Me about to enjoy street tacos in San Ignacio!

Author: Carson Haller | Majors: Environmental, Soil, & Water Science and Psychology

I chose the University of Arkansas Faculty-Led: Service Learning Through Community Partnerships in Belize Program because I was hoping to gain a better understanding of myself, to learn more about Belizean culture, and to make a positive change in an underprivileged community. I ended up accomplishing all these objectives: I learned that I could be confident, and nobody would object, I made friends with Antwone–a local conservationist and youth activist–and our team constructed and populated two poultry houses for a primary school just outside of where we were staying in the town of Dangriga on the Caribbean coast.

Academically, the service learning program in Belize is purported to be much different than other study abroad programs. For starters, we never had to attend class in a classroom: each day, we travelled to St. Matthew’s Episcopal Primary School to undertake an assortment of tasks. Each morning from 9:30 am until 10:00 am most of our team led one-on-one reading lessons with kids of wildly differing skill levels. This was a challenging task because Belize has only recently been liberated from the grips of COVID-19, and lockdowns affected schools too. Some of the students had not attended school at all over the course of the nearly two-year long pandemic. Additionally, St. Matthew’s does not have adequate resources to provide much individual-focused teaching, so many of the younger students learning to read did not yet know the alphabet.

Following our half-hour reading lessons, my team and I would walk to the back of the school and resume work on the poultry house project and school garden. For these activities we were split into three groups: one worked on the poultry houses, one was tasked to restore a high tunnel for vegetables, and the final group, of which I was a member, constructed raised gardening beds. These were all challenging assignments because we were given no detailed instructions and were primarily led by fellow U of A students. Other than the poultry houses (which were built under the guidance of a professional Belizean builder named Pine as part of Ellis Freel’s U of A Honors Thesis) each job was novel and unique. On day one of projects the tasks were distributed, and each group evaluated necessary project materials. This hands-off method of leading this study abroad course brought out the best in the students, and I believe we all learned much more about leading and working in groups effectively. We also learned about gardening, small-scale agriculture, and rainforest ecosystems.

In partnership with the Belize Family Life Association (BFLA) we participated in several fun activities like making soap. During our first meeting with the BFLA one of the Belizean volunteers (Antwone) stood up and, during his introduction, said that he liked basketball. My roommate, Emory, and I had already played basketball in Belize, so Emory told Antwone that we needed to get his contact information. We chatted after the meeting and exchanged numbers, which led to us eating lunch together, running together in the mornings, and reading together. At a later meeting, Antwone thanked me for showing him that reading doesn’t have to be boring after all.

I got to practice Spanish for my minor in Spanish whenever I bought fruit from vendors at the local farmer’s market near the water. The group also got to go on several excursions to Mayan ruins near San Ignacio and to Caye Caulker. In San Ignacio we saw the Cahal Pech Mayan ruins, including ball courts, and Xunantunich–a massive Mayan Ruin. I got winded climbing all the way to the top of these temples. We also enjoyed an iguana sanctuary tour. In Caye Caulker we went snorkeling with nurse sharks and stingrays and got to feed Tarpons and pet stingrays. This was a particularly awesome experience. Food in Belize is delicious, and I had an open mind about trying things like eating an entire fried fish. (I learned the hard way that I had to be careful to avoid the bones!) Something else I really enjoyed was eating street tacos. Another fun activity I participated in was a hot sauce taste-testing and tour of Marie Sharp’s, Belizean made factory. I wish I had brought more hot sauce back, though. The first thing I did when I returned was to hug my parents and pet my cat.

I would recommend this study abroad adventure to students willing to step out of their comfort zone socially, physically, and mentally. The bonds you will forge with other students travelling with you will be strong and long-lasting. You will sweat and get dirty and be bitten by bugs, but if you can ignore those minor discomforts, you will see how comfortable you become in foreign situations. I struggled with confidence prior to attending this study abroad program, but I now realize that confidence is something you can manufacture. I practiced being confident in strange situations, and as a result I feel that I will be more confident when the fall semester begins.