Life as a female expat in Belize

Well, this is a loaded topic!  where do I begin? I live near Cayo and have found my life here very lonely as an older female. To make contacts I originally joined a yoga class and found the members not friendly and clicky, I then joined a tai chi class found I was the only member, later the yoga class members moved over to that class so it was the same gang. I tried volunteering but Belizians are afraid of their jobs and the fact you maybe better-educated clouds their judgment. The village near where I live is 60 years behind in their attitude towards women, Machismo is the order of the day, women are treated as second-class citizens by their men. Once living or married together couples do not recreate together and the woman's role is merely to cook, clean, produce babies and provide sex. The men generally do not want their women to work, control the finances and control the whole life of the women. The level of alcohol abuse by the guys is terrible, coupled with violence and domestic abuse and pedophilia, cousins marrying cousins are common in this area.
Some of the Machismo attitudes come from the cultural norms of Central America, many people here are from neighbouring countries. Foreigners are not welcomed after the donations cease and the majority of people we have come into contact are two-faced.  The young women in this area have little prospects if they do not attend school, they have few role models and fall into the trap of early pregnancy and large families like their grandmothers. I see They are also prayed upon as early as 10. I am a well-traveled female, lived in different countries, a Belizian from the diaspora and ashamed of my government who propagate sexism and inequality. Please note these are my findings from my area only so I do not speak for the whole of Belize.

Thanks for posting as your perspective  is quite good for me just looking into getting a place in Belize 🤷🏾‍♀️ I too am an older female and there I expect to gain Aunty/Tanti status in time! I expect initial isolation but am gravitating to this undertaking!

Brave soul, I would not be here as a single female and I have family scattered in the country and I guess it depends on what part of the country you live in. so enjoy. Belize is a nice place but not enough for us in San Ignacio, can't even find a decent bar or restaurant. best wishes.

I am sorry for your experiences in San Ignatio
I have a place in the outskirts of Belmopan and I can say I have had mostly great experiences living here. Because My husband has not yet retired i spend a lot of time in Belize alone. I can't say I have been trying very hard to MEET people  I just go about my normal life and there are some people i get along with and we end up friends. Both Local people and Expats. I do not live in a "Neighborhood" so I possibly see less of the worst aspects you describe. But I know there are parts of Belize where this is worse than others and I read the local newspapers.
I love My Belize home. I admit I do not have a lot of interaction within  the Expat community in Belmopan  but I do have several  friends who are expats  both in  Belmopan and in the Soccutz area.
I have seen a lot of people talking about Expats only being liked if they are in some way an ATM, but again I have not experienced that personally.
When I have had auto problems on the road away from home three separate times, I do not have shiny modern vehicles at my disposal, I have had wonderful help from complete strangers and never has  anyone asked for or taken anything for their help, a preacher did suggest I come to his services but was not offended when i said I probably wouldn't manage to get there.

I am neither single, or female so I cannot comment on that part. Terrific, your last reply is the best (of many good one's) I have seen. I know it is stating the obvious when I say noplace is great for everyone. We are all different, and have different expectations.

The other day I was listing to Dennis Prager talk about expectations during the "Happiness Hour" of his radio show. Rather than try to paraphrase what he said here, I simply suggest googling " dennis prager on expectations ". 

If folks are not familiar with Dennis Prager, he is a best selling author, the founder of the online "Prager University",  and a syndicated Radio show host (also podcast and live online).

Expectations are nothing more than Resentments waiting to be formed.

I moved to Belize understanding what I was getting myself into. I came here with NO expectations what so ever....I've yet to be disappointed in 10+ months.

I appreciate this post... sheesh some heavy stuff on this forum

I 1st came to Belize in 2012 by myself at the age of 47.  I was greeted with nothing but friendly and helpful people.  I stayed for 2 months on that trip a have been going back at least once or twice a year since.  I am now married to a Belizean man and we are going to live there permanently starting this fall.

I have spent most of my time in Placencia, Maya Beach and the locals village of Independence.  I find everyone to be friendly no matter where i go.   I have made friends because of my husband but I also made friends without him. 

My advice is come with a open heart full of love and you will be met with open arms.

Shelley

Thanks for sharing!

CayeCaulker2017Maybe wrote:

Expectations are nothing more than Resentments waiting to be formed.

I often find things better than I was informed they would be... But then I have mostly been an optimist.

The optimist sees a glass of water, half full
The pessimist sees a glass of water, half empty
The realist sees a glass of water, a drink.

As a retired single female professional I lived in Bz for 1.5 y before relocating to Merida. Belize was not my cup of tea. It was very limiting for me as I enjoy  conveniences and variety of food and amenities and modern advanced medical services. I became concerned about the increasing violent crime in Bz which was not just in Belize City. Recently two expats were murdered during home invasions,one in San Pedro and one just the other day in Belmopan. I am glad I left

SusanBelize wrote:

I am glad I left

I agree.

😂

Pithy retorts are not helpful. My friend in Bz posted this elsewhere..
“Just another murder in Belize - just another day. The victim will be forgotten in a week - looking for the criminals has already been forgotten. The police are totally inept - or worse - they don't give a shit. Criminals have taken over Belize - plain and simple. Stay away from Belize if you can. For those that have to remain - buckle up - as Barrow sez - the best is yet to come - - - really? He must be talking out loud about his retiring out of his own country with the citizens money. So what if he and his buddies took money that should be spent on law enforcement training and put the money in their hidden retirement accounts. Screw the people of Belize - we got ours - - -“
So yes I am glad I left.

Yeah, cause Mexico is such a peaceful, non-violent country! LOL

Please!!! You, personally, didn't have a good experience here. You, personally, changed your settings. You, personally, are happy now. That's GREAT for you, personally.

However, it ain't UNIVERSAL!

Get out of here and go to the Mexico blog and play it up to your heart's content. And Please get off the "tear down Belize because I, personally, didn't like it there" bandwagon...just makes you look bitter...and THAT'S a choice.

Oh yeah, the Mexican govt is the poster child for how a non-corruot, above board, democratic government should operate...lmao!!!

Keep this in mind, Belize was "born" in September 22, 1981, the country & government are all of 37 years old. Where was the US in 1814?

Mile 28 1/2 is a long way from Belmopan, nearly 20 miles away. The village of Democracia was where the crime happened. Just for accuracy.
It is a horrible crime but as I am sure you realize it is so huge a news story because in fact unlike most cities in America and possibly some in Canada as well Murders are not an every day occurance,  It is only likely to be reported outside of Belize because it involved an expat.
If you were scared and decided to leave that is your choice, but Belize nationally still has less murders  in a year than a lot of major north American cities, have in a month. Not managed any mass shootings, or school shootings yet in Belize either.
Fear is a powerful emotion for anyone but some feel they have to spread  their fears to others. Because A happened to X does not presuppose A will automaticaly happen to Y. Be happy in Mexico, unless something scary comes too close  to you then where will you run to.

👏👏👏👏

I did not leave Belize because of fear but for better amenities and health care. I never felt unsafe there though others complained about petty theft and fleecing. I am concerned that my friends there are telling me that there is a nationwide shortage of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. Not that I am shocked mind u.
When u discuss murder rates they are calculated per capita.
Belize is 42/100k, Mexico is 21, and  the Yucatan is 2.1, Atlanta Ga is 20 and so on.
I am never fearful  here or worry about safety. My only worry would if Cosco would run out of hot Italian sausages, strawberries or Israeli couscous.

Hi Priscilla.
It will be best to take the advice of the women here in the forum. Experience is different for everyone so it would be best to use your own experience and use caution in the beginning.  Belize is an awesome place to live.  I live in San Pedro.  I wish you the best of luck.
Tom

LOL.  Definitely Italian sausage would be devastating.

I, just vfound that you are  des Iles Maurices
I when to curpipe and St. louis, great souvenir
will be in belize in the next 2 weeks, I hope for ever.
Roland

An engineer finds the glass to be poorly designed for its purpose. 

Hi. Not single, but in my mid-50s. My husband and I discovered Belize four years ago and have been back three times. We bought land near Sarteneja last year and hope to retire, move to Belize and build a home there in the next five years. I have never feared for my safety while out and about alone, but then I don't walk after dark. All locals I met were friendly and helpful. I think how safe you are depends on where you live in Belize, as in any country, even the US. Don't flash money, expensive jewelry and don't broadcast the fact you're alone. Don't walk alone at night. These are good rules to follow no matter where you live or visit. There are gated communities filled with expats all over Belize. They're generally much safer places to live, but you'll pay a lot more and those communities are usually removed from the local population. I personally prefer to mingle with both crowds. It is vitally important to remember it is a third world country and not America. Placencia is getting more expensive by the year, but you'll find a nice mix of expats and locals. San Pedro will be the most developed and the most expensive place to live. Corozal and the much smaller village of Sarteneja are drier, quieter and most speak Spanish. Both are a much cheaper option with the added benefit of being close to Mexico for medical and a mall. Farther inland you'll find San Ignacio,  another expat favorite, with cooler temperatures and access to a lot of Mayan ruins. You can live on $500 dollars a month in an off-grid shack, raise chickens and plant your own crops or you can live in an oceanfront home in San Pedro with monthly expenses being $2 to $3,000 a month. You can spend anywhere in between depending on locale. Visit. Travel. Do your homework first. Ask questions of expats that actually live there. Do more homework. Are you on medication? Do you have mobility issues? Research. Look at videos on YouTube- not just the vacationers, but expats. Listen to those who've enjoyed their experience as well as those that didn't. Be open minded.

I live in Cayo, Santa Elena & have been here for the past year as a single retired female. While I find there is a lot of machismo I also have found some very independent Belizean women, some married, some not.

I too have found it difficult to find things to do. Volunteering is not really an option, jobs are needed for Belizeans, I haven’t found classes to take - COVID-19 might have a lot to do with that, have done some informal tutoring for local kids in the neighborhood, online learning is NOT going well here...but I agree it is lonely & having moved here just before the lockdown meant I was living with 3 suitcases of my stuff. And craft stores are not a big thing here.

There are times I feel like I’m being taken advantage of-ATM-for some people, but I pretty much know who will & who doesn’t. I make choices of who I allow & how much, & I make it very clear what my limits are. My “local “family” has been very informative of what I could/can expect from people here & that has really helped me.

Maybe when the vaccine comes things will open up & we can find more things to do.

Ali

@Priscilla

also interested

That sound snot so great actually, fortunately my experience and friends made there are not as such. i know of what some if you say is truth and straight up and it is a sad thought at time but Belize as a whole is such a beautiful country! it deserves, from my perspective, a better rating  (for lack of a better word)
    Well, this is a loaded topic!  where do I begin? I live near Cayo and have found my life here very lonely as an older female. To make contacts I originally joined a yoga class and found the members not friendly and clicky, I then joined a tai chi class found I was the only member, later the yoga class members moved over to that class so it was the same gang. I tried volunteering but Belizians are afraid of their jobs and the fact you maybe better-educated clouds their judgment. The village near where I live is 60 years behind in their attitude towards women, Machismo is the order of the day, women are treated as second-class citizens by their men. Once living or married together couples do not recreate together and the woman's role is merely to cook, clean, produce babies and provide sex. The men generally do not want their women to work, control the finances and control the whole life of the women. The level of alcohol abuse by the guys is terrible, coupled with violence and domestic abuse and pedophilia, cousins marrying cousins are common in this area. Some of the Machismo attitudes come from the cultural norms of Central America, many people here are from neighbouring countries. Foreigners are not welcomed after the donations cease and the majority of people we have come into contact are two-faced.  The young women in this area have little prospects if they do not attend school, they have few role models and fall into the trap of early pregnancy and large families like their grandmothers. I see They are also prayed upon as early as 10. I am a well-traveled female, lived in different countries, a Belizian from the diaspora and ashamed of my government who propagate sexism and inequality. Please note these are my findings from my area only so I do not speak for the whole of Belize.
   

    -@mangoman

“Resentments waiting to be formed” love that statement 

    Expectations are nothing more than Resentments waiting to be formed.I moved to Belize understanding what I was getting myself into. I came here with NO expectations what so ever....I've yet to be disappointed in 10+ months.
   

    -@CayeCaulker2017Maybe

@SusanBelize

wow SusanBelize  this sounds very personal. sorry, but there is crime and even murder everywhere on the planet. for instance i have spent most my life in the worst parts of Winnipeg = baby Compton  Just a thought  And i still love Belize

@SusanBelize

thete it is… Costco! Not in Belize dear

@mangoman

Hello

I am new to expat.com. I am a 73 year old fit woman and American feeling displaced in a rural narrow minded town, and post election, feel more motivated to seek another country.

I enjoyed your article, since you touched on subjects about the culture that are concerns I wondered about.

I have been interested in Belize for years, but may want to seek out a place more in alignment with less deeply rooted patriarchal or religious leanings..

I  want to spend about two years to explore other countries where women are less pigeon holed, with access to good healthcare, good climate, and healthy food.

Are you still in Belize? Are there other countries on your radar or are you there to stay?

Thankyou for your thoughtful article and replying!

Risker

@Priscilla

Hello

Hello close1234,

How can we assist you?

Cheryl

Expat.com team