Journal Entry 32

January 16, 1977 / Belize City, Belize:

A ship must have put into Belize harbor this week because I got a lot of surface mail. The Crock-Pot arrived last Monday and was in good condition. There's a song popular in the Caribbean, sung by the Tradewinds, called "It's Traditional." The song says how every country has certain customs or traditions. Even little West Indian countries have their traditions. One of these traditions, the song says, is receiving Christmas gifts from the States in July. So, the Crock-Pot was not really late - just traditional.

I also received in the mail this week: Time Magazine (the first on my subscription), Stereo Review, pair of sweatpants, and a box of fudge. It was really a good week for me. I received the Time Magazine from a local bookstore which has been notified by Time to send me a copy every week from their stock.

Other than receiving that mail, not much happened this week. There was a change of plans, so I did not drive the Fisheries' Land Rover up into the Mountain Pine Ridge. There is an Audubon trip scheduled for the Pine Ridge at the end of the month, so I'll get to go up there then. Tuesday I may fly with Mr. Miller down to Punta Gorda in Toledo District for a couple of days. Mr. Miller must go there on business and thought I would like to come along for the ride. Hopefully, I will be able to get some aerial photographs of the coastline.

The big social event of last week was the screening of the film "The Harder They Come." This is a five- or six-year-old Jamaican film playing in Belize for the first time. There were two shows Friday night and two shows Saturday night - all sold out. It was like a Hollywood Premiere. A huge crowd was milling around the Eden Cinema, and everyone was really dressed up. I had reserved our seats earlier in the week. The film was an underground classic in the States. It still shows occasionally in the L.A. area. It depicts a Jamaican's struggle for success in the corrupt Jamaican record industry and depicts day-to-day Caribbean life. The dialogue is in Creole with English subtitles. The film also features a lot of Jamaican reggae music which is so popular here.

I really look forward to reading the Belize newspapers which come out Friday evenings. I especially enjoy reading Amandala. Amandala was started by a young Belizean who was educated at Dartmouth in the late 1960s. He received his degree in English literature and returned to Belize. He became quite bitter because of the prejudices in the U.S. against Blacks and formed a radical political party here: United Black Association for Development. Now Evan X Hyde has become more mellow and publishes the newspaper which best captures the spirit of the Creole people. At first reading his newspaper appears to be a poor attempt at journalism; at least it does not fit the mold of a traditional newspaper. Evan X Hyde could put out a very polished newspaper if that was what he wanted to do. He emphasizes sports, literature, the arts, and enjoys exposing the incompetence/corruption of politicians. Hyde also includes a serial melodrama which he writes called "Ros'lin." It's a classic.

I went to the football games at MCC Grounds today. I know a couple of the players and enjoy watching them play. The games are more interesting now that I know more about the game. It's really a rather good sport.

[Photo: The Harder They Come movie poster (posteritati.com)]

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Journal Entry 33

January 25, 1977 / Belize City, Belize:

I heard on the radio that parts of the U.S. are having quite a cold winter. Well, they've got nothing on Belize. The lowest temperature recorded since 1961 in Belize City was last week - 54° F. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Belize City was 53° F. In the Pine Ridge temperatures dropped to the mid 40's overnight. The story on the front page of the *Amandala *reported in headlines: "Icy Weather Grips Belize."

Whenever the temperature dips much below 70°, the locals all put on their cold weather gear. The night watchman at Fisheries wore two overcoats over a sweater. Actually, it really was uncomfortable for me, too. The houses here are built to catch the breeze and are not heated, so when it's 54° outside, it's 54° inside. I've got a nice quilt on my bed, so I wasn't cold sleeping, just getting out of bed in the morning. The cold weather broke up Sunday (lasted about l� weeks), but it still is cool compared to what it can be here. Right now (10:00 a.m.) it's about 72°, blue skies, and a gentle breeze coming in off the Caribbean. It won't get much warmer than that the rest of the day. I guess I'm not suffering too badly!

Today at 1:00 p.m. I'm to fly down to Punta Gorda with Mr. Miller on Fisheries business. We were to have gone last week, but the flight was already booked up for the one day we could leave. The fishermen in P.G. are trying to organize a co-op, and Mr. Miller is going down to advise them. I'm going along for the ride - Maya Airways offers some cheap thrills; landing on jungle airstrips is a lot of fun.

This Sunday I am going with the Audubon Society to the Pine Ridge. Craggy peaks, mountain streams, and pine scented air will be a welcome relief to 6 months of Belize City. It's a one-day trip. We'll go out the Western Highway to Cayo and then south to the Pine Ridge. The pavement ends in Belmopan, and I'll probably be riding in the back of a Land Rover pickup truck.

I was glad to hear that my California Teaching Credentials came through all right. I was especially pleased to note they were Life Credentials and do not require any further schooling. Also, in the mail I received "Winnie-the-Pooh" books for the girls, and "Weigh-In." I'm slowly making my way through the paperbacks. Right now, I'm reading "Nightwork" by Irwin Shaw. Time Magazine is coming regularly now, and I've received several editions of the L.A. Times.

I've been quite busy at work. The weather hasn't permitted me to go into the field lately, so I've been collecting and breaking down data on catches by the fishermen of San Pedro who belong to Caribe�a Co-op. It's tedious work, but interesting to see what they catch.

[Photo: The start of a new caye? Somewhere in Belize, 1977.]

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