Reflections on Belize
Two weeks into the collective 52, we marked our first travel milestone…completing our first country, beautiful Belize. We picked Belize as a starting point for our globetrotting because it was the place Kapil and I honeymooned 14 years ago and we wanted to share that special place with the kids—and experience from a more local standpoint.
Belize, derived from the Mayan word for “muddy waters,” is far more than that in all of its rich culture, beauty, and genuine kindness. It is an independent country in the Commonwealth and boasts that English is its first language. Though, because it is a melting pot of people and cultures, everyone is at least bilingual (Creole and English), and most speak five languages (English, Creole, Spanish, Kechi-Mayan, and Mopan-Mayan). It is a small country with less than ½ a million people spread over 6 districts, with the majority (~65,000 people) in Belize City. Unfortunately, locals will tell you that Belize City is extremely violent and overrun with gang activity. We visited two of the cultural epicenters, Hopkins and the jungle near Punta Gorda, for the Garifuna and Mayan people, respectively.
We started with a week in Hopkins village (with approximately 2,000 people residing in it). It was a great first start because we stayed in a cottage on the beach in the heart of town and with a local feel (complete with bugs, mice, and neighboring roosters 😊). It was a starting point for us to center and just practice “living” among the locals. We got into our routine of daily school (though it is never at the same time), cooking, and hanging out/sightseeing. Our favorite part of this week was making new friends with the local kids (who became our school students), but other highlights included Zayan becoming Scuba certified and the learning from the Garifuna culture (a mix of Arawak, (west and central) African, and Caribbean people).
We then spent a week in Mayan country in the jungle of the Toledo District, where we focused on learning from the Mayans as a family, and made some new (adult) friends to add to our global community. We stayed at the Cotton Tree Lodge which was a beautiful way to continue adventuring, still in a “rough” way (as the kids often commented), but without having to cook meals! There, we swapped rooster sounds for those of the Howler monkeys, and no-see-um bugs (sand flies) to huge bugs, insects, and fireflies! One of the most interesting things to note is that much of the Mayan way of life is still alive and well in food, music, art, and language…but one really huge change is their belief system. After the Mayans were decimated (post-Spanish invasion), the missionaries were sent to convert the remaining 25% of the people. Today, Mayans are very religious (mainly Catholic) and within a small village of 400 people, there will be 4 different churches.
Here are our top 10 insights (composed collectively by all 5 of us--with actual kid statements in quotes):
10. Belizean fruits are different and pretty yummy. Here are a few new fruits that we tried: pocanuboy, craboo, sea grapes, mali apples, starfruit, soursop, and green oranges!
9. Traditional Garifuna food (Hudutu) and Mayan food (chocolate drink, corn tortillas, heart of palm, caldo, coconut yam) are delicious!
8. “Mayan people like to wear permanent gold jewelry outlining their teeth.”
7. The normal Belizean beef is “grassfed and organic” and you can buy amazing quality steaks at low cost (6lbs for $12USD)
6. Belizeans will eat just about any meat—some surprising ones were the delicacies of a large rat species called the Gibnut, and Iguana.
5. Many local Belizeans either live with trash surrounding their homes, burn the trash intermittently, or dig large holes on the beach and bury them. The lack of trash management and environmental awareness is just about the only thing we didn’t like about Belize.
4. The “one love” concept is real. People truly do not care who you are or where you come from. There is a true humanitarian belief (except in Belize City apparently). Besides the native (and diverse) Belizeans, there are large German ex-pat communities and Amish/Mennonite communities. All cultures and people speak Creole.
3. There is a large East Indian contingent in Belize! Apparently during the slave trade, East Indians were also “indentured servants” and were brought to St Vincent and the Caribbean. They are proud of their roots but don’t know much about the true Indian cooking and don’t have access to true Indian spices—so they unify the Indian diaspora by holding festivals and always cooking “yellow ginger” curry!
2. Lionfish are an invasive species and hunting them helps their oceans. “Belizeans make jewelry and eat the lionfish to help kill them off!”
1. “People in Belize don’t have that much money” and “it is ironic that the people who have the most interest in learning have the least resources where as in the US, the people who have the most resources are usually not interested in learning; imagine where these kids would be with their brains and our resources.”
39 Likes, 1 Comments - Franklin Street Globetrotters (@franklin_street_globetrotters) on Instagram: "Hanging with our new friends, drinking fresh coconuts and gettin' platted-up :) #explorebelize..."
53 Likes, 7 Comments - Franklin Street Globetrotters (@franklin_street_globetrotters) on Instagram: "Aila's class grew today! Two of our new friends wanted to be in our school and we expect more..."
46 Likes, 1 Comments - Franklin Street Globetrotters (@franklin_street_globetrotters) on Instagram: "Goodbye Hopkins! We will be in touch. Study hard boys and never forget how special you are. With..."
29 Likes, 2 Comments - Franklin Street Globetrotters (@franklin_street_globetrotters) on Instagram: "Goodbye Cotton Tree family! We so enjoyed playing games, laughing, and talking with you all! Hope..."
