Page 79 - Visitor Guides

Belize History, Ambergris Caye History
A burger and coke from Shammah's drug store on Queen Street,
A million mosquito bites, flit, fish (for mosquitoes) and sleeping under nets.
Kerosene lamps, gas lamps and candles.
Etnas (one-holed kerosene stoves), chamber pots and the good old white bucket.
Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, playing house (oooh, I liked that).
Steve Reeves and Gordon Scott, when all leading actors were "the bwai",
Sittin on the fence whistling at girls passing by.
Sliding down the rail of the steps, catching a splinter in your ass.
Jumping on the bed (if you had one) and pillow fights.
Running from Catate and Dilo till you were out of breath,
And laughing so hard that your stomach hurt.
Being tired just from playing. Remember that?

I'm not finished just yet.
Eating Klim with sugar, kawsham too.
Remember when...
The sneakers at Bata for girls and boys were called puss?
And you were ashamed to wear them at school cause they only cost a dollar? When it took five minutes for the
transitor radio to warm up?
And you listened to championship fights and that was fun?
When nearly everyone's Mom was at home when the kids got there?
When every kid owned some type of dog?
And how you cried when they poisoned yours?
When five cents was a decent allowance, and 10 cents a miracle?
When Saldivar bread went up 2 cents and everyone talked about it for weeks?
When you lined up outside Jail at 5:00 AM for hot jail bread?
When you'd reach into a stinking, muddy drain for a penny?
When girls neither dated nor kissed until late high school?
And jukking behind convent or up by Haulover was cool?
When girls wore quindolyn to church every Sunday?
And your clothes were always clean and pressed, even though you didn't have many?
And we'd all have to be at the 8:30 AM mass on Sunday or else?
When you got brawta from the grocery store regardless of how much you bought?
And 12 cents American cheese and a pack bread fed a family of 8?
When laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden inside the box?
When any parent could whap any kid and nobody, not even the kid, gave it any thought?
When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited you at home?
When you wore two or more pairs of short pants under your long pants to ease the sting from that sash corn or
tambran whip from one of your male teachers?
When we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of drive by shootings,drugs, gangs, etc?
When our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat?
When you didn't dare talk back to your parents, at least not to their face?

Didn't that feel good? Just to go back and say, yeah, I remember that!
There's nothing like the good old days! They were good then,
and they're good now when we think about them.
Share some of these thoughts with a friend who can relate, then share it with someone who missed out on them.

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