The Many Faces of Belize
The Story of Kim
Guest Blog by Ron DeValle
As a young hair dresser growing up in Indianapolis Indiana, Kim yearned for travel and adventure. So much so that she joined a travel club to explore her fantasies. In anticipation of her club’s trip to the island of Ambergris Caye off the coast of Belize, Kim became certified as a Scuba Diver. The time came and off she went with the others in the club for her first big adventure. When they arrived at the island, it was everything she had imagined. After returning home, she was immediately longing to return to her fantasy island in the Caribbean.
She did return again in short order and felt that the island was calling to her. That second trip spawned a third where she would come alone and see if it truly fit her. As they say, the third time’s a charm and she decided that Ambergris Caye would be her new home. She fell in love with the people, the lifestyle and the culture. That was in January of 1985 and she has lived here ever since.
Simple Living
Back then, there were only a few hotels on the island and the primary economy centered on diving, fishing and lobster hunting on the huge Mesoamerican reef just off shore. With a population of approximately 1500, there were no condos and tourism was minimal. Neither golf carts nor cars had arrived yet so transportation consisted mainly of walking cycling or boating. It was a simple life that appealed to Kim, much like the wild, wild, west from the states in the early days. As she says, when you went shopping, you had only 2 of anything to choose from whether it be a tooth brush, cereal or paper products. If you wanted a beer there was only Belikin, the local beer. If you had a list of 3 items you needed, you traveled to 6 different sources to find what you were looking for. This appealed to the hunter gatherer in Kim. All in all, it was perfect!
Hair Stylist Extraordinaire
As the only person on the island who knew how to cut hair, Kim found her services were in demand after only a few days in her new home. She would toss her supplies in her back pack and go to her clients homes or cut hair on the beach, which turned out to be quite effective advertising. Her business grew quickly and the demand was all that she could handle at the time. The only difficulty was getting the supplies she needed from the states, but that was solved with the help of others traveling to and from the island much like it is today.
Kim’s love for books.
Soon after, Kim met a young Belizean boat captain named Tony. He was nicknamed Gutsy since he eagerly took on challenges that others shied away from. They soon married and shared many exciting adventures together. Kim turned out to be as fearless as her new man and they enjoyed amazing times and traveled all over until Kim became pregnant with their son Karim. Tony was a great partner and provider and Karim became the pride of their young lives.
Bringing a child to life on the island brought Kim face to face with the vast cultural differences that until now, she hadn’t been unaware of. Coming from the states, even as an inexperienced mother, Kim found that local customs, medicine and beliefs were far outside of her paradigms. There were local beliefs that included even a little Voodoo, helping Kim to realize she wasn’t in Kansas anymore.
As time passed and Karim grew, Tony and Kim adapted to various changes on the island and in the country. They bought boats, Tony worked abroad occasionally and Kim adapted her business to meet the local needs. They had evacuated to avoid hurricane Mitch in 1998 and managed a harrowing trip to the mainland. They moved a few times and eventually built their own home together. Shortly after settling in, hurricane Keith arrived in the fall of 2000 but they refused to leave their home and found refuge with neighbors as the waters rose. Their new home suffered some damage but survived. In the months ahead, the local population banned together and rebuilt the island, from scratch in some cases.
Over the years the population has surged to more than 20,000 on this little island. The economy has shifted mainly to tourism now. Changes have brought condos, expats and immigrants from the US, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Chinese and Lebanese communities have sprung up. Golf carts have flooded the island as the main form of transportation. A bridge now connects the town of San Pedro to the northern part of the island. Technology has arrived in the form of internet and cell phones.
Despite the many changes, Kim says the heart of the island still remains. The simplicity of life and the culture of the San Pedronos, has been kept intact alongside of the new population. Her fantasy island still shines bright in her mind and she beams when talking about it. Today she has a new location for her salon and actually has a little used book store for her patrons and others. The books are all donated form patrons and others that share in the love or reading. You can take a book or two and offer a small donation if you like or exchange with some of your own. Perhaps nothing better illustrates the friendly culture or San Pedro. Despite the inevitable loss of innocence that comes with growth and technology, she has no regrets and would never consider leaving her home here on Ambergris Caye.
To those that would consider such a change in lifestyle, Kim has a few words of advice. If you have little patience and do not adapt easily, this may not be for you. If you need the comforts and conveniences of home, you should probably stay there. You can’t move to a place like this and expect the locals and the local culture to change for you. However, if you value beauty, simplicity and the relationships of others over material things, this lifestyle is as good as it gets!
Life in Belize