Wow! We can’t believe how much time has passed since we were all in Belize together! I can still picture all of us sitting in the dining room eating empanadas, taquitos, chicken, and (of course) the rice and beans. It feels like just yesterday that we were all snorkeling in Caye Caulker, singing and dancing on the boat together. Most of you are probably back at school, some of you are starting college, and some of you are working and back in the swing of things, but we wanted you to know that we are all still thinking of you and the impact we made this summer together.

Our adventure in Belize was genuinely an incredibly unique experience. I hope that all of you know that you left making a genuine impact in Belmopan, not only with the connections you made with your students, but the connections you made with the volunteers, teachers, Miss. Emily, and each other. You were able to help start paving the way for a parents night, facilitating many different opportunities and perspectives on how to connect parents and their students. We found a genuine need in the community, and made a genuine impact. You helped fix up the classrooms at Helping Hands, and really became part of the community at Literacy Night. You provided help and showed leadership in an incredibly real way throughout your experience. You made real, lasting connections. You found what you loved, what you weren’t so crazy about, and some of you even found a path for your future.

I will also never forget how much fun we had together. Your amazing attitudes, diverse personalities, and incredible perspectives & insights made the experience what it was. We experienced Belizean culture through adventures, food, connecting to the people, and more. We went to a local market, learned about Maya culture, made jewelry, and learned creole dancing. We hiked up Xunantunich, swam in the blue hole, and trekked through the ATM caves. Some of you concurred your fears, tried new things, and got out of your comfort zone. All of you walked away from the experience learning something new about yourself.

We worked hard, played hard, and had an amazing 21 days together. We made memories to last a lifetime and have a million laughs to look back on. Thank you all so much for the amazing program, and being part of our lives.

Some special moments from our trip:
· Playing chess and dominos with Juan Carlos
· Watching students perfect their handstands in the pool
· Conga lines on the dock in Caye Caulker
· Swimming with the manatees and sea turtles
· Feeding bananas to the spider monkeys at the zoo
· Learning how to make real chocolate from Mayas… and watching everyone’s faces when they tasted it
· Holding the iguanas… or letting them climb on your head.
· Moon-Clusters, Western Dairy, Scoop Dis on Caye caulker… ALL of the ice cream
· Meeting Miss. Emily, and creating connections with her high school volunteers and students
· All the morning cheers to get us pumped for service (ehhhh!)
· All the bug bites
· All of the laughs and love

Stay Un-Belizable!

-Kacey (Mentor), Patrick (Mentor) and Maria (International Director)

 

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our 2019 programs, or enroll now.

THESE DAYS, we can hardly believe that so much time has passed since we last said goodbye to you all in Belize City. We’re not sure about you, but we can still taste the fryjacks and stew chicken. It seems like just yesterday, Miss Emily left commitment rocks and encouraged us all to “Be a shining light.” Now that we have all transitioned back into our daily lives, it’s so easy to miss the beautiful, controlled chaos of our teaching space at Helping Hands.

Over the course of 21 days we watched you all open yourselves up to new experiences and challenges. You overcame fears of leaving home, fears of not being good teachers, fears of homesickness, and fears associated with vulnerability… which, we should add, led to our first and only confrontation with one another…that then brought us even closer together. That tedx/gla evening will stick with us as the moment you all really took ownership of what you wanted the program to be.

We want you all to remember that it’s ok to have fear but it’s so important to push through those fears and attempt to find out what’s on the other side… and as Miley would say… it’s the climb.

I hope that the take away from this adventure is that you can all make a difference in whatever community you are involved in. One person can’t change the world, but together you can and I hope that you rely on one another and hold each other accountable. Do Good things in your lives.

Also… please please someone invent some type of oil that 100% repels sand flies 😉

And also keep working on reducing your carbon footprints! Spread the word

“I live a life of flavor, I know who I am”

 

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our 2019 programs, or enroll now.

Can you Belize it has been so long since we were all chugging water after tasting all of Marie Sharp’s hot sauces after our final day of service? (Everyone looked so stunning in their hair nets.) I hope you have all adjusted to cooler temperatures, being able to flush your toilet paper, and are appreciating your teachers the way your students appreciated you.

We were so impressed with the open minds and organization you brought to the school at Cotton Tree. You eloquently and passionately ran a summer school program, keeping students engaged and excited to learn for a week and a half. This wasn’t without challenges, heat exhaustion, debates on if Takis are better than TopTops, and hours of preparing lessons and activities for your students. You legitimately shed blood, sweat and tears through this experience and we hope you recognize the amazing work you put into it.

The community you established not only welcomed everyone we met along the way into it, but made them have a sense of belonging in our spunky, silly and excited group of characters. From rice ‘n beans on jeopardy night to being completely vulnerable with each other during your “Where I’m From” poems, you’ve thrown your full selves into every opportunity that presented itself. We hope you continue to stay in touch with each other, because the 30 of you are the only people that will truly understand this experience to the fullest.

You all embody Miss Emily’s quote to “be a shining light,” in this world, and we believe you will continue to make positive impacts in your communities. Thanks for truly showing up in every way to these two muggy weeks in August.

Mad love to each and every one of you,
Jordan, Emma, Codi, MG and Kelli

 

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our 2019 programs, or enroll now.

Hello, Belizers!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole month since you landed here, ready to hit the ground running. We miss running around Belize with you, and hope you’re having a great time back home.

It feels like just yesterday we were sharing our goals and excitement for our two weeks together, with everyone eager for service and snorkeling. Who knew there would be so much more in between?!

From scorpions to coconuts, futbol and iguana poo, we shared a lot of laughs. (Maybe just nervous laughter) What brought us the most joy, however, was the way you rose to the occasion at St. Margaret’s, getting up extra early for pickups and pouring your hearts and souls into each of your students in your own unique ways. We’ll never forget the way you herded the littles into the classroom and played your hearts out on the futbol field! You truly gave everything, to the point that saying goodbye was heartbreaking— a sign of a job well done and a bond everlasting.

We hope you continue to carry your experience with you, learning and growing from it for years to come. We know we’ll do the same, thinking fondly of you!

Thanks for being such a great crew!

Emma, Danielle, Meg, and Jordan

 

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our 2019 programs, or enroll now.

Hello gals! How has it been a month since we’ve seen your bright, beautiful faces?! We can’t ‘Belize’ it and we also can’t ‘Belize’ how much we miss you. Sunrises and starry nights just aren’t the same without you!

We just knew that our two weeks together were going to be incredible from the moment we woke up on arrival day and saw a beautiful toucan perched above the clearing! We were proved right within hours as each of you stepped off your planes and onto Belizean soil. Your can-do energy was impressive from the get-go when you wrangled the five gallon water jug alone!

We loved exploring Belize with you— from beautiful Caye Caulker and snorkeling with the crew to the lush hills surrounding Xunantunich. Everywhere we went, each of you put your best foot forward, fully engaging and thinking deeply, even after long days! Your deep consideration of all aspects of travel and leadership made our jobs easy and rewarding— you truly owned your experience!

You also owned your service experience, too! Despite challenges with the schedule and space, you rose above and poured your hearts and minds into the students assembled at the library. We loved the way you made a point to be grateful and compassionate at every turn, and we loved watching your confidence grow with each passing day! We hope you’ll always carry the important lessons you learned, along with countless moments shared with your students.

We hope that when you look back at your time in Belize, you cherish the relationships you made with your students, each other, and everyone else you met along the way.

Love you BEYOND measure,

Emma, Laura, and Danielle

P.S. The scorpions miss you!

 

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our 2019 programs, or enroll now.