My First Seventy-Five Years: An Autobiography

Former Chief Education Officer Ines Sanchez wrote a book documenting the first seventy-five years of his life. The autobiography covers the struggles of his early life woven into the historical developments taking place during the forties, fifties and sixties, as well as other key markers in Belize’s history. According to the book, the writer “takes us upon a journey of a country as it shapes itself through the twentieth century…through the rich cultural tapestry that makes Belize so unique…” Sanchez, who served as Chief Education Officer in Belize from 1978 to 1987, says he could have pursued another path, but he had a calling for education. Today, he launched the book in Belmopan. Here’s a look at how that went.

Ines Sanchez

Ines Sanchez, Author of ‘My First Seventy Five Years’

“I felt I had something more to contribute not only to myself but also to my community. I said, a machete is good but that doesn’t mean I have to stay with it. I should launch out and then I look at the books and I said the books were an avenue for me to get out. I found out by reading that when you retire from a job, like I was Chief Education Officer, that if you don’t find anything satisfying or intellectual to do, you die quick. So, I had to find something interesting to do; something challenging intellectually so that I could keep myself busy. So, I was intellectually enjoying myself.”