Glover's Reef and getting ready for the journey home

Glover’s Reef is a tropical paradise. We were in the water at every opportunity; scuba diving, snorkeling, and one day we even sea kayaked between two islands, stopping on a tiny deserted island to snorkel and swim.

We were curious to learn more about all that we saw around us. To find the answers to their questions, students did mini-research projects and talked at length with two marine biology experts at the research station. They taught us about basic coral reef ecology, problems with fisheries (all of the seafood lovers in our group were devastated to learn how terrible shrimp harvesting is for the environment!), and how to identify different underwater species. Students also helped in stingray research, snorkeled with nurse sharks, and dove with sea turtles.

We had a bonfire on the beach our last night on the atoll. The next morning, we managed to convince all of our students to get onto the boat that would bring us back to the mainland. We may have been saying goodbye to paradise but we still had other adventures to look forward to. . .

From the marina we headed to Gale’s Point, the first Belizean creole village, to stay at Emit Young’s drum school. We crammed a lot into our short stay here-- we learned how to bake bread in a hearth oven, use casting nets to fish, and to top it all off Emit gave us drumming lessons where we learned traditional rhythms from the Ivory Coast.

On our way back to Cayo, we stopped for one last adventure together: cave tubing on one of the underground rivers that flows through Belize’s intricate and impressive cave system.

It's truly been an incredible expedition to this diverse corner of the world!

-Britt, Mike, and the NGSE Belize team

Underwater adventures in Glover's Atoll

After an exciting ride from the coastal town of Dangriga, we arrived at our destination: Glover's Atoll. The station manager, Alex, met us on the dock and immediately showed us around our new tropical home. Everyone got settled in and we spent our first evening lounging with big iguanas and many hermit crabs as beautiful frigate birds soared overhead.

We have spent the last few days eating great meals prepared by our cook Yvette, going on epic snorkeling adventures, and getting most of the students certified in SCUBA. The days here are long and beautiful, and we are quite sure that it will be hard to convince our students to board the boat to leave on Monday! It's hard to believe that the expedition is winding down as we have less than a week before we head back to the states. While we are here, we will live our final days in Belize to the fullest. Everyone says hello!

See you soon!
Mike and Britt

The Chiquibal forest and a visit with Peter Dunham

Hello from San Ignacio!

We have just emerged from our adventure in the Chiquibal forest and are all settled in at Martha's Guest House in the city of San Ignacio. National Geographic expert and archaeologist Peter Dunham has been with us for the past week, bringing a wealth of knowledge, insight, and experience to an expedition that would not have been the same without him. Tonight we had a family dinner at a local restaurant and said our goodbyes. Peter will definitely be missed! He became as attached to the students as they did to him, and it was a sad occasion to see him go. Some highlights from our time with Peter over the last few days include discovering a previously unidentified Mayan ruin at Las Cuevas, spotting toucans and howler monkeys in the surrounding jungle, and learning ancient Mayan astronomy under the gorgeous night sky.

We now have a few days in San Ignacio to do laundry, write letters home, and explore more ruins in the surrounding area. We are all getting excited for our upcoming trip out to Glover's Reef and the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Until then!

-Britt, Mike, and the NGSE Belize team

Greetings from Las Cuevas!

After our initial meeting in Miami and a quick and easy flight to Belize, we landed in Belize City. We then immediately headed for our final destination of the day: Las Cuevas Research Station in the Chiquibul Forest.

En route, four hours in vans along bumpy dirt roads gave us ample opportunity to get to know each other, our On-Assignment teams, and get a glimpse of this amazingly diverse country. Our students took in their surroundings, noting everything from the different pace of life to road side fruit stands to Mennonites on horsedrawn carts. It was a good introduction to the weeks ahead.

We arrived at Las Cuevas in the evening, exhausted from a long day of travel. We ate dinner, got settled in, and called it a night. The next morning we were given an orientation to the research station where students learned about the history of the area, about the rich biodiversity around us, and about the research being conducted here.

In the few short days we’ve been here, our students have learned about 'jungle survival', visited the bird tower, explored a multi chambered cave, and jumped right into learning about their On Assignment projects in Photography and Wildlife and Conservation. Of course, we have also had the time to get to know each other, which has been fun! Our students' insightful observations and engaged conversations make it obvious that we have a spectacular group of students and that the expedition is off to a great start.

We’re all looking forward to tomorrow when National Geographic expert and archaeologist Peter Dunham joins us!

-Britt and Mike

The group has arrived

We've received word from the expedition leaders that the group has arrived in Las Cuevas.

Meet the Expedition Leaders

2008 Belize Expedition Leaders: Mike Oster and Britt Basel

Photography
Britt Basel. University of Colorado, B.A. A freelance and fine art photographer, Britt has traveled and photographed extensively around the world. As a teenager she went to Ecuador on a youth photography scholarship. She studied photography and art history at the Aegean Center for Fine Arts in Greece, and went on to study with the School for International Training in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Britt graduated with honors in Anthropology from the University of Colorado, where she focused on indigenous culture and Mesoamerican archaeology. She worked as a scuba instructor and translator in Costa Rica, conducted fieldwork with and photographed the Guaraní people of Paraguay, and led Putney Student Travel’s Global Awareness in Action program in El Salvador. Britt is currently working as the translator and still photographer for an upcoming documentary in El Salvador. She is the Director of International Programming for the Body Form Photo Workshop, and tends to split her time between the mountains of Colorado and the waters of the Caribbean. Britt is an avid snowboarder and sailor; she is a PADI-certified scuba instructor, an Emergency First Response Instructor, and a Wilderness First Responder. Some of her work is available for viewing on-line at www.brittbaselphoto.com. Britt is fluent in Spanish.

Wildlife & Conservation
Mike Oster: Elon University, B.S. Mike majored in Biology and minored in Philosophy at Elon, where he served as a teacher’s assistant and Vice President of the floor council. After graduation he spent two seasons aboard the eighty foot Schooner SoundWaters, where he worked as a senior deckhand and taught sail handling and Long Island Sound ecology, and five seasons as a marine science instructor at the Catalina Island Marine Institute in California. Mike led Putney Student Travel’s Dominica community service program and has traveled through Great Britain, the Galápagos Islands, Australia, Fiji, Mexico, and the British Virgin Islands. He currently works as a team leader, naturalist, and deckhand aboard a sixty-five foot catamaran for the Pacific Whale Foundation in Maui, where he leads snorkeling and whale watching expeditions dedicated to conservation, education and research of the world’s oceans, with a particular focus on humpback whales and coral reef ecology. Mike loves being out on the ocean, working on boats, spear-fishing, scuba diving, and playing guitar.

Welcome!

Welcome family and friends of National Geographic Student Expeditions participants!

We have created this blog in order to keep you updated on the progress of your child’s National Geographic Student Expedition this summer. We hope that occasional updates throughout the expedition will help keep you informed about the activities, projects and successes of the program.

The expedition leaders will post entries approximately once per week during the program. The leaders’ first priority is the students and the program. If updates are infrequent, it is likely due to the group’s very busy schedule and inconsistent internet access. Please know that any important issues that arise during the program will be discussed and resolved with leaders and parents by phone, not through the blog.

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Best wishes from us all at National Geographic Student Expeditions