Belize – end of Day 2
So there I was, putting in 12-hour days at work, packing, cleaning the house, shopping for cool (meaning non-hot) clothes, rounding up last minute gift requests from my brother-in-law, shoveling snow, and trying to edit and upload Underground Media's first podcast. Don't underestimate the challenge of editing a podcast. Wxman and myself generated over an hour of good drunken news commentary that meandered from topics such as illegal downloading and the latest portable media gadgets to the current state of the neo-conservative movement and it's impact on the Republican party! And I think we talked about boobs. It was left over commentary from the Oscar's mainly, but there was definitely boob talk. And, as Wxman and I are who we are, I'm fairly certain that there will continue to be boob talk in future podcasts. But, I digress. The point is that I was doing a million things at once, all to make sure everything was ready for my week in Belize.
Belize, for those who are too lazy to click my wikipedia link, is a tiny Central American country sandwiched between Mexico and Guatemala. It's about the size of Rhode Island with about as many people. There are several unique things about Belize that I was aware of BEFORE I got here.
* It's the only really stable government in Central America (other than Mexico). Democratic government, no revolutions, no guerrilla warfare, etc.
* Almost everyone here speaks English! Not that I would ever go to another country and demand they speak English to me, but damn it makes things like ordering drinks easy. Actually, most of the people here speak Creole, which is similar to English, and easy enough to pick up on.
* The people here are an ethnic mix of Native, African, Asian, and Caucasian.
* The exchange rate with the US is fixed at 2:1. Nice round numbers.
* It gets REALLY hot and humid.
* It's more Carribean than Central American, mostly because of the slave trade...
* It has the singular distinction of having produced my wife.
There are several other unique things about Belize that I became aware of AFTER I arrived.
* That ethnic mixture I referred to above is by no means an equal distribution. All different shades of people with no apparent “dominant” class actually live and work together, speak at least three different languages, and eat the same food! To American eyes, their ethnicity would appear indistinct and we would struggle to classify them. But to them, there are no questions of origin as they span the spectrum from the whitest white to the darkest black and everything in-between.
* Belize is home to the most beautiful women on the planet. Now, I have to qualify my statement by saying I haven't been to that many places. But I have seen a lot of women, and there is no question in my mind that they are the hottest. And, yes, I am married to one. And if you've met her, don't let her cool, geneticist exterior fool you. She's a nerd, but she's hot nerd.
* Belizian humidity is FAR kinder to my skin than the dry Wisconsin cold. I left 25 degrees of dry and crackly, and arrived in 88 degrees of moist deliciousness.
The most important thing I realized as I have now logged a whole two days in sunny Corozal, Belize, is about myself. I am not so deluded that I expected a life-altering epiphany after the stereotypical “trip to another country” a la Lost in Translation. But I have learned something. My pace over the last six years, and especially the last six months has been lightspeed. Moved, promotion, promotion, moved, married, promotion, moved, quit, hired, fired, invested, divested, hired, and currently working my ass off at over 55 hours/week. After two days in Corozal, I lost track of time. Literally! I could not keep track of the date or time, and it's in the same flippin' time zone I left! Now, Belize isn't some sun-drenched honeymoon paradise-style resort country that you see advertised on late-night TV cruise commercials. Corozal is a small working-class town right on the Gulf. Catholic kids go to school, vendors sell lime juice and fruit in the streets, and restaurants open for a few hours and serve four or five traditional Belizian dishes. It's hot, but the breeze from the Gulf is the most awesome feeling in the world. Everyone says “good morning” and there's no crime to speak of. It was almost like a Twilight Zone episode, with people of all different colors working together and speaking different languages, but still being friendly to foreigners like me. And Rod Serling steps out and says something like, “On the surface, this idyllic town that time forgot seems like something out of a dream. But soon our hero will find out that all is not as it seems. In the Twilight Zone.” Duhn Duhn DUHN!!! And that's when I find out that I've been kidnapped by aliens and I'm an animal in their human zoo.
Sorry, but that was an awesome episode. Anyways, without the press of time or job worries to contend with, I have begun doing the things that are most important to me. Spending time with my wife and talking to her. Getting to know her family. Listening to the stories of those around me. I'm a huge people-watcher, but somewhere along the line, I lost the ability to really LISTEN to others. But for whatever reason, that's all I've done for two days. Listen. And that's my lesson for today.
Shut the f*ck up for a minute and listen. You just. Might. Learn. Something.
Belize, for those who are too lazy to click my wikipedia link, is a tiny Central American country sandwiched between Mexico and Guatemala. It's about the size of Rhode Island with about as many people. There are several unique things about Belize that I was aware of BEFORE I got here.
* It's the only really stable government in Central America (other than Mexico). Democratic government, no revolutions, no guerrilla warfare, etc.
* Almost everyone here speaks English! Not that I would ever go to another country and demand they speak English to me, but damn it makes things like ordering drinks easy. Actually, most of the people here speak Creole, which is similar to English, and easy enough to pick up on.
* The people here are an ethnic mix of Native, African, Asian, and Caucasian.
* The exchange rate with the US is fixed at 2:1. Nice round numbers.
* It gets REALLY hot and humid.
* It's more Carribean than Central American, mostly because of the slave trade...
* It has the singular distinction of having produced my wife.
There are several other unique things about Belize that I became aware of AFTER I arrived.
* That ethnic mixture I referred to above is by no means an equal distribution. All different shades of people with no apparent “dominant” class actually live and work together, speak at least three different languages, and eat the same food! To American eyes, their ethnicity would appear indistinct and we would struggle to classify them. But to them, there are no questions of origin as they span the spectrum from the whitest white to the darkest black and everything in-between.
* Belize is home to the most beautiful women on the planet. Now, I have to qualify my statement by saying I haven't been to that many places. But I have seen a lot of women, and there is no question in my mind that they are the hottest. And, yes, I am married to one. And if you've met her, don't let her cool, geneticist exterior fool you. She's a nerd, but she's hot nerd.
* Belizian humidity is FAR kinder to my skin than the dry Wisconsin cold. I left 25 degrees of dry and crackly, and arrived in 88 degrees of moist deliciousness.
The most important thing I realized as I have now logged a whole two days in sunny Corozal, Belize, is about myself. I am not so deluded that I expected a life-altering epiphany after the stereotypical “trip to another country” a la Lost in Translation. But I have learned something. My pace over the last six years, and especially the last six months has been lightspeed. Moved, promotion, promotion, moved, married, promotion, moved, quit, hired, fired, invested, divested, hired, and currently working my ass off at over 55 hours/week. After two days in Corozal, I lost track of time. Literally! I could not keep track of the date or time, and it's in the same flippin' time zone I left! Now, Belize isn't some sun-drenched honeymoon paradise-style resort country that you see advertised on late-night TV cruise commercials. Corozal is a small working-class town right on the Gulf. Catholic kids go to school, vendors sell lime juice and fruit in the streets, and restaurants open for a few hours and serve four or five traditional Belizian dishes. It's hot, but the breeze from the Gulf is the most awesome feeling in the world. Everyone says “good morning” and there's no crime to speak of. It was almost like a Twilight Zone episode, with people of all different colors working together and speaking different languages, but still being friendly to foreigners like me. And Rod Serling steps out and says something like, “On the surface, this idyllic town that time forgot seems like something out of a dream. But soon our hero will find out that all is not as it seems. In the Twilight Zone.” Duhn Duhn DUHN!!! And that's when I find out that I've been kidnapped by aliens and I'm an animal in their human zoo.
Sorry, but that was an awesome episode. Anyways, without the press of time or job worries to contend with, I have begun doing the things that are most important to me. Spending time with my wife and talking to her. Getting to know her family. Listening to the stories of those around me. I'm a huge people-watcher, but somewhere along the line, I lost the ability to really LISTEN to others. But for whatever reason, that's all I've done for two days. Listen. And that's my lesson for today.
Shut the f*ck up for a minute and listen. You just. Might. Learn. Something.
posted by Akshun J at 11:11 AM
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