New pictures!!!

Here is a link to some pictures I took during Mashramani, which was this past Thursday, February 23rd. Mashramani is a Guyanese holiday that is also called Republic Day and it celebrates the anniversary of Guyana becoming an independent republic. This year was the 42nd anniversary. It is also called Guyana's version of Mardi Gras or Carnival and it basically just a crazy celebration where everyone drinks and gets dressed up in masks and crazy outfits and puts tons of glitter all over their bodies and dances in the streets. Literally. There is a huge parade in Georgetown with awesome floats and myself and some other volunteers went all out this year, dressed up, doused ourselves in glitter and went to town to see the parade. It was an awesome time, we all had so much fun. The day started at 9am where we made breakfast together at a volunteer's house and then headed into town and basically walked the whole parade route, dancing and drinking and taking tons of pictures. It was a crazy day and I still am finding glitter random places, I don't think it will ever all wash off :) So here's the link to just some of the 200 pictures I took of the Mashramani celebration.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2713238551642.2115982.1277258438&type=3&l=399dec3d33 

Adventures in Georgetown

One of the questions I got asked most often when I was home over the holidays is what I do in my spare time here in Guyana when I’m not at work. What do I do on the weekends? Are there places to go and things to do? Is there such a thing as having a social life in the Peace Corps or is it all about the work? Well, the answer is yes, there is such a thing as a Peace Corps social life, though it’s very different than the one I have in the States. There isn’t a ton of stuff to do here after work or on the weekends, there are no movie theaters or big indoor shopping malls or bars where volunteers can hang out and relax. A lot of times we hang out at each other’s houses and play card games, drink rum, and talk about our various jobs/problems/issues/stresses.  However, since I live so close to Georgetown, the capital, I often get the chance to actually go out and do things on the weekends. This past Saturday myself and three other volunteers decided to have a girls shopping day in Georgetown.

We met up at the stelling around noon, which is where the boats from the West Coast go over to Georgetown across the Demerara River. It’s about a ten minute boat trip on speedboats that fit about 25-30 passengers. I got to the stelling early and sat down to wait on the benches where all the taxi drivers sit to wait for boats to unload and try to pick up passengers. I sat next to one Rasta man who immediately asked where I was from and how long I’d been in Guyana. He was surprised when I told him one year and he said I seemed like I’ve been here 3 or 4 years at least, which I took as a compliment. When I said I had lived in Washington DC before coming to Guyana a cab driver standing next to the bench stated that he had always wanted a wife who was from Washington DC. I replied that this was quite a coincidence then, me being from DC and him always wanting a DC wife. He agreed and said that we should probably get married. I apologized to him and told him that I was already married and showed him the ring on my left hand (the pretend married response works every time).  He seemed genuinely upset and then another taxi driver, who was also a pastor, told him that next time he asks God for a wife from Washington DC he needs to be more specific and make sure the woman God sends him isn’t already married. My almost Guyanese husband seemed to ponder this advice very carefully but luckily my friends showed up before the conversation could go any further.

When we got to town we went to Guyana Stores and Giftland, two Wal-mart-esque stores that sell a variety of items to look for art supplies for one girl’s project at her school.  After that we walked down Robb Street, which has different stalls and shops that sell clothing and fabrics. We stopped at the coconut man, who pushes a giant cart selling water coconuts for 140 Guyanese dollars (about 5 cents US). We stopped to get some and watched as the man expertly used his machete to chop just enough off the top of the coconut to fit a straw into it to get the water. As we stood there drinking the delicious coconut water a man approached us selling bags of juice (Bag juice is very common in Guyana, it’s just little plastic baggies with different juices that have a straw to drink it with). He welcomed us to Guyana and asked where we were from. We said the U.S. and he told us that he was selling mango and papaya and pineapple juice and he wondered if we had those fruits in America. We said yes, we knew what those fruits were and he then commented that he thought America only has apples and grapes. I replied that that’s why we came to Guyana, to get some mangos and papayas and he laughed, wished us a pleasant stay and continued on his way. Those types of interactions with Guyanese are my favorite, just random conversations on the street with a friendly person who is genuinely interested in where we are from and why we are in Guyana.

After finding a store that had dresses we liked, we walked on to Bourda Market to get an African style dress for Yesenia. Bourda Market has stalls inside that sell mostly clothing and shoes and outside stalls that sell mostly food and fresh produce. It is fairly large and always crowded with people. We found Yesenia a beautiful and traditional African dress and then decided to go over the Rasta section for some late lunch. We found a stand selling Itali food, which is traditional Rasta food. It has no meat or salt and is delicious and healthy. We got a few different dishes to share and sat outside the stand chatting with various people as they passed. Rasta’s are probably the nicest people I’ve ever met. They always stop and say hello, ask us questions about ourselves and wish us a blessed day in Guyana. I chatted with the stall owner about Haille Selassie, who was really big in Kenya and he told me that he wasn’t a real Rasta because he had no dreads, which is a sign that you are a true Rasta man. After lunch we headed back to Stabroek market to catch a bus back over the bridge to the West Coast. It was a good day, a very Peace Corps Guyana style girls shopping day, complete with street markets, water coconuts, and Rasta food :) 

One Year

One year ago today, myself and 36 other Peace Corps trainees were getting off a plane in beautiful Guyana, jet lagged, tired, and hot, having absolutely no idea what lay ahead of us. It was definitely one of the most exciting and terrifying moments of my life. It seems that time has moved unbelievably fast, 365 days have come and gone and we are no longer naive and nervous trainees but smart, savvy and experienced volunteers who have been through a year of service and survived to tell about it.

There have been so many different experiences over the past year, both good and bad, that it seems to have gone by in a blur. Training seems like a million years ago. Going to our first health clinic to observe and giving health talks with Laura and Mark on diabetes, foot care, and nutrition, not really knowing what the hell we were doing. Sitting in a circle at lunch time, hoping our host mom had packed us something good for lunch and reading off our answers to that days Top Ten list (my favorites are still, and always will be, Nate's and Mark Silva's lists for "Top Ten Worst Thing to Say When You First Meet Someone). Listening to Wilbur's always entertaining and informative cultural lectures. Trying not to laugh during Simeon's never-ending but necessary speeches on safety and security. Much needed stress relief the at the rum shop after training. Training was when we officially became a Peace Corps family, bonding over this truly crazy and exciting adventure we had begun together.

I remember moving into my own house at my new site the day after swearing in. Sitting on the floor in my front room, surrounded by my luggage and holding a newly adopted 2 week old kitten in my lap thinking, what the hell have I gotten myself into? Another moment where I wasn't sure if I was terrified, excited, or both. I remember my 1st day at my job and being so excited to get started, only to have my initial job assignment disappear and have to spend my 1st 2 months at site not working but searching for a new job. It was so exciting when I finally found a place at the maternal and child health at the hospital and I am still grateful that the staff there welcomed me with open arms.

It is so weird to sit here and reflect back on this past year. Even though time has gone by so fast, I feel so comfortable in Guyana and in my village that on some days I feel like I've lived here for years. In some ways it is sad to think that half my time here in Guyana is already done. I know that this next year of service is going to go by even faster than the 1st and before I know it I'll be back in America, having to worry about things like getting a real job. Now that will truly be even more nerve wracking than anything I've encountered during Peace Corps. No matter what, it's been an amazing 1st year and if my 2nd year is even half as awesome as the 1st, then it will be totally worth it :)

Here's to my fellow Guy 23 volunteers, the most amazing Peace Corps family I could've asked for. Happy Anniversary guys!!!! :)

Return to Guyana

My 1st blog entry of 2012 is only a month late in being written which, considering my propensity to be horrible at remembering things like this, is not that bad. I've been back in Guyana for a little over a week after a wonderful 3 week vacation in the States, followed by a stressful and restless 2 week medevac. I was supposed to return to Guyana on January 9th but circumstances arose which caused me to be delayed until February 1st. Needless to say, I now need another vacation to relax after my 1st vacation. Ironically enough, I have been sick with the flu this past week, pretty much unable to leave the house so I guess in a weird way I did get a second vacation after all :)
 I have been medically approved to return to Guyana for about 6 months. Most of you reading this blog probably know the reasons why I was detained in the States and why I only got approval to be back for 6 months, at which point I'm not sure what will happen as far as medical separation goes. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell what will happen before then. If you don't know and you're curious, jut ask. You all know that shyness is not one of my problems and I have no shame in sharing my life's many ironic and sadly funny stories :)

It has been a little weird being back, both good weird and bad weird. Now that my time here has an expiration date on it that's even closer than before, I am even more determined to make the most of my time here. Not only so that I can leave feeling like I did something good but also so that, no matter what, I am happy with how I spent my time here. I have decided not to pursue my original project that I mentioned a few blog entries ago about pre-natal nutrition. First of all, there just isn't time. This project will take at a minimum 9 months to complete, not counting time to prepare, plan, and analyze the data. With how uncertain everything has become, it just isn't practical, in my opinion, to start a long and time intensive project that I may have to abandon halfway through. I also do not want to start anything that leaves my clinic in a bind if it doesn't get finished. I don't want to start any big grants or make any promises I can't keep. So instead I m going to focus on smaller projects that the staff of my clinic wants done, like organizing patient files and doing more health talks. I want to focus on working with the patients and really getting hands on clinical experience. My favorite part of working at a clinic is interacting with patient and it's what the clinic staff wants me to focus on, which is a good enough reason for me.

I am also going to try and write more blog entries in the coming months (since I know you all love them so so much lol) and take more pictures, which I will also try and remember to put the link to on this blog. It feels good to be back here in Guyana, my home away from home, and I am excited to see what the next 6 months have in store for me.

Thanksgiving in Guyana

Yesterday we celebrated our 1st Thanksgiving in Guyana as a Peace Corps family. As the day started off, it definitely did not feel like Thanksgiving. First of all, it was 85 degrees out with about 90% humidity and a blazing hot sun. Also, everything was open and running, cause here in Guyana it was just like any other Thursday. It was very weird; we all knew it was Thanksgiving but it just didn't feel like it.

Myself and a few other volunteers in my area planned to do a Thanksgiving dinner for about 12 people at Yesenia's house, a volunteer that lives about 15 minutes away from me. We did all the shopping on Wednesday and managed to find a Butterball turkey (yes, a real American turkey), boxed Stove Top stuffing and canned cranberry sauce at the American grocery store in the capital. Another volunteer, Carissa, is a really good cook and she had a bunch of recipes for different casseroles, au gratin potatoes, broccoli and cheese, mashed potatoes and creamed corn. The amount of food we bought was ridiculous. We had 9 different side dishes, plus the turkey. Since we are in Guyana, we drank rum and made pina coloadas, a new Thanksgiving tradition :)

I went over to Yesenia's house Thursday morning and we, along with Carissa and Alyssa, began cooking. Carissa was the head chef and the rest of us helped out with peeling and chopping various vegetables, making the salad and the bread and other various tasks. Since it was so hot and we had the gas stove and oven running all morning and all afternoon, we were constantly stopping to cool down. We would peel a few potatoes, then go stand in front of the fan for a cool breeze. Chop up an onion and then stand in front of the fan. I don't think 4 people have ever sweat that much making Thanksgiving dinner before. We managed to finish everything in record time, I was quite impressed with us all. We had dinner at 4pm and it was absolutely delicious. We had all the Thanksgiving stables, including pumpkin pie for dessert. There were 14 of us there, including Yesenia's host mom Molly and Alyssa's boyfriend Damian. It was the 1st time either of them had ever had a Thanksgiving meal before. We had Damian try everything 1st and it was adorable how excited he was to try the turkey.

After we ate, we did the "what are you most thankful for" game. One girl brought hand turkey cut outs and we all wrote down a few things we were thankful for this year. Most of us said good friends, family, our delicious meal and, of course, our Peace Corps experience. Then it was time for dessert, homemade pumpkin pie, banana bread, and brownies. I ate so much food that its 24 hours later and I'm still full. And there was still enough left for everyone to bring home leftovers, which we all know is the best part of Thanksgiving.

Today I managed to do a little Black Friday shopping. We get paid our monthly stipend on the 25th of each month, so I went out today to do my grocery shopping for the next few weeks. I went to my usual vegetable and fruit lady and, during our usual bout of small talk, I told her about Thanksgiving and Black Friday shopping back in the States. She thought it was the funniest thing that some people camp out in front of stores to buy things, I told her that people will do crazy things to get a good price. In honor of Black Friday, she decided to give me a free watermelon. Best Black Friday deal I've ever gotten :)

Here are some pictures of our awesome Thanksgiving feast!!!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2216698498451.2106573.1277258438&type=1&l=b79093d577

Working at the clinic

My official title as a Peace Corps volunteer (a.k.a, the one I'm gonna put on my resume cause it sounds more impressive than it actually is) is "Community Health Education Promoter". All of the health volunteers work in either health centers or hospitals and several volunteers also work in their village schools, doing health classes or health and exercise clubs. One of the 1st things I said during my first pre-site placement interview was that I did not want to work in schools. I'm not a teacher and I really have no interest in becoming one and, while I love working with babies and toddlers, once kids hit primary school age, I start to lose more and more patience :)

My site placement in the village of Vreed-en-Hoop, which is along the coast in Region 3, has me working at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, which is the only hospital in the region. It has a surgery theatre, a maternity ward, a dentist, and x-ray facilities. After my original placement in records didn't work out (long story), I sort of placed myself in the maternal and child health clinic. In my clinic, we work with pregnant women and children under 5. The clinic is open Monday through Thursday from 8 am until around 2pm, or whenever the last patient leaves.

Monday and Wednesdays are infant and toddler day or, "cute baby day". Children under 5 come in for a checkup once every 2 or 3 months. They get their weight, length or height and then any vaccines that they may need. Most of the time my Mondays and Wednesdays are spent weighing and measuring the babies, which I love doing cause they are adorable and it's always fun to watch their reaction to the 'weird white lady nurse', as I'm affectionately called. There is a slight occupational hazard that at least 3 babies will pee on me in the course of a morning, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. That's called being Peace Hard Corps :)

Tuesdays is antenatal clinic or, "pregnant lady day". During this clinic I usually sit in with the Medex and help her with the examinations. I've learned to take the fundal height, blood pressure, and listen and measure the fetal heartbeat. I really enjoy this clinic, especially since I'm considering doing a maternal and child health concentration in PA school when I get back. On Tuesdays is when I do the majority of my health talks, mostly about nutrition. Thursdays is also antenatal clinic but for high risk mothers. Any pregnant woman that is considered high risk has to travel to our hospital for all of her antenatal checkups while she is pregnant. A woman can be deemed high risk for many different reason, such as having diabetes or PIHBP ( pregnancy induced high blood pressure), or if she has had complications in previous pregnancies, or if she is older than 35 or a teenager (In Guyana teenage pregnancy is considered 16 and under. Even if the girl is married she still has to attend high risk clinic and speak to a social worker). Thursday is also the only day that we have a doctor at the clinic to do the examinations, an OB/GYN from Cuba. Monday through Wednesday we just have a nurse, a Medex, and a midwife.

 I am really enjoying my work at the clinic, mostly because it is very hands on and I feel like everyday I am getting more and more technical experience to bring home with me. I get to work directly with the patients and give health talks to women who live in my village. It's nice to walk down the street, going to the bank or the market, and have women recognize me and say "Good morning nursie". A few of my pregnant patients have given birth since I've started working and I love the fact that I have been able to be with them during their pregnancy and will now be there when they bring their baby to clinic.

After the new year I'm hoping to start a few more projects, one focusing on maternal nutrition and the other helping with community outreach for the HPV vaccine, which the government of Guyana is going to start distributing in my region. Even though I only work Monday through Thursday from 8am until about noon, I feel like I am keeping busy, especially since time is flying by. We celebrated our 9 month anniversary in country this past Tuesday, which blows my mind. Also, I will be home in the states in just 31 days, a trip which I am so excited about it's borderline ridculous :)

More pictures!!!!!

Here is a link to some more pictures for everyone to enjoy: another beach day at Leguan Island, a jiandi at a host family's house and, of course, a few choice pictures of Nala, the most awesome cat in the world. Enjoy :)

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2166031311803.2105731.1277258438&type=1&l=d6a1a523e6