Unbelizeable!

Howdy y'all, Claire Lewis here from the JA department. Our first 24 hours in Belize have been incredible. This is my first trip outside of the U.S. and I am completely fascinated by the people and culture. Today we visited the Mayan ruins and met some very loud howler monkeys. We left San Ignacio around 1 and drove two hours to the beautiful Dangriga, where we will spend most of the trip. I am currently sitting in the Pelican Beach Resort, enjoying the gentle breeze and festive music - the locals are celebrating Baron Bliss day with a party on the beach. In my short time here, I have been completely taken aback by the beauty of both the people and the land. Locals smiled and waved at us as our bus caravan entered the city, and a young boy on a bike proudly showed us an iguana he had caught. What I love most about Belize so far is that the main form of entertainment seems to be the company of others - not iPhones and SnapChat and Facebook, but the company of other people, which is something I think we take for granted back at home. This is the first time I've been on the internet since my arrival, and honestly...I'm excited to finish and go back to the party on the beach. I think as a group, we Americans need to spend less time looking at each other's Facebooks and more time looking at each other's faces. Food for thought.

Alas, the beach is calling! Toodles.


-Claire (who sends her love to Janelle and Kevin back home)