Day 6: Snorkeling, Seaweed+Coral Education, Cayes

Julia Tao
This morning, everyone got on a boat to go out for the marine biology portion of the mission. It took 40 minutes to get to the snorkeling location, and there were some choppy waves, but we saw a stingray, a turtle, and some nurse sharks! After snorkeling, we took the boat to Little Water Caye to see and learn about the seaweed growing and drying process. While we were there, I interviewed TJ and Orlando about the seaweed growing and planting methods, which are actually very interesting! Ropes are hung between rafts made of wood or bamboo, and tiny pieces of seaweed are intertwined between the fibers. These tiny pieces grow to be huge bundles of seaweed! When the seaweed is dried, it can be used in many amazing products, as when placed in water again, it will form a jelly-like consistency. This seaweed plays an important role in bringing income to the local fisherman, supplementing what they earn from their fishing expeditions, and allowing them to produce delicious traditional seaweed shakes.
Afterwards, the boat took us to Laughing Bird Caye for lunch, and we then took the boat to Coral Caye, with a lot of refreshing sea spray on the way there. When we arrived, we listened to Ms. Mariko talk about coral planting methods, rested on hammocks, and watched Orlando fish. Then, we took the boat back to Placencia (with a lot of sea spray on the way back as well).

Jacqueline Duong
After several long days of hard work, we were finally done with the clinic! But our learning wasn’t over, as we went to learn about the environment and marine biology of Belize. I enjoyed the speed boat ride, because it was definitely more of a relaxing yet thrilling experience compared to what happened earlier in the week. I didn’t go into the water too much, but I have no regrets.
Overall, to summarize this trip, one thing I would change is my fear of dogs. In Belize there are dogs everywhere, and I am actually so afraid of dogs. It’s pretty sad when people ask me if I’m allergic, and I just say I’m afraid. And then people ask me if I got bitten, and I’m just like no...I got chased…? So long story short, everywhere there was a dog, I was not there. I was almost 100 percent successful with staying away from dogs, except right before we left Coral Caye, I was avoiding the dog but it kept chasing me and then everyone was like “just stop and she won’t follow you,” so I stopped, closed my eyes, and thank God - I did not get bitten.