Last night we showed you two Belizeans living in the Northwestern United States for whom the visit of the Belizean National Football Team means the world - and that's whether they win or lose. That's because the team coming to their area gives them a brief sense of belonging in a far flung are of the United States where there aren't many Belizeans.
We met one such fan who was so determined to find the team that he parked in front of the stadium in Utah the day before waiting to see somebody associated with the delegation. And he found them when the LOVE FM Crew stopped by to get their media passes.
He stuck with them and found the team at the NIKE Store - which happens to be on the very compound where he works! We took a drive with him to find out what life is like for a Belizean in Portland:
Jules Vasquez
"How many Belizeans have you encountered up here?"
Lyle "Chubby" Talbert - Portland Resident (16 years), Belize City
"I've encountered a little more than a dozen that I know of. It's not much of us here and I like it because the place is quiet and we don't need all that drama over here. It's not a lot going on here, we blend in with the people that are from here."
Jules Vasquez
"Tell me a little bit about your life here?"
Lyle "Chubby" Talbert
"I moved over her in '95 in Portland - my cousin invited me the first time, and the first visit I came I liked it because it's green just like Belize. It reminds of Belize in a sense that the people are nice here and I chose here. I figured out stuff on how to get to work, looking for a job because I wanted a 9-5 and I was lucky enough to get in at Nike and I've been at Nike almost 12 years now."
Jules Vasquez
"One thing about the population centers like Chicago and LA - you can always go and get Belizean food."
Lyle "Chubby" Talbert
"Belizean food - yes. That's the only difference here, we don't have Belizean food - you have to cook your own and I thank my mom and my grandmother for teaching me that so I still cook all my Belizean food."
Jules Vasquez
"So you have all your recado, coconut water?"
Lyle "Chubby" Talbert
"Yes I have recado, coconut everything where I go - they have the original coconut milk that I buy from the Mexican store but I still get my stuff here."
Jules Vasquez
"After you retire here in the United States - do you ever see yourself returning to Belize long term."
Lyle "Chubby" Talbert
"I mean, the way that I'm living here - if the crime wasn't that bad, I would. It would be a hard choice, it would be a back and forth thing - it would not be retire and live down there, I don't think I could do it - I'll stick right here. Portland is it, if you didn't know about it - you come and learn about it."
Tomorrow, we'll be looking out to see how many fans turn up in Sandy, Utah for the game....
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