Mennonites in Belize

    Two major events that will impact the whole country happened this week in Spanish Lookout.    Quality Feed Mill broke ground for a vegetable oil refinery to be built in the colony. Their aim is to supply the whole country with cooking oil derived from soybean. Up to now the byproduct was left in its raw form but with the building of the new facility the oil will now be refined, packaged and sold countrywide as well as exported. For decades most of our cooking oil has come from Mexico but now with this new factory, we'll be supporting Belize by buying Belize.     The country's major producer of milk products also celebrated the beginning of a new phase in their milk processing facility. Thanks to the purchase of an Ultra High Temperature processor, Western Dairies will now be producing milk products that do not need refrigeration, which in turn will greatly benefit the whole country since up to now our non-refrigerated milk was all imported from Mexico a...

  At 9 in the morning the crowd wasn't very big, but by 11 it had swelled several times.     It was a great success. Dozens of businesses showcased their products, children had fun in the temporary playground as well as in wagon rides and other activities, there were crane rides, food vendors had long lines outside their stalls. But to me the most wonderful part was seeing the thousands of people walking freely without masks (there were still some persons who chose to wear one), without fear of Covid, without tiny bottles of sanitizers, without bothered by police in spite of the fact that the crowd inside the building was so densely packed that you could hardly move without elbowing someone. Government police strolled around, some with masks, some without, generally keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity but for the most part thoroughly enjoying the event. Alcoholic drinks are not available at this expo which is a load off from many of the officer's shoulder as co...

  The western side of the community town hall houses the Heritage Building, which displays pictures and relics.    Completed in 2020, located at the crossing of Center Avenue with R40, and dubbed "the White House" by some local residents, this state-of-the art building is an impressive testimony to the founding fathers of Spanish Lookout, a culmination of 60 plus years of sweat, stress, integrity and commitment, the embodiment of all their work ethics and a highlight to the unity of this community.    The eastern side holds a large room which is sometimes used by those needing extra indoor spaces such as family gatherings. The community's livestock marketing department has its office on one side, as well as various other rooms which are used for the many different functions required to run a community efficiently and professionally. In the center is a bar(mini kitchen), while the main hallway contains pictures of major events and daily life in the past.   ...

        You can breathe now. So take a deep refreshing breath because beginning today, March 1, masks will no longer be required when you're out in the open in public. The only places where you need to wear a mask are at weddings, funerals, church gatherings, supermarkets, hospitals, hardware stores, government offices, clinics, dentists, birthday parties, other parties, wakes, clubs, and so on. Yea...you got that right. The only time you can go without a mask is if your walking all alone on a road with nobody else around. Then and only then are you free to tear off your mask and breathe deeply and freely of all the wonderful smells of dust and smoke and diesel exhaust and mud and cow manure and garbage dumps and horses in the pasture.    Of course, I'm being sarcastic. But the good news is that yes, several Covid restrictions have now been lifted. No more wearing of masks outdoors (somewhat of a gray area yet), curfew removed, no Covid tests required ...

       Yet again, Spanish Lookout has attracted the spotlight. Several media outlets have posted articles and videos where the new Minister of Health speaks about the obligations required of the Spanish Lookout community if they expect their Commercial/Industrial Expo to be held on March 25th & 26th. In other words, "No Masks, No Expo". See  video  above. Click  here  to read one such article.     Will the Mennonites (and those non-Mennonites who are also weary of masks) in and around Spanish Lookout adhere to regulations for two days? I mean... they will still have 280 days left to go without a mask. Let's see how the scenario will play out.   Note: In my previous article I mentioned the National Business Expo to be held in Spanish Lookout. However the correct title should be "Spanish Lookout Commercial & Industrial Expo". My apologies.                        ...

  The year 2022 is beginning to feel surprisingly like the bygone era of 2019, when borders required nothing else except your valid passport, when crowd-gathering events were the norm, back when "social distancing" was a futuristic term known only by a few rare medically advanced intellectuals, back when inserting a tube in your nose was a bizarre incident that only happened in faraway lands, when coronavirus was a mysterious substance of things not hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (at that time).     On a sidenote, Belize's land and sea borders were fully opened at the beginning of last week. This suddenly caused the future to brighten since it was two years ago when they had closed down.   The 60th anniversary of Farmer's Trading Center, the superstore owned by the community of Spanish Lookout, is approaching. The 2-day sale will be held on the 25th and 26th of this month. There will be gifts, raffles and promos as well as food and drinks.   This ...

    Source: San Pedro Sun     Beginning today, February 7th, Belize's land borders are officially re-opening. They had been scheduled for re-opening on January 1 but was postponed until February 1. Then just before the due date it was again delayed until February 7, today. For citizens residing in the country, only those fully vaccinated may exit and enter via land. Those staying overnight in Mexico or Guatemala must take a Covid test when coming back into the country even though they are fully vaccinated.        Also, beginning next week, February 15th, foreign visitors entering Belize via land, sea, or air must have Covid-19 travel insurance. To see a list of individuals who do not travel insurance, click here . You can purchase from your home country or buy a policy when arriving in Belize. Please check the Government of Belize's  website  for more info.                       ...