Today was our first full day in Belize. We arrived yesterday evening at our eco-lodge, just in time for the bugs to come alive along the shore of Corozal Bay. We enjoyed dinner and had an early night to bed given the big travel day we had just conquered. Adapting to the heat here meant everyone had their cabana fans on throughout the night. It also meant waking up to our fans off. We learned that we had exhausted the solar panel supply of our eco-lodge’s grid system. It really got me thinking about what seems like endless electricity back home, but is not the case here. As a group, we made a plan of how we can work together to be more mindful and conservative of our energy and water consumption while staying here. Our cabin woke up to the sunrise overlooking the ocean shore. It was so nice waking up early and having time before breakfast, since I’ve never done that for myself before. From the morning, I realized that life here is very different.
We had the opportunity to visit the small fishing village of Sarteneja, where we met and talked with the locals at the police station, smoothie stand, convenience store, and artist’s studio. Not only were we able to support their businesses by purchasing local goods, but also listen to their stories and fully immerse ourselves in the Belizean culture. We discussed as a group the difference between being a tourist versus a traveller. A tourist moves through a place and leaves with memories, while a traveller connects with a place and leaves with perspective. As we moved through this tightly connected and motivated fishing community in this thoughtful way, it made us appreciate the place and its people a lot more.
In the afternoon, we had a fun snorkelling lesson in shallow water that got us comfortable using our masks, snorkels and fins to explore the ocean and a nearby traditional fishing trap. We learned the stingray shuffle so that we can be safe when moving along the sandy floors. This was many people’s first time in the ocean and broadened our perspective on adapting to new environments. It was really fun and exciting to learn this new skill and explore the waters of Belize!
