The College Class I Never Imagined

Downtown San Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize

TEP had many fun activities planned in our itinerary along with interesting lectures to further our understanding of Belize. We started the trip off by visiting the only zoo in Belize and got a chance to see many animals most of us had never seen before. 

Afterwards we had an orientation, and our trip had officially begun. On the second day, we got a chance to do a scavenger hunt to help us be more aware of our surroundings in downtown San Ignacio. This was a great chance for us to all experience the culture and be on our own.

The following four days we were divided into groups to volunteer at different organizations in San Ignacio. I was placed at Mary Open Doors, an amazing organization to help women and children in domestic violence situations. Bridget, another student at Loras College, and I aided in the making of videos of survivors to fundraise money for the organization and with making pre-written emails to send to those asking more about what Mary Open Doors is. 

It was an amazing experience to be able to positively impact people from a different country. It was also very humbling as we learned even deeper into what Belizean culture was like.

Downtown San Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize

There were obvious cultural barriers throughout the trip which were tough to break through, but with patience and time I gained a better understanding of the culture. 

In the US, we’re very busy people who live on always being cautious about time. In Belize, people are much more laid back and time isn’t an issue here. Being late is common so when someone says they’ll be there at 1 pm, it usually means 1:30pm. This was a tough concept to grab, but TEP warned and prepared us for this experience.

Throughout the two week duration, TEP provided us all with many amazing experiences throughout the entire country of Belize. We started inland in San Ignacio where we did the service. We then travelled to Benque Viejo to talk with college students at St. John Paul’s II Junior College. 

After that, we visited Lamanai and the ATM cave before traveling to Hopkins Village on the coast where was saw chocolate being made from scratch. On the coast, we lived with a host family for a couple days and enjoyed the beautiful weather while going on excursions such as snorkeling in the second largest reef in the world. 

TEP did a good job mixing the fun of seeing Belize and the seriousness of really understanding the culture. The best way to learn the culture is to really dive into it and that’s what TEP did with the opportunities for excursions we were given.

Hammock Time!

Each day we were given an hour or more for personal time which involved journaling for our class, enjoying the beautiful weather, or touring around town and continuing to learn the culture. 

Reflecting back on the course, I’m beyond grateful to have taken the chance to travel to Belize with the TEP program. Ms. Rhondine and Ms. Elissa were very helpful in making sure we all felt welcome, safe, and had fun the entire trip. 

Learning the Belizean culture was a humbling experience and I hope to take home a lot of their relaxing vibes back to my home. 

The culture took some time to get used to, but taking a deep breath and just living in the moment is the best way to handle the cultural barrier. 

Over my time here I fell in love with Belize, the people, the sites, and the culture, and I hope to one day have a chance to return.