Finding New Perspectives in New Countries
Woo! Last night was fun!! (New Years Eve) Except for these covid curfews here in Belize! Dance party on the beach!! Then went on a solo adventure with some locals. Crazzy place here! I so much enjoy seeing & experiencing the culture in different places! It varies sooooo much from place to place. Especially when looking at the two places I have traveled last : Belize & Egypt. Totally opposite ends of the spectrum!
I always enjoy hanging out with the locals rather than the other “gringos” or even people traveling from different countries than mine --- why? Because I want to see & experience the lives of the people in their places. Despite however raw & real these experiences become - you get the chance to jump into another life.
And they vary oh so much between Earth regions & countries. Something interesting I've seen here in Belize (and other Central American Beach culture/regions) is the culture around “hooking up” and dating... it seems, as I've observed, that even if people are in some type of romantic relationship, the hook up culture is so fiercely strong, that it’s been accepted that the men & also women, could be in a partnership & still openly hook up with or dance explicitly with other people, right in front of their partner. This has been my observation in Belize..of what seemed like people together. Even by watching the expressions on some of the womens’ faces as they watched their, possibly boyfriends or husband’s, hit on & dance with other women. In some cases it seemed like the vibe from the women was "if we can’t beat them join them." So it seemed some may join in on the hook ups. My female friend I met through traveling through Hostels was fierocioisly hit on by a Belizean woman. Appearantly, as the guys do, the girls do, too.
I’m guessing this developed as a coping mechanism to dealing with the culture of tourist hookups and the lack of monogomous relationships available.
So it seemed through observation to be very polyamourous. I asked one Belizean man, how do you even do relationships here? He said “it's not what you do, but how you do it.” This seems to be synonymous with the ethics of polyamourous relationships, that which have a foundation on honest, open communication about these topics. Or still - maybe not here? But in ethical polyamourous relationships, all partners agree on the terms of the relationships & remain honest & open about all of it. Cheating in polyamourous relationships is when you lie about what is going on, or hiding things from the other/s. If you could openly engage in safe, supportive & honest connections with full consent from the other parties, why would you even have to lie? It seems like a conscious step forward for the world of emotional, spiritual & romantic connections.
Watching the Belizeans certainly shifted my perspectives in ways I didn’t expect to be presented. And with the distant voices from other polyamourous people it begins to make sense to approach relationships in a new light. In polyamory, each person makes the terms they are comfortable with. Whether that be engaging in only multiple emotional connections or also engaging in sexual relationships. Either way, honesty, openness & communication is the beat that keeps their hearts clear.
The Belizean man also told me, “it depends on what they want from the relationship. He said, when you swell, I swell.”
Well, well.. isn't that swell. Hah!
Another female from Belize City said she was completely over dating guys from her country, as she said you can treat them like a king — cooking, cleaning, working & being beautiful and the guys still look for other women while in relationships. Surprisingly, I found out as I continued to listen, that she was currently dating an American man living an hour from my hometown!
So it seems that some females have accepted their cultural circumstance and others are looking elsewhere for love.
Of course, I did also observe a few new friends who did have girlfriends or wives who appeared to try being faithful to monogamy.
When I came back from this trip I definitely began to have a new perspective. The natural experiences of life & the diverse experiences that always come with traveling, once again opened my eyes to the different ways people live.