Day 5

Hot pink, tangerine orange, yellow, with wisps of blue and purple- there isn’t anything better than waking up to a beautiful sunrise on an amazing coastline! As I saw it disappearing in our rearview mirror this morning, I was reluctant to say goodbye to Punta Gorda. The people and the culture will forever hold a special place within my heart. Punta Gorda ignited a passion within me and revealed my strengths, strengths that I didn’t know I possessed. When we visited preschools the day prior, I knew without a doubt that God had placed me right where I needed to be. My aspiration of becoming a speech language pathologist has never been more clear. We went to Punta Gorda expecting to help and share our knowledge with children and teachers; however, little did I know I would be learning far much more from them then I could ever imagine. I find myself leaving this incredible village completely and utterly transformed.

Today we drove from PG to the Belize Zoo; the drive to the zoo was wonderous as well as humbling. For all of my wildlife people who want to know how the landscape is here in Belize- it is a captivating jungle that consists of multifarious species of trees, vines that overlay the branches creating canopies, and clear, cool rivers where I imagine fish are plentiful. I spoke about how pretty the landscape of Belize was with a little girl and how I found myself wanting to hop off the bus and being an adventure, simply lose myself within the incredible nature that God created. The little girl smiled from ear to ear, she was adorable in her tattered yet beautiful pink dress and began to tell how each mountain had a name and a story behind it. While driving along Hummingbird Highway I saw various homes that made me realize how truly blessed I am back in the states. These homes made me smile because I knew these people must have so much pride. I talked to one of the locals the other day and he had naturally brought up within our conversation that as long as his family had a roof over their head to protect them from the sun and rain they would be singing praises. It was humbling talking with that man.

 I  LOVED the Belize Zoo!!!The Belize Zoo is very unique compared to our zoos back home because they stress and promote conservation. My father is a gamewarden so I grew up learning that wildlife conservation is imperative and if we don’t want these beautiful creatures to die out it is important for people within our society to be educated about various species.  It was particularly heartwarming to hear that all of the animals within the zoo were rescued. There were several signs around the various animal cages that gave each animal’s backstory. One of the jaguar’s name was Junior. Junior’s mom was a rescued cat brought in by the Belize Zoo. At the time the zoo keepers were not aware that Junior’s mom was pregnant to their pleasant surprise Junior was born shortly after her arrival. It seems like a beautiful story; however, it is quite melancholy. Junior was rejected by his mother. Junior was raised by the zookeepers and is very fond of people. Seeing junior was probably one of my favorite parts of the zoo because he was absolutely beautiful. He was standing on a branch looking right at us when we walked by. I laugh as I am typing because he was loving the photos and attention, he actually came across as quite the narcissist. I also enjoyed seeing the Tapir and monkeys! It was interesting to hear that Tapirs, which are a cross between a horse and a rhino, cross highways and become problematic like white tailed deer back home. When observing the Tapir it appeared like no other animal I had ever seen and simply looked as if it were a made up animal that belonged on the movie Ice Age. Visiting the Belize zoo was an absolutely amazing experience! I strongly suggest that if anyone decided to vacation in Belize they go spend at least one day at The Belize Zoo.

The SGC girls ended this wonderful by singing some karaoke at the restaurant we had dinner at. I think all of us girls developed some baby abs after laughing so hard at some of the performances! “Wasn’t Me” sung by Brenda, Tiana, and Misha was definitely the highlight of my evening.

I am blessed to have spent another incredible day in Belize with a group of amazing, fun girls who radiate compassion and yearn to help others. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings, until then, sweet dreams!

-Tessa Flores