Photos

 Paramaribo on New Year's Eve

Another view

And another...

 Yet another

Guess where? That's right--Paramaribo on New Year's Eve. Oh yeah, and that truck was moving!

Post-New Year's bash in Rica with friend Drusilla. Note my purple extensions :)

With one of my counterparts, Tante Mina

The gorgeous ladies of Rica taking a break from dancing

Christmas and New Years

Fair warning: This is a very long blog entry. I have a sneaking suspicion that only my family will want to read the chronicle of my folks trip, but since it was exciting for me I decided to include it. More pictures to come--download speed is slow on BlogSpot. Otherwise photos are available on Facbeook.

New Year’s Done Right

On December 31^st Paramaribo is an absolute zoo! It’s no surprise to me now why it’s considered one of the most exciting cities in the world to visit for the New Year holiday.  On Domineestraat whole city blocks were wrapped in firecrackers, the street and balconies overflowing with Surinamers and foreign visitors gathering en masse to view the festivities. 

Early in the morning tents began to pop up on the street corners housing vendors of beer, pickled fruits and barbeque. As the hours passed, marching bands and dance team performances began the chaotic parade-like scene and the bands and other entertainers set up on the multiple stages downtown.  Two monster trucks jam packed with DJs, dancers and a handful of lucky bystanders laid on their horns as their drivers tried to roll the big machines through thousands of onlookers in the street.

At noon the fireworks began—cracking around buildings, shooting up into the sky and every other direction. The air smelled like sulfur as the smoke filled the sky and visitors pulled on their surgical masks, put in their earplugs. 

Those of us who started off on Domineestraat made our way down to the Waterkant where, a much more subdued location, to share a few beers and conversation before the night’s parties began.

A few hours later, as darkness began to fall on the city and the sticky heat of the tropics began to fade away, our group pushed onward to the Palmtuin (Palm Garden) to watch the fireworks that were exploding in every direction and catch a bit of fresh air.  By 9:30 PM we were off to Zus & Zos guesthouse for drinks, donuts and dancing before the countdown to 2012.

My (Peace Corps) New Year’s Resolution for 2012

It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for seven months! Seven months without running water. Seven months without changing seasons. Seven months without seeing my friends and, up until just now, my family. 2011 constituted such a dramatic shift in my life that it’s often difficult internalize how I came to be here. While I’ve given up so much to be a volunteer, I’ve found as much in the process: New friends, new skills, new challenges.  2012 arrives just as my life in Suriname is beginning to normalize—on the heels of great emotional stress and on the doorstep of previously unforeseen opportunity. 

As one of the last class of Peace Corps volunteers in Suriname, I feel a certain obligation to help my community realize its potential, to bring about some kind of lasting, positive change.  All things considered, the 20 months that remains in my service leave little time for action, but I’m confident that, with careful planning, some small but very important goals can be realized:

·      First, I aim to work with Rica’s youth to broaden their perspective on environmental and gender issues, and to empower them to adopt positive behavior changes that will improve their lives.  My first step toward this goal is planning a Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) in coordination with my roommate and fellow Rica volunteer Suzie Kay and two volunteers in the Amerindian communities of Erowarte and Tapuuku. Ideally a boys leadership camp will follow.

·      Second, I will continue to work with Rica’s internal community development organization to identify future projects and project partners in order to ensure that the village continues to improve the collective livelihood of its residents through a formalized, sustainable process.  We will begin construction of the new daycare center in the next two months. Also, we plan to host some of our partners with Rotary as well as a guest from the UN Development Programme and, potentially, a school teacher from the U.S. at the end of January. This visit will serve to build on existing relationships and to develop future partnerships.

Post New Year’s Extravaganza: Village Style

Last night Rica hosted a roaring post-New Year’s bash complete with live music, plenty of alcohol and a visit from the Minister of Social Services. For those of you who can’t imagine me with purple hair extensions—and I assume that’s most of you, please enjoy the photos.  I didn’t resist the temptation to go dance, though I was admittedly a little embarrassed to try shaking my booty to Aleke music in front of a group of people that could easily have a career in traditional dance. All went well and I managed to sneak away by 12:30 AM to get some sleep. After the festivities I was, for the first time in country, able to sleep-in until 10:00 AM.  Thankfully, J

January 3^rd was an unusually quiet and pleasant day, given that the children are still on school vacation.  I was able to bribe a few kids with left over candy canes and they were happy to give me peace for the whole day in order to clean the house, take down the Christmas decorations and read a bit.  For the second time I was thrilled to have one of my eight-year-old buddies stop by to request a big plastic bag so that he could go collect garbage in ganda, the “downtown” area of my village. He’s determined to keep Rica clean and I’m happy to fit the bill for his trash bags :)

Chronicle of Mom & Dad’s Visit to Suriname

My parent’s visit was also quite the adventure. We started with a whirlwind, one-day tour of  Paramaribo.  A cup of home-made ginger beer got us off on the right foot as we wandered through the Central Market—a dizzying array of colors and smells painting the stands of different vendors throughout the two-story hall.

Next, we walked up to where a large mosque and the old Jewish temple stand side-by-side in the city center.  After a few photographs and a quick jaunt to the souvenir shop RedyTex, we took shelter in a DVD shop while the afternoon rain poured down.

A while later we headed into the Dutch quarter to get a feel for the old colonial architecture—white wooden buildings with wide porches overlooking the streets. From there we continued on to the Presidential palace and old Governor’s mansion, now the site of the Ministry of Finance, through Independence Square, past the National Assembly to Fort Zeelandia.

My parents and I backtracked to the Waterkant after a brief tour of the Fort to get some Surinamese bami and a Parbo beer.  We almost beat the rain on the way back to the hotel for a snooze before crossing the bridge into Comowijne for a holiday party with a handful of other volunteers and their visiting family members.  Despite the fact that our chatty cabbie felt the need to share a few of his less politically correct opinions on Surinamese society and its respective ethnic groups, excluding his own of course, the drive was agreeable. Mostly it gave my folks a different picture than what they had seen in the city and would soon see in my village on the Cottica.

Friday’s trip to site presented a few obstacles but nothing out of the ordinary. Our wagi (taxi) was fuller than usual and the driver had quite the time trying to pack in all of our baggage.  On the way to Moengo a few stray items fell from their place, crashing into some pour little boy’s head who had the misfortune of sitting in the back, middle seat.  After short cry and slight reorganization, we found ourselves on the way again—this time with a lap full of frozen meat, a bucket of laundry detergent, a box of granola bars and several pieces of luggage.  Thankfully, the road to Moengo is now fully paved so the bumps and dives were limited.

In Moengo, where we normally would have caught the boat to Rica, we noticed that our boat was being packing by Power, a man who normally drives a different boat to and from Wan Hati.  As it turned out, his motor died that morning and our boat was on loan to him for the afternoon since many of his stops are not accessible by road and Rica is.  A small bus collected those of us en route to Rica and dropped us off at our location. My parents were thrilled to see Suzie Kay walking up the path from the river with a bucket of freshly washed dishes on her head as we arrived—a great snapshot into our lives as Peace Corps volunteers. The first day at site we greeted my neighbors and enjoyed pumpkin stew while telling stories: A relaxing night before yet another travel day on Saturday. 

The morning of Christmas Eve we woke early to catch the wagi to Albina with my counterpart. It was smooth sailing minus some mild confusion about with forms we needed to fill out in immigration and whether or not we had to come back for a second round of passport stamps upon our return from French Guyana.  The boat ride across was beautiful and we were able to get to the market in no time. Unfortunately the rain caught us mid lettuce purchase and we had to take cover inside. On the bright side, a warm bowl of Vietnamese pho and fresh pressed juices awaited each of us inside.

A tour of the old labor (i.e. prison) camp followed our shopping.  The camp does not offer guided tours to my knowledge, so we wandered about reading the information plaques. Inside the tiny cells, we could see were the inmates had been chained up.  A couple of cold Belgian beers completed our adventure before pushing through the mobs of boat drivers eager to hassle my counterpart to secure their services for the ride back across the Marowijne River.

Some two hours later we were back in Rica, washing up for the Christmas Eve church service. The Pastor was kind enough to pass out song sheets with the English versions of various Christmas carols so my parents would have some idea what was going on.  Several of the children also performed, included a duet by two girls in English. Somehow most of the church going adults seemed to forget to come on both Christmas Eve and Christmas, but the ceremony was nice regardless.  Most important of all the events on Christmas Eve, we ate beef, salad and Christmas cookies. Oh yeah, and there were two bottles of wine to top it off. Take that for a jungle holiday!

Christmas day we attended another church ceremony and took it easy for the rest of the day.  We made and distributed a batch of “Hello Dolly” cookies, which were a big hit and then I taught Mom how to wash dishes in the river.  She turned down the opportunity to go for a swim. I couldn’t tell you what her reasoning was, but I vaguely remember some comment about piranhas…

On the 26^th, our last day in Rica, Dad and I went for a nature walk and spotted several interesting birds (see Facebook for photos).  Highlights include an eagle, a beautiful hawk, several parrots and a macaw.  We squeezed in some final visits with friends in the village and packed up the suitcases.

On December 27^th it was back to foto (the city) via the boat to Moengo and a two-hour wagi ride. We made a quick stop at the Peace Corps office, grabbed some roti at Albea’s Restaurant and taxied back to the hotel where our old room was conveniently waiting for us in all its air-conditioned glory.  We shared a lovely dinner with Suzie Kay and packed for phase two as the first half of their trip came to a close.

Bergendal Ecotourism Resort was the destination of the next part of our Suriname adventure and thankfully they provide transportation. In a moment of confusion we were concerned that we had lost our reservation when the concierge at the Krasnapolski Hotel, the point of departure to Bergendal, informed us that we had not paid for our stay by the date listed in the reservation confirmation. Dad sorted that situation out just in time for us to hop on the bus for the trip down South toward Brookopondo.

Although the room wasn’t quite ready when we wanted, we were quickly reminded why Bergendal made it onto our itinerary: A ten zip, twelve platform canopy tour!  Even Mom was convinced to suit up—harnesses, helmets and all, and glide through the jungle on metal cables despite a moderate amount of comments ike, “this is my worst nightmare,” and, “oh my God, I’m never letting you two sign me up for anything ever again,” under her breath. The views were spectacular, particularly the zip across the Suriname River.  In the end, all three of us had an amazing time.

Another perk of going to Bergendal was getting to see my host mother from Community-Based Training, who works there.  When we arrived in our lodge, Fernanda had written “I <3 Kate” in towels on my pullout bed—a nice welcome!  After our canopy tour we hopped a bus to Company Creek to visit my host aunt, Thai, and her children. Despite the fact that we only had an hour—the bus we chartered wasn’t exactly cheap—we had enough time to catch up and exchange a story or two. Upon returning to Bergendal, we met up with Fernanda for drinks and she and my parents were able to get to know each other a bit.

The next morning, much to my father’s dismay, the water cut out mid-shower.  Apparently there was a problem with the resort’s pumping system and our section of lodges had no water for the rest of the morning.  Gratefully, two bottles of water resolved Dad’s soapy situation and we collectively decided to spend the rest of the morning beside the pool.

Back in the city the folks were able to enjoy a quiet night at the hotel before their last full day in Suriname.  I, on the other hand, met the other volunteers for a night of dancing at Havana Lounge until the wee hours of the morning.

On the 30^th, Mom and I accompanied Dad to ReadyTex for some last minute souvenirs before heading to Jerusalem Bazarre—the pangi shop.  Hundreds of bolts of colorful fabric in plaids and African prints peaked Mom’s eye in the bustling shop on Saramaccastraat. Several purchases later, we pushed our way back to the hotel through the mobs of visitors arriving in Paramaribo for the New Year’s celebrations.

 The hotel’s masseuse pampered Dad and me while Mom treated herself to a manicure and pedicure out on the pier.  Our de-stress sessions were the perfect precursor to our final meal at Café d’Optimist, a local steak and pasta joint in a different section of town.   When dinner was finished, I dropped the old fogies off at the hotel to catch some Z’s then stepped out to meet the other volunteers at Parbo Nights—a street fair sponsored by the Parbo Brewing Company.  I got back to the hotel at 2:00 AM, just in time to wish my parents safe travels before they jumped on the airport shuttle. Overall I think the trip was a great success and now I’m certain my parents have a better appreciation for the complicated little country I’ve called home for the last seven months.  It was great to share a piece of my adventure with them!

Things I Would Love to Receive in a Care Package

• Canned spinach
• Canned lentils
• Cream of mushroom soup
• Cream of chicken soup
• Ankle socks
• Pens

Thanksgiving and Srefidensi

I'll provide a quick update while I have internet access in the capital:

• On November 19th I ran the Srefidensi Half Marathon at, admitedly, a very slow pace. I was, however, very pleased to finish and enjoyed the race and time spent with other Peace Corps volunteers.
• Yesterday the Ambassador and his wife kindly hosted the PCVs and a couple other American's in country to Thanksgiving dinner at their home. The food was excellent and it was a wonderful way to spend the holiday. Unfortunately I may have overdone it with the food--I very nearly had to be rolled out to the taxi!
• Today is Sredifensi Day, or Surinamese Independence Day. I will not be staying in the city for the festivities but am sure it's bound to be a wild time.
• Special thanks to Ringa Bulatovic for sending me a new camera! It's up and running so I should have a new batch of pictures to upload the next time I'm in the city. Very exciting :)
• The first week in December I will be attending a boys camp in a Saramaccan village on the Suriname River. I'm very excited to see how the camp is executed so that Suzie Kay and I can replicate it in our village to correspond to the Camp GLOW we plan to hold for the girls of Rica in the Spring.

More to come!

6 Months in Suriname

The last month at site has been, well, busy! On several occasions I accompanied women in my village to their grounds (i.e. jungle farms) to help them with their planting. The planting season here generally begins in late August and goes through early to mid-December. While labor is often paid, usually SRD $65/person for one day’s work, many individuals yuu themselves, or rent out their labor in exchange for a day’s worth of labor from the person to whom they have provided services.  Since I cannot accept payment and have no grounds of my own, I come along for free to learn, work and spend time with the people of Rica. Occasionally there is a cold soda or beer in the occasion as well, which I never turn down!

The day’s work is long and hard. Once at grounds, the day begins at 10:00 AM with a prayer, from which point the digging and planting continues (in the hot sun) until 12:00 PM. At noon a snack is served and workers observe a 30 minute break. At 12:30 PM, work resumes until the lunch break from 2:00 – 2:30 PM.  The work continues until 5:00 PM, or thereabouts, in order that the farmers can get back to the boats, load them up and return to Rica before sundown.

Keep in mind, grounds are often over 30 minutes to 2 hours away and the trip usually involves extensive boat and foot travel. This system originated in the years immediately after Suriname’s Maroon slaves escaped into the bush so that their former masters would not also be able to locate the villages if they happened across the planting grounds.

Watching my friends and acquaintances navigate oversized canoes powered by outboard motors through narrow jungle creeks, which are laden with sunken logs and thick reeds, has been nothing short of amazing. Moreover, I have really enjoyed seeing how people here manage to make what would otherwise be an endless continuum of exhausting days into something amusing and social: Song and dance often interrupts furious digging; two boats destined for the same grounds suddenly find themselves in a race.

Project work is occupying a fair amount of time as well. Now that SKB and I have passed the 3-month mark at site, we have Peace Corps’ official blessing to begin projects.  The primary task at hand at present is writing a detailed budget for the conversion of the old dance hall into a daycare. Thankfully our predecessors and a select group of community members did a lot of the leg work already, so we’re mostly fine-tuning and price checking.

I’ve also submitted a proposal to host a community meeting on or about World AIDS Day in which several children from the village will perform a skit on the various means of transmission of HIV. If the presentation is well-received, I hope to follow it up with a series of formal HIV/AIDS trainings for the various demographic subgroups in our community. The proposal includes an incentive, of course—food will be served to the first 100 individuals that come to see the performance. Cross your fingers!

Once the daycare project is completed the community will use what money is left from a previous project to build six to seven pour-flush, community toilets.  In the coming months, the schedule is also replete with personal travels and challenges. I plan to run the Sredefensi half marathon in Paramaribo on November 19^th. Under the circumstances (extreme heat & humidity, lack of an appropriate place to train, etc.), I have no intention of running under a certain time or setting any personal records—I just want to finish.  I’ve done two long runs thus far in preparation, both at a turtle’s pace, and I’m hoping the adrenaline will give me an extra boost.

In early December I hope to observe a camp similar to Peace Corps’ Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) in a Saramaccan village. This one is different, however, because it’s designed for boys. SKB has recently observed a Camp GLOW on the same river. Together, we hope to learn from our counterparts in Saramacca about some of the planning and logistics that go into these camps so that we can host two, one for the boys and one for the girls, on the Cottica River.  We also have the notes of the prior volunteers in Rica to help guide us through this process.

Perhaps most exciting, my parents are coming to visit over the Christmas holiday! We’ve planned a whirlwind itinerary that has them stopping in Paramaribo, Ricanaumoffo, Saint Laurent (French Guyana), Brookopondo and Company Creek. I’m very much looking forward to sharing a little bit of my life in Suriname with them, and to give them a sampling of some of the different cities and activities the country has to offer.

On the flipside of all this fun and exciting news, my patience (of which there was little to begin with) is running thinner and thinner with the behavior of some of Rica’s youth. An episode in the last week of October resulted in my writing and posting formal rules on the door of our house to be abided to by all children visiting our home. The kids have grown accustomed to braking the crayons and puzzles, leaving them strewn about on the balcony. In the aforementioned episode, a group of boys returned SKB’s brand new Adidas soccer ball flat with what appeared to be two razor blade cuts in the side. 

Many of the children here have a real difficulty with the concept of listening, much more than any American children I’ve ever encountered. They also seem not to understand the practice of taking turns. More importantly, several of the children, if not most, disregard all attempts at discipline unless there is a threat of physical violence. 

Unfortunately, the primary form of parenting here comes from the end of a reed or belt. Children are hit for crying, for misbehaving, for making mistakes, etc. In most cases, there are no rational conversations about their behavior, about what is acceptable and what is not and why. There are no warnings preceding the blows, apart from perhaps tapuu i mofu! (shut up) shouted from a distance. The system, in my opinion, does not breed obedient, conscientious children, but unruly ones that don’t understand social systems or behavioral norms, ones that seek power and respect in the form of a fist and are quick to question any authority that tries to maintain order otherwise.  One of the greatest detriments of this system is that it does not enable the children to analyze rewards and consequences because, apart from getting hit, there are none.  Example:

If I cut this ball, I won’t have a ball to play with anymore. If I break or lose the crayons, perhaps Kate/SKB won’t buy me new ones. If I return the ball in a good condition, they will lend it to me again tomorrow. If I put the crayons away, when they run out, Kate/SKB will buy more.

These types of thoughts are, for many but not all, completely non-existent. When we try to explain the rules and consequences, we’re either met with blank stares, ignored or mocked.  They know damn well that neither SKB nor I will ever beat them, so what’s the point of behaving?

There are, of course, a handful of kids who consistently have good manners, listen, clean up after themselves and follow the rules. We try to give these children extra attention and benefits, but the others often spoil their fun.

Another observation I’ve made of the children in our village is that they have an apparent lack of special intelligence with regard to certain specific tasks. Forget reading a map, completing a nine-piece Dora the Explorer puzzle that should take a five-year-old five minutes takes most of Rica’s ten, eleven and twelve-year-olds up to twenty minutes to complete—and that’s if they can do it. They don’t seem to understand that a corner piece has two straight edges, that both the picture and the shape need to fit. And these aren’t dumb kids I’m talking about either—they’re extremely bright. I can’t figure it out.

Lastly, I have two requests. The first is that you shoot me an email, blog comment or Facebook message with the kinds of content (topics or pictures) you would like to see on my blog. I’m not sure what interests people and I’d like to tailor the website to include things that you folks want to read. If you have any suggestions, please share!

Secondly, I’m assembling a reading list for myself and need your help. Kindly share with me (via email, blog comment or Facebook message) the title(s) of your favorite book(s). We have a pretty decent library in the Peace Corps office in Paramaribo and I need help filtering the quality from the garbage. If it helps at all, below I’ve included a list of literature I have enjoyed and that which I do not.

Likes: The Stieg Larsson series, Outliers (M. Gladwell), Half the Sky (N. Kristoff, S. WuDunn), The Kite Runner (K. Hosseini), Atlas Shrugged (A. Rand), Freakanomics (S. Levitt, S. Dubner), Brick Lane (M. Ali), most Shakespear, any and all poetry, short stories—especially anything my Alice Munroe, anything interesting regarding political thought or the history of social progress, themes of social trends

Dislikes: Anything written by Michel Foucault or H.D. Thoreau, books on American politics, most biographies/autobiographies

And for the ever eager philanthropists among you, the list of things I would love to receive in a care package ;)

·         Dried fruit, nuts (favorites are apples, cherries, pecans, almonds)

·         Maple syrup

·         Milk powder

·         Beef jerky

·         GrapeNuts cereal

·         Gatorade powder (in any flavor but grape)

·         Gallon ziplock bags

·         Any instant box salad mix (tabouleh, couscous, etc.)

·         Chocolate chips

·         And for the kids: Coloring books, markers and simple puzzles

That’s all for now! Stay tuned.

Oh the places you will go...

PERSONAL UPDATE

“Hello” from sunny (sweaty) Paramaribo! The whirlwind that has been the last month gives me plenty of content to make up for the recent lack of blog posts. Unfortunately, I missed a couple days of Early Service Training (EST) because of my medical situation. About a week ago I managed to contract an infection in my arm, cellulitis, that caused my elbow to blow up to the size of my fist. The infection continued to spread down my forearm to my wrist, causing my skin to swell, turn red, burn and itch.  Other wonderful side effects included fever and chills, nausea and pain.  I was also concerned that my leg was broken after a very competitive (and unconventional) game of indoor soccer, played without shin guards, led me to kick the shin of an opposing team member while trying to kick the ball.  My leg developed a bump like a baseball and bruised dark purple from my calf down to the bottom of my foot. Thankfully, the x-ray suggests that nothing is broken. 

After a few days on antibiotics my body seems to be healing well; however, the various physical ailments also took quite a toll on my emotional state, so that last few days have been tough.  Many thanks to those that offered supportive emails and phone calls—I’m getting through!

To keep my spirits high, I gave in and bought tickets to Sean Paul.  If your not familiar with the performer, he is, in my opinion, a very mediocre pop/rap star from Jamaica whom I would not normally pay money to see perform. In light of the circumstances, however, that fact that he’s probably the best Western-style music act this country is going to see in the next few years, and that all of my friends here are going, I got on board!  In support of this ridiculous endeavour, I decided to do some retail therapy Suriname style. This was, of course, limited by a very minimal amount of money, but it’s amazing what this country has to offer for next to nothing. I’ve got rhinestone-studded blue jeans, shiny shoes and hoop earrings. The outfit is absurd, but by local standards its Dior couture so I’m feeling fly.

MY RECENT ADVENTURES

In early September Suzie Kay and I visited two other Peace Corps volunteers in an Amerindian village near Albina in northeast Marowijne District.  Located on the banks of the Marowijne River, the community was beautiful and very different from our Aucan (Maroon) site.  Of note, the village is very quiet and spread out.  There seems to be a very different understanding of personal space in the Amerindian culture—meaning that it actually exists. 

On the second day of our visit, we took advantage of being just a short boat ride away from French Guyana and popped over to check out the market in Saint Laurent.  Going through customs on the Surinamese side was a joke. Hundreds of boats cross the border illegally directly from Albina for a price of SRD $10. In order for us to cross legally, however, we had to ask about ten people where the immigration office was—because, of course, no one knew, walk way out of the way to get there, wait in line for the single immigration officer and pay SRD $20 to cross the river.  All of this took about four times as long as if we would have crossed illegally.  Plus, once we got to the French side, the customs officer asked us if we wanted one stamp or two, implying that he was happy to give us two stamps so that we wouldn’t physically have to come back to French Guyana for another visa run, if our papers required it.  He followed this comment up by informing us that we had to get our money changed on the street (illegally) since the cambio isn’t open on weekends, but advised us to be careful because, and I quote, “they are black people.” Racism lives everywhere.

Ironically, the street hustler that converted my money ended up being my neighbor’s brother.  That gave both of us a good laugh.  The size of this country continues to boggle my mind.  You can’t go anywhere, even across the French border, without meeting someone you know or are connected to in some way.

Once at the market, I immediately went into food heaven: There were lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and a million other treats that Suriname’s limited variety does not include (with the exception of the American grocery store in the capital).  In the middle of the market there’s a covered structure with a Vietnamese restaurant and fresh juice bar. Across from the market there was a bakery that sold baguettes and chocolate croissants. Most importantly, the local grocery stores there sell CHEESE. And I mean more than just Gouda! I. Went. Nuts.

Cheese in supermarket in Fr. Guyana

We also visited the former prison camp and the waterfront nearby, where two abandoned ships made for some excellent pictures.

Old prison camp

One of the abandoned ships, the one not sunk in the middle of the river.

After a very refreshing trip to Albina and Saint Laurent, we returned to site. I had another opportunity to go to grounds with some of the local women where I planted ginger and taro.  It’s great exercise, but exhausting.  We’re smack dab in the middle of the dry season right now so the sun is grueling.  My roommate and I have dubbed the period of 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM “survival mode time” because it takes most of your energy not to sweat to death in our zinc-roofed house.  During that period, we usually give the kids the coloring books and some crayons or send them off to play elsewhere while we lay on our floor, trying to get as much of our body’s surface area in contact with the cold concrete.  A few times I’ve given up and, during high tide, gone to lie on the submerged dock at the riverside.  I realize this is not a culturally normal practice, but I’m still not fully adjusted to the heat. On one occasion the man who lives near the river called out to me and asked if I was dead. I quickly informed him that I was just hot and trying to cool down. I think my motionless body might have given him some cause for concern.

Next, we made a quick weekend jaunt down the Cottica River to attend a Puu Baka, a traditional ceremony in which the spouse of a dead person is pulled out of mourning by the community a year after their partner was deceased, in another village. The village leaders offer food to the spirits in the towe nyan-nyan ceremony and women dance in the faya uudu boto (fire wood boat) on the river to the beat of traditional drums.  We were hosted by another Peace Corps volunteer and managed to booko a dei (break the day), dancing through the night until sunup with the rest of the village.

Myself (center), another volunteer and local woman that came to observe the ceremonies

Women wearing beautiful pangis at the puu baka

Most recently we’ve been on two trips: One to Redi Doti and another to the capital for Early Service Training (EST).  The trip to Redi Doti, an Amerindian village near Brokopondo, was in celebration of a fellow volunteer’s 60^th birthday. In Suriname, on your birthday you are expected to hold a party, hire a band and feed your friends. This particular volunteer and her husband were more than happy to oblige that tradition and even hosted about other volunteers for the occasion.  The birthday girl sported her own hand-made ingri krosi (Amerindian traditional clothes) while villagers prepared cassava wine.  We danced the night away at the local winkel and a good time was had by all.

The birthday girl in her ingri krosi

The day after the birthday party, we all loaded up onto the lantibus to head back to the city. The trip over the long and mostly unpaved road was made longer by the ferry ride, which is a story in and of itself.  Some years ago the government of Suriname decided to build a bridge across the Suriname River near Redi Doti. A week before the beautiful new concrete structure was supposed to open, a drunken barge captain plowed his watercraft into the bridge, ripping out the middle.  Since neither the barge captain nor the government was willing to take responsibility for the damage, the busted bridge remains (unusable) and the ferry boat continues to be the only means across the river.

The bridge near Redi Doti

The last two weeks have been jam packed with trainings on everything from project design and management to edutainment and how to use sport to facilitate basic life skills and professional development. Some of our community partners (from the various villages) came in to talk about Peace Corps and the role of the volunteer.  My brain now floweth over with information—all of which it can not possibly retain, and I’m ready to take a few days to relax, eat and develop pictures before heading back to Ricanaumoffo!

Many, many thanks go to some of my former colleagues at UTC, who sent me a couple boxes of goodies and reading materials.  Likewise, Mom and Dad are owed my gratitude for their most recent contribution.  Lastly, a big hug to Ringa for graciously offering to send me a camera since mine broke last week.  You are all amazing and you literally sustain me when I can’t fathom another plate of rice or pasta.

To those who’ve inquired, I could use the following items:

·      AAA batteries (go through them like fat kids go through candy…blame the headlamp)

·      Parmesan cheese (it will not spoil in the mail, don’t worry)

·      Granola

·      Beef jerky

·      Coloring books and crayons (for the kids)

·      Fashion magazines

·      Ground coffee

·      Grape nuts or other healthy cereals

·      Gatorade powder

·      Instant oatmeal (any flavor, even plain)

·      Lara or Cliff Bars

·      Pecans, almonds

·      Dried fruit

·      A frizbee (for the kids)

·      SALSA …please!!!!!

·      Canned chicken

Kelly Roney, I will send you a personalized email list :)

Pictures

 Kinota that I ran into at the durotank. These are postmortem, of course.

 Bush spider that I found IN MY BOOT when I went outside to take a picture of the snake I'd just killed.

 Nukse standing over her dead prey. Nukse, frog killer extraordinaire is standing over her prey post-execution.  (Two little buggars that found their way into my room).

 Christine and her grandchildren the day we went to grounds with them to pic watermelons.

The boat, loaded with the day's crop.