We woke up early and left Clarissa Falls and went on a 2 and a half hour bus ride to Tobacco Caye. Half way into the trip we stopped at Marie Sharps Hot Sauce factory. We then arrived at the dock and took a 45 minute boat ride to a remote, but gorgeous island in Belize. It was absolutely unreal! Then, we spent our afternoon learning how to snorkel in the reef. While snorkeling, we looped around the reef and saw some very unique creatures. We then had a couple hours of free time to explore the island and hang out with the locals. Then, we had a night snorkel and it was the best experience ever.
-Haley and Morgan
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We have been enjoying our time snorkeling and enjoying the wonders of Tobacco Cay. It is a beautiful island on the reef. Unfortunately, internet is iffy at best and the only electricity is from generators they use on evenings. I have been in discussions with Workd Leadership School and since boat transport is the only way off the island and a chance of thunderstorms in the morning, we are looking to move to TEC, where we stayed on night 1, to insure an uninterrupted schedule and not getting caught on the island tomorrow morning due to weather. I will keep you updated. Everyone is happy, healthy, enjoyed snorkeling, and looking forward to see you.
Robert After yet another amazing breakfast, we made our last trip to Howard Smith! For our last day, we mixed cement and shoveled it into wheelbarrows. We said our goodbyes to the kids, who we had so much fun with, and went back for our last lunch at Clarissa Falls. After lunch we went back to the school to meet up with families so they could give us a tour of their homes and the town of Banque. We learned so much cool stuff about the community that we would not have learned without them. After a very hot walk, we went to the local park for some journaling. As a refreshing treat before dinner we went to the Ice Cream Shoppe, for some delicious ice cream. We came back and went on a short hike to watch the sunset, but we didn't see much because of how cloudy it was. At the end we saw a bit of pink clouds, and we hope to see even more sunsets before we leave. Tonight we are going to watch the stars, because they are GORGEOUS!!! Today was such an amazing last day in San Ignacio, and we'll miss it so so much.
~ Cecilia and Tess We woke up at 6:15 to a wonderful breakfast that consisted of cheese omelettes wrapped in tortillas and a choice of beans, mangos, pineapple, guava, and fresh watermelon juice. Then with our full stomachs, departed to the Howard Smith School at 8:25 where we played, engaged with the kids, and worked to create the ground of our shed. We departed the school at 11:45 to head back to Clarissa Falls Resort to have a delicious lunch of chicken and cheese enchiladas, white rice, tamalitos, and refreshing fruit punch after our hard work. After having some free time to regroup and recharge, we got on the van to go on the chocolate tour which portrayed how to create chocolate straight from the cacao bean. Do not worry, this did include taste testing some. At 4:00 we yet again returned back to Clarissa Falls Resort where we took a hike with the women who runs the resort, named Chana. During our exploration we learned about new species of birds and plants, and encountered some bulls and cows on the way. After a scenic 2 hour hike we returned safely for a nice dinner after we had created an appetite. Following the same pattern, another delicious meal of mashed potatoes, beef, bread, and yummy tamarind juice for dinner. We got together as a group to make some final thoughts about the memorable adventures we experienced and we can not wait for tomorrow.
- Mandy and Liv On Tuesday we started off with an amazing breakfast of ..... before heading off to the Howard Smith school for our second day of work. We shoveled dirt to make a bedding for the floor of the shed we are building. It was hard work but together we moved the whole pile of dirt. We gave the children bubbles and jump rope. We came back to Clarissa Falls for an amazing lunch. We made flour tortillas and salad dressing with the owner, Shayna. We then played leadership games like charades and mine field to work on cooperation and communication. It was an awesome day!
- Emma and Luiza Wow! Today was a great day here in Belize. We started off to a wonderful breakfast with omelettes and beans. Then we headed to the Howard Smith School to start our community service. The kids and teachers were very welcoming! We started to dig holes for the shed we will be building. We then mixed cement and played with the little kids. Then we came back to our hotel to have lunch, where Zoha spilled a frozen drink all over the table and the bus driver! lol... But we had these AMAZING empanadas and a new fruit we had found at the school called mamay. Then we hopped in the bus to the market in San Ignacio, where we had a market challenge (dun, dun, dun). Then we drove to the post office where some of us dropped off mail for our loved ones (watch for mail!). Then we came back and continued to have a new lesson called Global Issues. We have just finished dinner where we had amazing spaghetti and garlic bread. Now we are headed to take showers and go to sleep. We will keep you posted!
-Haley and Olivia ;) Eid mubarak! Today, we went to see the Mayan ruins and saw interesting structures. We learned about the hierarchy of the Mayan people and much more. After a delicious lunch, we went to the Green Iguana Conservation Project and most of us held iguanas! Later, we learned our leadership types and learned different leadership styles. We ended our day with card games and lots of fun! Cecilia and I (Zoha) both enjoyed interacting with Iguanas and playing games, like sharades.
Emma- Was super creative while creating a clay structure with no sight! She made a half eagle/ half fish animal with Cecilia. Zoha- Survived falling down stairs and was brave enough to climb the ruins and make friends with the iguanas. Cecilia- Was leader of the day and made sure that everyone was aware of what was going on. Thanks, Cecilia! Tess- Immersed herself in learning about each leadership style and impacted our conversations. Haley- Did not shy away from exploring the Mayan ruins and exploring all the rooms. Morgan- Told fascinating and funny stories during dinner. We are still laughing! Mandy- Literally had an iguana placed on her head and enjoyed it. Thoroughly. Luiza- Held many iguanas and was the first to hold the largest iguana. Very brave!!! Olivia- Dominated our games of sharades, taboo, and password. Great job, Liv! ~Cecilia and Zoha :) :) :) Waking up for day 3!! Yesterday, we tubed through miles of underground caves. It was incredibly beautiful and peaceful, before heading out and settling in outside of San Ignacio. We did our 2nd leadership training class before rearranging some of our rooming due to power outages due to recent storms. Getting ready for a pancake breakfast and visiting Mayan ruins and more leadership work today before working at the school tomorrow.
On Saturday we began our day with a bus trip to the Cave Branch River tubing park. We arrived there and met our guide Fernando who led us on the hike to the entrance of the caves. The hike was long and the tubes awkward to carry but it was worth it when we entered the huge caves and cruised down the river. Afterwords we went to Cheers for lunch and stopped by Artbox, a souvenir shop. We finished our day by heading to our hotel for dinner and a good nights rest.
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