by Emory Johnson
My college experience was unusual as Covid-19 put a stop to many opportunities including studying abroad. I felt as if my goal of being able to study abroad was just going to be left in the dust by the time I graduated. However, Dr. Wood reached out to me in March saying there were open spots on the Faculty Led Service-Learning trip in Belize. I quickly jumped on this opportunity and was in Belize before I could blink.
Our group stayed in Dangriga, Belize where you can find people of all backgrounds in the “culture capital of Belize.” You could be at the basketball court playing pickup and meet people from Garifuna, Creole, Spanish, Chinese, and Mayan cultures. Although having so many diverse backgrounds within this community, everyone had respect for each other no matter their ethnicity. You would never see one group isolated from another but would rather see everyone welcoming each other with open arms. I feel that this is something Americans should include more in their culture. There are too many instances in America where people only interact with others who share the same identity as themselves. Anyone who visits Dangriga will instantly see how it is a melting pot and should take some of these lessons learned back home to their own community.
The community partners we were working with was St. Matthews Anglican school, Palliative Care, Belize Family Life Association, and Bocawina National Park.
Every morning, our group left to go to St. Matthews Anglican school to work on some of the agriculture projects for the school. The school had previously done vegetable and fruit production, but the program came to a halt when nobody was able to help it keep going during the pandemic. Our projects were to combat some of the food insecurity issues at the school. Our goal was to start these projects so that the school could be self-sufficient in producing poultry and produce. This included constructing two poultry houses, raised garden beds, repairing a high tunnel, and devolving a garden area for fruit production. All the projects took us about three and half weeks to finish. This was challenging work that required us to get out of our comfort zone which made it rewarding to know that we were making a positive impact in the lives of the kids at the school.
We partnered with palliative care which is composed of volunteers who make routine health checkups at people’s houses who are suffering from a terminal illness. Our group went to the grocery store down there to pick up basic health supplies to be delivered throughout multiple trips during our time there. We then split up into groups and assisted the palliative care volunteers on the home visits delivering the supplies and doing any needed work for the household. This experience was touching to go into the homes of people who can be seen as forgotten in a place where they cannot always get the care they need. Being able to see a stark difference in the care available to terminal ill patients in Belize versus America made me be appreciate of the healthcare services back home, especially because I am a type 1 diabetic.
Belize Family Life Association is a nongovernmental organization whose goal is to address the sexual and reproductive needs of the community. We worked with some of the students who are a part of the organization one day by handing out condoms in various locations in Dangriga. Access to condoms can be difficult because of the hefty price tag that comes with importing them to Belize. BFLA had us combat this issue by walking up to people in Dangriga and asking them if they would like some free condoms. Usually, the answer was yes, and people walked away happy with a few condoms in their hand. Another day, we went to the BFLA office in Dangriga to partner with a local business owner who taught us how to make natural soap that would be later donated to locals throughout Dangriga.
Bocawina National Park is about 7000 acres that includes various Mayan archeological sites and waterfalls that attract visitors year-round. We worked with the park rangers there in their tree nursey and visitor center of the course of two days. The tree nursey had mahogany and mayflower tree saplings that we helped do routine maintenance on by picking weeds, removing dead saplings, reorganizing, and cleaning up the area around the nursery. Additionally, we helped in the visitor center by brainstorming ideas for the park rangers to improve the center.
Belize will always have a special place in my heart because of the people who welcomed me there and the magical place that it is. I went there being a stranger to many and left with friendships that will stick with me for life. You can always go to a country that has a similar culture to America, but I would recommend Belize in that going there will help you grow as a person and have a better understanding of life abroad. I hope anyone who is thinking about studying abroad considers Belize because they will come back with a new appreciation for life and will have a better idea of the impact they want to make with their life.
