Everything continues down here, it is still hot, I still wash my clothes with my hands, and everything else is just a little more labor intensive than it has to be. Unique though, for this past week, has been the departure of three more volunteers from my batch. Two of whom were quite close to me, both in location and as friends, so that was a little difficult and continues to be difficult to deal with. I can’t really disclose too much about why they left and other various things. What I can say though, is that I enjoyed their company and it will be weird readjusting my weekends without their visits.
The unique happening was my first relatively serious medical condition. I thought I had stubbed my toes a couple of weeks ago as a few of them were swollen, so I took some IBprofen and what not. The swelling went down pretty slow, and then kind of blistered, when I popped the blister, black liquid came out. At this point I do have to mention that there were black dots in the middle of the wounds. In any case, the swelling continued to go down, but I still had the black dots. An acquaintance of mine asked about them, and asked how I got them, I said I wasn’t sure, and that I thought I stubbed my toe. She said that they were fleas. I asked around and asked the Cuban doctors who I know here and sure enough they said fleas too. So, last night I took tweezers and just kinda dug them out. After more black liquid and white puss stuff, I had three sizeable holes. I’m keeping them clean and bandaged to prevent any infection. Never thought I’d get fleas though, the local name is “jiggies”.
There’s really nothing more out of the ordinary than these two shorts blips. But I will also include a book list as I have been asked by a few people now if I wanted things shipped down.
Book list
Authors
Neal Stephenson (minus Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, and Cryptonomicon)
John R. Searle
Ray Kurzweil
Anthony Bourdain (minus Kitchen Confidential and a collection of essays, I forget the name, I’m not even sure he’s published more)
Peter Hessler (minus Between two rivers)
Hunter S. Thompson (minus Hell’s Angels)
Oliver Sacks
Topics
Whittling
Chess
Savants
Philosophy of Math
Any Peace Corps Memoirs
Harmonica book
Travel Literature (especially S. America)
Books
Mind and Cognition (published by Blackwell I think, it’s a anthology of essays, I think the latest one is 2007 or 2008)
Any Magazines, I kind of love them down here, there my connection to the States
Musicophilia
Misc.
Spices
Coffee
Toiletries
I should be writing some more stuff soon, I have just made some moves, which I can't disclose just yet, but if they turn out successful I should have something to write about in a week or two.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
A few weeks of "underemployment", it's not terrible
It has been almost a month to date since I have arrived to my site here in Bartica on the Essequibo River, which happens to be the second widest river in S. America. I’m not entirely sure of this, a quick google search may prove me wrong, but it does take about 45 minutes to cross it at the mouth. Nevertheless, based on my conversations with other Peace Corps volunteers I think I have landed one of the best sites in Guyana. And although I have been busy, work itself has been slow going. Most of my time has been spent meeting people (largely because of the other volunteers here who have introduced me into their circles), learning Bartica, getting used to the very labor intensive life of living in the third world and then finally figuring out my job here. This is what PC tells us to do for our first three months, so I’m right on schedule.
Looking at my last post, I should set things straight, as in which expectations have been met and which have been left wanting. As far as Bartica is concerned most of my expectations have been met, it is in fact on a river (three if you want to be precise), it has a more Caribbean feel than other places I have been in Guyana, and it is a gateway into the interior. This means that most transport around here either requires a boat or a bus going down one of the few roads that lead into the interior, it’s not cheap getting out of Bartica. Despite Guyana’s reputation for having racial problems (which it indeed does elsewhere in the country), Bartica is an oasis of tolerance, most Barticians are “all mixed up”. For example one of the women that I work with has Amerindian, Indian, Black, Dutch, and Chinese blood. And this tolerance is something that Barticians pride themselves on.
In Bartica proper everything is very walkable, contrary to my last post Bartica is actually a 7 x 9 grid with suburban size blocks. Within a five to ten minute walk, I have a ‘beach’ (the jersey shore could never prepare you for the cleanliness of the beaches here), a few Brazilians bbq’s ($5 US all you can eat meat, and it’s damn good), and then Front St., which has a couple of wharves and then all your various Guyanese shops, restaurants and drinking establishments. One of the wharves is quite big and includes a few bars, which actually became a venue that hosted Guyanese reggae superstar Natural Black a couple weekends ago. It was quite a show, including all the merrymaking and carousing that concerts usually call for, and was still in full swing when I decided to leave at 4:30 AM. The official number of persons here is 15,000, which by American standards makes this quite a small town, and I am quickly learning just how small it is.
My living conditions did turn up to be another PC surprise. The house that we had received pictures of with the nice outdoor porch and open first level is directly across the street from my actual house. So every morning as I drink my instant coffee with powdered milk, I look at the house that I was told was going to be mine. My actual house turned out to be a little more dilapidated, but endearing nonetheless. It is, like the house across the street, a second story home made entirely out of wood. It is sixty years old (built by my landlady’s father) and is in a certain state of disrepair. The only thing analogous to American concepts that I can think of is a old wooden house down in the South on a bayou. It’s floors are all a little crooked, there are cracks in between the planks of wood that makes our floor giving us a nice view down to the first floor, and there is a leaky zinc roof over our heads that is quite high. It makes sweeping easy because you just sweep the dirt in between the cracks to join the dirt floor on the first floor. For the first couple of weeks we had to share an outhouse with our landlady, it was quite annoying because we had to walk to back of the property passed our landlady’s house. In addition, after a couple weeks of use by about nine persons it became filled with a pretty unbearable stench. The $1 US spent on incense was well worth the investment. However, the situation has changed and we now have our own bathroom (their term for shower) and washroom (their term for the toilet). It is still on the first floor so we have to leave our house to get there, but it is right at the bottom of the stairs. The best part about it though, is that we now have a shower head, my first in the country, usually it is just a PVC elbow that comes out in a stream, instead of a spray. And finally, the rumor that there was wifi here turned out not to be the case. Although, next month one of the telecoms here (GT&T, the other is Digicell) is supposed to start selling wifi cards that can get online wherever there is phone reception. It’s supposed to only be $12.50 US a month, so this is a source of excitement.
One unexpected surprise about Bartica, is that there is a VSO (I’m not even sure what it stand for, but they are a NGO with main offices in London) volunteer couple here. They are an older British couple and they have really gave us a thorough introduction to the town and especially it’s members. This has sped up the integration process tenfold, and I am quite grateful they are here. The group of Barticians that they have introduced us to has deemed me Supreme Leader Kim, after the current dictator of North Korea. That is OK though, because we also have a Bin Laden and a Robert Mugabe. Nicknames are a fundamental part of life here, and they usually are not terribly creative. A fat man would be called Fat Man, likewise a tall man would be called Tall Man, there are others that are more creative, like my neighbor Chicken. But I’ve found that they don’t even know the origins of most of these names. Nevertheless, I have become known Kim because we are from relatively the same ethnic type, nothing more really.
As I mentioned earlier I haven’t been working too much, this is mainly due to the nature of my organization. The organization that I work for was basically on a hiatus since the last batch of volunteers who were here. Thus, I have to start from the beginning, minus the supplies left and the network of local volunteers that worked when the last PC was here. We have a few computers, a ping pong table, a large room, and an outdoor hydroponics greenhouse. So, the past few weeks have consisted of trying to get the volunteer network back, cleaning the building and trying to get the greenhouse going. I think once things get going I will be a little more busy, the time off has been nice though, allowing me to explore Bartica and really settle into my house. My roommate works with the Dept. of Ed., so I have been joining them on some trips to schools in the area, usually we have to take a boat because of all the rivers here.
I do have an address now if anyone wants to send anything. Just a few notes in that regard; of course any food items have to be non-perishable, I would also caution against anything too fragile, and then lastly electronics of any form (from mp3 players to DVDs to etc.) can be costly because I have to pay an import duty on them. So, if you plan on sending electronics of any form let me know (tylerolson2@gmail.com) and so I can figure out the duty or come up with shipping strategies. Otherwise, any magazines, food, books, cooking supplies (spices!) or anything would be appreciated. I’m going to put up a wish list of books soon, once I get some time to explore Amazon. I can’t put my address up here, but if you email me I will gladly give it to you.
Looking at my last post, I should set things straight, as in which expectations have been met and which have been left wanting. As far as Bartica is concerned most of my expectations have been met, it is in fact on a river (three if you want to be precise), it has a more Caribbean feel than other places I have been in Guyana, and it is a gateway into the interior. This means that most transport around here either requires a boat or a bus going down one of the few roads that lead into the interior, it’s not cheap getting out of Bartica. Despite Guyana’s reputation for having racial problems (which it indeed does elsewhere in the country), Bartica is an oasis of tolerance, most Barticians are “all mixed up”. For example one of the women that I work with has Amerindian, Indian, Black, Dutch, and Chinese blood. And this tolerance is something that Barticians pride themselves on.
In Bartica proper everything is very walkable, contrary to my last post Bartica is actually a 7 x 9 grid with suburban size blocks. Within a five to ten minute walk, I have a ‘beach’ (the jersey shore could never prepare you for the cleanliness of the beaches here), a few Brazilians bbq’s ($5 US all you can eat meat, and it’s damn good), and then Front St., which has a couple of wharves and then all your various Guyanese shops, restaurants and drinking establishments. One of the wharves is quite big and includes a few bars, which actually became a venue that hosted Guyanese reggae superstar Natural Black a couple weekends ago. It was quite a show, including all the merrymaking and carousing that concerts usually call for, and was still in full swing when I decided to leave at 4:30 AM. The official number of persons here is 15,000, which by American standards makes this quite a small town, and I am quickly learning just how small it is.
My living conditions did turn up to be another PC surprise. The house that we had received pictures of with the nice outdoor porch and open first level is directly across the street from my actual house. So every morning as I drink my instant coffee with powdered milk, I look at the house that I was told was going to be mine. My actual house turned out to be a little more dilapidated, but endearing nonetheless. It is, like the house across the street, a second story home made entirely out of wood. It is sixty years old (built by my landlady’s father) and is in a certain state of disrepair. The only thing analogous to American concepts that I can think of is a old wooden house down in the South on a bayou. It’s floors are all a little crooked, there are cracks in between the planks of wood that makes our floor giving us a nice view down to the first floor, and there is a leaky zinc roof over our heads that is quite high. It makes sweeping easy because you just sweep the dirt in between the cracks to join the dirt floor on the first floor. For the first couple of weeks we had to share an outhouse with our landlady, it was quite annoying because we had to walk to back of the property passed our landlady’s house. In addition, after a couple weeks of use by about nine persons it became filled with a pretty unbearable stench. The $1 US spent on incense was well worth the investment. However, the situation has changed and we now have our own bathroom (their term for shower) and washroom (their term for the toilet). It is still on the first floor so we have to leave our house to get there, but it is right at the bottom of the stairs. The best part about it though, is that we now have a shower head, my first in the country, usually it is just a PVC elbow that comes out in a stream, instead of a spray. And finally, the rumor that there was wifi here turned out not to be the case. Although, next month one of the telecoms here (GT&T, the other is Digicell) is supposed to start selling wifi cards that can get online wherever there is phone reception. It’s supposed to only be $12.50 US a month, so this is a source of excitement.
One unexpected surprise about Bartica, is that there is a VSO (I’m not even sure what it stand for, but they are a NGO with main offices in London) volunteer couple here. They are an older British couple and they have really gave us a thorough introduction to the town and especially it’s members. This has sped up the integration process tenfold, and I am quite grateful they are here. The group of Barticians that they have introduced us to has deemed me Supreme Leader Kim, after the current dictator of North Korea. That is OK though, because we also have a Bin Laden and a Robert Mugabe. Nicknames are a fundamental part of life here, and they usually are not terribly creative. A fat man would be called Fat Man, likewise a tall man would be called Tall Man, there are others that are more creative, like my neighbor Chicken. But I’ve found that they don’t even know the origins of most of these names. Nevertheless, I have become known Kim because we are from relatively the same ethnic type, nothing more really.
As I mentioned earlier I haven’t been working too much, this is mainly due to the nature of my organization. The organization that I work for was basically on a hiatus since the last batch of volunteers who were here. Thus, I have to start from the beginning, minus the supplies left and the network of local volunteers that worked when the last PC was here. We have a few computers, a ping pong table, a large room, and an outdoor hydroponics greenhouse. So, the past few weeks have consisted of trying to get the volunteer network back, cleaning the building and trying to get the greenhouse going. I think once things get going I will be a little more busy, the time off has been nice though, allowing me to explore Bartica and really settle into my house. My roommate works with the Dept. of Ed., so I have been joining them on some trips to schools in the area, usually we have to take a boat because of all the rivers here.
I do have an address now if anyone wants to send anything. Just a few notes in that regard; of course any food items have to be non-perishable, I would also caution against anything too fragile, and then lastly electronics of any form (from mp3 players to DVDs to etc.) can be costly because I have to pay an import duty on them. So, if you plan on sending electronics of any form let me know (tylerolson2@gmail.com) and so I can figure out the duty or come up with shipping strategies. Otherwise, any magazines, food, books, cooking supplies (spices!) or anything would be appreciated. I’m going to put up a wish list of books soon, once I get some time to explore Amazon. I can’t put my address up here, but if you email me I will gladly give it to you.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Going to a land between two rivers
Hooray! I did end up getting the site that I wanted and I will be leaving this coming Monday, although I think I will be posting this Monday. Regardless, I am happy, excited, anxious, etc. The last couple of weeks in training have been rather slow, so we’ve had a lot of down time. In the Peace Corps this means lots of reading, random movies (my host father loves Van Damne), and just sitting around talking about anything you can think up.
Although I don’t think I’m allowed to disclose the name of my organization, I believe I can say it is in Bartica. A nice hilly little town situation at the top of the
As far as my living situation, again I can only speak of rumors (you never really know in the Peace Corps, things change very quickly, I wouldn’t be too surprised if I end up somewhere completely different because my house burned down or Bartica got ravaged by some natural disaster). For example, at first I was told that my house was completely furnished, including a bed, a mattress, a table and some chairs. Two days ago I found out that I have nothing in my house, so I will be sleeping in a hammock until I can find somewhere to buy a mattress. I am going to attempt to make my own bed frame. For now though, I know that I will be living with someone else, a male of 25 coming from the southern region of
As I said last post I am going to be working for a youth development organization that was set up by a previous volunteer. I have been told that they have a few computers with internet, various board games, and most exciting of all a ping pong table. So I figure that a lot of my time will be spent playing ping pong, board games or football (soccer to you Americans) with kids. Not a bad job to say the least, yet we will see.
Otherwise, family life is good. The kids were gone for a few days but they have returned and so has the noise. I still eat ungodly amounts of starch and curry. One of the dogs on my family compound just had (or dropped) a family of five with three survivors, they are incredibly small and blind for three weeks. I might take one when I come back for a five day wedding sometime in August. We’ve had a few “going away parties”, one really nice one a couple days ago that attracted quite a crowd. Without divulging to much information I will say that I have been having fun, and consequently my wallet grows thin.
I will leave you with a list.
What makes
The price of Rum (world class for US$5, less than world class for US$2.50)
The amount of motorcycles
It’s the rainy season (a little bit cooler)
My site placement
Being able to cook my own food in two days
Not having class everyday
My soon to be porch
My mustache
Being in the Peace Corps
What makes
The price of beer (won’t be found for under a US$1)
The fact that if I ride a motorcycle and PC finds out I will be sent home immediately
It’s still unbelievably hot
Packing, again
Leaving my host mom’s always amazing curry
Going to work everyday
Leaving the porch I have now, and the possibility of having no porch in the future
What girls think of mustaches
The Peace Corps
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
I should know soon.
Peace Corps has been keeping me busy, this four day Easter weekend was a welcome break. Prior to this I had 11 days straight of Peace Corps, most of the trainees here were on edge and ready for a little down time. Everything still remains the same, I am still in training although I only have two weeks left and both are short weeks. Although you can never really know down here, I should be hearing where my post is this coming Friday. Unlike my prior blogs, and I guess this is a excellent example of my indecisiveness, I opted to take a more urban post. If I get my first choice, I will be working at an “NGO” (I’m not entirely sure what the exact status is) working with children. It was actually set up by a prior volunteer and is just a general youth development organization. I pretty much told Peace Corps in my interviews that I wanted to play with children and would rather not end up in a health clinic or hospital (where most of the health posts are). Still, this is all guesswork, I won’t know for sure until this coming Friday, but from the people I’ve talked to it sounds like I’ll get the post. Bartica is one of the larger cities (I think it’s the third or the fourth), however large down here is around 20,000. I’ll give more information once I know if I’m there.
Yesterday, a decent number of the trainees went to a nice little lake in the area. The highlight of my day however, was not the lake but rather when the local chinee man showed up and brought chow fun. I had told him a few weeks ago at the restaurant that I wanted some and he said he’d brought it for me. There’s a lot of chinee restaurants down here, actually they are probably the most popular type of restaurant down here. The only downside is that they only sell fried rice and chow mein. I still have yet to try the “fried wantons”, which I assume are some sort of dumpling. Continuing with food, I learned how to make a curry today, it’s really not that hard but involves a lot of spices. My host father was on a delivery, so with the Muslim away we ate pork. They pressure cook almost everything down here so the meat is usually very tender (it is also usually bone ridden, fatty, in small quantities and extremely fresh, I actually plucked a chicken a couple weeks ago). I also am going to a jandi (sp?) tomorrow, which is a Hindu celebration of some sort, but we get seven curry quintessence of dining down here. I’m starting to notice that my food paragraph is getting long, I guess some things don’t change.
I brought back the mustache, it’s a Peace Corps Guyana Male Health Volunteer tradition, and I’ve learned throughout life the peer pressure is not worth fighting. My host aunt said I looked like a real American. She also continues to introduce (or drag) young giggling women to me at a rate of about 2 or 3 a week.
Other PC news, we had our first trainee go home and our first trainee end up in the hospital. The girl who left had some tough living situations. The girl who got sick spent a week in the capital with dengue fever, fun fun. I have yet to contract anything serious, but my allergies have kicked in and cause mild discomfort.
I’m starting to understand most of what’s being said to me, but there are still some people that I don’t have a first clue of what they are saying. Some examples, “meh nah know” (I don’t know) or “dem breeze be high today, bai” (it is very windy today man). Or if you want to emphasize something you don’t say very, but just repeat the adjective “dem bai is bad bad bad” (that boy is very bad). I find myself unconsciously speaking it sometimes.
And although I won’t post this today, I should say happy birthday Tim, I would call if I could.
Yesterday, a decent number of the trainees went to a nice little lake in the area. The highlight of my day however, was not the lake but rather when the local chinee man showed up and brought chow fun. I had told him a few weeks ago at the restaurant that I wanted some and he said he’d brought it for me. There’s a lot of chinee restaurants down here, actually they are probably the most popular type of restaurant down here. The only downside is that they only sell fried rice and chow mein. I still have yet to try the “fried wantons”, which I assume are some sort of dumpling. Continuing with food, I learned how to make a curry today, it’s really not that hard but involves a lot of spices. My host father was on a delivery, so with the Muslim away we ate pork. They pressure cook almost everything down here so the meat is usually very tender (it is also usually bone ridden, fatty, in small quantities and extremely fresh, I actually plucked a chicken a couple weeks ago). I also am going to a jandi (sp?) tomorrow, which is a Hindu celebration of some sort, but we get seven curry quintessence of dining down here. I’m starting to notice that my food paragraph is getting long, I guess some things don’t change.
I brought back the mustache, it’s a Peace Corps Guyana Male Health Volunteer tradition, and I’ve learned throughout life the peer pressure is not worth fighting. My host aunt said I looked like a real American. She also continues to introduce (or drag) young giggling women to me at a rate of about 2 or 3 a week.
Other PC news, we had our first trainee go home and our first trainee end up in the hospital. The girl who left had some tough living situations. The girl who got sick spent a week in the capital with dengue fever, fun fun. I have yet to contract anything serious, but my allergies have kicked in and cause mild discomfort.
I’m starting to understand most of what’s being said to me, but there are still some people that I don’t have a first clue of what they are saying. Some examples, “meh nah know” (I don’t know) or “dem breeze be high today, bai” (it is very windy today man). Or if you want to emphasize something you don’t say very, but just repeat the adjective “dem bai is bad bad bad” (that boy is very bad). I find myself unconsciously speaking it sometimes.
And although I won’t post this today, I should say happy birthday Tim, I would call if I could.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Training is almost done, that's good news
Training is a little arduous, and I am very happy to say that I am half way done. The remaining four weeks will go a little faster, and probably the biggest news of all we get our "site packets" (information about the different sites that we may go to around the country) this coming Friday. As for history, I just finished my Volunteer site visit with a girl right outside the capital. And although I wanted to go Bush for my visit it was nice to be near the capital with all her conveniences. To name a few, iced coffee, cheeseburger, pizza hut, and some delicious fried shrimp (or prawns, as they call normal sized shrimp here), and apart from food some other errands that I needed to get done.
Other news, I've heard (rumors are the thing to talk about here, both in the PC and amongst the Guyanese) that there will be a few sites in the Capital. This makes my site decision making a little more tricky. If I could get a spot in Town that would be ideal, however I think these will be much sought after and other people will probably fight harder. We will see. Otherwise if I'm not in town I think I would rather go more remote, bush.
Last week I had to do a talk at a health clinic to about 20 pregnant woman. I was the only man in the room and the topic was breast feeding. I tried to keep it humorous, always making fun of the fact that I was talking about something that I have and will never be able experience first hand. Most jokes went over well. However, when I tried to explain the convenience of breast feeding, and how it is easy to lose bottles and forget to bring them, I made the joke that it is pretty "difficult to lose your breast". Nobody laughed, except my supervisor in the back. Can't win them all.
Another humorous bit, my host family is constantly trying to set me up with any woman in sight. The other day I came down the stairs around 6AM and there was a young Indian girl there who was introduced to me as "Cheese". My host father quickly pointed out that I could be called bread and that bread goes on top of cheese. An awkward morning to say the least.
The PC held some award ceremony for a children's art competition, and I went with my volunteer. I got to meet the American Ambassador and the Guyanese Ministry of Health. It was a reminder of how small the country is, it is really hard to fathom a country the size of the county I grew up in. Everything is a little more accessible. Also, the ceremony had a delicious spread of fried goodness.
As for the future I have four weeks left in training, I head back to my training site tomorrow, after a "bush cook" (essentially anytime you cook over an over fire, think picnic). We will continue training, be picking our sites soon, and then move into them within a month's time.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Chiney Boy!
Although these two posts are being posted on the same day, I wrote them at very different times. The first I wrote on the third of the month and this one just yesterday. Internet is hard to come by, there are only two real options, one that the Peace Corps set up and then another that is relatively expensive. Regardless, nothing much has changed, I am still in the same routine of class, coming home early and going to sleep early. I am starting to learn the area a bit more, but travel is expensive, so I spend most of my days around where I live. Classes are still long, and there seems to be a growing resentment amongst the trainees for the long days. I still eat ungodly portions of carbs, but I am running now to balance it out and also to jumpstart my digestive system that direly wants some fiber.
As for the future, I have pretty much decided I want to be in the bush. It will have it challenges and its drawbacks, but I don't think I could justify living around the coast for two years. Life would be easier, but it wouldn't provide the newness that I hope will keep me going for the next two years. As I've mentioned before one of the main reasons I joined was to learn another language. And although right now the local dialect, Creolese, sounds like anotherlanguage it is merely a Carribean form of English. Next week we will be staying with current volunteers at sites around the country. I am hoping they send me bush so I can see what I probably will be getting myself into.
On a lighter note, I have finally been identified as "chiney", the cover all word for anything remotely oriental here. Other terms that are used for orientals, are "Jackie Chen" and "Bruce Lee". I have yet to be called either, but there is a korean girl here that has gotten both. I have to say that I am a little jealous.
I don't want to write too much, but that's most of what I have been experiencing. I am well, and enjoying my stay here thus far.
As for the future, I have pretty much decided I want to be in the bush. It will have it challenges and its drawbacks, but I don't think I could justify living around the coast for two years. Life would be easier, but it wouldn't provide the newness that I hope will keep me going for the next two years. As I've mentioned before one of the main reasons I joined was to learn another language. And although right now the local dialect, Creolese, sounds like anotherlanguage it is merely a Carribean form of English. Next week we will be staying with current volunteers at sites around the country. I am hoping they send me bush so I can see what I probably will be getting myself into.
On a lighter note, I have finally been identified as "chiney", the cover all word for anything remotely oriental here. Other terms that are used for orientals, are "Jackie Chen" and "Bruce Lee". I have yet to be called either, but there is a korean girl here that has gotten both. I have to say that I am a little jealous.
I don't want to write too much, but that's most of what I have been experiencing. I am well, and enjoying my stay here thus far.
A Couple of Weeks Late
This was written on the third of the month. Sorry for the delay. Enjoy. And I didn't make it private yet, so I'm hoping this is OK.
Usually by now two weeks means a couple of countries past, a handful of stories and something to say about the culture. However, being with the Peace Corps, makes everything run a little slower than this. Training is not fun, actually it reminds me a lot of grade school. We go to class from 8:30 to 4:30 (they have no problem making us stay late either) and then have to be home by dark. In addition to the rule of being home by dark, taxis stop around 6:00 here, so it is impossible to go anywhere after 6:00. Thus, I have gotten into a schedule of catching a couple beers after school at the local "Snackette" with some of my classmates all the while worrying about catching a taxi around 6:00. I eat, talk with my family and Megan (a trainee who lives with my host aunt) and usually retire to my room around 9:00 only to wake up at 5:30 or so and do it again. Even more, I bring bag lunches to school and have very curious parents (comparatively speaking though mine are pretty easygoing). It is very different from my usual travel experiences.
Besides the long weeks in class, and they are very painful classes, there are a lot of advantages to my situation. First, I am living with a very Indo-Guyanese family. It's kind of like a family compound, altogether there are eleven family members in four different houses spanning three generations. Most of the day the women (Patsi my host mother, Pam her sister, Samantha Patsi's daughter in law, and one more daughter in law) do domestic chores and hang around the "first floor" (it's not walled in, my house is lifted) talking and taking care of the kids, there are four (Nyron 1, Tyrone 5, Crystal 8, Javid 12). The men (Farouk my host father, Kem his son, Imran his other son) are gone most of the day driving trucks to and from the capital and elsewhere. The duties of the family are very much divided along gender lines.
The diet here is mainly rice or roti (an Indian flatbread) with some sort of meat (usually chicken or fish). Although the food is not too varied (gotta love curry) and lacking in vegetables, it is almost always very good. I've been told that my mother is one of the better cooks. They also have a table that always has some sort of fresh fruits on it, I've already eaten about a half dozen new kinds.
I am about a five hour journey from the capital, Georgetown (Bus, boat, Bus) in an area known as the Essequibo Coast. Becuase of "safety concerns" I am not allowed to be more specific. It is dotted with small towns every couple of miles that usually have a gas station with a small convenience store and a weekly market in some towns for produce. In between the towns are medium sized rice fields, which are the main source of income here on the coast. Only about a mile off the coast the jungle starts and never really ends. 90% of the population lives on the coast. Think rice fields and palm trees. It is a very relaxing area, people are super friendly and welcoming. Although there is a very gossipy culture here, you really have to be careful what you say and where you go. Women aren't allowed in bars (or Rum Shops as their known here) unless they want to be known as a prostitute. Most locals say they prefer it to the crime ridden Georgetown. A coastal vibe without the beach (they are more landfills, than areas to relax). Personally though, the thing about Guyana that I like most is the complete absence of tourism and really American culture in general. There are a lot of connections to America (family and business), but I can go through a whole day feeling like I truly am somewhere else. Most people here think that New York makes up the majority of America.
As for the Peace Corps, the big rumor going around is that most of us are being sent into the bush. I'd say more than half of us though do not want to be sent in. And I'd also say that more than half of us wouldn't make it in the bush. I am still deciding, although I am leaning towards going. Depending on how deep they send me, this could mean no electricity, water, phone or internet, and no way out for months at a time. That would be super bush. Most sites do have at least one or two of those amenities. Compared to the others here I have a lot fewer connections back to the States, so I think I would fair better in a isolated spot. Actually the assignment I really want is with the Red Cross doing water sanitation, because they are constantly going from village to village in the bush. We will see.
So for now, all is well, I take two showers a day. Our group of 33 (known as Guy 21) is getting along fairly well, and we have 7 more weeks of traning.
Usually by now two weeks means a couple of countries past, a handful of stories and something to say about the culture. However, being with the Peace Corps, makes everything run a little slower than this. Training is not fun, actually it reminds me a lot of grade school. We go to class from 8:30 to 4:30 (they have no problem making us stay late either) and then have to be home by dark. In addition to the rule of being home by dark, taxis stop around 6:00 here, so it is impossible to go anywhere after 6:00. Thus, I have gotten into a schedule of catching a couple beers after school at the local "Snackette" with some of my classmates all the while worrying about catching a taxi around 6:00. I eat, talk with my family and Megan (a trainee who lives with my host aunt) and usually retire to my room around 9:00 only to wake up at 5:30 or so and do it again. Even more, I bring bag lunches to school and have very curious parents (comparatively speaking though mine are pretty easygoing). It is very different from my usual travel experiences.
Besides the long weeks in class, and they are very painful classes, there are a lot of advantages to my situation. First, I am living with a very Indo-Guyanese family. It's kind of like a family compound, altogether there are eleven family members in four different houses spanning three generations. Most of the day the women (Patsi my host mother, Pam her sister, Samantha Patsi's daughter in law, and one more daughter in law) do domestic chores and hang around the "first floor" (it's not walled in, my house is lifted) talking and taking care of the kids, there are four (Nyron 1, Tyrone 5, Crystal 8, Javid 12). The men (Farouk my host father, Kem his son, Imran his other son) are gone most of the day driving trucks to and from the capital and elsewhere. The duties of the family are very much divided along gender lines.
The diet here is mainly rice or roti (an Indian flatbread) with some sort of meat (usually chicken or fish). Although the food is not too varied (gotta love curry) and lacking in vegetables, it is almost always very good. I've been told that my mother is one of the better cooks. They also have a table that always has some sort of fresh fruits on it, I've already eaten about a half dozen new kinds.
I am about a five hour journey from the capital, Georgetown (Bus, boat, Bus) in an area known as the Essequibo Coast. Becuase of "safety concerns" I am not allowed to be more specific. It is dotted with small towns every couple of miles that usually have a gas station with a small convenience store and a weekly market in some towns for produce. In between the towns are medium sized rice fields, which are the main source of income here on the coast. Only about a mile off the coast the jungle starts and never really ends. 90% of the population lives on the coast. Think rice fields and palm trees. It is a very relaxing area, people are super friendly and welcoming. Although there is a very gossipy culture here, you really have to be careful what you say and where you go. Women aren't allowed in bars (or Rum Shops as their known here) unless they want to be known as a prostitute. Most locals say they prefer it to the crime ridden Georgetown. A coastal vibe without the beach (they are more landfills, than areas to relax). Personally though, the thing about Guyana that I like most is the complete absence of tourism and really American culture in general. There are a lot of connections to America (family and business), but I can go through a whole day feeling like I truly am somewhere else. Most people here think that New York makes up the majority of America.
As for the Peace Corps, the big rumor going around is that most of us are being sent into the bush. I'd say more than half of us though do not want to be sent in. And I'd also say that more than half of us wouldn't make it in the bush. I am still deciding, although I am leaning towards going. Depending on how deep they send me, this could mean no electricity, water, phone or internet, and no way out for months at a time. That would be super bush. Most sites do have at least one or two of those amenities. Compared to the others here I have a lot fewer connections back to the States, so I think I would fair better in a isolated spot. Actually the assignment I really want is with the Red Cross doing water sanitation, because they are constantly going from village to village in the bush. We will see.
So for now, all is well, I take two showers a day. Our group of 33 (known as Guy 21) is getting along fairly well, and we have 7 more weeks of traning.
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