Leaving Belize

Our time in Belize has come to an end. We are in Cancun presently and will have one day of leisure tomorrow before we fly to Barbados on Thursday April 22nd. It was by a funny coincidence that we realized the Bishop of Belize will be flying on the same plane as us and hopefully we will have a chance to get together.

The memories of the welcoming kindness we have received has been truly overwhelming. I could never have imagined living in a community that included 180 students acknowledging my existence everyday and calling out Miss Sandy with such excitement each time I would walk to the market, take a swim or even walk along the highway. Children would hang out of windows,run out of their backyards, yell from the other side of the road or even yell out of a car window......all going out of their way to say hello. One day while we were walking across the road after taking a swim, a bus stopped on the highway to let out passengers and children yelled "Father Andrew, Miss Sandy". We could not help but laugh as it was impossible to be anonymous anywhere in Corozal. Andy jokingly asked.........where do they come from? The highlight of my time here was definitely being with the children. Here are some other memories I would like to share.

Artist Walter Castillo moved to Belize from Nicaragua. He custom painted all our favourite places on Caye Caulker including our blue house. He painted Andy playing a guitar in the front of the house, TJ jumping into the water and James snorkelling. In the painting, I am standing beside Andy.
Graham Sampson moved to Belize from the UK 40 years ago and was an educator in the schools before retirement. He is not really retired though as he is never still. He is a huge asset to the church as a layman. His knowledge and kindess was appreciated.
I think this will have to be rebuilt!
Cecile from the Diocese Office in Belize City takes us out for lunch. Yummy red snapper!
Belize City Harbour
On a Roll Bus takes students to and from Corozal Community College.
Andy plays the guitar in our home.
A Cluster of Apple Bananas in our backyard.
The Diocese Guest House where we stay when we overnight in Belize City.
Corozal Town Hall.
Belizean Rum, quality Canadian history
Caye Caulker Airport Strip!
Buying a produce from Irene for the last time in Belize City. Her stall is just before the Swing Bridge in a very colorful area of the city.
Our little blue house on stilts nestled in the tropical almond trees in Caye Caulker. Our front yard is sand and all the roads on the Island as made of sand as well.
After months of taking children's photos, they want to take one of me!
Our farewell Party the Lady's Guild hosted at our house. They brought enough food for two days!
At the end of our sailing/snorkelling day to the Barrier Reef with Patrick and Jacob our Captain and Mate.
Easter Sunday. The flowers were picked outdoors by parishioners.
Everyday is Market Day. One of my favourite vendors.
I was the one who got a million times more happiness by giving the candy. The children live five houses away but until this day, had yet to meet.
Marco has been incredibly kind to us. We have lost count of the amount of time he has come to our rescue either by fixing something or giving the best advice.
TJ and I enjoying a warm evening next to our house. Well actually every night was warm.
Principal Mrs Rogers presenting us with gifts.
Our Last School Church Service.

Barracudas, Coconuts and Mayan Chocolate

I am sitting in the shade of our blue wooden deck overlooking the glittering Caribbean Sea. It is 8 AM and the temperature is hot and humid. We are on Caye Caulker which is a 45 minute boat ride from Belize City but truly a world apart. The Island has a population of 1300, signs that proclaim "No Shirt, No Shoes…….No Problem" and the only traffic here is that of golf carts and bicycles. With a motto to "go slow", mostly people do walk barefoot as the roads here are only narrow sandy lanes You can often see through to the other side of this skinny Caye. There is a thriving Rastafarian culture on the Caye, which pulses to a Reggae beat. The Caye was cut into two pieces as a result of Hurricane Hattie in 1961, creating the "Split" which separates the southern inhabited part from that of the northern which is mainly swamp. Mail goes out and comes in on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while veggies and fruit are brought in on Tuesday and Friday. Little shacks sell unrefrigerated produce along with freshly squeezed juices that are stored in coolers. The oceanfront rustic cemetery takes up prime real estate with it's rough handmade headstones.

My first experience swimming here was a slight scare. We were swimming in the Split when I realized that I was not a strong enough swimmer to swim back to shore against the current. Yes, I know all about swimming parallel to the current and not to panic but in reality when it happens, sometimes common sense does not prevail. All I could think about was how far I was going despite the fact I was trying harder. James could see me panic and came to my rescue. By the time I reached the concrete pilings near the shore, all I could feel was a terrible stinging sensation like cut glass on both arms. By the time we reached home, my arm was swollen with numerous jelly fish stings. We have since decided that the best beach to snorkel and swim is right next to our house where we snorkel daily! Luckily a bag of ice compress, chilled white wine and grilled fish soothed the pain not to mention the dark Mexican chocolate.

As I sit here, I hear a steady and unbroken chorus of roosters and tropical birds as if they are competing for the airwaves. The neighbours are doing their laundry by hand outdoors on the other side of me, almost as if creating a steady rhythm with their brush. A Rastafarian wearing dreadlocks, sunglasses and a red shirt is sitting on a picnic table in the shade laughing and singing. His songs are punctuated with Creole that I cannot understand but it definitely too has it's own beat. The odd golf cart slowly drives past carrying it's cargo of commodities…..essentials such as five gallon jugs of purified water or coolers of ice. I can hear the foreign sound of a phone ringing. The odd plane flies overhead during the day on a landing strip that seems much too small! There are no boundaries for the airport either as our walk yesterday ended up at the airstrip.

Our residence here is a plain blue three bedroom house, 150 feet away from the sea called Mando House. The house does not have any glass windows but rather levered wooden shutters with a rough screen covering the openings that somehow always manage to allow mosquitoes in every night to dine on Andy with no preference to any specific body part including eye lids! Liz and Enrico Novela rent out two homes on their property along with their own which is nestled in a backdrop of flowering vegetation as well as tropical almond trees. Liz who is gentle and warm, came to Belize from Guatemala as a young teenager on her own trying to make a living. She married Rico and they have been living on Caye Caulker for almost twenty years with two sons. Rico along with is brother operates Anwar Tours that specializes in snorkelling and dive trips. The office is next door where customers congregate on the picnic tables for their orientation before heading off to the Barrier Reef. The deck is where we eat our meals at night and relax during the day.

Locals make their living from fishing and tourism. We have been preparing our dinners with the fresh catch of the day from returning fishermen on the dock. On my daily morning walk yesterday, I encountered Marconi no older than 8 years old, catching barracudas off the dock. Barracudas remind me of miniature sharks and taste almost like halibut. I offered to purchase the fish and he happily agreed. Walking further along, I met Eli and Eugene who were off school for Spring Break, spending the morning climbing to the top of the Coconut trees. I decided that they too may like to make a sale and offered to purchase two coconuts with the agreement that they would crack them open for us. Less than an hour later, the two boys arrived on their bike with the ubiquitous Belizean machete. It was very apparent that the young brothers had done this many times before. Andy saved the coconut water to cook the barracuda in a coconut curry sauce he concocted. Later on in the day we met a Mayan woman from the Toledo District who was in our yard, selling her handmade goods as well as pure cocoa paste from her tree. Liz and Rico were also making cocoa purchases and she told us how labor intensive the process of making chocolate is as she did this in Guatemala while a child. The harvested and fermented beans are stored in southern Belize and sold to Green & Blacks for their renowned Maya Gold chocolate. The vendor, Adeline told us that out of 14 children, only seven were alive.

The majority of travellers to this wondrous Island make a snorkelling or diving trip to the Barrier Reef which is the second largest on the planet. We selected a tour operator called Raggamuffin as they use a fleet of sailboats to tour the Reef. Our Captain Patrick was talented and Jacob made some tasty food for the 18 passengers of the Sailboat Reggae Queen. Patrick made sure we kept hydrated as soon as we embarked on our journey to the Reef. The thought that stayed with me was that of the water looking like glistening Listerine Mouthwash. We had three stops on our day trip which included Coral Gardens, Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan. I don't really know if I have the ability to describe the experience quite adequately. All I knew was that I would remember the day forever in my mind. We saw everything from huge schools of colourful fish swimming in perfect unison to large stingrays and sharks. We sailed home in the sunset while Patrick made three gallons of rum punch with dark and light Belizean spirits. All day long we munched on tropical fruit. On the way home we were served Shrimp Ceviche that Jacob made on the boat. What a beautiful memory!

I have met so many lovely people in our six days on the Island. Norma who cleans for Liz moved here from El Salvador and has nine children. Ignacio sells the weekly paper that comes in from Belize City on his bike. At 65 years old he reminds me that Caye Caulker is not what it used to be with some large buildings on the Island. Gerald sells us his daily catch of fish and uses the Chinese grocery store to weigh his catch.

At the end of the day we had prepared a local dinner of coconut curry barracuda that Marconi, Eugene and Eli helped make happen while the sea breeze rustled the air and the stars shone all around us. The chocolate was the crowning glory!

Yolanda

One family that I would really like to share with readers of my blogs is that of Yolanda Ramirez. A mother of seven children ranging from 28 to 10 years old, she is a single parent trying not only to raise her children but to be a caregiver for her 14 year old son who is extremely disabled and has been bedridden with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis since the age of 7. Yolanda is also grieving for the loss of her daughter who died of an enlarged heart at the age of 12 years. She receives no support from the fathers of her children. Yolanda lives on $200 Belize a month, which equates to $100 in U.S. She earns this by the $100 Belize that is given to her by the government, and the one day a week she works as a housecleaner for $25 Belize on Fridays. She tries to supplement her income by purchasing crates of coke and fanta to sell by the bottle. On a good week if the weather is really hot, she can sometimes sell 2 to 4 crates making $10 Belize ($5 U.S.) for every 24 bottles in the crate. Other ways of earning income is to offer her services of ironing for churches. Life is a constant struggle and it can be lonely to be the sole caregiver without having a break.

Saul cannot be left on his own so on the day she works, she must ask for the help of someone to sit with Saul. At the age of 7 Saul was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Symptoms of the condition include swelling joints and pain in the hands and feet. Yolanda's morning starts very early. She must carry Saul into a plastic chair so that she can bathe him and brush his teeth. She has no bathroom, toilet or running water inside her home. Upon meeting Saul, I immediately felt Yolanda's pain when comparing that her son is TJ's age as he will be turning 15 on the 12th of May. I could not imagine how long the days must be for him lying on the sofa. Thank goodness Saul was given a television so that he can at least watch something to entertain him. The cost of raising a disabled child for most people anywhere is a struggle and a worry but for Yolanda in a country with an near non-existent social security program, it is a huge burden. The cost of diapers, baby wipes, lotion, shampoo, Tylenol and vitamins are something that she just cannot afford. She would love to be able to afford a three wheeled chair for Saul so that she can get him outside.

While we were talking one day, she had to come up with test fees for her youngest ten year old son Ronaldo. So many other incidentals that are free in our country are additional hardships for families, but even more for people who live under the poverty level. According to an article in the Belize Anglican News, the official government statistics showed an increase in those living below the poverty line. It used to be 33% and now it is at 43%.

Yolanda's house was built 5 years ago on leased land. She pays $35 per year to lease the land. A generous American man built and paid for Yolanda's house which I assumed was made with salvaged wood. During the rainy season which starts soon, the house floods 2 to 3 feet. She is presently requesting assistance from Pablo Marin, the local MP and Minister of Health. They are looking into the possibility of lifting up ground in her house to put a proper floor in. Presently the floor inside the house consists of tiny ridges and slopes. It would impossible at this point to push a wheelchair inside.

There are so many people who truly deserve financial assistance in Belize. I sincerely feel Yolanda is in genuine need of support. I am not specifically asking friends or family to send money to Yolanda but instead allowing people who were already searching for a cause to help. We are only in Belize for two more weeks and if in that time, anyone wants to join Andy and I in making a one time donation, please contact me by email.

A Family in Belize

I had the pleasure and honour of being invited into a local Mestizo family home this week. About 45% of the population in Belize are considered Mestizo, descendants of mixed Spanish an indigenous blood. Upon arriving in Corozal, I had made acquaintance with Estela Cairrllo during our first week. We live a couple of blocks away from each other and her youngest children attend St. Paul's Anglican School. My first impression of Estela was that of admiration for a mother, who at 36 years old could juggle having seven children and appear to be very calm and sane!

Estlela told me that she has been with her common law husband Roland Catzim for 18 years. When they first met, Roland was away for a month at a time as a fisherman and only to returned home three days at a time. Estela did not want to raise her children with an absent husband thus Roland builds houses and works with masonry. This also allows dad to come home for the lunch hour with Edwin, who he works with, during their workday. They have lived in the same rented house for the past five years, having previously lived in a much smaller dwelling on College Rd. Since meeting the children two months ago I can quite easily say that they are extremely well mannered and cheerful. Edwin is the oldest at 18 years, followed by Cynthia 14 years, Carolos 13, Rolando 12, Edwardo 11, Darwin 6 and the newest member of the household a very sweet baby of 5 months called Diego. On this day two nephews were visiting too.

The day I arrived to interview Estela, she was hoping that her tank of Butane would be filled by the delivery men as using her outdoor fire creates too much smoke and is a labour intensive chore cleaning pots and pans after using an open flame. Estela showed me around her house, which included a small living room that had a hammock set up for baby Diego (I love that name!), a kitchen that leads out to the sheltered area which has an overhang that houses the outdoor cooking area, and one of three bedrooms which are partitioned off with curtains for the five boys.

Estela cooks a lot of beans and rice, which is a popular kid's choice of meal in Belize. Meat is expensive so she chooses to cook vegetarian five days a week. Now that the children are getting older, it would require two pounds of meat for a meal. Her family favourite is either Panades or tortilla with chicken, tomato and cabbage. Roland will sometimes leave the house at 5 AM to go net fishing. After finding personally that Chetumal was an unique shopping experience, and talking to the locals who frequent there, I asked Estela if she shopped in Mexico. She told me that you cannot travel to Mexico without a permit. You are required to carry two pieces of picture ID. To obtain a Mexican ID card is $30 for a permit that only lasts one year.

Estela told me that she has little skill with reading, and she stated that her husband has difficulty with literacy also. She attended the Methodist school until she was ten years old and had obtained class 3. Despite the fact that she lacks reading and writing skills, she is quite dedicated to helping her children do their homework at night. Sometimes she works at a restaurant where the owner encourages her to learn to take orders. The math calculating the bills come easily to her. On the days that she works, Cynthia is like a little mother to the children and Roland comes home at the end of the day to take over. But that is not the normal routine as she feels that working outside the home would be difficult with Diego. In addition, Cynthia will be looking for a job in September. Carlos, who is the third oldest in the family, truly wants to have the opportunity to attend Corozal Community College in September. When I asked about the high cost of tuition, she said that she was hoping that they would obtain two sponsors who would pay for his attendance. This would help her focus on paying text books, uniforms and misc. fees like fees for writing exams.

When I asked what a normal day at the house looked like, she responded that getting up at 6 AM was the norm. Lunch preparations must start by 11 AM. Most evenings her bedtime is 8 PM. Thankfully, laundry does not have to be done every day. I also asked if there was anything that she wanted Canadians to know. She responded without hesitation that she loves her life in Corozal and would not want to live anywhere else. She had visited Guatemala once and did not like it much. Just as I was giving thanks for her hospitality at the end of our talk the delivery men arrived and refilled the cylinders so that another lunch could be prepared. Diego was asleep in his hammock with the Canadian sticker still on his forehead.

School in Belize

The education system in Belize is a British model of education. Schools in Belize come in three levels which is primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary schooling for 8 years is the only mandatory education. Secondary schools include the classification of forms. Many religious congregations operate the primary schools and secondary schools have a high element of religion in their classroom. Primary education is free but related expenses such as uniforms, books and test fees are definitely a financial strain for most families and especially so for the poor ones.

TJ has attended Corozal Community College and this is his TJ's Blog entry...

School in Canada is substantially different then the schooling in Belize. Teachers have a unique approach on punishment towards the students. They are a lot harder on students in the discipline side of classes. They use "The Demerit System" and staying after school hours is often the punishment of choice. Classes are usually chaotic and, at times can be controlled but sometimes have absolutely no direction simply because students wont shut up and no one seems to use the "put up your hand" method to speak. All of the noise and confusion usually results in the progress of classes to slow down. My classmates at school were great to say the least! We would constantly fool around in and out class hours and everyone was friendly. Lunch hour usually meant sitting around the large fruit tree outside of class and eating lunch from the snack bar. The choice of food included everything from the classic, "Rice N beans" to Tamales and tacos. All in all Corozal Community College was an excellent cultural learning opportunity. I wouldn't like to attend CCC full time but it was definitely an experience i will never forget.

Lamanai

Set on the edge of the New River Lagoon, Lamanai is one of the largest Mayan sites in Belize. On Monday we booked a Jungle River Cruise out of Orange Walk to take us to the ruins. I felt intrigued as we drove past each village throughout the 45 minute journey. The similar sight in each location was masses of uniformed school children getting to school. Students doubled onto handle bars and as usual dogs roamed free amidst the activity. Vendors were preparing their roadside stalls for another day and every clapboard house seemed to have clothes on the line. Cars that seemed all too close to these activities sped past at extremely high speeds. Sugar cane workers were commuting in the back of empty flatbed trucks, though soon to be filled their harvest, with the wind whooshing in their faces. We were following a truck with passengers huddled in the back and I could not make out what the woman was holding in her arms. When we passed the vehicle, I saw that it was her baby that she had swaddled in a blanket while breastfeeding. We passed through towns with such names as Calcutta and San Pedro. The day was a little cooler to start off at 65 degrees which was the perfect temperature to start out before the day heated up.

Our guide Gilberto welcomed us into his small motor boat for the 2.5 hour trip that totally enthralled us. Captivating and adventurous, we loved every part of our journey, passing numerous crocodiles, colourful birds and turtles. My favourite was the Jesus Christ bird that can walk on water. The proper name is the Northern Jacana but it's the vegetation that holds the long toed bird above the water looking for edibles. Our guide stopped the boat when he saw two spider monkeys. Gilberto gave Andy a banana and instructed him to pass it to the monkey unpeeled. The monkey jumped into the boat for such an offer and proceeded to devour the fruit while staring us intently in the eye. After ingesting her meal, she was looking for more than an appetizer so she proceeded to try and lift the lid of the cooler. Before she exited the boat, she walked around the ledge of the boat peering into our eyes. The amount of laughter in the boat could not be stifled and perhaps could be heard from a distance. Entertainment at it's finest!

Andy seemed to have the knack of losing his hat in the wind. Twice Gilberto caught the wayward cap before it exited the boat. The third time he was unsuccessful but managed to turn back to allow Andy to retrieve it from the water. Our guide reminded him that the water was infested with crocs. Strangely enough that was the last time he accidentally lost his hat.

When we reached the ruins, we were treated to a meal of Mayan stewed chicken that was cooked on an open fire, potato salad, coleslaw and the National Dish of Belize.........."Rice and Beans". We ate in a palapa with the backdrop of the forested lagoon. Our guide directed us to the ruins to give us an extensive tour. It was believed to have served as an imperial port city at the height of its power. 728 buildings have been identified at the site but only five are available for visitors to view. Lamanai is believed to have been occupied from 1500 B.C. to the 19th century. At its peak, Lamanai was home to more than 55,000 Mayans. The temples that we saw were the Mask Temple, the High Temple which we climbed for a breathtaking view above the canopy of trees and over the river. The Ball Court held great ritual significance and we each had our turn to throw the rubber ball. You can hear howler monkeys echoing and we were lucky enough to actually look at them closeby. Our guide also pointed out to us a beautiful toucan

I had woke up that morning with a slight pain and wondered if I was having problems with something I had ingested. Just as we were cautiously climbing down the ruin in the blazing sun (while crossing our fingers), I knew that something was wrong. Luckily there are washrooms available in Lamanai unlike some other public areas. I found myself in a terrible predicament, which was not being able to leave the washroom when our guide wanted us to be ready at the dock. The boat ride back to Orange Walk was going to be only 90 minutes, as we had already done our exploring on the river, but the ride back was torturous especially for the fact that stopping was not a possibility because of the Morelet's Crocodiles that live in the river. I was a very grateful passenger by the time we reached shore and quickly ran into the hotel where we had docked. The adventure continued!

Oops! This blog was meant for the last batch of photos.

Things as usual have sped by the last week. Another trip to Mexico but this time with James and TJ. Andy generously offered to take the rickety three hour bus ride to Belize City so we could have the vehicle to drive to the boat dock. We overspent in Mexico and actually had to put back a few grocery items as we went over the remaining 1300 pesos we had. Nevertheless we had a good laugh and a great day!

We were delighted to welcome Bishop Cyrus Pitman from the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador to join us for lunch on Monday of last week. He traveled with Canon Eric Richards, a long-serving priest in active retirement in our neighbouring parish of Orange Walk, and Stephen, who works in the Diocesan Office and helps with youth ministry. After a quick trip to the market, Andy harvested the bananas from the backyard so I could make a banana cake to serve with our meal.

Bishop Cy(rus) was visiting Belize for a week to enter into an agreement of companionship between the two dioceses that will encourage visits between clergy and lay people between these two very different parts of the world, and projects in ministry that they can share together. Andy met with the companion diocese committee in Belize City on Wednesday to observe how the partnership was being planned, and he came away impressed by the range of input and the goals they have in mind for helping out with parishes, schools, youth programs, and building projects, among other things. The January trip to Labrador should be quite an experience for some of the Belizeans who have not been to Canada before! He also noted for the committee that it is actually further to travel from BC to Nfld than it is to travel from Victoria to Belize.

James celebrated his 23rd birthday on Friday. After Andy picked such a large cluster of bananas, I thought everyone would get sick of the same chocolate banana cake I make. I tweaked the recipe minus the cocoa and fried some fresh pineapple in Belizean honey for an upside down cake with figs, local bananas and dates......topped off with a hibiscus from our front yard. James travels to Belize City Thursdays on the bus to help at the Anglican Cathedral School and returns Friday night. We had picked up Mexican Rib Eye steak and Belizean veggies with a bottle of Mexican Merlot. James arrived home at 8 PM just on cue for his birthday dinner!