Rosemary Dabbs: Student Report from 2015 Alternative Summer Break in Belize
My trip to San Ignacio, Belize, was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. When people hear that I went to Belize for a week, they think of white sandy beaches, blue ocean water, and fancy resorts. My trip was so much more than just a vacation.
While we were in Belize, we worked on a volunteer project to build earth-bag structures for the Barzakh Falah orphanage site. The earth-bag technique involves making bricks out of old feed sacks stuffed with a mud and lime mixture. The work was tough, but the end goal was worth every drop of sweat. Barzakh Falah is not just an orphanage—it is a school for life where young girls can learn to live off the land and learn important life lessons. I am so grateful for getting a chance to contribute a little to this project.
We managed to make a great deal of progress in the few days we had to work. By our last workday, we really were a team and we had fun with the task at hand even though it was hard work. You do not get that experience on a normal vacation.
Of course, we had our fun as well. We went canoeing in the Macal River, horseback riding to Mayan ruins, met some iguanas at a local conservatory, and rescue, and went to a zoo where we saw toucans and wild cats.
Each of those experiences added to my journey to make my time in Belize more enriching. Seeing the tropical environment, where so many people live off the land instead of solely relying on a grocery store, and interacting with the wildlife and the people of Belize allowed me to get a glimpse of a different way of life and the environment they live in. In addition to the cultural experience of my trip, I learned a lot about myself and met some wonderful people along the way.
Before my weeklong trip to Belize, I was new to truly volunteering. I have participated in smaller, daylong volunteering jobs like The Empty Stocking Fund and the Love Kitchen; but looking back, I do not think my heart was truly in it. It is hard to admit, but my main reason for doing those activities was to add to my resume or to meet requirements for school clubs. My mindset then was if I am not being compensated in some way, I do not want to do the job. Why does being paid determine the effort put into work in so many cases?
Jaime, one of the leaders for construction of the earth-bag houses, said that the local people they hire to do some of the work that requires machinery, just do the bare minimum, only the amount of work they are getting paid for and no more. The volunteers that come have such a different mindset. They don’t just do the bare minimum. They want to accomplish as much as they can in the shortest amount of time possible.
Ivan Scheier, a pioneer of volunteering and author, said in an interview with Ed and Gay Cooper, “One of my definitions of volunteering is doing more than you have to – because you want to – in a cause you consider good.”
This mentality is not just seen in volunteers, but in people who believe in the job they are doing, regardless of the pay rate. There are so many people out there that are going the extra mile in their work because they are so grateful to have a job and to give back to the community, while others spiral into depression and apathy because they lack purpose, motivation, and a sense of contribution. As people, we have a need to feel like we are having some kind of meaningful impact on society; it is in our basic nature. Society tramples on the competitive, natural drive in all of us.
Many people are consumed by their own worries and responsibilities trying to achieve the ultimate American Dream, regardless of how many people they have to stomp on to get there. For a society to work effectively, we need the volunteer mindset in the work force—hard working, loyal, caring people who devote not just their time to their work, but also their hearts.
My time in Belize was eye-opening. I have grown so much in my mentality for volunteering and I hope to take that not just to my work, but also to my life. Our volunteer troop leader, Judith Mallory, said something that really stuck with me.
She said, “Just one rock at a time. That is my philosophy.”
She found something that she was good at that added to the cause. I have come to realize that it does not matter the size of the job you are doing or the amount of dirt you move. What matters is finding something that you believe in and pushing yourself to do all that you can to contribute and grow. If you do that, the reward is so much greater than a few dollar bills.
