My brother gave me a book to read right before I left for this trip. It's called "Vagabonding." It's a no-excuses guide to traveling the world and living an unconventional lifestyle. I absolutely loved it. A quote that really stood out to me from that book is below.
"A process not of seeking interesting surroundings, but of being continually interested in whatever surrounds you."
I think this quote can be applied directly to Immersion. I am not constantly doing exciting things, there is a lot of down time, but at the same time, even down time can be interesting. Especially in another country. Immersion is all about taking initiative. In our team covenant we stated that "we will never stop reaching." Reaching out to community members, host families, and teammates.
The combination of the quote from Vagabonding and this specific line from our team covenant specifically describes my past 48 hours.
On Monday I woke up as every other day at 6:40am. I got dressed. put on sunscreen and bug spray. I walked to the outhouse to use the bathroom, brushed my teeth and washed my face at the pipe. I then fixed myself a cup of instant coffee (heavy on the powdered milk and sugar) and did my devotional that my mom sent to me. Once I finished, I decided to do laundry.
Halfway through my bag of dirty clothes Dilieni shouts to me that her mom and dad would like Halsey and I to accompany them to the Mennonite community. Details given by a 10-year-old were "just a 1-mile walk through the bush." The kids went off to school and I watched as mom put on pants under her skirt, long socks and rubber boots. Imitating her, Halsey and I put on our church skirts and closed toe shoes.
We began our trek. My host dad at the front as our fearless leader, swinging his machete and chopping away at any branch or thing in our way. It was not a mile walk. Oh no, it was closer to 5, maybe even more. Because once we got through the bush, we had to walk a long ways through a Mennonite field and down through their community. I'm all for exercise, in fact I miss running and my ab workouts desperately, but there is a reason people don't work out in Belize. If you walk just several miles down the road, you will be dripping in sweat from places you didn't know possible to sweat from. The sun is HOT!
Anyways, there was so much to complain about on this trek. It was hot, I was dirty, I was hungry. The list goes on. But remembering this quote and our team covenant, I didn't stop reaching. I marveled at the beauty of the Mennonite community. I engaged in conversation with some of the children, learning about their family and their animals. I even successfully spoke Spanish with my host mom.
When we got back we were exhausted but it was only 1pm. After lunch and a short rest of sitting down, cooling off, and drinking lots of water, I suggested to Halsey that we go visit our teammates, wayyyy at the other side of the village. About a 40 minute walk, we arrived just in time to find out they were going to their host brother's farm. Without thinking, I jumped in the back of the truck and was off to plant tomatoes. Abbie and Taylor planted, I watered. A half hour after getting there, the heavens opened and the rain poured down. We continued to work, alongside the girls' host family. The soft, fertile soil quickly became mud, caking on to my Chacos and holding me back from my job. I kicked them off and went barefoot. I felt so alive in that moment.
We rode back soaking wet and covered in mud, but smiling the whole time. My teammates' host family allowed me to shower, lent me clothes, and gave me coffee. Their kindness towards me was so sincere and is something easy to forget about when you are away from the comforts of your home and family.
The following day was going to be our teammate Tee's 24th birthday. In Belize they have a tradition of waking people up at 4am the day of their birthday, singing happy birthday and banging pots and pans. I certainly was not going to miss out on this. Halsey and I slept at the girls' house that night.
At 4am we snuck over to Tee's house and sang at the top of our lungs. We banged pots and pans, we popped balloons. We were absolutely obnoxious. His host mom was there too, taking pictures and laughing alongside us. After we got him out of bed, she had made "impossible cake" (the best cake you will ever eat) and hot chocolate. We sat around the table eating and drinking and celebrating Tee. After, we climbed one of the nearby hills and watched the sunrise.
But his day had only just begun. Most of my team went back to sleep, but Jerrica, Tee, and I spent time talking and drinking coffee. The girls' host mom then asked for help on her farm. [PAUSE: I'm still only human. This is a moment where all three of us were physically exhausted. I either needed more caffeine or a nap or maybe both. Farming was not on the to-do list for me that day. But I promised to "never stop reaching." That is my purpose, that is why I am here]. So the three of us jumped up and followed her over to her farm. We picked cucumbers, we planted cucumbers, we had great conversations, and I squealed when I encountered my first live tarantula! It was a great morning that I would've missed out on if I had gone back to bed.
I learned two things: 1. I love farming. 2. You can find excitement in everything you do.
I think this can be applied to everyday life. We don't need to constantly be seeking interesting surroundings—new things, places, people, etc.—but rather we should be continually finding interest in the things that surround us.
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