Day 28
My Umbrella
Umbrellas are not optional here; they are 100% necessary. In the rainy season (Aug - Dec) people carry an umbrella with them all the time because you never know when a sudden downpour will occur. On several occasions the volunteers have walked to lunch under a beautiful blue sky only to find themselves stuck at the rectory waiting out the torrential rain thirty minutes later. In the hottest part of the dry season (Mar - Jun) people carry an umbrella with them because of the extreme sunshine beating down on you. You still sweat when you use an umbrella as a parasol, but my guess is you sweat about 25-50% less.
When I first came to visit my host offered me an umbrella for the day and I rejected it saying something along the lines of "I like the sun! I live in Texas!" After the first day of being in the heat walking around town and noticing that all the Belizeans use umbrellas as parasols, I changed my mind. Of course I can walk in the sun and I'm not going to die, but let me tell you, we sweat A LOT here, and if I can sweat 25-50% less by carrying an umbrella, it's well worth it! When in Rome do as the Romans. When in Belize... carry a parasol! Who would have thought that after growing up in the South it would take living in Belize to get me to use a parasol. Belize has brought out my inner Southern Belle :) You should be proud of me Lisa and Angela!
on the walk to lunch today
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