1. The phrase "just now" is used all the time when refering to meeting someone, arranging a time, or making plans. For example: "When are you coming by the house?" response, "I am coming just now." It can mean literally just now or in 10 minutes or in 2 weeks. Very annoying, yet very handy in getting out of things you don't want to do.
2. I went to the grocery store the other day to buy a chocolate bar and rum (the essentials) and the chocolate bar cost twice as much as the rum. Enough said.
3. I have found myself picking up on certain Creolese phrases, such as ending sentences with "don't cha know" and saying "Me nah know" or "Me no like". It will be fun when I use those back home and people just think I have really poor grammar :)
4. I have discovered that large groups of white people make me feel uncomfortable, since I am now used to being the only white person I see for days at a time. If I pass another white person on the street I find myself wondering who they are, why are they here, and why don't I know them. I'm assuming that means I'm fully integrated :)
5. A woman at my health center asked me the other say if I had gotten whiter. I may be the only
Peace Corps Guyana volunteer who doesn't tan and comes back to the states paler than she left.
6. People will repeat a word 2 or 3 times when they want to emphasize something instead of saying really or very. So in the states we would say "That dress is really pretty." or "That candy is very good." In Guyana Creolese you say, "That dress is nice nice" or "That candy is sweet sweet."
7. As a way of hitting on a woman (which Guyanese men do every day, all day, never ending, especially the strange white girls walking around) they making a sound at you calling "sipping". It basically sounds like you are doing a combination of blowing someone a kiss and sipping out of a straw. Will not be importing that pick up line back to the states :)
8. People say good night here as a way of greeting someone after dark. Instead of using it to say good bye, like we do in the states, people in Guyana say “Hello, goodnight.” So confusing the first time you hear it
9. My host mom constantly tells me I eat like a bird or that I am a "funny American eater" because I only take one scoop of rice with my curry, instead of the traditional 3 or 4 giant spoonfuls that is considered appropriate in Guyana.
10. Yes, it really is ridiculously hot and humid here all the time. You literally sweat just sitting or standing around doing nothing. I worked up a sweat watching TV the other day. Very attractive.
Friday, March 25, 2011
March 24th, 2011
So I had a very exciting weekend celebrating the Hindu holiday of Phagwah. I had never heard of it before I came to Guyana but here it is pretty much equal to Christmas in terms of how much people freak out about it. It was offcially on Sunday but people started celebrating on Saturday and contunied into Monday, which the government declared a national holiday as well. Even though its a Hindu festival, most people in Guyana celebrate it whether they are Hindu or not. And I've decided that the reason for this is that the holiday of Phagwah is pretty badass.
It started on Saturday, when I was taken to some Auntie's house with my host family (any older female relative or close female friend of any age in Guyana is called Auntie so I'm not sure who exactly this person was) and was basically force fed obsence amounts of food. It starts with seven curry, which is the offical dish of Phagwah. Seven curry is served in a giant bamboo leaf and is eaten with your hands. You start with a huge scoop of white rice on the leaf and then add in the seven different types of curry. They are all vegetable curries (no meat is eaten during Phagwah) and they are all extremly delicious. My favorites are the pumpkin, boulange (eggplant), baji (spinach), and bora ( potato). I ate enough seven curry for 3 or 4 people but it was totally worth it :) After the seven curry was done we had sweet rice (tastes exactly like rice pudding) and sweet cake (tastes exactly like a macaroon). It was so delicious, I don't think I've ever been that full. And of course there is always plenty of rum around for the men to drink. And apparently, being a white woman is the same as being a man, because I was constantly being served rum as well.
On Sunday, the actual day of Phagwah, families and friends gather at each others houses to celebrate "Holi Day" and to "play Phagwah" How does one play Phagwah, you may be asking? Simple. You dress all in white, run around, and throw neon colored powder on each other. Literally. That is the whole holiday. You get baby powder mixed with various colors, neon blue, pink, purple, orange, etc. and run around smearing it on each others faces and clothes (most people mix the powder with water to make sure it sticks). I went with some friends into town to the National staduim where they had a huge Phagwah party with music and free powder. It was insanity. I was completely covered in color, mostly blue for some reason, by the end of the day. I looked like someone had dumped a bucket of paint on me. It was so much fun, running around yelling 'Happy Phagwah' and just dumping colored powder on complete strangers. And of course, everyone wanted to Phagwah the white person and yell "Welcome to Guyana!" so I'm pretty sure my group got over-Phagwah-ed. There was Bollywood and Chutney (Indian) music blasting, powder and water going everywhere and people just running around having fun. It was a pretty good time, I may have to start celebrating Phagwah in the states when I get home.
The highlight of my Phagwah experience is that I got to meet, take a picture with and Phagwah the President of Guyana. He showed up at this event at the Indian Cultural Center we went to and he went right into the crowd and took pictures with everyone. So we all grabbed a little bit of powder, walked up individually to the President, said "Happy Phagwah Mr. President" and then smeared neon orange powder on his cheek. (Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds :) My friend has the picture of me with the President on her camera, as soon as I get it I will post it online. We are both covered in colored powder and look pretty ridculous but it was pretty awesome to get to meet and play Phagwah with the President of Guyana.
Definitely the highlight of my crazy Phagwah weekend. Pictures will be posted soon so you all can seen me looking like I'm in the Blue Man Group with blue powder and paint all over me :)
Love,
Lindsay
Pictures of Phagwah and my new apartment!!!!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078255&id=1277258438&l=572ff39abd
It started on Saturday, when I was taken to some Auntie's house with my host family (any older female relative or close female friend of any age in Guyana is called Auntie so I'm not sure who exactly this person was) and was basically force fed obsence amounts of food. It starts with seven curry, which is the offical dish of Phagwah. Seven curry is served in a giant bamboo leaf and is eaten with your hands. You start with a huge scoop of white rice on the leaf and then add in the seven different types of curry. They are all vegetable curries (no meat is eaten during Phagwah) and they are all extremly delicious. My favorites are the pumpkin, boulange (eggplant), baji (spinach), and bora ( potato). I ate enough seven curry for 3 or 4 people but it was totally worth it :) After the seven curry was done we had sweet rice (tastes exactly like rice pudding) and sweet cake (tastes exactly like a macaroon). It was so delicious, I don't think I've ever been that full. And of course there is always plenty of rum around for the men to drink. And apparently, being a white woman is the same as being a man, because I was constantly being served rum as well.
On Sunday, the actual day of Phagwah, families and friends gather at each others houses to celebrate "Holi Day" and to "play Phagwah" How does one play Phagwah, you may be asking? Simple. You dress all in white, run around, and throw neon colored powder on each other. Literally. That is the whole holiday. You get baby powder mixed with various colors, neon blue, pink, purple, orange, etc. and run around smearing it on each others faces and clothes (most people mix the powder with water to make sure it sticks). I went with some friends into town to the National staduim where they had a huge Phagwah party with music and free powder. It was insanity. I was completely covered in color, mostly blue for some reason, by the end of the day. I looked like someone had dumped a bucket of paint on me. It was so much fun, running around yelling 'Happy Phagwah' and just dumping colored powder on complete strangers. And of course, everyone wanted to Phagwah the white person and yell "Welcome to Guyana!" so I'm pretty sure my group got over-Phagwah-ed. There was Bollywood and Chutney (Indian) music blasting, powder and water going everywhere and people just running around having fun. It was a pretty good time, I may have to start celebrating Phagwah in the states when I get home.
The highlight of my Phagwah experience is that I got to meet, take a picture with and Phagwah the President of Guyana. He showed up at this event at the Indian Cultural Center we went to and he went right into the crowd and took pictures with everyone. So we all grabbed a little bit of powder, walked up individually to the President, said "Happy Phagwah Mr. President" and then smeared neon orange powder on his cheek. (Yes, it was as awkward as it sounds :) My friend has the picture of me with the President on her camera, as soon as I get it I will post it online. We are both covered in colored powder and look pretty ridculous but it was pretty awesome to get to meet and play Phagwah with the President of Guyana.
Definitely the highlight of my crazy Phagwah weekend. Pictures will be posted soon so you all can seen me looking like I'm in the Blue Man Group with blue powder and paint all over me :)
Love,
Lindsay
Pictures of Phagwah and my new apartment!!!!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078255&id=1277258438&l=572ff39abd
March 25th, 2011
I know it has been a while since I've written a blog post and so much has happened in the past couple of weeks, I'm not even sure where to begin!
First off, I finally got my permanent site placement and job assignment!!!! So exciting! Everybody ready? Drum roll please.....I got Region 3, West Coast, West Demerara Hospital!! Woot Woot!! Since I'm sure you guys have no idea what I'm talking about when I say Region 3 West Coast I'll explain, don't worry :)
Region 3 is the region of Guyana where I've been doing my training and where my host family lives and is located between the Demerara River and the Atlantic Ocean. It is right across the river from the capital, Georgetown and this will be the region I call home for the next 2 years. Currently I am with my host family in a village right along the ocean called Meten-mer-Zorg ( The majority of village and town names are left over from either Dutch or British colonialzation). My apartment where I'll be living after training ends on April 13th is about 25 minutes down the main road that runs along the coast (going towards Georgetown) in a village call Vreed-en-Hoop. Vreed-en-Hoop means 'peace and love' in Dutch, how awesome is that? :) I have my own apartment, which is really nice and comes furnished, and its on the top floor of a two story house. Another volunteer from last years group lives below me and my landlord lives in the house right in front of me. I am about a five minute walk from where I'll be working and either a 25 minute boat or bus ride to Georgetown. My village is a pretty good size and has a bank, post office, market and small grocery store as well as some small shops that sell snacks, drinks, and clothing. I will also be living right across the street from Chesters Fried Chicken resturant (like a KFC) which is the only place where women can go and have a drink (just beer) since the local rum shops or bars are only frequented by men. Definite bonus :) Oh, and my apartment has a room for my hammock (love that) and wireless internet is included in my rent. Overall, this place is nicer than the closet that barely passed for my place back in DC :)
And my job is even more exciting than my new apartment! I was assigned to work at West Demerara Hospital, which is the only major hospital in Region 3 and the 2nd largest public hospital in Guyana. My counterpart/mentor is the Assistant Hospital Administrator, Mr. Hira and he is pretty much in charge of hospital policy and making sure that the hospital runs as smoothly as possible on a day to day basis. My job at the hospital will be to work with Mr. Hira and the Regional Health Officer Dr Persuad (the guy in charge of every health center and hospital in region 3) to create and implment mental health policy in Guyana. Right now, like a lot of developing countries, there is no mental health policy in Guyana. There is no national policy or best practices in place to identify, treat, or prevent mental health or substance abuse issues. Suicide, depression, and substance abuse are extremely high in Guyana but they are not seen as health problems and often stigmatized so that people don't seek help. My job for the next 2 years will be to create a national policy on mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence and submit that to the Ministry of Health. No pressure or anything :) I am so so so so excited to get started on this. I know it will be a lot of work but being able to work on something like this, to actually develop working policy and possibly implement real change in Guyana is amazing.
I also have another secondary project to work on, in my spare time from creating national health policy (hilarious). Mr. Hira also wants me to work on creating a sanitation and hygiene policy for the hospital and work with the doctors, nurses, and other staff members to follow it. Right now, medical waste is disposed of with the regular trash, there is almost no concept of seperating out hazardous waste or bodliy fluid waste or even used needles. Everything gets lumped together and then dumped. I have witnessed red hazardous waste bags full of god knows what just sitting out in the open. I've seen nurses wear the same pair of disposable gloves to give injections to 3 different patients, without stopping to change the gloves or wash their hands. It is very disheartening to see such practices going on, especially when these are basic things that can be done very easily and have such a huge effect of health and disease control. So hopefully I will be able to put together a working policy on that and get the staff to understand why it is important to follow it and maintain it at all times.
My 3rd project ( not sure how long they think i'm going to be here) is to help in setting up the first and only electronic medical records system in the country. Right now every patients medical records are on paper and the system is ineffective and disorganized. West Demerara hospital is slowly moving towards putting all the information on computers and making it so that every health center can access the same medical records system. I will help out with gathering the information and inputting it into the system.
So that is my official job and site placement!!!! Everyone was so anxious and nervous to find out and they really made us wait until the last minute. I could not be more happy with my placement, it fits me perfectly and the location where I will be living is exactly what I wanted, an urban area on the coast close to other volunteers. It really is the perfect assignment :) I still have 3 more weeks of training so I don't officially start my job or move into my apartment until April but I am very excited to get started on what I know will be a challenging and rewarding 2 years. Love and miss you all, can't wait to start getting some letters from everyone!! (hint hint, my mom and dad have the address for you all)
Love,
Lindsay
First off, I finally got my permanent site placement and job assignment!!!! So exciting! Everybody ready? Drum roll please.....I got Region 3, West Coast, West Demerara Hospital!! Woot Woot!! Since I'm sure you guys have no idea what I'm talking about when I say Region 3 West Coast I'll explain, don't worry :)
Region 3 is the region of Guyana where I've been doing my training and where my host family lives and is located between the Demerara River and the Atlantic Ocean. It is right across the river from the capital, Georgetown and this will be the region I call home for the next 2 years. Currently I am with my host family in a village right along the ocean called Meten-mer-Zorg ( The majority of village and town names are left over from either Dutch or British colonialzation). My apartment where I'll be living after training ends on April 13th is about 25 minutes down the main road that runs along the coast (going towards Georgetown) in a village call Vreed-en-Hoop. Vreed-en-Hoop means 'peace and love' in Dutch, how awesome is that? :) I have my own apartment, which is really nice and comes furnished, and its on the top floor of a two story house. Another volunteer from last years group lives below me and my landlord lives in the house right in front of me. I am about a five minute walk from where I'll be working and either a 25 minute boat or bus ride to Georgetown. My village is a pretty good size and has a bank, post office, market and small grocery store as well as some small shops that sell snacks, drinks, and clothing. I will also be living right across the street from Chesters Fried Chicken resturant (like a KFC) which is the only place where women can go and have a drink (just beer) since the local rum shops or bars are only frequented by men. Definite bonus :) Oh, and my apartment has a room for my hammock (love that) and wireless internet is included in my rent. Overall, this place is nicer than the closet that barely passed for my place back in DC :)
And my job is even more exciting than my new apartment! I was assigned to work at West Demerara Hospital, which is the only major hospital in Region 3 and the 2nd largest public hospital in Guyana. My counterpart/mentor is the Assistant Hospital Administrator, Mr. Hira and he is pretty much in charge of hospital policy and making sure that the hospital runs as smoothly as possible on a day to day basis. My job at the hospital will be to work with Mr. Hira and the Regional Health Officer Dr Persuad (the guy in charge of every health center and hospital in region 3) to create and implment mental health policy in Guyana. Right now, like a lot of developing countries, there is no mental health policy in Guyana. There is no national policy or best practices in place to identify, treat, or prevent mental health or substance abuse issues. Suicide, depression, and substance abuse are extremely high in Guyana but they are not seen as health problems and often stigmatized so that people don't seek help. My job for the next 2 years will be to create a national policy on mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence and submit that to the Ministry of Health. No pressure or anything :) I am so so so so excited to get started on this. I know it will be a lot of work but being able to work on something like this, to actually develop working policy and possibly implement real change in Guyana is amazing.
I also have another secondary project to work on, in my spare time from creating national health policy (hilarious). Mr. Hira also wants me to work on creating a sanitation and hygiene policy for the hospital and work with the doctors, nurses, and other staff members to follow it. Right now, medical waste is disposed of with the regular trash, there is almost no concept of seperating out hazardous waste or bodliy fluid waste or even used needles. Everything gets lumped together and then dumped. I have witnessed red hazardous waste bags full of god knows what just sitting out in the open. I've seen nurses wear the same pair of disposable gloves to give injections to 3 different patients, without stopping to change the gloves or wash their hands. It is very disheartening to see such practices going on, especially when these are basic things that can be done very easily and have such a huge effect of health and disease control. So hopefully I will be able to put together a working policy on that and get the staff to understand why it is important to follow it and maintain it at all times.
My 3rd project ( not sure how long they think i'm going to be here) is to help in setting up the first and only electronic medical records system in the country. Right now every patients medical records are on paper and the system is ineffective and disorganized. West Demerara hospital is slowly moving towards putting all the information on computers and making it so that every health center can access the same medical records system. I will help out with gathering the information and inputting it into the system.
So that is my official job and site placement!!!! Everyone was so anxious and nervous to find out and they really made us wait until the last minute. I could not be more happy with my placement, it fits me perfectly and the location where I will be living is exactly what I wanted, an urban area on the coast close to other volunteers. It really is the perfect assignment :) I still have 3 more weeks of training so I don't officially start my job or move into my apartment until April but I am very excited to get started on what I know will be a challenging and rewarding 2 years. Love and miss you all, can't wait to start getting some letters from everyone!! (hint hint, my mom and dad have the address for you all)
Love,
Lindsay
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
March 8th, 2011
Hello all,
Life in Guyana is still pretty awesome. I'm settling into a routine now but I will only be here on the West coast for about 4 more weeks. After that we get moved to our permanant sites where we will be for the remainder of our 2 years. I will hopefully find out where that site will be by the end of this week or early next week. We pretty much have no idea where we might be going, where we will be working or who we will be living near. Its exciting but making us kind of anxious too. As soon as I get the news I will let you all know :)
My training is going well, the days are long sometimes and some sessions are a little tedious but the informaiton we are getting is good for when we actually go to our sites and start working. We already go twice a week, in small groups of 3 or 4, to schools or health centers and help out in the morning. My health center is close to my house and usually has anywhere from 5 to 25 patients waiting to be seen. The doctor only comes once a week, on Thursdays when patients with diabetes and hypertension are seen, the other days there is only a nurse and a Medex there. The Medex does some examinations and dispenses medications. All health care, including meds, are free in Guyana. I like going to the clinics because I get to interact with patients and give health talks on various topics and also get to sit in with the doctors and nurses while they do individual examinations. I am excited to finally be getting some practical hands on experience that I can use when I get back home.
Life with my host family is great. They have made me feel really comfortable and my 2 host sisters, Susy and AnnMarie continue to be the most adorable children ever. We had no water for 2 days last week and I had to take my first bucket bath. Basically that consists of carrying up a large bucket of water from the hose( I have no idea where water from the hose comes from and I don't think I want to know. Ignorance is bliss.) and taking it into the shower and using a smaller bucket to take water and splash it on yourself to take a shower. Luckily I don't have to do that everyday but it was a unique experience nonetheless. Also, there is a mouse living in my host family's kitchen that I'm pretty sure has never seen a white person before. It will poke its head out from behind the stove and look around. If it sees my host mom or dad it just kind of stays there and watches and then casually walks to the other side of the kitchen. If I am anywhere near the kitchen, it takes one look at me, panics, and runs back behind the stove and will not come out. It is actually kind of cute (never thought i'd say that) so I have started leaving it crumbs from my toast in the morning so it knows that, yes I am extremely pale and scary looking, but I am actually harmless.
I have posted new pictures for everyone on my facebook profile. The link below should work if you don't have facebook access but I make no promises. I miss you all and hopefully will see you all soon. Don't forget, I love getting mail and packages, it makes my day that much better!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078255&id=1277258438&l=572ff39abd
Love
Lindsay
Life in Guyana is still pretty awesome. I'm settling into a routine now but I will only be here on the West coast for about 4 more weeks. After that we get moved to our permanant sites where we will be for the remainder of our 2 years. I will hopefully find out where that site will be by the end of this week or early next week. We pretty much have no idea where we might be going, where we will be working or who we will be living near. Its exciting but making us kind of anxious too. As soon as I get the news I will let you all know :)
My training is going well, the days are long sometimes and some sessions are a little tedious but the informaiton we are getting is good for when we actually go to our sites and start working. We already go twice a week, in small groups of 3 or 4, to schools or health centers and help out in the morning. My health center is close to my house and usually has anywhere from 5 to 25 patients waiting to be seen. The doctor only comes once a week, on Thursdays when patients with diabetes and hypertension are seen, the other days there is only a nurse and a Medex there. The Medex does some examinations and dispenses medications. All health care, including meds, are free in Guyana. I like going to the clinics because I get to interact with patients and give health talks on various topics and also get to sit in with the doctors and nurses while they do individual examinations. I am excited to finally be getting some practical hands on experience that I can use when I get back home.
Life with my host family is great. They have made me feel really comfortable and my 2 host sisters, Susy and AnnMarie continue to be the most adorable children ever. We had no water for 2 days last week and I had to take my first bucket bath. Basically that consists of carrying up a large bucket of water from the hose( I have no idea where water from the hose comes from and I don't think I want to know. Ignorance is bliss.) and taking it into the shower and using a smaller bucket to take water and splash it on yourself to take a shower. Luckily I don't have to do that everyday but it was a unique experience nonetheless. Also, there is a mouse living in my host family's kitchen that I'm pretty sure has never seen a white person before. It will poke its head out from behind the stove and look around. If it sees my host mom or dad it just kind of stays there and watches and then casually walks to the other side of the kitchen. If I am anywhere near the kitchen, it takes one look at me, panics, and runs back behind the stove and will not come out. It is actually kind of cute (never thought i'd say that) so I have started leaving it crumbs from my toast in the morning so it knows that, yes I am extremely pale and scary looking, but I am actually harmless.
I have posted new pictures for everyone on my facebook profile. The link below should work if you don't have facebook access but I make no promises. I miss you all and hopefully will see you all soon. Don't forget, I love getting mail and packages, it makes my day that much better!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078255&id=1277258438&l=572ff39abd
Love
Lindsay
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
March 2nd, 2011
Even though I have only been in Guyana for a little over 2 weeks, it feels like I have been here so much longer. I have settled into a routine and I feel like I am getting more comfortable knowing my way around my neighborhood and my town.
I think one of my favorite things about Guyana that we don't have in the States are the minibuses. They are very very similar to the matatus in East Africa so I was lucky enough to feel pretty comfortable riding in them right away. They are basically small vans or buses that serve as the only form of public transportation. Things are spread out along the main road that runs along the coast and most people dont have cars, so when its hot, raining, or something is really far away, the minibuses are the most efficient ways to get where you need to go. The minibus, however, would never ever be allowed to operate in the States. They are basically tin cans on wheels and there are virtually no traffic laws. None (And no seat belts). Cars swerve to avoid potholes and cows and pass out anyone not going 40 or 50 mph. Still, I think they are kind of fun....but I like to live dangerously..... Just kidding, Mom :) The other really fun thing about the minibuses is that most of them like to blast their music. The most popular choices are Celine Dion, Richard Marx, and other random 80's power ballads. There is nothing funnier than a minibus pulling up, blasting the bass, all pimped out with pictures of half naked supermodels and a really bad ass looking driver....and then you realize that that music blasting is actually Richard Marx. Hilarious. The other day I got some Boyz 2 Men and Backstreet Boys (best day ever) and today was the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. I sat next to the driver and he kept laughing at me and calling me "funny white girl" cause I was singing along to "Hungry Eyes". But I'm used to it cause I get pointed at, started at, and laughed at ALL THE TIME. Most Guyanese are very open and welcoming to Americans but we are still seen as somewhat as a novelty. I get told all the time that I am the "whitest white person they've ever seen". Score one for my pale skin :)
My host family is doing well, I feel really comfortable with them and its almost like I am part of the family. My two host sisters, Susy and AnnMarie, continue to be the most adorable children ever and are constantly following me around and talking to me very very fast in Creolese. I am getting better at picking up the local dialect but there are still times I find myself just nodding and smiling and hoping I'm not agreeing to anything too awkward :)
Training is going well, although it is mostly just lectures and talks about culture, safety, and various health topics. It is Monday through Friday from 8 to 5 so the days can be pretty long and at times, tedious. Most current volunteers say that training is the hardest, most boring, most stressful part of your service because it is mostly talking and not a lot of doing. But most of the topics we cover are actually informative and helpful so I try to keep a positive attitude that in a few weeks I will be able to be actually out in the field doing hands on work. We have been able to visit a health clinic which was really really awesome. We got to see how things are run and also observe and help with some examinations. Tuesday was the prenatal clinic so all the patients were pregnant women. We got to assist in admitting new patients, taking blodd pressure, and observing the physical exam, including an ultrasound. I really enjoyed that, I hope I get to do more hands on clinic work while I am here. I am looking into doing the Physicians Assistant program at GW when I get back to the States so I am hoping to get a lot of practical experience while in Guyana.
Overall things are going well. I am having fun and learning a lot and I know this is just the beginning of my adventure. I am loving the warm weather and relaxing as much as possible in my hammock :) I miss everyone back home and I am excited to come back at visit sometime this year and eat as much American food as possible :) Hope everyone is well at home, you all better be writing me letters, getting mail is very exciting. My address is: Lindsay Perlman Peace Corps Trainee, Peace Corps Guyana c/o US Embassy, 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown, Guyana South America.
Also, I posted pics on facebook for those who can access that. If you dont have facebook I think this link should work: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078255&id=1277258438&l=572ff39abd
Love,
Lindsay
I think one of my favorite things about Guyana that we don't have in the States are the minibuses. They are very very similar to the matatus in East Africa so I was lucky enough to feel pretty comfortable riding in them right away. They are basically small vans or buses that serve as the only form of public transportation. Things are spread out along the main road that runs along the coast and most people dont have cars, so when its hot, raining, or something is really far away, the minibuses are the most efficient ways to get where you need to go. The minibus, however, would never ever be allowed to operate in the States. They are basically tin cans on wheels and there are virtually no traffic laws. None (And no seat belts). Cars swerve to avoid potholes and cows and pass out anyone not going 40 or 50 mph. Still, I think they are kind of fun....but I like to live dangerously..... Just kidding, Mom :) The other really fun thing about the minibuses is that most of them like to blast their music. The most popular choices are Celine Dion, Richard Marx, and other random 80's power ballads. There is nothing funnier than a minibus pulling up, blasting the bass, all pimped out with pictures of half naked supermodels and a really bad ass looking driver....and then you realize that that music blasting is actually Richard Marx. Hilarious. The other day I got some Boyz 2 Men and Backstreet Boys (best day ever) and today was the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. I sat next to the driver and he kept laughing at me and calling me "funny white girl" cause I was singing along to "Hungry Eyes". But I'm used to it cause I get pointed at, started at, and laughed at ALL THE TIME. Most Guyanese are very open and welcoming to Americans but we are still seen as somewhat as a novelty. I get told all the time that I am the "whitest white person they've ever seen". Score one for my pale skin :)
My host family is doing well, I feel really comfortable with them and its almost like I am part of the family. My two host sisters, Susy and AnnMarie, continue to be the most adorable children ever and are constantly following me around and talking to me very very fast in Creolese. I am getting better at picking up the local dialect but there are still times I find myself just nodding and smiling and hoping I'm not agreeing to anything too awkward :)
Training is going well, although it is mostly just lectures and talks about culture, safety, and various health topics. It is Monday through Friday from 8 to 5 so the days can be pretty long and at times, tedious. Most current volunteers say that training is the hardest, most boring, most stressful part of your service because it is mostly talking and not a lot of doing. But most of the topics we cover are actually informative and helpful so I try to keep a positive attitude that in a few weeks I will be able to be actually out in the field doing hands on work. We have been able to visit a health clinic which was really really awesome. We got to see how things are run and also observe and help with some examinations. Tuesday was the prenatal clinic so all the patients were pregnant women. We got to assist in admitting new patients, taking blodd pressure, and observing the physical exam, including an ultrasound. I really enjoyed that, I hope I get to do more hands on clinic work while I am here. I am looking into doing the Physicians Assistant program at GW when I get back to the States so I am hoping to get a lot of practical experience while in Guyana.
Overall things are going well. I am having fun and learning a lot and I know this is just the beginning of my adventure. I am loving the warm weather and relaxing as much as possible in my hammock :) I miss everyone back home and I am excited to come back at visit sometime this year and eat as much American food as possible :) Hope everyone is well at home, you all better be writing me letters, getting mail is very exciting. My address is: Lindsay Perlman Peace Corps Trainee, Peace Corps Guyana c/o US Embassy, 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown, Guyana South America.
Also, I posted pics on facebook for those who can access that. If you dont have facebook I think this link should work: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2078255&id=1277258438&l=572ff39abd
Love,
Lindsay
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