August 4, 2006

There was a lot of excitement today! Having started the day with a filling breakfast at the Midas resort, we endured a long bus ride and finally arrived at Chaa Creek. I didn’t quite know what to expect. The group split into two divisions, each led by a charming, disarming tour guide. My mini group hiked up a short hill and came across a truly remarkable cage where Blue Morpho Butterflies were raised their entire lives. Everyone was amazed, as there were probably more than a hundred blue flying butterflies confined in such a small cage. A few butterflies even landed on some of us! There was more to do at Chaa Creek, but a lot of it was lecturing by the tour guide, although it was very interesting. After this there was another long bus ride, shortly interrupted by a quick dip in a nearby river. At last we reached Armenia Village, where we would meet our homestay families. We were given a brief touring of the village (primarily the farm and corn fields) and were then introduced to our various host families. Everyone instantly fell in love with their families, and Tom and I were not exceptions! Although the conversation was very awkward at first and difficult to keep going, Tom and I became very close with our host brother Melvin. He spoke very good English. Tom and I were shown our room, had some very interesting encounters with a large spider and the coatimundi (tropical family pet), and went to bed very late. The End.
- Luke Jeffrey


Wyatt meets his host mom in Armenia Village