Day 2: 24 Hours in and Loving it!!! (Kurt)

It's hard to BELIZE that we've already been here for an entire day already. (I'm so happy to be the first student to use this pun in-country.) The first day (of travel) was rough - having to meet on campus to leave at 2am Saturday morning, with two flights and a two hour drive from Belize City to San Ignacio. But I have a lot of thoughts to unpack from just the short time we've been in this country.
One of my first thoughts on the drive to San Ignacio was the sub-tropical plants. Obviously there are palm trees. I've seen palm trees before. But on the highway, there were palm trees growing in such a way that reminded me distantly of LA. Driving through Belize gave me an appreciation of the different terrains and topography of this country.

Earlier today, we had the opportunity to listen to two experts in Belize agriculture and agricultural education speak on their experiences. One of these people was Andrew Harrison, the Chief Agriculture Officer of Belize. He spoke on the history of agriculture in Belize - which I found incredibly interesting - the current structure of the industry, and how the government is working to develop rural communities, among other things. After Mr. Harrison was done, we were able to ask questions. I was curious about Belize's papaya industry and if they use GM papaya. This led him into a conversation about how Belize doesn't use any GM crops in an effort to err on the side of caution. I found this very interesting, because most research I have read has supported GMOs in all aspects of production - safety, environmental, and efficiency. To me, it is very interesting that a developing country wouldn't want to utilize GM technology to increase yields. Then, I thought deeper and realized that because there is an assurance that their crops are "GMO free" this could open up markets in countries which severely oppose GM technology. Belize, being a former colony of England, likely has a steady market to that country. I'm not sure if this is a reason they still refuse to cultivate GM crops, but I think it could be part of the reason.

As we walked around San Ignacio today, I realized how there were aspects of the town that reminded me of my time in Port au Prince, Haiti. Something that I noticed as a parallel was the irregularity in the cities' designs. Another similarity I noticed was the pervasiveness of street vendors selling various types of foods. The biggest difference I noted, which I'm thankful for, was that the traffic was both reduced and more orderly in Belize compared to Haiti.

After all of this reflection, I want to say that I'm looking forward to the rest of the trip sooooo much!

Kurt Miller is Senior in  Animal Science Major at Penn State.