Day 4--Leaders of the Day: Ryan & Max

Day 4:

            Today we made great progress on the fence. We finished stuccoing the chain link and poured the concrete and started to lay the cinder blocks. A few BBN students redecorated the play equipment with colorful designs. At break the local kids came out and we had piggyback races, soccer games and tag. After the break, we continued on our project to try to reach our goals. At different times throughout the day, we went into the classes and taught math and played baseball.

            Then, we did the true colors activity with some local students where we assessed different personality types. We split in half after that for afternoon activities. One group went tubing on a river. On the walk to the river, we saw ant paths and the hot lips plant. We saw a huge termite nest and some of us ate a few. They tasted like mints. On the river, we saw many parts of nature, such as:

mosquito-eating bats and lizards. We saw many birds, some examples are: the northern water thrush, the ringed king fisher, and the social fly-catcher.

            The second group went to the Chiel il chocolate factory located in Maya Center. There we took a tour around the farms that produced the cacao beans and toured the chocolate making facility. We even made our own chocolate. At the farm we learned about how the cacao beans are grown. We cracked open the cacao fruits and ate the beans inside raw. The raw beans are usually dried and fermented and that is what is used for chocolate.  In the factory we use a traditional Mayan grind stone to grind the chocolate and mix the ingredients. We filled molds and put them in the freezer. After 10 mins we had made our very own dark chocolate and FYI fresh hand made chocolate is heaven.

            In the evening we had our homestay dinners. We played games, talked, and learned about the Mayan culture. They were very inviting, provided a comfortable environment, and prepared great food.  We bonded over Disney Channel, UNO and amazing tortillas. These tortillas were amazing. They were warm and fresh off the fire. They were hand made and cooked to perfection. The soft fluffy tortillas mixed with red beans were some of the best food we have ever had.

Looking forward to tomorrow, sincerely Max and Ryan