How are Americans in Corozal treated? How are expats in Corozal treated generally?
Daryl Blomdahl
From my experience, the people in Belize are friendly, laidback and casual. We were treated with open arms. When we walked up and down the streets just to check out the town we felt welcomed, and we felt safe. And it’s not like we blend in. We definitely stuck out like a sore thumb. I’m a tall blonde and my wife is a short blonde, which is quite contrast to see under normal circumstances. But we felt that they were wonderful and very accommodating, very... From my experience, the people in Belize are friendly, laidback and casual. We were treated with open arms. When we walked up and down the streets just to check out the town we felt welcomed, and we felt safe. And it’s not like we blend in. We definitely stuck out like a sore thumb. I’m a tall blonde and my wife is a short blonde, which is quite contrast to see under normal circumstances. But we felt that they were wonderful and very accommodating, very welcoming and willing to share if you had any questions and point you in the right direction. (Friends of Cerros Beach Resort, Corozal, Belize, pictured.)
Posted September 6, 2016
Grant D'Eall
The Belizean people are very polite and respectful but there are always bad apples here and there. You do need to have a little resistance because there are some who when they see a white face they equate that with money. There is poverty and people who ask for money. When I was in Belize City, I was asked for money just about every day but here in Corozal I don’t get asked for money that much because this is a small town. In general, expats are...
The Belizean people are very polite and respectful but there are always bad apples here and there. You do need to have a little resistance because there are some who when they see a white face they equate that with money. There is poverty and people who ask for money. When I was in Belize City, I was asked for money just about every day but here in Corozal I don’t get asked for money that much because this is a small town. In general, expats are treated very well and respectfully here in Corozal. The employees that I had would never call me Grant. They always called me “Mr. Grant.” And no matter how many times I told them that they could call me Grant, they wouldn’t do it.
My girlfriend and I have a little store in the ferry that she manages and the employees there always call me “sir” and try as I may to break that, they won’t change because they are just respectful. So there is respect for expats here.
The locals in Corozal also know that some of the expats can provide them with income. For example, I took some photos for Mark Leonard recently, and he had a dozen workers. I was there taking photos before dusk and they were done for the day. I saw that they worked hard all day then they jumped on their bicycles and en mass, they rolled across the bumpy roads and went home. They were just more than grateful to have the work and they have, by and large, a pretty good work ethic. There are some who don’t have a good work ethic but you will see that in Canada, too, where I had some employees whose work ethic was hurting. Here in Belize, I haven’t heard of any expat who experienced any disrespect by locals.
(Workers at Mark Leonard's resort, Cerros Sand, Corozal ,Belize, pictured.)
Posted November 5, 2016
Tony and Beth McClure
My experience is that the locals love Americans and other expats in Corozal. I don’t know if the reason is that they love us as people or they love our wealth, but my experience has been nothing but positive. I’m always treated with respect. I’ve driven all over Belize. I’ve picked up hitchhikers. You can learn more from picking up a hitchhiker that works in a banana plantation and taking him home than you can in reading...
My experience is that the locals love Americans and other expats in Corozal. I don’t know if the reason is that they love us as people or they love our wealth, but my experience has been nothing but positive. I’m always treated with respect. I’ve driven all over Belize. I’ve picked up hitchhikers. You can learn more from picking up a hitchhiker that works in a banana plantation and taking him home than you can in reading 15 books. My biggest fear is that the growing number of expats in Belize is going to create bad issues for their culture. I’m hopeful that the expats can assimilate well and be good partners with the local Belizeans, but my greatest fear is that a bunch of us are going to go down there and start trying to impose our will on them. That’s probably not a good thing. I would rather just have us go down and appreciate what the local Belizeans have and assimilate into the Belizean culture.
My last trip down, I got to the airport and realized I didn’t have my money clip in my pocket. I had no idea where it was. I went all through the vehicle, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. Out of desperation, I called back up the hotel, and found out that the cleaning ladies had turned it in. The money clip probably had $400 - $500 in it. I was totally amazed.
I think the Belizeans in Corozal truly do appreciate the expats. In Corozal, probably 70% of the expats are US (American), 20% Canadian, and 10% European. I could be fooled, but I’ve never felt like that the Belizeans were doing a number on me. I feel as if their attitude towards us is genuine.
(Independence Day Parade in Corozal, Belize, pictured.)
Posted November 6, 2016