The adventure of a lifetime began many days ago & since then we have all had many opportunities to push ourselves to the limit both physically & mentally. Memories of these accomplishments will never fade as we all move forward!
Today was by far my favorite day of this Belize field school. We got an early start this morning as we were prepared for adventure & excitement! Our guides from Green Dragon adventures, picked us up in Belmopan in their air conditioned vans and took us to the most beautiful river or Actun (Mayan word for underground river system). We hiked up a slow and gradual trail to the start of our river ride down through caves and open areas. But, first we all had to jump into the crystal clear water to cool off! Wow... it was so beautiful, I will be back there one day real soon!
After our float down the river, we were swept away for a gourmet lunch of rice & beans,
BBQ chicken & coleslaw with raisins... mmm, the food here has been really great! Not to mention the fresh fruit and vegetables sold at the markets. (can you tell I'm hungry again)
When we finished our lunch we were off for an exhilarating Ariel zip line tour.... weeeeeeeeee! Zipping through the jungle rain forest is a great way to get the blood pumping through your veins and a true bonding experience for friends. Laughter and Screams were high today! Again, many challenged their fear of heights today and good times were had by all!
Personally, the most cherished moments on this trip were spent visiting schools in Sartenja & Orange Walk. Students, teachers and principles were enthusiastic and grateful for the donations (books, schools supplies, sports equipment) they received. Thank you all you for your generous donations to this project (friends, family, boys and girls club & the Salvation Army) And thank you to all my classmates who each carried over 6lbs of books to Belize. The additions we made to local schools and their libraries was very well received. The smiles of the children's faces were truly priceless and this memory for me will never be forgotten.
We also donated many soccer balls, skipping ropes and frisbee's at many sports fields and to new Belizean friends along the way. Recreation and education opportunities is a fundamental human right that we all deserve.
My hope with the book and sports drive and delivery was to create awareness for other tourists because we do impact the communities we visit. Travellers have the means to research and plan their holidays; therefore, they may also want to research the needs of the host country they plan to visit.
Tourism impact does have the potential to create positive change for host communities, not to mention the positive moments travellers will share while submerged in the culture. I encourage all visitors to Belize to bring gently used, and culturally sensitive books to a rural community school or library. Your efforts will not go un-noticed.
Love Melody
