For me this trip has also been about a series of “firsts”, conquering fears, and getting out of my comfort zone. Starting with my flight to Guatemala I was alone and making my first real international trip. I was surprisingly calm but the journey was surreal and even when I was in settled in my homestay I couldn’t fully process the idea of being in a new country. I am typically reserved and introverted but being at my homestay and translating for my peers meant that I was doing a lot more talking than usual, at home and occasionally out around town. People were generally very friendly and I would ask people on the street for directions or recommendations. Sometimes people would stop and ask me for the same advice although I had no idea what I was doing either so we would try to figure it out together.
I went on enough boat rides to last a lifetime and enjoyed every single one of them (sorry Scilla!). I saw a few of my first -but hopefully not last- Maya sites where we climbed pyramids. At Tikal and Lamanai we had a spectacular view above the jungle canopy. At our stop at the Belize Zoo I saw a number of animals that I’d never thought I’d get to see up close. On Caye Caulker I was convinced to go snorkeling even though I do not know how to swim and I have no regrets! At one point on this trip I also had to boost myself over a balcony and climb down a ladder with my relatively short legs when we had an evacuation at our hotel.
I was even fortunate enough to have celebrated my birthday during this program with such a great group of people and all my future travels will have a lot to live up to. The past few weeks felt like they went by in the blink of an eye but I look forward to what these last few days have in store.
