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Ahh May, on the last beautiful days of May, we can reminisce on all the special things this month promises us. May is always the first and the beginning of so many things we look forward to, like the long awaited and anticipated mango season!
Back in the day in Belize, when school was off, on May 1st, the start of summer officially begun and families took off to the cayes, Gales Point or to the river to pass the long hot days.
Eating a mango (or a bucketful) while basking in the sun-soaked sea or under the famous flamboyant tree (also a May gift) was our parents and grandparents’ favorite summer past time. Like then, the simple things are still the most enjoyed today.
Allow me a side joke about May. During my childhood Albert Street days, there was an old family friend, who was courting the nanny. My sisters and I, filled with childish romantic notions and eager to attend a wedding, would constantly ask him, “Aleman, when are you going to marry Carrie?” (names have been changed) and each time, to our dismay, his response was, “Gyal, in May…… maybe.”
While Aleman was never sure about when he would marry Carrie, the month of May is packed with no maybes! There’s Mother’s Day! Teachers Day! Labour Day! and Memorial Day! Thank you to all the mothers of this world for your selfless love and devotion and for the countless sacrifices you do for us every day.
Our gratitude goes out to all teachers who quietly go about teaching, mentoring and inspiring countless children who will one day make important contributions to society and to our Jewel.
And for all those who labor and toil, Happy Labour Day! In the United States, we also commemorate Memorial Day as a remembrance of all the soldiers who have given their lives to protect the freedoms, we hold so dear.
Other delightful treats in May include the “Flower Moon”, the last full moon of spring when flowers bloom. And one of my favorite topics, chocolate! Belize celebrates its ancient old cacao first cultivated by the Mayan civilization, during its annual Chocolate Festival in the Toledo District, honoring the globally famous candy!
On a more sober note, May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, bringing awareness and aid to the millions of people around the world who are plagued with this insidious and dangerous disease. There is so much more that we don’t understand about mental illness.
Let us be kind and gentle to those around us. A smile and kind words goes a long way in helping someone who is at the point of despair. One vital lesson my parents taught me is that no matter how bleak things may seem, there is always a solution to any problem and knowing that one is never alone is key in getting help.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental illness, please seek immediate help or visit www.nimh.nih.gov/findhelp for resources or call the Mental Health Crisis Hotline at 988 for emergency situations in the United States. In Belize, please visit https://www.health.gov.bz/services/mental-health/ for the list of mental health resources and facilities located across the country.
May saw record high heat indexes in Belize and with no rain in sight, it’s been a scorching start to the summer, leading to many possible health ailments so please avoid a potential crisis and remember to hydrate and stay cool, especially children and the elderly. We pray that God pour His blessings of cool showers over the Jewel to quench its crops, land, and people.
Laborers like you and I are not the only ones who toiled this month, so did Prime Minister Briceño. Early in the month, the Prime Minister was in Mexico City to meet with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to discuss Tren Maya, border security, fighting crime, and mutual trade and investment, as well as to sign on to the Latin America and Caribbean Space Agency, making Belize a founding member.
He then traveled to Taiwan to attend the inauguration of President H.E. Lai Ching-te while reinforcing Belize’s unwavering commitment to Taiwan. Closer to home, Prime Minister Briceño made a stop in the Petville Area of Orange Walk Central to observe the construction of road and water infrastructure in the area, watching #PlanBelize work for Belizeans.
Hon. John Briceño also met with teachers’ unions to help better the lives of teachers and students in Belize, discussing avenues for collaboration, teacher training, and counseling.
In the wake of wildfires in Toledo and Mountain Pine Ridge, Prime Minister Briceño, along with Minister of Disaster Risk Management Hon. Andres Perez, Minister of Agriculture Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai, and Area Representative Hon. Oscar Requena, flew over the wildfires to check on the damage to devise a plan to extinguish the fires and help affected residents.
The Special Envoy for the Development of Children and Families, H. E. Rossana Briceño, has also been diligently standing up for important causes such as the prevention of gender-based violence, with the support of the Ministry of Human Development, Families, and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Education, Culture, Science and Technology, the Hon. Francis Fonseca was engaged in spending much of May working to improve bilateral relations with Belize’s neighbor, Guatemala, meeting with Vice President H.E. Karin Herrera, Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Carlos Ramiro Martinez, and Deputy Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Eric Jacobstein while in Guatemala City.
During these meetings, Minister Fonseca advanced the Belizean cause, regarding collaboration in security, trade opportunities, and the revitalization of the Joint Commission for implementing the ‘Placencia Agreements’ of December 2014.
Similarly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade partnered with the Ministry of Rural Transformation and the Taiwan ICDF to launch three new initiatives with the Women Economic Empowerment Project for Toledo, Stann Creek, and Orange Walk.
Lastly, this month marks 50 years of Belize’s membership in CARICOM, a major milestone acknowledging CARICOM’s role in securing Belizean independence and the growth and development of the Jewel and of the Caribbean.
Please note that the Nationality and Passport Department will be hosting its first ever International Belize Passport Hub in Santa Monica, California from June 17-19, where the department will be accepting Nationality and Passport applications in person. Appointments are required, so please see the flier in the newsletter for more details on how to get an appointment.
As always, should you need passport or nationality services and cannot make it to California for the event, please feel free to call the Consulate of Belize in Florida, the Embassy of Belize in Washington, D.C., or our other consulates in New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago to schedule an appointment (please see flyer included in this newsletter with contact information for each).
The much-anticipated Star of the Month for May is Mr. Randolph William Leslie. Mr. Leslie’s origins are from Belize City, where he first began his career in private investigation. Mr. Leslie has faced significant adversity in his life which only strengthened his resolve and his resilience to overcome obstacles.
We are proud to call Mr. Leslie one of our own! We invite you to read the “Star of the Month” section to learn more about his incredible story. Belizeans do great things wherever they go! #Belizeansarebeautiful
Under the section, “GOB Movers and Shakers”, read about how the Ministry of Investment partnered with Corozal Think Tank and Belize Adventist College to launch a Crop Cultivation and Processing project.
The Ministry of Agriculture held a registration ceremony for the Hummingbird Agro-Producers Co-operative Society Limited in Stann Creek and partnered with the Mexican Agency for International Development and the National Institute of Forestry, Agricultural and Livestock Research to launch a project called “Reproductive Technology in Cattle Production in Belize”.
The Ministry of Health & Wellness received a donation of US$1.8 million of hospital equipment from the diaspora to help improve Belize’s healthcare infrastructure and partnered with the University of Belize to launch a conference on Social Work and Mental Wellness International Research.
The Ministry of Labour hosted Virtual Empowerment Sessions, and the Ministry of Education worked to empower Belizean youth by inaugurating the state-of-the-art Itz’at STEAM Academy, the first of its kind in Belize.
Belizean cuisine is so much more than rice and beans. And while rice and beans and all the fixings, ranks high among my favorites, Belizean cuisine is so much more! We are blessed with an abundance of seafood, wild game, vegetables, fruits, fresh dairy, cheese, eggs, etc. that we produce, and with some imagination and creativity, we can make unique and delicious dishes that would rival any international gourmet cuisine.
We discovered this recipe for Cassava Fried Snapper, which offers a scrumptious way of preparing fish using home grown cassava as a crust for this succulent fish. Try your hand at this dish found under “Recipe of the Month. And it’s always time for Fried Jacks so check the recipe out under “Street Food Series”!
Remember our usual invitation to look over the other sections of our newsletter, including Belizeanism of the Month, Landmark Beauty of the Month, Belize and the World, Nature and
Sustainability, Belize and the Market, and Travel. #belizeisbeautiful
We invite you to join us in this amazing opportunity to register as a Belizean with the Consulate of Belize in Florida so we can keep you up to date on all the exciting goings-on here.
The Consulate of Belize in Florida is also committed to showcasing and promoting Belizean businesses in both Belize and the United States; therefore, we encourage you to join the Consulate’s Belize Business Directory.
You only
You only need to submit your information, as described in the section “Belizeans Doing Business with Belizeans” which can be found near the bottom of the newsletter.
Don’t forget to forward this newsletter to family and friends. Your participation is vital in developing stronger ties within the Belizean community. Join us in building a thriving, integrated Belizean diaspora. And remember it is good to be a Belizean! Be sure to share the good news that Belize and Belizeans are beautiful.
#Belizeisbeautiful #Belizeansarebeautiful
Warm Belizean wishes,
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