Amazing. Fantastic. Adventurous. Well planned. Heartfelt. True ambassadors. Purposeful. These are words I use to describe this annual trip to Belize. It was truly an experience that has warmed hearts and made servants.
You have heard about the “Great Amazing Adventures” we all had getting to
Belize. These adventures couldn’t have been planned better or more perfect for the program. 36 people in five teams with a goal to reach Belize City was the perfect bonding experience anyone could ask for when first arriving to the Louisville airport packed with 10” of snow. Groups of 12, 6, 6, 5, 6, and 1 worked their way through Chicago, Louisville, Nashville, and Miami to get to Belize City. During these adventures the small teams relied on each other, learned from each other, and experienced international travel to the fullest. It was perfect.View more photos here.
Belize is an amazing country filled with many amazing people. There is a kindness in the people. There is also enormous national pride that can be felt in every interaction. This kindness and pride taught our students many things about service, giving, and national honor and pride. While we left the United States as a delegation of University of Louisville students, we returned as international ambassadors. Personally, I could not have been more proud of our students, their positive attitudes, their commitment, their humanity, their openness, and their representation.
During the trip I observed many things from our students such as the “kid coming out in all of us.” I observed students teaching students how to teach, help, and make a difference. I observed kindness worn on each person’s sleeve. I observed students sharing knowledge across all disciplines. I observed students teaching families and parents how to be better parents, men, and women, I also observed students learning that in many ways the people we encountered were very content, happy, balanced, and capable of doing all they intended to do. This perspective, by itself, was probably the most educational moment for a proud U.S. citizen to have during this trip - that while our efforts may have a bit of nobility to them, nobility was not what was needed. Simple caring and support went much further.
During Belize 2008 I traveled to many locations throughout the country. While I spent many hours each day with the delegation, these travels were in search of stories, people, and site locations. Many of the locations I traveled were previously locations for the program or places I simply needed to re-establish UofL as an annual presence. For example, I traveled to the villages of Georgetown and Maya Mopa. These two very small villages were a couple miles from each other but distinctly different. One village was Garifuna while the other Mayan. One had a formality, as observed in student uniforms and processes, and the other did not. I noticed kids playing and learning constantly, people lounging and observing, and industry taking place. When talking to residents of these communities there was an openness to my visiting. Surprisingly they had heard of Louisville and a group of students coming to the area every year to help others in the area. Some wondered why we did not come to their village. As a Black man, with a tinge of Native American, Irish, and Filipino, going throughout the villages and countryside was effortless and often very unnoticed.
View video of Tom's Georgetown and Maya Mopan Tour.
View video of Tom's Dangriga Tour.
After leaving Georgetown and Maya Mopa I traveled to Dangriga and Hopkins. Dangriga is located along the coast and has a lot of new development on the Cayes. This was the site of one of the original settlements of the Garifuna. This city of 14,000 was hustling with activity and history. My journey took me first to a Museum where I had a personal tour from the Museum director. Beaming with pride as he spoke, he shared with me the history of Belize, the community, and the culture of the Garifuna. A native of Dangriga he took time and patience in sharing with me many of that communities issues, their challenges in real estate costs, education, culture, language, and many other items that seem all to familiar. When he learned I was an administrator from the University of Louisville, a different tour transpired. We talked for 45 minutes. He also recounted many other students that have visited his museum from UofL in the past. To reconnect with Dangriga was purposeful and respectful. As a community that has grown very fast, and one we have served in the past, to talk to people and help them see UofL still cares was worth every moment of the drive to that community.
View video of Tom's Hopkins Tour
My final excursion took me to Punta Gorda. This is the largest city in the most southern part of the country. It was fairly isolated as the route to it still has 10 miles of unpaved and very bumpy road. However, the drive is full of small communities and businesses. In Punta Gorda I spoke with fisherman, businesspeople, and educators. None of this was planned. I simply was a curious educator and someone each freely spoke to when I asked them for their time. Punta Gorda, a place we have had a program in the past, was also in search of identity, acknowledgement, and service. What I found interesting was the fisherman I spoke to lead me to different businesses that he referred to by who owned them at the time. For example, the best restaurant to eat was Mr. Wilson’s restaurant. Or, the market that was owned by Mr. Johnson. The restaurant waitress asked me about scholarships at UofL. The Belize Army soldiers, that were on break in the shade along the street, spoke of national pride. Each had a story and a perspective on the community.
In Punta Gorda I also stopped at the University of Belize – Toledo District. I not only spoke to the campus administrator (the person that ran that branch campus) but also a UofL doctoral alumnae who returned to Belize to teach and help administer the campus. Both individuals spoke of the need to have much greater teacher preparation and train the trainer programs. Education, as expected, was very important. What was also important was the autonomy to adapt the campus to fit the needs of Punta Gorda and the Toledo District.
View video of Tom's Punta Gorda Tour.
From the very beginning (which as last Spring 2007) my whole purpose was to provide our students and faculty a meaningful and educational experience in Belize. This purpose was limited by logistics, history, and discipline. As you have already read, we (the faculty) were determined to bring a delegation that was manageable in size and capable of working and staying together throughout the trip. The reason for these limitations was to enable the students to better get to know each other, learn from each other, and control expenses. It worked and worked well.
Amazing. Fantastic. Adventurous. Well planned. Heartfelt. True ambassadors. Purposeful. The trip to Belize was all of this and so much more. From a student playing in the grass with little kids, to restoring teeth, to teaching in the primary and secondary schools, going house to house to survey community residents, to health workshops for women -- the experiences that the UofL students had appeared to be remarkable. Watching incredible faculty teach and add perspective to each moment was also fantastic. The faculty of this program are clearly the worlds best at servant leadership, teaching, and mentorship.
My greatest joy was observing the camaraderie, service, and ambassadorship by every student. Each student cared for the other. Each student engaged the other in deep intellectual and profound discussion. Each student helped the other learn their discipline (trade). And, each student represented the University of Louisville and the United States with honor, integrity, and genuine humanity.
Written by Dr. Tom Jackson, Jr., Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Louisville (Team Leader)
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