The weather creates considerable challenges for the people who live here. Rain threatens daily activities, hurricanes endanger the people and property, and heat creates discomfort. Often, rain comes out of nowhere, preventing commutes and causing flooding. Hurricanes are also common in the tropics where Belize is situated. The heat averages in the 90s during the dry season and the 80s the rest of the year.
Many Belizeans like to avoid the rain when possible. Rain causes delays and cancels events. Often, the sports practices I help with are cancelled due to rain or flooded fields. I have had PE class inside the classrooms a few times. It reminds me of “indoor recess” from when I was in elementary school. To avoid flooding damage, many houses are raised on wooden or cement stilts. They call these houses “upstairs houses.” In the case of a hurricane, the school where I work also acts as an emergency hurricane shelter. And with the heat, I see that many people like to wake up early before the sun gets so high and the temperature rises. The basketball court in my village gets active at sunrise. Plus, many people carry around rags with them that they use to keep sweat off themselves.
