From my observations, being a spider is definitely preferable to being snake in Guyana. The only snake I have seen was being flogged to death with a cricket bat. Poor fella did not stand a chance. On the other hand, the two spiders I have seen have both been peeping on me in the shower. Clearly, the spiders have somehow advanced on the social status if they are entitled to such privileges as this. Come to think of it though, some ants did get to have a sleep over with me the other night; they win. Random thought: would spiders be more or less creepy if they could say “boo?”
As far as animals go, I think it is appropriate to acknowledge the mascot of the Peace Corps. Well, the unofficial mascot that I am officially appointing right now. His name is Stanley, and he is the brave (and terribly skinny) horse the roams the street of Guyana. We have encountered Stanley several times on our bumpy minibus rides, and I just wanted to give him a shout out. Thank you to Ashley for naming our fearless cheerleader. Also, I would like to say hello to all the puppies, which apparently outnumber people in Guyana.
Funny moment of the day: Having a random Guyanese man call me “Auntie White Lady” as I passed him on the street. I give him points for originality for switching up from the regular “baby” nickname that has been used far too often.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
You know you are a Peace Corps Trainee in Guyana when…
You wake up to the sound of the local dog gang dueling with the neighboring village’s dog gang (this sound can be compared to loud barking). For further information on these gangs, refer to the dogs’ pack leader, Tarzan.
You eat spicy chick peas (cheno) for breakfast on a regular basis. That of course is on the days you aren’t eating fish.
You get bit by at least twenty mosquitoes before you leave the house in the morning.
You spend an afternoon training session devoted to diarrhea, which might entail singing a song about the preventative measures to avoid it.
You ride a minibus packed with 30 plus people.
You begin to decipher Creolese as your host family recounts all the American oddities you embody, such as turning red in the sun.
You ask for juice and get an odd mixture of flat cola mixed with a mystery substance.
You no longer notice the curry smell that has become our staple spice/food.
You spend your lunch break playing cricket with a stress ball.
You sleep-in time on the weekend is 7 am.
You go to bed with wet hair from your shower, and when you wake up in the morning your hair is still wet (oh humidity)
You get “sipped at” on your way to the internet café (this is a kissing noise equivalent to the American cat call)
You hear the answer “just now” as an answer for question of when things will happen. For instance, when is dinner? Answer: just now. When are we leaving? Answer: just now. What exactly does just now mean. It means whenever the heck that person feels like doing what you asked. Anywhere from a minute away to several hours time. When will I update my blog again? Answer: just now.
Your daily budget for training is 3 American dollars (600 Guyanese dollars).
You notice that Celine Dion is indeed making a comeback overseas; I actually can't tell if she ever went out of style here.
You can buy the King's Speech on DVD because there are no copyright laws.
You can tell what trainees participated in the festivities of Mashramani based on how much glitter is on them the following day.
You notice that people use umbrellas to block the sun instead of the rain.
You see a mosque, a mandir, and a church all within a five minute walk.
You lost 20 Guyanese dollars betting on when a fellow trainee will correct her "regulatory" issue...if you know what I mean.
You eat spicy chick peas (cheno) for breakfast on a regular basis. That of course is on the days you aren’t eating fish.
You get bit by at least twenty mosquitoes before you leave the house in the morning.
You spend an afternoon training session devoted to diarrhea, which might entail singing a song about the preventative measures to avoid it.
You ride a minibus packed with 30 plus people.
You begin to decipher Creolese as your host family recounts all the American oddities you embody, such as turning red in the sun.
You ask for juice and get an odd mixture of flat cola mixed with a mystery substance.
You no longer notice the curry smell that has become our staple spice/food.
You spend your lunch break playing cricket with a stress ball.
You sleep-in time on the weekend is 7 am.
You go to bed with wet hair from your shower, and when you wake up in the morning your hair is still wet (oh humidity)
You get “sipped at” on your way to the internet café (this is a kissing noise equivalent to the American cat call)
You hear the answer “just now” as an answer for question of when things will happen. For instance, when is dinner? Answer: just now. When are we leaving? Answer: just now. What exactly does just now mean. It means whenever the heck that person feels like doing what you asked. Anywhere from a minute away to several hours time. When will I update my blog again? Answer: just now.
Your daily budget for training is 3 American dollars (600 Guyanese dollars).
You notice that Celine Dion is indeed making a comeback overseas; I actually can't tell if she ever went out of style here.
You can buy the King's Speech on DVD because there are no copyright laws.
You can tell what trainees participated in the festivities of Mashramani based on how much glitter is on them the following day.
You notice that people use umbrellas to block the sun instead of the rain.
You see a mosque, a mandir, and a church all within a five minute walk.
You lost 20 Guyanese dollars betting on when a fellow trainee will correct her "regulatory" issue...if you know what I mean.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
I'm still intact
The Peace Corps packs quite a bit into one week. There was the hotel arrest, a boot camp, and an adoption. Let me explain. In order to prevent us from mistakenly happening upon the “Red Zones,” the Peace Corps staff mandated that we stay in the hotel for our own safety as we started our first training sessions. Hence, “hotel arrest.” We had luxuries galore, including blessed air conditioning, so we didn’t complain.
As for the boot camp, we had to endure the most rigorous collection of swimming tests: front stroke, floating on our backs while wearing a life jacket, and paddling a kayak to a buoy approximately forty feet from the shore. Obviously we have quite a group of athletes because everyone passed.
The adoption came last on Friday, when our group was split up. Of the 37 trainees in Guyana group 23, 12 went to a rural location for training while the remaining 25 of us ventured to an urban location, West Demerara. Once we arrived at West Demerara, we herded ourselves into our training building to meet our prospective host families. We will be boarding, eating, walking, and generally learning the Guyanese way of life from these families for the next 9 weeks.
Essentially we are their shadow. However, I discovered that I gained a couple of shadows of my own since I arrived at my house. Their names are Mark, Jennifer, Daniel, Elizabeth, and Gabriel. If I signed up for the Peace Corps as a test-run of having children, I would certainly be getting my money’s worth. Curiosity certainly is their strongest attribute. At church today, I believed I had become a conjoined twin because of the intimate proximity of little Elizabeth next to me.
On a different note, within two days I attended two wakes and one memorial service in Guyana, which is more than I ever went to in America. At the memorial service a boy was video recording, and I couldn’t help but think that people watching it later might wonder: “What the heck is that white girl doing there?”
In the meantime, I think I discovered the first bug I am allergic to. As I write, I have about ten bites on my leg, and I am watching them increase in size. How long should I hold off before I take the Benadryl? It might get me out of going to a group meeting at church tonight.
Now it is time for the weekly highlights; the focus this week is food:
Most interesting food I have eaten: Chicken liver (oddly enough—it does not taste like chicken)
Most challenging meal to eat without gagging: Fish for breakfast—Fish still tastes fishy at 9 o’clock in the morning
Most delicious meal: Can’t beat pancakes for breakfast!
Advice when looking for sugar: Don’t listen to what the four year old identifies as sugar or you will be choking down tea that has a mystery clumps that are definitely not sugar
Most exciting fruit discovery: Hannah, they have star fruit. Except they call it “Five Finger” fruit
As for the boot camp, we had to endure the most rigorous collection of swimming tests: front stroke, floating on our backs while wearing a life jacket, and paddling a kayak to a buoy approximately forty feet from the shore. Obviously we have quite a group of athletes because everyone passed.
The adoption came last on Friday, when our group was split up. Of the 37 trainees in Guyana group 23, 12 went to a rural location for training while the remaining 25 of us ventured to an urban location, West Demerara. Once we arrived at West Demerara, we herded ourselves into our training building to meet our prospective host families. We will be boarding, eating, walking, and generally learning the Guyanese way of life from these families for the next 9 weeks.
Essentially we are their shadow. However, I discovered that I gained a couple of shadows of my own since I arrived at my house. Their names are Mark, Jennifer, Daniel, Elizabeth, and Gabriel. If I signed up for the Peace Corps as a test-run of having children, I would certainly be getting my money’s worth. Curiosity certainly is their strongest attribute. At church today, I believed I had become a conjoined twin because of the intimate proximity of little Elizabeth next to me.
On a different note, within two days I attended two wakes and one memorial service in Guyana, which is more than I ever went to in America. At the memorial service a boy was video recording, and I couldn’t help but think that people watching it later might wonder: “What the heck is that white girl doing there?”
In the meantime, I think I discovered the first bug I am allergic to. As I write, I have about ten bites on my leg, and I am watching them increase in size. How long should I hold off before I take the Benadryl? It might get me out of going to a group meeting at church tonight.
Now it is time for the weekly highlights; the focus this week is food:
Most interesting food I have eaten: Chicken liver (oddly enough—it does not taste like chicken)
Most challenging meal to eat without gagging: Fish for breakfast—Fish still tastes fishy at 9 o’clock in the morning
Most delicious meal: Can’t beat pancakes for breakfast!
Advice when looking for sugar: Don’t listen to what the four year old identifies as sugar or you will be choking down tea that has a mystery clumps that are definitely not sugar
Most exciting fruit discovery: Hannah, they have star fruit. Except they call it “Five Finger” fruit
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
When others have said it better...just quote them
"You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people if you don't serve the people."
— Cornel West
— Cornel West
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Peace Corps
I know I kind of left my Ghana adventure unfinished due to lack of internet access for our final weeks. For anyone who was left in suspense, I arrived back home safely after my second month of volunteering. No need to worry that I was eaten by a crocodile in Paga.
The reason I decided to start blogging again is to update readers (aka J and Cori this is for you) because of my latest decision to join the Peace Corps. More accurately, I should say that it is to write about my acceptance and invitation to the Peace Corps since I decided to join the Peace Corps back in September when I first began the application progress.
Here I am though, 5 months later, and preparing to head off to my assignment in Guyana. Yes Guyana, not Ghana, or Guinea, or French Guiana. Guyana is a country in northern South America (in between Suriname and Venezuela). I head out February 13th, and I return April 15th, 2013.
I will continue to write my random tangents before leaving in less than a month, but for now I will leave you with tidbits of my Aspiration statement that I sent into my host country staff this afternoon.
ASPIRATION STATEMENT
Elizabeth Smith
Guyana
February 13th, 2011
College provided me with a foundation of the education I need to be a teacher, and I believe the Peace Corps will reinforce and instill the qualities necessary to be an exceptional teacher. Resilience, adaptability, determination, and self-motivation are essential for Peace Corps volunteers and teachers alike. As a recent college graduate, I am ready for the unrivaled education the Peace Corps has to offer.
I thrive on teaching because it is my passion. At the same time, I am enthralled with learning and adapting to the cultures of foreign countries. The demands for both are strenuous. The rewards are life-altering. Life abroad exposes invaluable lessons that are not as apparent in every-day America. For instance, I was able to witness the example of how manageable it is to live simply on my home-stay in Mukono, Uganda. Sometimes I lose perspective on the importance on living with less in America, and I know the Peace Corps will rejuvenate my awareness of just how significant it is.
Through the time I have spent in foreign countries, I have learned that laughter is the best approach to adapting to a new culture. If I did not spend each day laughing at all the mistakes and blunders I make while adjusting to a new culture, then I would be like a tea kettle boiling over with tears. Clearly, laughing is a preferential and healthy tactic to avoid taking myself too seriously while trying to maneuver my way in new surroundings without the familiarities of everyday routines. (You can’t help but laugh when there are twenty plus people packed into a tro-tro for 6 hours on unpaved roads.)
As best conveyed by Dr. Seuss in Green Eggs and Ham, I will never know unless I try. I am willing to be uncomfortable because otherwise I would never grow. Difficult situations have developed me into the individual I am today; the young woman who is committing two years of her life to the Peace Corps. Besides, trying new foods is not going to kill me…at least I hope not.
Life is unpredictable, especially in terms of traveling. One of the most defining experiences of my life was traveling to Uganda, and I did not even intend to study there in the first place. Uganda was a blessing to my life which taught me to value the unexpected plans in life even more than the planned ones. Similarly, I believe Peace Corps will play a defining role in my life. I can assume the stereotypical changes that will occur for me over the course of two years in a foreign country, such as a broader world-view and higher maturity level. More importantly though, I know the Peace Corps will continue to mold me into the humble teacher I aspire to be. Not to mention that I will come back with some unique stories to share and wow future students. In fact, my future students could be the future Peace Corps Volunteers—now that is an exciting thought.
The reason I decided to start blogging again is to update readers (aka J and Cori this is for you) because of my latest decision to join the Peace Corps. More accurately, I should say that it is to write about my acceptance and invitation to the Peace Corps since I decided to join the Peace Corps back in September when I first began the application progress.
Here I am though, 5 months later, and preparing to head off to my assignment in Guyana. Yes Guyana, not Ghana, or Guinea, or French Guiana. Guyana is a country in northern South America (in between Suriname and Venezuela). I head out February 13th, and I return April 15th, 2013.
I will continue to write my random tangents before leaving in less than a month, but for now I will leave you with tidbits of my Aspiration statement that I sent into my host country staff this afternoon.
ASPIRATION STATEMENT
Elizabeth Smith
Guyana
February 13th, 2011
College provided me with a foundation of the education I need to be a teacher, and I believe the Peace Corps will reinforce and instill the qualities necessary to be an exceptional teacher. Resilience, adaptability, determination, and self-motivation are essential for Peace Corps volunteers and teachers alike. As a recent college graduate, I am ready for the unrivaled education the Peace Corps has to offer.
I thrive on teaching because it is my passion. At the same time, I am enthralled with learning and adapting to the cultures of foreign countries. The demands for both are strenuous. The rewards are life-altering. Life abroad exposes invaluable lessons that are not as apparent in every-day America. For instance, I was able to witness the example of how manageable it is to live simply on my home-stay in Mukono, Uganda. Sometimes I lose perspective on the importance on living with less in America, and I know the Peace Corps will rejuvenate my awareness of just how significant it is.
Through the time I have spent in foreign countries, I have learned that laughter is the best approach to adapting to a new culture. If I did not spend each day laughing at all the mistakes and blunders I make while adjusting to a new culture, then I would be like a tea kettle boiling over with tears. Clearly, laughing is a preferential and healthy tactic to avoid taking myself too seriously while trying to maneuver my way in new surroundings without the familiarities of everyday routines. (You can’t help but laugh when there are twenty plus people packed into a tro-tro for 6 hours on unpaved roads.)
As best conveyed by Dr. Seuss in Green Eggs and Ham, I will never know unless I try. I am willing to be uncomfortable because otherwise I would never grow. Difficult situations have developed me into the individual I am today; the young woman who is committing two years of her life to the Peace Corps. Besides, trying new foods is not going to kill me…at least I hope not.
Life is unpredictable, especially in terms of traveling. One of the most defining experiences of my life was traveling to Uganda, and I did not even intend to study there in the first place. Uganda was a blessing to my life which taught me to value the unexpected plans in life even more than the planned ones. Similarly, I believe Peace Corps will play a defining role in my life. I can assume the stereotypical changes that will occur for me over the course of two years in a foreign country, such as a broader world-view and higher maturity level. More importantly though, I know the Peace Corps will continue to mold me into the humble teacher I aspire to be. Not to mention that I will come back with some unique stories to share and wow future students. In fact, my future students could be the future Peace Corps Volunteers—now that is an exciting thought.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Madonna had it right: "Time goes by....so slowly"
7 weeks. 49 days. 1176 hours. 70,560 minutes. 4233600 seconds. Can you tell I have time to contemplate?
For some reason, turning that into a song would not going over as well as the cast of Rent pulled off with their Seasons of Love.
Sorry I get sidetracked. The first order of business is writing about future plans.
Next destination: Mole National Park
Form of transportation: Mysterious OSA bus (that we have failed to find the location of in Ho)
Intended departure: Early Monday morning (September 27th)
Intended return: Unknown
The second order or business is to write about future plans for when I return home. Craig’s list has been my recruiter for jobs when I return to the states. I put no restrictions of the occupation: bagel baker, hotel attendant, or substitute teacher. You name it, and I am applying to work there. Too bad I do not have bagel baking experience.
Back to the present, and the days developed a simple routine. As of late, I find joy in alliteration. Thus, I can sum up my days with 3 R’s: running, reading, and rationing with children. Running is self-explanatory (this has to work since limping, snail walk, and dragging myself to the stadium do not start with R). Reading New York
Sunday, September 19, 2010
What are the qualifications to be a pastor again?
So, I had the opportunity to go to dinner with the fellow volunteers and Pastor Eric (the man who is hosting Kat and I). We headed to the White House. Not to be confused with America's White House, this white house has a monkey chained up in the back with live entertainment of bats swooping toward you head. We figured it would be a nice outing before two of the volunteers headed back to Germany.
Throughout the course of the evening, I had the opportunity to learn more about Pastor Eric. He had mentioned in his sermons that he was in a terrible car accident that resulted in him being in a coma for a month. Thus, I tried to spark some conversation by asking for more details about the accident. Pastor then informed me that he had been in not one, but three tragic car accidents.
In fact, he admitted that during one car accident he had been driving a vehicle holding some 15 people. The tire on top of the car fell off, and pastor could not avoid it due to his high speed. After running over the spare tire, the car ended up rolling off the road and into a pole. When I asked if anyone was injured, I was aghast with his casual answer of "Oh yes, a small child died." WHAT! I barely contained my horror, and I couldn't help but ask what happened after. He recounted that he fled the scene and remained in hiding until his uncle paid off the police.
While he was telling the remaining stories, we learned that he has been in a coma a total of 4 times. The first coma he was in, he awoke to people nailing his arm into the coffin because they had taken him for dead. (Yes, we asked if the doctors checked his pulse, but he did not seem to understand our concern that the hospital assumed he was dead without verifying his heart had stopped.)
In the end, we discovered that the qualifications for being a pastor are not limited to convicts, murderers, and sexists. The sexist part was revealed when Pastor insisted that women do not have the traits necessary to be president, such as toughness and foresight (his words...not mine).
On a side note, today another new volunteer arrived. I can't quite describe him...maybe another time.
Throughout the course of the evening, I had the opportunity to learn more about Pastor Eric. He had mentioned in his sermons that he was in a terrible car accident that resulted in him being in a coma for a month. Thus, I tried to spark some conversation by asking for more details about the accident. Pastor then informed me that he had been in not one, but three tragic car accidents.
In fact, he admitted that during one car accident he had been driving a vehicle holding some 15 people. The tire on top of the car fell off, and pastor could not avoid it due to his high speed. After running over the spare tire, the car ended up rolling off the road and into a pole. When I asked if anyone was injured, I was aghast with his casual answer of "Oh yes, a small child died." WHAT! I barely contained my horror, and I couldn't help but ask what happened after. He recounted that he fled the scene and remained in hiding until his uncle paid off the police.
While he was telling the remaining stories, we learned that he has been in a coma a total of 4 times. The first coma he was in, he awoke to people nailing his arm into the coffin because they had taken him for dead. (Yes, we asked if the doctors checked his pulse, but he did not seem to understand our concern that the hospital assumed he was dead without verifying his heart had stopped.)
In the end, we discovered that the qualifications for being a pastor are not limited to convicts, murderers, and sexists. The sexist part was revealed when Pastor insisted that women do not have the traits necessary to be president, such as toughness and foresight (his words...not mine).
On a side note, today another new volunteer arrived. I can't quite describe him...maybe another time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)