Before the other students and I went down to Belize, we had
a lot to prepare for. If most others are like me, I had no idea what to expect
from spending three weeks down in a small town in the Caribbean. But that was
also the exciting part to it. I did a lot of “research” into what Dangriga is
like. What I learned from my Google searches was nothing that I would actually
see when we arrived in Dangriga.
The town was an
incredible place filled with lots of friendly people, good food, stray dogs,
and very uniquely colored buildings/homes. Within the first hour of being in
Dangriga me and a few other students were walking around town, going to local markets,
buying fresh fruit, and meeting people that would have a lasting impact on us.
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A shot from the drive from Belize City to Dangriga
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On a day to day basis, our whole group would eat breakfast
in the morning together and then separate and work on our projects in our
school groups. I think it is fair to say that my group, engineering, had the
most fun day in and out. We built picnic tables for local primary schools which
was a great project for many reasons. It helped us learn problem solving skills
when we only had so much wood to use and we had to come up with design of the
table ourselves.
Our other main project was building two arch ways for the
entrances of Alejo Beni Park. This was definitely the most difficult project we
had. We had to build forms, bend steel, mix and pour concrete, and many other
things in the middle of the day with that Caribbean sun shining right down on
us. So it was hot and hard work. But it definitely was lots of fun and overall
an incredible experience.
We had the opportunity to meet and work with
construction workers of Dangriga who taught us so much about construction and the
Dangriga community. On a typical day we did a lot of waiting around for
supplies to come to continue project work. You may think waiting around in the
heat doesn’t sound like too much fun. But when you have a football, soccer
ball, and the ocean right next to you, then you can never be bored. I can
assure you that I spent my fair share of time in that ocean. So in between working
on our projects, our engineering group would go eat lunch together.
Generally,
you could get a good lunch for around $3-$6 depending on where you eat. And
when the day’s work was over, we would all meet together for dinner. Our meals
were either on the beach or on the roof of one of the hotels students stayed
at. All of the meals were prepared by a few different local women who all
cooked great food.
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Alejo Beni Park
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The hotel I stayed at
for the three weeks was called the Chaleanor Hotel. The other hotel students
stayed at was called Pal’s. I think it is safe to say I was very lucky with my
living situation because I had great roommates and our AC worked perfectly
(unlike some students’ rooms). My hotel was a street down from the beach and
was very close to supermarkets, markets, a couple ATM’s, and everything else on
Main Street. We also had a gorgeous view form the roof of the Chaleanor. On one
side you could see the ocean and some islands out in the water. And from the
other you could see the mountains. So it was really a win, win situation there.
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The Chaleanor Hotel
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So on the two weekends we had we went to two different
places. The first weekend we went to Caye Caulker, an island of the coast of
Belize. And the second weekend we went to San Ignacio.
The first weekend on
that island was incredible. We had a great hotel set up right on the beach with
a great view. The island had great food but everything there was a little
pricier considering it’s a much more touristy area than Dangriga. We had the
opportunity to snorkel on Saturday and that was a lot of fun. It wasn’t my
first time snorkeling but it was my first time being in the water with sharks
and stingrays so that was a great experience.
The second weekend, in San
Ignacio, was my favorite of the two. We were set up in a hotel on a big hill
that overlooked the city. The hotel had a really nice pool for people to hang
out in (which we did a lot). The first night we were there we had dinner in
downtown San Ignacio which was amazing for two reasons. The food was great but mostly
the city was such a cool place to be. I will definitely be back there someday.
That Saturday most of us did the ATM cave exploration which I can say is probably
the coolest thing I’ve done in my life to date. We had a short “hike” through
the jungle to the cave. From the cave entrance we had to swim in and then
navigate through the pitch black cave with our headlamps. I don’t want to give
too many details about it because everyone should go there themselves to see it.
The next day we went to see Xunantunich, which is a Mayan ruin site. I
personally love the Mayan history so the ruins and the cave were incredible
experiences.
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| Xunantunich ruins |
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| View from our hotel in Caye Caulker |
Overall going to Belize was one of the best times of my
life. When the three weeks came to an end, I was not ready to leave at all. I could have stayed there much longer. I met
some of the most incredible people while living in Dangriga and I am glad to
know that they will be lifelong friends. I will be staying in contact with many
people that I met and I will definitely return to Dangriga in the future.
I
learned so much from the students I went with, the faculty, Peacework, and the
locals. I can definitely say the experience allowed me to look at things from a
completely different point of view than what I am used to. I hope that I made a
lasting impact in Dangriga as I know it has made a lasting impact on me.
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Learn more about the U of A Community Development in Belize summer program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/belize
Search for study abroad opportunities like these in over 40 other countries: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search
Learn more about the U of A Community Development in Belize summer program at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/belize
Search for study abroad opportunities like these in over 40 other countries: http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search
