Kourtney at Chaa Creek

For my internship I spent two weeks learning the proper techniques of breeding and caring for the Blue morpho butterfly (Morpho peleides) at Chaa Creek Butterfly Farm. Chaa Creek, an ecotourism resort, is located in the Maya mountains, and each day at 6:00 am I would walk with my host family 3 miles through beautiful trails, and then cross the Macal River by canoe to get to work. Daily tasks at the butterfly farm included: providing the butterflies with fresh fruit, cleaning caterpillar containers, collecting and counting new eggs, and hanging new crystalises. I also collected and learned about many species of butterflies and the proper way to mount them. Since butterfly production is slow during the fall season, I had much time to personally get to know the staff from many departments and listen to their views on Chaa Creek as a sustainable resort. It was a wonderful experience, and the conversations I had with staff were some of the best experiences I have had in Belize so far. Not only did I learn much about butterflies, I learned more about myself and what it means to truly live sustainably as a child of God striving for shalom.