Kayla Coleman

As I boarded the plane to leave Belize, I was instantly sad but also happy to go back home to my pets and family. When I first signed up for my study abroad to Belize I was nervous and sacred, since I’d never been international with out my parents nor travelled on plane international before. The amount of new information I’ve learned in two weeks and the experience I received has prepared me for my next journey which is applying to Vet school. In these two weeks I’ve made lasting memories with people who were once strangers but are now close friends. The views my eyes were able to witness were unbelievable. These two weeks have taught me that this field of work is my passion and that I was made to do this. This was truly the best time of my life and will forever be grateful for getting this opportunity. “Every adventure requires a first step”. Onto my next adventure.

In a blink of an eye, week two is completed. To finish up my time in Belize we visited a beef farm and another pig farm. At the beef farm I was able to practice my injecting skills as we administered vitamins, dewormer and vaccines against rabies and black leg. I was able to administer these to a bull, a baby calf, and a lot of heifers. We also got to take part in a castration on a stallion, this is an intact horse. It was an amazing day learning new things and perfecting my skills. We went to a pig farm and got to do more castrations on piglets. I also got the opportunity to castrate a boar who was about 200 pounds. This was a procedure that I would never get to see back in the states. We finished off the last day by presenting my presentation I had to make for my classmates and taking our exam. My time in Belize was unforgettable and taught me more than I could ever imagine.

To think my time here in Belize is shortly coming to an end is really upsetting. I’ve enjoyed ever second of all the opportunities I got to embark on. I also love the aspect that this week I learned how my tuition for this course is going towards the farm’s I’m visiting. It’s really rewarding to give back to these communities in any possible way. They are all extremely passionate about their animals and since finances are tuff its nice to be able to help keep their animals healthy and happy. The beginning of the week started with sheep! We administered dewormer and rabies; we were able to perfect our injecting skills and restraining. Then later on in the day we got to visit the sheep and goat breeding facility here in Belize. They will breed the animals their and then sell them to different farmers. They are trying to eliminate certain disease and help improve genetics. Then we got to do more physicals and injections on horses. We groomed them and then we got the chance to go horseback riding! I was actually able to ride one of the horses I gave a physical on. When we reached the top of the mountain the views were breathtaking, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Belize has one of most gorgeous scenery I will miss it.

Week one has finally come to a end. It’s unreal how fast time is going. Two of my favorite experiences happened in the last days of week one. First was working with the pigs, pigs are actually my favorite livestock and favorite to handle. We got to hold and restrain piglets that we’re just a few days old to pigs that were  over 200 pounds. We were able to administer, iron shots to the piglets and vaccinations to the older piglets. At the same farm we were also able to administer dewormer to his herd of sheep. Then my next favorite day was taking part in a spay and neuter clinic in one of the districts of Belize. My partner and I did physical exams on many dogs, one cat and a bunny! During the physical exam, we had to get a weight, heart rate, and respiratory rate and also administer dewormer wether it was oral or injectable. We also got to assist surgery and suture up our dogs. Week one has been extraordinary I can’t wait to see what’s yet to come.   

Week one is already half way over and it’s amazing how much I’ve learned and how much hands on experience I’ve gained already. Culture shock is a real thing. Luckily I’m in a country that accepts US dollars and speaks good English.They fruits from the market have changed my life, I’ve never tasted a banana so good. The first couple of days was spent adjusting to the time change, the climate and the overall atmosphere. We’ve gotten to explore San Ignacio travel to Mayan sites, suture on dogs after a spay, do physicals and give vaccinations on horses. We also got to milk a cow and learn the dairy industry here in Belize. It is such a small industry here that the farm we visited was only milking 20 cows. The average pounds per day from his cows was 43 lbs. That’s a large number for such a small operations especially since his heifers are a cross between Brahman and Holsteins. Overall so far I’ve loved exploring and learning new technique’s and how farms in the US different in operations and methods then the farms here in Belize. The hands-on and learning farm operations here have been my favorite thing thus far.