Academic Impact in Belize
I first fell in love with service learning abroad the summer after my freshman year when I traveled to Mozambique, Africa to collaborate with a poultry farm. After, I wanted to take every opportunity to explore developing communities. My desire to travel to these places is not for leisure though; actually, almost the opposite. College is predictable. Students create routines and study methods, take notes, listen to lectures, and take exams. I could have chosen to go to Europe and sit in a class that is taught in another language or that is about a different culture, but the structure would not greatly differ from education at home. I consistently choose to go to developing communities because I am challenged.
Conducting my honors thesis research without the tools, the resources, or the faculty I have here at the University of Arkansas was intimidating: What if it all fell apart and did not work? The truth is it could have and, in some ways, it did. The challenge is accepting change and adapting to the situation. My intention was to record small mammal species in Billy Barquedier National Park by trapping animals in live traps and using game cameras for supporting information. The end result was far from my expectation: I caught one mammal on the very last day in the very last trap I checked. God did not want to see me pout, so He had to send me at least one tiny mouse. The plus side was that my game cameras exceeded my estimated number of species by 50%! My research changed from a small mammal study to a general mammal study. My data came from photos instead of live traps. I reset the traps every time I went out in the jungle with the hope that I would catch something even though I had gone 7 weeks catching nothing but a lizard. I tried new baits that I could find at the grocery stores, covered the traps with leaves, moved traps around a lot, tried keeping them in one place, wore gloves, and rubbed my hands with fruit to cover my human scent (which the bugs enjoyed). I adapted to the circumstances and never gave up hope. I could have interpreted the situation as a failure and quit, but I learned what did not work and how to adjust using what I had available. I have learned to “fail” and come out stronger and wiser with a smile on my face. I learned more about the adorable exotic animals in Belize than I ever could have here at the University of Arkansas, and I conducted my own research despite all the factors that were against me! I definitely have not lost my love for the great outdoors, for developing communities, or for research!
The team that helped us collect data in the park
Collecting data from the traps
Personal Growth in Belize
I never thought I would find myself hiking through mountains of the Neotropical Rainforest every day for two months. I remember arguing with myself in my head with every step on whether or not to stop. “Anyone can handle pain or struggle for 10 seconds,” I told myself. I would count to ten as I took a deep breath in through my nose and slowly exhaled out my mouth with each number. At the end of ten, I would start back at one. I continued striding up the mountains as vines and giant ferns slapped my arms and legs and tried to pull me back. I have never physically worked and struggled for something I wanted in that fashion, and it was all for my research. I learned a new level of determination and perseverance. I camped out in the jungle for 4 days at a time and slept in my hammock. My guides could not believe small girls like my partner and me could withstand the circumstances: They commented, “You girls are strong,” and “You give me courage.”
When I laid awake in complete darkness in my hammock and heard howler monkeys yelling in the distance and kinkajous jumping from limbs, I thought a lot about the significance my experience would have on the rest of my life. Now, I understand much more about my strength and character. My partner and I managed to laugh when we stood at a flooded river: our only way out of the jungle. We gave each other encouragement when we were tired and wanted to stop. We had hope when our SD cards, phones, or computers crashed and our data may have been lost. I had never known true struggle until I studied abroad in Belize, and it turned out I had never had a circumstance to discover the strength, determination, and positivity within me. I know now anything is possible when I set my mind to it. No mountain is too steep or too high. As I face obstacles in my life, I will take a deep breath in, slowly let it out, and put one foot in front of the other until I reach my destination.
Kelsey and I outside our home for the summer in Belize