Time Capsule Letter
Hey there everyone!
It’s been a while now since our awesome adventure in Belize, and we hope you’re enjoying home life. We are hoping you had time to digest all of the incredible things we experienced and are staying connected with the friends you made on the program. We learned so much from our incredibly cute Belizean students and have come so far.
From day one introductions at service, to the end where we built such strong bonds with the children that we didn’t ever want to let go of that last hug goodbye! We made memories that will last forever on adventures snorkeling with turtles, sting rays, and sharks. Many of us faced our fears and overcame challenges on this trip- laughing and crying along the way and coming out stronger on the other side.
We explored ancient Mayan ruins, floated through incredible caves tied to one another for support, and even held iguanas! Everyone remembers the funny moments like calling Emma to come and save the day from giant bugs in the shower, bats flying around the classroom, creating whirlpools, and making terrible panorama photos! I hope that everyone has made a strong effort on our OMG (One Meaningful Goal) to continuously create goals to better the environment.
We hope this program made an impact on you, opened your hearts and minds, gave you a greater perspective on how others live, and inspired you to get involved in more service centered activities back home. We will never forget our time together in Belize and all the individuals who participated and made it so special for us. We love to see you grow, do more amazing things, and continue to be the change you wish to see in the world!
Your Friends,
Danielle, Emma, Jenny, and Julianne ❤️
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Thursday August 1, 2019
Hi friends and family,
We have all arrived safely to the wonderful country of Belize! We enjoyed getting to know each other at the airport and getting settled at home base. We just finished eating a delicious dinner of beef, mashed potatoes, salad, and carrot cake and are about to do another activity before bed! We are excited for our orientation and zoo trip tomorrow!
Friday August 2, 2019
Hi friends and family,
After a great night sleep we had breakfast together and started the day with orientation. We discussed community guidelines and played a game of extreme rock, paper, scissors. After lunch we took a hike through the Savannah and went to the zoo! We enjoyed feeding monkeys, tapirs, and some giant birds. After the zoo, we we had a swimming race and a made a whirl pool at the pool in home base. After dinner we did an activity on the Belize/Guatemala territory debate and are about to have our first small group meetings. We are all exhausted but excited for the next two weeks!
Saturday August 3, 2019
Today we woke up and ate breakfast and after breakfast we headed to the Mayan ruins called Cahal Pech. After the Mayan ruins we went to a delicious lunch and had burgers, quesadillas and cold sodas. Then we went to an iguana reserve and got to hold them and see the baby ones. Then we went and got ice cream and walked around the market and bought fruit and some souvenirs. Afterwords we headed back onto the bus and ate pork chops, veggie salad, potatoes and brownies. We played a game of mafia and talked about the environment. We then met with our mentor groups and talked about the day.
Sunday August 4, 2019
Hello friends and family!
Today we started off our day with a breakfast of pancakes, bacon and fruit. We quickly got ready to go on a short nature hike at one of the nearby trails, followed by some volley ball, card games, or a run. Did a quick leadership activity then spent some time playing pool games and cooling off.
For lunch we had rice and beans, stewed chicken, and potato salad with some tropical punch. After lunch we loaded up the bus the headed to our service site to meet the principal and set up our classrooms for tomorrow! We can’t wait to meet the kids!
Before dinner we quickly learned what type of curriculum we will be teaching the kids this up coming week. For dinner we had make-your-own burritos with mango juice and banana cakes. After dinner we meet with Mrs. Emily Martinez who taught us about the history, education and culture of Belize, before heading to our mentor groups to finish the night.
Tuesday August 6, 2019
Yesterday was the first day of teaching at the local school in Cotton Tree. All of our GLA students had fun getting to know their students and getting a feel for what their students knew so that they could gauge what needed to be taught. The mornings consist of math, then a break. The afternoon is spent on reading comprehension and writing. After leaving the school, half our GLA students were able to take a cooking class in the kitchen while the other half cooled off in the pool.
Today consisted of the same things as yesterday. GLA students found today much smoother than yesterday as they knew exactly what they needed to teach. Afterwards, the half that didn’t take the cooking class the previous day were able to. Same with the pool. Before dinner we participated in a leadership activity that involves service reflection that got all of us truly thinking. Dinner consisted of chicken, carrot rice, veggies, and chocolate cake. Now we are heading to mentor groups and service prep to end our day!
Wednesday July 7, 2019
Today, we woke up and enjoyed some fried jacks, scrambled eggs, and fruit for breakfast. Right after that, we headed off to service at cotton tree. We’re all getting more comfortable leading a classroom and it’s really cool to make connections with the kids. At noon, we headed back to home base and enjoyed some pasta salad for lunch.
After a little bit of free time, we were joined by a dance teacher who taught us a variety of Belizean dances-we may not have been very good but we all enjoyed laughing at ourselves. Then, we headed off to the pool to cool off after the intensive class and relaxed with a little bit of downtime. We wound down the night with some service prep, some coconut rice and fish, and a fun new leadership activity. Goodnight!
Friday August 9, 2019
Dear friends and family,
Today we finished our last day of service. We all said our sad goodbyes to our lovely kiddos. We’re going to miss them so much. Then, we came back for lunch and had Mac and cheese and chicken. We then headed to cave tubing. It was quite the adventure and lots of fun. Our guides were incredible and the caves were magnificent. We then made the calming and peaceful journey back to home base.
After that we changed out of our wet clothes and got ready for dinner. For dinner we had stewed beef, beans, vegetables, and upside down pineapple cake. After dinner we headed upstairs for an exciting game of Belize jeopardy. Congrats to the “we’re just going to wing it” team on winning jeopardy!
Monday August 12 and Tuesday August 13, 2019
Dear friends and family,
Our trip is coming to a close, but we spent our last couple days in Cakye Caulker, exploring the island and having a great time!
On Monday, we took a bus ride from home base to the shore, stopping at the Belize sign to snap a few pictures, before boarding our water taxi to the island. Once there, we shopped our way down the coast, and tried lots of delicious food. Then we ate dinner, and turned in for the night after a quick mentor group session.
On Tuesday, we went snorkeling! We spent the majority of our day on a boat, enjoying great music, views, and the gorgeous ocean water.
Now, we’re on our way home, armed with new knowledge and unforgettable memories.
