belize: day1.

as i write, i am sitting at the bar of wayo's beachside beernet in belize, south america, sipping a coke and trying not to pinch myself. part of me can hardly belive i'm here, yet on the other hand, i can now see experiences in my life that have no doubt been leading to an experience just like this one. it's almost as if i should have expected to be here someday.

but, perhaps i should start at the beginning.

i almost didnt make it here, to be completely honest. when kim returned from belize for the first time and invited us back with her, i wrote her off. i had obligations with the choir during spring break, and more importantly, i couldn't afford the trip. however, after a lot of prayer and a few sleepless nights, i made a big decision. i would indeed be going along with my mentor and seventeen other students, as she led us back to the land that had changed her. kim wanted to share everything with us, from the culture to the people, from the deep poverty to the joyous laughter.

we departed from sioux falls, sd at 12:00am on friday morning, driving through the night in a fifteen passenger van, arriving in minneapolis in enough time to check our bags of books and sporting equipment and board our plane. almost twelve hours (and many short naps) later, we were shedding our shoes on the sandy beach of belize. we checked into our hotel - called "the tides" - and met several of kim's friends. our group cleaned up, rested a bit, and set off exploring the island. ours is a group made up of so many distinct individuals, however, the dynamic is one of unity, loyalty, and collaboration. i couldn't be more pleased with the relationships i've already formed, and look forward to further developing those and more.

tomorrow we will be working at holy cross school, helping to construct a foundation for a playground for the students there. i can hardly wait to get started.

stay tuned, my friends. i can already tell this is going to be the experience of a lifetime.