DAY 1: THE JOURNEY TO BELIZE

Morgan L Edwards

After arriving in Belize today, I instantly observed several similarities and differences with the United States (especially Florida). The weather here is definitely comparable to Florida weather. As soon as I exited the plane, I felt the blazing sun and humid air hit me, nearly taking my breath away. It was like a Florida summer! I also saw that the varieties of plants, trees and foliage are very similar to Florida’s greenery since Belize and Florida have very tropical climates. As we drove from one side of the country to the other via the “Western Highway” (considered a Belizean interstate but resembles a U.S. county road), I found an assortment of houses – big and small, old and new. Most of these houses were built on stilts to avoid flooding.

One thing that stood out to me as we drove through different communities was that the children were always outside playing because they don’t have the technology that we have in the states. I also appreciated the fact that families typically stick together, or it appeared that way at least. In a way, I think that Belize is somewhat Americanized (they were driving Range Rovers and Ford F-150s), but they are just very rural. The activity that had the greatest significance today was supper (the food gets me every time)! The flavors of tonight’s meal (which was chicken fajitas) were very genuine, fresh and of Latino origin. We are only 8 miles from Guatemala, which is why a Latino influence is prominent in this area. I also enjoyed the car ride and interacting with the people that we came in contact with including Rhondine, John, Orlando and Monique.

Today I learned that patience is a virtue (crying babies on plane, airport delays, etc.) and that having preconceived notions can either positively or negatively affect your outlook and future interactions. If I learn not to let my predetermined conceptions affect how I think, feel and act, I will experience less disappointment and it will allow me to interact with a diverse group of people. Something I saw today that challenged my previous thinking was that most of the Belizean signs (billboards, road signs, etc.) were in the English language (thanks Dr. Telg for pointing this out). Even though each Belizean person (probably) speaks at least three different languages, English is considered the official language of Belize. I always thought that other countries (especially Central America) would have signage in multiple languages. But boy was I wrong!

Tomorrow I hope to learn about the plants that are native to Belize and expand my knowledge on the Mayan culture!

#Belize #CentralAmerica #Food #Climate #Mayan