Thursday, March 26, 2015

Community Project Day 1

Our "hotel" -- The Nu'uk Chil Cottages


On our way to work in the morning
Josh, Rachael, and Sophia
Behind them is the building we will paint

Mixing cement (Note from Mr. Coolidge: The use of cement dates back to the Roman Empire )

Sand and rocks used for filling in the cinder blocks

Our painters

Many hands make small work



Yasmine tutoring in a classroom 

Making tortillas in the Mayan home
Playing cards as we wait for lunch



Inside the Mayan Museum

Sugar cane

Mrs. Lawson's new pat -- A (nonpoisonous) tarantula!

Day 3 Entry - Dylan, Ryan, and Sehyun

Have you ever tried to build a fence, paint a cafeteria, and try and give piggyback rides to a whole class of little kids running around at the same time? That is what our group was lucky to do today. We separated into three groups: one mixing cement, one using brushes to colorize the lunchroom, and the last group grading papers and playing with the little children. To build the fence, sediments and a cement mixture had to be combined with water to create the grey substance we know as cement. We also had to fill the cinder block holes with sand and rocks so that less cement would be used in the process of making the fence. It was a lot of work, but we are positive that it will pay off in the end. Painting the lunchroom was also fun. Most of us were covered in paint by the end of the project, but it was okay and very exciting. Most of us had the opportunity to connect with the children, and even to help them with their upcoming exams.

After a long day of work and a boatload of bug bites, we were fortunate enough to be welcomed into the Maya Center Maya Museum, where we were able to see what a Mayan home looked like back in the ancient civilization. The house was made entirely out of wood with a thatched roof, and all of the tools were made by something natural, such as a fruit shell or clay, just like Mr. Coolidge taught us in sixth grade. :D As you can see in the pictures above, you will see the beautiful Yohannes performing a traditional Mayan dance. Within the house, there was a traditional sugar cane juicer, and we all got to try the delicious juice that sugarcane has to offer.

After the museum, we went to the soccer field to play with the excited children. The children's soccer skills were fantastic and made us feel like we were playing against professional soccer players. We couldn't tell if we were playing against the national team of Belize or young children! When we got back to the cottages, we learned a little bit more about each other by playing a name game. We are having a wonderful time in Belize and we wish that we could stay a while longer!




















Yohannes practicing for next year's International Festival already!

39 comments:

  1. Wow, loving all the pictures and the smiling faces! What a fun but productive day!

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    1. Hi Mom,
      We are having a really good time and making lots of new friends. Also, I am getting a pretty mean tan going on so I know you will be jealous when I get back. #farmerstan
      -Yasi

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    2. Definitely jealous honey! ;-) it is cold and windy here. So glad you are having fun! We miss you lots, specially lily. She had a sleepover and they were up until 1 am and still sleeping. Sending you lots of love! Have fun and be safe.
      Love,
      Mom

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  2. What an extraordinary day! A perfect blend of discovery, learning, sharing, working, playing - mirrored in the happy faces. Epitomises what St John's is all about!

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    1. Thanks mom. It has been a wonderful experience so far!

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  3. Joshua that little kid loves you :)!

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  4. Have you seen any exotic animals outside the hotel? ~Bethie Montgomery
    HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII SOPHIAAAAA I MISSS YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    1. HIIII BETHIEEE!!!! I MISS YOU TOOO!!!! When I was in my room a spider climbed on my pants.... It was some crazy stuff. I saw a toucan on the way back to the room today!!

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    2. Bethie, Mrs. Lawson and I had an encounter with a couple of giant scorpions in our bedroom at 4:00 am on our first night...needless to say, we didn't go back to bed.

      -Mrs. Dry

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  5. Did you see any cool animals or eat any different foods?

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  6. Have any of you eaten different foods that you have never eaten before?

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  7. Hey sophia did you lose to ryan in slap jack yet? Miss you, don't die and hope the showers are warm. Have fun!
    Ryan!!! Missin you in english. Oh by the way wesley wanted me to tell you that we have gotten jolly ranchers every day.
    Have fun you guys!!!

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    1. Hey Sydney!! I miss you so much!!! Im not dead yet and the showers are okay sometimes there are spiders... SCARY. I beat Ryan in slap jack and in spit. I hope learning at home is SUPER fun!!! Miss "SQUAD UP!"

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  8. What kind of animals did you see in Belize.

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    1. Hi Bradley,

      Thanks for asking. There were native species of animals that we saw in the zoo. As far as daily sightings, a variety of birds -- including toucans. I personally have also seen a couple agoutis and tapirs.

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  9. Hello Mr. Coolidge, hope everything is going well down there.
    I was wondering if you have seen any snakes yet? I like them.
    Also, what is the infrastructure like down there? Is running water, electricity, WiFi, commonplace?
    Thank you, Evan

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    1. Hi Evan. Great question. Less than 20% of the 1600 roads in Belize are paved. Fortunately, we have driven over the paved ones for most of journey so far. The highway that goes from Belize City to Mexico is a two-lane road -- one lane for each direction. There is an international airport and several shipping ports. Belize also has internet (obviously) but the coverage is somewhat spotty. We have had running water everywhere we have been, as well as electricity. However, we are right down the road from a section of Maya Center that lives without electricity.

      As for snakes, I have not seen any. Still, I would not be surprised if I do at some point in our journey.

      I hope all is well with you and the rest of your class!

      Mr. C

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  10. Hey guys. How is the Belize? I was wondering when if you guys have tried any tradtional food. If so please tell me what you have tried?

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    1. Hi Nia,
      Belize is awesome!! We have done lots of things like making chocolate, in fact we got to make and eat the chocolate. We have seen the Mayan ruins, we went on "hikes", and lots more. We have tried traditional food. We made corn tortillas, we have had the chicken, and we have had lots of watermelon. I also got a new name. My new name is Craig. Hope you are having fun in Maryland.
      -Jasmine

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  11. What was it like to see the Mayan ruins in person? Did learning about it in social studies help provide good informational background? Hope you guys are having a great time:)

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    1. Hi Lauren!
      The Mayan Ruins were really cool! I even climbed 130 feet! It was really scary though. :-) From the very top of the 130 feet tall ruin, we could even see a little bit of Guatemala. Since I wasn't in last year's social studies class, I didn't learn about the ruins, but Will says that it really helped studying the ancient civilizations to understand the ruins because of the social classes. Only certain people could drink from the drink made from the cacao bean. We learnt about the ball players and they were highly honored.
      We are having a great time in Belize and I miss you so much! See you soon!

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  12. Have you learned some of the languages that the people in Believe use? Also, have you learned any words in the languages?

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    1. Hi Maddie,
      People here in Belize speak Mayan and Spanish, so I have learned a little more Spanish. I have actually figured out that you learn a lot more Spanish when you are forced to speak it rather then when you are sitting in a classroom. Miss you and I hope you are having fun in Maryland.
      -Christine

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  13. About how old were the kids that you taught?
    While painting the walls, are the walls made of different material than here in the United States?

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    1. Hi Angela,
      We taught kids from ages 5-9 and they were very fun to play with. The paint was the same material as in the states, but the walls were mostly concrete.

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  14. LOVE these pictures! Wonderfully detailed blog entries!! I see bikes ... did anyone take a short spin? The sugar cane looks yummy ... how was the chocolate tour? Enjoy tubing tomorrow!! Please don't let that BIG hairy spider sneak in anyone's luggage! Mrs. Whalen

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  15. Enjoying the pictures and the smilies! Looks like everyone is having a blast.

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    1. Hi Mama,
      We are having a great time at Belize. We were working on the service learning project, and it the kids are really nice. They were playing with me and I even got a chance to tutor them. I taught some of them how to do multiplication. In the cafeteria, they made my mac-and-cheese and pasta. We visited the Mayan Ruins and I climbed 130 feet high! I was so scared, and it was really easy to fall off the steps. We even saw some of Guatemala! Today I learnt how to make Mayan Chocolate and we even went to a museum. For the chocolate tour, we had to walk about 10 minutes!

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  16. Wow what an exciting day! Looks like you guys are really learning and working hard! Rachael I bet you enjoyed playing soccer with the Belize kids- did you learn any new moves to take back to the US?

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  17. Looks like you all are having fun and working hard! We will have to put those new skills to work back here at home! :)
    I am sure they appreciate all you are doing... and maybe you can pick up some new soccer moves from the kids!
    Jason Fisher

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  18. Wow! Mrs. Lawson, you are very brave. I wouldn't have gone anywhere near that spider! Looks like everyone is working hard and having fun. Miss you, Jack!

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  19. Hi Mom! Having a good time here and learning so much. Glad you miss me.

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    1. Xoxo. Miss you more than you can imagine, but so happy that you are having a great time.

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  20. We are enjoying all your photos - love the descriptive detail on the blog entries! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip. Enjoy tubing tomorrow

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  21. Hi, mom. I miss you. We are having fun here in Belize, and the kids here are very nice.

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  22. Hi Sanjana, so glad you are having fun! With all the activities you are doing, hope you are eating well. Just a little worried about that as usual. Do drop in a line each day when/if you can. We miss you but are happy that you are enjoying this experience.

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  24. Joshua Titus -- hey, Josh -- you look like you all are having a fabulous time -- love the idea of snorkeling. Did you end up going on the night snorkel? Can't wait to see you when you get home. Soldier is not quite himself without you :)
    Love, Mom

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