Day 3

I began the morning with slight hesitancy. Hesitancy to leave Placencia; a village of happiness, trust/security, and familiar faces. In some aspects Placencia began to feel like home, throughout the day (morning, noon, and night) we were greeted with, “Good morning girls, enjoying your stay” and “Did you find everything you need.” Throughout our walks from place to place the people of Placencia set up their shops and vending merchandise with families in tow, women began hand washing clothes and hotel bedding, men worked as carpenters, and the children were self-entertained by their parents side. After devouring Belgian waffles for breakfast, the girls and I decided to visit gift shops to purchase souvenirs for our family and friends. Along the way I encountered a woman named Juanita who was selling hand woven crafts such as baskets and bracelets from her backpack. She described the morning as “slow,” yet her face radiated with hope and positivity. I have seen nothing less among the people of Belize, which serves as a reminder to be grateful and humble always. We soon parted ways, and boarded the bus to Punta Gorta. After a few hours we made a quick stop in Bella Vista where I experienced a bit of culture shock. Upon exiting the bus I saw a women picking through what seemed to me like trash, she emptied bottles and cans and stored them in a handmade sack. The restrooms were located outside of the market, trash was thrown on the floor, and the sink for hand washing was separated from them. I spoke to a man named Jose (in Spanish) who asked my name, where I was from, and what I was in Belize for. He wished me luck on my journey to provide speech-language services to the children of Stella Maris and granted me a warm farewell. When we arrived in Punta Gorta, the girls and I decided to take a walk in the hopes of finding a pharmacy and ATM. Although Punta Gorta does not reflect a commonly visited area for tourists, a man named Andrew laughed and shouted, “Not those, they are too small” as we picked coconuts from a tree. Without hesitation he jumped down from the gate he was resting on, climbed the tree, grabbed the best coconut he could find, cracked it open, and gave it to us to drink. He provided us with some knowledge of the fruit and described their various qualities such as color, size, and shape to reflect different species. It is incredible to (1) realize this is something quite common in the country of Belize and (2) that although they are consumed in the U.S. most of us are unaware of the beauty behind it all. What a pleasant way to begin emerging in the culture and ways of life in another Belizean village.