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As I walked across the plane door’s threshold, I felt the near instant rush of humidity and scorching air run across my face. We had just arrived in Belize; however, instead of a jet way to connect to the airport terminal, the passengers moved from the airport to the terminal via a moveable stair set and a walk outside to the arrival door in the back of the airport. The most immediate impression I had was of the heat and an unfortunate lack of air conditioning and moving air to compensate for this environmental change. Our host, Jaime, met us at the airport to take us to his home in San Ignacio.

We stopped in Belize City for our first dinner, where one of the group members had fettuccini alfredo, which came later to be known as a “Belizean classic” by the rest of the group. The next day was mostly spent as a free day. We began our day by heading toward Xunantunich, which is a nearby Mayan archaeological site. In order to get to the site, we first had to cross the river on a small ferry that took passengers, vehicles, horses, and pets to the other side. Before crossing the river, we spent several minutes perusing a small set of shops and the various wares that the local people were selling. After climbing to the top of the highest pyramid, El Castillo, and seeing some of the friezes located along the walls, we left and went to a smaller archaeological site called Cahal Pech. Our final visit of the day was to the site where we would be working, Barzakh Falah.

Barzakh Falah is a home designed for girls who are no longer able to stay in foster care because they are over the age of sixteen. Unfortunately, when girls are removed from this system they enter the world with a very limited skill set and almost no resources. At Barzakh Falah, the girls will be able to live on a sustainable farm and also learn skills from local artisans and craftsmen, so that when they eventually leave the farm, they will have skills that they can use in order to provide for themselves.

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In order to make the structures, in this case, a root cellar, foundational earth bags were used. The bags are filled with ten parts dirt for every one part lime. After the materials are mixed up, water is added in order to help the mixture harden and set. The bags are flattened with a tamping tool after having been placed appropriately. According to Jaime, our group set a new record for how many bags of lime were used in a single day: eight bags. This may not seem like a lot, but every two bags of lime from start to finish can take more than two hours of nonstop labor. On the last day of work, our group finished the last row of earth bags before the next phase would commence, when concrete flooring would be poured. This was a fitting end to our work as not only did we accomplish a great deal in our time there, but we also finished what the first UT group had started a year ago.

Overall, I had a very impactful experience from my week in Belize. Meeting and talking with the family we were staying with was one of the most meaningful experiences for me. The host family has four children: Yazarah, Jasmine, Leo, and Zena. I talked with Jasmine the most, and we had fun playing card games and she wanted me to show her how to riffle shuffle cards. One interesting thing I learned from Leo was that the language that the children there speak the most is neither Spanish nor English, but a native creole. The family we had the pleasure of staying with was extremely accommodating and helpful. If anyone is considering an abroad trip I would strongly recommend it, especially to Belize, as the experiences you gain are worth more than a price tag. And the wide variety of juices I tasted was a nice bonus too. I had the largest selection of juices I think I have ever tried, such as orange, orange & tea, pineapple, watermelon, lime, tamarind, and cantaloupe, just to name a few.