A Worthwhile Trip to Belize

ECSU Women's Soccer Trio Recalls Memorable Summer Experience

Oct. 12, 2009

For some, a “working lunch” is not all that uncommon. But a “working vacation,” well, that’s something entirely different.

That’s exactly what three Eastern Connecticut State University women’s soccer players experienced last summer when they were part of a week-long mission trip volunteering their time in the Central America country of Belize.

ECSU in Belize

The ECSU women's soccer contingent outside the school it volunteered at for a week on the island of San Mateo.

Formerly known as British Honduras, Belize is an independent country of 320,000 people that occupies 8,000 square miles. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the south and west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. As are many rural Central American countries, the banana industry is its largest employer and sugar is its chief crop.

While the three student-athletes – senior Kim Church of Farmington, Conn. and juniors Lauren Hickey of Southwick, Mass. and Stephanie Norell of Stratford, Conn. – used the opportunity to experience the culture and entertainment that the island of San Pedro had to offer, the fundamental reason for the trip was to work at the Holy Anglican Primary School on the impoverished island of San Mateo.

Geographically, the cities are separated only by a small bridge. Economically, they are worlds apart. Observed Norell, “Basically, you crossed a bridge, and you were in poverty.”

Joining the three Eastern students were Kim Church’s parents – Bill and Sheila – Kim’s brother, Travis, and a number of longtime friends of the Church family. The trip materialized after Bill Church chaperoned a youth group on a mission trip to Belize City two years earlier through the Christ Episcopal Church of Avon. That group spent their time building a parking lot for the teachers at a school in Belize City.

Church, Norell and Hickey each saved up about $1,600 for the trip, with minimal contributions coming from local church and service clubs. Each had initially begun saving money last year when the Eastern women’s soccer team began discussing a preseason trip beyond the U.S. borders. When that project fell through, the three re-directed the funds toward Belize.

The town of San Mateo is located on the coast and was built on a landfill. It is an environment that allows townspeople to throw their trash out the window. Buildings in the town are built on stilts to escape the coastal waters below them. In fact, the Eastern contingent was originally expecting to assemble playground equipment as one of their duties, but the landfill that was promised on which to build never arrived.

Each morning, the three Eastern students made the 7:30 a.m. half-mile walk from their living quarters on the island of San Pedro to the primary school. In addition to interacting with the children until school was dismissed in mid-afternoon, they spent much of their time building fences and shelves, drilling, hammering and painting and performing other basic repairs in and around the school. The trio also spent time working in an eye clinic which was set up by an ophthalmologist friend of the Church family and provided relief in the classroom for the teachers who held only high school diplomas.

ECSU in Belize

ECSU women's soccer players (from left) Stephanie Norell, Lauren Hickey and Kim Church gave Brittany (second from right), a student at Holy Anglican Primary School, an Eastern Connecticut State shirt on their last night in Belize.

“It was amazing how (the people) are able to live on the bare necessities of life, compared to our more sophisticated style of living,” noted Hickey. “It was really humbling to see how happy they were (with so few possessions). They didn’t need anything else.”

Norell agreed. “We stood there saying ‘Good morning’ to them at the start of school, and nine out of 10 said good morning back… with a smile. They were dressed nicely, their hair was done,” said Norell. “I would say that they were nicer than the American kids who have everything.”

Hickey says that the exposure to an underdeveloped country was shocking and a valuable learning experience. Although the trio was somewhat prepared for the experience, “It took seeing it to actually believe it,” says Hickey, no stranger to travel abroad. “It was very humbling. I had never seen a third-world country before.”

During lunch break and at recess, the trio played the national game of futbol (soccer) with the youngsters at the school. Their playing partners and opponents usually consisted of boys, as the girls at the school rarely engaged in physical activities. As collegiate players, the Eastern ladies impressed the local players with their skills and athleticism. In a contest pitting the “volunteers” against the local boys on day, Norell scored both goals in a 2-1 victory.

At the end of the school day, many of the children would change out of their school uniforms and walk to the mainland to sell home-crafted goods made by their parents – jewelry, scarves, and pocketbooks – in the hopes of generating income.

The children spoke Spanish and Kriol at home with their families but were taught English and were required to speak English at school, where they were also required to wear uniforms.

After a long day at the school, Church, Hickey and Norell often enjoyed the nightlife of San Pedro with their family and friends, returning to their residence in time to meet an 11 p.m. curfew. They also spent the last day of their “vacation” snorkeling at a number of different locations at the offshore reef.

During the planning stages of the trip, it was strongly suggested that cell phones, ipods and other electronic devices be left at home, although members of the travelling party did have the opportunity to periodically check their email at a computer lab located in their hotel.

“We were told not to bring cell phones or valuable because they (the organizers) were not sure what kind of area we would be going into,” said Norell.

The inability to socialize electronically or communicate with the outside world for a stretch of one week did not concern any of the three, all of whom have been high honors students throughout their undergraduate careers.

While the three admittedly sacrificed a good chunk of their “vacation” time in order to give of themselves to the children of an underdeveloped country, they were quick to agree that what they received in return was well worth the effort.

“I will always remember how grateful (the school children) were of us,” said Church. “They thought that we were the coolest people on the planet for helping them. A bunch of them would come by and visit us (at the hotel) and say ‘Hi.’ They were really grateful for us coming down and they were really sad when we were leaving.”

Story and photos submitted by Eastern Connecticut State athletics.