Friday, February 25, 2011
Side note on visiting me/traveling around
So this post is mainly for my sister or anyone else who is interested in visiting me while i'm here. Guyana is the black hole of travel. Getting to guyana from the states and vice versa is relatively cheap and easy, so i definitely encourage anyone who wants to visit me here in country. However, even though Guyana is in South America, it is next to impossible to get anywhere outside of guyana. Travel to Brazil is ridiculously expensive, even though they share a border and it is actually cheaper and easier to fly back to the states and then go to Brazil. So unfortunately, I dont think i will be able to go anywhere in South America while im here. Sorry JP :( However, there is some good news here. Travel from Guyana to the Caribbean, places like Trinidad and Barbados, is pretty cheap and easy. Soooooooo, i was thinking that anyone who wants to visit but doesnt have the stomach for rabid mosquitoes and iguana curry may want to plan a trip to the Bahamas instead and I would meet you there. Just a thought :) I may plan a trip to Barbados or someplace for next year if anyone is interested......:)
February 25th 2011
So I have officially been in Guyana for over a week. I am living in West Coast Demarara, which is an area along Guyana's west coast right on the Atlantic ocean. I am living with a host family in a village called DeWilliam which, like all the villages in West Coast, is right along the one paved highway that runs all along the entire coast. It is one of the few main roads in the country.
My host family lives in a pretty typical Guyanese house, with the kitchen and eating area on the lower level and then stairs outside leading up to the bedrooms and the bathroom. Yes, there is a toilet and a shower. The shower is pretty much a small room with a pipe coming out of the wall that is attached to the rain tanks. The Water is always, always cold but you actually get used to it. And its pretty hot and humid most days so a cold shower actually feels good.....most of the time anyways :) The houses here are usually on gated lots and they have at least 2 or 3 hammocks out on the verandas. That is where I spend most of my free time, lounging in the hammock and reading. Another interesting thing about the houses here is that there is no ceiling, just a tin roof and the walls don't go all the way up. So there is a large gap between where the walls end and the ceiling is. Very little privacy :)
My host family is really really awesome. My host "dad" is really young, only 28 and he lived in NYC for 16 years growing up. He speaks very good English and even his Creolese is more understandable than other locals. My host "mom" is younger than me, shes only 22. They have 2 daughters, Susana who is 5 and AnnMarie who is 4. They are so adorable, I love them both. They talk so much and are always waiting for me when i get home from training. Too cute. My family is really cool and Angelie, my host mom is an awesome cook. She fixed me iguana curry for my first meal. I swear I actually liked it. It tasted kind of like chicken. I also helped my host dad kill it and butcher it so if I can find an iguana when i get home, you all better believe i am making you iguana curry :)
I am living right now in a pretty urban area, which means there are minibuses that I have to take to work and there is an internet cafe right near my host. It has really cheap international calls which I really like. I have been through my first week and training and I am really excited to get started. I will not get my actual assignment until another week or 2 but I will probably be working in a health centre. This would be really awesome because I would get to work directly with patients coming in and give health talks and health education sessions. Also, this means I can focus on stuff I am interested in like maternal and infant health. I will let you all know more about my assignment once I get it but for right now we are just doing training.
Even though i have only been in Guyana for a little over a week, I really love it. I am anxious to start working and getting more integrated in my community. I miss everyone back home and I think I may be back for a visit over thanksgiving or christmas this year. If I save enough money I may be able to fly back for the wedding in September, but no promises on that :) Now that i know i have semi-reliable internet I will try to update everyone more often. Love and miss you all.
Lindsay
My host family lives in a pretty typical Guyanese house, with the kitchen and eating area on the lower level and then stairs outside leading up to the bedrooms and the bathroom. Yes, there is a toilet and a shower. The shower is pretty much a small room with a pipe coming out of the wall that is attached to the rain tanks. The Water is always, always cold but you actually get used to it. And its pretty hot and humid most days so a cold shower actually feels good.....most of the time anyways :) The houses here are usually on gated lots and they have at least 2 or 3 hammocks out on the verandas. That is where I spend most of my free time, lounging in the hammock and reading. Another interesting thing about the houses here is that there is no ceiling, just a tin roof and the walls don't go all the way up. So there is a large gap between where the walls end and the ceiling is. Very little privacy :)
My host family is really really awesome. My host "dad" is really young, only 28 and he lived in NYC for 16 years growing up. He speaks very good English and even his Creolese is more understandable than other locals. My host "mom" is younger than me, shes only 22. They have 2 daughters, Susana who is 5 and AnnMarie who is 4. They are so adorable, I love them both. They talk so much and are always waiting for me when i get home from training. Too cute. My family is really cool and Angelie, my host mom is an awesome cook. She fixed me iguana curry for my first meal. I swear I actually liked it. It tasted kind of like chicken. I also helped my host dad kill it and butcher it so if I can find an iguana when i get home, you all better believe i am making you iguana curry :)
I am living right now in a pretty urban area, which means there are minibuses that I have to take to work and there is an internet cafe right near my host. It has really cheap international calls which I really like. I have been through my first week and training and I am really excited to get started. I will not get my actual assignment until another week or 2 but I will probably be working in a health centre. This would be really awesome because I would get to work directly with patients coming in and give health talks and health education sessions. Also, this means I can focus on stuff I am interested in like maternal and infant health. I will let you all know more about my assignment once I get it but for right now we are just doing training.
Even though i have only been in Guyana for a little over a week, I really love it. I am anxious to start working and getting more integrated in my community. I miss everyone back home and I think I may be back for a visit over thanksgiving or christmas this year. If I save enough money I may be able to fly back for the wedding in September, but no promises on that :) Now that i know i have semi-reliable internet I will try to update everyone more often. Love and miss you all.
Lindsay
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
February 15th, 2011
Today was my first day of training in Guyana, South America that began my Peace Corps service. I am so freaking excited that it just seems unreal. Flying in was a surreal experience, the sun came up and all you could see for miles was beautiful, lush, green rainforest. Completely serene and untouched. It was pretty amazing. The plane touched down on the tarmac and it actually seemed real for the first time. After all this talking and planning and packing it was finally here, I am finally finally starting my Peace Corps adventure. After struggling through customs and baggage claims with the 3 giant bags ( which, i feel the need to mention were all very much UNDER the 50 lbs weight limit, I was pretty impressed with myself for that), my group of 37 volunteers was greeted by a previous group of volunteers already in country. They had a huge sign and fresh coconuts for us to drink, which was pretty awesome since it was really warm and really humid and it was only 8 am.
We loaded into 2 buses and headed to Georgetown, which is the capital of Guyana and home to about half of its 750,000 citizens. The bus ride was amazing. Everything instantly reminded me of Kenya and Nairobi (shout out to all my Kenya people). The sights, the smells, the sounds, the people, it was like a mini Nairobi with a little Carribbean flavor thrown in. I'm pretty sure an instant love affair between me and Guyana started during that bus ride :)
For the next 4 days my fellow volunteers and I are staying at a hotel in Georgetown for our pre service training until we move onto our other training sites where we will be for 9 weeks. Right now all I can say is that, even though I do miss everyone I left back in the States, I am loving everything about Guyana and I can't wait for what comes next.
Lindsay
We loaded into 2 buses and headed to Georgetown, which is the capital of Guyana and home to about half of its 750,000 citizens. The bus ride was amazing. Everything instantly reminded me of Kenya and Nairobi (shout out to all my Kenya people). The sights, the smells, the sounds, the people, it was like a mini Nairobi with a little Carribbean flavor thrown in. I'm pretty sure an instant love affair between me and Guyana started during that bus ride :)
For the next 4 days my fellow volunteers and I are staying at a hotel in Georgetown for our pre service training until we move onto our other training sites where we will be for 9 weeks. Right now all I can say is that, even though I do miss everyone I left back in the States, I am loving everything about Guyana and I can't wait for what comes next.
Lindsay
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