Where does one begin at the start of a new adventure? Flying from Miami, to Trinidad, and then, finally, after 9 years of waiting for myself to be ready for my Peace Corps time, I saw the flickering lights of my new home in the dark night... Guyana!  As I walked off the plane and down the steps to my new adventure, the first thing that hit me was the heat! Passing through customs, grabbing my two 50 lbs bags, and making my way out the door I am greeted with loud cheers and hugs of welcome from the Peace Corps staff and a few current volunteers already serving.  Dripping in sweat I can't help but smile. We are handed cake that very easily could be sliced off of a Shaw's bakery cake, and a delicious Caesar chicken salad for the ride to our hotel (it is well after 10). Packed into buses we head out... On the wrong side of the road! Yes, in my searching for any piece of information over the last few months, I forgot that Guyana was once a British colony, and hence, according to U.S. Americans, they too drive on the "wrong" side of the road. The buses whip quickly in and out of traffic, whizzing by slower vehicles, bikers and pedestrians. Our  driver, also Peace Corps staff, points out land marks as we travel on; the national stadium for Cricket and football (not to be confused with American football); horses, stray dogs, farm animals, beautiful and elegantly designed temples and houses that look like doll houses, el dorado rum (we were told Guyana has the best rum in the word, as it is produced with natural brown sugarcane.  We arrive at the hotel and it is a few small buildings with 2 floors. My roommate and I have a large room with a fan, toilet and our own shower. We soon acquire a third roommate that we decided not to kill... A dragonfly the size of my hand. We figure s/he is harmless, praying that dragonflies in the U.S. Are similar to Guyana dragonflies. It is beyond hot and I have trouble sleeping because of many reasons... New country, leaving home, heat, nervous about the Mosquitos flying in through the open window, anticipation, trying to remember  my 43 fellow peace corps trainee names... Plus staff we have just been introduced to. I watch the clock tick by, 1:30, 2:45;  3:50,  finally to fall into a slumber... Cooooookooooo cooookoooo cooookoooo coookoooo. 4:30 am and the rooster is crowing. I fall asleep and wake up for my alarm to go off at 6. We bring our bags outside for 6:30, and a group of Guyanese come out of their homes to see what the commotion is. Click click go their cameras as they take pictures of the group of "white peoples" standing in the street. We wave and smile, uncomfortable at being the center of attention, most of us having never stood out because of something so simple as the color of our skin. Click click, point point. Wave and smile.
We travel to breakfast and there are eggs, toast, chicken sausage, a shredded salmon fish, which I bravely tried, although I don't like salmon...determined that I still don't!    We drive over the demarra river via a floating bridge that is literally floating on the water. I spy a few bright red specks whizzing through the air and my first thought is, "kites?"... But nope, they are birds! We continue down the road past houses on stilts, some ornately decorated, all in bright colors like purple, blue, and orange. Everyone is walking down the road, which is shared by buses, cars, bikes, motorcycles, scooters, horse or donkey carts, cows and goats, stray dogs and of course Guyanese walking. We continue on to Parika and wait for a few hours to board the ferry to cross the Essequibo River, the largest in Guyana. A group of current volunteers are waiting for us and give us words of encouragement and advice. My first view of the Essequibo is shock and makes me a little homesick as the river reminds me of the chocolate milk I would get with my family Sunday after church. The river is huge, but I think I can see to the other side... But am quickly corrected and told that I am only seeing an Island. The Essequibo is twelve miles across and takes an hour and a half to cross... One of the islands is larger than Barbados. The ferry is crowded with cars, men, women and children, all looking on at the group of foreigners with interest. I have interesting conversations with my fellow trainees ( we are trainees until we are sworn in as volunteers). I have my first awkward bathroom experience as the toilet on the ferry has no seat... I quickly discover that there is no modesty in Peace Corps as we commiserate and share our bathroom experiences thus far.  We carry on our journey and reach Mainstay Lake Resort in Essequibo Region. Our lodging reminds me of camping in girl scouts or camp... A cabin, with separate rooms With Mosquito nets and A/C! Over the next few days we have fish, so much chicken cooked every way possible, "salad" comprised of cabbage and carrots, potato salad, fried plantain, fish fry, watermelon and pineapple, Chinese food, curry, mashed potato, cakes including with cassava flower, coffee, and juice of every tropical flavor imaginable: guava, cherry, pineapple, coconut water.

We are split into groups and travel to a site visit. The first is to a rural Amerindian community in Tapacuma where we met the village chief, known as the Tachou ( pronounced ta-shou), a woman who was a retired nurse and currently farming growing pineapple, cassava and peanuts. Her farm is a long walk through mud and as we dressed professionally, we are all wearing skirts or nice pants and shoes, and we pour sweat on the walk, but the sites are amazing... Flowers, woods, a woman doing laundry Guyanese style, blue butterflies,  little lizards, and more dragonflies as big as my pointer finger. Tachou has inspired other women in her village (25) to start farming and selling their products on market day to become more self sufficient. Tachou tells a story that reminds me of my parents and I instantly feel a kinship with her, talking about her role as a mother educating her sons and giving them the tools they need to strive and be productive members of their community rather than hiding the "mysteries" of the world from them and letting them engage in dangerous behavior because they simply aren't educated, issues like, alcoholism, drugs, peer pressure, reproduction, etc. She said educating the youth gives them the tools they need to stay safe but unfortunately they often won't listen to her, so she wants Peace Corps help... She said "I tell me kids when de be growing up de ask momme and I tell dem any-ting" . She feeds us Chana (sp?)- chick peas mashed with what I think is onions, peppers, maybe garlic and other spices... I think it is my favorite thing so far!!  Of course she gives us water from a bottle as we are out from our walk. We are told to never drink water from the tap, rainwater from the roof, or streams... (We are taught how to purify water the next day). We say our goodbyes and are given hugs.

We travel on to Anna Regina, a coastal, larger town similar to a city... But not an American city with sky scrapers... I have yet to see one of these and am pretty sure there are none. The biggest building I saw so far is a wooden schoolhouse with 3 floors.  Anna Regina has all the comforts of home: supermarket, restaurants, fire house, small health clinic, outdoor market, Main Street, houses, military base, and of course, minibuses!

The following day is lessons lessons lessons! At night we eat dinner al fresco on the lake, BBQ chicken and Mac and cheese,  and a huge Bon fire is built - not quite as big as St. Mike's senior week Bon fire but pretty darn tall. We are taught local songs, dance around the fire to Saco music and of course, to my excitement, Bob Marley songs!  We learn that Guyana songs of independence are Bob Marley's "redemption song" and also "over the hills of Babylon" (not sure of author).

We are told some folklore that makes us scared to sleep at night.
The story of the Baku: the Baku lives in the latrine and to keep it happy, you feed it banana and milk every day. The Baku is an ugly little thing about 2 feet tall, it's head bigger than its body. If you don't feed the Baku, it will break your neck. People can send a Baku your way if they don't like you.
Fish fry: one night this mother goes out to a party and leaves her 3 year old baby all alone. A neighbor sees an ugly demon come to the door offering fish fry "fish fry fish fry, you want de fish fry?" , the neighbor screams "Jesus Christ Jesus Christ in the demons face and he leaves to the next neighbor... " "fish fry fish fry, you want de fish fry?" The neighbor starts praying and screaming Jesus' name in the demons face, and the demon leaves her be. The next morning the mother comes home and finds her baby dead. It ate the fish fry. Don't ever eat fish fry at night from anyone... And moral of the story:  don't party and be irresponsible because bad things happen. Note we have had fish fry for breakfast and lunch, but not dinner so far.

Also, if you are out partying, you always walk through the door backwards to tell the ghosts and evil following you to go home. Finally, put 2 cups of rice at your doorstep because the demons will get distracted and will count the rice instead of come in your house.

I love Guyana!