The Spring Break of five ISU students sounds pretty typical at first glance: It was a break from the hard work they had done all semester to travel to a tropical place to be on the beach and soak in their surroundings.

But these students didn’t just look forward to their Spring Break – they researched for it all semester.

Five ISU students and eight students from Des Moines Area Community College took part in a joint program to learn about the Central American country of Belize.

Each student researched a different aspect of the country, such as politics, history and environment. Then they presented projects on what they learned.

The students spent Spring Break in Belize to see their research firsthand. They snorkeled, visited ancient Mayan ruins and made excursions into the rainforest.

Raven Smith, senior in political science, researched the environmental sustainability of an economy based on ecotourism.

Smith said Belize gets a lot of tourists because of its Mayan ruins and rainforests. Tourism is the country’s primary source of revenue. Smith’s research suggests that since these tourists are gradually damaging the places they come to see, tourism – and the country’s revenue – will eventually drop.

Whether the people of Belize realize this is happening, they are friendly to tourists. Jessica Maves, junior in political science, researched Belize’s recent elections.

When she talked to several Belizeans about their opinions of their government, she was surprised at their friendliness.

“The people of Belize are universally welcoming,” Maves said. “They say hello to you on the streets. It kind of reminds me of Iowa, actually.”

Smith said although they do not have much, Belizean people will still extend themselves to be friendly.

“Their standard of living is different than our standard of living,” she said. “They are not materialistic. They make less than us and get by with so much less than we do, but they will still buy you a drink, even though they have less money than me.

“I mean, I’m on vacation and I have money to spend just for this reason, but they will still insist on buying me a drink to be hospitable.”

During their stay, the students also gave back to the local people. They went to an area school to provide donated school supplies. They also interacted with the children, whose ages ranged from kindergarten to junior high.

Smith said a goal for next year’s trip is to expand the donations the students receive so they can take more to Belize.