All Four Guyana

I was a freshman in high school when my family packed up everything in my childhood home and moved into a town home apartment.  It was a big adjustment for me and my entire family, but it probably wasn't as big of an adjustment that our next door neighbors, another family of four, was about to make.  They were moving to Guyana, South America as missionaries.  It was the first time I had heard of two things: the country of Guyana, and "blogs".  It was 1995 and I remember my mom being very excited to follow their blog because I think we had just installed dial-up for the first time in our family's history.  Their blog was called "All Four Guyana" and you'd better believe it was the first thing I searched when I found out I was moving here, too.

View from the road

I never found their blog, but in my research I discovered Georgetown, the capital of Guyana is 6 meters below high tide, thus not known for their beaches, but rather the "sea wall", literally a wall build in the 1700s by the Dutch that allows GT to not be the Atlantic Ocean.  (I'll post a pic ASAP).  I also found out that the British took over a century later, bringing with them East Indians and West Africans as slaves, which is why, today, they drive on the left and the population is so diverse.  With less than a million people in the country, 95% resides along the coast, 50% of them being East Indian-IndoGuyanes (Hindu and Muslim), 30% black Africans (Christian and Muslim), 5% Native AmerIndians (living inland) and 10% mixed, including Chinese and European.  Guyana is the only English speaking country in South America and most of their exporting resources include sugar and rice, fish and tropical fruits and veggies, mining for bauxite and logging for wood.  Guyanese dollars translates $1,000 GD to $5 USD.

Sugar cane fields.

While there are several similarities to my experiences in Gambia (unwanted attention and cat calling, coastal, British colonization), I can already infer that this post is going to be very different.  For example, the infrastructure in Guyana is much more developed.  Roads are paved along the coast and there is electricity and running water, as far as I can tell.  I met with a fellow co-worker last week and even though it's still much more relaxed than the States, working hours are roughly 9-4:30 and I have a somewhat specific job with ChildLinK, which strives to give every child in Guyana the opportunity to live an abuse-free and opportunity filled childhood.

My "training" as a Peace Corps Response has been much different, as well.  Instead of 3 months of living with a host family and learning the ins and outs, I had an extremely intense and inclusive 4 day training, in which me and a fellow PCVR were shuttled around for banking, counterpart meetings, lease agreement signings, shopping, etc, and basic introductions of culture, safety and security and background of the country, by our PC supervisor.  Basically, now I know everything and nothing.  My biggest fears were flooding in the rainy season and hurricanes, which apparently begin north of us, on the coast of Venezuela.  I am convinced that everyone should own a boat, but our safety officer assured us that the next major flood won't happen for at least 2 more years (the last one drowned Georgetown in 2005).

Front view of my apartment.

I was told via email that I'd have modern amenities in my apartment and based on my Gambia experience I was preparing for developing country "modern amenities", thinking that my electricity and water may or may not be functioning 24/7 and maybe I'd splurge on a fan.  Maybe it would still be best to have a pit latrine in case the water decided to be faulty?  I remember having culture shock at least twice, with regard to my living arrangement in Gambia and this time was no different.  When I was finally dropped off at my apartment, I continued to look around my apartment in disbelief that I was set up with even MORE amenities than I owned in the States, including a TV and landline.  Of course, everything electric still costs money, and I'm on PC budget of bare minimum (about $200/month).  Now I'm adjusting to living like an AmericGuyanese with Internet, a washing machine that is really quirky, fans, a fridge, a fully furnished apartment with amazingly generous landlords that frequently travel to the States, expensive grocery stores (I actually saw Braggs Amino Acids, which I intentionally packed!!, as well as many other US familiar items which I will most likely NOT be purchasing due to my minimal budget...friends and family back home, now you might understand why I'm so "frugal") and 2 open air markets.  Transportation is also apparently more reliable, although I have a bike with a basket and a helmet and lights (which I purchased and attached myself, Mom).  That said, EVERYTHING still takes a lot longer than planned, which is probably why I've slept about 10 hours the past 4 nights.  My new bed time is 9:30-10pm.  I am just exhausted by the end of every day...

Fully functioning kitchen! Universally my favorite room in the house.

I'm being introduced to all the right people, it seems like, including past PC Guyana volunteers who now work at the International school as teachers, fellow PC Response volunteers, Guyanese co-workers and PC admin, to name a few.  It also seems I may have been pre-destined to serve here, as the PC Country Director and his family own a home in OKC.  He is also from Dallas.  The world keeps getting smaller and smaller...

Anyway, I will still gladly accept care packages, although they will take a long time to get to me, so send them ASAP!

US Embassy Guyana

100-101 Young & Duke Streets

Georgetown, Guyana

South America

Attention : Peace Corps / Courtney Gilman