Most days, I hate school. This may come as a shock, but I do not enjoy waking up every morning before sunrise and sitting in a classroom until 4:15 every afternoon. I am not excited by the prospect of  a new lesson in physics and I do not have trouble containing my excitement for my next math test.

I’ll admit it; I take my education for granted. I am given this education at no personal cost. I have the opportunity to be accepted into a good college and pursue my career of choice.

In Belize, a destination on the Majestics’ recent performance cruise, obtaining a high school education requires a pricey tuition. The Majestics held fundraisers throughout the year and raised 500 dollars, enough to send Lily Tzul, a student in Belize, through her senior year at school.

We were fortunate enough to visit Lily and spend the day with her in Old Belize City. As we drove through Old Belize to meet her, I was in awe at the surroundings. Growing up in the Lovejoy area, which has a reputation for being “well-off,” I had only been exposed to cities like this while on vacations to Mexico. Of course I knew places like this existed and are more abundant than the “Lovejoys” of the world, but I had never been to such an impoverished town and had the opportunity to meet someone who lived there.

I had the opportunity to be one of the girls who ate lunch with Lily and some of her family that came to meet us. She expressed her gratitude for what we had provided and told us that after she graduated her senior year she was hoping to go into police work and eventually become a lawyer. Her determination and appreciation for her high school education was a big change from the attitude that I had personally.

I learned a lot about how blessed I am to spend so many consecutive hours sitting at a desk learning about math and science. I learned a lot about how the attitude that you take to school reflects how much you take home. It took a trip to Belize, but now I am grateful to go to school here, where I have so many opportunities to succeed.