Myrna was a recognized icon in Belize.  She had been the first president of the National Kriol Council, an organization promoting the Kriol culture in Belize.  The Kriol people are descendants of European settlers and African slaves.  Belize was a former British colony called British Honduras.  In the 180os the logging industry was booming, causing the British to bring slaves in from Africa for labor.  With their wives staying in England, many British men took slaves as mistresses.  The children they bore were born free and became the Kriol population.  Myrna had spent her entire life promoting and preserving their cultural identity.  She was perfect for the project.  The museum attendant gave me her number.  I left and immediately tried calling.  No answer.  I sent her a text explaining the project.  It wasn’t delivered.  Her phone must have been off.  I waited all day.  The message never went through.  Remembering her involvement with the National Kriol Council, I did a quick search and emailed them hoping they could connect me with Myrna.  I received a message back saying she was currently traveling.  I was disappointed.  Myrna embodied the heart and soul of the people I was searching for.  A true culture fighter who was passionate about her heritage and working on preserving its identity.  Several days later as I was on the bus from Belize to Guatemala,  I received a message from Myran.  She apologized for the delay and was interested in hearing more about the project.  Impeccable timing.  I explained that I was now the one leaving the country and would reach out to her when I returned.  

Flash forward a year.  It was now February, 2021 and my flight had just landed from El Salvador.  I had been in contact with Myrna for weeks, keeping her updated on my plans to enter the country.  Belize is a popular destination for tourists because unlike other countries in the region, English is the national language.  The country is a fascinating mix of culture.  Their flag depicts two people on it, representing both the hispanic Mestizo population and the Afro-Caribbean population.  Add in asian merchants and white expats and you have an eclectic population.

The two main tourist destinations off the coast of Belize are San Pedro and Caye Caulker.  San Pedro is a beach town on the large island of Ambergris Caye in the Caribbean Sea.  Caye Caulker is a much smaller island without paved roads or cars. To reach the islands you must fly to Belize City and take the ferry.  The boat stops in Caye Caulker first before traveling on to San Pedro.  I decided to visit Caye Caulker for a few days since I’d visited San Pedro in the past.  I arrived to Belize City and met up with a friend who I’d met on my trip a year ago.  He worked for the Belizean government and was very interested in the project.  I stayed with him for a night and left most of my luggage at his apartment.  The next morning I traveled by water taxi.  The trip took about 45 minutes.  We had arrived at a tropical Caribbean paradise.  Caye Caulker was lined with palms swaying in the breeze.  Brightly colored beachside shacks dotted the shores.  The dirt roads were big enough for foot traffic and ATVs (the only vehicles allowed on the islands).  Small hotels, waterfront restaurants and sandy beach bars provided the perfect Caribbean ambiance.  I would spend a few days relaxing on the island, consuming a steady diet of fresh fruit smoothies, jerk chicken and coconut rice.  The island was a nice change of pace. I had been in Latin America for a little over three months at that point.  The change in cuisine, music and overall vibe was refreshing.  After a few days, I said goodbye to hammock swaying and fresh coconuts and boarded the ferry back to Belize.  I gathered the rest of my luggage from my friend and checked into my hotel.  The following morning I had arranged to meet Myrna at her house.  She lived with her family.  When I arrived a couple of minutes early, they greeted me at the door and invited me into the living room.  Myrna had just finished getting ready.  “What are you doing here so early? You said 10.  It's not 10 o'clock yet!” She explained with sarcasm and a warm smile.  I laughed.  She was going to be a riot.  We Spent an hour or so talking about the Kriol Council.  She told me about the culture and her experience teaching in California.  Myrna was a proud Kriol woman with a warm heart and infectious sense of humor.  She was constantly teasing and cracking jokes.  Even after I left Belize we stayed in touch.  I’d get the random call asking if I was staying out of trouble.  Of course, I’d always say yes.  To which I’d get an “oh yea right” or “where's’ the fun in that?” in response.

Myrna agreed to be a part of the project. She wanted to take the portrait in her hometown of Gales Point.  Gales Point is a small village about two hours away from Belize City.  I loved the idea of taking a road trip to her hometown.   Since her car was currently in the shop, I rented a car.  The rental shop attendant asked where I was going and recommended that I rent a jeep as the roads were bad on the way there.  There was a direct road to Gales Point that was in poor condition so the agent requested that I take the longer, smoother way around.  Well, after I picked up Myrna and explained what he said, she wasn’t having it.  We would go the way she wanted.  Fine by me.  We got to the road in question and it was rough.  If it had been just me, I’d have driven through much faster.  Having a 70+ year old woman bouncing around in the car changed things.  She’d comment on my slow driving.  I’d speed up and she’d go flying when I hit a bump.  Then she’d ask if I was trying to kill her.  There was no winning.  It went on like this for 45 more minutes until we reached her village.

Gales Point was a small village with a thin peninsula jutting into Belize’s Southern Lagoon.  The peninsula was only wide enough for a one lane dirt road.  There was the random house on either side but the water was visible in both directions.  We were making our way to the Manatee Lodge at the tip of the Peninsula.  Myrna had lived there when she was younger.  On our way through, She would put down the window and shout to everyone we passed.  They all knew her.  “Hey! Back up right there”  or “That’s my cousin’s house”.  I swear she felt like a celebrity and I was her chauffeur, driving her around in a shiny new black Jeep.  She’d wave and talk to everyone we passed.  It was so apparent how impactful she was to everyone she met.  

We finally reached the end of the peninsula and approached the gate to Manatee Lodge. The lodge was a sprawling complex with a private residence to the left and a multi unit dwelling to the right.  Coconut trees riddled the property, through which you could see glimpses of the sparkling lagoon.  The gate was locked.  Fortunately, a few dogs on the property alerted the owner of our presence.  He came out of the house and met us at the gate.  Naturally he and Myrna knew each other.  She explained what we were doing and he invited us in.  The lush tropical paradise with sweeping panoramic water views was ours.  She entered the lodge as I explored the property.   I found the perfect location under a coconut tree with a boat sitting out in the distance.  The boat was important.  Rather than immersing Myrna in pure natural landscape, I wanted a hint of the human touch in the image.  Something to show that people actually lived there.  

We spent some time shooting as Myrna reminisced about her time living there. After we finished shooting, we drove back to Belize City.  We went inside her house and I prepared the table with paper and paint. She was cracking me up as she was determined to perfect her line before painting it.  Practice after practice, she hand wrote the word ‘ love’ in handwriting across the paper.  She kept teasing me for putting so much pressure on her.  We laughed.  She was finally satisfied with her test.  I gave her the paintbrush and paper and she wrote ‘ love’ using one unbroken line.  I thanked her for everything and left her house to begin packing for Honduras.  I didn’t know it then, but that would be the last time I saw my dear friend.  Later that year in December, 2021 I received word of Myrna’s passing.

You will live forever as my Belizean Sage, Myrna.  Thank you for your wisdom.