Your go-to reference list for Belize Withdrawal
For those of you who more than just “miss” it here.
If you’ve been to Belize, chances are, you loved it and miss it from time to time, but sometimes it gets more intense, more than just miss. Some people just do the smart thing and come back and others let the Belize withdrawal set in, for those wondering if we’re talking about you, Here are a few things to look out for!
You display your souvenirs
We buy little trinkets as souvenirs from places we visit to serve as mementos of your travels or even people you met. But, let’s face it; most of them end up collecting dust in the back of a shelf along with the other nick-nacks we got from that one time we went to this place. It’s not that they mean nothing, but it’s difficult to display them all, except that Belize shot-glass, that looks really nice among the travel portraits.
Instead of displaying them, you use them…
How you know you really miss a place is when you use the trinket in question (we know you wear those Belikin Tees still). A sure sign of suffering from Belize withdrawal is your compulsion to be clad in memorabilia denoting your favorite travel destination. You wake up, put on your Belize tee-shirt, shuffle past your miniature Belize flag and top off the coffee in your Belize themed mug. Now that’s devotion!
Your friends ask about Belize and you refer to it as “here”
You know the feeling, you just got back from your trip yesterday, it’s Friday and you haven’t seen your friends for a week. They all ask you what it’s like down here and you answer with just that “It’s great here“. Thay all look on at you bewildered, then you realize “oh wait…I’m back”. but you really didn’t want to be back. Ha!
You long for a river day
Whether it’s in an inflatable tube or free swimming, you wish you had something comparable to the Macal River to take a splash in. Or better yet, the Rio On Pools or Big Rock falls because nothing is quite as satisfying as jumping into water fresh from a spring cascading down a mountain side. Not only is it refreshing but it’s a pretty envy-inspiring activity to tell your friends back home stories of, even you’re jealous of everyone who’s here and can still go.
You miss that “fresh air” smell
What even is smog? A veritable myth in Belize that’s what. Anyone who has spent time here will know what fresh air is like; the smell of trees, damp leaves, earth. Rain after a long week lifts the literal smell of freshness from the ground that’s incomparable to anything. We would miss it if we didn’t have it, which is why we know you do already.
No one laughed at your Belizean joke, and that made you sad
In addition to the joke that no one got, the charm of common kriol phrases seems to be lost on just about everyone. You wish you could share the fun tidbits of our culture you picked up with someone and as time goes by and the withdrawal gets stronger, you realize that you probably need to come back and crack a joke with some of us.
You Crave Marie Sharp’s
Photo courtesy http://racheerachheats.blogspot.com/
You sit there thinking, “I don’t even eat hot sauce!” but here you are, craving at least a drop of it to see if it would taste good with the meals you have at home. Chances are it’ll be delicious, and us telling you that doesn’t help, luckily the company exports, so there is a slim chance your local food mart may have it in stock. You can’t deny we’re right because now you’re hoping that your local store is one of those that carry it :-).
You take a swing at Rice & Beans
After a long search and slim luck with the hot sauce, you found grace coconut milk powder, the correct beans, and spices for the chicken, even the salad cream. Now that your ingredient list is just about complete you spend your Sunday cooking and calling your friends over to try the best Belizean food you had while here. You followed all the instructions, did everything down to the letter, and your friends are mind blown, but something is still missing.
You bounce out the house in shorts but…
You realize that it’s not anywhere near 88 degrees anymore and that your shorts and breezy tee shirt are doing the exact opposite of what you currently need. Not everywhere boasts that sub-tropical climate like we do, of course, you’ll sweat sometimes but you can’t sip a cocktail in a swimming pool in the cold. You know you’re experiencing Belizean withdrawal when slacks feel restrictive and turtlenecks swallow you up, even though it’s cold.
You begin wishing your alarm clock was a tropical bird
It’s Monday again and the sound of speakers blaring an electronic alarm bell jolts you up and your day has already started badly. You stand up rubbing your head and wish you were still at Chaa Creek being gently pulled out of sleep by the choir of birds in the trees above. The twilight musings of Belize’s wildlife are literal symphonies, melodic enough to put you to sleep yet still charged with natural energy to get you up when you need to be.
You’ve gotten to the end of this list…
…and you wanted more; ten symptoms were totally not enough for you. You are absolutely certain there’s more than just eight because you know you have more and we believe you. Comment your Belizean withdrawal symptoms down below and see if anyone shared your particular signs, we’d love to know too! 🙂