Hello! My name is Aja- like the continent, and this summer, I spent an incredible three weeks in the continent right below us doing
community development in Dangriga, Belize. This program was both challenging and life changing. When most people think of Belize, they imagine big beautiful cruise ships, beaches, and keychains with turtles painted across them. In the southern town of Dangriga, we experienced beauty in a much different way. The beauty was raw and resided in the people and culture. Dangriga is a rich and diverse region that preserves much of its culture in language, dance, and traditional foods of the Garifuna people.
When most students go abroad, they form expectations for how their trip will go, what the food and people will be like, and what pictures they’ll get to post to Instagram. The beauty in going abroad is doing so with a blank slate of opportunity. When you don’t set expectations, the world is yours for the taking. As a student on this trip I was challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally. We had long days, emotionally intensive work with children, had to adjust to heat, bugs, sunburns, and even our bathroom schedules (if you know what I mean). However, these challenges were what made this trip so incredible. In just three weeks, I was pushed to the edge of the brink and have grown SO much as a future social worker and as a person in general. I made a few close relationships that I will carry in my heart for the rest of my life and I truly believe that if we, as a cohort of The University of Arkansas, can make a difference in just one life, then we have had a successful trip. To any student who reads this blog, I hope you look at travel as a whole new world completely at your disposal. Embrace the challenges, love on and pour in to the people, and look at every situation abroad as an opportunity for growth and you will gain more than you could ever hope for!
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Social Work major Aja Pence spent the Summer 2018 term in Belize with our
U of A Faculty-Led: Global Community Development in Belize program with the help of our our
Office of Study Abroad Scholarship.
Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at
http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
