Einstein was on to something

That Einstein guy was right. Time (along with lots of other things) is completely relative. I have no idea where the first two months of this year have gone. January flew by, and February has been a blur. This is a stark contrast to the first few months at my site. In the beginning, the remaining months seemed like this unfathomable distance. 20 more months!?

“Who thought this was I good idea??!”

This was how I often admonished myself in the first months while I was still adjusting. Honestly, it was like listening to a Coldplay album. The entire album only lasts 62 minutes, but feels like you’ve just finished watching the entire Lord of The Rings trilogy: the director’s cut. Now THAT is an epic time commitment. Perhaps I’m just getting used to everything here, or it could be the little things I have going on each month that help the time seem to pass so quickly. For example: last week, a brand new group of Americans arrived from all over the States. Yes, GUY 23 is officially in Guyana! I was asked to be part of the group of volunteers to greet the newbies at the airport. The invitation was both flattering and exciting, so of course I accepted. I even obtained a Peace Corps Guyana polo shirt, so I looked somewhat official.

The serious face is actually an homage to the Guyanese people. Every time you take their picture, they make a serious face, usually accompanied with a hand gesture. Jillian and I chose to go to throw hard looks with a black panther fist. Kellen opted for the more appropriate Japanese school girl touristy peace sign. Unfortunately, I don’t have many more pictures due to them being on the cameras of other volunteers. I will try to obtain more for the next posting. We had fun anyway!

There were about 12 volunteers total, only about 4 (myself included) were on the “official welcome committee.” The others lived close enough that they were able to come and meet the new group. So we had a good showing, and the new arrivals had the opportunity to meet a good mix people that have already been here for a while. We had a large banner that said “Peace Corps Guyana” right outside the arrival gate, in case they had any doubts where they were going. The common axiom being spewed forth was “follow the white people!” Which is probably the only time in history that statement could be issued without a trace of foreboding and irony.

As part of the welcome committee, I stayed in the hotel with the new group for their first week. It’s a large group, with 37 members total. 7 guys and 30 girls means it’s a little one-sided, but apparently that’s not uncommon for Peace Corps. My group, GUY 22, was atypical. We were almost exactly equal numbers of men and women. They all seem to be really cool people. I very diverse mix of backgrounds, both in terms of where they’re from, and what their specialties are.

Training is being done differently this year for the new group. Instead of having all the trainees live in the same general urban area, they’ve separated them into two training sites. One more urban, and one remote, depending on which type of site the trainees are more interested in. Next week, I’ll be with the remote group from Monday through Thursday, then I spend Friday with the urban group. It will be fun to work with them again, and see how the adjustment process is coming along.

Watching them arrive was both thrilling and a little surreal. It was odd to think about not being the baby faced freshmen group anymore, and strange because I remember being in their shoes. And it doesn’t seem like that long ago! They seem more excited than I ever remember being, but the staff assured me that I was just like them. The weather has been mercifully cool compared to last year. When my group arrived, they had a thermometer reading on the screens of the plane, and it was 65 degrees at 3,000 feet. When we landed, it must have been close to 80 on the ground…at 7am. In general, the weather has been much more pleasant this year. I’ve even been able to get away with bathing only once a day a few times as opposed to the two or three times I had gotten used to. Locals told me that last year was unusually hot. Right now, the rain is falling harder than theocracies in the Arab world. (Too soon?) But I enjoy it because the temperature is actually quite pleasant. Maybe Guy 23 won’t have such a rough adjustment as my group.

The new trainees swear in as volunteers in mid April. Right after their ceremony, Peace Corps is having a huge 50^th anniversary party. It’s supposed to be an expo showcasing the various projects that volunteers have been working on here in Guyana. Peace Corps has asked me to spearhead the effort of coordinating the activities for the health sector! So the next few months are going to be pretty busy. Just over 4 months until I’m home for a visit, so plan your summer accordingly!

All the best,

Tony

Sorry about the delay...

After an unexpected and prolonged blog embargo, I am finally back in action! Sadly, this extended absence of whimsical musings was due to circumstances out of my control. I had planned a most epic and adventure filled update right after my Barbados vacation, however, I returned to Guyana to find my computer not working. Or, to use the parlance of our times, (and by our times I mean the crass linguistic choices of my college roommate and I) it had pooped the bed. The level of my computer’s incontinence was so great, in fact, it required a return to the States for full evaluation and repair. The event was tragic and unfortunate, however the timing was rather serendipitous. About a week after I returned to Guyana, many volunteers were traveling home for the holidays. I was able to entrust my computer-turned-doorstop to fellow volunteer Annie, who was good enough to mail it to my parents. I had friends coming from home to visit me in January, so they were able to bring it back down with them. Anyway, computer is back, safe and sound. Now, without further ado, I give you a lengthy and much needed excursion into whimsy!

First and foremost, I most recap Barbados. I spent 5 days on the beautiful island nation of Barbados in the first week of December. There were several reasons for my little excursion. The first was that fellow volunteers Jason, Kirsten and myself had signed up for a half marathon in Barbados. That’s a pretty good reason to vacation in the Caribbean, right? I mean I already live right near there…so it was really a natural progression. Some friends from the states flew down to meet me there as well. Here’s a whimsical memory frozen in time of the guys:

In order of lightening skin pigment, we have Alvin, Jason, and your humble narrator.

Here are the girls:

From left to right we’ve got Kirsten, Sarah, and Hollie.

I know you’re probably asking, how did this motley crew come to share a two bedroom condo overlooking the Caribbean sea? Well, as mentioned before, Jason and Kirsten are also Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Guyana. We arrived in the same group, and Jason has become one of my closest friends down here. When either one of us need a break from the norm, we go visit each other. We have plans to travel around South America for a month or so when this is all done. His girlfriend, Kirsten, is tons of fun. She is a great conversationalist, fantastic cook, and an all around awesome person. Sometimes she complains that she has to share Jason with me. He and I just smile affectionately at one another. I think she’s finally embraced our bromance with a begrudging acceptance.

Jason and I:

Kirsten and I:

Sarah and I met in college, and have been best friends from the word “go”. If I were to have a fraternal twin sister, it would be Sarah. We usually introduce ourselves as surrogate siblings. She and I have been each other’s fashion advisors for a few years now. Honest to god we pick outfits for one another. In 5 years, Sarah hasn’t made a change to her hair without consulting me. I’m not kidding. We’re THAT close. We’ve already established than whenever she gets married, I’ll be standing right up there with the rest of the bridesmaids. On her side, no less. So you can only imagine how excited I was to see her!

Alvin is also a friend from college. Sarah, Alvin and I were all three big science nerds, and had many, many classes together. He is one of the happiest people I’ve met, and truly enjoyable to be around. One day he and I grabbed lunch at some random little restaurant in Barbados. When I asked the big Jamaican lady what was available, she explained to me all the options. In my hungered state, I forgot that Alvin isn’t too accustomed to the Creole dialect, but we both managed to get out an order anyway. After the meal, I asked Alvin how he liked his curried goat. His reply, “I ATE GOAT!?!” I felt some responsibility. We have fun together though!

Hollie and I actually hadn’t met until she got to Barbados. She and Sarah met a few years back while volunteering in Tanzania. They were instant friends, and have stayed in close contact ever since. Hollie has the travel bug REAL bad, and the financial means to indulge it. So, when Sarah said we were going to Barbados, Hollie was practically on the plane already. She is high octane, in your face, and tons of fun. Between the two of us, the island surely felt out presence.

Hollie, Alvin, and I:

So that’s how all the pieces fit together. To sweeten the deal, we had a few connections. I’ve become quite close with a family that lives around the corner from me in Linden. As it turns out, they have extended family in Barbados! Lisa (my neighbor) emailed her cousin Wendy to put in a good word. Now, Wendy owns a condo right on the South side of Barbados that she rents to people. With the family connection, we got a little discount. Fully furnished, two-bedroom condo with kitchen and air conditioning in the bedrooms, and hot water. It was incredible. Here’s the view from the back of the condo. Did I mention it backed out onto the Caribbean Sea?

Now, in case your envy wasn’t as green as the seaweed, there’s an even better part to this tale. Wendy’s husband, Stephen, owns a boat touring company. So, again for a discount, we got to go on a 3.5 hour snorkeling tour around Barbados. It was the highlight of the trip, by far. The first stop was swimming with sea turtles.

CZECH IT!!!

There were two other sites after the turtles. The first was a large coral reef, followed by two shipwrecks. It was an awesome experience. Not to mention free beer and rum punch was included. After a hard day of snorkeling, a rum punch is quite refreshing!

The other days were jam packed of adventures, too! After the race (which I finished not as well as I’d hoped, but still under 2 hours) we decided to go surfing! Barbados is a great place to surf. Waves are just the right size. Now, this is a story in and of itself. Sundays in the Caribbean, things pretty much shut down. But we were really jonesin for some waves. As mentioned before, Hollie is more than a little outgoing. On her flight in to Barbados, had befriended a flight attendant, who was actually from Barbados. They hit it off so well, she gave Hollie her number. What better way to see a place then by knowing a local, right!? So Sunday afternoon, Hollie called this flight attendant, and inquired about the best place to go surf. The flight attendant called her sister, who is married to a guy named Zed. Now, Zed owns the only surf shop on Surfer’s Point. Zed is good enough to go to his shop, and open it specifically for us. He then allows us to rent boards at a discount rate, for as long as we want. He had to get back home, and told us to simply put the boards back when we were finished. It was a pretty great day.

The final big event of the trip? Jason proposed to Kirsten! She said yes! I’ll take the photo credit for this one, thanks.

Barbados, in short, is an outstanding place to go visit. I can’t recommend it enough. The people are fantastic, the place is beautiful, and the weather, as always, is perfect. Plus, you can still be as juvenile as you want!

Back in Guyana, things just kept on rolling! I’m right in the middle of teaching a course on Pathophysiology. That’s been keeping me busy and out of trouble. Similar to last term, I’ve been given free reign of the class. So preparing lectures and tests is rather time consuming! Things are going well with the class though. The students are still very responsive, and on days that I haven’t gone to the school, or had meeting up in Georgetown, I hear “Sir! I missed you!” at least a half dozen times. As if my ego needed any boosting! I recently walked in on a meeting at the school. It was an accident, but my supervisor invited me to stay anyway. It turns out that HIS boss was there. This is the man who is responsible for all the nursing programs in Guyana. They asked for my impressions of the school, any suggestions or improvements I saw, and my overall opinion of the program in general. I was both flattered and excited, to say the least. After gathering my thoughts, I expressed my views and concerns to a rapt audience. The Big Boss was impressed with both my approach to teaching and my methodology. So impressed, in fact, that he wants to have me come teach up in Georgetown in the not too distant future. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but the potential is exciting!

There was some progress with the elderly club as well. While there has been regular attendance for the past few months, there weren’t any members in official positions. As of last month, we now have a president, vice-president, treasurer, and secretary. While this may seem like pedantic, bureaucratic stuff to most, in Guyana that implies some level of ownership. And with that comes sustainability. If all things go well, this club will still be going strong by the time I leave. The biggest hurdle now is just keeping those members above ground! That was a bit much, I apologize. That comment wasn’t exactly tasteful, but it sure was whimsical!

A few weeks ago, two friends from home came to visit. It was a little surreal to have some of my old friends from Oregon down here in Guyana with me. I took the opportunity to show them as much of Guyana as I could. We came down to Linden for a few days, travelled up to visit my host family, went on a 45 minute speed boat ride, did a rum factory tour, swam in the dirty Atlantic, and I introduced them to as many Volunteers as I could. We had quite the time. They were also here for my 25th birthday, which made it that much more memorable. First birthday away from Oregon, but still had friends there from home.

In just a few days, I'll have been in Guyana for an entire year. In retrospect, the year has gone by exceedingly fast. It certainly didn't always feel fast, but such is life. I'll be home for a visit in a mere 5 months! I'm very excited for that. July will be my first time on American soil in 17 months! The next group of volunteers arrives on February 15th, and Peace Corps has asked me to be one of the volunteers that not only welcomes them into the country, but stays with them for the first few days to help ease the transition. I'm excited to meet all of them, and see what arriving here is like from the other side. I'll see if I can scare any of them with tales of Guyana before they even meet their host families...