Amanda has spent the last year living in Corozal, Belize as an expat
I have been in Corozal, Belize a year now and I am finally well adjusted to life here, but it took about 5 to 6 months to get over the feelings that I made a mistake. This was nothing like living in the United States. I had read before moving to Corozal that time was not an important issue for Belizeans, so I was prepared for that, having lived in other places where time was not an issue. But trust issues became a big concern for me, as they are for all ex-pats and even Belizeans. I want to share the experiences I have had with hiring people to do some maintenance on my house.
I decided to rent a house for a nominal amount, by American standards, but I wanted to do some things to make it feel more comfortable for me. Let me just note here that not all laborers working on Belizean homes here are Belizean; some are Guatemalan, Mexican, as well as other Central American countries. I started by adding a driveway and a fence. Then I ordered furniture and had the inside repainted to suit my color scheme. I hired a couple (Guatemalan) to work for me so the husband and his family put in the driveway for a rather large sum, but I trusted them since he worked for me on other projects. During the project several Belizeans stopped by to compliment my driveway and asked what I paid. When I told them, they were all shocked at the high price. I thought they were being jealous of what I was paying, but turns out they were right. While the driveway was being constructed, the inside was being painted, supposedly by the best painters in Corozal. These guys paint all the ex-pat houses in Consejo Shores (a separate community outside of Corozal). The day they finished, it started raining and it rained for about 3 or 4 days. So that ended up being a wasted paint job because the house was leaking all over. My worker and his family said they could take care of the roof for a nice sum, which the homeowner forked out. Well after finishing that job, it rained again and leaked all over the house. The homeowners and I were both very disappointed, meantime, people are continually telling me I paid more than double for the driveway. Enough!
So it was time to talk about what was really going on. Now it’s time to let them go. The furniture maker also took advantage of me being a trusting person. I never got all of my furniture and it was not what I wanted and then he disappeared.
My suggestion to anyone doing construction or renovation in Belize would be to get at least three bids, and ask around before making up your mind on a contractor. If you don’t get into a hurry to have things done, you can develop contacts that will help you find someone reputable and honest. Please don’t take for granted that all the ex-pats that are in business down here have your best interest at heart either, and whatever you do, never have work done that you are not going to be there to watch over. I believe it is worth the extra vetting to be in Belize, but make sure you go through that process. In my situation all was not a total loss, I mentioned I had a fence put in. Well, it turns out those were the most honest people with whom I came into contact. We are very good friends. The husband is my handyman and the wife is one of my best friends down here. Their family has become my Belizean family. He and his family fixed my roof and it no longer leaks. I do like this country so much more now after learning some of those lessons. It is an interesting experiment I am experiencing down here.
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