The River

As a girl from Louisville, KY, having a river in winding beside my town has never been anything special. I grew up assuming that rivers were a part of every major city. I have never lived far from one, and Belize is no exception. One of the first memories of Belize was seeing the Mopan River for the first time, and being told that we were ‘almost home.’

While in Louisville the river is a source of entertainment and is a pretty sight, the river in Benque holds a much greater significance in the life of the town. It is a rare day that I do not see river speckled with people on its banks. Laundry is dipped in and rubbed clean on the rocks by the mothers, while the children splash around close by. Men are bathing themselves or their taxis or their horses or dogs; rowdy young boys are swinging from limbs or braving the rapids. The river is the ultimate source of life and fun for these people, and we as short-time inhabitants have yet to fully engage in the river’s potential.

The river, besides being a source of cleansing and fun, plays another important role for this town. Since there is a significant lack of seasons here, the river is the only way to tell what time of year it is. When I first arrived in Benque, it was the rainy season. The rains had come and with them washed the muck from Guatemala, turning the river brown and raising it much higher than what is considered safe. It acted more as a barrier and an enemy, and at one point separated families from each other for weeks at a time.

But the rains settled, and with them the river. The color faded from brown to its natural green and it settled in temperament. It no longer separated, but invited people to enjoy it and cross it without fear. As the temperature increases, so does our affinity for the river and its comforts. Already we have come to the river to enjoy its cleansing power (after the hurricanes left us with no other bathing options), but now it is a source of entertainment. Just a few tubes, some rocks to sunbathe on, and plenty of sunshine is a source of entertainment and comfort for hours. Give us a canoe and some paddles and the river can be the source of one of the greatest adventures yet.

The Rutamaya is a 4 day canoe race spanning the whole of Belize by river. Since my first days here people have been talking about this event and their yearnings to be a part of it. I too wish to take part, but do not think that I will do so in the back of a canoe. Each team requires support, and while pitching tents for 4 days does not seem like it would be so much an adventure, sleeping in a different part of the country each night, meeting people from all over the world who come to take part in this race, and discovering the country by way of river does seem like the opportunity of a lifetime. Hopefully someone will let me be on their support team. That will be another story.

In the book Huck Finn, the river is the source of tranquility and escape from society and reality. I think that rivers will always hold that romantic notion. You could just get in and allow it to take you away from everything you know and lead you without you having any say. In Benque the river serves not as an escape, but rather lives in harmony with society. It is a part of the people and the people are a part of it. There could be no real existence without it, and I will never think of Benque without seeing the river in the back of my mind. It was my first greeting and will be my final farewell when I take my leave. It will wind through my mind as the backbone of my memories of Belize. And, years later, I hope it will still be here to greet me when I will inevitably make my return to this place.

“I am she who is the deep and the shallows

A thundering waterfall and a quiet tongue

In every drop of milk and blood and tear

You will find me in every thorn and flower, seed and fruit

There is no life without me

I am libation and baptismal pool

I am your sprinkle of holy water

I am older than man and light

I am of god, not god

But like god, I am also inside of every man….

~The River Speaks Frank X Walker