Preparing for Belize: Kurt

I'm so excited for our trip, but a friend just tonight told me spring break is next week, which freaked me out. (Their math was wrong about the time before spring break, thankfully.) I don't feel prepared at all. Packing is giving me anxiety.

One of the biggest things that I think is preparing me for this trip is reading The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw. The author and commentaries are giving me the true perceptions of people (from different walks of life) in Belize. Whether native people, immigrants, or politicians, it shows Belize's culture in a way that reading about the country's laws, climate, or agriculture (as examples) operate from a factual, objective perspective. One thing that was almost shocking but very interesting to learn was how Belizeans perceive their government. I remember towards the beginning of The Last Flight... the author explained how Belizeans won't call their government "the government" but rather just "government" in an endearing, personal way. This is something that I think will be important to understand the culture of Belize while in the country.

Another thing that has been helpful for me has been all of the DIY presentations. Learning about endangered species and how they benefit Belize’s economy was a contextual educational experience for me, as it’s one of the things I most look forward to experiencing in Belize (seeing wild animals and at the zoo). Aside from my own contribution to the DIY projects, learning about all of the various topics other students chose is beneficial and also interesting. It’s neat to see what my fellow classmates chose to study, because we will be spending a week together in Belize and I want to learn about my classmates as well. The diverse range of topics, from economic to environmental, are giving me beneficial information on Belize.

The final thing that is helping me prepare is having a friend who spent an entire summer in Belize. She’s telling me all of her experiences and giving me helpful expectations to have about the country and what we will be doing. (She was with Cela Belize also, so she did some of the things we will be doing.)