Frogs, Foxes & Forests

The CCSP Belize team was joined by professor Erik Lindquist from Messiah the other week to lead us on all sorts of jungle adventures. Our Forest Ecology course began with 2 nights down at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in southern Belize, where we swam in waterfalls, watched exotic birds, and went on night hikes through the jaguar preserve. We saw a lot of wildlife including some gray foxes, king vultures, and a kinkajou (an adorable arboreal mammal).

Students volunteer to eat wild termites (no extra credit was given).
(Photo by Danielle Northuis)

Later in the week we continued our adventures at our home base in Cayo, where students continued their nights hikes and birding expeditions, visited a Mayan ruin, and each participated in research projects here in the rain forest. We all learned a lot about tropical forest ecosystems, and shared many unforgettable experiences. One night we even saw a margay (a small, spotted jungle cat) right here on our own campus!

Erik shows off the dewlap on an anole to students at the Mayan ruin of El Pilar.
(Photo by Danielle Northuis) 

The week ended with students presenting their research projects (with plenty of refreshments of course), and a visit to a local pond to search for tree frogs. There we found three species of tree frogs, including the red-eyed tree frog, and a Mexican parrot snake!

The iconic Red-Eyed Tree Frog clings to Mark's thumb after an eventful evening. 

 It was an unforgettable week to be sure, and we all look forward to the rest of the adventures that Belize has waiting for us.

Adventures and Re-imagining

The past few weeks have been full of new adventures, new places, and new ways of thinking.  Students had a week free of structured classes in order to read a healthy dose of future class material.  Many of them chose to travel to other parts of Belize and Central America to read in some new environments.  Also scheduled in there were trips to caves, horseback riding, and more.

The Actun Tunichil Muknal (also known as the ATM) is a cave system here in Belize that is enshrouded in a bit of mystery.  Reportedly a breathtaking excursion through Mayan archaeological caverns filled with skeletons, pottery and other artifacts, the ATM experience is one that only a small number of tour guides in Belize are licensed to lead.  The group of our students that went on this tour were far from disappointed, many citing it as one of the most amazing things they had ever done in their entire lives.  Wow.  However, as no pictures are allowed to be taken inside the caves, all we can offer you, readers, is this shot of our intrepid but good-looking explorers:

A few of us also found an opportunity to go horseback riding through the countryside, which may be slightly less thrilling (although that is arguable if you ask Jenny) but still involves helmets.

A good view of Jimmy, the notoriously but contentedly slowest horse.  Photo
by Daniell Northuis

After Reading Week, we spent a week with professor Drew Ward learning about environmental texts - how they shape our imaginations and the ways in which we see or understand our world.  We also did some work recognizing and challenging different ways that our world has been imagined for us (perhaps falsely in some cases), and how we can reshape our imaginations to be more in line with the mind of God.  To remind us of how amazing God's imagination is, we took a field trip to one of Drew's favorite places in Belize, Big Rock Falls.

Photo by Danielle Northuis

A good time was had by all swimming in the pool at the base, scaling the rocks on either side of the falls, trying to stand underneath the falls, and trying to sit in the mini-falls at the edge of the pool.

Carissa (Wheaton), Stacie (Messiah), Catie (Hope), and Lauren (Hope)
enjoying the rush of the mini-falls.  Photo by Danielle Northuis

The week was brought to a sensational close as all 17 students came together to plan a worship service for our community on Saturday morning.  The service engaged our eyes, ears, tastes, touch, voices, and meditative thoughts, and was a very imaginative and meaningful way for us to worship our creator together.

Photo by Stacie Martin