Special thanks to the families of Ms. Lettie Coc, Ms. Marisol Sanchez, Mr. Lloyd Martinez, Ms. Joseph, Ms. Shawn Young, Ms. Timotea Mesh, Ms. Amarita Cocom, Mr. Frank Torres, Ms. Gloria Cann, Ms. Alva Pop, and Ms. Shelley Lopez for taking excellent care of the students during their homestays!!
Becky Cederwall, San Antonio Women’s Group
I spent the last week volunteering at the San Antonio Women’s Group. San Antonio is a Mayan village up in the hills just before Mountain Pine Ridge in western Belize. I spent the week observing and learning the ins and outs of the Women’s Group and interacting with some of the members. The group was started about 10 years ago and became a place where the women could meet and work together on crafts and exchange recipes and learn from each other. The group has started working with clay and making ceramic objects to sell, and they are now learning new techniques and how to make their products better. This week I learned the proper way to polish with a polishing stone and did lots and lots of polishing, I also got a chance to practice on the wheel and get some expert advice on keeping the clay centered. I also got to talk with a few of the women in the group and learn a lot about their lives and their determination and drive to push themselves. It was really encouraging to hear and see how dedicated they are to the group and how, despite not having any formal education, they are able still work hard and feel successful and feel empowered. Overall it was a great week, and a great experience!
Marissa Binkoski- Maya Center
Based in a small Mopan Maya village, called Maya Center in southern Belize, my internship consisted of me taking on the full-time job of a learner. I sought to understand the development of a complex culture within the context of one village in a mere two weeks. I was kept busy observing in the schools, attending prayer services, cooking food, visiting homes, learning herbal remedies, making clay as well as coffee and cocoa! I heard tales of boys turning into monkeys and stories of people who have been cursed with Obeah (black magic). Their culture is changing as they are feeling the pressures of the modern world, and much tradition is being lost in the process. I heard the farmers lament while their young sit back and say that they “love other people's culture, not theirs”. However, some people in the village are fighting for the preservation of herbal remedies, and traditional art forms in which their cultural identity is deeply imbedded. These things are reminders to them of their intimate connection with the natural world, and they believe that relearning about that which surrounds them will help the village relearn to respect the earth, which they are so dependent on for their survival.
Daniel’s Blog- Mayor’s Office, Benque Viejo del Carmen
The goal of my internship was to learn more about grants. To do this, I spent my two weeks at the Mayor’s office in the border city of Benque Viejo del Carmen. The first few days were spent skimming through grant opportunities on the Foundation Center’s Online Directory of granting organizations, a compendium of over 10,000 United States organizations that donate money to causes they deem worthy. I then compiled a list of organizations that, based on their geographic preferences (the country to which they tended to donate funding) and funding priorities (the types of causes they were interested in funding), seemed likely to grant money to some of the city’s prospective projects. I also modified an old grant application by an organization called Caracol to fit the preferences and requirements of a grant from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), emphasizing the themes important to the IDB grant (specifically, cultural enrichment and the arts).
Through this internship, I learned several major facts about grants. First and foremost, it is not easy to find money through simple Googling. The Foundation Center’s website was the only meaningful way to hunt for money. I also learned that even this was trying outside of the US (only 68 of those 10,000 organizations focuses their funds internationally). It is even harder to find money as a local government--most organizations are interested only in funding non-profits and NGOs. Ultimately, the most important lesson I learned was to remain patient while searching through the database.
During my internship, I also stayed with a family in Benque, and learned a lot about Belizean culture! I enjoyed my homestay, especially all the good food!
Michelle Baker- The Green Iguana Project and Chaa Creek Butterfly Farm
My internship was at two different organizations: The Green Iguana Project located at the San Ignacio Hotel and the Blue Morpho Butterfly Farm at Chaa Creek. I learned a lot about each species and the people I worked with. The first week I worked with Eddie who was the manager of the Green Iguana Project. Each day we would hunt for iguana food – consisting mostly of various types of vines (wild papaya, sweet potato, and chaya). It was encouraging to see Eddie’s passion for the conservation of green iguanas and his desire to see the project expand. At the butterfly farm the second week I worked with two ladies - Dora and Yuri Harris. I learned a lot about the local Belizean news while talking with them and picking caterpillars off leaves at the same time. It was incredible to see each stage of the Blue Morpho Butterfly cycle all at once even though it takes four months to complete. It was truly a testimony to how amazing and artistic our creator is. I also spent a lot of time getting to know my host family and learned some Spanish through that experience. The family I stayed with has ten beautiful children and I really enjoyed playing games, watching “novellas” (Spanish Soap Operas), and singing songs (both Spanish and English) with them. I learned so much through this internship experience both in expected and unexpected ways. I was challenged with immersion into a new environment and have gained a deeper perspective of other cultures and how they view the world they live in.
Kalli Shades- La Loma Luz Hospital
Life at La Loma Luz Hospital this past two weeks has been fantastically eye opening. La Loma Luz is a Seventh Day Adventist, private hospital in Santa Elena, Belize. “Private” means that the patient will need to pay out-of-pocket for any service provided (unlike a public hospital, in which all health care is funded by the government). This was one reason why there weren't very many patients at LLL during the first week - not very many Belizeans can afford a private hospital visit, regardless that the quality of care is reportedly better. Beginning 15 minutes in, on the very first day, Jenna and I were assigned to record patients’ vital signs (blood pressure, temperature, pulse, weight) and lead them to the doctor’s offices. Along with this, we learned how to perform EKG’s and X-Rays. One of the most valuable experiences was talking with the employees about the hospital and their lives in Belize; almost all were extremely friendly and willing to share their stories, I’ll miss the staff a lot!
The second week, a team from Denver, Colorado came down on a mission trip, providing free surgeries and driving out to villages everyday to set up medical clinics. They graciously invited us along to villages and allowed us to observe their surgeries. On Monday, I was able to see a C-Section performed by LLL – it was amazing to see doctors, nurses, and anesthesiologist working so efficiently! They were speaking Spanish during the procedure, which made it even more exciting to watch. I was also able to see four gallbladder removals and two hernia fixes – I was even allowed to “scrub in” during one. I never imagined an experience like this; it definitely re-instilled my desire to work in medicine!
Jenna Neuenschwander: La Loma Luz Adventist Hospital
I have been working at La Loma Luz Adventist Hospital, a private, non-profit organization in Santa Elena. During the first week, I spent a lot of time in the vitals room measuring patients’ blood pressure, temperature, pulse and weight. I also assisted with an ankle cast, learned how to take an EKG, and accidentally took a patient off-roading in a wheelchair.
Since this hospital is private and patients must pay out of their own pocket, La Loma Luz does not receive the same number of patients as a public hospital, which allowed me to wander around the hospital, get to know the staff, ask them about Belizean health care, and eat plenty of the coconut cinnamon rolls in the cafeteria that are supposedly the best in the country.
During the second week, a Christian group from Colorado came to the hospital to do free surgeries. I got to observe hernia and gallbladder surgeries and it was awesome. I also tagged along to the villages clinics and talked at some schools about staying healthy. That was interesting, and I was able to see some of the effects of short-term medical missions in poverty-stricken areas. The internship was an incredible experience and I learned so much over the past two weeks!
Jenney Heffel- Western Nazarene High School
I worked at Western Nazarene High School as an English teacher/teacher’s aid. As a Nazarene, I was excited to see my denomination in a different part of the world, at work in the educational system of Belize. Everyday I worked with Ms. Najera and her English classes, grading essays, tests, supervising class sessions, lecturing on persuasive and narrative writing, paragraphing, etc. I was always in the classroom working with students or I was grading papers, depending on the period. During my time there, I learned how to articulate the craft of writing in lecture, and work with students in way that I hope will improve their writing skills in the future. Though the internship was very stressful, wearing on my patience and nerves daily, it reminded me of how much I enjoy teaching and how passionate I am about English and learning. I loved being in the classroom, learning about students and their behaviors and preferences; learning how to make them laugh, and exploring with how to teach them effectively – in a way they can enjoy and appreciate the learning process. I really want to teach after I graduate, and after this experience, I am again considering teaching English overseas.
Scott Townley- Mr. Don Heriberto Cocom
What would it be like to spend two weeks with a Mayan herbalist while living with a Belizean family? Well, it’s not so bad. Learning plant names, cutting trees with the moon cycles, harvesting honey, roasting scorpions, taking post-lunch siestas in your hammock, seeing patients for spiritual and physical illnesses, well, they’re all in the line of duty for Don Heriberto Cocom.
Internship was a lovely time for me. It was energizing to learn new ways of thinking about how I relate to the earth and to God’s creation. When Don Cocom thanks God for the plants and asks His permission and blessing over its use, it’s not because God requires it, or that the plants lose their healing abilities if you don’t ask the creator for them. But maybe the healing God does have real power; maybe He does listen to His children asking good things from him: maybe not asking His blessing on a plant you want to use in His name really is foolishness. If you don’t ask, do you really have the faith to heal? Well, all of these are things that Don Cocom caused me to think about as I relate to the Creator and the creation.
I truly admire the way Maya culture honors what God has put around him. I hope this aspect of their way of thinking will transfer into my life as I reflect upon my internship experience.
Stacey Brandsma- Community Baboon Sanctuary
For my internship I worked at the Community Baboon Sanctuary up in the Belize River Valley. This sanctuary is the model of development in Belize and it works within seven villages to protect the habitat for the Black Howler Monkeys, which are known as Baboons in the Creole language. Landowners sign a voluntary pledge to maintain their land, mostly to say that they will not cut down the trees that the howlers use for food. I worked mostly doing marketing for the sanctuary, creating an identification card with pictures of specific plants, their common names, scientific names, and their medicinal use. I also developed a trail map of the seemingly unconquerable trail system, which led to me getting lost numerous times (and being laughed at by the monkeys). In addition, I attended meetings pertaining to future prospects of the sanctuary and met some pretty incredible people. During my internship I learned many new things about development and how difficult it truly is. The overall experience was incredible and I can now at least pretend to sound like a howler, whether its accurate I don’t really want to say.
Can you see the howlers??? I can’t either, don’t worry. This day was too cold, they were hiding in a cohune palm.Rebekah Constantin- Chaa Creek Butterfly Farm and the Green Iguana Project
The first week of internships I worked at the Chaa Creek Butterfly Farm, where they raise Blue Morpho butterflies. I helped feed the butterflies, clean out caterpillar tubs, feed the caterpillars, and collect and count eggs. I worked with and got to know two sisters named Yuri and Dora. I also learned a lot about the life cycle of the Blue Morpho. During the second week, I worked at the Green Iguana Conservation Project in San Ignacio. I cleaned the iguana enclosure, collected food, or “greens,” for the iguanas, constructed information boards for an exhibit, and listened to tours. For the two weeks of internships, I lived with an extraordinary lady named Marisol and her family in the little village of Succotz. She makes jewelry and soap to sell, crochets beautiful things, and used to sell pizzas before she had Stephanie, who is now five months old. She also cooks incredible food! To get to work, I took the 6 AM bus the first week and the 7:30 bus the second week. My favorite part of internships was getting to meet so many amazing people. The whole experience was wonderful, and I learned a lot.
I am a potter of 55 years looking for a teaching opportunity in belize. Anything available?
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