August 7, 2006

Well hello, all, Nika here. It's evening here in Belize and an absolutely gorgeous one at that. Having been here on Tobacco Caye for a couple of days now, we have FINALLY gotten used to its luxurious beaches, friendly staff members and guests, beachfront cabanas, fresh cooked meals, warm sun, cool breeze, etc. (I know, what us kids are put through here JK I mean Really JK) However, the list of wonderful things that we are experiencing here could go on forever. This morning we all casually arose from a refreshing slumber to eat a freshly cooked breakfast, which we ate faster than parrotfish eating coral. (This is fast.) After we had some free time to digest, we headed out in our boats. We first had a small detour to see a small mangrove island inhabited by Yellow-Footed Boobies and Frigate Birds. After nearly roasting their students in the hot Belizean sun, our kind chaperones decided to take us to the Man-O-War Caye where we were able to take a snorkel in the murky eddy waters amongst the mangrove roots. After touching jellyfish and seeing giant starfish and the like, we headed out to the Twin Keys. Once in the Twin Keys, we were able to once again snorkel. We then came back to what feels like our own private island and have a few more hours of free time before we again, guess what, snorkeled. This time, we went out on the other side of Tobacco Caye and swam through one of the little channels, only this time, there was an assignment besides just simply enjoying the gorgeous and unusual sights that we are rarely, if ever, exposed to at home. We had four groups which had their own little projects: observing fish, reef creatures, algae, and coral, about which all of the groups gave an entire two minute presentation. What a stretch for the rising seniors that was! Since then, we have been relaxing and enjoying our free time by playing soccer, volleyball, cards, swinging in the hammocks, and witnessing firsthand the effects of the sun on our skin. To wrap things up, we have been having a wonderful experience on Tobacco Caye and had yet another fun and education- filled day. I hope that reading this blog helps bring you closer to us and this beautiful country and helps to reassure you that we actually are learning and doing a lot of work, I mean really, it is a lot of work to remember to reapply sunscreen so often JK

See you soon.
Love
Nika Clark ļ


Kelsey snorkels at the mangrove roots


We saw a Spotted Eagle Ray on our snorkel today!