Hello from Belize! My name is Amber Bode. My love for living abroad started when I was little. I was born and raised in Singapore for the first 10 years of my life. This upbringing sparked my love for travel, adventures, a variety of food along with the love for learning other cultural traditions, holidays, celebrations and lifestyles.
When I was 10 years old my parents and I moved to Glen Ellyn, Illinois (a suburb about 30 minutes west of Chicago). I was a student-athlete at William & Mary (located in Williamsburg, VA) where I double majored in Kinesiology and Sociology while playing Division 1 field hockey.
I'm currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Belmopan, the capital city of Belize. It's located right in the center of Belize with the rainforest to the West and the sea to the East. My project is called YES (Youth Empowered by Sports). There are two sides to my work. The first side is working alongside my counterpart at a local primary school to develop a Life Skills Club for all student-athletes (boys and girls) at the school. The other side of my work is at the Belize National Sports Council. Here the focus is standardizing the five primary school sports, volleyball, track & field, basketball, softball and soccer, offered throughout the country and encouraging all primary school kids to be the best well-rounded athletes they can be.
The nature of my job has allowed me to visit different areas of Belize for sporting events. I've loved being in Belize, exploring this beautiful country with my host family, learning about their culture and traditions, and working in the sports world here. I can't wait to share my adventures and the Belize culture with you!
