There is something about not knowing what to expect that worries me.
I had seen the itinerary: “start house visits in San Luis.” What? Visits to houses of people who knew nothing about why we were even there? “Basic Spanish training” ... for an hour. An hour? I can do a lot of things in an hour, but learn Spanish? Admittedly, I’m not much of an adventurer. I like an occasional trip to the beach or the mountains or to visit my family, but they all speak English.
As we descended to land, I realized how right everyone had been. The white sandy beaches glistened, and the ocean was the color of my turquoise ring. It looked like paradise from my window seat. However, that was the first and last we saw of the beauty of Belize during our mission. Our hosts met us outside of customs and loaded us into vans for the trip to Orange Walk, our “base camp.” It was from the D Victoria Hotel we would travel to “start house visits in San Luis.” We traveled on roads that could have passed for long driveways, houses made of thatch and canvas, businesses with hand-painted signs and lots of dogs.
We were traveling away from the beach with a purpose: to assist with medical clinics in villages providing basic health care to families. Twenty-one USC pre-med students who could afford island vacations chose to go to the desperately poor villages in Belize during spring break.
After a day of orientation and crash courses in Spanish, pharmacy and triage, and taking vital signs, the students began their mission. As we made our way from hut to shack to invite the villagers to the next day’s clinic, I began feeling awkwardly at home.
Watching the students, sometimes stumbling with the language, relate to the villagers was mesmerizing. Their compassion and caring broke down any barriers that might have existed. These two groups were worlds apart, yet subtlety merged by one group’s need and the other’s desire to help.
The sense of community in the villages was apparent and created a family-type atmosphere that graciously included the fair-skinned gringos. We experienced humble villagers eager to share birthday cake and pickup soccer games. The melding of two different groups was effortless. It was judgment free for both groups.
It was my pleasure to watch a group of dedicated students do what they had come more than a thousand miles to do. They eagerly donated their time, talents and fellowship to a group of people who just as eagerly accepted it. I look forward to my next trip to Belize with 21 more USC pre-med students.
— Eileen Korpita, director of the Office of Pre-Professional Advising