One day we went to Belize and stayed almost 9 years. We arrived there with a 3 year old and a 6 year old and left with 4 children. Cyan was born at a Mennonite midwife clinic and Jack was born under the care of a midwife at our home in the jungle. We lived in a breathtakingly beautiful place and experienced hardship and joy to the extreme.
It all seems like a dream as I sit here over a year removed. Did I really squeeze dozens of fly larvae out of my children? Was my body actually home to a flesh eating parasite? Did my wife really give birth to a child deep in the jungle? Was that me killing deadly snakes? Our neighbors once showed up at our home just after they escaped the restraints of a home invasion. “They are coming this way!” we were warned. We left for the night. I could go on and on. I’ve been told there’s a book there, maybe so.
Belize was full of amazing times, great adventures and quiet days in paradise. As I was contemplating leaving Belize I wondered if my new life in the US would be worth writing about. Apparently not, I suspect that those who have read of our adventures would not now be interested in stories of our life here at home. Nonetheless, I thought it might be worthy of a final update for the few who are interested.
Since my last writing we have moved to the Houston, Texas area. I work with a friend of from Belize (Tony), we are subcontractors for Home Depot. The two of us drive between Houston and Lake Charles, Louisiana installing doors. It’s not as exciting as battling man eating snakes but it pays a lot better. Tony and I have shared great adventures in Belize and today we work our asses off, laugh a lot and make reasonable money. My 49 year old muscles are sore most of the time but I enjoy the work and the life it affords me.
My wife stays home, teaches our children and takes care of our household. She is amazing. Our kids are now 16, 13, 7 and 2 ½ . They are involved in a homeschool group, church activities, dance and my son is playing tackle football. We love our church, each other and our marriage is probably better than it has ever been. We are blessed. Thank you Lord.
I don’t know how much more I’ll write about Belize here on this blog. At least for the moment, I’ve said what I have to say. People still contact me through this blog, my Facebook page and my Real Estate website. They want to know about Belize, should they move there? Can they raise their kids there? The first thing I always tell them is to read every one of my blog entries then get back to me. I am glad to answer questions after that. Most don’t follow up, some do and I always take the time to communicate with them by email and telephone. Some don’t believe me, some have made their minds up already but few that have walked that road disagree with my assessments.
If you want to get almost 9 years of insight into life in Belize, read the entirety of this blog. If I can help after that let me know.
BelizeBritts's Blog 
Thank you for the opportunity to read your blog! Cool!
It’s possible that we also once leave the city to at least try life in the tropics for a few years.
Where do you feel happier – in the U.S. or in Belize? Does more money make you happier? There is no question as to where you feel comfortable. All about happiness.
Will it not be a choice between a personal freedom versus slavery for the money?
Like in old joke, where the white man offers to the black guy in Africa a business opportunity so it can earn a lots of money and then do nothing, but the black guy says – I’m already resting under the banana trees! 🙂
Please, let me know your thoughts!
Money is not the source of my happiness, anyone that knows me well would attest to that.
You insinuate that the choices are personal freedom or slavery to money. I submit that your thinking is at least slightly askew and this is not really the forum for me to elaborate on my philosophy beyond what I have written within the context of what is available here. However, I do believe we were created for more than resting under banana trees.
Of course, to some extent, it is a philosophical question about money and happiness. What I mean? Always money, money, money – but why? Ordinary people in U.S. work very hard 11 months a year, so on the money earned would leave to rest for a few weeks to country like Belize. Is it worth doing so if you are already living in paradise (Belize)? Then there is less work, more free time for yourself and family.
The human mind is arranged so that always strives for something else. Even in heaven, where all it is sufficient (at least we believe so!), we will get bored soon. Perhaps it happens because we are idealizing the future. For example, you want a new Ferrari. When you get it, you’re happy for a while, but then realize that Ferrari spents a lot of fuel, insurance and spare parts are abnormally expensive, etc. Soon after, you want to have another car. 🙂
What is the dark sides of living in Belize, looking back from the current experience? Now you don’t need to sell it, you can tell a truth! 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to comment Janis. I disagree with your assessment of the human mind. I believe we are created with a desire for God and the many other things we try to fill our desire with prove inadequate so we continue to search. Once we truly find what we are looking for I believe we find contentment.
I have given my honest assessment of Belize as often as I have taken the time to write. There is a dark side to Belize, as with every other place, and I have not sugar coated my opinions. I have written about racism, corruption, theft, death, lazy people and pollution, by no means is that a complete list. If you read the entirety of what I have written here you will see a complete picture from my point of view.
Yes – thefts, lazy people, pollution, – but it’s so almost everywhere. Local bandits rob you in Brazil over 2 minutes.
Now, when you have years of experience in Belize and you had been talking with people from other “paradise looking” places, what do you think? If somebody is looking for its piece of “paradise”, is Belize the right place or not?
I mean, are the many pros (English speaking, tropical climate, virgin rainforest and beaches, peaceful and friendly people, low taxes etc.) much stronger than cons?
It’s good to see that you are finally humbled with the 9 nine years you spent here.
I’m sure you are referring to something specific but I have no idea what you are talking about.
Your blog is amazing, Jim, and anyone who wants a true representation of life in Belize should heed your experiences. I too am leaving Belize after four years and heading to Houston – we will have to hook up when I get there. Glad to hear all is well. Take care my friend!
Thank you Sharon. Keep in touch, maybe we can all get together here in Houston.
Belize is gentle…safe…healthy…private…civil. It’s like we are living in the U.S in the 1950s. You’re guaranteed a quality of life that just plain doesn’t exist anymore in the States. Up north – violence, materialism, and increasingly intrusive government policies have whittled away the last vestiges of the American Dream. Yet here you’re guaranteed a truly extraordinary lifestyle. And that makes Belize the perfect place to reinvent yourself. I am sure you will return some time…
Except for the murder rate being one of the highest in the world and petty theft being a national pastime I agree.
http://Www.cnn.com/2014/04/10/world/un-world-murder-rates/
The United Nations has Belize ranked 3rd in the world in murder rates per capita. That is the most recent study I could find, released by the UN in April 2014.
Wow! Really? Is it confined mainly to Belize City, or all the country?
The same time World Health Organization has ranked Belize only 79th in the world for “Suicides per 100,000 people per year”. Relax, take it easy?
It is per capita, the areas of higher concentrations of people will have higher rates. Belize City would be an example of that but murder is not confined to Belize City.
Hello Mr. Britts, I read the whole blog. Thanks for visiting Belize and write about your experience while you were living there. I understand what you are talking about “The Belize” of today have changed it was not so long ago that it was truly paradise. Although you will never know the country of the 50’s 60’s 70’s most people were very poor but no one stole from each other we were able to sleep with our windows and doors open and no one try to harm us. Those were the days of paradise. God bless you and your family with your new adventure.
Thank you Jennifer. We lived in Belize for almost 9 years and loved nearly every day. I will never know the Belize of that era but I recall the US of the 60’s and 70’s and have certainly heard the stories of the 50’s and earlier. The US and Belize are similar in at least this regard, they are morally swirling around the drain. The many exceptions to that are people who are living their lives as bright shining lights and I pray that light, like lighting one candle from another, would spread and turn this place around. There’s a lot of good people everywhere, I think its a matter of reaching out and touching others. I appreciate your kind words and your blessing.