By Ginger Levinson | Biology | Class of 2023
Education Abroad Program: GFP EE Belize, Summer 2021
For several years now, my personal mantra has been one popularized by one of my favorite stories that has had numerous retellings over the years – Cinderella. In Disney’s 2015 remake of the classic fairy tale, one line stood out to me more than any other:
This one sentence has summed up my goals for personal growth since the moment I most heard it. I’ve had various artistic pieces based on this saying pinned at my desk at every job I’ve held since the movie premiered and it has been my solemn vow to myself not to let fear hold me back; it is my constant reminder that although new experiences can be scary, that’s no reason not to take them on.
Everything about my graduate school journey so far, from applying to beginning classes to undertaking massive projects, has required courage and for me to step outside of my comfort zone, which we all know is where growth happens. The biggest challenge that has by far required the most courage, was my trip to Belize: for every fear I tackled, there was another (and more growth) waiting right behind it.
On this trip, of course there were the minor inconveniences that come from being in a new place without your familiar creature comforts: trying to sleep without air conditioning, showering while bug companions joined you, and making sure not to step on a leaf cutter ant or snake while walking around the TEC. While these parts of the trip required some adjusting, there were bigger challenges to come.
One of my biggest fears for years has been swimming in the ocean. While I’ve always loved being near water, I much prefer the safety and predictability of pools to the ocean. Plus, pools don’t (usually) contain carnivorous fish swimming in close proximity.
Well, for better or worse, this trip was going to cure me of that fear.
After a rough start (and a ripped swimsuit), with the help of some amazing professors and classmates, I managed to snorkel in the middle of the ocean at multiple sites across multiple days. Experiencing the beauty and wonder of the corals in the Southwater Caye Marine Reserve was worth every moment of discomfort that led me to push past my fear.
Even though I work mainly outdoors, I’m not what most people would consider to be the “outdoorsy” type by any stretch of the imagination and hiking has never been my choice of leisure activity. Early in our trip to Belize on our visit to the Community Baboon Sanctuary, I managed to hike without incident! While I still was not completely sold on hiking as a hobby, I had proven to myself that I could hike and survive!
On our next to last night in Belize, we learned that we would be going hiking at Runaway Creek Nature Reserve the following morning. After my successful hike earlier in the trip, I was actually feeling okay about hiking again. . .until I learned that this hike involved caves.
As someone who is also severely claustrophobic, the thought of hiking in caves was enough to give me nightmares. I worried about the hike all night and was extremely nervous the next morning. But keeping my mantra in mind, I told myself I would at least try to go into the caves.
We began the hike in the most beautiful tropical savanna. It had stormed all night and the remaining cloud cover gave the area quite the ethereal look. This was by far my favorite area of the nature reserve and I could have stayed all day.
Runaway Creek Nature Reserve
However, adventure awaited and we pushed on past the edge of the savanna and hiked into the rainforest. But this hike was much different than our previous hike. The terrain was much more challenging; the inclines mixed with the rain had created muddy and slick conditions that were much were demanding. Despite my best efforts, this time the hike got the best of me. . .I slipped going uphill and my ribs met the edge of a very sharp rock on my way down. I knew instantly that I was seriously hurt (I’ll spare you the picture of my battered ribs) but I was not going to let that stop me from finishing this hike. We were almost to our first cave by that time in our hike and suddenly a cave did not seem so scary. If I could survive that fall, I could definitely survive going into a cave for a few minutes.
Despite my injury, I managed to complete the hike and go into not one, but two caves! I had shown myself that I could stare fear directly in the face and then bulldoze right past it.
Since returning home, this outlook has stuck with me. Things that used to terrify me no longer felt like a big deal and I’ve conquered even more fears in the past three months. I am truly no longer letting fear hold me back and I have been able to accomplish many things I’m proud of because of that.
While I’m not necessarily ready to return to Belize anytime soon, I am thankful for my time there and all the lessons I learned along the way.