During my backpacking trip, I spent two weeks exploring the mangrove-lined coast of Belize.

Belize City bustled with fishermen unloading their early-morning catch at the market near the old colonial docks.

A Belizean volunteered to teach English at the community center.

The Belizean chef introduced traditional dishes at the festival.

She learned Belizean Kriol from her grandmother, who used it to tell stories that blended English, Mískito, Spanish, and West African influences.

Belizeans celebrated the coral reef conservation victory with a festival on the coast.

Her Belizeanness shone through in the way she braided palm-frond hats and sang sea shanties on market mornings.