We had a long and exciting day of learning! Everybody had to be up having breakfast by 6:30am because we had to disembark the ship by 7:45am. We asked the kids to eat a lot because they had a full day ahead of them.
After being swaying back and forth for a day and a half, we finally step onto land. However, we kept swaying for the entire day, even when we were climbing the ruins. Dangerous! Hahaha! We were greeted by Dr. Barnhart's bus with a bus driver ready to drive us to the ruin we were visiting.
Words do not do justice to describe the ruin site,the architecture, the intricate detail, the profound meaning, and the sheet grandeur,amazingly breath-taking! For the first time on this trip, I allowed myself to be completely immersed in the history as it echoes and calls out to modern humanity, trying to make a connection! Being uncontrollably moved, I realized that indeed I have chosen the right academic discipline ~ art history! Dr. Barnhart's personal friend and tour guide for the day was Philippe. He is a night guard for the ruin who has been investigating how the Temple of the Seven Dolls is actually an ancient Mayan observatory through meticulous observation and recording. The entire tour was done in Spanish, then translated into English by Dr. Barnhart, and then translated into Chinese. We went from a temple near the entrance, to a Spanish church in the middle, to a pool area, up around to a long administrative structure, then through a path to the Temple of the Seven Dolls. Inside the temple, we saw the original roof and the genius of the ancient Mayan's architectural calculation to help them with astronomical observation. I listened to the information given by Philippe in awe because it showed that the Mayans were indeed very advanced in their knowledge in astronomy! Some kids thought the weather was hot and got tired of walking, but I enjoyed the walk and didn't mind the heat. I wanted to spend the entire day at the ruins, admiring all of what it has to offer!
Unfortunately, we needed to get back on the ship by 2:30pm. If not, we would have to swim to our next destination! We were back on the ship by 1:30pm, just enough time to have lunch and to get ready for a long afternoon of lessons. We were supposed to have class with Dr. Barnhart from 3-5 and then again from 6-8. The kids were very tired by then, and many of them could not help themselves but to fall asleep. Both lectures were interesting; one was on Mayan astronomy and the other was on Mayan geometry.
After today, I am looking forward to tomorrow's ruin where we will be able to apply today's lecture on geometry by measuring the structures tomorrow. I may even skip dinner to get a good night's rest which is significant since I never voluntarily skip any meal for no reason! Hahaha~
Frankie
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