Blonde or Brunette????

Well it has been a month now since I have been at my site. I am beginning to feel a little more settled. My housemate, Hanni is getting ready to depart. She has been here two years and her service time ends July 25.  She is 180 degrees removed from my immediate future.  As I am just settling in she is packing up.  It is a very strange twosome.  Hanni , however has been a godsend. She has directed me to where to shop. Showed me the best DVD store.  Included me in her social life and much , much more.  She is there if I have questions and frankly I don't know how others do this. Everyone should be provided with a Hanni.  

We are getting up every morning at 5:30 and walking approximately 4 miles.  It really feels good to start exercising again .... was that me talking? Yes it actually was, much to my surprise I really missed it when I could not walk.

My job is going well and I feel that I may actually at some point make some kind of impact. It involves teaching nursing students and I am still learning the ropes regarding their standards.  I also needed to arrange for my nursing transcripts to be forwarded, not an easy task when out of the country,but it is occurring, thanks to great help from my former diploma school, Good Samaritan. In addition I must be licensed in Guyana, even though I will be doing no actual patient care. This to has been facilitated by the Ohio Board of Nurses. 

I do find I have had lots of time to reflect, and as you may recall from some of my first blogs, I really needed to do this.  This is a journey in emotions as well as miles. I feel I am already moving forward, from a person who really was 

not planning a future but rather existing day to day to some one who again

 has goals she wants to achieve and multiple plans for my future.  It is crystal clear now what is important in my life, my family and my friends.  These people are gifts that I have been given and I cherish each and every one of you. I watch with envy as a grandmother here holds her grandchild, or the laughter of a group of long time friends as they share stories. Nothing is more important than that. Some events cause blinders to become fixed upon your head, I feel like and hope that mine are being removed. To all those who have stood by my side in my self-centered journey back to life, I thank you.

Life is not all self denial and reflection. Several weeks ago we went to a very nice private pool for the afternoon.  A wonderful lady had us to her house for homemade Lasagna and just this past Thursday myself and another Peace Corps volunteer treated ourselves to dinner out at a lovely restaurant complete with a glass of Cabernet. And finally last night found me a home with Vodka tonics and Great veggie pizza.

On Sunday nights each week we go to a little hotdog stand that has the most amazing hotdogs.  It is the dog , mustard, ketchup and mayo if you want, cheese onion and potato chip crumbs, talk about a meal in a bun.  The dog and a beer, what more could you ask for.

Last weekend we celebrated my housemates birthday with a night of food and dancing. So as you can see I have been busy.

OK so the only picture I will post this time is the comparison pictures of Sue the Blonde, and Sue the Brunette.  This is not a vote.  I have already decided that I will again become Sue the blonde but since this will occur before any of you have a chance to see me, here is the brunette.  Every time I look in the mirror I think who is that woman, she looks familiar, but not quite.  Now yes, you may feel free to comment but know that nothing will change my determination to return to my former look

From Host visit to Swearing in

Gosh I cannot believe that it has been over a month since I last added anything, but I have not had access to wireless or pretty much any internet at all. There has been so much going on.  At Easter time here there is a big celebration on Easter Monday. Most of the people on the coast go to the beach for a huge Kite flying contest.  There is a best kite, the biggest kite, the smallest kite and so on.  The day is a holiday from work and everyone makes their own kite.  Yes even I tried to make a kite but I did need lots of help, but it was fun.  The one picture is the guy completely remaking my kite and the other picture is the actual kite which did fly, I gave it to the grand sons of my host family and they were able to fly it. Easter is not even really celebrated until monday. Coloring eggs and hiding baskets are not so much here. We have been working hard at planning our site work and how we can be helpful in a way that they need. And we have been starting to prepare to leave our host families and be on our own.  I will not be on my own for three months after I arrive at my site because I will be sharing a house with a volunteer who is leaving at the end of July.  In many ways that is helpful because not only is she leaving a lot of things for me but she also has lots of good advice. 

A week after our host visits we went to a preserve called Mainstay and saw an amazing

assortment of trees in addition to the walk thru the forest we also got to see a small examples of how pineapples are cultivated, that is the picture above. Amazing how small the plants are.

Although the pictures do not show it we actually spent

 8 hours everyday in a classroom. Usually the weekends were your own, however even then sometimes things wereplanned. My friend Rachelle and I went up to

Charity market and in doing so completed out travel of the coast line road of Essiquibo. We began in Supranam and went                                                                                   CHARITY MARKET

all the way to Charity where the road ends.  If you go beyond there it is by boat. I t

hink that Charity is the biggest market

 of the Essiquibo coast

THE MISSIONARY FAMILY

  It certainly has every

thing you could need to buy.

The next picture is of the Missionary family 

who took it upon themselves to have us over for Easter dinner, American Style, 

Pot Roast, salad, vegetables, mashed potatoes,gravy and cake and ice cream for dessert. Then the very next week they invited us for spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread.  It is amazing how homesick you can get for your familiar foods.

We did have another picnic on the beach as a group and

 then before I knew it it was time for the offical swearing in. The Minister of Health and the 

Minister of Education were scheduled to speak but there were conflicts and representatives were sent, however the ambassador fromthe United States did attend and speak as did our country director. This was followed by a short social hour and snack and a group party that night.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       MY ROOM

That was Thursday the 23, we stayed at our host families until Monday the 27th, this is my last picture in at my host family, in my room.

Then we  off to our sites. I was very grateful to be arriving at a house that was already lived in.

 Some volunteers arrived at their house to find nothing at all.

                              

The house is extremely cute and well decorated by my new house mate and I very much appreciate her willingness to share her house with me.

                                                                                                                                       

        MY HOUSE                       When we got to our site I naively thought that some of my life

would become more routine, ha ha. It appears that when

 I got to work I was already three weeks behind.  They had no one to do my job so no one did it.  I am playing catchup but it is starting to happen.I am getting to know where to shop and now have a TV to watch.  While I miss the caring of my host family it was time for me to stand on my own

The best news avery came on the 29th of April.  And although most of you know, my grand daughter Sloane Elizabeth was born at 11:20 on April 28.  Mother and daughter did fine and even though I have no picture on my computer to upload for you, they are in my Kodak Gallery and I do not know how to do that, be assured she is the cutest baby ever.

Since Sloane has been born, all else pales by comparison.  I am learning my way around my site and am staring to feel more comfortable in my job.  And as most of you know have become settled enough to begin a wish list.

Hopefully this brings you up to date.  I am really hoping that by the next blog I will have really good internet.  But that will be a stroy for the next time.

Oh definitely the next time I will show you the new, but very temporary brunette Sue.