The
most interesting story I've came upon so far entails the three hour bus ride
from Belize City to Dangriga. Our cute old man bus driver told us to watch as
we drove up a hill, got to the top, and then tell him when the bus began to go
downhill. The students declared that the bus was moving downhill, so the bus
driver stopped the bus and put it in neutral. What happened next sounds crazy,
but the bus (including students and heavy luggage) rolled backwards up the hill
while in neutral. The engineering students began trying to explain by
considering geology, magnetism, and optical illusion, but failed to come to a
logical conclusion. Beyond that mystery, we drove through the mountains and saw
a mountain top that takes the profile shape of a sleeping giant.
Our greetings with the citizens upon arrival were very
welcoming and all the students seem excited to serve with this community.
PeaceWork is an organization, which helps facilitate projects, food,
transportation, and security, for incoming groups like the University of
Arkansas. Our PeaceWork coordinators are Hannah, Jessica, and Josh. All of them
are young, fun, and full of information and connections with the community. I
can tell this is going to be a great experience for everyone, as long we keep using
sunblock and bug spray!
Today, we met community members through orientation
meetings. Tomorrow we will begin on the engineering projects. I can't wait to
get started!
Thanks,
Lyndsey Dickson
Engineering Team
Community Development in Belize
