In a few weeks I will have been living in Guyana for six months.....and although living in a third world country does pose some challenges, and I have been experiencing a little bit of the predicted six month slump these past few weeks, there are many things I have learned to love about living in this country...so I will share all these perks in an effort to focus on the positive and be thankful for the amazing opportunity of living and working here.
Sunshine on a winter’s day ...As hot and humid and torrentially wet it can get here sometimes it is still always a summer day...and a summer day always beats a winter day....well doesn’t it? There is a little thrill I get inside my Canadian self each January day that I can dress in shorts, a light top and sandals and never have to worry about bringing a jacket, mittens or a hat as I walk out the door.
Tropical fruits of all kind...I love the fresh tart pineapples, mangos picked from a tree, the cat size red glossy papayas, the subtly exotic passion fruit, the elusive guavas, childhood tasting water melons, fragrant tangerines, the plump limes, the mini George of the Jungle bananas and the exciting spectacle and taste of a freshly macheted green coconut.... to which I may have a mild addiction.
My two wheels.... I used to say that my next car would be no car and I am living the dream folks. Even if is a two cent piece of shit bike that could be stolen or break down at any moment, she’s all mine and I love her. I truly enjoy the effortlessness of biking to and from work, seeing all the sights from the perch of my bicycle seat and loading up my basket with whatever I need to carry. The other day I was walking at the market without my bike on the way home from a trip to the regions and one of my regular vendors said to me...”Hey girl.. where’s dat pretty blue bicycle that matches your eyes today?” It seems she gets missed by others too when she is left at home!
Animal Farm...I get to see animals here every day, and many that are long extinct from urbanity and I delight in each donkey, horse and herd of goats I see in the city limits. I love the bored and melancholy look of the donkeys parked by the roadside. I love the focused look a horse gets when he is barrelling towards you at an intersection…”I’d advise you get out of the weighhhh”…you can practically hear them. And I love the goats that seem to be used as...well.. hedge trimmers! And then there are the birds... the squawking swooping parrots, the serious brooding falcons, the perky egrets and shrill song birds are each a wonder to behold. Even the street dogs, who at first deeply appalled and disturbed me, I have now embraced as a just a different way to be a dog. The restraints that we put on our pets (although they come with a regular meal, a place to sleep, and veterinary care) begins to seem almost archaic when you see thriving packs of wild dogs, each with their own hood, pups, sand pile and turf. I have seen dogs grieve over killed dogs, carrying pups in their mouths, digging tunnels, making out (doggie style), sleeping peacefully in packs with a small burro dug in their sand hill and I’ve even seen dogs fishing together out in the ocean tides at night. I still cringe to see the state of some of these animals, and have seen enough dead dogs to last me a life time... but they are also free in a way many dogs locked into condos all day probably long for.
Down on Main St.. I love that you can buy almost anything on the street. You can buy a cold drink, (beer, rum and vodka included) to underwear on a stick, hot food, fresh baking, corn on the cob (with gravy!!), freshly cut fruit, fresh squeezed juice (sold in a plastic bag with a straw), hair supplies, egg and chicken sandwiches, shoes, candies, deep fried anything, plantain chips, fresh nuts, sugar cane, candy floss, cheese rolls, DVD’s, ice slushies, perfume,…rat poison, school supplies...almost anything you might need on your way home from work is right there.... and you can even pay to weigh yourself right on the street corner...LOL!
The beautiful and interesting people I get to talk to....No matter what life here is not dull, everyday someone does or says something funny, amusing, curious, tragic, interesting, challenging, against my values, appalling, upsetting, kind, caring, insightful, tender, insulting, or overly forthright and this variety of conversation is so unlike what you experience at home. There are certainly no boring Canadian style stranger conversations about traffic jams, mortgage rates, or the weather. I love the surprise of my human interactions here....and how people reach out to you. The other day I was riding in the very hot sun on my bike and a man pulled over in his car and asked if I needed an umbrella to shade me......I declined but thanked him and as he drove away I thought of how genuinely kind and rare his offer was...and how generous and how much more often we should practice random acts of....umbrella sharing.
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