Hurricane Alex

You've probably heard about the hurricane approaching the Gulf Coast, well it has already wreaked some havoc on Belize and surrounding Central American countries, Mexico and Guatemala. I have had a hard time finding out information about it, but I read a small article in a Nebraskan paper this morning (I happen to be in Nebraska).

Apparently, the Cayes (the islands) have been evacuated for the most part. Ambergris Caye is where my aunt has a house, and also where the school, Holy Cross, is located. Thankfully, I got an email update from the school saying they were fine.

Other damages included collapsed houses, missing roofs, and a Mennonite community that is cut off on the mainland due to a bridge that washed out completely.

Please send prayers and thoughts their way!

Possibilities are endless...

I am continuing to make Belize discoveries, even though I'm back in the States!

I was able to speak with a Social Work professor at the University of Mississippi who has been traveling to Belize for years. It began as a vacation for her, but, a true social worker, she soon built relationships with some of the children and mothers in San Pedro. She discovered San Mateo community- the resilience of the families there, the injustice of unfulfilled government promises, the many needs- and began volunteering. She started taking students down on service learning trips, working on community development and other projects. Recently, students on the trip were inspired to help raise money to build a road for the community. Thought the government has promised for 14 years to enhance the infrastructure of San Mateo, the utility companies refuse to do anything until there are roads. As it stands now, there are only the "london bridges," unstable wooden planks between the disease-ridden, murky, waste-filled water. Students saw this problem, and decided they didn't want their trip to just be another college class where they learned a little and went home. They wanted to make a change. The community was on board, and are currently building the road as they materials are funded, bought, and delivered by students' fundraising.

The professor is interested in collaborating with Temple students, if that works out. I am excited to see so many leads and possibilities for a future trip to Belize!

Pictures and a Book

(Since I am no longer in Belize...and I think I exhausted all possible corny phrases with the word "Belize" in them, I am resorting to more ordinary titles.)

Just a quick note to say that I posted some pics from Guatemala on Facebook, so check my profile to see some. The ones from Belize will be up shortly!

I am continually immersed in Belize history and learning, as I am reading a book called "The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw," by Bruce Barcott. I recommend it if you would like to learn more about Belize! It's about Sharon Matola, who founded the Belize Zoo, and her fight to stop the Challilo dam from being built in Belize. The effects of the dam would wipe out the breeding ground of scarlet macaws, one of the most beautiful birds possible in the world, as well as a lush habitat for many more of Belize's native animals. It goes into a lot of the political intrigue as well as the culture and climate of the country...very interesting! It's neat to be able to picture a lot of the places they mention in the book, since I was just there!

I Can't Belize it's Over

(Apologies for the half-post...I pressed the wrong button...oops. I blame it on "jet lag")

I made it back to NJ safe and sound. I had a bit of extra luck, or blessings, as I was able to change my flight to Belize City instead of Guatemala City and fly back with my sister. Josh had gotten stuck in Guatemala City for an extra week due to a volcano eruption, a hurricane, mudslides, and a sinkhole. I wanted to avoid getting stuck, if possible.

I understand the U.S. has not gotten much news of these natural disasters in Guatemala, here is one article: http://www.guatemala-times.com/news/guatemala/1661-guatemala-impacts-of-tropical-storm-agatha-threaten-food-security.html

or google to find out more, and send some good thoughts and prayers their way.

I have to admit, it is a little strange being back in the U.S. Even though I really wasn't gone for that long, I still had a couple moments of slight reverse culture shock. Like when I flew into the Houston airport and was bombarded by SO many choices of large-portioned, greasy, expensive American foods. And when I got back to NJ and everyone was driving these large, shiny cars. And there were so many large buildings with bright lights, and all the roads were sooo smooth. It was a little disconcerting.

I am still processing my trip, and I still have a lot of work to do regarding my independent study. Even though I am back, I will continue posting some more reflections, and I'll get some pictures up!

Don't Belize everything you hear...

Yesterday, we stepped out of resort paradise, and saw a strikingly different scene only 3 miles away. My aunt told me about a school that had been built in the past several years called Holy Cross, and we thought it might be a good place for me to visit. We rode our bikes from the resort, and the change in scenery was quick and drastic- from luxury houses built on sparkling water, to tiny shacks built on a murky swamp.

The principal and founder of the school, Frances, happened to be walking out of the building as we rode up, and she was happy to give us a tour. The kids were out of school after a celebration that morning, so she had some free time. The tour began with a walk around San Mateo, which is possibly the poorest town of Belize, side by side with some of its wealthiest areas. The history of the town goes something like this: Belize (like the U.S.) has 2 major political parties. A candidate from one party promised land to a group of people, along with amenities once they built on that land, which was a swamp. The people began building on the swamp, but the candidate lost. The promises never came through, and today they live on the swamp with no sewage system, little access to electricity, and little to no running water. Where else would they have gone? Their houses were already built, and their are jobs available at local resorts, so they stayed. A couple of years ago, the government estimated that a couple hundred people lived in San Mateo. But when a grad student came and did a survey of the area, he found closer to 1800 people. Oops.

A missionary couple (Frances and her husband) visited the area, saw the great need there, and also saw lots of kids wandering around in the middle of the school day. They realized that the other 2 schools on the island were filled to capacity, and many kids in San Mateo had no opportunity to go to school. So, they built a school, which now serves over 500 students and has a dental clinic and a surprisingly beautiful computer lab. Check out the website at www.holycrossbelize.org They seem to be doing well, but are always in need of lots of materials, as the government only provides teacher's salaries. Everything else, including funds for healthy meals that the school serves kids each day, must be fundraised.

Back to our tour of San Mateo: as they have no running water and no sewage system, all of the trash and waste goes into the swamp below their houses. As this community is 50 feet from the ocean, most of the waste gets swept out to sea. Recently, a 3- year old girl fell into the sewage (which is actually not so hard to do, as I almost fell in walking across the unstable wooden walkways, nicknamed "london bridges"). She had a cut on her leg, it got infected, did not receive proper medical treatment, and she died. The free clinic is an hour away on foot, and the people of San Mateo often aren't able to get there when they need to.

So you see, there are lots of issues here: environmental justice, social justice, economic justice, and so on. I have to wonder about the thousands of vacationers who come through, or the expats who own property, what would they do if they knew? Or do they already know? As owners of property, I imagine have they have at least some power here in Belize because of their contributions to the economy. Couldn't they, along with the Belizian people, put pressure on the government to fulfill the original promises of some infrastructure to the San Mateo community? And if the desire to stop injustice, or to help fellow human beings, isn't enough, what about the goal of preserving the beautiful ocean, the coral reef, the beauty they are here to enjoy?

I have a lot of questions and thoughts, but it seems that this is a good spot to look at social work issues. Anyone wanna join?!

To get a better view of the situation, check out this short video (less than 5 mins.!). It was produced by a 9- year old girl!

http://ambergrisdaily.com/belize-video/san-mateo-belize-documentary

I can hardly belize it.

Today I saw a man riding a bike with a raccoon on his head. That's something you don't see everyday. I didn't even know they had raccoons in Belize; in fact, my sister agreed that they don't. Hmmm.

Two days ago, we were staying on the border of Mexico, and decided to venture into a new country. Why not? Little did we know that there were exit taxes, they had to fumigate our car (and we had to pay for it), and Chetumal, Mexico, is not so easy to navigate if you don't know where you are going. Still, we found a nice little restaurant on the water and enjoyed some Mexican food and drink, while watching the crystal aqua blue water. It was gorgeous. I kept waiting for a manatee to swim right up to us. Sadly, it didn't.

But one of the most interesting things about this visit, for me, is the striking difference between the two countries. Mexico is much more "developed" than Belize. And when I say "developed," I mean smooth, paved roads, some American restaurants, and lots more people. For better or for worse. Though Mexico seems to have an infrastructure that is more developed (like the roads), Belize has insisted on maintaining its under-developed charm. The bumpy dirt roads and the lack of chain restaurants are a part of what makes Belize, Belize. I hear that the only chain restaurant in the country is a Subway sandwich place in Belize City. In a globalized world of multi-national corporations, this is rare. In some ways, Belize's resistance to globalization has made it more intriguing to tourists, and possibly better for tourism in the long run. Belize is known increasingly for its opportunities in ecotourism.

At the same time, this nation is very diverse. The 260,000 people that live here are made up many different people groups. The Maya, who at one time populated Belize with over 400,000 people, who have left behind thousands of ruins and archeological sites. In fact, one uncovered mound was in my sister's backyard at the ranch. Many individuals of Mayan descent still populate Belize, and the language is still spoken by older generations. Belize is also home to many Creoles, Asians, German Mennonites, expatriates from the Global North, and so on. This is part of what makes the culture so rich and fascinating here. So, while Belize may not be on the cutting edge of globalization, it is a combination of many different cultures, languages, and people groups. Beautiful.

(Some of my information is adapted from The Making of Belize: Globalization in the margins. By Ann Sutherland).

Belize the day!

I have had inconsistent internet connections in the last couple places, hence why I have not been able to post as much. While this leg of the trip is a little different than the first, I feel that this has helped me a good snapshot of some of the diverse sides of Belize. If my journey was similar to "Eat Pray Love" (a very good book, I just finished it), this would be the "Eat" part. Eat, and indulge a bit :)


Needless to say, this has given me a very different picture of Belize- from ranch, to small village, to deep jungle, to large town, to capitol city, to jungle cabana, to jungle spa, to sketchy seaside hostel, to birdwatching inn, to thatched roof resort, to high end ocean resort...I've seen it all.

For the past several days, we have been traveling around the north of Belize with my aunt, uncle, cousin, and sister in an air-conditioned car. Which is pretty different than the old school buses I had become accustomed to.

I had another disappointment on Sunday, when we drove for several hours looking for the Baboon Sanctuary, and never found it. Belize is not necessarily known for its signage, as we have come to realize. We did find one monkey in the trees (yay!), which made us think we were on the right track. But once we started going deeper into the forest, over shifty bridges, on a bumpy back road, and into a tiny village, we realized something was not quite right. In the village, my family made me get out of the car and ask about the Baboon Sanctuary. The Belizians laughed at me and pointed back to the main road; we had gone several miles off track.

Anyway, the Community Baboon Sanctuary (CBS) will have to happen next time. "Baboon" is the local name for the black howler monkey (which really does howl almost like it's in pain, I've heard it). Local communities have collaborated to preserve the land and live in peace with the monkeys, who were becoming scarce in Central America due to hunting. Those involved in this effort have found that educating locals about the issue has been even more effective than strict hunting laws. The education at CBS also targets more sustainable farming techniques as well, and involves schoolchildren as well as adults in surrounding communities.


As a result of all this, CBS has become a model of wildlife preservation combined with preserving the way of life of humans who have lived on the land for generations. It's a win-win situation! The more I write about it, the more I want to see it. Guess that will have to come on the next trip...

(P.S. Check out my Facebook profile if you want to see a video of my sister with a friendly howler monkey at CBS)

Belize it or not!

(This post was from this past Friday, but due to lack of internet access, I haven't been able to get it up here until today!)

Today I had some disappointments. So far, this trip has felt very successful for the most part. Surprisingly so. I think I expected more difficulties and barriers, but things have been pretty smooth.

However, I was excited about trying to get to Belize prison, the Kolbe Foundation, during the trip, and found out that this wasn’t going to work out schedule-wise. The prison sounds fascinating. It was taken over by Rotarians in 2002, who run it as a faith-based non-profit. It actually focuses on rehabilitation, rather than the profit-driven business that much of the prison system has become in the U.S. But alas, I will not get to see it in action, at least this trip.

This afternoon, we went to Belmopan, where King’s Children’s Home is located. I thought I had an appointment, at least somewhat. I talked to one of the managers a couple of days ago, who said that I could stop by after lunch today. But when we arrived, she wasn’t around. The women in the kitchen said that we could just walk around and wait until she came…so we did, a bit awkwardly. In the U.S., you don’t just walk into a home like this without an appointment, a tour, rules and regulations, and all your clearances. But we found kids, or rather, they found us, and we played with them.

They took to us immediately, grabbing our hands, hugging on us, jumping on us, wanting to play games. They weren’t a bit shy; we didn’t have to prove ourselves at all. I get the feeling that they are used to volunteers coming and leaving. There were at least 5 young female Canadian volunteers at the home currently. Apparently there is a volunteer house right down the road, where people can stay for however long to help out. I was able to talk to one of them for a little while, but they were very busy with all the kids.

So we did have an enjoyable time playing with the kids. I mean, I did meet Spiderman (who knew he was in Belize?) and I got to be a shark for a while, which is always fun. Also, my white shirt is now a fashionable shade of purple thanks to one little chalk artist I was holding. But on a more serious note, I don’t feel it is very valuable for us to just come for a few hours and leave. It was obvious the kids were very needy- there are about 40 who live there now. And I was hoping to talk to someone to learn about the home- where do the children come from? What are the situations in Belize that lead them there? How was the home started? The manager never showed up, and the woman who was apparently in charge of counseling/therapy with the children was occupied while we were there. All in all, I felt the visit was pretty unsuccessful. I got a feel for the place, but didn’t learn many specifics, and don’t feel that I contributed much.

Well, I guess that it’s all part of the learning experience.

And on another note, the large amount of toothbrushes that I brought down (thanks to Christina and Prof. Hollm) have found a home. They were distributed between a Guatemalan women’s coop, Cornerstone Foundation, and Mary Opens Doors. All were happy to see them.

Belize Navidad!

Ok, so it's not Christmas at all...but Cameron and Eddie gave me that title, and I felt it was too good not to use.

Last night we stayed at a cabana in the jungle; yes a jungle cabana. It was pretty amazing. When I am able to post pictures, you can see it. It was The Education Center for the Belize Zoo, right across the street from the zoo itself. They have a birdwatching spot, an educational building with books and animal skulls and bird feathers. And they give you a delicious breakfast and dinner included! The only drawback? The mosquito really enjoyed my visit. I counted 49 bites this morning, and I actually think I missed a few.

We sauntered around the zoo this morning and it was very impressive. It doesn't feel like a zoo as much as a walk through a tropical jungle with lots of animal sightings. Some zoos feel a lot more restrictive to the animals, and you kind of feel bad for them, sitting there behind bars, being watched by people. This zoo is lush, under a jungle canopy, and there are only thin wire fences between you and the animals. Some fences are electric, just to keep visitors safe, which is a bit of a relief.

They are also big on conservation and education. All of the animals there were either injured in the wild and taken care of at the zoo, or were already pets who are not accustomed to living in the wild. They have lots of great educational programs for kids and school groups, and some clever signage throughout the zoo.

Then we took a bus from the zoo to Belize City, and checked into the Seaside Guesthouse, a hostel-type place with a disheveled charm. It has a beautiful view of the ocean, even if the screen in our sea-view window is mostly missing. It has a porch with TWO hammocks!

Belize this!

There is a gentle rain falling as I sit on the porch of the office, a small wooden structure on the campus where I am staying.

We are packing up our things and heading to Belmopan, the capitol city, which, I hear, is only a capitol city in name. It was moved from Belize City due to a hurricane that wiped the City out, and Belmopan is further inland, a safer place for a capitol. Still, Belize City was built back up, and remains the largest city in the country.

I thought I'd give a word on food here, which I have been enjoying, but not writing much about. My favorite so far are fryjacks with eggs, refried beans, and Marie Sharp's hot sauce. Now, I am not a hot sauce kind of person, but I have surprised myself by putting it on almost every meal. Another favorite is stewed chicken with rice and beans. I had it at Benny's, a small local restaurant with a fun, Christmas-light-strewn ambiance, and only outdoor seating. The chicken was melt-in-your-mouth, and the beans and rice have a slight coconut flavor, with a little Marie Sharp's to give it an extra kick.

Besides the food, another highlight has been the birds- parrots are very common here, as are toucans. I have yet to see a toucan, but I have seen my share of parrots. Belize is a birdwatcher's paradise.

Now, off to Belmopan on a city bus. We will be going to King's Children's Home and then to the Belize Zoo educational center to spend the night. I am not sure how much internet access I will have from this point on, but I will continue to write as I am able.

Belize in Miracles...

(Thanks to Christine for my title suggestion!)

Yesterday was a fascinating day. We set out to San Antonio, a village of about 2500 people, where the San Antonio women's cooperative is quite active. We met with an older woman, Josefa, who started the coop with her daughters. She has 10 children, and realized that the younger women in the village (her kids included) were not learning some of the embroidery and skills that she learned as a child. So, she began teaching them, and they branched out into pottery making after receiving a grant. Since 2001, the coop has grown, and now they raise and sell chickens for food, have a garden, sell beautiful products from pots to ceramic statues to jewelry. They have pigs, and use a methane converter, with which they are able to light their kiln and fires. So yes, they use gas from the pigs as a cheaper and environmentally friendly way to do their work. Then, the manure from the pigs is used to fertilize their garden. It was very exciting for me to see how these women started with a small idea, and before they knew it, it has grown into something very successful! It is a model for us in the U.S.; I think we could learn a lot from what they are doing. Josefa had raised 10 children, and is continuing to give back to the community. The funds they receive from their sales improves conditions for the entire village.

After this inspiring morning, we went another hour and had a picnic at a beautiful waterfall in the rainforest. Despite the fact that it was raining (it is definitely rainy season here), several of us jumped in and swam up to the waterfall. Josh mentioned that I should probably bring students if we do a trip in the future...I agree wholeheartedly!

When we got back to the car after our time at the waterfall, we had a slight problem when we realized that we had, oops, locked all keys in the car. And it was raining...hard. We were 2 hours from anywhere, and I don't think they have AAA in Belize. So we prayed, and circled the car looking for any possible way to open it. Here is where the miracle came in. We finally discovered that we could wedge a stick into the back windows. With just the right stick, we were able to open the window a crack, and somehow maneuver a very long stick to pick up the purse with the keys in it. And yes, if you had seen how secure this SUV was, you would also think it was a miracle.

You better Belize it!

Yesterday got off to a slow start, but in the end, I got even more done than I had hoped. While waiting for a car to be available so we could go into town, the caretaker of the ranch, a Belizian man, came over and chatted with us. I was able to ask him all my questions about Belize- from politics, to social problems, to education, to the drug trade, and so on. He had some very interesting perspectives, as he was born in Belize and has lived here most of his life.

In the afternoon, we headed to San Ignacio, to The Cornerstone Foundation. Josh and I were able to sit down with a staff member and find out all about this NGO, which was very impressive. From women's issues, to health, to youth, to HIV/AIDS Prevention, to relief and aid, Cornerstone covers it all. However, several programs were particularly interesting to me. The government does not provide a free or reduced lunch program for students here, and so some students are not able to afford the food in their school's cafeterias. Cornerstone actually delivers meals to schools that are a little further away, and also allows local kids to eat lunch in their facility.

They also have many services pertaining to HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness. They do contraceptive distribution, programming in schools and communities, and even have a group called Y.A.P (Youth Ambassador Program) that teaches youth to be leaders in the fight against AIDS in their community. Which is especially important here, as Belize has the highest percentage of HIV infected persons in Central America, at 3%. However, there are some boundaries to the work that Cornerstone does. In a country where Catholicism is a large percent of the population, and many of the schools are Catholic schools, talk about contraceptives is often not welcome. Also, Cornerstone's budget this year is lower than usual, and they do not have enough money to distribute as many contraceptives as before. Which is a problem for a couple reasons: 1. Many people have come to rely on their distribution, as condoms can be expensive. 2. It is considered shameful for men to buy contraceptives, and so they rarely go into stores and buy them.

All in all, I was very impressed with the organization and everything they are able to do in the community. Here is their website: http://www.cornerstonefoundationbelize.org/

Next, was Mary Open Doors, which is a domestic violence shelter. I stopped by briefly and talked with one of the workers, but I have a meeting with the Director there on Thursday, so I will go more into detail then.

The last place we visited was the Octavia Waight Centre, which is one of the few (I heard 2) homes for older adults in all of Belize. Their website is www.octaviawaightcentre.org. This was a spontaneous meeting, as we saw it and Brin (my sister) suggested it might be a good place to visit, but the Director was more than happy to talk with us. The home has spots for 26 residents, and most of them would have nowhere else to go. They need volunteers for most of what they do, outside of caring for basic needs of the residents. But when it comes to activities, games, and fundraising, they seem to rely on volunteers a lot. And they certainly don't have mental health services.

One of the most poignant moments of our visit, though, was when Josh asked what happened to older adults who were not able to be placed because the Centre was full. The Director got very somber, and replied, "They die." He then told us about how he had recently called several people on the waiting list to fill spots. Three of them had passed away, and all the deaths could have been prevented had they been living at the Centre. As far as I know (and I also asked several people), there are no homeless shelters in this area, besides the domestic violence shelter. So, if you don't have anywhere to go, you live on the street.

I am excited about possibilities from each of these organizations, they are doing some amazing things, but also have needs that are evident.

If you just Belize...

And if you haven't noticed already, I am thinking up a different corny Belize phrase with each post. It's just too easy! Any suggestions are welcome :)

Today I stepped into another world and another time. We spent the day visiting with old-order Mennonites who live off the land in Belize. They have no electricity, no running water, and live and dress very simply and modestly...in very hot weather. My sister, Brin, warned me to bring a long skirt that covers my ankles, and a long sleeve shirt, as normal tropical weather clothing would be inappropriate for the visit.

On 2 past trips, Brin stayed with a family with 8 kids, and has been building relationships with them since. Since the only form of communication is letter-writing, and the mail here is unpredictable, she was unsure if they would be expecting us or not. Nonetheless, we were greeted by the 21-year old daughter who was very happy to meet us. While Josh was sent out to the barn to spend time with the men, Brin and I helped prepare lunch in the kitchen. The Mennonite community has very strict gender roles, and this was evident throughout our time. Our host was very surprised to learn that once married, Josh and I would actually share cooking duties! Her eyes widened when I told her, implying the thought, "Men can cook?!"

While originally from Germany, and still German-speaking (mixed with some Spanish and English), this group has been in Belize for over 50 years. Who knew there was a large population of Mennonites in Belize? They traveled from Canada and Mexico, searching for land and a place where public education was not mandated for their children by the government.

We also met a Canadian woman who was a radical feminist activist turned Belizian Mennonite wife (whew). Her journey to becoming Mennonite was fascinating and challenging. I told her about my social work mission, and she asked me if I'd be bringing social work students back to visit the community. I replied that I might, but I was still working on the social work connection piece. See, the community takes care of itself there. They do all their own social work. They live off the land completely, farming and canning incessantly, so they don't go hungry, they rely on each other when life requires sharing some work. They are deeply religious and this effects every aspect of their lives.

A conversation back at the ranch helped me to process this further. One of the directors coined their lifestyle as "an alternative model of development." We in the U.S. often think development should look just like us, that we should help all the other countries become just like us. But maybe that shouldn't be the end goal in all cases. Furthermore, visiting the Mennonites is a very interesting study on groups and communities (hello, Human Behavior in the Social Environment).

So who knows what might come of this connection in the future, but in the meanwhile, I have plenty to ponder.

Don't Stop Belize-ing

I am currently sitting inside my sister’s small cement apartment with a tin roof in Belize, listening to a rainstorm outside. We arrived at the Guatemala/Belize border this morning after an overnight bus ride and one change in the morning. Being hungry, we went straight into San Ignacio for breakfast. San Ignacio is the second largest city in Belize, which in a country of only 300,000 people, is more like a small town. For breakfast we went to Pop’s, a tiny, charming but crammed eatery, and ate fryjacks (fried dough) topped with eggs and refried beans- delicious!

And then to the 4- acre complex where my sister lives, which is located outside the “city” on a 400- acre farm. During the school year, it is a study abroad program called Creation Care Study Program (CCSP). Students from all different majors come for 5 months to study the environment, ecology, and spirituality in Belize. Some of the organizations I will be visiting are where students have internships throughout their semester.

Today is an orientation of sorts, where I have been able to meet some of the staff at CCSP and sit down with them to talk about a schedule for the week. I have made some appointments, but scheduling here does not happen the way we do it in the U.S.! Sometimes you just have to show up and do the best you can to connect with people and organizations.

I had an interesting conversation with Derek and Ashley, the directors of CCSP. I was curious about the structure of social service in Belize, where only 4% of the country makes above $24,000 ($12,000 USD). They said that the government has a difficult time providing for people, as poverty is widespread. NGOs, or non-profits, do a lot of this work. However, since the earthquake in Haiti, most of the social service funding in the Caribbean (Belize is considered part of the Caribbean), has gone to Haiti. Therefore, the funding for many social service agencies is currently very low to nonexistent. I had never thought about how the disaster in Haiti would greatly affect other countries in need in the Caribbean.

Belize You Me...

In case you are wondering, here is a general itinerary for my trip, though it is subject to change:

May 21-23 My fiancé Josh and I flew into Guatemala City and stayed with a friend working for Mennonite Central Committee, a relief organization.

May 23-29 Though the whole trip will be a learning experience, this portion is devoted particularly to studying Belize- culture, politics, social welfare. My goal is to visit social service organizations and learn about social work opportunities here. I also have a stack of books to read up on international social work and history and culture of Belize in particular.

May 30-June 5 This part is my traveling time with my aunt, cousin, and sister. While it will be less “academic” in nature, I am sure my learning will continue and I will post when possible.

June 6-8 Return to Guatemala City, hopefully including a visit to the social work department of University of Belize. Finally, a long bus back to Guatemala City and a plane ride home on June 8^th.

Belize it or not...

I made it safely to Guatemala City, and was greeted at the aiport by a dear friend. My first lesson began when we jumped into a taxi and had to bargain for an appropriate price. Luckily, Paige speak Spanish very well and was able to haggle.
Then, off to a small market to shop for dinner. The market was more like a small stand with fresh fruits and vegetables. Another lesson in Spanish as I learned the names of some vegetables I have never seen before.
Tomorrow, another day in Guatemala City, and then an overnight trip to Belize!
More to come...

Welcome!

Welcome to my Belize blog!

I will be visiting Belize from May 21 to June 8. One goal of my trip is to increase students’ awareness of international social work opportunities. I will be planning details for a future study abroad trip for students who are interested in experiencing social work in Belize.

To keep students connected to my activities in Belize, I will be blogging throughout my trip. Students who are interested will be able to stay updated on my journey. I am looking forward to this adventure, and I hope others will be able to join in the future! I am open to feedback, questions and comments!

How this trip was born:

I am an avid traveler, and sometime last fall, I began to get “itchy feet.” Translation: I wanted to go somewhere, explore and learn about a new culture. My younger sister is living in Belize for a year, and I have never been there, so that seemed like a great possibility. Professor Hollm encouraged me to follow through with the traveling idea and to form an independent study out of it.

I decided I would go to Belize to learn about international social work, but I didn’t want to stop there. Why not pave the way for other social work students who might want to go to Belize? And so, I decided the independent study would focus on connecting with agencies and organizations, building relationships, and exploring ways to create a sustainable social work trip to Belize.

So, off we go!