Monday, October 28, 2024 at 11:46 PM
I have been to the Toledo District once in my life, and it was for a political campaign in 1974. It was with Philip Goldson, Dean Lindo, Joe Andrews, and other luminaries of the newly formed UDP! We were there campaigning for a Mayan who won, and then switched parties later on. No wonder I can’t recall his name. I am so glad that I spent time with one of the fathers of our country, a true patriot, a man of character and silent resilience, a man who should be revered as equally as George Cadle Price is!
But this is not about politics; this is about that undiscovered part of the Jewel that most Belizeans aren’t familiar with. I remember that it was a rough trip; the roads were less than hospitable to the old van we were riding in, but once we started to get closer to Peini, that landscape, the hills that surrounded it were breathtakingly beautiful. Peini itself seemed very small to me back then, more like a village than a town. That didn’t really matter, though; what really impressed me was the serenity of this little town, the beauty and the simplicity of its inhabitants, the sea, and all the greenery that surrounded this Brigadoon!
My friend, JC Arzu, and I trade pictures almost daily of our surroundings. I share pictures of my neighborhood, the seasons, and the great Chicago skyline. He sends me some of the most beautiful pictures of his district, as well as the mountains and hills of Guatemala and Honduras, which he takes from the shoreline near his house and the reserves and Maya ruins and the lush, rich, verdant green that is Toledo! I envy him, living in that oasis of peace and calm and tranquility. Wat a ting!
I’m not really familiar with the economics of the Toledo District, but apart from the cocoa and chocolate enterprises, the butterfly farms and tourism, I’m sure it is self-sufficient when it comes to growing its own food. It has given us some of our best politicians, educators, beauty queens, and environmentalists, and the most patriotic Wil Maheia! It is also the key in our fight for sovereignty, fighting off an aggressive Guatemalan navy on the Sarstoon. Well, not fighting, more like confronting them to preserve our sovereignty. Reminding them that we still share a border with them, and I use the word, “still”, sparingly!
JC loves his town and his district, and is always telling anecdotes of his life there. Again, I envy him. We should all become tourists in our own country, and wander south of Placencia, to Barangu, and all the way down to the Bay of Amatique, places I’ve never been to, but I will remedy that soon!
JC sends me these beautiful pictures of that fairyland he inhabits! We miss so much of our beautiful, beloved Jewel because we don’t journey into that undiscovered country, where the invader Francisco Sagastume was jailed after his failed attempt to invade Belize! Where Belize becomes a part of Central America, for real. Where the borders are porous and we are taken advantage of by our neighbors to the west and south, depleting our sea of our fish and conch and lobster! Again, wat a ting!
We need to renew, and to instill in those that follow us, that patriotic fervor that should be in our veins, our hearts and souls, but is not! We need to look around and appreciate our little country with a much more vigorous enthusiasm than we have in the past! We need to demand a final decision from the ICJ to make us whole again, to make us know that we belong, and are not just renters.
We need to go to that undiscovered part of the Jewel, and revel and celebrate the beauty of our country, our Jewel! I envy JC Arzu; he will never understand the gifts he shares with me daily, or the profound impact they have had on this aging soul. By the way, did I say how much I envy him?
Glen