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Creepies & Crawlies

Creepies & Crawlies: The highlight of this post has to do with a presentation made to our training group on all of the delightful creatures found in the hinterland that could kill us during the course of our service. Some of my favorites are listed below.

The Brazillian Bee (i.e. Killer/Kamikaze Bee)

The Brazillian bee was bread with African bees to increase local honey production. Unfortunately the hybrid is significantly more aggressive than most bees, including the two strains that comprise it.

Paper, Armadillo & Parasol Wasps

These are the three local varieties of wasps (which are aggressive everywhere when disturbed). This is the least of my worries, but unpleasant just the same.

The Bullet Ant

The Bullet Ant is the size of…you guessed it…a bullet. 3-12 stings can put you into shock.

The Flannel Caterpillar

This caterpillar has venom in its hair glands that burns the skin. The name comes from the flannel pattern on its back.

The Lonomia Caterpillar

This caterpillar has long hairy spikes. It’s deadly upon contact and usually causes bleeding under the skin in addition to intense pain before the victim dies.

Leischmanaisis

Leischmanaisis is caused by the Sand Fly (busi asi in the local language). The disease causes a crater like wound in the flesh that grows larger and deeper over time.  The wound can consume appendages if not treated quickly (three painful shots in the bum).

The Bot Fly & the Seika

The Bot Fly and Seika are two lovely creatures that lay eggs in your skin. Seika usually reside in the dust/sand and often enter the skin on the foot. The Seika can be removed by making a small incision and squeezing the larvae out of the skin. The Bot Fly larvae, however, are somewhat harder to detect and are barbed. It becomes apparent that you have a Bot Fly when your “bite” wound continues to ooze and itch for an extended period of time until, eventually, the mouth of the larvae protrudes from the wound to get air. Mmmmmm….delicious. Both are relatively harmless, but very gross.

The Kissing Bug

This Kissing Bug is a small insect that resembles a stick bug. It bites you near the mouth (hence the name) and can cause Chagas Disease. After the initial flu symptoms subside, a chagoma develops near the bite. Eventually the disease causes heart and intestinal worms.

Pin, Ring & Hook Worms

“Doc,” the Peace Corps doctor in Suriname, calls this variety of pests “Spaghetti” (use your imagination). Yes, they are in your intestines and bum. The host will experience nocturnal itching around the rectum when the worms’ heads come out for oxygen. They are easy to contract and super gross.

The Banana Spider (i.e. Brazilian Wandering Spider)

This is the single most dangerous spider in the world. In addition to killing one in two of all of its victims, the Banana Spider also causes permanent impotence in surviving male victims. It resembles a large, brown starfish and will stand on its hind legs and dance when faced with opposition. They are not afraid of humans and are aggressive, unlike most spiders.

The Tarantula, Black Widow, Tropical Recluse and Goliath Bird-Eating Spiders

The latter of these has an abdomen the size of a ping-pong ball. This bunch is good fun.

Vampire Bats

The vampire bat has anticoagulant in its saliva. They fly low to the ground and prey on small animals but do periodically bite humans by mistake.

Piranhas

Four of the six species of Piranha are found in Suriname. Contrary to popular belief, the do attack humans (when they are hungry, smell blood or their habitat is disturbed) and have killed several people in Suriname. The fact that I will be doing all of my bathing and washing in the rivers where these are found is not a comfort. Essentially, they are my worst nightmare.

Electric Eel

These long, slimy fellows deliver 500-600 volts of electricity to their victims and are found in several of the rivers in Suriname. Sick.

Fresh Water Sting Rays & Large Cat Fish

These are fairly self-explanatory. The show River Monsters filmed an episode in Suriname. That should speak to the size of the fish.

Jaguars

These large cats do not customarily attack humans (unless they are old and slow), though they will attack dogs.

The Poison Dart Frog, Blue Poison Frog and Surinamese Clown Frog

These frogs are very colorful and very poisonous. The simple rule: If it’s bright and beautiful DON’T TOUCH IT.

Pit Vipers & Vine Snakes

The Pit Viper is the most commonly occurring poisonous snake in Suriname. Several varieties exist and can be found all over the country. They are active mostly at night and have split pupils that make their eyes resemble those of a cat.

Coral Snakes

There are many kinds (red, black, brown, tropical, etc.) and they are all deadly. As scary snakes go, these are actually pretty small. They can be found on land and in the water. Most varieties are characterized by red and yellow horizontal bands.

The Bushmaster

This snake is large and tan with a black triangular pattern on its back. It is extremely toxic.

The Anaconda

This snake is massive and features (usually) polka dots on its back. The anaconda suffocates its victims before eating them whole. Very cool, very dangerous.

Guns & Gun Traps

1 in 10 Surinamese owns a shotgun legally. In the interior, hunters rig shotguns to trip wires to kill animals. Unfortunately, they also kill several humans each year.

Quick update on training: Aucan (e.g. Okanisi Tongo, Ndyuka Tongo) lessons are going really well. The language is surprisingly similar to English, which makes a lot of sense since it’s based in English. Favorite phrases include:

“Angii e kii mi”

I’m hungry. (Direct translation: hunger is killing me)

“Nyan yu nyan nyan”

Eat your food.

“Gaantangi fii”

Thank you.

“Mi abi losi bee”

I have diarrhea. (Direct translation: I have loose belly)

Random notes: Our training group has taken up several sports. We have a group that goes running in the morning.  Running is more or less the same here except that we run in the motorcycle lane of the main road and the lead runner has to signal to the group when bikes approach, particularly when they have they’re lights off. Another group does yoga while the runners are out and about. In the evenings we play kickball and soccer and, much to our amusement, the local girls soccer team has invited us to scrimmage with them on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Despite the fact that the girls have an average age of 14, our skill level is on par with theirs.

Our inoculation series has begun as well. Thursday was Rabies and Yellow Fever day. My upper arms are displeased with the vaccinations thus far.

We managed to set up karaoke at the training facility. Needless to say, it was a huge success.

This Saturday we went into the capital (Paramaribo) with our LCFs (Language and Culture Facilitators). The city has a lot to offer but was considerably less “western” than photos online suggest. Raw sewage fills the gutters and trash litters the streets. Many of the wooden buildings are completely dilapidated to the point that the wood itself is disintegrating. That said, there is an EXCELLENT market filled with food stands, fresh fruits and veggies, spices, home goods, etc. I hope to return there soon to get some dinner supplies.  The LCFs took us to a store on Saramaacastraat (Saramaaca street) to purchase pongis, which are the decorative plaid sarong skirts that Maroon women in the interior villages wear. Since the finished pongis (i.e. embellished and hemmed) are relatively expensive ($50 SRD), I bought two unfinished fabric swaths and some solid colored fabric with which to decorate them.

On a side note, I am continually impressed by how friendly people are in Suriname. Everywhere we go we are greeted with kindness—it’s not fake smiles from a vendor that is trying to rip you off, but genuine niceness. I love it!

I'm sorry for the lack of pictures, but the upload speed here is very prohibitive. Questions/Comments? Feel free to ask/share and I'll respond as quickly as possible.

Thanks,

Kate

Alive & Well in Suriname

ARRIVAL

After a five hour layover in Curaçao and a stopover in Trinidad, we landed in Paramaribo. From the airport, we trainees (Sur17) were escorted by bus to the PST training site in Lelydorp where we were met by several of the current volunteers (Sur 15 & 16).  On our second night the current volunteers were invited to join us for dinner and a reception at the training facility. We played a couple games of volleyball before dinner started and were surprised with a performance by a traditional Maroon dance group during the reception. 

Thus far, training has included sessions on safety and security, Surinamese culture and team building. The staff has been overwhelmingly friendly and supportive, and the current volunteers have provided helpful insight into culture and the type of adjustments that will need to be made on site.  Most importantly, the individuals in my training group are amazing. We are hugely diverse in terms of our respective hometowns, our professional backgrounds and interests.  Everyone has a great sense of humor and commitment to service.

OVERVIEW: WEEK 1

Although I’d read about the climate in before arriving, I had never experienced weather like that of Suriname before. It’s about 85 degrees Fahrenheit and humid (like a sauna) all day.  The blazing sunshine is periodically interrupted with all out downpours—the sky opens up and dumps was seems like a lake onto the Earth in less than 5 minutes.  The quantity and frequency of rain explains the incredibly green vegetation and colorful flowers and fruits that grow everywhere.  However, I have to say that it’s going to take some time before I get used to running in the muggy climate.  I’m learning to sweat like I didn’t think possible and am getting accustomed to taking multiple showers a day.

Among my favorite things in Suriname thus far is the food.  Spice, particularly hot peppers called Madame Cher-something-or-other, is a key ingredient to every dish. Chicken and beef are baked or fried in warm, spicy sauces and are served either with white rice, thin unleavened bread or egg noodles.  To date I haven’t had a meal I didn’t like.  Unfortunately, fresh vegetables do not seem to be a staple in the local diet.  Perhaps a garden is in store once I arrive on site…

In terms of the schedule, PST has changed significantly from previous years. Until 2011, volunteers customarily spent a week or so in Lelydorp (center-based training) before spending a few months in a home stay (community-based training). Sur17, however, will be spending several weeks in Lelydorp prior to an abbreviated host family stay. While I’m disappointed in this shift from the standpoint that a longer home stay would facilitate much faster language learning, it also means that I get to spend more time with my training class. 

LANGUAGE LEARNING COMMUNITY

Saturday was an exciting day from the standpoint that we received our language assignments, which will ultimately dictate the ethic community and geographic location of our site. I was very pleased to have been assigned to learn Aucan. Classes begin on Monday and are taught by a native-speaker. My language learning group is comprised of only four trainees, so I am very lucky in terms of the amount of one-on-one instruction I am likely to receive.

Aucans or Ndyuka are one of the five different subcommunities within the Maroon population (descendants of runaway slaves) of Suriname. Maroons make up 10% of the Surinamese population. The other four Maroon subgroups are: the Kwinti, the Matawai, the Saramaccans and the Paramaccans.   Aucans live upstream on the rivers in Eastern Suriname (i.e. the Cottica, Tapanahoni and Marowijne rivers). 

On Friday we also were instructed on how to do laundry in the hinterland (i.e. the interior). Clothes washing, “crosi wasi” in Aucan, is done in plastic buckets at the river with bar soap and a scrub brush and/or rock. We practiced today (minus the river and rock) in the yard of the training facility, much to the amusement of our host-country language instructors.

I'll try to add some pictures tomorrow but the internet connection is really slow. Cross your fingers. More details to come—stay tuned!

Departure Date

STAGING

Tomorrow morning I fly to Miami for the "staging event." Staging will be the first official opportunity for me to meet my fellow trainees and to submit the final paperwork before leaving the U.S.  On May 3rd, my training group (Sur17) will depart for Suriname and begin our Pre-Service Training (PST), which includes eleven weeks of center-based and community-based learning.  PST activities aim educate the trainees in several competencies and include language training, based on a targeted language group (i.e. Aucan, Saramaccan or Sranan Tongo), technical sessions, cultural experiences and health and safety classes. 

Needless to say, I'm extremely excited. Please follow the blog for updates and feel free to add any comments/questions as they arise. I will do my best to respond quickly (given my limited access to internet) look forward to sharing my adventures!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Why did you join the Peace Corps?

A: I joined Peace Corps for three main reasons: 

1. For the last two and a half years I've worked for a large, multinational corporation. In addition to financing my graduate education, this opportunity provided me with invaluable exposure to a fast-pace business environment in which I observed the continuously evolving relationship between the private, public and non-profit sectors. Additionally, it offered me first-hand insight into the challenges of branding and public relations and the efficiencies that can be gained through process management. 

Yet despite all that I learned, I did not feel that I was making any sort of substantial difference.  In effect, my private sector experience helped me realize that I want to do something service-oriented.  As a volunteer organization, Peace Corps affords its volunteers experience at the grassroots level working in coordination with local partners projects whose outcomes have direct, positive impacts on a specific community.  

2. Anyone who knows me is familiar with my affinity for travel. Having moved often as a child and later studied abroad, I am enamored with all things foreign (i.e. food, languages, music, architecture) and feel compelled to discover all that the world has to offer.  Living abroad is, I think, one of the best ways to learn about oneself and others. It provides perspective informing us about why individuals and collectives think and behave as they do. Peace Corps service entails 27 months of complete immersion in a foreign culture. 

3.  In the Master of Public Administration program at the George Washington University, students are allowed to select a "field," or area of academic concentration, within their program. I chose to study International Development with a particular focus on the relationship between security and development. Unfortunately, as I began to explore job prospects within the field, it became apparent that at least two years of development field experience are required in order to be considered for most entry-level positions in the top NGOs and multilaterals.  Much to my dismay, business experience in Washington, D.C. does not qualify.  While many NGOs and service organizations offer short-term volunteer programs abroad, few do so at no cost to the participants. In addition to being well known and well respected, another key advantage of the Peace Corps is that it pays the cost of living of its volunteers.

Q: Where will you be living in Suriname?

A: Short answer: I don't know. Long answer: Volunteers are interviewed to determine their community. Site assignment is dependent on several factors to be assessed throughout the course of PST. Although there are some sites in the capital and coastal regions, which are significantly more developed, most Peace Corps sites are in the country's rural interior. 

Q: Will you have access to the internet?

A: Access to amenities like electricity, running water and the internet vary widely by site.  Stay tuned.