Belize Students Going Global - Day 3: Zip-lining, Cave Tubing, and Jungle Survival Training! (6/6/2019)

Belize Students Going Global - Day 3: Zip-lining, Cave Tubing, and Jungle Survival Training!

I am not sure that this tour could get any better! After getting our bags packed and eating breakfast, we set off for a day of activities! If you heard anything from students about getting started a little late, please do not be alarmed. We are traveling with kids from both California and Indiana. While we were spending the evening last night in the hotel, one of the boys from California had a serious head injury. It was an accident, but another couple boys in the pool, not from our group, were jumping and didn't see him. One of the boys landed with his knee on the other students head. He received stitches, but since it was a head injury they wanted to monitor him at the hospital overnight. All is well now, but we halted just a bit so that he could be discharged and join us for the next day of adventures. The only reason that I pass this along is that I do not want any parents to not have the whole story. 

All is well. 

QUICK POP QUIZ: In the comment box below this post, please write what you see in the following picture. Our tour guide Ken taught us about what is seen in these mountains and I want to know if you see it too! Answers to come later...

BLOG COMMENT ANSWERS: There were several of you that asked questions in the comments section on day 2. I would like to take a moment to answer those questions before we start. 

1. How were the Mayan Temples covered? Well, from what we know, around 900-1200 the Mayans were struggling with a lot of things, disease, rulers, drought, etc. This eventually lead to a large fallout/exodus. Over the years they were not maintained or used so they were overcome by the jungle. (Really, we have a lot more questions than answers and people are continuously studying these ancient tribes. 

2. What is the currency in Belize? The currency in Belize is the Belize Dollar, although US currency is accepted and preferred at almost all places. The exchange rate is 2:1. 

3. Who saw the snake first? I have absolutely no idea...but I am glad they did! It was HUGE! When I get back to the US, with a stronger signal, I will upload the videos and you will have a true image of its size. 

4. What time zone are you in?Belize is technically on Central Standard Time, however, they do not observe Daylight Savings Time so we are one hour behind all of our friends at home. 

5. Is their Spanish dialect close to what you teach?  This question is an interesting one! Yes, the Spanish is very similar! However, it is important to note that EVERYONE we have met has spoken English AND at least one other language! Belize is the one country in Latin America that has English as its official language, because they gained their Independence from England, not Spain, and were formally known as the British Honduras. After visiting with so many bilingual and trilingual people in this country, it just reminds me one again that we really need to put an emphasis on multilingualism in the United States. It is so important, culturally necessary, inviting and preparing our next generation for the globalized world! 

Feel free to ask questions in the comment box below! Now to tell you a bit about our day today!

Once we got started, we headed to Chukka. This was our destination for zip-lining and cave tubing. When I think of activities that engage students in the culture and make these experiences meaningful, these are not the two that I typically think of because they make the list of typically "tourist" activities...however, I am reminded once again how wrong my thoughts can be. I had students tell me that they overcame fears of heights, that their anxiety wasn't as bad as they thought it would be, that they learned so much about Mayan Gods and history in the caves, and that they would do all things again in a heartbeat. What incredible lessons you can have when you step out of your comfort zone!

Note: We have videos taken on the GoPro of views of the ride through the jungle, but the internet will not allow me to upload them until I return. Stay tuned...

The food in Belize has been great and the kids have all talked about how much they are enjoying it!

After lunch, we took a moment to put on our suits and get ready for cave tubing! This is something that I have never done before and I really enjoyed experiencing this for the first time with this group of kids! We had a wonderful guide. On the walk to the entrance of the cave he told us what he knew about the education system in Belize, his hopes for his future and that of his country and a little about the military. We also learned that most of the animals that live in the caves are blind due to adaptations of their environment and that we would probable not see many animals in the cave. 

For cave tubing, we split into several groups of 8 and a guide pulled us through the cave.  We learned about stalagmites and stalactites as well as what the Mayan believed. The Mayans believed that the caves represented the 9 layers of the underworld, or hell. We have learned a lot about the history of the Maya on this trip. Several of the kids said that they want to continue researching ancient civilizations when they get home!

Regarding the caves, we learned that rainfall and limestone over time is why they have over 1,000 caves in the area. 

Our last stop for the day was a Survival Hike! Just when I thought this trip couldn't get any better, I was once again proved wrong. We left cave tubing and headed to visit a man named David. Along the way we learned that the main exports from Belize are sugar, citrus, lobster and shrimp. We also discussed the Lacao. The Lacao are a meninite community that have found oil. Gas in Belize is rather expensive however, at $5 a gallon. We also learned that because mahogany has been exported and cut for so long and it can still be so expensive, they have found teek wood. Teek wood is an alternative to the mahogany and it doesn't take 20-30 years to mature. 

After a brief bus tour, we met up with David, our survival specialist. David owns his own land and has been working to set up a survival experience for kids for a long time. We also learned, at the end of our tour, that we were his first travel group...EVER! You would have never known this after our experience! This man was one of the most passionate people I have ever met. From the moment the kids stepped off the bus, we knew that we were in for a treat! He started by telling us about trees and fruits that are accessible in the jungle and how we can go about accessing them. Below you can see a picture of royal poincianas, banana trees, dwarf coconuts, bird of parasails, and sugarcane! He then went through over 20 different stations on his land to tell us about various situations and ideas. He had us try using a slingshot, crack a coconut, build a roof of palms and so much more. 

Here is a list of important survival skills that we learned:

1. You can use flint or a magnifying prism to start a fire. 

2. Using a log, a hole and leaves, you can get water by way of condensation. 

3. Don't eat any white sap. 

4. The bullhorn acacia tree is great for snakebites!

5. You can make a bamboo animal trap. We learned about how to create a spear trap, a coconut trap and a strangle trap.

6. The leaves of the all spice tree can be used as both a spice and as a numbing agent if needed. We actually chewed on the leaves to learn about these!

7. If you have access to a plastic bag and put it around a lot of leaves on a branch, you should be able to draw water through condensation. 

8. Chia from the chia tree must be boiled before eaten, otherwise it is poisonous. 

9. Slingshots are great weapons. 

10. Use a log to make a buoy to go fishing!

11. The guava tree can be used for many things. 

12. The leaves of the Yaha plant can be used as scratch paper to build a smooth boat of bamboo. 

13. Termites are an abundant and yummy source of protein. 

14. The coconut has juice, milk, meat and a shell to use as a trap!

- This was such a meaningful activity! All skills can be transferred to the lives we live in Kansas!

After our survival hike with David, we traveled back to our hotel for dinner, a bit of pool time and sleep/shower to be refreshed!

Fun quotes from students:

1. I feel like I could be on Naked and Afraid, without the Naked part!

2. Mrs. Potter, do you have my key?

3. I didn't realize how good all of this food was going to be!

4. I really didn't think that I was going to do this well with my anxiety. 

5. Mrs. Potter, we are conserving water. We all showered together at once with our swimsuits on. 

6. Can I scream like Tarzan?

7. Oh cool, Mrs. Potter there is a snake in the water by your foot. (This quote scared me a bit.)

Stay tuned for day 4!