Moving to Belize blog series: Part IV: Getting Involved with your Community

Belize is a very small country and each town is a very small community. If you have never lived in a small town before then there are many things that you may have to get used to, such as saying hello to almost everyone you pass by walking around town. Because the communities in Belize are so small you have a wonderful opportunity to get as involved as you can. Some of you may want to keep more to yourself and that is perfectly fine but I would still suggest getting out and meeting people initially. I believe that knowing what is going on around you is a good idea even if you choose to stay away from most of those things.

My mom and I were taking the steps to start a business so we knew we would have to be active within the community in order to better promote our business. We tried it all initially and then decided what we wanted to stay away from and what we wanted to participate in.

I already touched a little on this topic in the previous post but I will go over exactly what we did to become as involved as we possibly could.

• Talk to anyone and everyone – you never know who could be a key resource for you. Some of the most unlikely people could be the same people who help you out the most. Get to know the business owners around town and learn from everyone. The more perspectives you can get on something the better informed you will be.
• Check out any expat gatherings your community may have. We didn’t go to these often but we did know about them, went to a couple and met people from those experiences. In Corozal there is a luncheon on the first Tuesday of each month at the Purple Toucan. Please post a comment if you know of these get-togethers in other parts of Belize.
• Sign up for any email or newsletter list – the email list we signed up for in the Corozal area is friendshiplisting@yahoo.com and to sign up for this list simply send an email requesting to be added. This will keep you informed of any events taking place in your area.
• Participate in the festivities happening around town. There are quite a few holidays celebrated in Belize and most of them come along with a party. Go check it out once or twice and get a feel for these types of events. My mom and I participated in many of the beach parties, fairs, festivals and sporting events that happened around Corozal.
• Have your own gatherings. As you meet more people and make new friends throw a party yourself and get to know everyone a little better.
• When you travel to other towns and villages in Belize let the people you interact with know you live in Belize and get to know some of them. You will find that you will get a lot of information this way.

In my experience life is a lot easier when you can learn from other people around you who have been doing what you are just starting to do and have advice and insights for you.

Going out and participating in activities around town will help you get a feel for the culture of Belize and give you a better understanding of what life is like in your new home.

Some of the things that we did not do that I feel could be very important were to volunteer within the community more – to use our time to help do something positive. This is very important in small communities where people look out for each other. Also, working with the rotary club of Belize could be a great resource.

The bigger the circle of positive people in your community the better equipped you will be to get things done. In Belize things can become difficult and frustrating if you don’t know the process or didn’t get the right person to help you. Do yourself a favor and set up a network of people who you can go to for questions you may have or recommendations.

Lastly, I will say that the more involved you are within your community then the more people are looking out for your best interest. There were certainly times when my mom and I had to learn the hard way that someone we thought had our best interests in mind did not, but we were able to bounce back much more easily when there are still a number of people we can rely on if someone else disappoints us.

As always, please feel free to comment if you have had a different experience, have other advice or just want to put your two-cents in.