Wendi's Blog

What an incredible way to spend one of our last few days in Belize!
Some of us woke up with the roosters at 3 am in the Mayan Village of San Miguel, and some of us woke up in nicely air conditioned rooms in Punta Gorda - either way it was an experience for all.

A beautifully hot, sunny morning. We all met up in San Miguel around 9 am and heard the stories of the night before (see Adam's blog), then we started our day with workshops. Some went to the farm to do planting; some went to make crafts; and others learned how to make "jippy jappa" baskets (or for some earings, pendants, or Christmas ornaments...LOL). It was a lovely morning talking with our hosts, learning about their lives in the village, and watching the kids enjoy the "Canada" toys and flags we brought them.

At lunch, we split up into groups of 3 and had lunch in the families' homes. Some had caldo (a delicious chicken and pumpkin soup) and others had wonderful rice, beans and chicken with fresh fruit!

After lunch we did a bit more crafting, with more bracelets, baskets and even some embroidery work. By the afternoon it was VERY hot (which drains a lot of one's energy). We looked at (and some purchased) the mayan crafts, then headed back in the van to PG. Everyone agreed that being invited into the village to see how the mayan people of San Miguel live on a daily basis was an incredible experience. It really put into perspective what is truly important - family and community!

Back in PG we were treated to another awesome dinner at Waluco's Restaurant and to our surprise, some Garafuna drumming! The ladies did a bit of dancing, but I didn't notice any "punta!" (-:

Back at the hotel Miss Celia was there with her husband Paul (a journalist) who wanted to do a story on the group for the Belize's International news! Adam, Sarin and myself were interviewed about our 2 weeks (what our goals were, why we were here, how we enjoyed Belize, etc.). It turns out the story would be on the radio 2 times the next day (side note - we DID end up hearing it). We've left our mark!

Group debrief and off to pack for home! only 2 more sleeps!

(-:

Wendi Dewey
NSCC Tourism Faculty
Akerley Campus