Excellent article. We just spent some time there after months of research. I’m retired. My wife is retiring when we move. We are looking at properties around Silk Grass. We’ve spoken with locals in the area. We’ve expressed our desire to use locals for help clearing and building. We’re networking with local business owners. I’m bilingual and we have found that to be very helpful. We spent our evenings sitting with locals and just hanging out. Our goal is to become a part of the community and support our neighbors as best we can. We made the conscious decision to leave our country behind and embrace our new home, its culture, its history and most importantly, its people.
Thank you for a wonderful and thought provoking article. Perhaps we’ll be lucky enough to meet someday.
Thanks for reading, Jim. I'm happy you are taking such an immersive approach to your move to Belize. I feel like the locals recognize and appreciate that effort. Silk Grass is a beautiful area, too! I would love the opportunity to meet in person sometime! Best of luck with the transition Jim.
This article encompasses so much of my feelings about our move here from the US. My husband and I moved to Hopkins in 2023 from Texas and we both work remotely. We bought land and built a house using a Belizean contractor and pre-fab company. We try to embody the positive characteristics you bring up here and avoid the entitled attitude that many foreigners bring here.
Sadly I think so many of our fellow immigrants here will never understand or accept their role in neocolonialism. Just in the last few months foreigners have built walls across existing roads and tried to fill protected land in the wetlands of the village - unfortunately while I like to think there is a difference between us and them, the reality is, locals see it happening and often lump us all together as trying to erase them, takeover their land, etc. and I can’t really blame them. And the entitled foreigners look at us and claim we think we are better than them. It’s a struggle I didn’t really expect to have moving here, but overall all the positives still far outweigh the negatives here.
Thank you for articulating so many of my feelings through this article!
Hi Kristen, thanks for reading and your thoughtful reply. I agree, I never anticipated this aspect of life before living here and it is a challenging one. I also agree that the positives out weigh the negatives. It's a beautiful country with great people. If we are thoughtful with our actions, we can have a positive impact (or at the very least, neutral).
Thank you so much for your insight. We are nearing retirement and I am the chief info gatherer. This gives me a whole new perspective on life abroad! Blessings to you and you family.
Thanks Patsy, I appreciate you reading the essay. Im happy to hear it has informed your future decisions. If you are interested in more info on Belize specifically, check out https://www.foreign-hub.com/belize-foreigner-blog
This is such a well thought out and comprehensive article. My family and I moved to Belize from the US in Jan 2024 and I am feeling so much of this already. Living in Cayo has exposed us to so many hardships and lack of education of opportunities that exist within the country.
We love our new home and the people here. It seems as though many “ex-pats” want to live around other “ex-pats”. Our attitude is—we left for a reason. Give us all the Belizeans and beautiful local culture.
Hi Simo, this is an extremely interesting read--a deep dive into not just what you've observed and experienced in Belize, but also the transformation of your perspective as a foreigner there.
I find your analysis and advice on point and comprehensive, and your criticisms powerful. When it comes to neocolonialism, it takes both the "neo-colonialists" and corrupt local officials/a weak regulatory system to make it work. You've illustrated the point very well. This is right on: "The carrot of wealth dangled in the noses of a country's gatekeepers has always played a critical role in the subjugation of one group of people to benefit another."
I reflected on what you said about gentrification. I've watched it happen in my backyard--first in New York City, then spread to Upstate New York. The buying up of housing by LLCs has driven up the costs so much that the original locals can't afford staying any longer. And yes, just like in some Canadian cities, many of the properties have been purchased by Mainland Chinese investors (some with laundered money). It's so messed up, isn't it?
I think your suggestions on how foreigners and locals can cooperate on building businesses together are very helpful, and so is your advice to newcomers in regard to the locals' economic autonomy and many other aspects.
I believe that through your writing, you can be a helpful conduit between the foreigners and the locals, educating them to live consciously and with great respect and humility in the country that has accepted them.
Wonderful perspective, we are buying a house in hopeville, beside Punta gorda, a dream for 30 years, since the day my plane made an emergency landing at the belize airport. We want to live there because it’s not a tourist trap and most of the beauty is still raw. The house needs a lot of work, but I think, easily livable. I think your article was eye opening and very well written, thank you for your insight.
Thank you for reading, Tracy. I appreciate the feedback, and I'm glad it made an impact. Congrats on the upcoming purchase and realization of a decades-old dream. After 3 years here, I've learned a lot about what it means to live abroad as someone from a developed country. So many of us come and, without realizing it, take from the locals and contribute to growing problems of affordability and access. It's so important that we live in accordance with them. Unfortunately, I didn't know enough when I first came here, so I want to impart some of what I've learned to those just starting their live-abroad journey. If you have any questions about Belize, feel free to reach out!
Thanks for reading Lily! I appreciate you taking the time and for writing such a thoughtful comment.
While it seems like countries are shuttering their borders, especially with the Trump induced trade war, the world is actually opening up. More people are moving and living abroad, so a better understanding of what that means for everyone is crucial.
Since this is not as public a forum as FB...everyone seems to experience a different "Belize". Some of that might be related to location. Let me tell you, if I had to hire a local to build my house I'd go somewhere else. I watched a neighbor have a house built. Wooden house, 24x30 on 8' posts. Shouldn't have taken more than the three months I could do a full concrete foundation house back in Canada. A year later, the workmanship is sub par, with a price that should have reflected more. Protectionism should start with restaurants. Then we could all enjoy stewed chicken and beans.
To have a place on a real market, you need to find your niche. If your attitude is "good?" (Local parlance for " think that will pass?") then you shouldn't expect to get many jobs.
Perhaps your experience in the peninsula is very different, but I've hired established cabinet makers to produce a kitchen and waited the same amount of time as the gestation of a bottle nose dolphin to get the kitchen (but not the built in dressing cabinet also quoted). As long as sub par work and delivery times are accepted, it won't change. I came with the desire to hire local and have ended up doing virtually everything myself. Again, this might be very different in "your Belize", but suggesting blanket edicts regarding market choices according to your experience in your location is....what's a polite word...presumptuous.
Thanks for reading and providing your thoughts here. I understand your point. Like I say in the piece, I'm biased because I have an extensive construction background and can build or manage any project I need done. There is a gap between quality and expectation of foreigners; maybe less on the peninsula where there are some large, modern projects underway built by good local builders. I do believe more can be done to pass knowledge, skill and business acumen on to locals and this could very well come from a foreign builder. But I do believe it should be structured and the industry ultimately operated by the Belizean nationals.
Excellent article. We just spent some time there after months of research. I’m retired. My wife is retiring when we move. We are looking at properties around Silk Grass. We’ve spoken with locals in the area. We’ve expressed our desire to use locals for help clearing and building. We’re networking with local business owners. I’m bilingual and we have found that to be very helpful. We spent our evenings sitting with locals and just hanging out. Our goal is to become a part of the community and support our neighbors as best we can. We made the conscious decision to leave our country behind and embrace our new home, its culture, its history and most importantly, its people.
Thank you for a wonderful and thought provoking article. Perhaps we’ll be lucky enough to meet someday.
Jim Music
Thanks for reading, Jim. I'm happy you are taking such an immersive approach to your move to Belize. I feel like the locals recognize and appreciate that effort. Silk Grass is a beautiful area, too! I would love the opportunity to meet in person sometime! Best of luck with the transition Jim.
This article encompasses so much of my feelings about our move here from the US. My husband and I moved to Hopkins in 2023 from Texas and we both work remotely. We bought land and built a house using a Belizean contractor and pre-fab company. We try to embody the positive characteristics you bring up here and avoid the entitled attitude that many foreigners bring here.
Sadly I think so many of our fellow immigrants here will never understand or accept their role in neocolonialism. Just in the last few months foreigners have built walls across existing roads and tried to fill protected land in the wetlands of the village - unfortunately while I like to think there is a difference between us and them, the reality is, locals see it happening and often lump us all together as trying to erase them, takeover their land, etc. and I can’t really blame them. And the entitled foreigners look at us and claim we think we are better than them. It’s a struggle I didn’t really expect to have moving here, but overall all the positives still far outweigh the negatives here.
Thank you for articulating so many of my feelings through this article!
Hi Kristen, thanks for reading and your thoughtful reply. I agree, I never anticipated this aspect of life before living here and it is a challenging one. I also agree that the positives out weigh the negatives. It's a beautiful country with great people. If we are thoughtful with our actions, we can have a positive impact (or at the very least, neutral).
Ya umm...if it's the same wetland filling i read about you can thank the village council, not neocolonizers.
Thank you so much for your insight. We are nearing retirement and I am the chief info gatherer. This gives me a whole new perspective on life abroad! Blessings to you and you family.
Thanks Patsy, I appreciate you reading the essay. Im happy to hear it has informed your future decisions. If you are interested in more info on Belize specifically, check out https://www.foreign-hub.com/belize-foreigner-blog
This is such a well thought out and comprehensive article. My family and I moved to Belize from the US in Jan 2024 and I am feeling so much of this already. Living in Cayo has exposed us to so many hardships and lack of education of opportunities that exist within the country.
We love our new home and the people here. It seems as though many “ex-pats” want to live around other “ex-pats”. Our attitude is—we left for a reason. Give us all the Belizeans and beautiful local culture.
Thanks for reading Leyla. Im happy to hear about the approach you are taking with your new life in Belize. Kudos!
Hi Simo, this is an extremely interesting read--a deep dive into not just what you've observed and experienced in Belize, but also the transformation of your perspective as a foreigner there.
I find your analysis and advice on point and comprehensive, and your criticisms powerful. When it comes to neocolonialism, it takes both the "neo-colonialists" and corrupt local officials/a weak regulatory system to make it work. You've illustrated the point very well. This is right on: "The carrot of wealth dangled in the noses of a country's gatekeepers has always played a critical role in the subjugation of one group of people to benefit another."
I reflected on what you said about gentrification. I've watched it happen in my backyard--first in New York City, then spread to Upstate New York. The buying up of housing by LLCs has driven up the costs so much that the original locals can't afford staying any longer. And yes, just like in some Canadian cities, many of the properties have been purchased by Mainland Chinese investors (some with laundered money). It's so messed up, isn't it?
I think your suggestions on how foreigners and locals can cooperate on building businesses together are very helpful, and so is your advice to newcomers in regard to the locals' economic autonomy and many other aspects.
I believe that through your writing, you can be a helpful conduit between the foreigners and the locals, educating them to live consciously and with great respect and humility in the country that has accepted them.
Wonderful perspective, we are buying a house in hopeville, beside Punta gorda, a dream for 30 years, since the day my plane made an emergency landing at the belize airport. We want to live there because it’s not a tourist trap and most of the beauty is still raw. The house needs a lot of work, but I think, easily livable. I think your article was eye opening and very well written, thank you for your insight.
Thank you for reading, Tracy. I appreciate the feedback, and I'm glad it made an impact. Congrats on the upcoming purchase and realization of a decades-old dream. After 3 years here, I've learned a lot about what it means to live abroad as someone from a developed country. So many of us come and, without realizing it, take from the locals and contribute to growing problems of affordability and access. It's so important that we live in accordance with them. Unfortunately, I didn't know enough when I first came here, so I want to impart some of what I've learned to those just starting their live-abroad journey. If you have any questions about Belize, feel free to reach out!
Thanks for reading Lily! I appreciate you taking the time and for writing such a thoughtful comment.
While it seems like countries are shuttering their borders, especially with the Trump induced trade war, the world is actually opening up. More people are moving and living abroad, so a better understanding of what that means for everyone is crucial.
Have yourself a great day Lily. Thanks again.
Since this is not as public a forum as FB...everyone seems to experience a different "Belize". Some of that might be related to location. Let me tell you, if I had to hire a local to build my house I'd go somewhere else. I watched a neighbor have a house built. Wooden house, 24x30 on 8' posts. Shouldn't have taken more than the three months I could do a full concrete foundation house back in Canada. A year later, the workmanship is sub par, with a price that should have reflected more. Protectionism should start with restaurants. Then we could all enjoy stewed chicken and beans.
To have a place on a real market, you need to find your niche. If your attitude is "good?" (Local parlance for " think that will pass?") then you shouldn't expect to get many jobs.
Perhaps your experience in the peninsula is very different, but I've hired established cabinet makers to produce a kitchen and waited the same amount of time as the gestation of a bottle nose dolphin to get the kitchen (but not the built in dressing cabinet also quoted). As long as sub par work and delivery times are accepted, it won't change. I came with the desire to hire local and have ended up doing virtually everything myself. Again, this might be very different in "your Belize", but suggesting blanket edicts regarding market choices according to your experience in your location is....what's a polite word...presumptuous.
Thanks for reading and providing your thoughts here. I understand your point. Like I say in the piece, I'm biased because I have an extensive construction background and can build or manage any project I need done. There is a gap between quality and expectation of foreigners; maybe less on the peninsula where there are some large, modern projects underway built by good local builders. I do believe more can be done to pass knowledge, skill and business acumen on to locals and this could very well come from a foreign builder. But I do believe it should be structured and the industry ultimately operated by the Belizean nationals.