Packing it all up and moving to Belize

Ask any expats in Belize and I am sure they will have a few items on their packing list that are not the traditional things you would think of bringing to a new country. How much people decide to bring varies. I know a few people that brought containers or crates full of stuff from their previous lives and some came with much less.

Tacoboy and I fell into the much less category although I know expats living here that relocated with even fewer things that we did. We only brought 4 suitcases plus carry-ons when we moved and 4 more at a later date after literally selling off and giving away everything else. All the material possessions we owned in Canada are all gone except one small Rubbermaid storage bin which remains in the upstairs room of Paul’s parent’s farm.

Since we were not opting for a container, we had to be choosy about what we brought. My goal was to do my best and get everything but the kitchen sink within the small amount of space we were allowing ourselves to transport it. I did pretty good there and got everything from kites to box sets of cutlery and a whole lot more. One of the things I packed that took up almost no space was a piece of paper written by my grandma. It was something I found in her things after she passed; notes on learning Spanish. I never did know what her travel plans were in writing it, but I figured that it would come in handy for my new life and was a nice sentimental reminder of family.

And Now for our Spanish Lesson

Sabiendo sólo un poco de Español (knowing only a little Spanish) I wrote down all the phrases in English and the answers on my Grandmas notes, then to see how close they were, I checked a translator. Those that have a 3rd choice are answers that Google translate offered different to what she had.Cuento con mi amigo David Ruis me nota en mi lección de español 🙂 (I am counting on my friend David Ruis to grade me on my Spanish lesson.

How are you? ¿Cómo está usted? ¿Como estas?

Very well thank you. Muy bien gracias.

I do not feel very well. No me siento muy bien.

What do you want to eat? ¿Qué quiere comé usted? ¿Qué quieres comer?

Goodbye. Adiós.

See you later. Hasta la vista. Nos vemos.

What time is it?  Â¿Qué hora es, por favor? ¿Que hora es?

Did you work hard today? ¿Trabaja usted mucho hoy? ¿Sabía usted trabaja duro hoy?

Spanish lesson in Belize courtesy of my French Canadian Grandmother

More Spanish and a Commonly Asked Question

Is Belize a Spanish speaking country? This is a common question that comes up for both future expats and travelers. It was one of the factors that made moving to Belize come out ahead of Mexico on our list of places. We knew it would be enough of a process to leave everyone and everything behind and we did not want to have to add learning Spanish on top of it all. Even though most speak English here knowing some Spanish is useful as there are some folks that do not speak much English. Plus people appreciate when you make an effort in their native language. The following learn to speak Spanish pictures are from the walls of Ambergris Caye Elementary school.

Leaning Spanish numbers at Ambergris Caye Elementary School

Leaning common Spanish words at Ambergris Caye Elementary School

This weekend was the ever popular Costa Maya Festival and the town was packed, with many people from all over the country having traveled to San Pedro to enjoy the fun. I was not feeling the mood for large party crowds and avoided town. This morning I woke up to an email with a few pictures from my friend Kendall along with details from his secret sources 🙂

His first source reported the actual party at the football field was very quiet compared to Front street. Everyone was on the beach at Fido’s who wasn’t willing to pay the $25 dollar cover or hanging out for free next door at Marlins.

The second source said “Best turn out for Costa Maya festival in years” and that both hotels he manages are packed were packed this weekend. As it turns out this source was not so much of a secret, the Hotels were Caribbean Villas and Pedro’s Hotel and the source was Paul.

Check out Kendall’s latest post on his blog Reset and Restore dealing a terrifying encounter with a large creature and two of his friends. I got an advance preview today and it will have you on the edge of your seat 🙂

Costa Maya action outside Fido’s