What's new in Guyana?

Where do I start?  This August is certainly different than last August.  This time last year I was scheduling the most mundane tasks for the sake of looking like I had something to do.  I have just completed mid-service training and now look at finishing some projects before I leave next summer.  I know the time will go quickly.  Emancipation Day is celebrated August 1 in Guyana.  This year, Sandvoort Village had a week-long celebration that started with no less than the President of Guyana making an appearance on August 1 right at the Community Centre (upstairs at the Health Centre).  I was asked to give a short talk during the ceremony and addressed a packed house JUST BEFORE His Excellency, David Granger gave a nice speech.  I have my speech added at the bottom of this blog entry.    The night our training finished, I was on a plane headed out to meet my sisters for a MILESTONE CRUISE.  Well, that’s what WE cal...

Summer time and the livin' is easy....or NOT! How can it be that it's 1/2 way through summer and just now I feel like I can relax? Well, here's why..... Toward the end of June I realized I had not been feeling 100%.  I had a bad cough (I told PC Medical that I had a demolition derby going on inside) and generally weak.  I had no fever or other symptoms but after 3 weeks of enduring it, I called the Nurse Jean.  She authorized a visit to nearby Dr. Ganesh in New Amsterdam so that I would not have to travel to Georgetown.  He put me on some medication and PC Medical restocked my vitamins.  In a week's time I felt better.  All the while, school was wrapping up and I still had lessons with children in my house.  I said farewell to children at nearby Lockhaber School as they would soon have their own PCV assigned to them.  I worked with villagers to begin preparation for a big village Emancipation celebration in August.  July rolled around and...

CONSOLIDATION Sunday, May 10th...Mother's Day in US and Guyana.  What am I doing?  I am being picked up by a PC driver and taken to a quiet and fairly remote location in Rose Hall.  There are two vehicles that started early in the morning from Peace Corps HQ in Georgetown.  They have stopped along the way to collect volunteers in key areas known to be volatile after elections.  National Elections will take place Monday, May 11.  We arrive at our destination about noon and soon served lunch.  For the next 6 days we are free of preparing our own meals.  We are free of our duties, in general.  I look at it as R&R.  I hope others do also.  There is a large building that is used as sleeping quarters with a men's dorm and women's dorm on the bottom floor.  More private sleeping quarters are upstairs that staff will use.  There will be about 18 volunteers in the dorms that could easily accommodate twice the number. Acros...

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 ...

Since I last wrote, the second term has ended and we all enjoyed a two week break.  I took the opportunity to visit my children and grandchildren in the US.  It was just "what the Dr. ordered"!  I returned recharged and not SO uptight about the pace of things in my environment.  Always better to be able to live a peaceful existence with oneself!  I flew out on April 1st after spending a night at my host family's house.  I am grateful they put me up as they are very close to the airport and my site is about 3 hours away!  They were happy to see that I carried lasagna dinner and wine for the evening!  I took my morning walk with Auntie Joosje for old times sake.  I left Guyana and flew over the beautiful Caribbean midday.  When I flew in last year, it was dark and I was so pleased to see the islands and surrounding waters!  I look forward to a closer visit in a few short months when my sisters and I cruise the area. I landed in Trin...

Folks in the village use their voices as doorbells. Even though my house has a clearly marked sign with an arrow under the word “BELL”, not one person has rung it.   Rather, to get my attention they stand at the gate and yell, “INSIDE!” There is someone above me, so both of us appear at our respective doorways to see who is being summoned.   Occasionally, I hear “Miss Patty” and then I know for sure that my attention is needed.   This morning the neighbor just to my west was calling “Vanny!” in order to get the attention of my neighbor just to my east.   She responded.   It is effective, if your ear is trained to hear the caller. Along the same line, the hired cars that occasionally run up and down the sole road in the village are hailed by folks inside their homes!   They have amazing lungs.   I have yet to be successful hailing a car from inside my gate, let alone inside my house!   If I miss that one car, who knows when the next comes th...