Yesterday was a fascinating day. We set out to San Antonio, a village of about 2500 people, where the San Antonio women's cooperative is quite active. We met with an older woman, Josefa, who started the coop with her daughters. She has 10 children, and realized that the younger women in the village (her kids included) were not learning some of the embroidery and skills that she learned as a child. So, she began teaching them, and they branched out into pottery making after receiving a grant. Since 2001, the coop has grown, and now they raise and sell chickens for food, have a garden, sell beautiful products from pots to ceramic statues to jewelry. They have pigs, and use a methane converter, with which they are able to light their kiln and fires. So yes, they use gas from the pigs as a cheaper and environmentally friendly way to do their work. Then, the manure from the pigs is used to fertilize their garden. It was very exciting for me to see how these women started with a small idea, and before they knew it, it has grown into something very successful! It is a model for us in the U.S.; I think we could learn a lot from what they are doing. Josefa had raised 10 children, and is continuing to give back to the community. The funds they receive from their sales improves conditions for the entire village.
After this inspiring morning, we went another hour and had a picnic at a beautiful waterfall in the rainforest. Despite the fact that it was raining (it is definitely rainy season here), several of us jumped in and swam up to the waterfall. Josh mentioned that I should probably bring students if we do a trip in the future...I agree wholeheartedly!
When we got back to the car after our time at the waterfall, we had a slight problem when we realized that we had, oops, locked all keys in the car. And it was raining...hard. We were 2 hours from anywhere, and I don't think they have AAA in Belize. So we prayed, and circled the car looking for any possible way to open it. Here is where the miracle came in. We finally discovered that we could wedge a stick into the back windows. With just the right stick, we were able to open the window a crack, and somehow maneuver a very long stick to pick up the purse with the keys in it. And yes, if you had seen how secure this SUV was, you would also think it was a miracle.
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