Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Final Escapades in Community

BELIZE--
Although the ending of such an excellent semester can bring some sadness, there are far too many great things still left to do that keep us learning and excited, delighting in creation and each other.  One such event is the Trash Art Show.  We spent a morning picking up trash on our roadside, and were enlightened to discover that one person's trash...

Brittany (Bethel) and Sara (Gordon) toting their spoils
...becomes another person's art!

Lindsay's (Messiah) award-winning piece of art, previously in the form of trash
We also took some time for swimming in the river, visiting caves, and of course a healthy dose of competition via the 2nd Semiannual CCSP Belize Small Group Olympics.  It was a fierce battle of wills between "The Power Rangers," "Team Dominion," and "The Lost Boys."  To test the skills we have all gained in Belize, we engaged in such rigors as:

Lightsaber wars,

Nina the Lost Boy versus Flora from Team Dominion
Lime-bobbing,

Lindsay the purple Power Ranger securing approximately 17 limes for her team
Staring contests,

A stoic confrontation between Student Life Coordinators, Gellie (Lost Boys) and Josh (Power Rangers)
...and many more.  The competition was tough from all sides, but after much striving and struggling, The Lost Boys managed to come out on top.  Peter Pan would be proud.

On such exciting notes, the semester reached its finality.  By now we have all said our goodbyes, campus is quiet, and we are already missing each other... Thank you all for the beautiful community we formed here these months, and may God guide you in applying back home what He taught you in Belize!


Friday, May 18, 2012

Salty Classrooms

BELIZE--
While we could learn a lot about marine ecosystems by exclusively reading books or hearing lectures, here at CCSP we maintain that one of the most effective learning tools is immersion - literally - into the great sea itself.  Our expert professor, Ian Johnston from Bethel University, enjoyed sharing his love of corals with us as we snorkeled through some of Belize's most beautiful reefs.

Punctual and prepared for class.  Yes, this is class

Pencil urchins, parrotfish, brittle stars, sea hares, conch and stingrays were only a few of the creatures we discovered; but they all taught us a lot about their home, and how our lives on the land affect theirs in the water.

Kelsey and Kirsten (Bethel) learning about a sea hare and a pencil urchin, firsthand
We are so privileged to be able to explore these habitats and encounter such an array of amazing (and sometimes bizarre) organisms.  May we all have the wisdom and courage to promote their health and survival for many generations to come.

Waves breaking on the reef crest at Glover's Atoll

Monday, April 30, 2012

Interning in Belize

When you study abroad with CCSP Belize, all of the weeks are full of awesomeness, but two of them in particular are unique: internships.  Students get the opportunity to intern at a local Belizean organization for these weeks while staying at the home of a local Belizean family.  These are consistently some of the best experiences of the semester, and this time around was no exception.  Here are some thoughts from our seven very own Belizean interns.


Jenny Howland - Central Farm

Planting rice seedlings!
I spent the past two weeks at Central Farm, a farm dedicated to research and assisting local farmers and students.  Central Farm is under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Agriculture and thus run by the Government of Belize as well as by the Taiwan Technical Mission.  It is a somewhat chaotic orchestra of technicians and staff all working together between the office and fields to educate farmers and the public and get people the resources they need in order to produce safer and better products in a more efficient and sustainable way.  They have many different programs including agro-processing, livestock, rice, fruit trees, horticulture, and organic agriculture.
My time was divided between exploring the many programs and helping in the organic section.  Some of my favorite activities were planting rice seedlings (in bare feet), milking dairy cows, cross pollinating coconut trees, and making an attempt at grafting mango and guava trees.  I also enjoyed helping my supervisor prepare for an organic display of compost methods and education center in a national agriculture and trade show coming up.  My biggest challenges were becoming familiar with the system at the farm and absorbing mountains of new information about tropical agriculture.  This is one area I would not have the opportunity to practice at home in a temperate climate.  Through this experience I was also able to face questions of how agriculture is involved in the development of Belize.  The idea that creation restoration is bound up in restoration of relationships was evident in projects at Central Farm that build ties between farmers and staff as well as support Belizean economy and community.

Kelsey Piepkorn - Belize Botanical Gardens

"Baptizing" orchids in the nursery with compost-soaked water containing molasses, charcoal, and manure.
I had the privilege to spend my internship at the Belize Botanic Gardens (BBG).  A botanical garden's purpose is to record information and plant identification.  I gained knowledge in various areas of horticulture.  A few things I learned were focused towards cuttings, propagation, water and sunlight needs, compost, soil mix, pruning, and air layering.  I also assisted with different locations in the gardens.  I worked in the plant nursery, orchid nursery, orchid house, and in the agave bed.  BBG's mission is to protect the environment by conservation through education.  BBG has offered multiple programs to increase education in horticulture.  BBG recently received a grant from the UN of Belize to teach a horticulture course.  The purpose of the course is to alleviate poverty through horticulture and raise the standard of living in Belize.  Only Belizeans who are unemployed qualify for the class.  They may have little to no knowledge about plants.  One of my favorite comments from the week was by my supervisor, Rudy (one of two supervisors at BBG) in relevance to the program.  Rudy quotes, "I would love to take 10 gangsters and turn them into 10 horticulturists - that would be fantastic!"  I pray for the success of this program, which starts in June of 2012, and that it opens the doorway for BBG as an educational institution for the future.  Overall, I had a blast at BBG!  The workers were simply wonderful :)

Kirsten Wahlberg - Belize Zoo

Balboa the beautiful boa constrictor
During my internship at the Belize Zoo,  I was able to do many interesting and exciting things.  One of the tasks that I was lucky enough to be a part of for my internship at the Belize Zoo was doing the snake encounters.  Many people have a negative connotation of snakes, but I am convinced that with education comes power.  Lindsay and I were the greeters of the zoo, but some people may not have felt so greeted by what we were holding.  Many people came into the zoo and immediately shied away from the snake we held around our necks.  We were holding the famous Balboa, the gorgeous boa constrictor.  We invited people to come and hold the snake for pictures.  If people declined right away we would ask them if they would at least like to try to pet the snake.  If they continued to refuse, then we would wish them a good day.  If they did not refuse and accepted the snake, we would tell people her name and how long she is.  Once people found out that Balboa was a pet for her entire life, they generally relaxed almost completely enough to take a couple of pictures.
I really enjoyed being able to educate the visitors about Balboa and seeing their reactions when holding a snake for the first time as they felt her cool scales on their skin, or her muscles moving around their shoulders.  I love the idea of helping others connect the idea about the beauty and importance of animals and the environment.  I feel like although this might be a small accomplishment, at least I have contributed in some way of teaching people about God's creation.

Brittany Miller - Friends for Conservation and Development

These past two weeks I had the privilege of having an internship with the NGO Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD).  FCD's office is in the quaint village of San Jose Succotz in the Cayo district.  FCD is a conservation organization in charge of managing the largest protected area, the Chiquibul National Park (264,003 acres!) that also includes the Chiquibul Forest Reserve and Caracol Archaeological Reserve (where the tallest building in Belize, a Mayan ruin, can be found).
During my time with FCD I worked with John Tun, the environmental educator, on materials and presentations for environmental education.  We spent a lot of our time working on a project to improve the watersheds of the Macal and Mopan rivers through reforestation.  While at FCD I learned about the role and frustrations associated with working in collaboration with other organizations, as well as the value of writing for your intended audience.  It is of great importance to know your audience so that you can convey the information you wish to share in a way they are most likely to be interested in and comprehend.  Personally some of the most important times at FCD were when I was able to ask questions about Belize and about the conflict between Belize and Guatemala.  I was fortunate enough to work with very honest people.  I hope that when I return to Belize I will be able to assist in more of the excellent work the FCD is doing with conservation and reconciliation in Belize and with Guatemala.

Sara Scalzo - King's Children's Home


The King's Children's Home was a ton of fun!  Although it was hectic at times and definitely a challenge, I loved being with the kids and learning how to take care of them.  Some things I did while at the home were: clean the different areas, bathe the younger children, read children stories, and help with homework.  There was never a dull moment at the King's Home, and their values are in alignment with what the Bible believes.  They have devotions in the morning and at night for the kids, and the staff has a separate time set aside for devotions in the morning as well.  I loved being with everyone and going over what God had in store for us to learn each day during our devotions.  The home is run by a sweet, humble woman of God - Leonie Herrera-Gillham (known by everyone at the home as "Mom").  She has seen hundreds of children come and go through her home, and she does her best to make it a loving, caring and safe environment for these children to grow up in.  There was so much that I learned while at this internship that I couldn't possibly fit it all in this little blog entry... if you are at all interested in working with kids in your future, then I would definitely recommend the King's Children's Home!  Experience it for yourself!

Lindsay King - Belize Zoo

Tapirs: the national animal of Belize
 "We live in a beautiful world."  I got to walk past a sign reminding me of this every day while interning at the Belize Zoo.  And I must say, after spending two weeks there I agree with these words more than ever.  In this small corner of our beautiful world there is a beautiful zoo that intrigued me ever since our first visit at the beginning of the semester.  I can't quite pinpoint exactly what it is about the zoo that I am so drawn to, but I think it has something to do with the fact that being introduced to the staff and animals felt like being introduced to a big family.
And working with this big family has definitely been a unique experience.  Kirsten and I had the awesome opportunity to interact with all of Belize's finest over these past two weeks: we made friends with Navidad, Marchismo, and the other tapirs as we fed them their breakfast every morning; introduced Balboa the boa constrictor to guests at the front gate; hand fed the jaguars; played with Liz the otter; hung out with some mischievous monkeys; fed peanuts to the scarlet macaws; and to top it all off, were bid adieu with kisses from Junior the jaguar on our last day.  But before you think it was no work and all play, let me throw in that we did clean our fair share of tapir ponds (did I mention that's their bathroom?)

Nina Voli - San Antonio Women's Group

Doing the clay dance
These past two weeks I had the privilege of working with a women's group located in the village of San Antonio, a small farming village, mostly Spanish-speaking, toward the Mountain Pine Ridge area of western Belize.  The San Antonio Women's Group is essentially a co-op comprised of several women who together raise chickens, cook, and make pottery, embroidery, and other assorted handicrafts. 
Throughout my time with the women's group I was able to learn and observe many of the activities that sustain their livelihoods.  On the first day I got to learn how they slaughter chickens, which are then sold directly to the surrounding community.  I also learned how to make bollos, a traditional Mayan meal, and to grind corn into masa for making corn tortillas.  Working the clay was one of the highlights - I got to see how they throw pottery, and to give it a try myself.  I even learned how they make the clay themselves, taking the raw material from the ground.  The picture above is of the last step in this process, where you must "dance" upon the clay to blend the elements to the right consistency.
Spending time with the women's group gave me an opportunity to learn many of their traditional skills and to work on my Spanish.  But more than that, it gave me a new lens for thinking about community development.  The group was started by several women who simply decided for themselves that they wanted to do something more with their spare time, so they got creative.  Now it's become something that provides for the community, preserves their cultural traditions, and tells the story of their lives together.


A huge thank you to all the Belizean organizations and families who hosted our students for two weeks and helped them have experiences of a lifetime!

Monday, April 23, 2012

Wading In The Water

BELIZE--
As the hottest month of the Belizean year rolls in, we celebrated by getting into streams and rivers and taking our stream ecology course!  Dr.  Laurie Furlong came down for the week to teach us all about the wonderful creatures and aspects of streams through lecture, field trips, identification of macroinvertebrates, and conducting small studies.

Nina (Gordon '13) and Brittany (Bethel '12) sampling for macroinvertebrates

We learned how important macros are to stream health, how energy is transported down the river, and about the current issues associated with freshwater use and its availability.

 Kirsten (Bethel '13) and Kelsey (Bethel '13) testing dissolved oxygen in the stream

On Tuesday and Wednesday we faced the heat straight on and went into the field to collect and sample different streams around Belize.  It was nice to get in the water, pick up rocks to look for creatures, and float flower petals down the river to see where they ended up (studying the retention of CPOM - coarse particulate organic matter - in the stream). 

While sampling at Caves Branch, we were joined by some enthusiastic young Belizeans whom we taught how to sample and collect macros.  They were quickly overwhelmed by all creatures they were finding!  It was encouraging to see young children learning and getting excited about the creatures that can tell us so much about how healthy the stream is.

One of the many caddisflies found this week

The exciting find for the week was the microcaddisfly, a very small caddisfly that makes a silk tube and attaches to rocks.

Overall a good, wet week of fun, excitement, and most importantly, learning!    

Friday, April 6, 2012

Part Dos: S.C.D.

BELIZE--

We took another week to learn even more about sustainable community development (SCD, as we call it), for it is no simple topic. This time around we had the help of Dr. Dave Unander. Some of the focuses of the week included tropical crops and sustainable agriculture. We gleaned much knowledge from our friend and local farmer, Santiago.

Observing the method of coppicing in a forage bank


What is the most sustainable way to raise goats?


We also found time for a visit to Chaa Creek eco-lodge for a look at other forms of development in Belize. Co-founder Mick Fleming enjoyed showing us around his organic farm, including the productive compost areas.

A little bit of vermiculture


In the words of Dave, learning definitely happened this week!

Food For Thought

BELIZE--

When you sit down to eat a meal, do you know where your food came from? Do you know the people (or animals) that helped to grow and make that food? Do you know exactly what it is that you're eating? Do we even sit down to meals anymore? These are just a few of the questions that our professors, Loren & Mary Ruth Wilkinson, led us to discuss during our God & Nature II course. From reading articles on food and care for the land, to dissecting onions, there was much to think and talk about.

Even the skin of an onion can help us learn more about our world and ourselves

In light of the fact that humans are the only creatures that feast, one of the tasks of the week was for the students to prepare a feast for us all. They did their best to acquire the most local of ingredients (some from our very own backyard), research the history of their chosen dishes, and share the kitchen space harmoniously with each other.

Lindsay (Messiah '13) acquiring tomatoes at the market

The results were nothing short of delicious, educational, and no doubt glorifying to the Creator.

(Photo by Nina (Gordon '13))

Friday, March 30, 2012

Adventures in a Jaguar Preserve

Belize -

Zealous is how one could describe our Forest Ecology Professor, Dave Foster's love for everything outdoors, which was coincidentally where we spent the majority of our time the other week during Forest Ecology. We spent time in Cockscomb Basin Jaguar reserve in Southern Belize studying the forest, spotting tons of wildlife, and doing field research projects. Some of us did projects studying leaf cutter ants, tropical flowers, or tropical birds and their social behavior.


Kelsey (Bethel University) hangs from a particularly tough and woody vine

Throughout the week our eyes were further opened to the beauty and wonder of God's creation. By the end of the week, we had all gained a little bit sharper lens to see the hand of our God at work all around us.


Immature grasshoppers having a party on a leaf


Monday, March 19, 2012

Sustainable Development I

Belize -

In our last class Sara Alexander from Baylor University joined us to open up the world of development for us and help us understand what actual sustainable community development is. We delved deep into the concepts of sustainability, culturally appropriate solutions, and community as we traveled around Belize studying the different faces of development here in Belize.

Forming a clay pot, Sara (Gordon College) learned practically how a local women's group raises money.

Kirsten (Bethel) and Alex (Staff) observe one of the members of men's co-op water seedlings getting ready to be planted.

We took time to look at small scale community run development projects like the San Antonio women's group and also large scale development projects like central farm and the cruise ship industry in Belize.


Central Farm is working to form an increasing amount of urban gardening and farming in Belize.

Bob (Alpha Male) casually looks down at us when we visited his troop at the Community Baboon Sanctuary.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Read, Write, Map

BELIZE--

Over the past weeks, we have been doing a lot of reading - expanding our environmental imagination through the Environmental Literature course.



Led by our professor Lucas, we indulged our literary senses on some of the greats of environmental lit, such as Wendell Berry, Flannery O'Connor, Lawrence Buell, Edward Abbey, Annie Dillard, Ernest Hemingway, John Muir and Bell Hooks. Their words helped us to learn a great deal about our place and our relationship to the creation. We discussed and wrote about the concept of "place," and worked on how to map our own places. To supplement our understanding of "place" and to consider the text of creation itself, we ventured around Belize a bit.

Big Rock Falls in the Maya Mountains


Mapping our place at the base of the falls...


And of course, we also made time for some slack-lining on campus.

Photo credit: Nina Voli

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

God & Nature I

Belize -

We have just finished our first class of the semester with Dr. Sylvia Keesmaat in God and Nature I. Throughout the week we immersed ourselves in scripture learning more of who God is, who we have been made to be, and the sort of ethic we should have in how we relate to one another and the land.


The Black Orchid is Belize's national orchid and a beautiful flower of creation found right here on campus!

On Monday evening we celebrated Sara's birthday with a Star Wars themed party that included light saber battles, searching for the lost Jedi, a Potoo, and some really good chocolate brownie ice cream dessert.

Gellie (SLC), Sarah (Gordon), Flora (Staff), Kirsten (Bethel), and Kelsey (Bethel), chop up bell peppers, garlic, and variety of other ingredients for cooking and canning salsa.

Part of our class involved implementing some of what we learned by cooking Sylvia's famous salsa and canning it. For many of us it was our first time canning anything, but with Sylvia's talented instruction it tasted great and we got quite a few quarts of salsa for the rest of the semester.

Photo compliments to Nina Voli for this last picture.


Monday, February 13, 2012

Important Lessons From Orientation

BELIZE--

Some things to remember when orienting oneself to the CCSP Belize context:

1.) Always remember to bring rain gear with you to ancient Mayan ruins


Climbing up to the tallest structure at Xunantunich Archaeological Reserve




Kirsten and Kelsey (Bethel U) just learned how to pronounce 'Xunantunich'


2.) Transplanting papaya trees in your backyard is exhilarating work


Lindsay (Messiah), Jenny (Messiah), Nina (Gordon), and Angelica (staff) making pots out of recycled materials


3.) Birthdays are important and will be celebrated accordingly

Kelsey turned 21 after only 6 days with us! She loves crepes.


4.) Scarlet Macaws enjoy peanuts


Sara (Gordon) and Brittany (Bethel) feeding macaws at the Belize Zoo


5.) Don't panic if you get dropped off in the middle of the Western Highway in the pouring rain


Nina (Gordon) excited to conquer Travel Weekend


and 6.) Miss Flora makes the best barbeque in all of Belize


One of our cooks and good friends, Flora, making a meal for our neighborhood barbeque