Big Email Blast #1
Sam
The warm tropical days of Belize are only 3 months away! By now you
have been sent an official welcome email by me. This is an email
designed to confirm that you are really coming (because there is a
wait list) and to begin sharing some of the information you will need
to know.
The first order of business is for you to confirm that you are still
planning on coming to Belize. I will need to know this by Easter
Sunday, as I want to inform the wait listed applicants of their
current status. If you do not confirm your position you will be
dropped from your place and put at the end of the line.
Now that this nasty business is out of the way, let me tell you about
our plans for the summer as they stand now. Of course, things are
always fluid, but we are getting increasingly excited about how it
looks to be turning out.
CURRICULUM
Let me start by explaining what a typical student experience would be:
Week1 -- introduction to Belize, its people, and archaeology. This
week consists of acclimatization, field trips, classes, and maybe a
day of the Belize Archaeology conference in the San Ignacio Hotel.
Week 2 -- Culture project rotation 1
Week 3 -- Field archaeology
Week 4 -- Culture project rotation 2
We will have 3 groups of 10 students and they rotate among
archaeology, and two culture projects.
Proposed Culture project 1 -- Ecotourism and Xunantunich. An applied
anthropology study of the current dynamics surrounding the
relationship of the Maya site of Xunantunich to the modern Maya
village of Succotz. Director: Dr. Kathryn Maurer.
Proposed Culture project 2 -- Maya Agriculture - Past and Present. A
study of ancient and modern agricultural practices, with the aim of
replicating much of the knowledge we can find out from archaeology and
testing it in the present. Director: Dr. Ted Neff
Archaeology Project-- El Aguacate site excavation. Excavations of
architecture at site cores. Director: Dr. Andrew Kindon
The last component of my Belize Program is the service learning
aspect. What this consists of is a student-driven creation of a
service project designed to have an immediate and sustainable impact
in the country. In Ecuador the students developed their own models
and in past years purchased new swing sets for the school, uniforms
for the school children, and industrial sewing machines for a women's
group. The Student Government here at Foothill usually donates $1000
for this project.
Dr. John Morris and myself are in charge of the overall project and
curriculum, so you will be seeing us in all places and at all times.
In sum, the entire project will have 5 PhDs and many other graduate
students conducting research on both the Ancient and Modern Maya. It
should be an absolutely amazing experience!
PREPARATION FOR CLASSES
You are not able to register for classes until June. So do not worry
about payments yet. When you register for classes you will be
required to also pay the Program Fee of 2100.00$.
However, there will be some required readings for these classes and
the professors will be sending along more detailed information for you
in the days to come.
GETTING TO BELIZE
The project begins on Sunday June 27th. This means that the project
will be picking up people at the Belize City airport on Sunday all day
and transporting students inland to San Ignacio where we be living.
If you get to Belize earlier and go to the Cayes for snorkeling or go
traveling, you are expected to meet us at the base hotel (Martha's
Guest House) on Sunday afternoon for check in and then dinner will be
served on Sunday at Hodies.
If you come by other means into Belize such as bus from Cancun (which
a few people are doing -- see the google group for more info) then it
is best to be meet us in San Ignacio and not try to get to the
airport.
Either way. We need to know your travel information. When you know,
send me the Flight #, Airline, and Day/Time of Arrival.
TRAVEL IN BELIZE
Travel in country for project related stuff is taken care of by the
project in buses or trucks. If you are wanting to get around yourself
on weekends then you can use bus or taxi or tour guides.
LIVING CONDITIONS
The country of Belize is in a subtropical environment. From the moment
you get off the plane you will be hit with a wave of hot and humid
heat; however, you will be struck more pleasantly by the fact that the
country of Belize is a warm, friendly Caribbean country where people
are genuine. Until 1981, Belize was a British colony, and so the
official language is English. However, many other languages and
cultures live side by side within this mosaic of peoples. In fact,
most people also speak Spanish and a local version of English called
Creole. The multiethnic nature of Belize is one of the great
experiences that the country has to offer. On a typical bus ride you
may sit nearby Caribs/Creole, a Maya, a Mestizo, an American ex-
patriot, and perhaps a recent émigré from China. Politically, the
country of Belize is very stable and has a democratic government based
upon the British system with a Prime Minister and Cabinet elected
every 5 years. In addition, Belize is well known for having the most
official holidays of any country in the world. People in Belize are
notorious for working very hard, but also, kicking back and living
life to its fullest. [There is a great new book describing Belize
ecology called Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide by Les Beletsky entitled
Belize and Northern Guatemala published by Academic Press (1999),
check it out!].
Although it has not been finalized we are happy with the hotel that
John is likely to land for the group. It is called The Inn at
Martha's (http://www.marthasbelize.com/) It should be perfect for
our needs, and probably too nice for you guys who are hoping to rough
it in the jungles of Central America. We really feel it is important
for the group to stay in the town so that you can maximize your
cultural experience in Belize.
INTERNET/PHONES
There is constantly opportunities for wireless connections and there
are cheap internet cafes. Probably the hotel has it for free.
You can buy a phone for cheap and use it by paying for minutes, you
can unlock your phone and use it with local cards. Or you can make
international calls on your own phone and kill yourself financially.
Also there are internet phones in the internet cafes.
HEALTH
There are many clinics that are good in the area. And there are great
hospitals further away. Most of this is already detailed on the
website.
Aspects of this field school will require a good deal of
physical exertion and so participants should be aware of the need to
be in good condition. A typical day in the field might involve both
manual labor and hiking. This warning is not meant to scare you away,
but instead to simply inform that if you come to Belize in less than
adequate shape, expect to be in far better shape by the end of the
month. Field staff and the instructor realize we will have varying
degrees of manic energy on the project and will appropriately deal
with health matters as they arise. First and foremost, you will be
drinking a great deal of fluids to avoid the hazards of dehydration,
which has potentially very dangerous side effects. All students
should consult your family or school physician to determine your needs
while in the tropical country of Belize. Often you will be referred to
a Travel Specialist who is aware of all the advisories regarding
diseases etc. Generally, though, it is considered wise for students
take some form of malaria pill. However, ask your doctor with regards
to this, because malaria pills have strong side effects. People who
come to Latin America often tend to forego the malaria medication
because of the side effects, and also you cannot give blood for 5
years afterwards. There are cases of malaria in Belize, but it can be
readily treated with the a few large doses of the chloroquine. Also
insect repellent will help. In addition, it is suggested that you be
up to date with hepatitis B (this was gammaglobulin, now there is an
oral medication), tetanus, and typhoid vaccinations.
Also if you are allergic to anything or have another pre-
existing condition please inform the instructors. There are local
hospitals in Belize with trained medical staff and doctors, however
should you need extreme emergency care, such as an airlift to Miami or
another major city, try to see if your medical insurance will cover
it. Check with your insurer to possibly expand coverage. Lastly, most
of the staff members are CPR and First Aid certified, but if you have
the chance to enroll in a class that would be helpful.
LAUNDRY
We offer to do one bag of laundry per week per student. We are of the
few anthropology programs in the world that I know of that does
laundry for its students.
Here are a few more important things.
1. MAKE SURE YOUR PASSPORT IS GOOD. You must definitely have a
passport or you can’t come. No visas are required.
2. IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT H1N1 VIRUS or Malaria or anything (or
your parents are). Make sure you visit a travel clinic.
3. It may be also important for you to buy Travelers Insurance.
There are many cheap programs on line that are good to have.
4. Keep your parents informed. They get worried, sometimes a
student’s travels to a foreign country are more scary for the parents.
Assure them that you can always be in contact if there are any
problems with your well being.
5. I am also posting this on the Website/Google Group
http://groups.google.com/group/foothillbelizeprogram
Keep the questions coming. We will have a group get together for
those students in the Bay Area in late May or early June. So I will
be staying in touch.
Sincerely,
Sam Connell
PS EMAIL ME YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE PROGRAM ASAP
PPS EMAIL ME YOUR FLIGHT TIMES ETC WHEN YOU BUY THEM.