PCV: Paid Caribbean Vacation

Growing up in the good ol US of A has made most of us slightly biased over our lives about different places other than what we call home. I can say to an extent, despite traveling internationally, that this still holds some truth.


Let's take Mexico for example. Sure, sure they have cheap tacos and Carona but other than that what do you really know about Mexico that wasn't told to you by some horrible depiction of Mexican culture in a movie or from Taco Bell? The only state any of us have probably heard of is Chihuahua, and I guarantee you didn't know about it other than the ankle biting dogs that rich pompous celebrities love to dress up in their Sunday's best and Halloween costumes. I may be stereotyping the hell out of Americans right now, but it's exactly what we do to Mexicans and I think if you identify with anything above you will agree.


While I am no expert on Mexico (I cant even speak Spanish), I got my first real Mexican experience last weekend. I went to Chetumal. "Where the beer flows like wine & beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano." Ok, it was fun, but it was not that good. It was Mexico though.


Many still refer to Mexico as this 3rd world country so far behind anything in the US that its like living in the land of the dinosaurs. Not in Belize. Belizeans often think of Mexico as a nice place that people go for a good time. Chetumal is far from a tourist hot spot, but after being in Belize for a few months, it seems to be the place to go when you want a taste of your own culture. American Culture that is.


Chetumal has malls, street lights, and even highways with overpasses. This may sound stupid to all of you old glory Americans sitting in your LayZboy recliners with your laptop snuggled in your lap connected to your wireless Internet but its not the case down here. An on ramp to a highway was like seeing MacDonalds for the first time. It makes you sick and also gives you hope all at the same time. Then it makes you sick again. It's capitalism at its best.


I wont lie, I was excited. If I had a camera, I would have taken a few shots of things that no one else would have deemed important. It was a small slice of home in a place that I never thought I'd find.


I guess the moral of the story is after all the rumors you hear from the ignorant of the US, you might even start believing that Mexico and all countries that are not the USA are dirty. This is not true. They have a beauty all unto themselves. And for those of you who have been to Mexico, but never left your all inclusive resort... shame on you. You might as well have stayed at home.

Having never been to Mexico, I was expecting big things. Had I not lived in Belize for the past few months, I would have been disappointed. But it all comes back to perspective. When you go without things like video arcades and giant movie cinemas, you kind of appreciate them more. I say kind of because we didn't go to any of them. They were nice to drive past though and do the occasional "ooh ahh." Come to think of it, I didn't even partake in the rumored national past time of Mexico... drinking Tequila. I had better things to do... like walk about in the rain looking for something I never found and never knew I was looking for.

It rained the entire weekend. Non-stop. But you know what? Mexico has drains in the streets, something Belize has at times but are often so full of trash that no water can get in. I like to think irony is when you go to a place expecting filth and your preconception of what clean is has changed remarkably in just a few months.

I may be living in a village, but I am far from the most remote volunteer in Belize. This blog is proof of that. I have the internet! I have a tv in my room with more channels than I ever had in the US. Some people get excited if the bus comes once a week to take them somewhere so they can get a shower that is not the river. It's all about perspective. Mine has changed, and this is only the beginning. I cant even imagine what a place like Las Vegas or even Newport on the Levee would be like in a year. Me, the socialite that I am, may have an anxiety attack. Flashy lights give us all quite the level of excitement but help the company sell us anything. Often we are just amazed at how much electricity is wasted and how many people we have met that live without it. Perspective.