Speaking of food, can we talk about the food? One of my absolute favorite parts of living here has been eating like a Belizean. Fry jacks quickly became a breakfast staple for me. These warm, golden, pillowy pieces of fried dough are served with beans, eggs, cheese or whatever you like, and they are incredible. Then there is rice and beans, which is not just a side dish here but practically a way of life. And pepper sauce? Belizeans will put it on everything, and once you try it, you completely understand why.
Food has a way of telling the story of a place, and every meal I had here told me that Belize is a country full of warmth, creativity and pride.
We also learned about Garifuna Settlement Day, one of the most important holidays in Belize. The Garifuna people have one of the most remarkable stories of resilience and survival, and seeing how Belize honors and celebrates that history was truly moving. It reminded me that culture is not just something from the past, it is alive, celebrated and worth protecting.
Another meaningful part of my experience was coaching volleyball and working with Belizean youth through sports. Whether it was soccer on a dusty field, volleyball in the gym or learning about the ancient ball games of the Maya, I saw firsthand how sports bring people together across every language and background. The students I coached reminded me a lot of you: full of energy, heart and potential.
By taking this journey together, we learned that the world is wide and full of places that may seem far away but are filled with people who share many of the same hopes and dreams as you. I hope that one day you get the chance to travel and see it for yourselves.
