Money can't buy happiness; it's a phrase we have all heard our entire lives. For a while, I had believed this cliche to be something that elders told the younger generations to prevent materialism. However, on a recent trip to Belize, my thoughts were debunked.
Upon arriving to Belize, us tourists were warned by frequents not to stray past the intimidating, spiked gates that separated the cruise line sponsored stores, tacky restaurants, and bars, from Belize City. And for first-time visitors, these gates and the police lining them look pretty scary and really strike up some curiosity as to what the reality beyond them holds. As we were walking, my dad decided to stop and speak to a local police about the city. After expressing our concerns about exploring the city, he gave us a not-so-subtle-eye-roll and went into a rant about how their community's bad rep is nothing but misinformation and faulty assumptions. The only crime they had had over the past couple of months was related to gang activity and people stealing food from stores. He told us that there was no reason not to go into the city and look around. Although I was still a little hesitant to walk into the unfamiliar territory, it is a decision I will never regret.
We went through the security to enter the city, and not only a couple blocks in, I fell in a hole in the road. My clumsy mistake left me short two toenails and a skinned up leg. Being the drama queen I am, once I saw the blood I immediately started bawling and screaming for my dad to carry me to safety and comfort. We ended up in a little grocery store, where the three women and one younger man were working the counter. The second they saw what had happened, it was like I was in a nurses office and their only job was to assist me and ensure that none of my wounds were left unattended. The young man helped me to a bench where the women poured an entire bottle of rubbing alcohol on my legs and feet, made me laugh so I would stop crying, and held my hand while I cringed. Any time I said thank you, or my dad tried to help, they brushed it off and let us know that "this is what family does, we give you nothing but love."
Meeting strangers who were so concerned about the fact I had cuts and bruises and were so willing to help me and make sure I was okay was shocking to me. Even though it was just a fall on the road with a few bad cuts, these women treated me like I was family and showed me nothing but love and kindness. Not only the women from the store, but every local I had met that day left an lasting impression on me. These people who were living in one of the poorest countries in the world, were some of the most content and passionate people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I almost felt guilty going back to the cruise ship.
After spending the day in Belize, I would go back to the cruise ship and hear people complain about their five star meal not being absolutely perfect, or how the entertainment for the night really wasn't "that great." It was baffling to me that some of these people had just spent a full day in this poor country, enjoying their beaches and caves, drinking rum drinks the bartenders had made for them, and for some reason were still not satisfied. Of course we all face difficult problems in our lives, but when you go to a place where children are drumming on buckets for money to eat, all the "first world problems" don't seem so relevant anymore. After seeing men and women who struggle to put food on the table some nights happier that day than those on a seven day cruise complaining because the international data plan they had purchased is too slow for Snapchat, it seems apparent that money really can't buy happiness.
