Forming New Habits

Whew! So I have been in Guyana nearly three months and it has been about a month since I wrote my last post (sorry!). Time seems to be flying as it tends to do. Now I could go through the details of everything that has happened in the past month or so, but I think that would be incredibly boring for you to read. In a nutshell, I endured my last week of training, swore in as a volunteer (yay!), and headed off to my site in New Amsterdam.

Me in traditional African clothing and my counterpart for swear in ceremony.

Since the milestone of becoming an official volunteer, I’ve been acclimating to my new environment; finding out what is where, who people are, and where I might fit in. I should add that the grace period for the “figuring stuff out” part was pretty short lived. It’s more like I am spotting things as I go. Within the first week, I was teaching classes and playing soccer with the neighborhood kids. The community I live in is already used to having a Peace Corps volunteer, so they have an idea as to what to expect. Of course I on the other hand, through polite smiles and good mornings, am asking myself “Was that the right thing to say/do? What was her name again? Where doRunner’s World (thanks Tulane package!) and they said that it takes three weeks to establish habits/routines. I have been at my site for a little over three weeks now, so that would make sense and believe me, there are a lot of new habits/routines/things in general I have (almost) gotten used to.

I find that place? Did I just look like a big idiot?” The latter question I tend to ask myself quite a lot. Nevertheless, I think time is flying because I have established a sort of routine. I was just reading

Water:
Water runs from the main pipe at certain times of the day, which means you have to pump water (when it is running) to fill your tank for use when the water isn’t on. Pumping water inevitably means that I get drenched in a shooting stream of water as I try to attach the pipes up to the pump. I also found that the pipe to my shower sometimes breaks open and depletes my whole water tank (hopefully I solved that problem with my med kit tape). The water also likes to spurt out leafy looking brown goo from time to time, which can be a surprise when you are showering or trying to clean dishes. The best thing about the water is that if you shower at the right time of day, the water is hot because it is warmed by the sun. Everyone likes a hot shower every once and a while.

Critters:
The last volunteer had a cat and dog that are now owned by the neighbors’ upstairs, but the pets still think of the downstairs as their true home. I am an animal person so it is nice to have some extra company; unfortunately, those aren’t the only critters in my house. If I go into my kitchen at night, I have to be armed with shoes and a broom. My house even eerily hums because of the hundreds of mosquitoes flying around. There is no telling what I might find when I turn on the light. I have toads, salamanders, cockroaches, giant spiders, and who knows what else. It was once horrifying and now it is becoming kind of a sport (except for the giant spiders). It was also half amusing, half terrifying when a fellow volunteer came over and he tried to kill a cockroach with a broom. It was the night we both figured out not only do cockroaches move fast, these ones can actually fly! He took one swipe at the cockroach with the broom and the thing flew towards us. We both freaked out and I might have pushed him into the path of the oncoming flying danger (hopefully I will be forgiven for that one). Needless to say I am very thankful for my mosquito net, which I diligently tuck into my mattress every night.

Neighbors/Children
At any given time, there are about 10 kids in or around my yard. My house is always bustling as I live below six of the aforementioned kids. It is both great and requires some patience. Since I live on my own, it is really nice to have the kids around. They are always game to play sports, do some crafts, or just hang out. Sometimes when I think I am done for the day, I will be enticed into a game of yard soccer and end up playing for a few hours. The older girls have also gotten me into watching these soap operas about African Lady Gaga and Beyonce. They will invite me upstairs (I don’t have a TV or internet in my house) and we will make fun of what is going on. Remind me to bring some back to the U.S.! I am, however, happy that my bathroom does not have windows. The kids are always checking to see what I am up to and I have been woken up at 6am by them calling me through my bedroom window. I was worried about living on the bottom level as I have this inherent fear of looking out my window and seeing someone staring back at me. Someone must have tipped the kids off to this, as their new favorite game is to try to scare me by staring at me through the window. All in good fun.

Biking
I am glad that I biked to work in D.C. because I bike everywhere at my site. It is the best method of transportation (except during downpours) and it saves me time and money, not to mention the added exercise. Biking is also usually the time where I ask myself the “do I look like a big idiot” question. I always have my large backpack to cart groceries or the day’s supplies. Also, wearing a helmet is uncommon here:
Man at Post Office: Are you American?
Me: Yes….
Man at Post Office: Oh I can tell because you are wearing a helmet. Americans always wear helmets. Are you all just accident prone?
Me: No… we are not accident prone.
Man at Post Office: Okay so just you are then?
Me: No, it is Peace Corps policy and I’d rather crack my helmet than split my head open.
Man at Post Office: Oh okay got it.
Me: [Thinking while biking away] Don’t crash into anything or fall over while this guy is watching you!
 


I do get a little nervous with traffic here, as the drivers are a bit fast and crazy and there is an unlimited amount of obstacles that come into play. I almost ran into another biker the first day biking around because he suddenly stopped to say hi to someone.

Even with all of these new habits, I’ve still managed to keep some of the old. I am running in the mornings and am actually training to run a marathon in Barbados in December (come join me!). I also have been cooking a lot and using a cookbook with recipes from past PC Guyana volunteers. I have become sort of a "Freetarian", which means I only eat meat if someone gives it to me; otherwise it is too expensive and not super sanitary. I do however still look around when my students address me as Miss. Brooks or sister, but there is still time to get used to that.

Pumpkin Curry!  Recipe to Follow!

I will try to be more diligent with my blog posts but until next time! Also thanks for the birthday wishes! I had a great birthday week filled with a beach visit, mac n cheese (of course!), and lots of other good food and fellow volunteers.


-KB