Adventure Is Out There...

Hi everyone! I first off want to apologize for being MIA the past few days. Things have been busy here and to be honest I just decided to take a break from computer life for a while. This week we have been working on our service projects as I previously mentioned. The past few days have really flown by. On the 3rd we continued our Easter Day camp for the students of San Pedro. I worked the morning shift and then spent the afternoon at the beach or doing some work. On the 4th Shannon, Kristin, and I went to the Ministry of Education in the morning and met Dr. Armstrong about planning a reading summer camp for the students of San Pedro. We got a template and the books and are now in the works with the planning. We are recruiting the help of the rest of the crew but this will be the main aspect of our service hours. After our meeting we did some planning and then headed to the Easter egg hunt at the camp. This was absolutely crazy but so much fun. The kids were so wound up and so excited that all of us were there. We had a great time but afterwards we were all exhausted. We all headed back to Pedro's and Bailey and I stopped at the Humane Society to ask if we could volunteer. It turned out that we could walk the dogs that afternoon so we headed to the dog kennels along with Parker, Tony, and Jessica and walked the dogs for a while. Afterwards we got to play with the adorable little puppies. We had such a great time but it was SO hot.

That evening was the wonderful KARAOKE night. Yes, you heard me right, Karaoke. We had a wonderful evening as a group and yes I did participate. Everyone is so friendly here and we had a grand welcoming when we arrived. Since we do stick out so much, and we have been here for so long, most people know who we are which is a definite plus.

The next morning we woke up early and headed to our second excursion. A professor from the High School, Mr. Guilharry, took us to the North end of the island. We loaded into 4 golf carts and headed out on a one and a half hour ride over beaches, rough terrain, through the jungle, through the ocean, and to our destination. Almost halfway through the trip one of our golf carts died after going through a huge puddle so we had to wait on the side of the road in the jungle for another golf cart to arrive. Finally we decided to all pile into three golf carts and just continue our journey. I actually got to drive the last 45 minutes and let me tell you, I have never felt so uneasy on a vehicle in my entire life. I was flying over bumps, fishtailing in the sand, and trying my best not to sink in mud. I made it though! And I even got asked to drive again. There was no one around us when we arrived so we put on our snorkel gear and headed into the ocean. I decided to swim off on my own and do some exploring. I tend to get nervous when people swim around me because everyone runs into each other. Also, I think that if you swim in a group you don't get as much of an experience because the large group of people scares a lot of the sea life away. I ended up spotting a huge ray and a barracuda! I was so excited, but for the first time I felt a little bit nervous when I saw the huge fish. It was about 3 feet long and at least 5 feet away from me. After swimming away from the fish I explored some more and then headed back to shore.

Then we all drove a little further down the beach to make lunch. Our guides had collected conch shells during our snorkeling and made conch ceviche for us as our first course. I have honestly never had something that amazing before! The conch was sweet mixed with the spices and the tartness of the lime juice and vegetables. I recommend it to anyone who ever has the chance to try it! After that they made us grouper tacos, and then chicken tacos. I was literally in heaven. Everything that touched my mouth that afternoon was divine. After lunch we headed further down the island and split into two groups. Half went fishing while half went snorkeling again. I decided to go fishing but of course I ended up shelling and that consumed the rest of my afternoon. I found some beautiful corral to take home to my Mom and some to keep for myself! It began to get late so we all decided to start our excursion back. On the way back everyone was absolutely exhausted. The view from the golf cart was like something out of a movie. I looked to my left and the full moon was rising into a lavender and periwinkle sky engulfing an aqua ocean. To my right the orange sun was setting into a deep purple sky framed by the Belizean jungle. The breeze was strong and the air was thick and the ride was bumpy. We returned back to Pedro's a few hours later and I decided to shower and relax for the night.

Today has just been a day of relaxation. I have visited the ocean and worked on my book. Oh wait I forgot to mention, I am reading The Hunger Games. For those of you who know me I know your jaws are dropping at this very moment. I am not much a reader, and when I say "I am not much" I really mean "I do not read". It is something I am ashamed of and have always tried to get into, but for some reason I am not capable of finishing books. I think I get it from my Dad... :) But anyways, Dr. K had the books and everyone keeps talking about them so I have made it my goal to finish the book while I am here. It is going smoothly so far and I am very proud of myself! Im sure my brother will be thrilled when he reads this, because he constantly makes fun of me for being unable to sit and read. Regardless, the rest of the day should be pretty low key. I will make sure to post within the next few days but I do want to warn everyone that the posts will not be daily like I was previously doing. Thank you all for staying tuned and I miss every single one of you! Happy Good Friday! Enjoy the weekend with your friends and family, and keep me in the back of your minds.