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Margaret's Conclusions
Although
I left
Belize
three years ago, I am still contacted by people wishing to move to
Belize
, asking for my advice. Most ask specifically, “How safe is it for gringos to
live in
Belize
?” I have finally drafted a form letter which I send them in reply.
Letter
to a Gringo
Well,
<insert gringo name here>, I certainly understand the appeal of the idea
of living in the tropical paradise that is
Belize
. But to be perfectly frank, the reality of living there is harsh. That’s why
I left.
I
lived & worked in northern
Belize
for 10 years as an archaeologist – working there part-time for 6 years, and
living in Corozal as a full time resident for 4 years. To answer your initial
question, the level of violent crime is high, especially against “gringos”
but also against locals, and it increases every year. In 2008, a BAFTA
award-winning documentary film (Ross
Kemp on Gangs, Season 4: the
Belize
Episodes, viewable on YouTube)
declared
Belize
City “one of the most dangerous places on earth” – noting, among other
things, that
local gangs armed themselves with NATO grenades.
So
many “experts” on life in
Belize
don’t actually live there, they just visit once or twice a year. It is
impossible to explain to a visitor, even a knowledgeable one, how different
Belizean life is for a full-time resident. These travel writers often maintain
that crime in
Belize
was no worse than crime in the
U.S.
So while I still lived there, just out of curiosity, I conducted an informal
survey of 100 American, Canadian and British ex-pats living in and around
Corozal and on Ambergris Caye. I found that 87 of the ex-pats I talked with
reported incidents of violent crime against them. Not just petty theft, which is
universal, but armed home-invasions, car-jackings, rapes and muggings:
dangerous, in-your-face, armed confrontations. There is no way that an 87%
violent crime rate exists, or would be allowed to exist, in the US,
Great Britain
, or
Canada
.
In
response to this depressing statistic, gringos new to
Belize
tell me that those ex-pats who have been assaulted must somehow have “asked
for it”. They surely “flashed their cash” or otherwise behaved stupidly so
as to incite their attackers. The newcomers assure me that they will not make
those silly mistakes, and that they, being smarter and more sensitive to the
local culture, will not be attacked. I don’t have to tell you that blaming a
victim for the crime is cruel and senseless, but I will point out that no gringo
who’s lived in
Belize
longer than 6 months would ever say such a thing.
I
could go on at length about the problems I saw in Belize, share my opinions on
police complicity and governmental corruption, and try to disabuse you of the
notion that the men of Belize turn to crime because they’re poor – those who
do, do it because they can, because it’s easy, and because they almost always
get away with it – but my experience in corresponding with other Americans (or
Brits or Canadians) who have fallen in love with the idea of moving to Belize
tells me that you’ll make your own decision and most likely ignore any advice
I might give you.
I
don’t want to sound rude, bitter or racist. Disenchanted, yes. I still visit
Belize
– visiting there is great! – and I married a Belizean, too, but I would not
live there again, and neither would he.
Assuming
you will decide to try living in Belize
anyway, I offer three bits of advice.
(1.)
I believe that Corozal is your best residence choice in
Belize
, mostly because it is so close to
Mexico
. So, even better, why not learn just a little Spanish and choose Chetumal,
Mexico, instead of Corozal, Belize? Chetumal is cheaper, cleaner, safer, and has
better food. The Calderitas seafront area of Chetumal is pretty and affordable,
and is only 15 minutes from the Belizean border, so you can visit
Belize
whenever you like.
(2.)
Try before you buy. Rent a place where you think you’d like to live. Don’t
buy any property until you’ve lived in that place full-time for 6 months. Then
decide.
(3.)
Before you leave home, get yourself a couple of big mean-looking dogs,
preferably black, and train them not to accept any food from strangers so they
won’t be poisoned by your thieves.
So,
if after reading my unvarnished & possibly unpleasant opinions you still
want to ask me questions about living in
Belize
, please feel free, really. I’ve done my duty by telling you the truth up
front, so if you decide to move to
Belize
anyway it’s your choice, you’re a grown-up. Relieved of my responsibility
to you, I will be happy to share all that I learned the hard way during my
decade in
Belize
!
--Margaret
Briggs
High
& Dry in
Sandia Park
,
New Mexico
, where in 3 years not a single lawn chair has been stolen.
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