Last October for Thanksgiving I hung a large piece of poster paper on the wall and placed a cup of felt pens on the floor during my dinner party and asked the question of my guests “What are you thankful for?. At that time most of my guests had only been in country (as we call it in VSO) for a few weeks to months and the theme of our responses were ones of appreciation for sure, but also of survival in the new jungle home land we found ourselves in. We were thankful for ice, freezers, fans, insect repellent of all kinds, cheap drinks, mosquito nets, flashlights, talcum powder and rat poison. Things that had probably not been previously considered as useful or important to any of us, and collectively items to keep the heat, insects and huge cultural changes at bay.
I liked the poster we created that night with its funny illustrations and commentary so much that I just left it up on the wall after Thanksgiving and well I never did take it down. Over the past nine months when someone has stayed with me or visited they have often added something to the poster and last night at a birthday/going away party it was no exception. While the party was going on (which was such great fun) I noticed that the theme of what we are all thankful for had subtly changed over time from the original survival strategies to genuine appreciation and love for this country we now all call home.
My poster now states we are thankful for (in addition of course to ice, insect repellent, mosquito nets etc)
Blackouts on Starry nights
Hammock Sessions
Endless Summer
Never needing to wear a Sweater
Giant sound systems and all the great chutney, reggae and soca music
Curry and roti
Mangos and fresh fruit
Mash and Holi festivals
Rain storms
Slowing down
Our motor bikes and bicycles
Ocean breezes at night
New friends, old friends, international friends, local friends, vso friends, Canadian friends, friends at home, family at home, boyfriends, Dutch friends, Hook ups, BFF’s...(See a theme here?)
Houses on stilts,
Treks to the jungle, remote islands and giant waterfalls and
Swimming in creeks
Pink toed tarantulas, parrots, iguana and caimen
Electricity!!!
Local restaurants
"Whinin", karaoke and dancing....and so much more..
Some of the above may not make sense to those who have not lived in the wonderful Caribbean/South American culture that is Guyana. I enjoy the fact that collectively over time we have all grown to appreciate and love not just each other but also our temporarily adopted home land as reflected in our comments...Much indeed to be thankful for and today the day after my big birthday I am personally so very thankful for everyone in my life near and far and for the amazing opportunity to live and work in this unique, quirky and lovable country....Life here is not dull, not by a long shot...but you do need insect repellent baby!
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