I have a tattoo I love, and it isn’t going anywhere.
When people see you have a tattoo, they react one of two ways. The first one being “OMG why’d you do that?? That’s never going to come off you know!” and the second being “Cool I love it! Look at mine!” In my personal experience, the first is the most common.
Often that comment comes from family members or people I know from church and at first it really bothered me. But I’ve come to the realization that what other people think about me or my tattoos does not matter.
My tattoo means a lot to me as it’s an outline of the country of Belize. Belize is located in Central America in the Caribbean right next to Guatemala. I got the tattoo right on my forearm in a very visible spot not only so I could admire it, but also so others can see it and ask me about it because the story behind it has a very special place in my heart.
The reason I got a tattoo of a little country in Central America is because that’s where I became who I am today. For the past five, almost six, years, I have been going to Belize for a week every summer to be a counselor at a camp for children and adults with special needs.
The camp, Camp Joy Belize, was started by a partnership between my hometown church and a church called Living Waters in Belmopan, Belize. The idea came about because of the way individuals with special needs are treated in this country. Children and adults with special needs in Belize are considered burdens and curses by everyone except their parents. It is a hugely marginalized group in Belize and in a lot of other developing countries.
The first time I went down to Belize to work for this camp, I was asked to go four days before we were meant to leave the country and I had absolutely no idea what I was getting in to. I had been down to Belize once before this to help run an arts camp for children in a very poor neighborhood in Belmopan, so I had at least had previous experience in the country but never any experience with working with individuals with special needs. I had no idea what to expect. Was I going to be able to communicate with my camper? Would she like me? Would I even be good at working with the campers? All of these doubts and questions were racing through my mind and the plane and the days leading up to the beginning of camp, but as soon as camp began I knew I was in the right place.
I was blessed to be assigned to a camper (which we called our special friend) named Carolina. She was a few years older than me and a lot quieter but she was my best friend. We talked about our families, our favorite animals, our favorite colors, everything that two normal best friends would talk about. Carolina worked with her mother making crafts to sell to tourists to help support her family of a single mother and ten children. That week of Camp Joy was the best week of my life and from the point on, I knew I needed to be working with marginalized groups of people in the US and around the world. This experience opened my eyes to the vast world outside of Irmo, South Carolina. After this experience, I knew I needed to commemorate my love for Belize in a very strong and permanent way, so four years later, the week before I started my freshman year here at Winthrop, I got my first tattoo of my favorite country and home away from home, Belize.
This tattoo is a part of not only my physical being, but also my emotional and mental development.
My experiences in the beautiful country of Belize will always be my most treasure experiences. This coming summer will be the fifth year of Camp Joy, a milestone that I am so excited to be a part of. I don’t care what anyone thinks of my tattoo. I’m aware that it’s forever, that’s why I got it. One day I’ll get to share this story with my children, grandchildren, and maybe even my great grandchildren. This tattoo is a part of my life story. The first of many pieces of art that will forever be on my skin that will paint pictures of my life as I go along. I will never be ashamed of this art on my skin. This is the way that I have decided to express my love for the place I love.
