Exploring Different Parts of Belize One Week At A Time

The start to my third week in Belize is approaching rather quickly. I have had the opportunity to visit both the northern and southern districts within the last week. It started off with a trip with my host family and extended relatives to one of the northern districts of Belize called Orangewalk. It was about a 2 ½ hour drive from the village I am currently living in to the ancient Mayan ruins of Lamanai. As we drove through a fairly large Mennonite and Amish village consisting of mostly Germans (of course we stopped and got some homemade ice cream), we then arrived to the gorgeous grounds of the ruins that were adjacent to the large salt-water lagoon filled with crocodiles (hints the name Lamanai which means submerged Crocodile)! After lunch was served under a batch-roofed hut by the lagoon we began our day touring the grounds, which consisted of 3 main temple ruins. The largest temple we ended up climbing to the top was over 30 meters high and had the most breathtaking view of the lagoon and overlooking the tropical rainforest. Very interesting to take into consideration knowing that this temple was constructed in 100 BC, and was abandoned in the Early Postclassical Period. We also saw another smaller temple that had an ancient Mayan face carved in it.  This was the perfect photo op to get some family pictures with both my host mom/sister and the rest of the family, which was a great feeling to now feel as part of their family. What an enjoyable weekend to bond with my family and pick up on some Spanish. As a part of our technical training we had a half-day session on the essentials of gardening. We first had a lecture from one of the current PCV’s who will be finishing up her service in September about her experiences with gardening. She helped us understand how to influence our future villages and host families on how to eat healthier and teach them how to grow vegetables and fruits at their home resulting in not only improving their diet but also save them money in the long run. We then worked together as a group to create two garden beds while setting and plowing it all by hand. It was much more difficult then expected but after a couple of hours we had our gardens set and planted to start growing. As many people know I’m not much of a gardener but this has given me a better outlook on doing it in the near future to help my future host family and village on how to improve their health. As for what is going on with Spanish classes.. They are coming along slowly but I’m improving, even daily. We are currently learning basic vocabulary and conjunction of regular/ irregular verbs and how to use them in conversations. Flashcards have recently become my best friend and are with me almost everywhere I go to practice. The week ended with our first Culture Day as a group and we traveled to the Southern District of Stann Creek to get a first hand experience on the Mayan Culture.  We visited the Mayan Culture Center where we got to learn many things about their prestigious culture. Some things we learned about were their historic dances, handmade instruments they make, what their homes mostly look like, and their religion. We also had the chance to get some hands on action where we got to make our own corn tortillas, carvings, Mayan print clothing stitching, make dark chocolate from hand grinding coco beans and adding coco butter to it resulting in making a chocolate bar and also making own coffee. From there we then went down the street meet a herbal healer for their area. The woman we met is well known around the country for being a healer but also for her amazing Mayan recipes known around the world. She informed us that traditional Mayans rely on herbs for healing rather then medication. She told us stories on which she has helped so many people over the last 12 years. Very interesting to realize that so many plants and things we overlook can have a totally different result if they are mixed together. She pointed out one type of leaf that is commonly used to tear into very small pieces and rub onto mosquito bites that are on the body. You can best bet that I took a few of the leaves and did exactly as she said since I have constantly had the bites since arriving in Belize. I can honestly say it did improve the bites within hours and I wasn’t feeling the constant itch. I may need to be finding these leaves out in the forest so I can stock up on them to use from now on! Well, another week down and I am learning new things everyday not only about the culture and language but also details on what type of work I will be doing starting in September following the Pre-Service Training. Enjoy the following pictures!