Whirlwind of a Week

Guy 24!!!  Right off the plane

It has been a full week since I embarked on this unknown Peace Corps experience. The thoughts I had in my head on Day 1 have drastically changed from the ones I have now. Our group of 31 arrived at Splashmin's Water Resort where we were greeted by trainers and other Guy 23 volunteers. We received some basic training about the Guyanese world we had really yet to explore. I couldn't help think that we were on some sort of a Survivor/Real World reality mix when we were asked to complete swimming, kayaking, and bike riding tests (challenges in my mind). They turned out to be fun over all and a chance for our group to bond. We also had a pretty awesome game of volleyball on the beach so we have become fast friends. On Saturday we braved the rain and packed in (smalled up) to a soggy, humid bus to meet our host families. I had butterflies in my stomach the whole way over. I didn't know what to expect! Each host parent stood up and said a Creolese saying and then the matching volunteer was announced. When my named was announced I gave my "new mom" a big hug. I was so excited to get to know her and her husband. It also turned out that another volunteer lived in my village so we packed into a car and went to our new home for the next 2 months.
HosFast forward a little bit and I can tell you that my host family is amazing! They are really kind people, always looking out for me, giving me advice, and making sure I feel right at home. They are very knowledgeable about a variety of things, so its always nice to chat and get their perspective. I am learning some Guyanese cooking methods and eating a ton of delicious food. On Saturday night I was watching the Barcelona game and chatting with my host dad about the team. I was convinced I was having one of those vivid dreams that the Malaria meds give you because it felt so similar to how I spend time with my own dad.

My host family

Gradually, I am getting accustomed to life here, such as how to greet people, how to catch a car, etc. For me, I am lucky and my host house still has many of the same comforts I enjoyed in the U.S. I know it won't always be like this, but I think my life will be a lot more urban than I initially expected. I thought I didn't have too many expectations, but living with similar U.S. comforts was not really among them. I guess everyone always has a picture of a rugged, sort of isolated Peace Corps experience, but that is only the experience of some. (Although living without A/C here is definitely going to be a challenge!) I think my expectations are things that I am coming to terms with and trying to focus on the big picture and the reasons I wanted to do Peace Corps in the first place.

Soursop

Thinking about the next two years of life can be very overwhelming so small steps will be key. For now, I am going to go enjoy some sour sap on the front porch with my host mom and see who is out and about. I hope all is well!!

Lots of Love,

Krista

My host mama and I :-)

P.S. The power just went out when I was about to post this...apparently blackouts are pretty frequent here so that should make for some interesting times