During our first year in Belize (last year), we wanted to establish Belizean Residency (you can think of this as a green card...we will still be citizens of the U.S. but, as residents, we no long need to deal with student or work visas). In order to apply for residency,...
Belize Vacation Blog
Ms. Jess’s Family Blog
How to buy sneakers in Dangriga
Somehow, this past fall, Rex's feet must have grown very quickly and I found myself in immediate need of some new sneakers. Obviously, after living in Belize for over a year, I knew a next day delivery from Zappos was not gonna happen. I would probably have to drive 2...
Hopkins Garifuna Immersion
After living here for a year, there are still a few tours offered by our resort that I have not taken myself. I've heard so many amazing things about the Garifuna Immersion tour from day one, so this past summer I decided to take the kids. The Garifuna Immersion is...
Scam or not, you decide
We've owned the hotel and restaurant for one year now. I have to say, the best part of owning this business is meeting and talking with all the guests. I really really enjoy meeting people and hearing about their lives back home: their stories. Some guests I click with so...
TIL: What is a Savings Syndicate
One of the great things about moving to another country is learning how things are done differently. From when we are young, we learn about how to get through life from our parents, teachers, and community. And that is happening all over the world, except sometimes there are very different...
Our School Last Year and Upcoming 2nd Year
The kids finished up their first year at Sittee River Methodist School in June and I finished my first year learning about how schools work here in Belize compared to what I experienced as a child in the Midwest and what my kids experienced in NYC. We moved here with...
Applying for Residency in Belize
When we decided to buy Beaches and Dreams and move to Belize, we almost immediately knew we would apply for Belizian residency. It seemed like a clear path to saving money and hassle in the long term. And we plan to stay a while. The first year living in Belize...
Our mini-break…or Trucks, Buses, Vans and Canoes
A Rough Start The title of this post is referencing an old movie called "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" which is a comedy of errors about a man trying to get home for the holidays. While taking 2 day mini-escape from our resort over Easter break we needed quite a few...
High Season and New Businesses
I haven't written a post in so long and I going to blame it on the resort finally being busy. That and the new coffee shop. Low Season vs High Season When we arrived in August it was the low season and it was also hurricane season and the rainy...
Our Christmas in Belize
The Christmas season is here, our first in Belize. There is this movie that the kids and I used to watch -- Curious George's Christmas, which explained that the joy of Christmas is not wrapped up into ONE day; rather, the days leading up to Christmas, with the decorating, the...