Belize: Service and Exploration

The summer after my junior year, as part of meeting my service requirements, I took part in my school’s service trip to Belize. Belize is located in Central America bordering Guatemala to the west and Mexico to the north. Unlike its neighbors, Spanish is not widely spoken; as a former British colony, English and Belizean Creole are the most popular languages. Going into the trip, I expected to just build a house and maybe see some marine life, but this trip impacted me in ways I would have never expected.

For the first part of my trip, my classmates, three teacher/faculty chaperones, and myself visited San Pedro. Here, we went snorkeling off the coast of the island. Unlike many beaches in the United States, the water is very clear and you can actually see. On the boat rides out to the snorkeling spots we would sometimes see rays swimming alongside the boat.The water had many different colors too; sometimes the water was light blue, turquoise, and even green. We were able to see and swim alongside lots of marine life;I was actually able to touch the fin of a shark. One of my friends even got bitten by an octopus. The beauty of the Belizean waters is indescribable and full of marine diversity.

For the service part of our trip, my classmates and I ventured to Belize City. Here, we helped to build houses for people with a program called Hand-In-Hand Ministries. In three nine hour work days, we were able to finish building the house. This was my first construction experience and it was a little difficult for me at first. I remember watching with my classmates in awe as one of the other volunteers, Mr. Barry, hammer nails in one try and with ease. Working in humid one hundred degree weather didn’t make it easier. But after all these obstacles, I will never forget the satisfaction of building that house with my classmates.

For the last part of this trip, we stayed in a resort in the western part of the country close to the border with Guatemala. This wasn’t your typical five star resort; we stayed in huts on a large property by a river. My group and I visited some ancient Mayan temples, went tubing down the river, and went swimming at a cenote. Here, I really got to see the rural aspects of the country and not just the tourist hotspots.

Even though people typically visit Belize for its tropical paradise, the country has a lot more to offer. There is a lot of ancient history to explore but also a distinct people and culture. I met lots of very interesting and nice people including native Mayans, a former Belizean professional soccer player, a volunteer named Randy, and a hot sauce creator who had also had the surname Galvez (unrelated). I took part in many new experiences that I will never forget and I do suggest visiting the country some day.