Friday, January 31, 2014

New Beginnings in Belize

Welcome to the shiny new blog for CCSP Belize's spring 2014 semester!  We just finished up ten days of orientation with eight excited students who love to have fun and don't mind a bit of work.  They've done a good amount of both so far, along with learning more and more about this country each day.  Here is a glimpse of what kept us busy this past week:

Helping our friend and local farmer, Santiago, plant 175 moringa trees.

Jeremy learned that if you cut a branch off a moringa tree, put it in the
ground and tie it to the fence for stability, it will grow!

Exploring the beautiful Maya archaeological site of Xunantunich.

The group begins the ascent to the top of El Castillo, Xunantunich's
tallest structure

Volunteering with (and touring) the Belize Botanic Gardens.

Working as a team to mix new soil and plant some hibiscus cuttings

Visiting the Belize Zoo, which works to educate Belizeans on their native animals (and conserving their habitats), speaks out against the pet trade, and only takes in animals who would not survive in the wild.

Taylor feeds a Keel-billed Toucan, the national bird of Belize
Derek observes a spider monkey casually using its prehensile tail

At the end of the week, all the students were ready to go off and explore more of this beautiful new home on their own!  Have fun, guys!

Derek, Lauren, Mara, Eric, Marissa, Rachel, Taylor and Jeremy at the
bus stop, ready for their excursion