Belizean fast food. (Not Kentucky Fried Chicken, in case you were wondering).
In March of 1989, my client, Church of God World Missions, sent me to Belize and Guatemala to document missions work in those countries. I spent a week in Belize, then moved on to Guatemala. My work in the northern Guatemalan village of Mayalan is posted here.
I spent most of my time in Belize in Orange Walk Town, a city in the northeastern part of the country. With a population of about 13,000, it is the fourth largest city in Belize and was the location of a Church of God mission. Orange Walk Town is an easy place to get around, if one doesn't mind walking, and the fact that the official language is English (Belize is a former British colony) makes it easy to talk to people.
A Belizean family in front of their home.
My photography schedule with the mission wasn't intensive, so I had quite a bit of time to walk around and photograph the town and the people.
A Belizean street market.
The people of Belize are certainly poor by our standards, but they mostly seem to be relaxed and content with their lives. I believe that discontent and envy are most often triggered by comparison with others who appear to have more of life's good things. Television is probably the biggest contributor to envy and discontent.
Kids are everywhere.
Bright-eyed, friendly kids are everywhere in Orange Walk Town. They were eager for me to make their pictures, and I was happy to oblige.
A nice house in Orange Walk Town.
Most of the houses in Orange Walk Town are made of upright poles bound together, and roofed with sheet metal. This house is very well-kept and landscaped by local standards.
The Orange Walk Town neighborhood market.
Not exactly Kroger's, or even Walmart. But it fills a need in a culture less consumer-driven than ours, and it's a reasonable living for the shopkeepers.
A young Belizean boy on his way home from the neighborhood market.
Carrying a can of what I think was oatmeal. My eye was caught by the unusual shape of his eyes, the slanting light, the brilliant colors of his shirt, and the complimentary blue of the background.
The neighborhood laundromat.
In poorer countries such as Belize, a washing machine is an unimaginable luxury. This lady washes her families' clothes in the way countless generations of women have done before her. I'll never again complain about helping my wife with the laundry!
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Photography and text copyright 2024 David B.Jenkins.
I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.
An interesting trip to a place I have never been.....Thank you for sharing. fleta mathews
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