Total Eclipse of the Moon

At first we didn't believe Kandice when she said, "Look guys, I think there's an eclipse or something".  We all thought it was a cloud covering the moon.  But sure enough, Kandice was right and we all paused for about an hour last week to marvel at the total lunar eclipse that darkened the sky.  Pete brought out the spotting scope and oohs and ahhs were heard as the earth's shadow slowly covered the moon and the stars brightened. 

In her book Teaching a Stone to Talk, Annie Dillard remarks about her own experience with an eclipse:

"What you see in an eclipse is entirely different from what you know.  It is especially different for those of us whose grasp of astronomy is so frail that, given a flashlight, a grapefruit, two oranges, and fifteen years, we still could not figure out which way to set the clocks for Daylight Saving Time.  Usually it is a bit of a trick to keep your knowledge from blinding you.  But during an eclipse it is easy.  What you see is much more convincing than any wild-eyed theory you may know."

Getting our Feet Wet

Last week was the first part of our Tropical Ecosystems course.  Stream ecology was jam-packed full of field trips where students measured water chemistry and stream discharge; collected invertebrates and small fish; and got to do some splashing around.  At first it was a little bit unnerving to see what was living under our feet and in our waterways but we also appreciated the presence of these small organisms especially as they are a good indication of low pollution.  Our professor, Dorothy Boorse, was a great addition to the group and we wish she could have stayed longer.  

Dorothy, Autumn, Kandice, Stephen

Liz and Nick

The Blue Hole

poor little guys

Some Plants

Passiflora edulis, Passion Fruit with a nectaring bee.
Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Pride of Barbados.  This is Gretchen's favorite.

Galphimia glauca, or Mexican Gold Bush.  Another common name is the Shower of Gold.

Photos courtesy of Gretchen Peck.

CCSP Lovin'

For Valentine's Day last week, students had the chance to get to know each other on an even deeper level with CCSP matchmaking service.  Throughout the course of the evening, students were encouraged to find their soul-mate and make a life-long commitment.  Just kidding.  What really happened was everyone had a lighthearted night starting with a silly game of "If you love me honey won't you please smile?" Courtnay had a rough time keeping it together and was sure to smile whenever someone asked her to.  Then came a round of speed dating where everyone got to talk to everyone else for two minutes to find out if they were a match... or not.  The night capped off with everyone's favorite movie- A Princess Bride.

Bird of the Week

Glaucidium brasilianum, or Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, is one of the only owls in Belize that is active during the day.  This little cutie, measuring only 7", was seen in an orange tree right outside of the staff cabins.  A group of staff and students were able to walk right up to the tree it was perched in and take pictures, giggle, pray, and just shake heads in dismay.  One interesting note about the Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl is the presence of "false eyes."  These dark spots on the back of their heads give the appearance of large, dark eyes to confuse would-be predators.

Kudos to Jessica who gave the correct answer to last week's quiz.  The two other toucans in Belize are the Collared Aracari and the Emerald Toucanet.  

This week's quiz: Belize is home to what other Pygmy-Owl?

The Ruins at Xunantunich

For several days in orientation week, we sat on the hammocks and watched the ruins lurk in the distance from sunrise to sunset.  On the last of the week however, we finally went to see this ominous structure of Xunantunich up close and personal.  

A neat ferry across the Mopan river took us to the road to the ruins.  There were a few small tourist attractions and stores with the fancy-shmancy knick-knacks for purchase, but soon after moving on we were about to get a hefty history lesson.  This wasn't normal history though, this was real, in-your-face Mayan history!  We're talking the kind of history where an intense game of gauntlet ball often ended in the sacrificial death of the winner.  They made the balls for the gruesome game from gummy tree substances.  Later, the same area would be a major gum producer for big companies like Wrigley's.  The place tells so many stories from ancient civilization, collapse of their society, influences from Britain and the outside world, to the chewing gum industry, and now to a tourist attraction.  At first visit, it takes a good chunk of time to mentally work your way past the fog of the tourism to only scratch the tiniest scratch on the surface to see the actual reality of Mayan life.  As we sat on the top, overlooking miles of lush forest greens and farms (including our very own campus and CCSP bus) we soon realized the irony in our situation.  Where we stood once served as sacred space to honor the gods.  Only kings and royal family would set foot there.  People were sacrificed to the gods (which was an honor) and even the entire temple served to honor them.  The land we looked out on was the land of the workers, the middle class, and farmers.  There was probably a market square and probably no forest because it was all farm land.  But with trying to fathom all of that, which took a powerful imagination, I wondered if they would just sit up on the top, overlooking hills and sunsets like we did.  Either way, the stones show great wisdom in age, and could tell countless stories.  Plus we all got free passes to go see it again!

By Nick Voss

 

photos by Nick and Jesse

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

THE ROOMIE'S BIRTHDAY BASH 

by Brindley, Kandice, and Autumn

Kandice and Brindley just happened to be in the same cabin and just happened to be born on the same day.  They were both feeling that their birthday wouldn't be so special because of being so far away from home and from family and friends but to their SURPRISE, CCSP birthdays are no joke.  Kandice and Brindley both agreed that there was no better way to celebrate their 20th and 21st birthdays than in Belize with their CCSP family.  The day started with the two girls being woken up to a serenade by the whole group and given a donut and candles to make their first wish together.  This made them both feel at home since it had been a family tradition.  That was just the beginning...

The birthday girls' day was filled with interesting animals at the Belize Zoo and plenty of birthday hugs and wishes from everyone they were with.  The excitement continued at dinner time when each girl was presented with their own personalized cake made with love, of course.  CCSP cuts no corners when it comes to birthdays.  Two birthdays means two cakes.  Just when they thought the celebration was over, they walked into a SURPRISE decorated veranda by the best SLC's ever, Pete and Gretchen.  The birthday bash started with challenges of flexibility and endurance with our very own, original, and unique game of Belizean Twister.  Each birthday girl had their time to shine in a game of psychiatrist where the acting skills of the CCSP (BELIZE) staff and students were revealed.  Their musical talent was also shown when three groups--the girls, the boys, and the staff--made up original singing and dancing routines focused on how great Kandice and Brindley are.  The staff broke it down fresh with the hippest rap eva!  The night finished off with an intense dance party where everyone let loose and had their time to shine.  Kandice and Brindley both agree this could possibly be the best birthday ever.

Touring the Mollejon Dam

This week Vernon Jantzi is in the middle of Sustainable Community Development, a class that looks at different development paradigms and approaches. One of Belize's development projects is the construction of 3 dams on the Macal River. We went to visit the Mollejon Dam, the second dam in the series of 3, and were able to view the dam itself, the control room, and the generators below.

The development of these dams has been the focus of much controversy in Belize. A sizeable area of sensitive riparian forest has been flooded, including one of the last remaining nesting sites of the near extinct Scarlet Macaw. The dam construction was first billed at 30 million US dollars, but upon completion will be closer to 100 million US dollars. This money will head back to Canada because Fortis, the company building the dam, is a Canadian company. Fortis has contracted a Chinese construction company to build it. They have contracted Nepalese workers and are paying them far lower than the already low minimum wage in Belize. This is the third biggest development project in the history of Belize. We went to the dam to tour it, hear the guide, and ask our questions to help us better understand this project.

Bird of the Week

Ramphastos sulfuratus or Keel-Billed Toucan is the subject of this week's bird-focus. This toucan can more often be heard than seen around the campus. The call of the toucan sounds a lot like the croak of a frog or toad. One interesting note on the Keel-Billed Toucan is that they are a highly social and playful bird. They move and live in family structures and like most families they fight and feed each other. The toucans have been seen throwing food into each other's beaks and using those long beaks to duel or play fight with each other. Living in the hollows of trees space can get tight, so these beauties can tuck their tails and their beaks under their wings to save space. Aside from all of those features, they are arrestingly beautiful.

Quiz: What are the two other species of toucan that live in Belize?

Photo courtesy of Gretchen Peck

"The Best Little Zoo in the World"

During orientation week, students had the opportunity to visit the Belize Zoo! Like the country, the zoo has a very laid back atmosphere with little more than a wire fence between paws and hands (or sometimes, not even that). All the animals are native to Belize including the harpy eagle, tapirs, jaguars, scarlett macaws, and lesser known species such as the gibnut and kinkajou. Getting up close to these animals was a treat as they are rarely-if ever- seen in the wild.

photos taken by our own Jesse Borden

Black Rock

In addition to gardening, getting to know each other, and learning about Belize, this week students got to play in the beautiful Macal River. We started by grabbing tubes and trekking up to Vaca Falls where we swam for a little while. Tyler wasn't satisfied with just swimming though, so he decided to get swept over the falls into the pools below. Luckily, he conquered the falls and not the other way around. After that excitement, everyone got to relax a little for the tube ride downstream. During the float, entertainment was provided by looking at birds, getting poured on, and Pete's tube-tipping service. A little better than sitting in class in 30 degree weather, eh?

On Gardening

"You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.  For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, and to step out of life's procession, that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite."

 

Kahlil Gibran

 

"Participate in food production to the extent that you can. If you have a yard or even just a porch box or a pot in a sunny window, grow something to eat in it. Make a little compost of your kitchen scraps and use it for fertilizer, only by growing some food for yourself can you become acquainted with the beautiful energy cycle that revolves from soil to seed to flower to fruit to food to offal to decay, and around again. You will he fully responsible for any food that you grow for yourself, and you will know all about it. You will appreciate it fully, having known it all its life."

 

Wendell Berry

 

“There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.”

 

Aldo Leopold

 

Three beds, heavy and thick with weeds, ants and soil, were turned from fallow to field in a few short hours.  The afternoon turned gentler and kinder as the sun set and we began our planting.  Each plant was planted and a prayer was prayed.  

 

The Arrival of the Stew-Nuts

"Stew-Nuts" means "students" in Gloria-speak.  Gloria can be seen here holding the sign to welcome the stew-nuts off the plane.  

Also welcoming the stew-nuts was the humid, tropical heat of Belize.  After the great-tailed grackle had given his welcoming, we boarded our school bus and made our way west across the country.  The stew-nuts were given their first looks of the Belize countryside as the sun set softly over Guatemala.  Ms. Martha and Ms. Shelly did their part to welcome the stew-nuts with a traditional diner of rice and beans, stewed chicken, cole slaw, fried plantains and chocolate cake.  The keys were passed out to their new cottages and the stew-nuts found rest and repose after a long day of travel.  

We are all thankful and grateful that our community is now full with this semester's stew-nuts.