During lunch one Tuesday afternoon, I interviewed two students, one girl named Zinnia and one boy named Traeson. They are in Standard III (three) and Standard IV (four), which is the equivalent of 4th and 5th grade in the States.
Zinnia said she does not eat breakfast or dinner because she “wants to stay skinny,” but for lunch, she eats whatever the Ms. Avis in the school cafeteria makes. Usually that’s rice and beans, fried chicken, and fried plantains. I told her that it’s important for everyone to eat three meals a day, especially if you’re a growing kid! Traeson mentioned that he normally eats eggs, beans, and bread for breakfast. For dinner he usually eats eggs, hotdogs, and tortillas.
Traeson explained that he has a cement house with zinc (metal roof). Zinc roofs are common in Belize. And here in the tropics, where it rains a lot, the rain is very loud hitting the metal roof. Traeson has his own room but often sleeps with his mom. His house does not have air conditioning but he uses two standing fans when he sleeps. His house has one TV and he often finds geckos inside, which isn’t uncommon across the country. Geckos help eat any other bugs that get inside!
