Well I have made it to Guyana. I am current sitting at the kitchen table in my Host Family's house. There seems to be so much to update you all that it is hard to know where to start. I shall try my best to recap the events that lead me to here and now to the best of my ability with this very helpful users guide to the country.
Transportation:
There are no greyhound buses, only minibuses. They fit around 15 people and are terrifying. If you need to cross a river you can take either the ferry, speedboat, or canoe (if its a smaller part of the river). They also have personal cars and taxi's. I guess I should mention that Guyanese drive on the other side of the road and the right side of the car, so completely backwards to how I am used to. Your other options are to walk, or bike.
Typical Minibus ride!
Food:
Ahh the Guyanese cuisine. Full of rice, rice, meat, potatoes, oil, rice, fruit, vegetables, and more rice. Food has been a challange for me. As you know I am a picky eater. Up until recently I didn't even eat red meat or meat on the bone. I would starve here if I didn't eat that stuff now. Serving sizes for fruits and vegetables are smaller than what we are used to but I have always been able to get more. Also be warned, the chili sauce will set your mouth on fire. Use sparingly.
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| Plantain fries are my new favorite food! |
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| Yumm beer, tastes like Corona |
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| Bake is a yummy bread like food! |
Bathing:
Believe it or not there is a strategy for bathing. Since there is no hot water you want to shower when you are hot so the cold water feels good. Also be weary of mosquitoes and other insects in your shower, there is nothing more frustrated than a bug bite on your behind.
Washing your clothes:
Ahh another adventure, how do you wash your clothes without a washing machine?? Simple you use a bucket, soap, washing board, and another bucket to rinse. Underwear should be washed in the shower and hung up to dry in a window or somewhere in the house. I have only had to wash my clothes like this once so far. My host family has a washing machine, and I'm sure at some point I will learn how to use it. Drying your clothes can be tricky considering it rains without notice here. Its best to wash first thing and then check your clothes throughout the day, and if it rains, consider it to be an extra rinse.
Creepy Crawlies:
As to be expected, there are bugs everywhere. Some we are used to some we are not. The scarier ones are more in the bush so I have not had the pleasure of seeing those yet. Mosquitoes are the bane of my existence, I wear bug spray like perfume. I spritz some on at least 3 times a day if not more. And still I get bit, however I have been fortunate to not get bit as bad as some of my other trainees. There are also bed bugs, chiggers, and flies. All annoying. Now I did have an interesting run in with a spider we named Charlie. Charlie was living in the shower, under the curtain and was quite substantial in size. I was content to let Charlie be until he came out and towards the soap dish. Well I really didn't want him watching me shower and potentially shaking my hand as I reached for the soap so we tried to remove him from the shower. Turns out Charlie was too big to fit in the cup we used to remove him and one of his legs got amputated. He survived and now lives happily outside. I was also surprised at the amount of ants wandering around. Where are all the anteaters? I was told the anteater also lives in the bush, and can't figure out why people do not keep them as pets. It seems like they would be more useful than dogs, or monkeys. That in fact may be my secondary project, I must do more research on that.
Weather:
As I mentioned before it rains sporadically. I don't think there is much rhyme or reason to it. It is also warm and humid. The mid afternoons tend to be the worst, so that is a good time to nap if possible. Nights are cool and have a great breeze. I can't complain much about the weather, its perfect for me!
People:
Guyanese people are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. Everybody is polite and greets you with a smile. Even the kids are nice. They are quick to laugh and quick to translate from Creolese to English. I have never had a problem asking someone to repeat themselves, in fact I do it quite often. There is very little outward racism here, I'm sure it happens but not as prominent as what I am used to. It is weird to be in the minority. Knowing you are getting stared at because of your skin color is strange. It helps that I don't feel like the staring is negative, they are just curious. It seems that the Guyanese people are full of generosity and love. I have seen a variety of people stop by to help with this or that, to chat, to grab a drink. I have not seen a request be denied and have observed various acts of selflessness on behalf of the people and I have only been here for 13 days.
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| My Host Family (Baby, Kadeen, Shantel) |
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| There was an Hindi wedding across the street! |
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| One of the local girls that hangs out with us! |
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| Neighbor boys |
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| Molessa (pronounced Melissa) My host Mom |
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| My host dad putting up my mosquito net! |
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are mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S.
Government, the Peace Corps, or of the Government in Guyana."
