Robert Pelant, our most recent professor for Sustainable Community Development 1, reminded us that we are always connected to the places we find ourselves in and the people we meet. We explored our connections to Belize as we spent the week of Robert’s class looking at what goes into true sustainability and then seeing examples through our fieldtrips. Our first trip was to the Mollejon hydroelectric dam, which is one of three dams on the Macal River. These dams have created controversy due to pollution and the ways they’ve altered the surrounding area, including a change in the flood patterns of an important alluvial plain. On our visit, however, we heard the positive side to the dams, the biggest argument being that it helps Belize be less reliant on other countries for electricity. That evening, Kimo Jolly—a local environmentalist who grew up near the Macal River—gave a talk on his view of the dams, which touched on environmental, political, and cultural issues. It was very enlightening to have multiple views to compare.
In addition to the dam, we spent a half day at another Mennonite community called Spanish Lookout. These Mennonites were much less conservative than those at Barton Creek, but the strong sense of community was still very present. In Spanish Lookout, we met a farm owner named Peter Reimer, and we observed aspects of sustainability both on the farm and in the town. Peter and his family also made us a delicious lunch with amazing chocolate cake for dessert. Before leaving Spanish Lookout, we toured the production plant of Western Dairies, the major supplier of milk, cheese, and ice cream for all of Belize. We had heard Western Dairies ice cream is very good, but of course we had to try it for ourselves!
Outside of class, some of the girls continued to connect with the community of Succotz by playing with them in a soccer game against another nearby village. The Succotz team won with a score of 3-0! It was a great time for both those who played and the rest of us who cheered from the sidelines.
For those of us who found the will to awaken early in the morning, the launch of the Ruta Maya—a 4-day canoe race from San Ignacio to Belize City—was a blast to watch. People all over the banks of the Macal River cheered and laughed as many canoes swerved, bobbed, and toppled, while competing for a front space.
This past Saturday, we all packed our bags and headed to Guatemala! We journeyed to Tikal, one of the largest Mayan ruins, and spent the day exploring the site. The structures were huge, and it was amazing to think that the Mayans constructed it all without modern technology! We climbed to the top of the tallest temple, and from there we had an amazing view of the ruins and the jungle. We also got to see lots of wildlife while walking through the jungle, including spider monkeys, howler monkeys, parrots, and oropendolas.
After Tikal, we headed to our hotel which was situated a short boat-ride away from Flores. We enjoyed an evening of chatting and playing games after a delicious dinner, which included some of the sweetest pineapple we've ever tasted. On Sunday morning, some of us hiked to a lookout—which was actually an unexcavated Mayan ruin—near our hotel that gave an amazing view of Flores and the lake all around. We later explored Flores in small groups and then the students were off on spring break!
The students will arrive back on campus tomorrow! It will be very exciting to see them all again and to hear everyone's stories from break.
We spent the first several days of the class at the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve. This was the perfect location for this course, and we were constantly learning so much about how all the different parts of the jungle worked together. We saw an amazing variety of wildlife, from the beautiful Ringed Kingfisher to the fascinating leafcutter ants. There was a lot of vegetation to observe, as well. Many of the trees had large buttresses to stabilize them in the often-moist soil, and epiphytes grew all over the trees, sending their roots down to the ground from above. We even did some night hikes to see a whole other side to the jungle!
Toward the end of our time at Cockscomb, the students all divided into groups for observation projects. Patty and Katie worked with leafcutter ants to see what kind of obstacles affected their ability to maintain their path. Heidi and Courtney examined the differences in vegetation as the altitude increased. Joelle, Ivy, and Tamryn compared the micro-habitats of a tree found in a swamp and a tree found by the riverside. Afterward, we all got to hear each other's presentations and learn even more!
Before returning to the Nab, we stopped by the Maya Center Women's Co-op. Here women can learn skills such as weaving and pottery, and they can then sell what they make through the co-op. This allows them to gain some financial stability, which in turn works to empower them. It was amazing to see a lot of quality items available for sale, and to realize the good it was doing for that community.
After Cockscomb, we made a couple of day-trips to see more examples of forest systems. One trip we made was to Mountain Pine Ridge, where the jungle suddenly turns into pine forest! It was very odd to see, and fascinating to study. While there, we stopped at the 1,000-foot Falls, which was a pretty area for having lunch and learning more about the pine forest. The other trip we made was to Blue Hole National Park. Here we explored deep into pitch-black caves, and we swam in the cold, crystal-clear water of a pool at the mouth of an underground cave system.
Needless to say, after a week spent mostly in the jungle, we were all feeling a little dirty and a little tired, so we treated ourselves to a spa night! Amidst lit candles, we had different cleansing and relaxing stations set up: home-made natural face masks with cucumber slices, citrus "squeaky-clean" foot wash, manicure, massage, and cookies and milk! We all definitely got into it.
The students then departed for their first week of internships! We had them all back this past weekend, and everyone's been doing really well and learning a lot. After one more week, they'll be back again to stay. They'll be writing their own blog entries to fill everyone in on their experiences, so be sure to watch for that!
