Field Note – First Jungle Camping & Stories of Survival
Field Note – First Jungle Camping & Stories of Survival
Dates: June 25–26
Location: Monkey Bay National Park, Belize
These two days were unforgettable—my first time camping in the wild, and not just anywhere, but deep in the jungle.
We started June 25 by canoeing into Monkey Bay National Park. Along the way, we passed several iguanas basking on the riverbanks, calmly watching us drift by. Once we arrived, we set up our hammocks at the campsite—huge thanks to the rangers who helped us, they were awesome. After that, we headed to a nearby cave for arthropod sampling. The cave entrance was beautiful, framed by thick clusters of round-leaf vines and palms, I loved them.
That evening, we carried out our first bat mist netting session. We set up a net along a narrow forest trail and checked it every ten minutes. Whenever a bat was caught, we carefully brought it over to a table to process it—measuring its weight, wing length, and other features before release. We caught a total of four bats, including a striking sword-nosed bat as our second capture. Seeing such a unique animal, even just briefly, was surreal.
The next morning, June 26, we checked the mammal traps we had set inside the cave the day before. Unfortunately, none of the traps had captured anything, but it was still a good opportunity to learn how the system works. After packing up camp, we paddled back to the Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
That afternoon, we had the chance to hear from a guest speaker, Raquel Vega, former mayor of Mahogany Heights. Her story was incredibly powerful.
Raquel shared how she had been abandoned at birth, adopted, and then ran away at age 10 after learning the truth about her family. She survived on the streets, sometimes living out of a van, and joined a gang just to have access to food. At only ten years old, she was arrested for a store robbery and faced a 15-year prison sentence. But the judge saw something in her and gave her a second chance—offering school and community service instead of prison time.
Even after that, change didn’t come quickly. She returned to the gang life for a while, feeling like it was her only "family." But over time, she began to reflect—especially after witnessing tragic losses and having a life-changing moment during a baseball game, when she felt a voice calling her to leave it all behind.
Raquel eventually went back to school, became a teacher, and worked for the Ministry of Health. She served as mayor from 2010 to 2025 and now leads youth programs, feeding initiatives, and a street ministry. Her message was clear and heartfelt: "Even if no one sees your value, you still have it. Sometimes it just takes time to believe it yourself."
Listening to her speak, after two days in the forest surrounded by nature, mud, and stars, was deeply grounding. It reminded me that resilience doesn’t always start in the safest places, and that both people and animals can come back from hardship—with support, with care, and with time.
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