Where do I even begin? Today, was filled of laughter, learning, and bonding with one another. The day began with our last day of home visits, where each fellow grew more comfortable than the day before. My group even ended the day with German Menonite ice cream – what a great way to end the day! Next we were treated to a wonderful lunch from Miss Antonia. We also had the pleasure of spending time with some other GHFs. After reviewing our projects, I think came everyone’s favorite part of the day – going to James’ Farm. There we were able to see James’ family farm where we drank fresh coconut water and freshly roasted coffee! We enjoyed the coffee with coconut macaroons – it was like a little coffee shop! I felt like we were bonding and getting to know each other better which was the best feeling.

Finally, we had game night after dinner. The game of the night was MAFIA. In the first round, I was killed. Mr. McMahon was our amazing narrator and created a fun atmosphere. All in all, it was a great day and night!

The GHFs first full day in Belize proved to be very eventful. Before jumping into our project work with GPSA, we took the day to experience Belizean culture and history. Trip number one of the day was to ancient Mayan ruins – one of the most historically rich parts of all Belize. The GHFs attended a tour to learn about Xunantunich, the Mayan city of ruin which translate to “Maiden of the Rock” and even were fortunate enough to hike up the site’s greatest attraction: the temple of El Castillo. After this, our next stop was a traditional Belizean chocolate making factory to learn the history of chocolate making in Belize, make some of our own, and taste some of the country’s most popular products – like dark chocolate and chocolate wine. To end the day, the GHFs gathered to practice some of the medical skills we will be exercising throughout the week like taking blood pressure, blood glucose, pulse, respiration, and more. We look forward to putting these skills into action this week!