Mount Students and faculty have safely returned from their service trip to Belize! Please enjoy our Slideshow ,and blog posts available on this page.
Don't forget to check out a collection of videos from the trip available onYouTube
The Mount St. Mary’s University trip to Belize is a joint effort by the Outdoor Adventures program and the Community Services office. Partnering with a Catholic parish, students will spend five days helping build a Catholic church in one of the local villages. Each day we find a wifi connection we will be posting updates of the trip on our Belize Blog…stay tuned. .
Led by the Mount’s Outdoor Adventure Director, Ken McVearry, the Mount team begins their journey to Central America, where they will help construct churches in Mayan Villages, work in local schools, experience family homes and food, all the while exploring the beauty and nature of God's gifts in this glorious country.
Belize Blog
Katie Rosario Class of 09 5-30-09
This morning we packed our bags to leave the retreat center to move on to the village of Hopkins. Before we left Punta Gorda, we stopped in the market. Its so cool to see the literal fruits of people's labor. Liz commented that most of the fruit we ate from the week was most likely from that market. It's so true. Things like the market in the small town atmosphere make such an amazing community in PG. The other night we went to dinner at Dorla Bowman's house. Dorla runs a socio-economic outreach program in conjunction with the parish. She invited Belize university students as well as the Jesuit Volunteers to dinner at her house. They all knew one another and were obviously good friends but they graciously welcomed us as guests and we had an awesome time getting to know amazing people.
Last night at our evening reflection, we were talking about our trip thus far as well as what is to come. I am so excited about our drum lesson tonight as well as our snorkeling adventure tomorrow. I am trying to soak up as much as I can because, as I realized in reflection last night, this is it for me. After this, I am in the real world. It is so scary to be leaving such an amazing support network such as the Mount but this is such a great experience to capstone my career at the Mount. I have already learned so much about myself and have been humbled by the amazing people that I am with. I have also learned a new definition of poverty. The people that we served are some of the richest I have ever met. They know the true meaning of love, love of their family, love of the earth that they use so abundantly and love of us, complete strangers. I have not met one rude person. People have gone out of their way to make us feel so welcome and have accepted us as part of their community. I will be forever grateful for this experience, especially how it was put together. We were allowed to form bonds with Mount students, those bonds formed in activities like hiking up the side of a mountain allowed us to better work together in serving God's children and I know that we are all much better people because of it!!!
Hi Mom.
May 28th, 2009 Kim Kelly, Glynnis Budde and Bernadette Finck Class of 2011
We started off the morning with an earthquake. Later learning it was a 7.1 on the Richter Scale. However, this did not stop us from heading to the worksite bright and early as we have done in the last 2 days. After ending 3 days of service, we have never felt so full of joy as we help give these people a brand new place to worship God, and if necessary, shelter from a hurricane. This service has open our eyes to realizing that anything is possible if you but your mind to it. These people go to church no matter how hot or rainy it is. Seeing their current church right next to our building site, reminds us how much they really need us there. It is so exciting to know we are helping not only a community but a whole district improve a structure they truly need. We are sad to see our last day of a service come close but we're ecstatic to know that we are helping these people so much.
Kevin Taylor
5/28 Day three of service and again it was hot. Now that we are in the groove we are making some real progress in the building and we are beginning to see the fruits of our labors. I am so looking forward to the next few days as we begin our journey up the coast towards home. Not because the trip is almost over, but because we will hopefully make it to the beach and be able to go snorkeling. I was on the trip last year and we missed this aspect because of a hurricane. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to be on this trip again. Now on to the good stuff - earthquake!
Last night we experience a 7.1 earthquake in our beds. At first, I had no idea what was happening. Once I realized what it was, I immediatly jumped to the groud and almost fell due to the sever movement of the entire building we have been living in. The shaking lasted for about 30 seconds, but it seemed a lot longer. Once over, there was another aftershoock shortly after. It was, simply put, the COOLEST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE! Although a little frieghtening, it was actually really exciting to me. With that being said, a lot of people had damage to their homes, and the man we have been working with, Frankie, sustatined some damage to his home. I pray that all the people who were effected by the quake will be able to move on.
Linda Sherman
We are truly spoiled at home like taking for granted ...a shower , here with cement dust in our hair, covered with dirt a shower is a luxury, even cold it has become sheer bliss. Spent the day with a hammer, pounding on mortar in the church we are building. Pedro, one of the villagers got teary eyed thanking us for helping to build the church, he spent the day planting corn which he hopes will not be washed away during the rainy season which will come next week. We are in the Toledo district where 79 percent of the people exist on less than $400 dollars a year but they have the most incredible spirit. The priest only comes once a month to the village of Midway and the current church has a dirt floor and about seven pews. this is truly a labor of love, after finding the tarantula under a pile of boards I wanted the next plane out...and that was before the earthquake. What a great group of students with us, Tom Pucciarella has spent three days outside in the hot sun helping build the front of the church, Katie Rosario, Liz Andrulewicz and Sam Mitika spent the whole day plastering the wall - one wall -half of it took all day....while Bern Finck, Kim Kelly and Glynnis Budde were carrying boards and hammering nails ...what a group of troupers. The heat is unbearable at times but Alex Mabin spent much of it sweating it out while standing on scaffolding helping put up forms on the roof....Trinita Kane was miserable but still spent the time with me, sifting sand for cement...AND NO ONE COMPLAINED...not even Kevin Taylor and certainly not Ken McVearry...I underestimated all of them...the Mount can be proud of all of them...we are blessed to be here and able to give of our time to the Mayan people.
Kenneth McVearry
5/26 We started our service portion of the trip on Today under a blazing sun and intense heat leaving everyone soaked from sweat even when standing standing still. In the shade it was easily 90 degrees and in the open it felt like the surface of the sun itself. It has been like that all week but it was impressive to see everyone commit to what we came to do... serve. Knowing that they deal with this type of condition and many factors even harsher, it has made moving forward without complaining much easier. The bumps, brusies, blisters, and bug bites from our work site all seem worth enduring when you can see how much it means to the villagers here and perhaps more pointedly, in the innocent smile of the young Mayan children.
5/27 The past two evenings we have been treated to two wonderful educational programs: a visit from the Jesuit Volunteers International (JVI) and an informational session by a Socio-economic Outreach Program here in the Toledo District of Belize. These programs really help us understand the underlying causes of poverty here as well as inspire everyone to want to work and give even harder. To learn that over 75% of the mayan people here in the Toledo District earn leass than $200 (US) a year was a shock. This is well below the poverty line here, so much so that many many children often go without food or are malnourished. This new found perspective has given new meaning to what we are here to do!
5/28 I have experienced a lot of close calls, near misses, and other natural disaters in my life, but last night, simply stated, was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. An earthquate of 7.1 struck in the middle of the night 60 miles off the coast to our east. The quake truly made the ground and our builidng (and therefore beds) tremble for at least 30 seconds or longer. Everyone was immediately awoken by the shaking and came out of their bedrooms. Luckily and to everyones credit, no one panicked. We simply stood in our doorways for protection until the original quake and aftershock subsided. After realizing what we had just experienced the common theme was laughter... humor to diffuse an otherwise tense situation. We finally made it back to bed (after a plethora of additonal bedtime prayers I might add) and awoke this morning to find out the details. We were relieved to learn that no one or no houses here in our region were hurt or destroyed. Obviously it was what everyone was talking about and everyone we came in contact with said it was the biggest one they had ever felt. But as Belizeans do, they went about their way and so did we... continuing on in our service!
Wednesday May 27 Sam Maticka, Class of 2012
We've been in Belize for almost a week now, and I no longer feel like a foreigner in this country. I recognize the stores we pass, and each day I wave to the people I've met here. At first I arrived in Belize with my own ideas as for what this third world country needs. I would change that there's no cell service anywhere, no houses have indoor plumbing, and the brown thatched huts could use a bright colored paint job. While these were my first impressions of Belize, I have now grown to more fully understand the simplicity of the Mayan culture. The people here know what they really need.Their happiness has nothing to do with cell service or technology. Instead they enjoy good company and the simplicity of their lives. Today has been long and I am exhausted after a day in the hot sun. The blisters on my hands are worth it though, because I know the Mayan people will greatly appreciate our sweated labor. Eventually the church will be finished. It's being built bigger then the old one, and it's concrete walls will serve as a hurricane shelter. Today we made some good progress, and we'll sleep well tonight knowing that our hard work is going to good use.
May 25th, 2009 Alexander Mabin
Currently, it’s Monday night and we’re 5 days into an adventure of a lifetime. Over these past few days, we’ve done everything from attending a wedding to swimming in a waterfall. We have accomplished, seen, and learned so much; yet, our time here has only just begun. The people, culture, and history of this area are truly unique and different from anything I’ve ever witnessed before. In a country steeped in ancient Mayan history, blessed with beautiful scenery, and full of rich cultural opportunities, many of the people live in the simplest terms possible. They exist and flourish without the common American luxuries of telephone, internet, and television. Sure, life is hard for them, but the people seem to be happy and well. We haven’t even begun our service work, but already this has been a humbling experience into how we should all feel blessed and lucky to have such great opportunities and amenities in our everyday lives. Over the past few days, there have been many eye opening moments that have humbled and awed. One particular awe inspiring moment occurred today as we hiked up a mountain to a couple large waterfalls. We set out around 11 AM into the Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve. Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky enough to spot the elusive jaguar; however, we did get to have an experience of a lifetime. Putting aside the sweltering heat and steep terrain, the climb was amazing. After an hour or so of hiking, we made it to a scenic overlook where we were able to see the 2nd highest peak in Belize, along with a beautiful valley. From there, we hiked down a treacherous hillside to the waterfalls. Arriving at the water made the hike completely worth it. After snapping a few pictures, we all took a swim and enjoyed cooling off under the waterfalls. It was great moment and something I will remember for a very long time. This is just one of the moments that really caught my attention over the past few days, if I named them all, this blog would last forever. Belize truly is a foreign land, developing at it’s own pace and void of many things we are used to as Americans. Nevertheless, if the first 5 days are any indication, this trip is going to continue to be memorable and eye opening in many different ways.
Glynnis Budde Class of 2011 May 25th 2009
This is day 5 of our Belize service/adventure trip and already I’ve experienced so much. I have never been on a service trip before and was very nervous before I left home. I quickly got over that feeling because being here with this great group of people helped me to feel comfortable and safe by day two. Swimming through the cave was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Its hard to explain just how awesome it really was. Living in the town of San Miguel was also an amazing experience because we were completely immersed in the Mayan culture. All of the people are welcoming, kind and excited to have us with them, which makes it even more exciting that we get to help them by building them a church. Being in the town of San Miguel and experiencing their way of life made me realize how easy and blessed my life is. It made me appreciate all that I have and also realize that its possible to live without cell phones and the internet. It helped me to see things through a whole new perspective. On Sunday, we attended mass where we got to see a first holy communion and a marriage ceremony. Even though it was two hours long, very hot, and we were sitting on very tiny, uncomfortable benches, it felt good to be able to share these important moments with the people. I thought it was so nice of them to thank us (their visitors) for coming. After mass we got to relax and hang out in the town of Punta Gorda. We went swimming and continued bonding as a group. Today, we went on a hike! It was pretty difficult and strenuous but once we made it to the waterfalls, it was all worth it. The walk back was hard but we worked together to help one another get through and at the end we all felt very accomplished. I am excited and nervous to start our service tomorrow. I’m nervous because I have never done anything like this before and I hope that I have the strength to do the work. I am excited because its our chance to help the people of Belize. This is the main reason why were here and I’m looking forward to what’s going to be happening the next few days.
Katie Rosario May 24th 2009
Today I got to witness my third Sacrament in a Mayan town in Belize. Last year, I was present for a Baptism and today, at the village of Big Falls, we got to see a Marriage and about 13 First Communions. It was amazing to see the children who wanted to receive such a special Sacrament. As we were leaving, we drove by some of the children walking home with their families. They had to walk in the blazing heat in their white dresses on a muddy road to church to receive their Sacrament. Kids in the States have no such motivation. We also so a girl, she couldn’t have been more than 4 walking with a pot on her head on the way to the river. Its crazy to see people just living to live. They don’t care about what clothes they wear, who they know, how their house looks. Their motivation is life. They love their family, they love their town and they are able to appreciate the simple things in life that we so often overlook and take for granted. Also today Sam, Liz and I decided to rent kayaks for the afternoon. We first took them into the Caribbean and then down a little creek where we saw some wicked crabs. We would have never found the creek if the guy who rented us the boats wouldn’t have drove a mile down the road and ran onto the pier to tell us we were going the wrong way. People are so wonderful here. There was no need for him to go so out of his way to make sure we were on the right path. His only motivation was pure nice-ness. He wasn’t looking for money or thanks, he just wanted to make sure we were having a good time in his hometown of Punta Gorda, Belize. People will stop you just to make sure you are having a good day and you are finding everything all right. It is so wonderful to be in a place where people just love life and love who they are and where they come from.
Elizabeth Andrulewicz May 24th, 2009
Today we went to mass in Big Falls, Belize. Finding the church was a bit of an adventure, as it was not in the building that we initially thought. We wandered around the village, trying to find the church and watching the villagers look at us like we were idiots. It was a great time! We finally found the church and were pleasantly surprised to find out that there was a wedding and a first communion during the mass. It was strange that they celebrated two sacraments during one mass, especially the wedding. In the States, we have elaborate ceremonies for our marriages…for everything actually. Here, everything is just fit into everyday life. They are so grounded, and concerned only with what they need. I notice that material things are not an issue. There really is no sense of fashion….looks are just not important, which is really nice. Everyone is equal, and looks the same. The don’t need to impress people. They wash in the river, work in the fields, and play in the trees. They don’t need lots of stuff. They use what God has naturally given them to support there way of life. Being here is refreshing. It definitely makes me appreciate what I have. I know I will learn a lot from this trip, and I can’t wait for the rest of it!
Kimberly Kelly Class of 2011 May 24, 2009
For the past four days I have been having a blast down here in Belize. From caving to hanging out in the villages with the Mayan people to today where we witnessed a marriage and First Holy Communion at mass. It was interesting to watch how other cultures celebrate the Catholic sacraments. What I found interesting is how they never pronounced the words ‘man and wife’ as well as no kissing the bride. The little girls looked beautiful in their white dresses and I know they will greatly appreciate the donated ones brought down by Mount St. Mary’s. Usually we all drive to church for Sunday mass but these villagers will either walk or try and hitch a ride if they can. It was unbelievable to see how the little girls in their white dresses didn’t get dirty as they walked to church. Another activity I enjoyed today was heading into the city of Punta Gorda to swim in the Caribbean. Bernadette, Glynnis, Tom, Alex, Linda and myself all enjoyed the warm water and relaxation. After swimming we met up with the group to head back to the retreat center for dinner and group bonding. Belize overall has been a phenomenal experience and it has only been four days. I cannot wait to start our service on a school and church. I have learned a lot about the villagers and their families and how grateful I am for the things I have back home in New Jersey. Tomorrow will be an early day with a 7am breakfast as we head out at 8am for a hike and to see waterfalls. Hope all is well in the States. See you soon!
Kimberly Kelly Class of 2011 May 25, 2009
I cannot believe it is already day five and we are half way done here in Belize. Today we hiked for about five miles and swam in the double waterfalls. It was tough for all of us to get up to the top but we worked together as a team and took breaks when needed. I felt accomplished when I got to the waterfall and swam in the cold water. After the waterfall we hiked back up and the sweat came back but once I saw the road I was proud of myself for doing this task because it was something I would never imagine myself doing. Belize has been awesome so far and the service part hasn’t even started yet. I enjoyed the adventure part, especially swimming in the waterfalls, and pumped to start building a church tomorrow. This adventure in Belize has been successful so far and I see it building stronger each day.
Bernadette Finck Class of 2011
Hello from Belize! We have been in Belize for 3 days and this experience has been incredible so far. We have done so much already before starting our service part. The first night we stayed at the Sun Creek Lodge in huts. The showers were outside which were really cool. The next day we made our way up to Blue Creek River and swam through a cave. It was pitch black but we used our head lights and had a great time. We also got to jump off a rock into the river. From there, we made our way to San Miguel village where we got to interact with the people and live with them for a night. For dinner and breakfast, we went into people's homes as they cooked some traditional Mayan meals such as white rice and beans, corn tortillas, spinach and for dessert we had fried plantains, which were delicious. Today we went to the Nazareth Retreat Center where we will be spending the rest of the week. We look forward to starting our service and the rest of the week in Belize!
Bernadette Finck, Glynnis Budde and Kim Kelly Class of 2011
Bernadette Finck Class of 2011
There have not been many places in the world that have taken my breath away but today at the Cockscumb Jaguar Reserve, it was one of those places. After a strenuous hike, we got up to a beautiful overlook, looking over the jungle and looking to Victoria’s Peak, the largest mountain in Belize. This view was worth the hike that most people thought that they couldn’t do. Everyone was encouraging each other and making sure that people could get through it. Not only did we get to see this beautiful view, we kept climbing, and made it to another beautiful site, 2 waterfalls. We were able to swim under these falls and play around in them. Unfortunately, I fell in the fall but that did not stop me from hiking back to the car. The rewarding feeling I got out of this walk, is hard to explain. I was so excited to climb up this mountain and be able to know that I was able to do it with the help of my group. This experience has helped me realize that no matter how high the mountain is, you can always climb it with the help of your friends.
The Universal Language -May 22, 2009
I walked along the dusty road in the small village of San Miguel. It was hot, like most days in Belize, but the sun would be setting soon and villagers strolled in from the river, or drove past on bicycles waving politely at the new visitors that had just arrived. That day was action packed for us, we had just arrived in the village after a long morning at Blue Creek Cave, one of the coolest experiences of the trip thus far, but many were eager to go to the lone payphone at the entrance to the village to call loved ones or settle into the small hut that would be our room for the night before we ate with local families in the village for dinner. Not having a phone card and feeling a little lost, I meandered down to the local soccer field while most of the others either called home or sat and entertained some of the young and curious kids in the village, or simply just explored. I found one kid lacing up a pair of new soccer spikes and he looked to be my age. I walked over and for no other reason than curiosity just started conversation. It turned out that he was a 19 year old kid that had just returned to the village after a long two weeks away at his job as a construction worker building a new hotel near Belize City. We got on the topic of soccer being that he looked to be getting ready for a game, and he said that the other boys would be returning shortly for their bi-weekly game and that I was welcome to join them. Nervous about the opportunity, but a little excited as well, I asked if it mattered if I played in bare feet. He said no and I returned a few minutes later to find some 20 boys ranging in age from 22-10 years old staring at me perhaps all too ready to show up the American. Disregarding the fact that most of the older boys had cleats, I went to my spot on the field. Instantly, the game began, and suddenly I realized I was playing soccer in a different country, without cleats, not knowing anyone on the field, while everyone else spoke a traditional Mayan dialect. For the first 15 minutes, it was tough to get a read on things, especially as I was sliding all over the field, but the familiar pace, and feel of the game slowly crept back to me and I realized language and unfamiliarity didn’t matter, we were speaking the same language: The language of the game itself. Suddenly, I realized that the sport traversed all barriers. I was moving up and down the field in perfect sync with my team around me. It all felt so easy, and gradually I wasn’t just running anymore, I was moving the ball in transition, controlling it and and taking depositing it over the heads of the defenders to my teammates streaking behind them up field. It was a new environment for me, and definitely new to have an American playing with them, but to us it was still just about the game.
Kenneth McVearry
Blog post 1 5/22
Tonight we have been staying in the Mayan highland village of San Miguel as part of a homestay expereince. It seems that we are just as much of a curiosity to them as their way of life is to us. Chickens, pigs, dogs, horses, etc roam freely through the thatch roof houses as women walk by from the river with their basket of laundry carefully balanced on their heads. After interacting and playing with some of the local children, we broke up into small groups and were invited into a Mayan home for supper. It is clearly a simple way of life as they cook for us on their wood burning hearth built on their floor. Warm and gracious, they share their humble means and serve us a delicious local dish I couldn't begin to spell if I tried. There isn't a touristy type of resort in the world that can get you this authentic of a cultural experience.
Blog post 2 5/22
Just got back from a Mopan Mayan cultural evening. Reyes Chun (a local mayan who cares about maintaining his heritage) had our group over to his house for an evening of native storytelling and marima music(an authentic mayan xylophone type of instrument played by 3 people simultaneously). The music and talent to play the instrument was simply mind blowing.
It would appear that the traditional Mayan way of life is at a cross roads or tipping point of being lost on today's Mayan generation. As development comes to this part of the world, Reyes tells us that many of the children in the villages do not care to learn the stories and ways of their parents. The thought of losing such history and culture makes me feel so lucky to have experienced it before it is gone but at the same time so sad to know that as this rich culture becomes more "civilized" the integrity of their way of life is being compromised. The juxtaposition of this simply and tradition laden way of life with our own plugged in/gotta have it now existence leaves me wondering how much have we already lost in our race to be more advance and more civilized!?!
Blog post 3 5/23
It is hard to imagine that it is only day 3 of this incredible 12 day trip. Already we have done and seen so much that we could call it quits now and feel like we had the experience of a lifetime... but why would we do something silly like that when there is so much more left to experience!!! With such a great group of Mount people to travel with and so much more to share together I can't wait to wake up each morning and embrace what our adventures and service in Belize will bring!
