Give a kid a toothbrush

It has been far too long since my last blog post. Unfortunately, my new permanent location does not have wifi. I know, I know... I joined Peace Corps... I should be living in a small hut in the jungle. When I receive my pitiful stipend, I should have to hide my money all over my house in nooks and cranies, and I should be able to save practically all of it because everything will be so cheap! My laundry should be washed in the river by hand. My toilet should be outside and I should be lugging a bucket 2 miles uphill just for a drink of water (which must be boiled) and a cold bucket bath. I should be sitting out singing kumbaya with my neighbors and fellow friends, dancing to drums and flutes made out of cane, coconuts and jaguar hide. At least, that is what I thought I would be doing for these last six months when I took the leap to board that plane in Miami. I hate to disappoint you, my fellow reader, but that is not what I have been doing. In todays globalizing world, the world is getting smaller and smaller and flooded with plastic, technology and information.

Opposite what you and I imagined my life would be like, I live in a two story home (occupying the 2nd floor), with a nice refrigerator, stove, and water delivered to my kitchen sink by, gasp, a pipe! I also have a washing machine. I do not shower with a bucket, and I do not share my toilet with outdoor creatures. I take a taxi from home to school everyday, and have had my fair share of Coca Cola, beer, Churches Chicken & Popeyes, and Mac & cheese. My neighbors and I listen to music on our phones, text message each other and just to make one aspect of the stereotype true, we do sit on the porch or veranda for hours gaffing or chatting. Now don't get me wrong, Guyana isn't anything like home. I do have many of the same comforts, but that is where the similarities stop.
First off, I am a "coastal" volunteer, so my living situation isn't the same as a hinterland volunteer... I've heard stories of other volunteers living on cassava bread and plantain, of battling tarantulas with machetes and being scared senseless by creepy crawlies bumping about outside of their mosquito nets. The biggest thing that has scared me is a lizard or cricket in my house. Secondly, my home is owned by a lovely Guyanese lady who moved to America and travels back and forth on holidays.. Hence all the appliances... I believe I am one of the only volunteers who doesn't have to hand wash her undies and gasp, has ac. Note it is expensive as hell to use so I try to limit usage to never.
Now, I was going to tell you how else living in the suburbs of Guyana is different from home. First, there are farm animals everywhere, wandering on the roads and in yards. They go where they please and cause havoc on the roads. Have I mentioned that drivers drive like it is a Mario Kart tournament? Several times I have gasped at the things we almost hit... Things being, farm animals, dogs, other cars... Small children and pedestrians. NOTE I have witnessed 3 collisions with cars, bicycles or motorcycles since I've been in Canje(my permanent site).
I did mention that I get water by pipe, but I don't want to dissapoint you, I do have to turn the pipe on to fill the big black tank outside my house every few days, as the water is shut off in the pipes after 6pm. Don't fill the tank? No water = bucket baths. I have stupidly forgotten a few times and had to lug water from outside in. However... Bucket baths are quite refreshing. Also, yes I have a beautiful shower, but I only get hot water once a day, around 2 pm... Why? Because the sun has heated the water in the black tank. What does that mean? 6 am, cold shower. Trust me, the last thing you want at 2pm in Guyana is a hot shower. I never thought I could dread a hot shower so much. The natural question I imagine you are asking is, well why do it? Fact is, Guyana is Hot! You must shower 2-3 times a day or risk smelling, skin infections and sweaty rashes.
 I heat my water for coffee every morning in a pot (no microwave or coffee maker) ... The coffee was sent from home... Guyanese drink instant coffee or tea. I feed my cat some Purina, or whatever is in the fridge (hey, peace corps stipend = don't waste). My cat loves chicken and peanutbutter.
Banking? If you come to visit, don't bother looking under the mattress... You will just find fur balls from Bora (my cat). I receive my stipend exactly how I did at home... by autotransfer to a bank account. I take my money out with a plastic card. Granted, if I go on Friday, I will wait in line for an hour to get my money (Friday seems to be payday for everyone). Despite the plastic, Guyana is a cash economy... Meaning you want food, beer or shopping... Gotta get cash out of the ATM.
Now I mentioned thoughts of everything being cheap. All I can say is some things are some things aren't. If it is made or grown in Guyana...like pineapple (omg, the best thing ever), mango, eggplant, squash, peppers Cheap. If its imported from the US (toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, cheese, cranberry juice), super expensive. Now, actually, its not that bad. If you came to visit, you would probably say wow, affordable! But keep this in mind, you make much more than the average Guyanese and me... $200/ month? I am going with expensive depending on what your situation is. $5 for cheese with only $200 a month is a luxury... $6 lunch at chicken, cereal, some chocolates... These are luxury items. They rarely go in my shopping cart. Mostly, I eat peanut butter sandwiches, peanutbutter crackers, things I can fry (plantain or potatoes), eggs, or things made from flour. I am getting good at homemade tortillas, pizza crust, bake (Guyanese, its like fried dough but not sweet), and making rice, vegetables.
so before I sign off for now, one other difference from home (not the Cape I grew up in..the cape of the 80's is different)... I know my neighbors. I think I knew a handful of neighbors when I moved off the cape. In Guyana, we gaff & lime (talk & hang out). They bring me guyanese food or fruits from their trees, and I make them pizza or granola. They check in on me when I am sick and give me popsicles. They make it a point to ask me about my day, what I did and how I'm finding Guyana. They would never hit the ignore button on their cell phone if i called and they were busy. They ask me about my family and beliefs in "moral" issues with genuine interest. They respect my opinion, even if they disagree, and are not afraid to admit when I have shown them a new idea that they discover like. I have seen guyanese reach into their pockets to hand the homeless men or women some money, or what is left of their food or drink. I have seen children with rotted teeth smile and laugh in school rooms that would shock New Englanders by their simplicity: with open chalkboard walls concept, no technology in site and handmade beautiful learning aids covered in plastic or laminated with packing tape.
So you may be wondering, I have all of these wonderful comforts of home... Why is peace corps and other organizations here? The operative word is "I" and my america living landlord. Most guyanese don't live like this. i just got lucky in housing. A fellow volunteer was just today telling me how she hadn't showered in weeks, as she had to bucket bath. I was serious when I mentioned some volunteers were living on cassava and plantain diet. I think my experience is interesting... Volunteers hear me mention washing machine & ac and they suddenly become silent, and a look of longing crosses their face (I learned quickly to keep quiet). I think in some convaluted way, my housing situation compared to most volunteers is an analogy for life in the developing world. Imagine you lived in a small one room house, with no running water or indoor toilet, and were barely making ends meet and feeding your children or able to buy a tooth brush to keep your Childs teeth from rotting... And your neighbor had ac and a washing machine. Our PC group is experiencing disparities in housing which is making quite an interesting situation when we gather together to gaff. however, I have heard few complaints from my good friends... We signed up for the pre-Miami departure date peace corps... Any extras is just bonus.
Now back to the Guyanese experience, this situation with your neighbor is reality. Some have money and US standard comforts... But most and i mean majority don't. I got a washing machine, my best friend didn't.
A Guyanese once explained to me that yes, they have infrastructure and many have comforts, but it doesn't make up for the fact that healthcare, education and social issues are not up to the same standards. Guyana has an extremely low literacy rate, and one of, if not the highest suicide rates per capita in the world. As I mentioned, there is economic disparity, poverty & homelessness, gender and sexual identity inequality and also domestic violence. You can pump countries in developing worlds full of money, infrastructure (hospitals, schools etc) ipads, designer sunglasses and sport cars, but that doesn't change the fact that there are some serious issues behind the scenes. I think the real benefit is to send teachers and people who care and that is why I believe in organizations like peace corps, doctors without borders, vso etc. I like the old proverb: give a man a fish and eats for a day... Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for life. You need educated doctors, teachers, mechanics, computer technicians, engineers, and people to fill these hospitals and schools, and to maintain the roads and structures being built. When WiFi goes down, who are you going to call? Don't get me wrong, donating is good, but education is better... So keep donating!
 To sum it up, going back to the analogy... I have an indoor toilet, but not all of us have the indoor toilets. There is a lot of work to do and having ac or indoor toilet doesn't make up for it ... It certainly helps... But having healthcare, education and the capacity and support to care for your family and improve your lot in life makes you beyond financially wealthy. Put it this way, education is invaluable.
 You can give a kid a toothbrush, but unless you show him how to use it, he'll probably use it as target practice. And if you do show him how to use it without explaining how to make a new toothbrush out of local materials, once it is lost or broken, your effort is wasted. Teach a kid how to use a toothbrush, how to make new ones and WHY brushing your teeth is important... He will keep doing it and have healthy teeth which will lead to better health and standard of living ( better diet, less chance of disease and infection etc.). He will also either teach others (his family & future children) or others will see him with nice teeth and ask him how his teeth are so nice... And he will model it for the community. He may start asking other questions about his health and make other observations- he may decide he likes teaching about dental hygiene in his community and strive to go to dental school. Point is, the possibilities are endless with education and knowledge. (NOTE you should probably teach about toothpaste too while you are at it.)

Now, back to me, because hey, this is my blog... even if I had to squattypotty with spiders, Guyana would be wonderful because of the people I have met... The fresh pineapples and mangos help too. I strongly recommend you get down here and experience Guyanese people, culture and beautiful sites! Waterfalls, birds, savannah, palm trees, black water and sun! Winter is coming. Reminder: Guyana only has heat. I'll be here for 21 more months.

**please pardon typos and spelling... As I mentioned, no WiFi, so I'm typing this on my ittybitty phone using data. No time or money spell check.

* my opinion... Not the us government or peace corps