Experiencing Belize!

Ashten Busscher Start Date: Jan 18, 2020 - End Date: May 2, 2020
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Missionary Service

My Travel Story

by: Ashten Busscher Start Date: Jan 18, 2020 - End Date: May 2, 2020
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Missionary Service
I chose the Promoting Health in Belize trip because it encompasses everything I was looking for in a trip. I am currently a Psychology Pre-Occupational Therapy student and I have high aspirations for myself. I thoroughly enjoy working with and caring for people, especially from a health and rehabilitation perspective. Having the knowledge and ability to educate others in order to better their lives in something I have always been passionate about. Throughout this experience, I will be involved with various service opportunities in the Belizean community, explore Belize’s rich culture, cuisine, and history, create deeper connections with other UIndy students and faculty, and further my goals as a pre-professional student.

This trip is built on the foundations of service within the Belizean community. As a team, we, UIndy faculty and students, will be promoting various health-related topics in three different primary schools around Belizean cities over the course of three days. Some of the topics we will be focusing on are the importance of brushing one’s teeth and hair, showering, putting on deodorant, and feminine hygiene. Another couple of days will be spent venturing out to polyclinics, community health fairs, and centers as another way to present our health promotion information. It is important that I, along with the other students, learn and grasp the concepts surrounding the importance of health because it will be our job to teach and educate. At times, we may be educating on a one-to-one basis or have a strictly limited time wherein knowing our information to a T and selecting key components will be necessary. At the end of the day, it is the takeaway message that they will take with them and share among others. It is our job to ensure they learned, understood, and enjoyed our presentations and information so that more people can become excited about taking care of themselves and others. We will also have a guest speaker who will talk with us about how health and health education is viewed from a Belizean Cultural perspective and the resources available to the community. Our guest will also describe how best to reach out, get people excited about health, and the need for health education.

Another aspect of this trip is exploring the Belizean culture, cuisine, and history. We will have three full days, as well as intermittently throughout other promotional days, dedicated to experiencing Belize’s beauty. As a group, we will learn and observe the Green Iguana Conservation Project, experience cave canoeing and ziplining, visit the Xunantunich Archeological Reserve, and learn about the Maya culture through cooking and weaving. We will also have open afternoons where we will have the options of exploring Hopkins village, paddle boarding, sailing, visiting a chocolate farm and much more. There will be various farmer’s markets worth experiencing and restaurants to dine in. Another exciting adventure will be learning about the Garifuna’s history, culture, food, and experience a drumming demo and cultural dance presentation.

As a pre-professional student on this trip, I hope to gain insight and experience working with people of different backgrounds and lifestyles than my own. I am looking forward to putting myself in their shoes to better understand what their daily life is like and translate that into how I can help. I am excited to explore Belize’s cultural traditions and cuisines through our daily adventures. Around the Indianapolis area, there are many ethnic food restaurants but having the ability to taste and experience native flavors and dishes while being immersed in the culture creates an entirely new and grand adventure. I am also intrigued by how their health system functions. Growing up in the modern-day United States, hospitals and care facilities are around every corner. I know this is not the case in Belize and I want to learn how best to promote health.

On the surface, this trip has the content and quality of being a life-long positive and heart-filling experience. I am excited and ready to learn about specific health promotions and skills in order to educate and empower each person I interact with. Every person deserves to live a healthy life with the knowledge of how to live a healthy lifestyle. Through this trip, I aspire to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to provide correct information to the people of Belize as well as grow my love and desire to serve others through improving one’s health.