Fun in the Sun

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Friday and Saturday we endured orientation to the place that we shall be calling home for the next several months. Friday was a dull 8 hours of hearing about what could be summed up into one, succinct point, "Use common sense." It was however, nice to get some information and spend some time on the campus. If you're curious about the campus, I shall tell you about it. Galen is directly off the Western Highway outside San Ignacio. It is a small community of about 200? students. There is one main building, the library, and a new student center. We have 4 classrooms, and already, after 2 classes, I'm fairly certain I know nearly everyones name in the courses. Saturday we started off bright and early to the local market, which is teeming with more fruits and vegetable than you can imagine. Upon closer inspection, you realize that the market actually has everything you could think of, you just have to know where to look for it. The Mennenites are there selling bread, Rastafarians peddling gum, hundreds of local farmers, and villagers selling handmade jewelry, baskets, spices, the list goes on. This was a fantastic introduction to the community, and already I can't wait to go this saturday. After more busywork at Galen, we were whisked off to Duplooy's Botanical Gardens. BBQ chicken was on the lunch menu, I have to say I'm all about the food here.
On Sunday a few of us caught up with an unofficial guide who does some local tours from Bullet Tree Falls. He really had it made taking 5 ladies out tubing down the river. We spent a lazy day drifting down the Macal River, speeding things up a bit navigating the rapids and hitting up some ropes swings, while Teddy hit on us.
Monday was the first day of classes at Galen. I spend much of my time pondering if this is really my life right now. I have 3 actual courses to attend, one online class and a condensed 3 week writing class. This means I am generally free for most of the day to adventure, sightsee, and lounge, as I never have class before 1. Sometimes, I find it difficult not to be consistently occupied at all times. This is an exercise in patience for me. I went from having all together too many commitments to hardly any at all in a very short amount of time, but really who can complain about spending a semseter abroad, especially in Belize!?
On Wednesday a small group of us adventured to the zoo, a good 2 hour bus ride from San Ignacio. We boarded the bus, which is a school bus. It works by having a few set stops and then passengers can either flag the bus down or get off as they please. Naturally we were concerned about knowing where to get off for the zoo, but were assured that the bus driver would stop there. As we neared where the zoo was thought to be, the bus didn’t slow down. We caught glimpse of a few signs, but didn’t see anything resembling a zoo. About 10 miles later, the kind folks behind us informed that that had indeed been the zoo. So, there we are, the 4 of us on stretch of highway, that is seemingly endless in either direction (see picture). The bus driver mumbled something about thinking we were going to another zoo, though there are none, and said we could flag down the next bus coming in the other direction. This is a time when you can just envision the bus pulling away cackling with laughter at the ‘stupid Americans.’ After a couple miles walk we got a bus and made it to our final destination. Seeing an alligator and some large cats were possibly the highlight. Belize is home to a Leopard reserve, in which all of the animals reside in their natural habitat. This is somewhere that I hope to visit, however, the zoo afforded an opportunity to see the animals, as there is little chance of it at the reserve, since the cats are so elusive. I often struggle with the concept of zoos, because I find it difficult to see the animals in captivity. However, they do offer a superb learing experience, and often educate the kiddos about the importance of protecting the wildlife and natural resources we do have. Look for a video of Howler Monkeys coming soon!

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Photos

Black Leopard
Kittys at the Zoo