Question For Belize Living

[atlanticvioxx]

How many of you have had scorpions in your apartments/houses?

[fossildoc]

How many of you have had scorpions in your apartments/houses?
I surprised a scorpion in the cabinet under my bathroom sink the second day I was in the house I rented. It's the house very close to the school owned by a certain physician faculty member. The houses around the school are infested with scorpions because the scorpion's favorite dish is cockroaches and other soft-bellied large insects. Both scorpions and cockroaches live in wooded areas, such as those around the school.

I moved from that location to an apartment house on a beach, on the lagoon side of the island, which is mostly coral (sand) and very few trees. I never saw a scorpion or a roach in that apartment.

The locals told me that scorpions do not aggress against humans, so you don't have to worry about something attacking you while you sleep, but they do sting defensively, and they like to hide in dark places, like your shoes. If one happens to be on your bed and you touch it while you sleep, it will sting. They also like a lurk under the lips of windows, where you put your fingers to raise the window.

I have not been stung, but I've heard that it's very painful. Having seen the stinger and pincers on the thing I chased around the house, I believe it. I recommend you move to the beach. I also recommend not renting from any faculty member, as this creates a conflict of interest. There are always disputes with landlords, and you don't want it to be with someone who determines your grade.

I investigated chemical agents designed to deter scorpions. I found some products in the U.S., but they cannot be shipped overseas.

Watch out also for human scorpions who are known to lecture in medicine.

[DrMeli]

The landlords in San Pedro are horrible. I rented 3 places...3 different nightmares. The school is a joke as well =( Never saw a scorpian but tarantulas seemed to find me. Yuck!!!

[fossildoc]

Hmmm, I never saw a tarantula. I think I would have freaked. My first house did have a family of three iguanas, though, one of which was big enough to throw a saddle on and go for a ride. A local told me it isn't really an iguana, but I don't remember the name for it.

Human tarantulas may lecture in medicine, too.

[atlanticvioxx]

I am not scared of iquanas, snakes etc. But if I ever saw a scorpion, I would freak out!

[noukis]

There are some very nice appartments in San Pedro. The one that I stayed at is call Johanna's apartment not too far from the school; i would guess about 6 minutes walk. Other apartments of good reputation are Iguana gardens, Juliana's, and Mosquito coast. The price of a nice apartment can range from $300-600 US. It all depends on what you prefer. I'm sure you will find a nice apartment in San Pedro, do not worry. Good luck and God bless!

[byteme]

DrMeli:

I'm sorry your time in San Pedro was such a nightmare, but no, not ALL landlords on the island are horrible. Mine was the absolute best. I lived in the Colbert house, about two minutes south of the school. Four of the five apartments were (I say "were" because I don't know the housing situation since I left) rented out by MUA students, and the landlord/owner and his wife were living in the fifth. Every single issue I had with maintenance or laundry facilities, the landlord was on it like white on rice. Whenever hurricane warnings went up on the island, I think my landlord was one of the first to put up hurricane shutters, then made a point of talking to all of us students in the building, reassuring us that if a hurricane made it to the island, he had more than enough space, food and water in his apartment to last us all a month.

The owner and his wife were like den parents to me. Whenever I needed rides to/from town, or errands done, or air in my bicycle or scooter tires, or just general information, these two NEVER let me down. Did I forget to mention that they invited all of us tenants to their house for Labour Day parties and Thanksgiving dinners? And for the two Christmas seasons I was there, they loaded me down with the most freshly baked cookies I had ever seen outside of a bakery?

All of the apartments in this building are clean, well maintained, and aside from rent, the only bill I had to pay was electricity. There is ample parking for bicycles, scooters and golf carts (I know this for a fact because I had all three), as well as outlets and cubbyholes to protect golf cart chargers from the elements. Yes, the rent was a bit steep (I was paying US$625 monthly), but I had absolutely NO qualms about paying this because in return I got free water, free cable, free security, free maintenance, free laundry services, and most importantly, PEACE OF MIND.

If any students are interested in renting, these apartments should still be on the school's housing list. In case they're not, you can contact Mary at tropicmgmt@yahoo.com for more information. Mary is the property manager for the Colbert house.

It was also the ideal place to study because the environment was absolutely dead silent. I didn't have to worry about another tenant's four yappy dogs annoying the crap out of me 24 hours a day (gee, do you think that perhaps this was maybe the reason why at least one of those "nightmare" apartments didn't work out for you?)

Atlanticvioxx:

In the summer of 2005, my landlord was having the outside of the house pressure-washed before it got painted. I guess a scorpion who had its home flooded out decided to move into my apartment, because when I woke up one morning, there it was on the wall above my t.v. Less than ten seconds later, it was jam on the bottom of my sandal. I've never had a problem with the San Pedro wildlife before or since.

fossildoc:

Some of your comments are too profound for a simple plebeian like me. What ever are you trying to say? ;)

[fossildoc]

fossildoc:

Some of your comments are too profound for a simple plebeian like me. What ever are you trying to say? ;)

byteme: like a Shakespeare play, there's something for everyone.

[DrMeli]

byteme:

First of all...I don't think anyone needed that much information on housing. Housing has nothing to do with how screwed up the school is. If you chose to spend that much money on an education that will get you nowhere, so be it. Your landlords may be the exception but most on the island are out to get you for every penny you have.

2nd...I never had 4 dogs so how about you mind your own business. You don't know the first thing about me. Go do absolutely nothing with that education from MUA...just like the rest of them. I think it's safe to say that MUA is a last resort school for most. Thank God it was my first choice and I made it out easy, finding out about the scam 2 weeks into class =)

[byteme]

atlanticvioxx:

as fossildoc has given his opinion on lecturers, please allow me to add my two cents: beware some of your fellow students. Especially ones that make grossly inaccurate blanket statements while neglecting to mention that, perhaps, their own emotional baggage has coloured their vision.

Dr. Meli:

May I politely point out that this thread was started by atlanticvioxx’s question about scorpions. YOU were the one who introduced the housing/landlord/school issues, so why are you complaining about where that particular can of worms may lead? If you insist on making blanket statements on a public forum, it seems a little naïve of you assume that nobody would point out that some of your…problems…were entirely your own fault.

I don’t know anything about you? Oh, sweetheart, you have NO idea how difficult it is for me to refrain from airing your dirty laundry. But since I’m tired and you’re really too easy a target, I’m going to take the high road...reluctantly.

And the next time you happen to be in San Pedro, why don’t you stop by the Ultimate Rentals office? Those folks are just dying to say hello to you ;)

[DrMeli]

byteme:

After figuring out who you were, I will make this short and sweet. You are a complete waste of time and like I said before, YOU DON'T KNOW ME. Remember...there are always two sides to a story so in the case of Ultimate Rentals, I am sure you got their side. I live in San Pedro and have been living here for a while. I see the people at Ultimate Rentals on a daily basis and do you really think they say anything to me? Of course they don't...I signed a contract and I fulfilled that contract. I am not going to let someone keep adding fees to a contract that has already been agreed upon and fulfilled. However...that is enough of that because like everything else you stated in your comment...IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! You can go ahead and say whatever you THINK you know about me on a website, behind your little computer. I understand that this is the only place you may be able to have a conversation with people. Like I said before...YOU ARE A WASTE OF TIME!!! And you should probably stop worrying so much about people you have never had a conversation with. At the end of all of this...I am still me and that is something you will never be.

[byteme]

Dr. Meli:

funny, if you've figured out who I am, why can't you remember any of the conversations we had?

Is this the same amnesia that's conveniently allowing you to forget how the school and your former fellow students tried to help you with some of your problems?

"I`am still me and that is something you will never be"...believe me, honey, you have no idea how much I THANK GOD I'm not you. Some of us actually aspire to do something with our lifes other than turn oxygen into carbon dioxide.

By the way, you owe fossildoc a HUGE thank-you for convincing me to take pity on dumb animals. That reminds me, I have to ask him if he was referring to your four yappy dogs or you...

[DrMeli]

Awww trying to insult people over the internet. I mean...how sad is your life? I can't even imagine. Never had a conversation with you. I don't communicate with people like you. You aren't and will never be worth my time. I spoke with very few people at the school. After two weeks at that hell hole, I realized that the school will never graduate anyone worth a crap if they graduate anyone at all. Unlike you, Belize was my first choice in schools because I was already living in San Pedro. I never took a science course in my life and got accepted before I even turned in an application. Now, after taking all required courses, I have been accepted to a school that is way out of MUA's league. You, on the otherhand, will always fall back on the sad school you attended. What a waste of money... I am guessing your insults are just a result of your insecurity. Get a life and try to stay out of everyone else's business.

As for fossildoc, I have never lived near him so again...NOT your business. Never had 4 dogs. I have 1 and at one point had 3 for less than a month. Again, NOT YOUR BUSINESS.

I take it your are getting pretty angry...insulting dogs LOL. What a loser...

Before you start insulting someone by calling them dumb, you should reread what you wrote. Sweetie, it's lives not lifes. LOL. And the dog comment, LOL...If I looked like you, I wouldn't being trying to diss anyone. Are you a boy or a girl...most of the time I couldn't tell, not that I cared.

Remember...Jealousy is a sickness. GET WELL SOON!!!

[byteme]

Dr. Meli!

congrats on being accepted into a new school!

But, if you live in San Pedro and have been accepted into a new school, why are you trying to sell all of your textbooks? They're pretty much standard in any med school, aren't they? Won't you need them in your new school?

And if I'm not worth your time, why do you keep responding?

And do you think that maybe, the reason you don't remember what I look like and can't recall my gender is because you always seemed to be of questionable sobriety?

You know what, and I'm not just saying this because I'm thoroughly bored of you and you don't seem to be able to write an original thought, but life really is too short to be wasted on petty sniping. Quite honestly, I know it's beneath both of us.

Everybody has their own problems, and life is always providing us with plenty of trials in the hopes that we will learn, grow and succeed. I'm proud of you for not giving up, and coming as far as you have. I sincerely do wish you the best, and hope you meet with nothing but success in your future.

You deserve it. God Bless.