I can hardly belize it.

Today I saw a man riding a bike with a raccoon on his head. That's something you don't see everyday. I didn't even know they had raccoons in Belize; in fact, my sister agreed that they don't. Hmmm.

Two days ago, we were staying on the border of Mexico, and decided to venture into a new country. Why not? Little did we know that there were exit taxes, they had to fumigate our car (and we had to pay for it), and Chetumal, Mexico, is not so easy to navigate if you don't know where you are going. Still, we found a nice little restaurant on the water and enjoyed some Mexican food and drink, while watching the crystal aqua blue water. It was gorgeous. I kept waiting for a manatee to swim right up to us. Sadly, it didn't.

But one of the most interesting things about this visit, for me, is the striking difference between the two countries. Mexico is much more "developed" than Belize. And when I say "developed," I mean smooth, paved roads, some American restaurants, and lots more people. For better or for worse. Though Mexico seems to have an infrastructure that is more developed (like the roads), Belize has insisted on maintaining its under-developed charm. The bumpy dirt roads and the lack of chain restaurants are a part of what makes Belize, Belize. I hear that the only chain restaurant in the country is a Subway sandwich place in Belize City. In a globalized world of multi-national corporations, this is rare. In some ways, Belize's resistance to globalization has made it more intriguing to tourists, and possibly better for tourism in the long run. Belize is known increasingly for its opportunities in ecotourism.

At the same time, this nation is very diverse. The 260,000 people that live here are made up many different people groups. The Maya, who at one time populated Belize with over 400,000 people, who have left behind thousands of ruins and archeological sites. In fact, one uncovered mound was in my sister's backyard at the ranch. Many individuals of Mayan descent still populate Belize, and the language is still spoken by older generations. Belize is also home to many Creoles, Asians, German Mennonites, expatriates from the Global North, and so on. This is part of what makes the culture so rich and fascinating here. So, while Belize may not be on the cutting edge of globalization, it is a combination of many different cultures, languages, and people groups. Beautiful.

(Some of my information is adapted from The Making of Belize: Globalization in the margins. By Ann Sutherland).