Volunteer Post: Sarah
I can’t believe how
quickly time has been flying and that I have already been in Belize for over a
month! It has been such a great experience and I’ve thoroughly loved getting to
know Belize, my team members and the local community members. I’ve traveled to
a lot of different countries the past few years but I think Belize is the most
unique country I’ve been to. It's interesting
how European colonizing countries from around 300 years ago still have so much
influence on countries even today. Even just taking the bus to get to the
orphanage in the capital city, Belmopan, there is a crazy variety of people and
languages for such a small country. You've got the Mennonites with their
beards, their suspenders and their wide brimmed hats; then the Rastas with
their long dreads and colorful accents; then people of Mayan descent laden with
their goods to sale and a bunch of little kids that stare back at you with
bright dark eyes; and then just everyone from in between the races. It’s fun
people watching with everyone crammed into an old style school bus carrying
kids, groceries, umbrellas, balloons, and sometimes piñatas.
I usually do this bus route once a week to the King’s Children Home mostly just to play with the kids and give the little ones one-on-one attention just to be held and cuddled. It’s really neat how the directors of the orphanage emphasize that it is not an institution but a home and a place for the kids to feel at home. Orphanages are like their own little society with leaders and homemade family units that look out for each other. I love seeing their interactions with each other. A few big kids look out for the little ones by doing their hair, feeding them and bossing around the bullies. I think it would be really interesting to track the lives of orphans and see how they all end up and if they stay in their homemade families. Talking to one of the directors at the orphanage, Mike, he told us that they raise good kids. Kids that go to universities and kids that give back to the community through their own service. I feel a bit sad every time I leave and it's hard to leave the little ones crying at the gate waving to us, but I'm glad they watch out for each other and let me into their world just for a few hours.
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