If you just Belize...

And if you haven't noticed already, I am thinking up a different corny Belize phrase with each post. It's just too easy! Any suggestions are welcome :)

Today I stepped into another world and another time. We spent the day visiting with old-order Mennonites who live off the land in Belize. They have no electricity, no running water, and live and dress very simply and modestly...in very hot weather. My sister, Brin, warned me to bring a long skirt that covers my ankles, and a long sleeve shirt, as normal tropical weather clothing would be inappropriate for the visit.

On 2 past trips, Brin stayed with a family with 8 kids, and has been building relationships with them since. Since the only form of communication is letter-writing, and the mail here is unpredictable, she was unsure if they would be expecting us or not. Nonetheless, we were greeted by the 21-year old daughter who was very happy to meet us. While Josh was sent out to the barn to spend time with the men, Brin and I helped prepare lunch in the kitchen. The Mennonite community has very strict gender roles, and this was evident throughout our time. Our host was very surprised to learn that once married, Josh and I would actually share cooking duties! Her eyes widened when I told her, implying the thought, "Men can cook?!"

While originally from Germany, and still German-speaking (mixed with some Spanish and English), this group has been in Belize for over 50 years. Who knew there was a large population of Mennonites in Belize? They traveled from Canada and Mexico, searching for land and a place where public education was not mandated for their children by the government.

We also met a Canadian woman who was a radical feminist activist turned Belizian Mennonite wife (whew). Her journey to becoming Mennonite was fascinating and challenging. I told her about my social work mission, and she asked me if I'd be bringing social work students back to visit the community. I replied that I might, but I was still working on the social work connection piece. See, the community takes care of itself there. They do all their own social work. They live off the land completely, farming and canning incessantly, so they don't go hungry, they rely on each other when life requires sharing some work. They are deeply religious and this effects every aspect of their lives.

A conversation back at the ranch helped me to process this further. One of the directors coined their lifestyle as "an alternative model of development." We in the U.S. often think development should look just like us, that we should help all the other countries become just like us. But maybe that shouldn't be the end goal in all cases. Furthermore, visiting the Mennonites is a very interesting study on groups and communities (hello, Human Behavior in the Social Environment).

So who knows what might come of this connection in the future, but in the meanwhile, I have plenty to ponder.