Hopkins: The Teachers of the Sand

Photo by Uriel Santiago

This article was originally published earlier this month in the Jaguar Roar newsletter of the Regional Language Center, University of Belize.

Two girls played in the sand on a beach in Hopkins. They did not know it, but they were going to become the teachers of a Salvadoran man. He was a student in the English as a Second Language program at the Regional Language Center (RLC) of the University of Belize.

The date was March 7, 2026. It was past noon. My travel group and I got off the bus after traveling for a few hours from Belmopan. Soon, we walked onto that beautiful and quiet beach. At first, we took many photos and talked about our plans for the weekend.

Over the next few days, we ate delicious Garifuna food at a local restaurant and tried new and different flavors. Once, we heard drums and followed the sound to a party. We danced and felt the energy of the people. We walked through both the residential and tourist areas and looked at everything with curiosity. At sunset, the sky over Hopkins turned a beautiful orange. We danced without shoes on the white sand. In those moments, we understood that everything was becoming part of our experience in Belize.

Late one afternoon, I walked away from my friends while they were taking photos. I saw two girls playing in the sand. They looked at me with curiosity too.

“Hello!” I said to them.

“Hi!” They answered with a small smile.

I went closer and asked them about their game. They explained it to me. In that moment, I realized that I was communicating in English. My English lessons were working! I understood them, and they understood me. I thought to myself, “I am speaking English!” Then, the older girl looked at me and asked, “Do you want to play?”

It was not part of my plans, but I could not say no.

I remembered a morning at home in El Salvador during the last days of December 2025,  having coffee with bread. In El Salvador, this is a traditional ritual. The memory of the taste of my dark coffee brought back the excitement I had felt when I thought about studying English in Belize, even with a limited budget. I had dreamed about the people I would meet and felt excited about living new experiences in Belize.

A few months later, there I was, enjoying a simple game on the beach. We drew animals in the wet sand and guessed what they were. The girls described the animals in English, and I tried to guess.

“That’s a shark!” I said, pointing to a drawing.

“No, it’s not a shark! It’s a dolphin!” they laughed.

“Again, again!” the younger girl said as she erased the drawing with her foot.

We played many times. I felt very happy. They taught me about animals, but they also taught me something even more important: how to connect with others and enjoy simple moments together.

On the last day, before returning to Belmopan, or travel group walked along the beach one last time. Suddenly, I saw one of my little teachers. She waved her arms and smiled with genuine happiness. She said something to a man standing next to her. I guessed he was her dad. I felt happy too. I waved back and kept that moment in my memory.

That moment will stay in my heart forever. I was no longer only an international student. I had become a tiny part of Belize, and that was plenty!

Photo by Ever Eduardo Cartagena

Ever Eduardo Cartagena is an English as a Second Language (ESL) student at the Regional Language Center, University of Belize. He lives in San Salvador, El Salvador and enjoys talking to people, trying new foods, and hiking.