WHERE ARE WE?

Orientation week is a time where we have a chance to learn not just about one another, but also about this beautiful and diverse country that we will be living in for the next four months. Belize, a country of less than 300,000 people, is by far one of the most diverse countries in Latin America. The people are Maya, mestizo, Garifuna, Creole, Taiwanese, Mennonite, Lebanese, and of coarse the thousands of European and North American folks who decided to call Belize home. There is rain forest, pine forest, temperate deciduous forest, savanna, mangroves, sea grass beds, salt water marshes, and the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere. English is the national language, but most peoples first language is Spanish, Creole, or one of the three dialects of Maya spoken nationwide. The tallest man made structure is a Mayan ruin. Take a look at the map and se if you can find us - we are located on the Mopan River (coming into Belize from Guatemala) just west of San Ignacio. All this week we learned about the rivers, mountains, plants, animals, people groups, culture, and food of this new home of ours. The following are just a few of the many activities we took part in...