Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Another Year Older, Maybe Wiser?




“Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad”

My co-workers and I eating chocolate pudding pie


Well it has happened.  Give a school child a rounding drill and you would see me lumped in with the 30s. Of course, there is still a lot to do between now and my 30th birthday, but sometimes I wish I had a bit of an extension in my younger 20s.  Since this is my second birthday I have celebrated here, I can make some comparisons.  My first birthday I called my “Merry Little Birthday” because I was mostly new here and didn’t know that many people.  While I don’t like getting older, I like celebrating birthdays so it was strange to just sit at home watching movies and eating French Fries.  This year I can honestly say was one of the best birthdays I have had in a while.
  I made chocolate pudding pie and Quesadillas at work and then went to Karaoke at night with some friends.  I was very sleep deprived Friday, but managed to make sushi. Saturday I went to the beach and that night went out with a set of women from a group I work with.  Everyone was incredibly sweet and I was impressed that so many people remembered it was my birthday.  Many people offered many words of kindness and even a few surprise gifts.  I am very fortunate to have met such nice, kind people here.  One of my friends commented on what we would do next year.  The crazy thing is that next year I am supposed to COS April 4th, right before my birthday.  I really can’t say right now whether I will have already left Guyana or if I will still be here. 

Playing for Indian Arrival Day
While the timing of my trip in 2014 is still uncertain, I am getting closer to my first visit to the U.S. since I’ve moved to Guyana.  It will have been 15 months since I have been home.  I have always gone to school far away or have jumped at any chance to travel, but the longest I have been away from home is about 3 months.  I am charting unknown territory, which is nothing new but this time it is bit more personal.  This time I am a visitor to my home, to what I have missed for 15 months, to people I haven’t seen.  I have been pretty lucky in terms of communicating with many people, but it is still not the same thing as being there.  On one hand I am so so so excited to be back home, to see my family and friends, and to eat all the foods I’ve been missing.  On the other hand, I am nervous.  Every time you are away for a while, you don’t see things in the same way as before.  Your vision changes, some things become uglier when under a different focus. Sometimes a different type of beauty can appear.  Am I going to like what I see as I did before?  I am also quite good at convincing myself that I don’t miss things.  But as they did in Barbados, I am certain the things that I have buried for so long will come back to the surface like those dang Cicadas that are supposed to be out when I return home.  When you find comfort again in things you have missed, it can be a tough process to give them up all over again.
Indian Arrival Day
Last day of diabetes class
So how do I find myself wiser?  Well, many Guyanese will tell you to nah tek stress.  If you ever worry or stress over all of the things that are supposed to take place or are planned here, you would easily have a heart attack.  Most of the time things change drastically from what they are supposed to be.  They start late, get cancelled at the last minute, or are somehow interrupted.  I was recently in a play for a very important Indian Arrival Day with another volunteer.  There were supposed to be thousands of audience members and it was supposed to start at a certain time.   In the end we started about an hour late, there were much less people than expected, oh and our play was cut short so I didn’t even say all of my lines.  I kind of expected something strange to happen and I was barely nervous even though I HATE public speaking.  When it comes down to it, you never know what really will happen the only thing you can do is try to be prepared.  In the end, life is always right so why worry too much?
I also know I will be leaving Guyana with a whole set of things to do once I get back.  We have NEWBIES!!!  GUY25 is here (we welcomed them bleary eyed at the airport) so I will get to do a training session with them.  Not to mention spending time getting to know them.  Also, Camp GLOW is coming up again and there is a never ending to do list related to that.  Of course I have a lot of other plans that keep cropping up, such as milking a cow for the first time and other important matters.  Unfortunately, time is starting to run out on my growing list of things to do. 
Taking blood pressure at my last diabetes class
So instead of signing off hoping you all are doing well, I can hope that I will see you in the good ole U S of A, so you can tell me in person….
 jus now! :-D

-KB