During winter session 2009, a group of 12 Global Scholars traveled to Belize — a small country situated on the Caribbean Sea bordering southern Mexico and Guatemala — with Samuel Raphalides, a professor of political science and history and director of the Global Scholars program. Known as British Honduras until gaining independence in 1981, the location features one of the largest rainforests in Central America and a world-class coral reef. The focus of the group was sustainable development, a theme introduced through the course Political Leadership in the 21st Century and a recent trip to the United Nations. The following is an account of the experience compiled by Jessica Klein, a 2009 business management graduate, and Meagan Wilder, BA’09 (T), who majored in international studies.

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Belize offers lavish scenery, friendly locals, warm weather and many eco-tourism locations. It is a learning laboratory, from the Mayan ruins to the beaches of the Cayes, which consist of hundreds of small islands off the country’s east coast. Once our plane landed in Belize City, the two-and-a-half-hour drive from the airport to Cahal Pech Village Resort, in San Ignacio, gave us our first glimpse of the social and economic differences between this developing country and the United States. We observed the bright colors of the countryside and took notice of the poverty that seemed to overshadow the landscape.

Belize may be a small country in terms of size (slightly larger than New Jersey) and population (just over 300,000), yet it is culturally diverse, with people of Mayan, Creole, European, Garifunan (African), Mestizo, East Indian and Chinese descent. It is vibrant and full of life both day and night. The friendliness of the people relaxed us, beginning with our first activity, a scavenger hunt, and extending through our contact with many tour guides, resort employees, working people and school children. They were all more than willing to answer our questions and taught us much more about Belizean culture than we could have learned on our own.

Perhaps our favorite excursion was to the Mayan Ruins at Xunantunich, which involved taking a “ferry” across the river — basically a large piece of wood with a little hand crank and some cables. After arriving at the base of the site, we trekked up a large hill to get to the plateau where the upper class and royalty had lived. This was where the temples and pyramids were best preserved, as they were made of more durable material. The pyramid known as El Castillo, the largest building on site and the second largest in Belize, was originally a temple. Later it became the residence for the royal family when the ruler was falling out of favor with the people and chose the edifice as his stronghold.

We made the climb to the top of the pyramid up stairs that were carved into walls with nothing to hold onto and nothing to stop one from falling. The breathtaking view from the top extended for miles and even into Guatemala.

After six days at Cahal Pech, we visited South Water Caye [declared a UNESCO World Heritage site for its biological diversity and value to humanity]. The culture was shockingly different from that in San Ignacio. Having compost toilets and rainwater shower stalls outside our living quarters gave us a clear understanding of life in a developing country.

From the island we snorkeled along one of the world’s largest coral reef systems. We spotted giant lobsters, four-foot-wide sting rays, octopuses, barracudas, coral species ranging from brain coral to fire coral and, of course, hundreds of species of fish. It was incredibly relaxing and beyond beautiful. The reef is something that Belizeans take great pride in, and they work incredibly hard to preserve and protect it.

We took advantage of many unique opportunities, and I believe it is safe to say that everyone enjoyed themselves to the utmost. The trip also provided the Global Scholars an opportunity to cement our relationship as a group — and that was certainly one of the most important benefits.

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