A Week in the Jungle

Somewhere between running through the jungle after a paca and singing worship songs while in total darkness of a cave, we realized that we were learning in a whole new way. For our first installment of the three-part Tropical Ecosystems course, professor David Foster took us deep into the jungle to learn about forest ecology.

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!

Wherever You Go, There You Are

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.

Home, Sweet Home

After learning in God and Nature about ecological homelessness and what it means to be responsible to, for, and with the place one calls home, we took a trip to Barton Creek to visit a community of conservative Mennonites. If anyone knows the value of home, it's them. The families we stayed with spend their days working the land they live on, building their relationships, and studying scripture. They enjoy living a simple life: no electricity, no running water, no motor vehicles, and only plain clothing that covers ankles and wrists. While it was certainly challenging for all of us to adjust to not having some of our modern conveniences, we learned a lot about how it impacts their relationships and their faith. Some of us even came away skilled in milking cows and harvesting vegetables!

With two classes and a homestay under our belts, we headed into reading week, which is devoted to getting started on material that will be covered in upcoming classes. To take a little break and relax, we headed to the pools of Mountain Pine Ridge on Wednesday. Here we enjoyed cooling off, taking in the beauty of the pine forest, and having some fun. After the pools, we visited Rio Frio Cave, which is giant! It was an amazing sight.

Some students have also been finding time to take part in a local soccer team's practices in the evenings. Our cook, Ms. Flora, is on the team and is enjoying having the girls join in. They're looking forward to playing an actual game this Saturday! This has been a great outlet for the athletic of us, as well as a great way to get to know the surrounding community.

Last Saturday we celebrated the Chinese New Year by going to Cayo Twist, a local favorite ice cream shop. What makes this place so interesting is that the ice cream is actually made with soy instead of milk, which gives it a unique taste. They have all kinds of flavors that rotate through, from orange/vanilla to eggnog. It's incredibly tasty, especially on those hot days or after a soccer practice!

Class is Now in Session

What does it mean to be an image bearer? How does God's covenant relate to all of creation? What are our responsibilities to to the places we call home? Am I going to finish this paper on time?

These are just some of the questions that have been filling our thoughts over the past couple of weeks as we dove into the first two classes, God and Nature 1 & 2. Professors Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh have been challenging us to consider how we are called to interact as Christians with the earth and all its inhabitants. After going through scripture and learning about God's desire for us to live redemptively with creation, we explored what that looks like in our lives today. In one of the assignments, in classic CCSP "out of the box" style, we even got to see each others' creativity come to life through dance, poetry, photography, and art!

In addition to class, these past two weeks have given us reason to celebrate! Brindley, one of the student life coordinators, had a birthday, so we feasted on local Belizian burgers and homemade fries (her favorite meal) and topped it off with cake made by a friend of the program. We also decked the veranda with streamers and hearts for Valentine's Day, which is actually a huge holiday in Belize, and we had a fun night of Valentine's-related games, discovering our love languages, and eating Ms. Flora's delicious brownies! It's great how celebrating and eating delicious food often go together.

Professor Keesmaat is also very knowledgeable about gardening, so having her here has been very beneficial to our garden. With most of the seedlings in the ground now, and some new seeds directly planted into the garden bed, we're expecting to see quick growth of our plants. Also, Professor Walsh is an avid birder, and he's managed to get a lot of us excited about waking up early to go to a nearby riverside to view some of Belize's birds. We're already starting to pick up on the calls of some local birds.

We are now looking forward to this weekend, when we will stay in a Mennonite community. We had a Mennonite fashion show, to make sure everyone had something appropriate, and it appears as though we have quite a modest bunch! They pass the test with flying colors...well, with neutral colors, anyway.

CCSP Belize Begins!

The Spring 2010 semester of CCSP Belize is now in full swing as we came to a close on our orientation week Thursday. It's hard to believe that the students have already been here for over a week! This semester our student roster consists of seven girls. While many different backgrounds and interests are represented by these girls, they have quickly found themselves to be a close-knit group. It's been fun for us staff to hear them all in the dining room conversing, laughing, and really connecting.

It's been a full week in which they've learned a lot about Belize, Nabitunich (the campus), and each other. After a couple of days on campus we relaxed by tubing on the Macal River which allowed everyone time to slow down and take in their beautiful surroundings. Several days later they learned all about the Mayans at the nearby ruins called Xunantunich (which we can see from the campus). Students got to experience the vegetation of Belize at the botanical gardens on Wednesday and the local wildlife at the Belize Zoo just two days ago. There's no shortage of vegetation and wildlife right on campus, too. Students have already had the opportunity see toucans, aracaris, and other tropical birds right outside their doors (not to mention a few tropical insects right inside their doors)!

We also gave them an up-close look at the people and places of San Ignacio, Belize's second-largest city. Here they experienced the Saturday morning market, St. Andrew's Anglican church, and the general population. They also learned how to take the bus between the Nab (our nickname for Nabitunich) and San Ignacio, which is an important skill so they can get out on their own and explore.

Speaking of getting out on their own, the students are currently enjoying a travel weekend. We've closed the campus until Sunday dinner and sent them out to have a weekend to themselves before classes start on Monday. All seven girls decided to stick together and are having fun in the sun on Caye Caulker.

We as staff are excited for the students to start class because we know they're going to learn so much! And we, in turn, will get to have some great conversations with them about what they're learning.