Robert Nickle: Student Report from 2016 Alternative Spring Break in Belize
Saturday night, March 12th – I arrived in Belize City, Belize, after a nearly twelve hour journey that began in Nashville. We began our final leg of our journey on a ride across this foreign country to the city of San Ignacio, near the border of Guatemala. That night, we were briefed on what we were to accomplish during the upcoming week and what not to do in Belize.
Sunday, March 13th – We started off the day with a fairly typical Belizean breakfast with juice; then we were off to our first adventure. We reached a river with no bridges, only a ferry to take us across. While we waited for our ride, we exchanged money for various gifts at shops along the road. After driving our bus onto a boat and floating it across a river we continued on to the ruins of Xunantunich. We suddenly became thankful for the hill at UT, because all those stairs we climbed day in and day out were secretly there for the sole purpose of preparing us for Xunantunich, where we proceeded to climb everything that looked remotely man-made and take countless pictures. Next, we traveled to a local restaurant where we were served chicken, rice, and plantains. With food in our stomachs, we were ready for the next adventure to the much more shaded (and generally more tourist friendly) ruins of Cahal Pech, where we again climbed everything in sight in search of the perfect picture. Finally, we went home, ate our dinner, and retired to our beds, for we had a long week ahead of us.
Monday, March 14th – We began our primary quest to build an earth bag structure for food storage. Our supervisor offered the reward of a trip to St. Herman’s Blue Hole in exchange for a job well done. The day was hot and the shift was long, but we continued to march on, eight bags of lime at a time.
Tuesday, March 15th – We were tired from our previous day’s work, but nothing could keep us from our goal. Almost as machines devised in the basement of Perkins Hall, everyone pushed through the ninety-five degree heat and nearly 100% humidity like it was a day at the beach. At the end of the day, we were two-thirds of the way done with our quest.
Wednesday, March 16th – We embarked on perhaps our most treacherous adventure of the trip, to the Mayan capital of Tikal in Guatemala. After batting away at least a thousand mosquitos and stopping to let some coatis cross the road, we eventually reached our destination. We swung on vines through dense forest in search of more things to climb and take pictures of. Finally, we reached the courtyard where we were greeted by an acropolis and two temples (and some monkeys, but that’s beside the point). We continued on, deeper and deeper, into the forest, where we encountered wildlife like we had never seen before. Finally, we reached Temple Four, the largest structure in the Mayan empire, and took the opportunity to take as many pictures as our poor cameras could hold.
Thursday, March 17th – We began our final day of work. With sore legs and sun burns galore, we pressed on. Bucket after bucket, bag after bag, until it was finished. We completed the basement of the earth-bag structure, and with it, carved our names into history.
Friday, March 18th – After a long week, we decided to go sightseeing. We first stopped at a Mennonite community to learn about sustainability and working without modern conveniences. Then, we moved on to the Blue Hole, where we swam to our hearts content in freezing cold water. Finally, we finished the day with horseback riding and an early dinner at the ranch.
Saturday, March 19th – After a long week of work, it was time for us to return to our homes. We left the city of San Ignacio, and eventually the country of Belize as a whole. Still to this day we miss Belize, but it’s good to be back in the US.