The Trip to Belize

Eyes Opened

It was the morning of the trip. I was incredibly nervous yet excited at the same time. Forty kids were standing around waiting for what was coming next. Everyone started forming a circle to say a prayer before we left. We were about to head off to a foreign country, a third world country, for ten days. We were getting ready to go to Belize, Central America.

We said all of our goodbyes and stepped into the vehicles that would take us to the airport. The closer I got to the destination the more the butterflies fluttered in my stomach. There were no phones nor e-mail except for the leaders' use of a computer for emergencies. Finally, after ten hours of traveling we took our first steps onto this new land. The air was hard to get used to because of how muggy it was. There they only have two seasons, the rainy season and the dry season. During our stay it was the rainy season. We then proceeded to pick up our luggage and wait for the bus to come and bring us to our site. Already people were dripping with sweat. We waited for an hour before the bus came, but it wasn't as exciting as we had hoped. The bus looked like it was about to fall apart, and we had to fit fifty people into the bus with luggage. Once we were on the bus we were told that the site was eight hours away. Although the bus ride was very long and very hot, it was something new. The mountains and cliffs were amazing. It was also the first time I've seen the jungle. I always thought it would be different. The only time I've ever seen it was in movies, and Hollywood makes everything seem different. Nonetheless, it was beautiful. It surrounded the road and seemed never-ending.

The eight hour drive went by slowly, but sure enough we arrived at our site. I stepped off the bus and looked around. It was too dark to see anything except for the concrete shelter where we'd have our small group time and the guys and girls "dorms" that branched off of it. It was nothing like I pictured. They made it out to sound so isolated and exotic. I pictured us staying in huts made from wood and palm branches. After getting a good look at my surroundings, I happened to look up at the sky. I've never seen so many stars in my life; they lit up the sky. Because of the ambient light, I've never been able to get view like this in the city, but here in Belize most people don't have electricity so you can see everything. My cousin and I then walked into the guy's section and reserved a bunk. The bugs were horrible here, so unless you wanted to be miserable you had to sleep with mosquito netting. By the time everyone was settled in it was time to get underneath the nets and go to sleep.

The next morning came early. Most people were awake by sunrise because of a rooster that crowed and dogs running around barking at each other. It wasn't that hard to get up though, for me anyway, because of how peaceful it was at night. There aren't any noises of cars, or sirens, or other loud noises from the city. All I heard was rain, some crickets chirping, and a couple frogs ribbeting. It reminded me of those CD's you can buy with the sounds of nature. I laid there for a while to see if the dogs would stop, but I was forced to get up and walk outside. It was a whole different view. Last night it was too dark to see, but the jungle surrounds three fourths of the site. The only thing you could see was the road in front of the building. Suddenly I began to feel small and insignificant, as if I were on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean.

I waited in line for breakfast and sat down at one of the tables. One of the local kids, Giddeon, came and sat next to me. We talked for a while, and the jungle came up in one of our conversations. He talked about a path that would take you miles into the jungle. I asked if he would lead me through because he knew the area well. He agreed to do it on one condition, that we each carry a machete for protection. That scared me a little bit. I'm not used to having to take a weapon wherever I go. We walked to the edge of the jungle and stepped inside. It was literally like I stepped into a whole new world. Nothing was visible except for the green of the leaves and the colors of the flowers. You had to have a certain crouch position when you walked or you'd walk into the branches above you. It made me feel like Indiana Jones carrying a machete and walking in this stealth position. After walking for a little while,