Halloweenish Party

Mischief Makers
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

After the forest ecology exam on Saturday evening, we threw a “Post-Forest-Halloweenish-Candy-And-Costume-Party.” We got a kick out of dressing each other up in random costumes, painting each others faces, hitting candy out of our pumpkin piñata and carving watermelons in lieu of pumpkins!

You gotta see some of the pics!
Halloweenish Party Pictures

Forest Ecology Continues at the Nab

Eric Lectures on the Lawn
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

After Cockscomb, forest ecology continued back at Nabitunich with lecture and class discussion as well as exploring the local flora and fauna.

On Thursday we went to the Mountain Pine Ridge to look at a different Belizean forest ecosystem. Between Erik and Riaan, a local forester, the group became well aquainted with the pine ridge as well. We enjoyed the clear blue skies, the cooling breezes, and our lunchtime swimming and picnic at the Rio On Pools. Riaan also showed us where they are doing some small-scale coffee production and processing, much to the delight of all of our resident caffeine addicts.

To see some pictures from the rest of our week during forest ecology, follow this link:
Forest Ecology Pictures from Mountain Pine Ridge and Nabitunich

Forest Ecology at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

Linda and Tarantula
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

Forest Ecology was a full and fabulous week!
We were pleased to have Erik Lindquist from Messiah College join us to teach our forest ecology course. We quickly learned how serious and passionate he is about herpetology and to not touch his “snake stick,” a multi-purpose tool used for reptile hunting! Erik taught us how to identify the dangerous ones, and love the harmless ones. We headed down to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary on Sunday and stayed out there until Wednesday. It was an exciting week of learning all kinds of new things about Belize’s tropical forest and its inhabitants. It was sunup to sundown learning experience. We were up early to go birding, and up late checking out the animal tracks, reptiles and other night life of the forest.

The students did excellent group research projects while we were there. Some of the questions pursued were: How does the micro-environment of the cercropia tree differ from the cohune palm? How long does it take leaf cutter ants to reform their trail on an obstructed path? How does soil temperature differ throughout the forest? And which shampoo attracts the most mosquitoes?

Cockscomb is a beautiful part of the country and we all enjoyed hiking up to the incredible view spots and unbelievable waterfalls.

Check out lots of our great photos from Cockscomb:
Forest Ecology pics from Cockscomb

God and Nature - Week Two

Before Barton Creek
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

At the start of the second week of God and Nature, we spent the day at Barton Creek Mennonite community. We all put on our most modest clothing, and headed up along the muddy roads. We heard three community elders speak about their culture and religious beliefs, with an opportunity to ask question and get to know them better. We enjoyed an excellent lunch prepared by the women of the family, including freshly churned butter, which was an instant hit with our group! Following lunch we had a tour of their small hydro-powered sawmill, and got to see a bit of life on the farm in action.

It was a great way to get everyone thinking about worldviews and Biblical interpretation as we headed into the course material with Brian Walsh. Building on the ideas that Sylvia laid out, he continued to present inspiring and challenging concepts. Thanks for the great week Brian!

Happy Birthday Marike!

Happy Birthday Marike!
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

We had great night celebrating Marike’s 22nd birthday. We had a couple of ESL students from the University of Belize come and give us lessons on how to salsa dance… our Cuban and Columbian instructors were baffled by our inability to move our hips! We enjoyed cake with Marike and the spontaneous dance party in the rain that continued after we gave up on the salsa!

Everybody Salsa!

Everybody Salsa!
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

Okay, so some of us were better at salsa than others. Kori showed us all up. Pictured here is Kori and Kadina, one of our instructors.

Nabitunich Dining Room and Gardens

Nabitunich Dining Room and Gardens
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

This is a watercolor that Irene did of the dining room and surrounding flower gardens. She had us trace her sketch of this scene and another of the cottages, which we then tried our hand at painting ourselves with varied results!

Irene Teaches Watercolour

Irene Teaches Watercolour
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

Irene Keesmaat joined us here at CCSP Belize during Sylvia’s section of God and Nature and taught staff and students how to better see the earth by drawing and painting it. It was a great opportunity having Irene with us. Many were surprised by how much they enjoyed the art classes, and by what a talented group we are. Thanks so much Irene! One afternoon we went to DuPloys Resort and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon painting flowers and leaves in their gardens, practicing the techniques Irene taught us.

God and Nature - Week One

Sylvia in Action
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

Our first week of God and Nature class was taught by Sylvia Keesmaat. The students were challenged to look at Biblical texts often in a new light, deepening their understanding of a Christian ethic of creation care. Sylvia has done extensive research on the concept of empire, and also encouraged the students to make connections between Biblical and current day empires. Thanks for the challenging and inspiring week Sylvia!

We enjoyed having Sylvia with us throughout the second week of God and Nature, taught by her husband, Brian Walsh, and for a third week as she joined in on our Forest Ecology course. Their daughters, Madeline and Lydia were also a joy to have around campus.

Hannah 's Nursing Observation

Hannah Measuring Blood Pressure
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

As a nursing intern at La Loma Luz hospital, I have had the opportunity to shadow several nurses in their every day duties, as well as assisting in signing in patients and taking them to appropriate doctors. I have learned how to take vital signs of patients including their temperature, pulse, respiration rate and blood pressure. Also, as it is the rainy seasons and there are constant fluctuations in temperature, there have been many children suffering from respiratory infections, so I have become quite proficient at preparing and administering nebulizer treatments. There is one little boy that spent several days in the hospital and has continued to come into the clinic for nebulizer treatments, the ER nurse began to refer to him as my patient, and I was able to measure out his mix of medication and saline solution and give it to him. I have observed and assisted with X-rays, EKGs and ultrasounds, as well as having the opportunity to watch several surgical procedures including a cystectomy and an endoscopy. In addition to the technical knowledge I have gained at La Loma Luz, I have had many conversations with the staff, and from those interactions have gained a new understanding of Belizean culture, education, and medical systems.

Hannah Serafini
Messiah College

Linda Reading the Vital Signs

Linda Reading the Vital Signs
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

These past two weeks I have been doing a nursing observation at La Loma Luz Adventist Hospital in nearby Santa Elena. I spent my time shadowing doctors as they talked with and examined patients, practicing taking vital signs, and observing one surgery and one endoscopy. Two of the doctors that I shadowed were especially helpful in explaining their diagnosis of each patient’s condition and their treatment plan. I was allowed to see lab results and x-rays and try to formulate my own diagnosis as well which I could then discuss with the doctor after the patient left. Toward the end of my time there, I cared for the hospital patients by collecting food trays, monitoring vital signs, and being there for moral and emotional support. I also had the opportunity to get to know many of the hospital and clinic staff during the afternoons when there weren’t that many patients. One of the highlights of my time at La Loma Luz was observing the gynecologist use the fetal heart monitor to hear a seven month old fetus’s heartbeat and then seeing the image on the ultrasound. I will never cease to be amazed at the miracle of life.

Linda Deddo
Messiah College

A Note About Internships and Nursing Observations

Poustinia Art Park
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

At the end of the students' 2-3 week internships and nursing observations, they will be writing up summaries of their week for our CCSP BLOG.

Well done Hannah and Linda for completing your nursing observations at La Loma Luz Hospital!

Enjoy the mini-BLOG reports on their experiences there!

-Katherine
CCSP Student Life Coordinator

Imagining the Earth

Imagining the Earth
Originally uploaded by Creation Care Study Program.

This week has been a busy one at CCSP, with half of our students doing internships/nursing observations while the rest were studying environmental literature with Drew Ward.

The students and staff present in Drew’s class were put to the challenge of re-imagining the earth as the creator imagines the earth, and not how industry, mainstream education, and the media have constructed the environment for us. By reading through some classic American authors, students had a chance to explore the concept of environmental texts, being inspired by their poetry and challenged by their prose. Thanks for the excellent week Drew!

We were also happy to welcome Drew’s wife Nancy into our community and enjoyed getting to know her as she worked on various art projects while teaching us about the enneagram and living in an intentional Christian community.