Communication Sciences & Disorders in Belize

Going to Belize for the two-week program was an amazing experience. The supervisors were nothing but nice, the food was delicious, and the hands-on experience I participated in was exciting. I loved how all of the meals and excursions were paid for and how we got to stay on an island for the last weekend in Belize. Working with the children both at NaRCIE and during home visits in Belize was a humbling experience. I would highly recommend this trip to all who love to travel and speech pathology!

This experience was incredibly beneficial not only educationally, but also socially. The other girls in our group have such great personalities along with the leaders, which allowed us to flow well together and stay positive. I feel I have received a strong perspective of speech pathology through our classroom discussions and observing our leaders. My favorite part of the trip was the home visits and being with the sweet children. Everyone on our trip has been so friendly and helpful! I am thankful now that I have some great resources for the future!

This trip is the most fun and rewarding trip I've been on! To anyone considering going, I would highly suggest it. The staff is so friendly and the other students on the trip have become some of my closest friends. The excursions are phenomenal and working at Tykes Camp was so much fun. I have learned so much more here than I could have imagined: about myself, other people, the belizean culture and speech therapy. If you go, take advantage of everything there is to do. I couldn't have asked for a better trip.

This trip was amazing. We had so much fun with all sorts of activities like cave tubing, zip lining, visiting a Mayan temple, and snorkeling. The camp that we held for the kids was a great experience that allowed me to learn about different things related to the field of speech language pathology. The home visits to meet people in villages with communication disorders allowed me to learn a lot more about the culture and how people with disabilities are treated in Belize. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone planning on becoming an SLP.

This program exceeded every expectation I had for it. I got to experience things that most studying SLPs will not get the chance to experience until Grad school. We were given the opportunity to perform speech and hearing screenings in schools, run a special education camp for students, and observe treatment sessions in the homes of children in the area. It pushed me out of my comfort zone in every way possible, but in doing so it made me into a stronger, better person. I came out of this program with a new sense of confidence in myself and my abilities as a clinician. I was able to learn things about behavior regulation, working with special education students, lesson planning, thinking on my feet, cultural competence in regards to the SLP profession, and most importantly I learned how to use my failures to my advantage and grow and change from them. Being surrounded by 12 likeminded people I was able to create lifelong friendships and connections with undergraduate students from across the US and Canada whom I never would have had the chance to meet otherwise. I was also able to create connections with 3 practicing SLPs from across the US and Australia who I know I will be able to turn to for help and advice in the future, as well as for letters of recommendation in applying to grad school. In addition to all the hard work we put into to bettering the lives of children in Belize, we got to experience the best of what Belize has to offer including incredible local food, cave tubing, zip lining, the Altun Ha archeological site, and snorkeling on Caye Caulker Island. I am beyond grateful to therapy abroad for this experience and everything they have done for me.

Therapy Abroad gave me an opportunity to gain cultural knowledge and experience in my field of interest. I got a glimpse of what it would be like to work as a speech-language pathologist in a school setting. I was exposed to aspects of speech-language pathology that I have not yet seen or learned about in my education. Therapy Abroad provided hands on experience, which is a great way to learn outside of a textbook. My time in Belize was unforgettable. Besides learning how to work as a clinician, we were able to experience and learn about Belizean culture. I was also able to seek advice from my supervisors and fellow peers. I have made connections with students and professionals from all over the country, which I feel will benefit me in the long run.

Two weeks in the beautiful country of Belize changed me in more ways than I can count! Our time was filled with learning, growing, seeing, meeting, eating, failing, achieving, adventuring, hammock-ing, and so much more. Being able to interact directly with local children and families, while also witnessing some of the most beautiful scenes in the country, this made for the perfect balance of work and play. The food was incredible, as the people of Belize and Monkey Bay are filled with hospitality. I know for a fact that my experience would not have been what it was if we wouldn't have stayed at Monkey Bay Sanctuary. This immersion into the environment was irreplaceable; the locals who worked there, the nature all around us, and of course, the hammocks. I left Belize having more trust and confidence in myself. On the last day, my team leader asked me what my biggest lesson I learned was while on the trip. I thought about it for a while, and finally I said to her, "If I could put this trip's lesson into one sentence, it would be, "I can do this."" I wouldn't trade my time in Belize for anything!

Therapy Abroad does an amazing job at making your two weeks in Belize the best time you could ever have. This was such an incredible and unique experience where I was able to learn so much about speech-language pathology and also have a blast. Belize is such an amazing and beautiful country and Therapy Abroad does a great job at ensuring that we work and get to play! I am so thankful that this program allows students of all skill levels to learn and grow together. During this trip you not only learn so much but also create friendships that will last a lifetime. Everything about this trip is organized and very well done, Therapy Abroad does a great job at planning and keeping their students safe! Whether I was teaching kids or swimming with sharks, it was the best experience of my life and I would love to do it again someday!