Belize

Each student has a unique and individual experience on their Experiment program. The following essay is a single glimpse into a program from one student's perspective.

Kate Crimmins

Belize Program (BZS)

I knew that this experience would change my life, and that after it was over I would never be the same. I have never gone to any sort of sleep away camp, been away from my family for more than a couple of days, or been out of the country before. I could not wrap my head around the fact that now I was going to Belize for an entire month with people I had never met before in my entire life.

The morning that I was meeting my group for the first time I felt so many things. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous to leave my family and go away with people who were practically strangers. But, I was also so excited. I was about to embark on one of the biggest adventures of my life! I was about to start this trip that I had been planning for all year and I could not believe it was actually happening.

Meeting my group was a very smooth process; we were all really bubbly and excited about the month that lay ahead. We were all different; some went to private schools, public schools, all girls schools, and all boys schools. Some lived on a farm in Iowa, while others lived in New York City or Los Angeles. There were all different taste in music, books, movies, food, and sports, but it was Belize that brought us all together. We never stopped talking from the airport, in the plane, on the bus, and all the way to the hammocks in Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. When we arrived at Monkey Bay, I had a little bit of culture shock. A woman named Anna gave us a tour of the place while mosquitoes feasted on our arms and legs. We were hesitant when we were shown the outhouses that produced methane gas, and the outdoor showers with only cold rain water. When we were shown to our rooms, we saw that it was very tight quarters for twelve girls to live together in, and above each bed were mosquito nets. I was not going to complain though. I was going to have to tough it out because this is what I got myself into.

And I did tough it out; I got used to my new home in Belize rather quickly actually. The mosquitoes did me little harm with my pants, long sleeved shirts, and boots that I wore almost everyday. During the first week I was immersed in the wildlife and culture of Belize. Taking day trips into the capital city of Belmopan or into the jungle allowed my group and I to see Belize inside-out. I did things I had never done before, like put an anaconda around my neck, jump off a cliff, swim under waterfalls, or climb in caves with ceilings as high as cathedrals. I saw Mayan Ruins and a forest fire. Those are things I will never forget.

After one week my group felt like family, but it was time to meet our new families, our host families in Crooked Tree Village. At first we were all so nervous about meeting our families, but after our mothers claimed us and took us to their houses, we made ourselves feel right at home. We were also working on our community service project. There were two buildings in the center of the village, the Health Clinic, and the Women's Center which we would be fixing up over the next two weeks. We worked on cleaning the outside of the two buildings and emptying out the Women's Center so we could get started on painting. We also picked up the trash, which made a huge difference. Once we opened the paint there were surprises, because the colors were not exactly what we had in mind. There were also paint wars, of course. Little by little, day by day the Health Clinic seemed to look more and more welcoming, and the Women's Center was looking cleaner and much more organized. We finished the Health Clinic first and after some finishing touches the Women's Center was done soon after. I help design and construct the outside of the Center. It pictured a crooked tree, with its branches forming the words Crooked Tree Belize. It turned out really great. The day we finished the Women's Center we had a little ceremony and invited all the women of the community to come and celebrate the re-opening of it. All of our mothers came. Seeing the final product was really amazing. After all the days of inhaling paint fumes, trying to scrub oil paint off our clothes and bodies, finding a tarantula and other creepy crawlers in the mess, and talking and laughing with each other, it was wonderful to see all our hard work pay off. The women were so happy to have a place where they could connect with one another and spend time together. I have never done any community service with this much impact. I was so proud how well we all worked together to produce a place that made the community better. I was really proud of my group and of myself that we accomplished something really nice. We all left a part of ourselves in Crooked Tree and it is a great feeling to know that I was able to impact Belize just a little when I went there.

After our stay at Crooked Tree, where we made some really great friendships and bonds with our families, we all took a bumpy boat ride out to Tobacco Caye. It was the most beautiful place I had ever been to in my entire life. We spent the days there snorkeling where I saw so many colorful fish and coral reefs that it almost did not seem real. The water was the bluest I had ever seen and at night, my group and I would spend hours laying out on the docks looking up at the billions of stars. It was a magical place during the day and night and I never wanted to leave.

But our trip was winding down and we headed back to the place where it all began, Monkey Bay. The bugs welcomed us back with open arms and on our last full day there we went canoeing on the Sibun River. It was relaxing and calm in places and then a little tricky in other places. By the end we were all wet and tired and enjoyed dancing around the campfire that night to the music of a native band.

I woke up the next day, our last day, feeling like it was any other day. It could not possibly be the last day; I refused to believe it. But everything was packed for the last time. Just twelve hours or so ago our room was covered in clothes and open suitcases half packed. But now it was all clean, just the way we first came here. It was funny to think how I was scared to go to the bathroom in the outhouse the first day, or that I could not fully fall asleep the first night because I had a fear of a tarantula under my pillow. Or how my first cold shower outside had not been what I wanted at the time; a hot shower was more preferable. But after a whole month with no hot water, bathrooms outside, and mosquitoes everywhere, I look back and do not mind any of those things at all. Things that I would have complained about before the trip seem unnecessary and stupid to complain about. If I had complained, that would have taken away from this whole experience and in fact, the trifles were part of the experience all together. I wanted to embrace this trip and be open minded about everything, and by doing that I feel like I got the most out of this trip as I intended to.

Taking our last breath of Belizean air and settling into the seats on the plane was so strange. How could it all be over so fast? When we were approaching Miami I did not want to get off because I knew that that meant we had to say goodbye. It was heartbreaking seeing the first one of us to go and catch their flight. From then on who knew when we would all be together again. I never had to make this kind of good bye. The goodbye to someone who I might not see ever again. I know that we will all try and see each other, but in reality it may not happen. It made me sort of sick to know that at his moment, it may be the last time I see my friend who I shared one of the best months of my life with. Slowly we all said good bye to one another, making a huge scene in the middle of everything. But as I looked around at everyone, I realized how much we all learned from one another, and how much we supported one another the whole month through. I was lucky to have such amazing people in my group who were all different get along so well.

But after a bit of a delay I boarded my flight home to New York and I realized that I was going to see my family again. I thought that I would be so homesick this past month, but I was not at all. This trip made me realize that I can live without my parents, and it helped me grow as a person. I feel more independent now, and I do not always need them. This trip also made me realize how much I loved my family though, and when I would talk on the phone with them, it tugged at my heart strings and I would feel myself tear up. It made me appreciate all that I have back at home and how lucky I am. Things as simple as throwing my toilet paper down the toilet I took for granted, or just having my own room where I could have some privacy. As I look out the window thinking over my trip again and again, I saw the city sky line. And just like that my trip ended. There was no turning back; my family was waiting for me down at baggage claim and all my other friends were sitting comfortably on their flights going all across the country. I was going to miss everyone and everything, but I felt accomplished. I went out of my comfort zone, and by doing that I saw a whole different side to the world and experienced new things almost everyday. I had the time of my life and this trip has changed me in more ways than I can describe in words.