We made it!

We made it to Belize!  After one long day of travel we all arrived safely in Belize.  The kids were very excited to finally be in the country and get things started.  After we cleared customs (without any problems) we met up with Peter, one of our guides for the trip.  We loaded up our luggage and we were on our way to Maya Center.  The drive to Maya Center is about 3 hours so we had plenty of time to relax in the bus.  We arrived in Maya Center, got settled in our rooms and headed to the dining hall for dinner.  Even though it was only 6:30 in Belize, the kids were pretty wiped out.  We had a brief introduction from Ernesto and Aurora, the owners of the hotel we are staying at.  We de-briefed as a group and talked about some of the fears that we were facing this week.  We talked about safety and expectations then it was off to our rooms.  Lights out was at 9:00 and everyone was ready for some much needed rest. 

This morning we were up bright and early to get ready before breakfast.  After breakfast we met Jen and Mac who are leading the service project at the St. Jude’s School.  We covered ourselves in bugspray and sunscreen and headed over to the school.  Once we were there the kids pulled all of the supplies we needed out of the building and we began working on the library.  The group that was here two weeks ago laid the foundation for the building so we could start framing right away.  Everyone worked to cut down 48 two by fours to use for the frame.  Before we left for the morning we managed to get one wall completed framed and up.  The kids were excited to see progress and they all wanted to come back after lunch to finish.  Hopefully tomorrow we will be able to finish framing the walls. 

This afternoon we are headed to the Mayan Museum to learn about the culture and lifestyle of the Mayan people.  It should be a great experience for everyone.