Getting through

Looks like I’ll make it!  Reminds me of a song.  With the start of school on the horizon, I can say that I still have my wits about me after this August of laying low.  In my spare time, I was able to make:

*birthday cards

* “piggy bank” for the loose coins

*checkers set

*coasters

*pencil parking lot.  (I hope NOT to see anyone running around the yard with a pencil.) 

The last volunteer that stayed at the house left behind a bicycle.  It was not a pretty sight, but seemed sound with a few repairs.  I scouted out a man who repairs bikes and soon enough it was back in order.  Yes, it could use a paint job, but those who really know me know I don’t care.  If it’s too pretty, it will disappear and I am fine with it as long as it gets me from A to Z.  I have ridden it into New Amsterdam and will say it provides a nice ride.   Walking or riding in New Amsterdam always garners greetings of “hello Whitey”! Whereas, in the village I get “Good afternoon, Auntie”.

I am encouraged that I was clever enough to sync my Smartphone to my laptop to be able to have internet!  I am trainable, of course and live to prove it! I have free data from midnight to 6AM which is not optimal, but it keeps my surfing at a minimum.  I have taken to going to bed before 9PM in order to get up early enough for a bit of internet and then off for the walk/jog in the village.  Dawn has always been my favorite time to exercise outside, but in Guyana, it is the ONLY time for me.  My neighbor also comes out with me and I am happy to say that, like me, she is building her jog time. 

I watched the cane workers take down the cane about a week ago.  It’s all done by hand with a cutlass – a very intimidating long, curved knife.  Once cut, cane is bundled up and loaded onto a barge at Canje Creek.  The barges are moved by stream to a plant for making the sugar.  Sugar is a valuable commodity and one of the prime exports of this country, along with gold and bauxite.  I was told that cane field workers are one of the highest paid workers, making up to $20,000 ($100) week.  

I am nearly done with the Michener novel, “Alaska”.  I borrowed it from the Peace Corps office the first of July, knowing I would have a lot of open time.  I thought maybe reading about the cold would help me in the heat!  It is not working….I don’t feel a chill.  I am finding it very interesting and glad I picked it up. I cannot imagine where the strength came from for people to cross Chilkoot Pass.  

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Venturing away for a day trip, a fellow PCV and I took off for Georgetown, a 2 ½ hour trip.  We had intention of visiting the Guyana Festival but could never find the start time for each day of the 3 day event.  Once in Georgetown, we found the gates opened early afternoon and we opted to forego the festival as we needed to find transportation home by 3PM!  We were, however, able to reconnect briefly with a few others that trained with us and of course, visit Bruster’s the happiest place in Georgetown (local ice cream parlor).  I will head by to Georgetown this week as I escort 3 teenage girls to Peace Corps sponsored GLOW (Girls Leading Our World).  I look forward to seeing another person or two that I have not seen for weeks and Bruster’s again! 

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An acquaintance from the United States arrived the first of August to visit family in the Berbice area, near me.  Another PCV and I were picked up by her cousin, living within biking distance from me and traveled to Crabwood Creek for a nice lunch. We enjoyed the company of this gracious family. This upcoming week I will visit again before she returns to the United States.  The family home is along the Corentyne River, the boundary between Suriname and Guyana.  Interestingly, Suriname border is the GUYANA side of the river and has been a huge bone of contention for decades.  We got the tour of the area and heard stories of going to school in the area decades ago.

There is an attempt to have some clean up done in the country by a campaign known as “Guyana Shines” and locally, it’s “Berbice Shines”.  A fellow PCV and I thought we would help lately on a Sunday morning recently and got a little lost finding them.  Once we arrived, we found they were done with their one block clean up.  Oh, my….not what I expected at all!  Two garbage bags collected and they were done.  HMM.  Well, we hung around long enough for Rotary folks to arrive with some packaged sandwiches to give to homeless.  So, our effort paid off somehow.  It is encouraging to see that a handful of people have good intentions.  As a PC volunteer, I want to lend a hand and help them keep their spark!

Pictures time out as I try to load.....later, folks!