... that lime trees have thorns! They're like enormous rose bushes except incredibly practical and way more dangerous. I'm not likely to try to venture into the middle of a rose bush to pick a flower. I might try to navigate a lime tree/bush for some delicious key lime. If knowing is half the battle, the other half - to my brain - is defense.
This Thursday is International Women’s Day.I would like to mark this occasion by
describing some of the awesome-ness that I’ve been witness to in the past few
weeks. Specifically, I went to a graduation ceremony.Three of the teachers at the local school, just
a block or so from where I live, have been studying their butts off for the
past year.
These three ladies have stayed up countless nights – or more
honestly into the wee hours of the morning – to improve their leadership
skills, be a positive force for change within the education system, and in some
ways, to prove to themselves that they are capable and avid learners.With their commitment and passion, they are
an inspiration.
Even the graduation ceremony itself was a test of wills, as
a few minutes into the introductory speech, the skies opened up and torrential
rain threatened to drown out the speaker’s words and soak the grads sitting
closest to the back edge of the stage.
[this is not what dry
season looks like]
It should also be noted that none of these women live in a
vacuum.They are mothers, wives,
daughters and full-time teachers.Each
of them had family supporting them throughout their studies, and of course on
graduation day itself.In a place where only
56% of women are part of the labor force*, these women have families that
support their continued education and community leadership.
Today I am so proud of my village, these three leaders, and
the families they are a part of.
Congrats, and best of luck as you strive to move forward
with your new-found skills, inspiring the next generation of leaders and
teachers yet to come.
Sadly, this post must begin and end with an admission and disclosure. In a day filled with adventuring
and touring, I took 142 pictures of Cahal Pech and Inland Blue Hole. In my enthusiasm to transfer those pictures and
start writing as soon as humanly possible, I forgot that my computer is not
always as fast as my own thought process and I deleted the original photos
before they finished copying to the appropriate drive. The end result is that you, dear reader, will
have to struggle through this writer’s pros rather than perusing my photos. As is so commonly said here in Belize, “Shucks!”
Moving on. On a
cloudy, yet cool Orange Walk morning, I met up with a group to tour the Mayan
ruin of Cahal Pech. Although I typically
do not tour with groups or guides, I had the opportunity to be led through the
site by a knowledgeable guide who is not only native to Belize, but also an
active participant in her own culture and history.
This is Jenny, our guide:
She not only described where the pok-ta-pok court was, but
brought her own ball, as she is an avid fan and sometimes participant in modern
day play of the game. While I no longer
have the picture of the ball with the court in the background, I can offer this
recent news article demonstrating the resurgent popularity of this ancient
game: https://www.ambergristoday.com/news/2017/04/18/belize-team-wins-ancient-maya-ball-game-teotihuacan-mexico
The ruins were in spectacular condition and unlike many of
the other sites that I’ve been to, the passageways and interior spaces are
still intact and explorable. It was a
lot of fun to move through the hallways and stairs from one area to another and - always a water and sanitation buff - fun to see how the water and drainage systems worked. There was something akin to a gravity fed
shower system which elicited a lot of jealously and envious questions about
water temperature from our group. Hot
showers are not an every day occurrence among my travel companions.
From there we moved eastward and visited the Inland Blue Hole. Although we didn’t have time to wander the
caves or hike the area, the site does have sufficient facilities to use the
bathrooms, change clothes and easily hike down the granite steps to a jungle oasis,
swimming into one of the caves in total darkness. Not gonna lie, it was pretty cool.
Although this blog post is the result of a special trip
arranged for the group I traveled with, I have no doubt that any tour arranged
and guided by Jenny and Epic Mayan Tours would be equally engaging and tailored
to those present.
At least once a week I pass a large warehouse in the middle
of sugar cane fields. The first time I passed by, I noticed a sign
out front which caught my attention, but this week I had to start
laughing as I passed by. The fence on
the edge of the property was inhabited by 4 large black birds. There are flocks of vultures in the area, so it’s not unusual that
you would see a group of them in the fields.
The reason it’s funny is the same as the reason I noticed the warehouse at
all.
There’s a sign out front which reads “Sale of Tissue”. This would be funny in its own right, but for me it’s amplified by the fact that the first time I asked for a Kleenex in Spanish I mis-translated and asked for spare flesh aka biological tissue.
Every time I pass the warehouse with Sale of Tissue, I giggle at how
boldfaced and public the sale of - presumably human - flesh is in these parts. Today though,
I am concerned for a turn in the economy. With that many vultures/buzzards out front,
they seem to have a large stock of inventory that isn’t moving quickly enough. Luckily their sign also says, Venta de papel higiénico or “toilet
paper for sale”, so they can clean up the mess with their other merchandise .
With all the holidays converging together this December/January/School Vacation/Family Recognition etc. etc. etc. I will be postponing the January scheduled post until Tuesday the 16th (because even that Monday is a holiday in some places). Please stay tuned, and in the mean time enjoy this picture that I borrowed from the internet:
This month’s post will focus a little more specifically on my travels and local interactions. I’ve been in Belize for a few months now and had the pleasure of being a part of some fun traditions and celebrations. I’ve even successfully made some tortillas – still not well enough that anyone from Belize would be proud to admit they made them, but well enough that my host mom was proud of me, and sometimes that’s just good enough.
As you may or may not have noticed, I tend to delay my posts a little. This month is no exception. I do this for many reasons, but just a heads up this whole post will be about events that took place in Belize this past September.
September celebrations are a string of well observed holidays here in Belize. The one I was most involved with was Independence Day which occurs on the 21st of September. The days surrounding the holiday have local parades in which kids decorate their bikes, and even the preschool makes floats to parade through town. There are fireworks, and there’s food and general jubilation. The culmination of the festivities is a parade in each of the regional town centers, the biggest and most famous of which happens in Orange Walk Town.
There are floats and spectacles involving the whole family. From children who are part of the drum squads, police cadet force, and a program called GREAT, which I imagine is something like the anti-drug campaign DARE in the United States in the 90s, only more focused on gangs than drugs, to adults passing out adult beverages (more on that in a bit).
Here is a video of a particularly energetic and talented youth:
It might be because of our position at the end of the parade
route, but there also seemed to be a very wide range of enthusiasm for their
part in this spectacle.
Alcohol also plays a big part in the celebrations. Right at the beginning of the parade, before
any of the floats had come through, what I assume were either members of the Belizean
Defense Force or Customs officials walked the parade route.
The area is close enough to Mexico that contraband is a
problem for the local authorities. The
officials surveyed the crowds and when they saw a group with Mexican beer still
in the original containers, they dumped all of it ….
… all that was visible.
Beyond the contraband though, there were many floats which
were sponsored by local brewers and distillers.
Many of them even passed out drinks to the crowd as they rode by:
Belikin – arguably the most well known Belizean beer – not only
sponsored a float, but they even had the forethought to provide a porta-potty
for the revelers on the float. #thoughtful
Caribbean Rum was a little more low key. Instead of going all out with a big float, enormous
speakers and a DJ, they focused on what they know. A vat of rum and two guys to hand out drinks was
enough to keep the crowd happy.
You needn’t worry though.
The floats that followed provided plenty of beats. New Wave Soundz packed so many speakers on
their float that their DJ had to duck under the parade banner which was hung 3
stories off the ground.
It was a beautiful display of sounds and colors and I look
forward to going again next year and seeing what new attractions they can
provide. Bring on year 37!
Just about 2 years ago I quit my job, packed up my things
and changed countries. It’s been an
amazing adventure. In the intervening
time I have created and sometimes simply experienced some interesting housing
situations. As I have had to navigate
voter registration, tax filing, and renewal of my driver’s license it is not
lost on me just how transient I’ve become.
One day, about a year ago, I got a call from a social worker from my
health insurance company. When I signed
up for coverage they had asked me to complete a survey. Ever mindful that my professional life often
requires data from such surveys, I dutifully complied and in doing so flagged
myself as homeless.
I had very mixed feelings about this phone call. On the one hand, I was thoroughly impressed
at the program which my health insurance had to help assist the homeless
population in their care. Should such
services be more ubiquitous, I wonder how we could reduce the number of people
who fall into that category. I was
unimpressed by the fact that a full year had passed between the time when I
filled out the survey and when the social worker called. Were I to be more traditionally homeless, I
wonder whether the phone number at enrollment would be reliable a year
later. A year on the streets, seems to
me, is a much longer measure of time. I
did inform my social worker and then quickly ended the call to ensure that her
time was spent with other individuals whose transient housing situations were
driven more by circumstance than personal choice and non-traditional career
paths.
This experience has demonstrated how easy it would be to
fall off the grid, or perhaps alternatively, how difficult it is to keep from
falling through the cracks of society.
Even answering the simple question of, “what is your address?” becomes complicated. I’ve never been without a roof over my head,
but my legal address, mailing address, permanent address, where I’m registered
to vote, and home address have at times all been separate addresses based on
the definition required by each system.
I commend the driver’s license bureaucracy for acknowledging
homelessness and providing the option of having a shelter as your address, but
even this requires certification from a shelter and ignores individuals who are
living in their cars or avoid shelters for health and/or safety reasons.
This is the point at which I pause and thank my wide safety
net of friends and family who regularly allow me to crash in their spare
bedrooms, couches, and air mattresses on spare sections of the floor. These people also deserve a shout out because
of their utter offense at the notion that I am homeless or somehow outside of
society. I am also grateful for
Airbnb. As much as I recognize that the
disruption in housing markets has caused inflated prices and potentially resulted
in more transience, there is no other way in which I could imagine living 2
weeks in one location, and 6 more in another.
No way in which I could have afforded to chase the opportunities that I
have had.
I am grateful because I am fortunate. Because of this new
perspective on my own fortunes I hope I am also more cognizant of the fortunes
of others.
