o that we would be prepared for another hard day at work. I looked out my window to see a sea of greenery and wildlife. Birds cried and bugs buzzed across the vast horizon of tree and bushes. I was greeted graciouly by a traditional Belizian breakfast of beans and plantains, as well as a cup of coffee for the morning as well as the lively banter of my homestays. Everyone at my family posed for a goodbye picture since tomorrow we're leaving for Tobacco Caye. After a delightful conversation with my homestay family, I excused myself from the table to get ready for work. I left the table with tears in my eyes, knowing that this was the last full day I would share with my family.
I walked to the work site, excited to see my fellow comrades. As a group, we played a tropical variation of the game commonly known as "Duck, Duck, Goose". The game was called "Toucan, Toucan, Macaw" (see the resemblence) and practiced our Mayan words. After that, Katherine designated time to prepare for the Cultural Demonstration/ Talent Show. After much discussion, we agreed on preforming PSY's song "Gangnam Style". Although this song is not American in origin, the song has played a big part in recent pop culture. After practicing for 15 minutes, we broke off into groups to start work. Today we mixed cement for the columns, moved books for the library, and leveled the ground wherever necessary. Everyone worked very hard and we felt a strong bond form between us from the hard work we did. The cement mixing was physically strenuous however everyone it the group was eager to shovel cement. When it was time to move the library, the group worked together to strategically keep the books in order as well as move them efficiently. After a hard day of work, we were rewarded by some delicious locally baked coconut crusts, sweet empanadas with a shredded coconut filling.
After this, we all took a well-deserved break and bounced to the Mayan museum. Here we saw several Mayan artifacts and better understood their way of life. Our tour guide, Julio, described the Mayan way of life as 'basic' with few creature comforts, but with efficient tools like thick pots for roasting tough meat and a sugar cane crusher. We also made tortillas the traditional Mayan way and witnessed a traditional Mayan dance; some enthusiastic students even joined in! After the Mayan dance, Julio led us to the far end of the museum. Behind a wall reviewed a traditional Mayan kitchen. In the kitchen, the students chefed up a storm. Francesca worked on coffee grinding while Armando worked on grinding the corn for the tortillas. After that, we shaped corn tortillas and ate them too. The museum was really interesting and informative however the group seem excited to return for showers and get ready for the Cultural exchange and community celebration at Ernesto's. After everyone got ready for the celebration, we met at Ernesto's to practice our dance. Nash preformed a break dance routine for the community. Alex White and Bernd sung "No Diggity". The night was full of fun and festivities however we were all tired from a long day at work so we also looked forward to our good nights sleep. Tomorrow we depart for Tobacco Caye. Look forward for exciting pictures and blogs to come. Goodnight devoted followers!
-Tyler and Lexi
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing! It really helps us to feel a little bit a part of what you are doing!
Great update, thank you!
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