Some Incredible Photography...

As promised, here are some pictures from our time in Belize this January!
Here is a photo of the Hummingbird Hostel:

I wasn't lying, was I? Its beautiful!

Getting into More Tomorrow was a little difficult because we had to ford a river crossing the road everyday...

 

But once we were in the village, these are a couple of the homes we saw:

  

And some of the local wildlife... 

We were there taking water samples and conducting health surveys:

Standing water is a huge problem there in the village. They do not have a proper drainage system, and several of us were unprepared for trecking through the mud... 

 Their pastor, however, has taken matters into his own hands and built a drainage system on his own land

If we can get the whole village as motivated as Pastor Rudy, then the standing water issue will be resolved in only one dry season! Just long enough for us to get down there, give them the technical training and a few examples, and then let them take over!
The rainwater catchment system varies from house to house. Some have rather advanced systems with large tanks, others have rusty barrels. One of our translators, Jose, had constructed his own well.

 

Here also are some examples of the latrines they are using. We have also taken on latrine construction as another technical skill that we would like to help the people of More Tomorrow with. 

 





We established some awesome relationships while we were there. Annie spoke in Spanish to everyone she met, and really gained a lot of respect. they made fun of her american accent, but appreciated her trying. She was an absolute rockstar.

We went to church there on Sunday night, and it was the most involved service I had ever experienced. I didn't grow up going to church, but I have been a few times, and this was like none other. Everyone prayed aloud, several members of the community went up and spoke, including two women. Children played in the back of the church and the acoustics were terrible, but it was still amazing.

This is one of our new friends. I personally think this photo belongs in National Geographic. Its just too precious. 

 We would come back to the hostel in the evenings and sit on the balcony and discuss what we had learned that day and our strategy for the next.

And, again, I wasn't lying when I said we visited the Peace Corps. This is Jake, he has actually been accepted to the Peace Corps, and after this semester he is expecting to be stationed in Mozambique Africa for two years. 

 U of A represent!

Though we were sad that it was over, we were ready to head back to the states. Plus, we had been eaten alive while we were there... 

 And finally, AEA for the win!!!

Until next time, 

Erin Cooper

Arkansas Engineers Abroad Public Relations Co- Chair