If you’re going to live in a place like Belize you have to get used to the fact that things don’t always work. Today we had several power failures. No big deal, they happen on our little island every few weeks. Sometimes they last five minutes, sometimes hours.
Today we had several failures and the last one hit about an hour before sunset. In the tropics it gets dark fast. With no moon, everyone on the island was literally in the dark for several hours.
But here’s what I love about this place.
People come out of their homes and walk to the nearest bar where they sit and talk with whoever else shows up. It’s very social. People are cheerful and joke about the situation.
I lived in Los Angeles for ten years and never knew my neighbors. And a rare power failure meant locking doors and staying inside. In Belize you sit around with friends and strangers laughing it up and sharing all the rumors that are already circulating about why the power is off and when it will be coming back on. When it comes back on at 8:30 pm it’s almost a disappointment.
I really like being here.
