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Belize it or Not I recently returned to Portland after one of the most amazing trips I've ever taken and decided to post stories and photos about it. This is the first of several entries describing my recent 11-day visit to Belize, a country in Central America about as big as Massachusetts but without the funny accents.
I worked in Belize in mid-February with a group of 24 volunteers through a joint effort between Portland Community College (PCC) and ProWorld, an organization that performs community service work in developing nations. We worked in western Belize and helped build a library in one village and we fixed up an elementary school in another. We also sweated like pigs (but not the flying pigs mentioned in my last entry), took several amazing side-trips, and sang some "unforgettable" karaoke on a live television show, our group’s 15 minutes of Belizean fame.
I’ve traveled quite a bit, as you probably know if you've been reading my website. But my trip to Belize was among the most fulfilling, memorable, and humbling experiences of my life. It was my first community service trip overseas but definitely won’t be my last and, as I write this, I’m already planning my next service trip. In retrospect, I realize now that many of my previous trips, while enjoyable, have also been a bit hollow and self-indulgent. My experience in Belize was a lot of toil and sweat and pain but I gained much more than I gave and the trip has changed the direction of my life’s journey – or at least altered it a bit. Service work gets in your blood and I want to do it again. Belize also gets in your blood and I definitely want to go back someday.
What made the trip especially enjoyable was the chemistry of our terrific group. We were a “mature” group (as our 30ish ProBelize leader euphemistically put it) and had diverse backgrounds, but everyone got along exceptionally well and did impressive work, if I do say so myself. I enjoyed getting to know each person and learning why they decided to volunteer for a week in the steamy jungles of Belize instead of doing something more indulgent, such as lolling on a sunny beach somewhere while sipping Margaritas. Of course, we all had a common goal: to help the people of Belize and to give something back, so that cemented our bond. Oh, I shouldn't have said “cement” because after mixing cement for two days in the hot Belizean sun, I’ve had my fill of it for a while.
Belize, as I learned during the 11 days I was there, is an utterly fascinating country. It certainly has its share of problems, including a high unemployment rate, abject poverty, lack of educational opportunity, a high crime rate due to a growing drug problem, rampant corruption, and one of the highest rates of AIDS in Latin America. But the people are warm and generous, the politics are fascinating, the culture is amazingly diverse, the beer is refreshing, and considering the language (they mostly speak English) and the currency (they eagerly accept American dollars), it’s the most accessible country in Latin America for Americans. It’s also stunningly beautiful and has a trove of Mayan archaeological sites, many of which, like in an Indiana Jones movie, have yet to be discovered.
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