Can you BELIZE it?!: Week One in Succotz #research

During my stay and study in Belize, I will be focusing on my research on youth development in San Jose Succotz. I have been asked to conduct research on this area to see if this community could create a youth development program and to have it be sustainable for the years to come! I will be documenting my travels to show you the work I am doing and the adventures that I have had!

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Hola and Welcome to Belize!  A country full of great food and great people. When I arrived on Monday to Belize City I had no idea what to expect, and didn't know anyone at all. That is where I met my very first friend who welcomed me into the country and drove me all the way to San Jose Succotz. Now, Belize is a little different than America in multiple ways including the road system. They have one central highway that takes you to any village, town, or city and of course there are no road signs or speed limits. As we flew down the highway and the sun was setting, I truly got to see Belize in a special light as Joshua was telling me about the history and different stories of Belize. I was very fortunate in the fact that Joshua was training to be a tour guide which made him very knowledgeable about Belize and it's history.

After a 2.5 hour ride, we finally arrived in Succotz outside of the town San Ignacio. It is a small village with some of the most welcoming people that I have met. We pulled into the driveway where my host family lived and they all rushed outside to see me. The family that I am staying with has two daughters, Fatima and Leeyah, and then their parents Vanessa and Daniel. When I unloaded all of my belongings, we went down the road to go visit their parents and grandparents that night. Surprisingly to me, they all lived in the same village because they all have lived there their entire lives. My family lives across the United States and I only get to see them once a year so it was awesome how strong their family bond was after meeting their entire family.

As the week started, I began my research by first visiting the agricultural high school called Mopan Technical in Benque. One of the previous graduating students at Penn State (Kate Basset) had student taught there, and she was able to start a couple projects at the school to help them out. After discussing with them about what Kate did and about their current projects at the school, we were able to talk about implementing a youth program that some of their students might enjoy. I had multiple conversations with several teachers, students, and even the principal, to get a good understanding about what they wanted and how we are to accomplish those goals.
After two days at Mopan Technical, I was able to go sight seeing with my host family as well as Dr. Penados's family around different areas in Belize. Some of the places I visited actually reminded me of Pennsylvania in the fact that they had an Amish and Mennonite community that made dairy products in the area. They had several American foods that included two of my favorites, pizza and ice cream (staple food groups for any college student!). After that, I was able to pick blueberries at a local farm and even got to visit the coast to see a museum and then go to the beach!

Week one has been great and I haven't melted from the heat just yet, thank goodness! Stay tuned to my next blog about riding the bus system (by myself yikes!), visiting the National Belize 4-H Center, and talking with the locals about their agriculture knowledge!