Disclaimer: You asked for advice. We’re providing it. But as with anything else, make sure you check with the actual professionals to make the right decision for your specific situation.
“Are there melanated expats in San Pedro, Belize?” -T.H.
Given that, it’s Belize. I’m going to make an educated guess and say probably. Do I know for a fact? No, but given that most of Belize is multiracial, has tropical weather and the official language is English, I’m sure there’s a Black/Brown expat population there.
That said, if I were in your proverbial shoes, and wanted to find out what expat communities existed, here’s what I would do…
Use Facebook to find community. I would run a search on Facebook using key works (such as Black Expat, San Pedro & Belize) to find groups focused on the Black experience in Belize. You might not find a group solely on being Black in San Pedro, but there’s at least one group focused on Belize as a country. Luckily, it’s called “Black Expats in Belize”. That’s probably your best starting point to connect with individuals who have familiarity or experience with San Pedro.
However, let’s say that group didn’t exist (or wasn’t active), my next step would be to search for a Black expat group in a neighboring country and reach out to Black expats there to find out if they had any information. Not every country is going to have a specific Facebook group dedicated to it, so this might have to be an option, if you were going to a less popular destination.
Use YouTube for detailed research. I would run the same search for Black expats who have experience in Belize. There are some great YouTubers who have been documenting their life in the country. You can do a specific search for San Pedro and see what comes up. In addition, YouTube might give more in-depth context on living Belize in general that you might not get from a Facebook group.
Use Tik Tok for individual perspectives. Like the other platforms, there are individuals that are highlighting their experiences in the area. Unlike Facebook, you won’t have the community aspect but what it might do is help you connect with individuals who you could connect with to ask direct questions to. You might also get some different aspects of the Belizean experience that perhaps are not available on the other platforms.
Regardless of who you follow and connect with, know your mileage will definitely vary. Everyone’s life situation is different (from stage of life to finances to dietary needs). Compare and listen to multiple voices to help you with your decision-making process.
Good Luck! – AB
P.S. If you didn’t know, you can grab a copy our list of Black Expat Focused Online Communities
Thinking about life abroad & have a question? Ask The Black Expat