Michael Del Busto ’15 – My Sunday started with two of my classmates pounding on my front door to wake me up. I had slept through my two alarms, but luckily my classmates made sure I didn’t miss the van to the airport. After quickly throwing clothes on and running out of the door to catch the bus (reminded me of my high school days), I got settled, and we were on our way. The van ride to the airport seemed to take forever because I was so excited to travel. But eventually we got to the airport, and we checked in. We were on our way!
After three flights, a second bus ride, and a boat ride, we arrived at International Zoological Expedition, IZE, in South Water Caye in Belize. Belize was full of life and lush, verdant hills and planes. Immediately upon arrival, we went and snorkeled on the southside of the island. We saw and identified many invertebrate life forms we had studied in class: donkey dung sea cucumber, various corals, and sea stars. It was awesome to be able to apply what we had learned in the classroom to the real world. It gave me great perspective on the interactions between different invertebrates. After our adventure, we washed up and ate a delicious dinner of fried shrimp and rice.
The sun was setting so we headed down to the dock with flashlights to look at more invertebrates. In the shadowy waters, we saw more invertebrates such as sea urchins, octopus, and sea hares. After a full day of travel, we were quite tired and went to the bar on the island where we tried a great local beer, Belikin. We talked with the bartender, Mike, and discussed much about the culture of Belize including sports, food, and politics. It was interesting to hear other people’s opinions on these topics and then compare them to my own beliefs. It definitely created some critical thinking.
The first day of the trip was exhausting, but also exhilarating. Belize should definitely be on everyone’s list of places to visit. You’d better Belize it!
