Sometimes things happen in San Pedro that just make me love the place a little bit more. Day to day stuff, nothing major or exciting. For example, today at one of the shops we use we observed the following.

Local drunk, who is well tolerated but often a nuisance causing trouble in shop. Lady shopkeeper smacks him from behind the counter and helper throws him out of the shop door with lady shopkeeper making her feelings known in Spanish. Local drunk, in a fit of pique, throws his lunch on the ground outside of the shop door, shouts and swears and starts staggering off. Next door neighbour comes out, grabs drunk, smacks him again and pushes him back towards the shop all the time shouting at him in Spanish and pointing to the mess. Clearly telling drunk that he must clean it up. Drunk sullenly mumbles that he has nothing to clean it with. Neighbour storms into bodega, storms out, throws broom and bucket at him. Drunk sweeps up his mess, looks sheepish and staggers off home.

It is amazing how the community deals with its own issues. Everyone got a few minutes of entertainment, no harm was done and there was no drama or police necessary.

That must have been a sight! Good for the shopkeeper and neighbor!

Why on earth would someone even post something like this ?

Why not, sounds like good community policing to me. And a change in attitude towards litter bugs.

Indeed Simon. Some of us have a different perspective on daily life in San Pedro. We find delight and pleasure in the small day to day things that happen here. This was a window into the sort of thing that happens here all the time and provides an insight into true San Pedro culture.

Great story, Colly. Wish the shop owners here would do the same with the grafitti 'artists'! Would make a huge difference in our community.

C.,

You ought to do a San Pedro version of Overheard in New York!

--Lan Sluder

I found it to be a charming story myself...

Great story! Neighbors looking out for each other? Not in my neighborhood. Some of us "nexpatriates" who hope to live there some day like to hear about the local flavor of San Pedro. But it makes me miss it even more!

big laugh. life is good.....

I agree Colly day to day life here is really rich - great story.

Collyk, they handle things in such a different way than we do elsewhere. The smacking around probably had a better affect on him than a few hours of jail time may have done.

Funny.

funny story .Glad you posted it..Thanks sweets.

Sorry you could not get anyone to chime in with you "Immissing." NOT My mind reflects back to my "Belize women" thread where your comment was "Tattoo must be freaking nuts." I know currently I am having those same thoughts of anyone who did not find only good in this original story....

This is what makes SP unique!

Great story!

I can imagine Local Drunk's version of events: Peaceful Shopper Physically Abused and Forced Into Unpaid Servitude!!

When they first posted that traffic had to go around the turn-around there was a lot of confusion with traffic. One day as I approached it a young boy, under six years, suddenly swerved his bicycle into the front fender of my golf cart. He and the bike fell and I was terrified I had hurt him. By the time I got out of the golf cart and was saying “Is he alright, is he alright?” the mother had picked him up by his shirt collar and was lashing him. She was telling him how bad he was and was waving me off. She marched him and the bicycle on down the road and he was getting a good tongue lashing.

In the US the mother would have been yelling at me, the boy may have pulled a gun and shot me and for sure I would be sued.

Belize is not yet perfect but there are some things that are just taken care of in a civilized way that makes me love living here.

Wow Harriette! Where in the US have you been hanging out? Sounds awful. I'm all for personal responsibility, discipline and good parenting, but watching a parent beat and berate a child in public just doesn't strike me as the epitome of civilization.

Come on, Leah-Ann. Her point was that the mother was taking responsibility for her child. That is INDEED rare in the USA.

Mike, I'd be the first to agree that people define "taking responsibility for a child" in a number of different ways. Telling a child he is bad for having an accident doesn't meet my definition - but that is by and large my opinion. On the other hand, I work with parents and their children every day and would NOT agree that responsible parenting is a rare occurance in the US. While many could be more adept, I wouldn't deem them irresponsible.

The point was the kid ran into me, not the other way around. Where did I hang out? I lived over the hills from Oakland!!!
Making children responsible for their own behavior was not something common there. Ask any of the school teachers who have a hard time maintaining disciplin. I'll stop my rant.
Lashing and tongue lashing is NOT beating.

...."picked him up by his shirt collar and was lashing him...." reads like physical to me

Agreed. I apologize for overstating the irresponsibility of American parents. I still think it IS bad for a child to ride his bike into a car. His mother was telling him so.

And a lawsuit wouldn't be uncommon in that situation in the US - whether child or adult was involved.

Sometimes when accidents like that happen, parents are really scared and want to make sure that the kid is more careful.

I agree with Pam and that was my first thought. I remembered losing my nephew at a museum. I went nuts when he finally showed back up. My fear manifested itself as anger, at least until the tears started to flow (mine, that is).

Lashing is a term used her for open handed hitting - like spanking. It is not beating.

Part of the beauty of Belize to me is most parents expect their children to behave and act accordingly when they do not. That is the way of the US when I was a child. Belizeans very seldomly "lash" or beat their children, but they know the "threat" is real. And for the most part, the children are a major part of the charm of Belize. We have children of friends who no matter how hard I try, refuse to call me anything other than "Mister Dave". They do it out of respect for all elders.

It doesn't sound like the child was abused or anything close to it. The mother was taking measures to instill reality into her child's point of reference for future outings on his bike. Its unlikely that mother requires the self-appointed child-rearing police to successfully raise her kid.

Abuse comes in many forms, I have no idea if this treatment was abusive or not. I didn't get the impression the child purposely headed for the golf cart so he could hit it with his bicycle, rather it sounded like an accident. So what I don't understand is the benefit of yelling at him in public and then striking him, even if it's with an open hand. Nor do I understand the criticism of American parents who don't behave in this manner. I do agree with luvinlife: unless abusive, parenting styles should be left to individual parents. I just wouldn't choose this particular style as a cause for celebration.

Collyk.....Keep observing more of those "things" that happen and tells us about them. Most of us will enjoy them.

During the chit chat preceding the Chamber of Commerce meeting on Thursday one of the resort owners told the following story.
One of their guests left their room unlocked and a Rolex watch lying out in plain site. When he returned the watch was gone. Some good detective work found the culprit – a minor boy. The mother made the boy buy a plane ticket to Houston and return the watch and apologize – all at his own expense. The fact that the boy did it and came back is testimony to disciplined parenting.

The sad part of this story is that way too many guests leave their valuables unattended. This resort even has individual safes in each room. I’ll make no further editorial comments – even though my tongue is bleeding. LOL

How did the minor boy afford a plane ticket to Houston?
He travelled alone? I'm skeptical.

Thank JZB! I was thinking the same thing. I have a minor granddaughter and she can not travel alone unless I pay the extra money to have her taken care of by the Airlines personel, and it is not cheap.

Maybe it was back in the old days.... pre 9/11 seems like a life time away, but back then air travel was friendly and fun.

I have to say that no matter how rich you are, if you love your rolex you don't leave it laying around in plain sight, in an unlocked hotel room - in any country!

We hear similar stories of expensive watches and jewelry being stolen and police reports made - just to find out it was a way for the tourist to claim on their travel insurance. They walk away with their "stolen" goods AND an insurance claim cheque.

Ya, that's likely...

Not all mothers side with their children before hearing the facts... just more so than they used to.

People are not careful with their belongings even when they are taught a lesson. It's one of my biggest pet peeves! I have friends who often want to leave their purse unattended in my car... ain't gonna happen!!!

TQ, I promise never to leave my purse unattended in your car!!!

KC, honey, I will gladly hold your purse with me... flat green paperlike contents are likely to be missing when you get it back tho.

I used to travel extensively around Europe by myself when I was 12, and I knew others who did. Don't know that 9/11 made that much difference.

pedro2 - sorry to burst that dream bubble but kids don't get to travel around by themselves internationally via air carriers on their own any more. they must be signed in and taken charge of by the airlines and the fees are high. OR the kid does not get to travel.

I mean, how many years ago was that???

Air travel? Who said anything about air travel? We didn't have planes in those days.

For the last few days, we've been debating about whether or not to relocate a small tarantula in our garden. We decided that he seemed pretty good at making himself uninteresting to the dogs, so we've left him. We thought he was our only resident wild animal. This morning, I found the carcass of a very large iguana on our steps. The tail was over three foot long. I also found one very proud puppy. So, at 5:30am, I dispose of carcass sadly, apologising to any mother nature type entity that I could muster up. Thinking that was quite enough, but no....I've just come back upstairs from wrangling a 8' boa out of our woodpile. He is very angry and currently in a dog crate in the office awaiting resettlement. After the slaughter of the iguana, I didn't feel like dealing with another carcass tomorrow as the dogs alerted us to the snake. I must have been a sight to behold, in my dressing gown and bare feet, trying to explain to an angry boa why I had to disturb him. Full moon? Cool weather? who knows.

Wow colly, everyone is trying to guard your place!

Colly - I don't know about your dog but my dogs will not get near a snake. They do however bark incessantly until the snake moves off. I think a snake in the woodpile is about the best thing you could have there. LOL

The dogs were already at it Scuba. The new pup is a serious hunter and the dog we brought from England has a Staffordshire Bull Terrier for a mother. Killing is what she lives for. Unfortunately neither of them seemed to have any sense about the snake. Our potlicker, on the other hand, wouldn't go near it. Snake is safely stored. As it is in the middle of a slough (which also made it very vulnerable), I'll keep it for a few days before relocating it safely to another neighbourhood. Unfortunately we have a gang of 'catch, torment and kill' kids here, so I'll give it a better chance in a more wild area.

sounds good to me. Thanks

Wow, you are a pretty cool customer, Colly, wrangling an 8' boa! I'd be terrified.

please don't put it anywhere SOUTH of town, I don't like snakes....

Go girl!

I'm sure if you just follow that guy you'd be entertained all day!

Maybe that's what I should do to break up the boredom? Just find the biggest freak on the island and follow them around all day!?

I'll bring a camera and report back here... the only problem is going to be finding out which one of you has the weirdest behavior!

Maybe we should follow you around and take your picture.

"That was a joke, son. Ah say, that was a joke."