Living the Small Town Life #HogsAbroad in Belize #ArkansasEverywhere

Hello! I am a small-town girl from Arkansas with little to no experience in any sort of foreign setting. Belize was an opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone and into a service-learning community, and I can honestly say these first few days have been completely breathtaking. 

To start, when walking out of the airport and into the Belize atmosphere, I was not prepared for the heat (I was thoroughly warned it would be quite warm but I didn't understand the complexity of this statement). Taking a three hour bus ride to my "new home" was so fun and exciting, and allowed me to see the beautiful landscape and really take in the country I would be spending the next three weeks in. 

I think that the best part of it all has been taking the time to experience every moment and new opportunity as it presents itself, and I cannot wait to see what the next few weeks have in store!
 

To share one of my first memories, our group took a day trip to a watering hole yesterday with a group of youth cadets from Dangriga. These children work alongside with the law enforcement community and they did a fantastic job of showing us around the area. We took a hike into a breathtaking cave and once we were all inside, we turned all of our flashlights and phone lights off and embraced the darkness. 

We took a few moments of silence and then someone in our group started to Call the Hogs. I can say that surrounded by total darkness, in the middle of a cave in Belize, I truly understood the saying of #ArkansasEverywhere and I have never been more thankful to be serving alongside such a passionate and hardworking group of University of Arkansas students. 
I cannot wait to learn more about the community of Dangriga, Belize and I am  so thankful the U of A for allowing me to be a small part of this life-changing experience. Go Hogs! 

Best,
Ashlyn Smith, Social Work Major
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Learn more about the U of A Community Development in Belize summer program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/belize.