In this interview, you’ll hear from Simon Tran, a Peace Corps Youth Development volunteer in Belize. Simon shares what daily life looks like, the work being done, and how service has shaped their personal and professional growth. You’ll learn about housing, cultural differences, project work, language learning, and what it’s like to live and work in a new country. This interview offers a real look into Peace Corps service and what future volunteers can expect.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Social Identity
- Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. What do you do as a Peace Corps Youth Development volunteer in Belize?
I am a Volunteer under the Youth Empowered by Sports (YES) project. That means my service entails working with an assigned primary school to implement sports programs that result in positive youth development, collaborating with the National Sports Council (NSC) of Belize to facilitate youth sports tournaments and camps, and working with parents/caregivers to promote youth participation in sports. I also work with my counterparts to blend in life skills in our sports programs that will not only make them better athletes, but also well-rounded individuals who can succeed in every other domain in their lives in the future.
My day starts in the office
My typical day usually starts with visiting my local NSC office in the morning, where I confer with my counterparts to prepare for upcoming sports tournaments, camps, or other community events that require the assistance of the NSC. The local NSC office I serve at has one administrative officer and two sports coordinators, all of whom are great, hard-working people.
Our sports tournaments run throughout the school year and cover five different disciplines: football, volleyball, track and field, basketball, and softball. We help our NSC counterparts plan and run these tournaments to ensure that they run smoothly, allowing teachers and students to have fun participating.
During the summer, we run sports camps for all the disciplines above, partnering with local sports organizations in the process. Sometimes, other people or organizations come to the NSC to help them facilitate a community event. This could include a 10K race, an inter-office Sports Day competition, or an anti-bullying initiative started by the primary schools we serve. Regardless of what we’re doing, it is always fun to serve with the NSC and assist in putting on events that the community enjoys.
Afternoons are spent at school
In the afternoon, I go to my assigned primary school to prepare and lead sports club lessons with my school counterparts. The sport we’re coaching depends on whichever one has the closest tournament coming up. All five of the disciplines mentioned above that NSC runs tournaments for are sports we practice. Recently, we concluded a grant this past school year that increased parent/community support in our school sports program and bolstered the love students have for sports at our school.
The biggest achievement coming from our grant was the successful implementation of the school’s first Family Fun Day, a new initiative started by our school’s sports committee and a group of dedicated parents who volunteered their time to help our school.
Our Family Fun Day event allowed our school community to get together and take part in many fun activities that boosted the morale of everyone involved. Students got to bounce on a trampoline, win cool toys/prizes, make their slime, and challenge others in the various board games we had to offer. Parents and students also got to compete in our various Sports Day games (sack race, three-legged race, tug-of-war, etc.) for a chance to win cool prizes that were raffled off.
Our Family Fun Day was made possible through the efforts of our community: parents, local businesses, our city council, and other community members supported our event in a way that allowed us to use minimal grant funds to finance it.
I also worked with my school to create an identity for the school’s sports teams. We now have a mascot along with uniforms, hats, shirts, and potentially other merchandise that’ll help increase our school pride. My colleagues and I are proud to be Ocelots, an animal that represents strength, ability, adaptability, and the country of Belize.
Soon handing it over to a new PCV
Since I am in my last two-and-a-half months of service, I am in the process of transitioning out of my term. My school is receiving another PCV by the name of Mike, who will be taking over my role at the school once I’ve closed my service. Mike is a great person who brings a lot of experience in coaching sports. I’m looking forward to supporting Mike’s entry into his new community and school, and wrapping up my service as it comes to a bittersweet end.
2. Why did you decide to join the Peace Corps and serve in Belize?
I became interested in the Peace Corps when I learned about the organization because of the opportunity to create meaningful change while living in a new country, learning a new culture. Growing up in and living in San Diego my whole life before Peace Corps influenced my decision to join in two significant ways.
I had lived in San Diego my whole life and desired an environment change in the future. At the same time, growing up in an environment surrounded by so much multiculturalism inspired me to consider moving/working overseas for the chance to learn about other cultures and practice cross-cultural exchange. Pairing that with the opportunity to empower local organizations and/or communities to make positive, sustainable change made me feel that this was the perfect next step for me following my undergraduate studies.
I applied to the Peace Corps with the flexibility to serve where needed most, as long as it was in the health sector. I got matched with Belize, and although I did not apply to Belize directly, I decided to stick with the Post because of my interest and curiosity in Belize’s multiculturalism, food, music, environment, and language.
Now that I’ve lived here for two years, I can happily say that I have a deep appreciation for all of those features mentioned and have no regrets in sticking with Belize as my country to serve in. The relationships I’ve been able to make here, along with the unique features of this country, will be dearly missed when I return home to the U.S.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. What is your housing like in Belize?
As the first cohort of the YES project, I have lived in an urban setting throughout my time in Belize. Only recently, with the third cohort of YES, has the project expanded to place more Volunteers in villages and rural settings.
Daily comforts are not a problem
Going into the Peace Corps, I had no expectations and understood that I might experience living without the amenities that I took for granted in the U.S. In reality, I’ve only experienced minor inconveniences as a PCV in Belize.
- My water has gone out just a few times here in Belize, with some of those outages being planned and expected, just as with electricity.
- I thought I would have to handwash my clothes when I have access to both a washing machine and a dryer, in case I cannot hang my clothes outside due to rainy weather.
- When it gets hot, I almost always have access to a fan and, in some cases, air conditioning.
- Phone service and internet connection are largely reliable.
Daily comforts are not a problem with my living situation, and I’m grateful for that.
Living with a host family
Since arriving in Belize, I have lived with a host family the entire duration of my service. I lived with a single host during my Pre-Service Training (PST) and have been living with an elderly couple since then. I am in the minority in this case, as many PCVs in Belize choose to live independently after at least six months of service. I’ve chosen to stay with my host family because not only do I enjoy living with them, but I feel that I’m able to live independently enough in my situation to get the best of both worlds. I can engage in host family bonding while also having time for myself without any complaints.
My host family has been fundamental to my integration into my community. Although they could easily speak English to me, they always talk to me in Belizean Kriol to enhance my understanding of the local language. They are also wonderful people who have introduced me to other amazing family and friends in the community. Aside from integration and cultural exchange, I’ve learned a lot from them about how to keep clean and tidy.
My daily diet and cooking
My host mother sometimes cooks me meals, but I am mostly responsible for my meals. My daily diet mainly consists of the most common and affordable local foods such as chicken, tortillas, beans, white rice, and local fruits and vegetables. You cannot find berries for cheap as it is not grown here, but there are plenty of options for fruits depending on the season, such as bananas, mangos, avocados, watermelon, papayas, and more. Vegetables are a bit tougher to find for an affordable price, but you can still get bell peppers, onions, carrots, and potatoes in your daily diet.
The food is one of my favorite aspects of Belize, as there are plenty of delicious foods to try here. The most popular dish to get here is stew chicken with rice and beans. You can buy it from a vendor for a relatively affordable price, and I’ve also had the privilege of learning how to stew my chicken from my host mom.
Where I live, there are many great options to eat, and in some cases can be cheaper than the meals you make with groceries. Some of my favorite foods to eat here are corn foods such as salbutes, panades, garnaches, and tamales, along with fry jacks, burritos, escabeche, and rolled tacos commonly referred to as Orange Walk tacos, named after a town and district in Belize. There might be foods I miss from home that I cannot get in Belize, but the food here is good enough to always keep me satisfied.
4. What moments or interactions stand out during your service?
Family Day
Going back to the first question I answered, the successful implementation of my school’s first Family Day stands out as one of the happiest project-related moments and accomplishments during my time here.
The culmination of that event, after nearly one year in the making of fleshing out the idea for it, then planning for it, was very rewarding for me and my school. It took several months to flesh out the idea of this event when applying for our grant, and we also encountered multiple postponements due to other conflicting events and weather, which only increased the anticipation for this event. The result was a fun event that stood out as the biggest initiative the school has ever taken on, all made possible with hard work and proper planning.
It’s very common to go through your service feeling like you’re not making an impact and that you’re not doing enough, but the achievement that is our Family Fun Day is proof that the things that I’m doing are not only making a positive difference, but also show strong signs of sustainability.
This event took place while our grant was paused, and we weren’t allowed to spend money from it due to the defunding of USAID. Coming together with my school and community to make this event possible despite the circumstances was very special to me. Given that it was our first time running this event, we thought we would run into more logistical problems than we did, so it was surreal to see the event run so smoothly with everyone present having fun.
Sports clubs
I have lots of good memories working with the sports clubs at my school. Seeing young athletes playing a sport they never played before, then blossoming into a talented athlete the next school year, has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had here.
Girls’ softball team
One moment that stood out in particular was the resolve of my school’s girls’ softball team during a tournament. The team was playing a best-of-3 series against another team. The first game of this series did not go great for us. Some of the girls were nervous and did not perform like they did during practice. Additionally, because all of them were playing for the first time, they had struggled with many aspects of the game and got blown out as a result. One of the girls even got hurt after running into an opposing player.
After the game, my counterparts spoke with the girls and asked if they wanted to forfeit the series due to the disappointing outcome. Despite what they had experienced in their first game, none of the girls wanted to quit. Even if they were going to get blown out again, they wanted to continue to play the series to gain experience and have fun.
The next day, they came out as a completely different team. There were no nerves, no dwelling on the past. Instead, the girls were upbeat with limitless energy and determination to be the best softball players they could be that day. They ended up losing the game, but that did not matter. What did matter was that they kept the game close in the end against a team with bigger, older athletes and became better athletes than they were the other day.
It was rewarding not only to see them play much better the next day, but to see them effectively apply the life skills we’ve been weaving into our sports club sessions. Self-confidence, teamwork, perseverance, a positive attitude, and a growth mindset were on full display that day I and my counterparts couldn’t be prouder.
Boys’ softball team
This occurred on the same day our boys’ softball team got a huge win after they devised a strategy largely on their own to secure runs by walking, resisting the urge to swing the bat on a bad pitch. Since that day during my first year of service, the students have realized more and more that not everything is about winning, but about the process to get there.
My Kriol gets compliments
Aside from the moments relating to my project, there have been so many interactions and memories during my time here that it is very hard to choose from. It’s always rewarding and wholesome when a Host Country National (HCN) praises my Kriol, my ability to sing the lyrics of a popular song in Belize, or my ability to execute a cultural dance.
Rotaract Club
One significant success with my integration has been my involvement with my site’s local Rotaract Club (which partners with the Rotary Club). Getting involved with Rotaract allowed me to interact with like-minded, service-oriented young adults like me who want to make positive, sustainable change for our community.
Through Rotaract, I’ve been able to engage in community service such as environmental cleanups, back-to-school drives, painting daycare centers, and gifting new mothers gift baskets. Given that I started my involvement with Rotaract in the second year of my service, I was expecting to remain as a prospect for the remainder of my time in Belize and never become a full member with them.
It was to my surprise when, at the ceremony for the end of Rotaract’s fiscal year in July 2025, I was called up to receive my pin and become a full-fledged member of my local Rotaract club. During the ceremony, several board members praised my commitment to service in my primary project and with Rotaract, and felt that I represented the goals of Rotaract well. I’m very pleased to have found and joined the Rotaract club in my site and make new lifelong friends who are also role models to look up to for my professional and personal aspirations.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about living or working in Belize?
Big city to small town
Before coming to Belize, I knew that my life would be different from a social perspective, moving from a big city with a population of 1.4 million in San Diego to a country whose population is three times smaller. Nonetheless, it was surprising to experience for myself what living in a much smaller community was like. Although my site is considered a city, the population is that of a small town, around 13,000. Despite the growth my site has seen in the past few years, it remains largely close-knit, with almost everybody knowing everybody.
My Post staff made sure to emphasize just how important it is to have a good reputation in your community, as rumors about yourself can spread quickly, even across the entire country. I’ve learned to appreciate this about my site, as it’s always nice to unexpectedly meet people who are friends and family with your counterparts, host family, or HCN friends. Even far from your site you will meet people who have some sort of connection with the people in your circle.
Youth development differences
This aspect of Belize changes what working with youth is like in contrast to youth development in the U.S. Many youth in the primary school I serve are either related to the teachers at my school or have parents who are good friends with the teachers at our school. Although I’ve been able to connect personally with many youth I’ve worked with in the past in the US, my relationships with them, along with parents and teachers, was professional. What is considered a professional and appropriate relationship between a teacher and a student differs drastically in Belize due to the country being so small.
In the US, I rarely ever ran into my students or spend time with my teachers in a setting outside of work. In Belize, I run into students, teachers, and parents everywhere I go. If I’m hanging out with my teachers at a party, students I know are also there. I haven’t been to any festival or public event without seeing a student that I know. Two of my host mother’s great-grandchildren studied at the school I serve at.
Once I’ve realized the lenient boundaries between teachers and youth, I put down my guard and connected with my counterparts and students in a deeper way. The bonds that I formed with them will be something I always cherish when I return home.
6. What challenges have you faced in your Youth Development work, and how did you respond?
Slower work pace
One challenge that is universal among nearly all Peace Corps services is a slower work pace. In the U.S., we are accustomed to getting things done quickly, meeting short deadlines, multitasking, and handling things under significant amounts of pressure. You will rarely find that to be the case in any country with a Peace Corps Post.
Grant process
This became somewhat frustrating to deal with when I was working with my school to apply for a grant. Everyone on the team wanted to earn the grant and successfully apply for it, and we also all agreed that the best time to do so was before the start of the school year when we would all be much busier. By the time I was done with summer camp and ready to place my primary focus on this grant application, my counterparts were ready to meet.
There was a deadline to submit the application by if we wanted to get the grant funds at the start of the school year, but because my counterparts and I couldn’t find the time to meet and complete the application by the deadline, we would have to wait until next month. I was upset with this because I feared that the grant application would keep getting pushed back until it was too late.
There’s not been a single time when I’ve struggled more with the relaxed work pace in my host country. It took a lot of reflection, learning, and conversations with my counterparts to understand that what I was pushing for and the deadline for it were unrealistic. Even in the summer, teachers and administration are busy with completing trainings and workshops mandated by the Ministry of Education, preparing their classrooms without reimbursement, and dealing with several administrative tasks to prepare for the new school year.
Practicing patience
What I needed to do, rather than rushing to complete the grant application, was to understand the perspective of my counterparts, continue to solidify my relationships with them, and practice patience. If my counterparts truly want this grant, the application and the work required after will get done. Eventually, the school sports committee and I met to tackle the grant application, putting our heads together and breaking down each and every task needed for it to be completed.
In October of last year, we submitted our grant application and successfully presented it. My program manager and others present at the presentation were very impressed with our initiative and the detail we had in our application, and that couldn’t have been possible if we had rushed to complete it. All it took was patience from my part and strong communication between each other to get the job done. Looking back, I can’t believe I was so frustrated in the first place. My counterparts are hard-working, underappreciated people who will put in the effort to get whatever is needed done at the end of the day.
Unexpected situations
Another challenge that can come up serving in the Peace Corps is encountering unexpected situations that you may not be fully prepared for, which can be common working in a new country. What that looks like as a Youth Development Volunteer in Belize is when a facilitator expected to lead a summer camp does not show up. We as PCVs are never allowed to work with children alone and when this came up at our camp, we did have at least one other coach to work with.
However, during our basketball summer camp in my first year of service, the other coach was both young and relatively new to coaching. This means the responsibility lies upon the PCVs to lead these camp sessions and ensure the kids get something positive out of it.
When this happened, the other PCVs at my site and I would come together to make up some drills on the spot. We would always start off with a fun warm up before going into drills that focus on every skill fundamental to basketball, which includes defending, passing, dribbling, and scoring. The camps still remained successful despite our lead facilitator not always showing up. By the end of the camp, the kids we worked with made great strides in their basketball-playing abilities.
Making sure HCN coach was involved
The most important thing I tried to emphasize at this camp was ensuring that the young HCN coach we were working with is involved. As a PCV, we have to be mindful that we’re not doing all the work ourselves to ensure sustainability. Everything we facilitated, I made sure that my counterpart also helped with. At times, we would give him ideas/drills for him to take the lead on running while we assisted from the sidelines. Any ideas we came up with, I made sure to communicate with my counterpart and explain how to execute it along with the reasoning behind it.
The following year’s basketball summer camp, the same counterpart returned to coach with other HCN colleagues of his age. It was incredible to see how much he transformed as a coach from the first year working with him. He led the camp without needing much input from us, and there is now a solid plan for the camp moving forward, with young, motivated coaches like him to serve the youth in our community once myself and other PCVs are gone.
7. What secondary projects have you worked on during your service?
Our first year of service was spent largely on our primary project as instructed by our Post to get the ball rolling, considering that we were the first cohort of the YES project. During my second year of service, my first secondary project I worked on was the anti-bullying initiative at my school.
Anti-Bullying Week
My primary school designated the first week of November as “Anti-Bullying Week.” Before that week, I worked with my principal to come up with ideas and activities to fill that week. It was very rewarding to have done so because that week was fun and filled with joy amongst the school. Students worked on posters and other artistic projects that explained why bullying is not okay. Guest speakers, well-respected in the community, came to talk to the students about how to recognize bullying and combat it.
We also had a creative arts competition where students performed dances, poems, and raps that raised awareness on bullying. I even joined in on the fun and recorded a rap myself on the last day of the week! The week ended with a parade that the entire school went on at the busiest road in my site. The students showed off their colorful banners and shouted chants that expressed their opposition to bullying. Anti-bullying dri-fit shirts designed for the Belizean climate and keychains were also sold to raise money for the school.
Although it was a successful week, the work does not stop there. In our primary project, we always promote the importance of kind vibes and respect to your peers. Students in and out of sports have internalized the lessons they’ve learned from that week to continue to make our school a vibrant one.
School garden
In regard to vibrancy, another project I worked on is the school garden. My teachers not a part of the sports committee, began work on the garden last year, so this year’s focus was on making it better. The plan was to plant more crops and decorate them to be entered into the National School Garden Contest. While I have little to no experience in agriculture, I lended my help in painting and decorating to make our school garden look like a place anyone wanted to be in.
My counterparts also had the idea of giving our garden an educational theme: a storybook garden where nature tells a tale. A public bookcase was built in front of the garden for kids to borrow and read while visiting the garden. Seats and benches were made with resources available at the school for kids to sit on while they read. Students also got to decorate rocks during the school day with inspirational quotes and short poems. What came out of this project was a national school garden finalist.
Although the garden didn’t win, it was revolutionary in that it was the first garden to have a theme connected to a school subject. Moving forward, the judges will now consider the connection to education as a category in judging a school garden. What’s a better consolidation prize to winning than being groundbreaking?
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to future Youth Development volunteers in Belize?
Build trust in the community
I’ve mentioned before that continuing to improve my relationships on a professional and personal level with my counterparts was crucial to getting over the hump of successfully writing our grant. What I needed to do to be productive with my counterparts is no different from any other Youth Development Volunteer in Belize or most, if not all, Volunteers across every other sector globally.
Coming into your host country as a foreigner, you have to build trust with your community for people to want to work with you on any project, big or small. Be present at your school and partnering association regularly at the start of your service, even if there’s nothing to do. Eventually, your counterparts will be more receptive to what you came here to do, and progress can be made over time.
Exhibit positive energy for your students
When you start working at your school, you will find that the teachers hold a lot of authority over their students in Belize compared to the low power distance culture back home. You will want your students to respect you and similarly follow your instructions, but you also have the unique position of being an adult they can trust and confide in.
It’s been taught during PST that the school staff has the primary role in disciplining, and that is where you come in to interact with the kids differently, acting almost like an older sibling. The kids will also tend to follow your example, so keep in mind that they will pick up on whatever your actions and body language demonstrate. Be sure to exhibit positive energy for your students, even on your bad days.
Work changes during service
When you reach your site, be prepared to meet your counterpart where their needs are. This may be as an assistant coach while your counterpart leads sports club sessions, or the opposite, where you are running the club itself. Eventually, whatever tasks you primarily do must be passed on to the counterpart. In your second year, start to ease off and let the other counterparts do them.
At the start of my service, I was the person who contacted parents the most for updates regarding sports clubs and tournaments. Depending on the coach I was working with, I would also run practice on some occasions, and if I wasn’t, I was recording attendance for our practices or managing the equipment.
In the last few months, during my time here, I would refrain from doing these tasks or encourage others to do them. Students now take a larger role in managing the equipment and can help with attendance, while the teachers are more responsive in their communication with parents of our student athletes.
For inexperienced coaches, find the time to train them or go over drills/strategies with them so they can feel more comfortable as a lead coach when you are gone. At the same time, do not come off as condescending to the more experienced coaches you’re working with. At the end of the day, you are both equals. Offer suggestions to improve sports club practices when appropriate, and when you’ve worked with them for a solid amount of time.
9. How did Peace Corps training prepare you for service?
Pre-Service Training (PST)
With Pre-Service Training (PST), I was able to settle into the country. Eleven weeks of training at the start of our time in Belize were a good enough time to adapt to the country before entering service and learning largely on our own. The training staff and Language & Culture Facilitators (LCF) taught me enough about the language, food, music, social norms, work pace, and other aspects of Belize to prepare me for the next two years.
PST can be overwhelming and frustrating for a lot of trainees, however. It feels like you’re on a leash, where you are being observed every minute you’re in the office for training. There may also be some aspects of your homestay you are uncomfortable with, and you might experience some challenges with your health as you’re adjusting to the weather, food, language, and being away from your family and friends back home.
Know that the situation is temporary, and that it changes significantly when you are done with PST. Some will stay in the same site as PST, but everyone will enter a new living situation. Even if some do not leave their training site, their service, they will also have much less structure than when they were in training.
Ultimately, many of us who struggled some during PST have since blossomed into fine PCVs who have done well with the freedom and independence granted to us after. Find your support system in your cohort and lean on each other to make it through PST. Service is still challenging after, but it’ll be different.
In-Service Trainings (IST)
In between PST and Mid-Service Training (MST) were two In-Service Trainings (IST) that were facilitated by our post. The first IST covered organizational development and how to complete an Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) with our NSC office. The second IST covered Project Design & Management (PDM), where we learned all about applying for a grant and creating the ideas for it.
IST helped bolster the technical aspect of our service, which was lacking in PST. It also gave us the space to brainstorm ideas for grants and ways to improve as an organization with our counterparts, and even get to know them on a personal level, further cultivating our bonds with the partners we serve. The IST was instrumental in a successful grant with my school and the successful camps/tournaments that were facilitated with my local NSC office.
Even if it may look good for your service to complete a grant, please do not force it on your community if they don’t want it. Some counterparts/organizations may express a desire for a grant (who doesn’t want more money), but will not want to put in the time and effort for the grant. The reasons why my school counterparts and I were able to make our grant idea a reality were that my counterparts were willing to do what it took to receive the grant, and that the initiative of our grant had community buy-in.
Even if you don’t end up doing a grant (and it’s tougher now to do one than before), there are plenty of opportunities to make your service an enriching one with substantial impact.
Mid-Service Training (MST)
For our Mid-Service Training (MST), Post staff focused on how we can work with parents/caregivers to promote youth participation in sports. The concepts provided in this training inspired the later actions in my grant with my school, focusing on the collaboration with our parent committee to bring about our first Family Fun Day. It also introduced the idea of using older youth, such as high school and/or college students, as volunteers for your project goals, as well as in roles where parents and other community members are unavailable.
This also influenced our Family Fun Day, as we had youth manage a station for kids to make their own slime and a local scout group manage a station for board games. At this point in your service, you will likely be at your most productive with your community, which introduces new challenges to your service from your first year. Be sure that you and your counterparts are intentional in what y’all plan to do, and that everything done relating to your projects has strong community support.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
10. What would you tell future volunteers to pack—or leave behind?
Recommended
Not only is it hot in Belize, but depending on the nature of your service, you may be out in the sun for extended periods of time. Whether that is the case or not, please bring Dri-Fit clothes and whatever helps you feel dry and comfortable when you’re outside. Especially keep that in mind when you’re deciding what business casual clothes to pack. Dri-fit polos are my go-to when I need to wear them for Peace Corps trainings or certain events at my school.
Zip-off pants are also great to bring, which are flexible for whatever weather you’re experiencing in Belize. I wear shorts all the time, but if you struggle with bug bites, it may be useful to pack the kind of pants I mentioned in my previous sentence along with joggers and other athletic pants.
If you really want to show that you’re integrating, bring some washcloths or hand towels. It’ll be handy to carry with you to wipe your sweat off as you’re out in public. A handheld fan also does the trick. Eventually, you’ll adapt to the hot climate so well that when the temperature drops to 70 degrees or lower in December, you’ll get chilly.
Bring a couple of light jackets or sweaters to wear in this type of weather, preferably waterproof for when it rains. Sweatpants can be useful in this weather, too, but I’ve found I’ve only worn mine a handful of times throughout the year. Bring at least two pairs of athletic shoes and a couple of your best outfits for going out. Some members of my cohort regretted not doing so.
Things I wish I had brought
I only brought one checked luggage bag with me, so there wasn’t much that I would have elected to leave behind. The one thing I regretted not packing with me, though, is protein powder, as it is expensive to purchase in Belize. Another item that isn’t as accessible to buy here is an insulated water bottle that’ll keep your hydration fluids cold. That’ll come in handy for the hotter days in the country.
Downtime hobbies
In your downtime, it’s good to pack whatever hobbies that are light in your suitcase to pack. I couldn’t bring my keyboard, but I packed decks of cards to play with friends and a few books to read. If you’re an athletic person, it may be nice to pack a pair of cleats, a baseball glove with a couple of balls, and whatever else is again, light to pack (only bring for your own leisure, not to donate).
Swearing-In outfit
For fancy occasions such as the Swearing-In Ceremony, bring a nice outfit, but keep in mind you may only use it on a handful of occasions throughout your entire service.
11. How has language learning been for you in Belize?
Learning Kriol
Between the two languages that you can be assigned to, Kriol and Spanish, I was given Kriol, and I am glad to have been able to learn it. Kriol is an interesting language in that it is based on English, with some words sounding the same. However, the similarity between the two languages is what makes Kriol hard to master. It’s easy to revert to speaking English when trying to speak Kriol. The specific grammatical rules of Kriol will take some time to get down if you want to be proficient in speaking it.
The best way you can learn some Kriol is if you utilize the resources that Peace Corps Belize gives you pre-departure. Otherwise, all learning begins when you reach site. Ultimately, given that Belize is an English-speaking country, it doesn’t matter that you’re incredibly fluent in Kriol. The most important thing with Kriol is that you can at least write a few sentences and phrases, and that you can understand when it’s being spoken, to know if others are talking about you. People love it when you talk Kriol, and you’ll be able to get better prices and discounts with just a sentence or a few phrases in Kriol, demonstrating you’re not a tourist.
Nonetheless, I’ve been able to become a strong Kriol speaker amongst my peers thanks to my host family, who primarily speaks to me in Kriol. I’m lucky to have a host family who doesn’t mind conversing with me in Kriol, as others have had difficulty with being able to do that with theirs. Some host families or HCNs may find it weird that you insist on talking in Kriol with them, so it will take a lot of insistence on your part if Kriol is a language you want to master. I placed Intermediate-High during my MST Language Proficiency Interview (LPI), and I’m waiting for my results of my final LPI with the hopes of an advanced placement!
Spanish
It’s common for foreigners to believe that because Belize is a Central American country, Spanish is heavily spoken. However, I’ve come to see that Kriol is a more ubiquitous language unique to the country. If you are not in a rural area or village where Spanish is primarily spoken, you will find it more difficult to improve in Spanish if you do not seek out a tutor after PST. Except for a couple of my peers, everyone in my cohort who was assigned Spanish was sent to towns where Kriol was spoken more than Spanish.
Even if you’re placed in a host family capable of speaking Spanish, you may find that they prefer to speak English with you, and that they also talk in Kriol amongst each other. That being said, I’ve seen a few Volunteers become extraordinary Spanish speakers, but it will take a lot of hard work on your part to do so (not that it doesn’t take a lot of hard work to be a great Kriol speaker either). It definitely doesn’t hurt to learn Spanish before arriving in-country, but note that you may not get that language.
Social Identity
12. How has your personal identity shaped your service experience?
Cisgender male
As a cisgender male, I’m expected to go along with the patriarchal views that many in the country have. I feel a lot for my female peers at times, because they experience a lot of unwanted attention, catcalling, and dismissal of their ideas. Even the Peace Corps staff, at times, calls primarily or solely on male Volunteers to help complete physical tasks for them.
With that being the case, be sure to advocate for your Volunteers who are women. Sometimes, you may not realize that you’re advocating for them because certain things you consider normal for someone of the female gender to do are not so normal in Belize. I gave credit where credit was due to a female PCV and a friend of mine for a great idea she had, which she thanked me for doing so. Be sure to do the same if you’re a male PCV heading to Belize, and also be confident towards HCNs about the physical capabilities of your female peers as well.
Vietnamese identity
The most significant aspect of my identity that has shaped my experience in Belize is my Vietnamese identity. There is a decent-sized population of Asians in Belize, who are mostly Chinese or Taiwanese. They mostly either own and work in supermarkets or run Chinese restaurants. Because of my identity and my Kriol-speaking, I am sometimes mistaken for a local. While that is mostly a good thing, it can be problematic in some ways.
I also find that I am sometimes not viewed the same way as a Caucasian-looking PCV. On a few occasions, HCNs will treat my peers with respect as if they’re visiting guests, while they see me as just another Asian person who owns a shop or sells chow mein.
13. Did your identity lead to specific challenges or situations?
Coming from a diverse city in San Diego, where there are many Vietnamese people like me, I found it difficult at first to handle situations where I suspect racism simply because they do not come up much back home. Because the Asian community in Belize is almost exclusively Chinese/Taiwanese, I’m sometimes called “China man” or “Chinee bwai” when I’m out in public.
At every chance I get, I try my best to educate people about my Vietnamese background, sometimes telling others about my language, traditional foods, and the martial arts practiced in my ancestral country. Most people I interact with in this way will understand and not make the same comments the next time they see you.
Someone I know well in Belize still joked about me being Chinese even when they knew I wasn’t, but I’ve since told the person I don’t appreciate those jokes, and they apologized. But in some cases, you’ll meet strangers and drunks who will not want to understand and still try to belittle your ethnicity, which resulted in my worst experience in Belize. While I can handle myself in these situations, I’m lucky to have fellow PCVs and HCNs who will defend and back me up to make me feel a little better when these situations arise.
14. What advice do you have for volunteers who share your identity?
Many HCNs have told me that most Belizeans who may appear to be racist or malicious are really just “ignorant” or genuinely find it tough to comprehend Asia being comprised of more than a few countries. I do agree with this notion based on my experiences, and have found that most people are just curious.
It may help to use a map to show others where you and/or your family come from. Speak on or share other aspects of your culture that will allow those you’re speaking with to better identify it. The best people to educate on this topic are the students you work with, or any youth, for that matter. When I see youth repeating the same “Chinee bwai” remarks or mocking the way Chinese/Taiwanese/other Asian people speak, I talk with them about why that’s rude. I don’t ever hear those comments again from the same students. This way, the youth are less likely to repeat those behaviors when they get older.
In some cases, others may not be worth your time. Whether that would be strangers you don’t know or drunk people out in public, it may be best to show some disapproval and walk away. Fighting every single battle revolving around your identity will leave you feeling resentful and exhausted. We are taught by PCVs to be friendly and outgoing, but it’s okay to show anger and disgust at people who aren’t treating us nicely. Some people are not worth being friendly or peaceful with, so don’t (just avoid escalating the situation). It may be helpful to also speak with fellow PCVs you’re with and your counterparts you trust on how you want them to support you in these situations.
Final Thoughts
15. What final advice or thoughts would you share with future volunteers?
Regardless of the downsides I’ve shared about my time in Belize, I’m happy to call this jewel of a country my home for the past two years. Enjoy the country and appreciate the food, music, natural wonders, and other amazing aspects of Belizean culture. Be sure to complement hard work in service with the exploration of all the cool places to see in Belize. Visit the PCVs you’ve befriended at their sites and stay connected with them. My friendship and shared experiences with literally every single person in my cohort are invaluable factors in my feeling positive about my service.
Patience, patience, patience!
You won’t be busy right away, and your projects will likely be slow to gain momentum. However, it is worth the wait, and with thoughtful collaboration with your partners, your projects will take off. Even if you don’t see the value in your service, chances are the best of your work will arrive long after you’ve left your host country. Your service and presence mean a lot to many more people than you might expect.
Be patient with the integration as well. I took the time to get adjusted to life in Belize and felt I wasn’t making enough HCN friends. Since then, I started making a lot more friends all of a sudden through mutual contacts and getting involved in the community. Trust the process over time and don’t force yourself into saying yes to everything you’re asked to do.
If you’re coming in to do the YES project, you’ll gladly have more structure to do meaningful work than when my cohort and I did in YES1.
Remain flexible
Remain flexible and accepting of whatever comes your way: what language you’ll learn, whether you’re placed in an urban or rural site, and so on. A lot of PCVs (outside of extenuating circumstances beyond their control) ended their service early because they couldn’t adjust. Even so, don’t beat yourself up should the challenges of service become insurmountable to overcome, and you decide the Peace Corps is not for you. Just about everyone I know who left early has found their feet and is doing well back home.
With that being said, should you complete your service, you’ll grow as a person more than you might think, develop skills you didn’t have before, and strengthen the skills that you already had when you began. Believe in your ability to handle the challenges of service and come out on the other side a person with a stronger foundation to tackle anything coming your way!
P.S. I love music and will link a couple of Spotify playlists below of songs played in Belize. Please note that most of the artists aren’t Belizean, but are nonetheless played often in the country. Please also note that numerous songs also have explicit language: Playlist 1 & Playlist 2
Are you thinking about joining the Peace Corps? If you’re curious about service and ready for something new, apply today. Like Simon, you can live abroad, work with communities, and grow in ways you didn’t expect.
Apply to the Peace Corps and take the next step.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Belize Government.
