One month ago today, on April 13th, myself and 35 others were sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers. The next day we were suddenly on our own, alone in new houses, starting crazy new jobs, trying to gracefully and nonchalantly integrate into our new communities even though we stick out worse than sore thumbs. The Peace Corps kid gloves were officially off. No more host families to coddle and shelter us, no more training staff to solve all our problems, no more “I’m just a trainee” excuse. Shit just got real.
The integration process this first month has been relatively smooth, with a few minor bumps along the way just to see if I’m up for the challenge. It started out like any other time when you move into a new town or a new neighborhood. In the states, you try and meet the neighbors, find the closest bank, grocery store, bar (just me?), ice cream store (just me again?) and you slowly but surely fall into a new routine. It was a similar process for me here in Guyana when I moved down the coast to my new village of Vreed-en-Hoop. Finding the closest bank and grocery store was easy; there is only one of each within 20 miles of my house. Meeting the neighbors was also easy, my house is so close I can literally reach out and touch the house next door to me. And with everyone always liming and gaffing on their front steps it’s hard for them not to notice the white girl dragging suitcases through the alley. Side note, I have already decided that I am bringing none of the clothes and supplies I brought here back with me. No way am I dealing with those ridiculous suitcases again.
The first month as a volunteer was both full of activity and down time. There is so much to experience, so many new things to do and figure out and wrap your head around. But at the same time, the first month of service provides one with a lot of free time, a lot of moments to lay in the hammock, feeling totally alone in this strange new world and wonder, what the hell have I gotten myself into? You have a lot of time, probably too much time to sit and think about who you are, who you want to be, and inevitably, if that person you want to be is the same person you actually will be after 2 years in the Peace Corps. I already knew that I wasn’t the same person I was when I was 12 and first discovered what Peace Corps was and had that first thought of, oh that might be a cool thing to do when I grow up. But over this last month I’ve also realized that I’m not the same person I was when I applied for Peace Corps, now over 2 years ago, or even the same person who got on that plane at JFK 3 months ago. It’s a really freaky moment when all the pieces suddenly fall into place and you realize that that feeling you’ve been feeling, that weird ache in your gut is just you realizing for the first time what you actually want your life to look like. Almost enough to knock me clear out of my hammock :) Now I won’t bore you with the mundane details of exactly what I come to discover about myself and exactly what I want my life to be (hint: it’s probably the opposite of what most of you are thinking) but it has definitely made me appreciate being in the Peace Corps even more, it made me thankful for this time in my life that I can have this crazy adventure, this wild roller coaster ride, and then come home in 2 years and start down a different path towards the life I want.
So one month in, this is pretty much where I’m at. Having crazy existential, self-realization moments in the jungle. Who knows, maybe it’s the result of all the heat and rum my body has been subjected to since I’ve been here. Either way, I’m excited to see what month two has in store for me and, the way time has been moving so far, my 2 years will be done before I know it, and probably before I’m ready for it. Happy one month anniversary to all my fellow Guy 23 volunteers, we are one month closer to accomplishing something truly amazing. Love to all my family and friends back home, I miss you all every day.
Love,
Lindsay
Friday, May 13, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
National Vaccination Week
This past week in Guyana was National Vaccination Week and maternal and child health departments in every region across the country had events, seminars, and rallys to promote vaccination, safe motherhood, and HIV/AIDS awareness. On Thursday April 29th, the maternal and child health department in my region, region 3, held a walk-a-thon and rally in my village that I was lucky enough to be a part of.
It started at 9am when nurses, medex's, community health workers and volunteers from every health center in the region gathered together to walk 2 miles along the main road in Vreed-en-Hoop. Carrying banners and signs and chanting "Immunize your family, protect your community", we marched along, hoping to engage the community in the fight to get a 95% complete vaccination rate for all of region 3. It was inspiring to see so many health workers take time off from their jobs and their lives to help promote such an important message, one that is so vital to ensuring that people are as healthy as possible.
After the march, we made our way to the central market area in the village, right next to the dock where all the boats to and from town are. There, we set up a tent with tables that had posters, pamphlets, and displays with information about vaccinations, safe motherhood and breast feeding, as well as HIV/AIDS and family planning. Under the tent was an area where several nurses were giving out free vaccines for yellow fever, MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) and tetanus, for anyone who needed one. All health care in Guyana is normally free of charge but often times people are unable to get to a health center to receive care and, since there is no law requiring children to be fully vaccinated before attending school, many people have not gotten vaccinated as children.
As the nurses and medex's set up the vaccination area, myself and a few other volunteers set out to recruit passersby to stop and get vaccinated. In the crowded area of the market, there were many people walking past, on their way to and from the boats and most of them were curious as to the huge white tent set up and all the people milling around. And of course, it only added to their curiosity that strange white people were stopping them and asking if they had all their vaccinations up to date :)
I was amazed at the number of people who not only stopped to see what was going on, but looked at the posters and asked questions, not only about vaccinations but about health in general. People were honestly curious about why vaccinations are important, what they do, and who should get them. It felt really good to be out there, talking to people and feeling like I was actually making a difference, even if it was a small one. By the end of the 1st hour, standing out in the hot midday sun, I had gotten 6 people to go get vaccinated, convinced half a dozen others to come back later in the afternoon, and given an impromptu health talk on malaria prevention.
The thing about Peace Corps work, and development work in general, is that the majority of the time, you don't feel like you're actually making a difference. The problems, especially health problems, are so massive and daunting, and you are just one, tiny person that it feels impossible to actually make any sort of lasting change. You have to constantly keep reminding yourself that if you can change one life, one person, one family, to live a healthier life then you've made a difference.Yesterday, I think I really felt that for the first time since I've been here. After hours in the hot sun, I was dehydrated and sunburned, but happy. A few hours of my time spent and I had convinced a young mother to get her yellow fever shot and an older gentleman to get tetanus. Another couple wasn't sure if they had ever gotten MMR and, after talking with another man, he realized that he had gotten a yellow fever vaccine so long ago and never remembered to get another one, until today. It was so encouraging to see people genuinely concerned about their health and willing to take a few minutes out of their day to go get vaccinated and be an example to their family and community. It was definitely one of my better days here in Guyana :)
Love and miss you all,
Lindsay
It started at 9am when nurses, medex's, community health workers and volunteers from every health center in the region gathered together to walk 2 miles along the main road in Vreed-en-Hoop. Carrying banners and signs and chanting "Immunize your family, protect your community", we marched along, hoping to engage the community in the fight to get a 95% complete vaccination rate for all of region 3. It was inspiring to see so many health workers take time off from their jobs and their lives to help promote such an important message, one that is so vital to ensuring that people are as healthy as possible.
After the march, we made our way to the central market area in the village, right next to the dock where all the boats to and from town are. There, we set up a tent with tables that had posters, pamphlets, and displays with information about vaccinations, safe motherhood and breast feeding, as well as HIV/AIDS and family planning. Under the tent was an area where several nurses were giving out free vaccines for yellow fever, MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) and tetanus, for anyone who needed one. All health care in Guyana is normally free of charge but often times people are unable to get to a health center to receive care and, since there is no law requiring children to be fully vaccinated before attending school, many people have not gotten vaccinated as children.
As the nurses and medex's set up the vaccination area, myself and a few other volunteers set out to recruit passersby to stop and get vaccinated. In the crowded area of the market, there were many people walking past, on their way to and from the boats and most of them were curious as to the huge white tent set up and all the people milling around. And of course, it only added to their curiosity that strange white people were stopping them and asking if they had all their vaccinations up to date :)
I was amazed at the number of people who not only stopped to see what was going on, but looked at the posters and asked questions, not only about vaccinations but about health in general. People were honestly curious about why vaccinations are important, what they do, and who should get them. It felt really good to be out there, talking to people and feeling like I was actually making a difference, even if it was a small one. By the end of the 1st hour, standing out in the hot midday sun, I had gotten 6 people to go get vaccinated, convinced half a dozen others to come back later in the afternoon, and given an impromptu health talk on malaria prevention.
The thing about Peace Corps work, and development work in general, is that the majority of the time, you don't feel like you're actually making a difference. The problems, especially health problems, are so massive and daunting, and you are just one, tiny person that it feels impossible to actually make any sort of lasting change. You have to constantly keep reminding yourself that if you can change one life, one person, one family, to live a healthier life then you've made a difference.Yesterday, I think I really felt that for the first time since I've been here. After hours in the hot sun, I was dehydrated and sunburned, but happy. A few hours of my time spent and I had convinced a young mother to get her yellow fever shot and an older gentleman to get tetanus. Another couple wasn't sure if they had ever gotten MMR and, after talking with another man, he realized that he had gotten a yellow fever vaccine so long ago and never remembered to get another one, until today. It was so encouraging to see people genuinely concerned about their health and willing to take a few minutes out of their day to go get vaccinated and be an example to their family and community. It was definitely one of my better days here in Guyana :)
Love and miss you all,
Lindsay
Friday, April 22, 2011
April 22nd, 2011
So I have officially been a Peace Corps volunteer for over a week now. I've moved and settled into my new apartment, complete with 2 hammocks and an adopted pet kitten named Nala. I started my new job at the hospital on Monday and they already have given me another project to add to my workload but I'm excited to get started. I feel like I've been here for years and I feel like I just got off the plane yesterday, all at the same time.
While this has been an exciting whirlwind of a week for me and my fellow Guy 23er's, it was a bittersweet week I'm sure for another batch of volunteers who had their COS on the 13th (close of service, which means their 2 years are up and they have to return to the states). I ran into many of them at the Peace Corps office in town as they wrapped up few last minute items and I had a brief, fleeting thought that in 2 short years, I was going to be exactly where they are. It dawned on me how short of a time period 2 years actually is and that, befoe I know it, I'll be back in the states, not as a Peace Corps volunteer but a Returned Peace Corps volunteer. I know that I'll be so busy with projects over the next 2 years that their is no way time won't just fly by. That notion made me pause for a minute. When you finally accomplish a dream you've had for years, serving in the Peace Corps, the only thing crazier to imagine that actually doing it is imagining it being over. It makes me even more determined to make the most out of these next 2 years and to get everything I possbly can out of this expeience.
One of the major reasons I know I will be so busy over the next 2 years is my job at the hospial. My supervisior has so many ideas and projects he wants me to get started on that it is almost a little bit overwhelming. The first project is the most daunting but also the one I'm most excited about. Currently in Guyana, there is almost no treatment/prevention/rehibilitation services avaliable for mental health. Even though suicide, alcoholism, and domestic abuse are major issues throughout the country, the social stigma surronding them is so strong that there is almost no way for a person to seek help or get information. The current minister of health has made it a personal crusade to change the status of mental health in this country by implemting new policies, new training programs, and new prevention and treatment services. My job is to tell him what those should be. I am pretty sure that my supervisor and I
are the only people actively working on this. No pressure. And that is just the first project they want me to do. Like I said, overwhelming and daunting and super exciting all at the same time. I'm definitely gonna need that vacation in December :)
I promise I will write more soon. It's Easter weekend so I have the next 4 days off, plenty of time to lay in my hammock and update everyone on my life :) Miss you all, hope everyone back home is well. Can't wait to start getting letters from everyone!!!
Love,
Lindsay
While this has been an exciting whirlwind of a week for me and my fellow Guy 23er's, it was a bittersweet week I'm sure for another batch of volunteers who had their COS on the 13th (close of service, which means their 2 years are up and they have to return to the states). I ran into many of them at the Peace Corps office in town as they wrapped up few last minute items and I had a brief, fleeting thought that in 2 short years, I was going to be exactly where they are. It dawned on me how short of a time period 2 years actually is and that, befoe I know it, I'll be back in the states, not as a Peace Corps volunteer but a Returned Peace Corps volunteer. I know that I'll be so busy with projects over the next 2 years that their is no way time won't just fly by. That notion made me pause for a minute. When you finally accomplish a dream you've had for years, serving in the Peace Corps, the only thing crazier to imagine that actually doing it is imagining it being over. It makes me even more determined to make the most out of these next 2 years and to get everything I possbly can out of this expeience.
One of the major reasons I know I will be so busy over the next 2 years is my job at the hospial. My supervisior has so many ideas and projects he wants me to get started on that it is almost a little bit overwhelming. The first project is the most daunting but also the one I'm most excited about. Currently in Guyana, there is almost no treatment/prevention/rehibilitation services avaliable for mental health. Even though suicide, alcoholism, and domestic abuse are major issues throughout the country, the social stigma surronding them is so strong that there is almost no way for a person to seek help or get information. The current minister of health has made it a personal crusade to change the status of mental health in this country by implemting new policies, new training programs, and new prevention and treatment services. My job is to tell him what those should be. I am pretty sure that my supervisor and I
are the only people actively working on this. No pressure. And that is just the first project they want me to do. Like I said, overwhelming and daunting and super exciting all at the same time. I'm definitely gonna need that vacation in December :)
I promise I will write more soon. It's Easter weekend so I have the next 4 days off, plenty of time to lay in my hammock and update everyone on my life :) Miss you all, hope everyone back home is well. Can't wait to start getting letters from everyone!!!
Love,
Lindsay
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Officially a Peace Corps Volunteer :)
It has finally happened. After all these years, all the applications, all the waiting and paperwork, all the uncertainty and nervousness I offcially swore in as a Peace Corps volunteer, part of the 23rd group of Americans to serve in Guyana, on April 13th 2011.
There really are no words to describe how I am feeling right now. I happy and excited and nervous and scared and a million other things all at the same time. Tomorrow I move into my new apartment and on Monday I start my job at the hospital. For the next 2 years I will be a community health development worker in the beautiful country of Guyana. It it so crazy to think that it now my life, I feel like just yesterday I was in DC, working doubles at the bar and trying to stay awake in class :)
I am so excited to start this new adventure and the next chapter of my life. Of course, knowing that my family and friends back home support me and encourage me unconditionally makes living and working in a foreign country for 2 years that much easier. I miss and love you all and I can't wait to see you all in December, with plenty of pictures and stories to share.
Love
Lindsay
There really are no words to describe how I am feeling right now. I happy and excited and nervous and scared and a million other things all at the same time. Tomorrow I move into my new apartment and on Monday I start my job at the hospital. For the next 2 years I will be a community health development worker in the beautiful country of Guyana. It it so crazy to think that it now my life, I feel like just yesterday I was in DC, working doubles at the bar and trying to stay awake in class :)
I am so excited to start this new adventure and the next chapter of my life. Of course, knowing that my family and friends back home support me and encourage me unconditionally makes living and working in a foreign country for 2 years that much easier. I miss and love you all and I can't wait to see you all in December, with plenty of pictures and stories to share.
Love
Lindsay
Monday, April 4, 2011
New Address :)
Hello all,
I have a new, permanent address for everyone. Any letters, packages, birthday presents (hint, hint) can be sent to the following address:
Lindsay Perlman
25 New Road
Vreed-en-Hoop
West Coast Demerara
Guyana, South America.
Anything currently in the mail that is going to the other address at the Embassy will still get to me so no worries there, I just have to go pick it up at the Peace Corps office so it may take a little longer than normal.
I have a new, permanent address for everyone. Any letters, packages, birthday presents (hint, hint) can be sent to the following address:
Lindsay Perlman
25 New Road
Vreed-en-Hoop
West Coast Demerara
Guyana, South America.
Anything currently in the mail that is going to the other address at the Embassy will still get to me so no worries there, I just have to go pick it up at the Peace Corps office so it may take a little longer than normal.
Friday, March 25, 2011
10 Fun/Intersting/Hilarious Facts about Guyana and my integration process, so far :)
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.
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.
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
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