, we did a leadership activity. The group I was in didn't exactly run smoothly! Today, we worked on putting the basketball hoop up. I got the nickname "MBM" (Morgan Beast McBride) for mixing the concrete without complaining. In the afternoon, we took a tour of the chocolate field, and I had dark chocolate for the first time. After the chocolate tour, we had another leadership activity and it went so much better than yesterday! So far, I am loving Belize and I will be so sad when the trip is over!! (Ms. Keim, Mr. Hunter, and Mr. Phillip are awesome!)
Genna - When we got to Belize it was blazing hot and the plane ride was very long, so I was happy to finally get to the zoo. At the zoo the cabins that we stayed at were very nice. At night when we were at the zoo we got to go see all of the animals at night which was really cool because we could see the nocturnal ones. The next day we left for the Maya Center and we got settled in. A couple days later after we were building and playing with the kids we finally found a tarantula in our room. Then Peter had to come and get it out and he showed it to Mr.Hunter which freaked out and.... yeah. Thats all that has happened in the amount of time we were here.
Hannah Feder - Hello reader/family! When I first got here I thought that everything would be scary, everyone was talking about spiders, working (which is not what I normally do), and bugs. It turns out, everything is not so bad, I've only seen like 2 spiders, we don't overwork, and well actually the bugs are pretty bad (so far I have about 56 bites, 48 are on my legs). When we first arrived, the air was dense and it was hard to breathe, but I was used to the weather because it is normally that hot in China. When we got on the bus to leave the airport, no one wanted to leave because of the air conditioning. That day we spent the night at the zoo, we saw ocelots and howler monkeys and so much more! We are now staying at Nuuk Che'il (I don't know if I spelled it right). Guess what, who can say they've ever made ALL NATURAL CHOCOLATE in their lives? No Jasmine Feder, you may not answer yes. To be honest I really miss my family and sometimes I don't know if everyone here likes me, but Mr.Hunter told everyone that we are all out of our comfort zones, so I suppose this is all natural. I'll give you some advice reader, if you ever feel sad, sing a song. I sing my mom's Chinese songs and it makes me feel better. Also just saying I won at mafia with about 16 people.
See you Later,
Hannah Feder
Julia - So far, the trip has been great! First we stayed at a zoo for a night. We saw a margay, jaguar, puma, howler monkey, ocelot, and many more. It was very hot and humid, but we started to adjust the next day. We went on a long bus ride, and it was pretty fun. After the bus ride, we arrived at maya center. Marroquinn is super cute as always, and we hung out a lot. In the morning, we work at the school. Since there are so many of us and very few supplies, we take turns building the basketball court and painting the swing set. The library that we built last year looks GREAT! The best part of the trip so far is hanging out with the kids. All of them are super cute and adorable! There are a lot of them that come to the school to play with us, even though they are on spring break. They love it when I braid their hair and spin them around. Peter is our guide again; and him, Ms Keim, Mr Philip, and Mr Hunter are all super awesome. I'm having a great time and I can't wait to tell you more about it!
Love,
Julia :)
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