00 - The Journey Begins

The trek to Belize was long—and exhausting—but thankfully uneventful. Our group began the journey from two different cities at three different times. Teresa set out from Okemos, Michigan, early Saturday morning, a day ahead of the rest of us, to take care of some logistics before our arrival.

Laura left Okemos at 2 a.m. on Sunday, picking up Joshua and Benjamin in East Lansing and Sanya in Novi. They reached Detroit Metro Airport with barely an hour to spare before the flight to Miami—cutting it a bit too close for comfort. Meanwhile, Sanaye flew into Miami International Saturday morning from Atlanta, where she had been visiting. The four met up in Miami for the final leg of the journey to Philip Goldson International Airport in Belize City.

We ran into only one snag: the airline didn’t transfer our checked bag containing lesson handouts, the LEGO kit for our activities, and Laura’s clothes and toiletries. All crossed their fingers that the airline would get us the wayward bag before Tuesday, when we needed the LEGO kit for a lesson!

Five of the MSU team emerging from the Belize Airport, all sporting big smiles. Starting from the left, Joshua and Benjamin are both in baseball caps, Sanaye and Sanya are both behind Laura and mostly obscured.
Sitting around a table at Di Bruwry in BC getting ready or order lunch. Along the left side from close to far are: Joshua and Benjamin, Teresa's nephew and his wife, and Alex. Along the right from close to far are: Laura, Sanya, and Sanaye. Teresa is taking the photo.

After filing a missing bag report, we finally cleared customs and stepped out into the hot Belizean early-afternoon sun.

There to greet us were Teresa and Alex Cal—Director of PLB’s Path Program, and our guide, driver, and host for the week. They welcomed us warmly and whisked us away for lunch. (We were famished!)

At lunch and on the drive from Belize City to the town of Orange Walk (OW), we began to notice a shift in pace—life here moved more slowly, more intentionally, and seemed deeply rooted in community.

Sanya, Sanaye, and Laura sharing a couch and working with laptops on their laps. It is dark outside. They are in the Via Mi Amor shared living room.
Joshua and Benjamin are also working, but at a counter adjoining the living room in Via Mi Amor

Alex left us at Via Mi Amor, our home-away-from-home in OW, where we began to settle in. With the full team finally in one place, we got to work fine-tuning the week’s lessons. The remaining afternoon and evening were spent working up Slido interactions, Qualtrics surveys, and lesson handouts for Monday’s sessions.

Sanaye, Joshua, Sanya, and Benjamin pose outside of the Maracas Bar and Grill Restaurant in OW, where we had dinner our first evening in Belize.

Most of us experienced Belizean cuisine for the first time at today’s lunch and dinner—and it did not disappoint! Stewed chicken with rice and beans (a national favorite), tangy ceviche, sweet fried plantains, fresh-squeezed juices, and tasty hot sauces introduced us to the region’s rich culinary traditions. We enjoyed a first taste—literally—of Belize’s cultural blend of Maya, Creole, Garifuna, and Mestizo influences. We would learn much more about that in the days to come.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

About This Blog

Image
This spring, Teresa VanderSloot , Director of Broadening Participation K12 Women in Engineering Recruitment and Outreach at Michigan State University (MSU), and I were honored to lead a team of four Computer Science majors —Sania and Sanaye, both recent graduates, and Joshua and Benjamin, both rising seniors—on a week-long educational adventure in Belize. Our goal? Introduce students in 1st through 5th forms (the equivalent of 9 th grade through a first year in higher-ed) to the power of physical computing and how they can use it to solve real-world problems in their communities. A dedicated team at PathLight International Belize (PLB)—a nonprofit committed to empowering Belizean youth through education—hosted our visit, facilitating a vibrant exchange of knowledge, creativity, and culture. This blog chronicles our journey—one filled with hands-on learning, meaningful connections, and unforgettable moments—as we worked tog...
Read more

12 - Old Belize

Image
An Afternoon at Old Belize After wrapping up our final micro:bit session in Belize City on Friday, May 16, we headed to Old Belize for one last adventure together. The plan was simple: enjoy a good meal, relax by the water, and soak in a little more of Belize’s culture and history before the trip came to a close. We started with lunch in the open-air restaurant, where the breeze off the lagoon was the perfect backdrop. From our tables we could see Kukumba Beach, a massive one-million-gallon saltwater pool designed to look like a natural beach, complete with coral sand, thatched palapas, a towering waterslide, and even a Tarzan rope. Next came the much-anticipated ride on the Baby Jaguar Express, a small train that took us through the Old Belize Museum. The exhibits brought Belize’s history vividly to life — from a model of a traditional Garifuna home, where we c...
Read more

06 - Orchid Bay

Image
After our busy Monday and a full morning teaching robotics at Pathlight in Orange Walk, our Pathlight hosts had arranged an excursion to Orchid Bay, a peaceful waterfront community on the northern coast of Belize. The drive from Orange Walk took about an hour and a half, which turned out to be just long enough for Sanaye, Sanya, and Joshua to catch up on some much-needed sleep. Orchid Bay is known for its mix of vacation villas and private residences, with shady coconut palms, calm turquoise waters, and a laid-back vibe. The area has a history as a fishing and trading spot for coastal communities. Today, it’s a quiet getaway popular with both visitors and Belizeans. By the time we rolled in, the afternoon sun was warm and inviting, and the saltwater pool sparkled. Sanaye and Sanya wasted no time slipping into the pool to cool off. Laura attempted to snorkel off the...
Read more