CELA Belize

The words don't exist to descibe the grandeur of the country and the flight that one takes throughtout the program. Academics: Almost everything is hands on. It's hard not to learn as much as I did in this one month when so much was practical work. Living Situation: We (the girls in ISIS summer session 1; 2011) all became very close friends as a result of this program and I believe much of it had to do with the fact that we all lived together and created our own family/ home away from home. Cultural Immersion: Although we did get some cultural immersion, it wasn't so much since most of our time was spent doing what we were there to do, study animal science. Program Administration: The administrators are great people who care about the students who go through their program as much as they care about the well being of animals and seeing as they are all veterinarians, that is saying something. Health and Safety: Just be smart about things. We always stayed with a buddy. Social Life: Maluchi's is a great place to socialize. In general, everyone in Belize is very relaxed and "go with the flow".

The ISIS wildlife course was a once in a lifetime experience with an amazing instructor (Dr. Isabelle) who truly loves what she teaches. She doesn't just talk at you or above you, she truly teaches you the information that is necessary to be a wildlife veterinarian. We had a great mixture of lecture, labs, and hands on experience. I wouldn't trade the course for any other experience! It was a great first contact with exotic animal medicine that has inspired me to learn as much as I can on the topic!!

The large animal portion of the I.S.I.S program was a unique hands on experience. I got more hands on in two weeks than 4 years of my undergraduate career. This course paired with the wildlife course made for an amazing month that I will never forget!! Academics: The large animal course is very hands on. We did everything from deworming IM and SQ in cattle, to deworming sheep orally, to floating horse teeth, completing horse physical exams, and best of all castrating sheep and cattle! Program Administration: Every single staff member at I.S.I.S. is kind caring and wonderful. They are not just administrators, but family. Cynthia Reece especially became our Belize mom, she took care of us when didn't feel well, and drove us places if we needed a lift. She was awesome and I can never thank her for all the help! I also can't thank her for putting up with all of the questions I kept emailing her!!