I have been looking forward to my trip to Belize since October of last year, but no amount of time could have prepared me for just how much I’d fall in love with the country, its people, and especially its diverse wildlife.
Our first stop of two was quite rustic to say the least. Calabash Caye hosts the University of Belize’s field station, where my classmates and I spent our first eight of sixteen nights. From the moment we stepped foot on the dock, we were greeted with the upmost hospitality from the staff and nearby conservation officers, making us feel right at home.
Well… almost.
With bunkbeds, a limited water supply, and lots and lots of mosquitos, the field station was a far cry from the accommodations I was used to at home. However, between all of the delicious Creole cuisine, wonderful conversations with our tour guides and my classmates, and breathtaking views both in and out of the ocean, I soon found myself falling into a somewhat comfortable rhythm. I even caught myself imagining what it would look like to live like this day after day, waking up to the nearby grackles and ocean waves, being so closely connected to nature… I went from worrying about whether or not I’d even get any sleep to dreading the day I would wake up in my own bedroom, over a thousand miles away from the Belizean reefs.
The experience of living out on the field, no matter how uncomfortable it may have been in the beginning, has only reinforced my desire to become a conservation biologist. I couldn’t be more grateful for the small trials that led me to fall even more deeply in love with with the ocean and its creatures, as well as the people who work selflessly to protect it every day!