Students Arrive!!!

Our class adventure begins today...our fifteen students arrived in Belize, and I was quite amazed at how smooth it was. Fifteen students traveling from a few different destinations (mostly Denver) all to Belize. It helped that there were only two major U.S. airlines flying into Belize City and that their scheduled arrivals were within 6 minutes of one another. We quickly packed up all of our luggage and packed 9 people into each van (I'm not sure which was the tighter fit, the luggage or the people). We managed to make it to Jaguar Creek, our home in the rainforest for the next week, in a little under two hours. Our hosts had a wonderful, traditional Belizean meal ready for us: grilled chicken, rice and beans, and fried plantains with pineapple or papaya juice to drink. 


It was already dark when we arrived, so we did not get a chance to see much of our surroundings. I believe it's a full moon tonight, although my son Will would be quick to point out...


Sorry, have to take a pause here. It just started raining, the sound of rain pouring down suddenly in the rainforest...it's an amazing sound, so natural, so right, perfect. 


...Will would be quick to point out that the moon is technically never "full". So, it's a bit brighter out than it might be otherwise, but the splendor of the rainforest is still under dark cover until the morning. We were told that the full moon promises to bring out the howler monkeys more so than normal. For a sample of what we're in store for in the EARLY a.m., check out this link for a sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV22Ua3zwN4. 


I need to get some sleep, so I can be wide awake to hear the sounds of the howler monkeys...I'm putting my headlamp on and walking to my cabana.  

Our Itinerary in Belize

I’m sure it gets old for some, but for me, getting on a plane leaving the country is exhilarating. It was an overwhelming feeling just stepping onto the jetway and walking to seat 20E for my 3 hour flight from Dallas to Belize City. Compared to a number of my colleagues, friends, and students, I haven’t traveled a great deal internationally, so the excitement I feel in going to a different country and culture is palpable. Of course, I hope that feeling never goes away. All of the worries that went into the planning of this trip just melted away and were replaced by possibility.

I had a few questions on Facebook about where we were going, so I thought it would be worthwhile to share our itinerary, or at least the highlights. I am typing this on my flight to Belize City and will post when we arrive at our lodging at The Great House in Belize City (Picture above is the view from my room at The Great House). I am going with the director of our program a day early to get settled, before we greet 15 students and our program coordinator at the airport tomorrow.

So, we will spend one day in Belize City before we venture inland to a conference center called Jaguar Creek (www.jaguarcreek.org). That will be our home base for the majority of the trip, and is located south of Belmopan which is the capital of Belize. Jaguar Creek was originally founded as an environmental education center, and is now owned and operated by Pathlight Ministries. It is set on over 700 acres of rainforest, and is really a remarkable place.

From Jaguar Creek, we will visit a university in Belize called Galen University and our students will get to meet and learn with Belizean students. They will also get to hear from a few experts on issues of sustainability and leadership in Belize. Next we go to Belize Natural Energy (www.belizenaturalenergy.bz), the first and only oil company in Belize, to hear about their efforts to develop the oil industry in Belize in a sustainable manner. Other highlights include visiting the Mayan city of Caracol with EcoQuest (www.fcdbelize.org), the Belize Zoo (www.belizezoo.org), and the city of Dangriga to learn about the efforts to preserve the Garifuna culture (www.ngcbelize.org). Oh, yeah, we are also probably going cave tubing on our “off” day (www.cavesbranch.com).

From there, we cross back over the mainland to Belize City where we will board a boat or two to go to Long Caye at Lighthouse Reef (www.belizeisland.com). This is an island that is being developed and the owner of the island is going to great lengths to ensure that it is a model of sustainable development. From there, we will go snorkeling and SCUBA diving around Belize’s barrier reef, which is the second largest continuous reef in the world. Finally, we come back to Belize city to hear presentations from business leaders further exploring the concepts of sustainability (www.belize.org).

So, those are the details/plans for the trip, the content, if you will. I hope you follow my blog to hear the experience and the process of this trip. 

Planning the course

I'm not sure who is going to read this, but I'm guessing that's the nature of blogging, huh? As is often the case, I found myself inspired by the great work of my students...this time, to write a blog for our first interterm course through the Pioneer Leadership Program to Belize. A number of our students write blogs while studying abroad, and the students taking this course will have to write reflection journals (not quite a blog, but along the same lines). So, with their efforts as inspiration I have embarked on my own blog. My hope is to write at least once a day while in Belize. At some point, I should probably mention that the views contained herein are solely mine and do not reflect the opinions of the University of Denver. We're always good about making sure our risk is managed.

Right now, it is the middle of November and we leave for Belize in just under two weeks and the class will be 10 nights/11 days. I am in the throes of planning the final details for the course, and it is quite an ordeal. A few highlights: figuring out lodging for 15 students and 3 faculty/staff in the rainforest, on an island, and in a city that doesn't have a lot of hotels; finalizing time, place, topic for 8 speakers; coordinating trips to two museums, a zoo, Mayan ruins, and an oil company; and various other details like coordinating planes, boats and automobiles.

I keep telling myself that once I get 98% of the details finalized, I'll actually be able to relax and then be ready to enjoy the trip. I know, I know...I hear the sound of the world's smallest violin playing for me. After I get everything planned, I get to go to Belize. Not only do I get to learn from a number of experts and leaders about issues of environmental, cultural, and economic sustainability, but I also will be sleeping in the rainforest, tubing through caves, hiking and exploring the Mayan city of Caracol, and snorkeling the second largest Barrier Reef in the world.

It should be a fantastic trip and I look forward to telling you all about it. For now, I am looking outside at the snow still on the ground in Denver, getting ready for Thanksgiving, and then on to Belize.