Migrant Mennonites (Part 1)
Certain Mennonites are forever migrating. This pack-up-and-go lifestyle is mostly carried out by lower income German Mennonites of the Old Colony and KG groups.
In the KG group, their 2 popular destinations are Mexico and Canada. Occasionally some end up in the US. Among the Old Colonists and ex-Old Colony members, their main destinations are Mexico, Paraguay and Bolivia where very large colonies of their kind are in existence. The ones who move to Mexico move around in that country and later end up in Belize. Years go by and they pull up stakes again and head to Mexico. Mexican Mennonites also head to Belize to find work and earn a better salary.
I asked a Mexican girl recently:
"Do you mind telling me why you and your husband moved to Belize? I mean the Mexican Mennonites have a better economy in general, bigger industries and scores of manufacturing companies."
"That's all true," she replied. "But the wages and work ethics are so much different here. The workshops here are cleaner, the salary is so much better, and there's a better chance of living a life away from the traffic jams, drug trafficking, and all the noise from big cities and huge factories."
"But the cost of living is higher," I pointed out.
"Indeed, I realized that the first day of living here. But since both my husband and I are working, our salary is enough to pay all our bills and still save plenty."
I also spoke to a mechanic from Spanish Lookout who migrated to Campeche in Mexico but frequently visited Belize.
"Product prices are much lower over there," he stated. "My children have a wider variety of jobs available and healthcare is low cost. Also, with Mexican identities my children can travel to many more places if they chose to."
The richer Mennonites of Spanish Lookout and Blue Creek are not so easily moved. After all, it took their fathers a lifetime to build financial empires in the Belizean jungles. They have broken legs, sawed off hands, lost children to diseases in the process of transforming their communities from muddy villages to modern towns with paved roads. While they relish the thought of being the big guys in a small country, they certainly don't want to move to Canada and become just another farmer, another common laborer. Canada is for vacations, for shopping and for family reunions. Poorer families dream of someday living in Canada. To them Canada is freedom from poverty, the promised land where healthcare is top of the line and minimum wages are CAD$15 to $20 an hour. I have plenty of friends among them, people I haven't seen in a decade and perhaps won't for another decade.
The Old Order Mennonites of the south and central Belize are not as inclined to move around. If they do it will be the US and Canada where they can merge in with their own kind.
Beachy and Conservative Mennonites, as well as Holdeman Mennonites, are here on a mission, not to establish empires and colonies but to convert people to their belief. One thing that hinders the majority of local members from migrating is their Belizean nationality and their low income. Most white-skinned members hold dual nationality, Canadian or US passports. For those with only Belizean identities, the only way to travel to countries outside of Central America is with a Visa which can be a hassle in obtaining.
But perhaps very soon, Visas will be a thing of the past. US and Canadian airlines have recently begun to increase their flights to Belize. Both North American countries are advertising Belize on their top 10 lists.
Let's see what happens.
In the KG group, their 2 popular destinations are Mexico and Canada. Occasionally some end up in the US. Among the Old Colonists and ex-Old Colony members, their main destinations are Mexico, Paraguay and Bolivia where very large colonies of their kind are in existence. The ones who move to Mexico move around in that country and later end up in Belize. Years go by and they pull up stakes again and head to Mexico. Mexican Mennonites also head to Belize to find work and earn a better salary.
I asked a Mexican girl recently:
"Do you mind telling me why you and your husband moved to Belize? I mean the Mexican Mennonites have a better economy in general, bigger industries and scores of manufacturing companies."
"That's all true," she replied. "But the wages and work ethics are so much different here. The workshops here are cleaner, the salary is so much better, and there's a better chance of living a life away from the traffic jams, drug trafficking, and all the noise from big cities and huge factories."
"But the cost of living is higher," I pointed out.
"Indeed, I realized that the first day of living here. But since both my husband and I are working, our salary is enough to pay all our bills and still save plenty."
I also spoke to a mechanic from Spanish Lookout who migrated to Campeche in Mexico but frequently visited Belize.
"Product prices are much lower over there," he stated. "My children have a wider variety of jobs available and healthcare is low cost. Also, with Mexican identities my children can travel to many more places if they chose to."
The richer Mennonites of Spanish Lookout and Blue Creek are not so easily moved. After all, it took their fathers a lifetime to build financial empires in the Belizean jungles. They have broken legs, sawed off hands, lost children to diseases in the process of transforming their communities from muddy villages to modern towns with paved roads. While they relish the thought of being the big guys in a small country, they certainly don't want to move to Canada and become just another farmer, another common laborer. Canada is for vacations, for shopping and for family reunions. Poorer families dream of someday living in Canada. To them Canada is freedom from poverty, the promised land where healthcare is top of the line and minimum wages are CAD$15 to $20 an hour. I have plenty of friends among them, people I haven't seen in a decade and perhaps won't for another decade.
The Old Order Mennonites of the south and central Belize are not as inclined to move around. If they do it will be the US and Canada where they can merge in with their own kind.
Beachy and Conservative Mennonites, as well as Holdeman Mennonites, are here on a mission, not to establish empires and colonies but to convert people to their belief. One thing that hinders the majority of local members from migrating is their Belizean nationality and their low income. Most white-skinned members hold dual nationality, Canadian or US passports. For those with only Belizean identities, the only way to travel to countries outside of Central America is with a Visa which can be a hassle in obtaining.
But perhaps very soon, Visas will be a thing of the past. US and Canadian airlines have recently begun to increase their flights to Belize. Both North American countries are advertising Belize on their top 10 lists.
Let's see what happens.
