I remember the first time I saw the elderly gentleman with his prom, walking slowly but purposely up Albert Street, coming from the vicinity of the Swing Bridge. I causally passed him, wondering where he was going. I remember also the first time seeing the young man with the grey eyes in the wheel chair being pushed along the pavement from in front of Brodies, not sure where he was in a hurry to go, as I parked. But as I walked to the famous information corner, ideally positioned just opposite and across the street from the top of the taxi stand, and at the corner of Brodies, facing the intersection of Albert and Church Street, to pick up my white rice, split peas with pigtail and dumpling, chicken and plantain from Ms. Birdie, I realized that all three of us were converging at the same place. I patiently waited for my turn, for you see, the other two gentlemen had already sprinted to the tape. They had seen me coming, and they were to be attended to first. They made their request for their food, and Ms. Birdie graciously complied. After all, they were valued clients, as I was informed.

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Perhaps this feature on San Pedro will be the most ambitious ‘Voices of the Village’ that the Belize Times will undertake, because San Pedro is officially recognised as a town.  Yet the essence of San Pedro is somewhat village like, due to its long-standing history as a small settlement, and therefore it still warrants attention in ‘Voices of the Village’.  Many of the issues affecting San Pedro are the same as other villages are experiencing, only on a larger and faster scale due to its demographic dominance.  Perhaps the lessons learnt from San Pedro could help other villages avoid the same issues altogether.

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Some ‘nation builders’ have reached a certain fame status within Belize because of the promotion of certain services or projects that they undertake.  However, there are just as many (if not more) potential nation builders who are so altruistic and humble that, rather than promoting themselves, they continue their good work in the shadows.  Ofelia Novelo, the inspiration and coordinator behind “Mamas” women’s training group in Orange Walk, is one such person. 

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