Simon T.

1. What got you interested in the Peace Corps?

I first heard about the Peace Corps at a recruiting event as an undergraduate student. Multiple service organizations were presenting, but the Peace Corps stuck out to me because of my interest in exploring the world while volunteering for a cause I’m passionate about. While growing up and living in San Diego had been a nice experience, I felt stuck at the time and wanted to go abroad to experience something different. I wanted to immerse myself in a country with a different culture and see how I could assist in the matters important to them. Even when the program was suspended due to COVID, I was willing to stick it out and work in positions that would give me invaluable Peace Corps experience while waiting.

2. What projects are you working on?

The project that I am serving under is the Youth Development through Sports (YES) project. Under YES, I volunteer with the National Sports Council (NSC) of Belize and a primary school in a city in central Belize. With the NSC, I assist in running primary school sports tournaments as well as other community sports events. During the summer, I also help run summer sports camps. I also support my counterpart, Ms. Angie, with whatever can help her do her job. I work with 5 other great Volunteers.

At the primary school, I help recruit youth to train in sports clubs after school. We also incorporate life skills lessons to help them with their personal and athletic development. I work with the school’s sports committee, consisting of school admin, teachers, and a community member, to coordinate the sports program along with planning other fun sporting events to engage the rest of the school community. These roles take up most of my time but I’m looking to engage in a secondary project with my school/community in my last year of service.

3. What strategies have you used to integrate into your community?

Saying yes to almost everything will indeed help you integrate into your community. During my stay with both host families I’ve lived with so far, I try to interact with them as much as I can. When extended family visits, I also interact with them.

When it comes to service, I do what I can to maintain good relationships with my counterparts by being a reliable worker as well as friendly and open. I attend gatherings outside of work to further improve my relationships with counterparts, beyond the coworker relationship. Attending and helping at community events such as volleyball games, night markets, and others has made me more present in the community. I often see people I work with, which allows me to strengthen my ties with them. Even going on daily runs around my site helps. I see many people I know every time I run, and they recognize and greet me. Even just saying hello to almost anyone you see helps with integration.

Balancing social time with alone time and taking care of yourself will improve the quality of your service.

4. What is the highlight of your time in service so far?

The highlight of my time so far has been working with youth, which is not limited to kids at my assigned primary school, as I’ve had the privilege of working with many of them through the various camps I served at this past summer. At times working with youth can be challenging, but ultimately very rewarding as you see them grow and improve as athletes and as future changemakers. Seeing kids make great strides in the sports they’re playing or seeing kids I worked with during summer camp make it onto their school sports team is rewarding. It makes it worth the challenges and frustration you sometimes face during the course of service.

5. What have you enjoyed most about the community where you are serving?

What I like most about my city is the friendliness and the feeling of a tight-knit community. Although classified as a city, it feels more like a small town where people often know each other. Not that other sites Volunteers are placed in aren’t friendly, but I don’t get the initial sense of hospitality that I feel from my city, which has truly become home for me. I’ve heard from many, whether they’re from here or not, say that the city is boring. To me, it’s not boring but rather quiet and peaceful, and I enjoy it that way. There are still plenty of things to do and great places to dine, which makes it a great place to be.

6. What are some of the most important things you’ve learned from your community?

The most important thing that I’ve learned is the importance of relationships over deliverables. The deliverables and results from the project are vital to service but the process of getting there is very important. Your success in implementing a project is greatly dependent on how good your relationships are with your counterparts. The more you focus on that, the more productive you’ll be with your community.

Furthermore, I’ve come to realize the power of showing up and being present. I built trust early on with my counterparts by showing up often, even at times I wasn’t specifically asked to. Showing up to activities and events with my school outside of my project scope was met great appreciation. Even in a place where there is a decent sized population of Americans and Asians, I am still very recognizable. My presence and work in community events is more appreciated than I knew, even during times when I felt like I wasn’t having any impact whatsoever.

7. How do you spend time when you are not working on a project?

I spend time working out, relaxing at home, and spending time with fellow Volunteers and/or community members. I’m currently training to run a half-marathon/marathon by the end of the year, so I’ve mostly been focusing on running. Aside from that, I like to lift weights and play tennis at the local courts. One of my favorite events is the night market that happens every 1-2 months. I also like going to my old homestay where we have fun game nights with fellow Volunteers, my former host, and his friends. Every once in a while, I’ll take a bus trip to another town/village to either visit Volunteer friends at their site or engage in a cultural event. I’ve attended a handful of festivals here that have been fun, and I look forward to attending more.

8. What are you looking forward to in your remaining time as a Volunteer?

Now that I have a year under my belt, I’m looking forward to continuing my service with the National Sports Council and primary school and building on the success we had last year. I’m working with my counterparts on a grant to implement their great ideas for hosting fun sporting events to unite our school community. I’m looking forward to strengthening my relationships with my network here and forming new friendships as my time comes to a close. I also want to explore more of Belize and attend major cultural events. All in all, I want to make the most of the rest of my time here.

9. Once you finish service, what will you do differently when you return to the U.S.?

My time here in Belize has made me realize how much more there is to learn about my own culture.  When I return to the States, I’m going to try to become more fluent in Vietnamese, cook more Vietnamese foods, and learn everything I can about the country of my heritage so that I can help others understand it.

Additionally, I’ll keep in mind the concepts of the self-other bridge and the danger of a single story, as I come from a diverse community. It’ll help me continue to stay grounded and respectful during tough intercultural interactions.

I also aim to do my best to take it easy so I don’t get burned out and frustrated with the face-paced lifestyle at home. Most importantly, I will place more focus on maintaining and building relationships with family and friends. I’ve realized how special and important that is in Belize and want it to be a strong point in my life moving forward.

Want to learn more about serving in Belize? Connect with a recruiter today.