#belize river

Welcome to Paradise!  This is Belize, where I studied the management changes of the Belize Central Prison.  I was part of a group of researchers conducting oral history interviews with the prison staff to help document the changes at the prison since it was taken over by a non-profit group, the Kolbe Foundation, in 2001.  While there, we saw some beautiful scenery and incredible animals--sometimes both at once! 

For instance, this is a picture of the Belize River near where we stayed.  Beautiful, quiet, peaceful. . . but there is a hidden danger in those waters.

After unpacking, a small group of us traveled down to the water, sat on the edge of the covered dock, and dipped our feet in the river.  I admit, I was too concerned about leeches to keep my feet in the water for too long, but the water was cool and the air was hot, so we were thankful for the respite from the heat.  One of my fellow researchers even thought she felt a large fish bump her foot at one point.