Bright Side vs. Dark Side

Bright Side vs. Dark Side
Most times, I find my current situation as a Peace Corps Volunteer rewarding and answering a long standing question of, “What would it be like….?” I knew it would come at a price to take 27 months and serve in a country, a culture unknown to me.  What I did not factor in or even know or think about is the daily assault to every one of my senses.  I knew garbage would be burned.  I had read and tried to prepare for bucket baths and cold showers.  I knew I was going to a tropical climate and it would be hot and humid.  I knew there would be familiar and unfamiliar food.  I knew that the culture likely had music folks identified with.  I realized Creolese would be a challenging dialect of English.  I knew that the people of Guyana came from many peoples over more than one body of water.  Even knowing all of this, I was unprepared for  the transportation challenges in all forms; the routine starchy food offerings that are typically over sugared and salted; the amount of litter in cities pushed into mounds of mostly Styrofoam food boxes; the loss of personal space in public places; the amount of sweat I can produce in a day and the thumping and edging music that is exponentially magnified when one is tired or confined in a packed vehicle.  Worse yet, the sight of injury or hearing of wails from a child being lashed, the endless number of neglected animals, the isolation due to being a distance from those I came to the country with as well as friends and family that cannot reach me abroad.  When more than two senses are assaulted at once, it is nerve wracking.  I am subject to it every day.  It can take a toll on a person’s resolve.  The compassion and care one is proud to pack with a few essentials to make the journey soon turn to complacently and frustration.  What to do?  I have learned over my six decades to not have expectations.  I had few.  Those few were too many.  I am resilient and I start over every day with a gratefulness to awaken and see what adventure lies ahead.  Every day has a surprise.  I open my eyes, do some stretches before getting out of bed, smile and say, “Thank you for the present.”  The present experience, the present moment, the present….now.

A very wise person recently told me that I am being watched….by the villagers and in particular the children.  I need to remember that I am a model for them.  THAT is how people learn.  I have said myself many times, people catch more than they are taught.  I am happy to have a good friend remind me!  I just THOUGHT I was going to teach English.  What I believe I can provide is a frame of mind to believe in themselves; to question and seek out answers; to remind these children that we did not choose our skin tone, eye color, hair texture, language and capabilities before we were born.  I hope they  see that tolerance and understanding by far win over fighting and killing.  I may not impact many, but I may impact one.  That one will teach another and who knows, maybe grow up and do wonderful things for humanity!  Yes, I will always be a dreamer- even when I have my bouts of frustration and isolation. 

April 29th marked one year of my arrival in Guyana.  Coincidently, I am making this post on the National Holiday of Arrival Day.  It marks the time of arrival 177 years ago of the people from India.  My own arrival experience was fairly quiet.  We arrived in dark of night and we were quickly transported to Spashmin’s Resort where we stayed protected and slowly spoon fed Guyanese food.  It was enough to adjust to the climate and limited language exposure at first.  We were guided out to Timehri soon enough to meet our host families, many of whom would become lifelong friends.  As we learned from them, questioned them and adapted to their life style, we continued to be trained the Peace Corps way.  In time we branched out to our sites, some closer to the capital of Georgetown while others in more isolated areas.  And so it begins “for real”…up, down, up, down go the emotions.  Our GUY26 group approaches the “noon” of our commitment, the sun and the culture is “sharp” at time; cuts to the soul. Yet, we march on, a little finer than when we started. (Most have lost weight…finer.) More will be revealed.  Good times and bad times lie ahead.  One thing is certain.  I will not leave this life and wonder, “What would it have been like if I’d joined the Peace Corps?”

Now, a little more about what I actually DO in Guyana.  I tutor eight children of Sandvoort Primary outside of school hours.  Three boys routinely come with no coaxing from anyone and I am so proud that they look forward to learning and doing better.  Most do need reminding and sometimes even the same day reminder fails to stick.  At school, my quarters to work with children is the library set up nicely by the former PC Vol.  I am happy that so many have learned that the library is a sanctuary to relax and maybe dream a little while learning.  I can see changes in behavior in the children.  This library is a well-stocked library with plenty of books for adults too.  It would be nice to see more adults using it from the village as well as nearby village members.  I also bike to nearby village two afternoons a week to tutor Lochaber school children, five on one afternoon and another five another afternoon.  The volunteer that was assigned to the school went home early in the school year, leaving them with a huge need.  I feel as though all I am really doing for them is keeping a little flame lit….don’t give up.  Another volunteer is coming!

I feel very fortunate to live alone most of the time in the village.  I especially enjoy preparing my own food.  I must say that I eat organically and have an intake of far fewer chemicals in this culture.  Yes, I rely on what I know, but I have learned some Guyanese dishes and enjoy testing my ability to make a tasty locally accepted meal.  Just today I enjoyed honey drizzled oat pancakes with a side of papaya after my run in the nearby quiet bush.  I use little sugar and salt, which is bland by Guyanese standards.  Of course, some things take more time than I am willing to devote and I have learned where to buy things such as chicken curry and roti.  (Roti is a bit like a tortilla.  Just as I love tortillas, I am not one to make them.)  Garbage burning….well, it is going to continue.  However, the school has a large bin and a truck does come to empty it weekly, so I have begun to use it!  When I hear load, thumping and edging music in the village, I now know that is a “sign” to come on over.  Take cash as it might mean there is a BBQ and they are selling.  (Take a look on YouTube at Edging music in Guyana if you are unsure what that means.)  What can I do about inconsistent, irregular and fast transportation?  PRAY…really.  But of course, I do prepare to walk a  lot and wear good shoes, carry an umbrella and water and just set out.  A car will come along for me to hire.  (I can’t just ride with anyone….I must look for a license that has HA, HB or HC on it.)  Personal space? Well, I take a deep breath, use my bandana to dry up or cover and accept it.  The raw, natural beauty of this place is jaw-dropping and only paralleled by the trash man has created on the ground.  I have learned to keep my eyes focused on the horizon, the trees, the bush and sky.  Communicating is still a challenge.  I paraphrase a lot.  I ask children to look at my nose (I hear some family members laughing now) and speak “hard”.  That is loudly.  Children continue to be the most challenging and yet they are so patient with me!  Isolation - If my friend, Aeileen is available in the village (and she nearly always is) then I just bike on over to her and I forget my limitations with the outside.  She is always easy to talk to and delightful.  She frequently has her grandson with her who is adorable.  She is Guyanese yet lived 20+ years in England and can relate.  She and I also understand each other well.  I will give you and example….I recently  received a text message from a stranger: “I want fo no if dis tina.”  See what I mean? Not an easy language.  Others in the village are respectful and cordial for the most part.  Men are, as expected more reserved than women.  If anything, I feel that I am put on a pedestal and protected.  As I write, PC staff if making arrangements for a great volunteer consolidation in a nearby area to take place after election day, May 11.  I have said that I am in the safest place in Guyana, but because I am in Region 6, I have my bag packed for a one week remote stay together with other volunteers.  I do wish for more interaction but it takes time.  Nothing takes the place of time.  My neighbor has brought me produce from her garden twice yet we have never really sat and “gaffed”…. chatted.  This is a nice neighbor!  Outside the village, I have my friend, Rad who is Hindu; of Indian descent.  She has been very caring and frequently has me visit on a Sunday afternoon when we sit and gaff.  I end up watching her cook and learn from her.  It is nice to see more than one culture up close during my stay.  Thank you, stateside friends for making this connection available!  You know who you are.

As I write this, I am thinking about my graduation.  “What?”, you say?  The new trainees have arrived and my own GUY26 group will be seen as mentors.  GUY25 leave in July and so this will be our move into senior positions.  It will be sad to see friends of GUY25 leave, but exciting to see where they go next!  Many of the trainees found us on Facebook and had questions about what to pack, what to expect as far as…well, everything!  Packing was so difficult and I  can’t recall how many times I unpacked and repacked! 

I had the opportunity recently to meet them at Main Stay Resort, a remote location west of Georgetown.  I was asked by staff to come address them in the “Diversity” section of their training.  Of course, my perspective was from one of being an senior citizen.  I did share my experience of getting into a host family but I think I most surprised them when I cautioned them about how they shop.  I have learned it is unsafe to purchase items that are seen as extravagant in one outing.  If I want almond milk, cheese, bacon and anything else outside the realm of staples, I need to buy one at a time one different days.  Otherwise, I need to be prepared to have a beggar in the grocery approach me. 

Lastly, I want to show some pictures from my US trip in April.  What magic a little family visit can provide!  Thank you to Sean and Jake; Rachel, Aric, Grayson and Gabriella for quality family time and making family real for me!
These are from New Orleans:

And this after the New Orleans trip...Jake took a selfie!

My next boost will be a Sister’s Cruise in August and I do look forward to seeing those crazy ladies!  It will have been 20 months since we last got together and that is a long time for us sisters to be apart!  In the meantime, I am getting ready to go with some other volunteers to see BIG turtles at Shell Beach the end of this month.  This beach is a major draw to tourists coming to Guyana.  I look forward to seeing the area and other volunteer sites.  However, based on the speedboat trip to Main Stay recently, I wonder if I am really up to another bumpy speedboat trip!  Stay tuned for that up date! 

All the best my friends and readers!
Patty