madness today...

Today has been craziness and it's not even noon yet!

Shopping for the hut began.

Yesterday I spent almost $700 SRD on a bed. (this is a lot for me...I know it sounds silly, but that's more then half my spending budget) I think you all pretty much know my love of sleeping - and as much as I love my purple hammack. I'm super pumped to have a bed!

Today - I woke at 6:30am to hop in the shower and hoof it to the office for a meeting (there were just 4 of us from the group going, so no transport there) BUT I did stop for an expensive cup of REAL coffee. In fact it was a 'Red Eye'(for those non coffee drinkers that a cup of coffee with a shot of esspreso in it) Slice of heaven!

Last nite our CD invited us over for a truly amazing dinner. It was so relaxing to be in a ''home" and her decorating style is right up my alley. Beautiful home. I finished the nite with a big piece of Apple Pie. Then back to the room to watch Adventures in Babysitting on Kristin's computer. Good times!

Shopping for hut items today - you guys it's a riot. Buying 'meat buckets' to hold my food (to keep safe from rats and kakaaka...cockroachs) plastic chairs and pots and pans. I wonder if I can find a martini shaker here ;)

So it's a short one today as I have to get back to it...I do need to find a dress as well. Forgot to pack one for swear-in and I don't think they would appricate me showing up in my tank top and ripped pants. I'm really, really, REALLY missing my wardrobe from home this week.

Love ya all - and thanks for all the well wishs. I'll try to check in tomorrow, but it's crunch time here. xoxoxox!

today....

not feeling so great....love you all, more tama.

xoxoxo

Bittersweet - more sweet then bitter....

'Suria - Alucan tongo namo!!!' (speak alucan only) I will not cry over leaving the piercing voice and commanding presence that is Ceclia! Who- by the way, I found out is pregnant! Number six to debut this November!

Boslanti - I do admit having grown found of....

Little things - like 4 yr old Lillia holding my hand and sliently walking every morning with me to class. Watching Chaco grow at an alarming rate! 2 new teeth and walking now! Allentan counting...1,2,6,7,3 - his pronunciation PERFECT, now if we can just get the order straight we're in business! Raqwell, serious Raqwell, I'll miss catching the glimpies of her being a 10 yr old...when she's not cooking or cleaning - and allowed to just play cat's cradle with me. Jonsue - I think I may just miss being chased all over the village by a 6 yr old with a bugger, or snake or worm in hand. Begorbee, sweet little Begorbee....I'll miss his fabulous hugs and his nightly saranade of 'Suria - you a de tha Hokie Pokie andy u shake ite all over...' coming through the wall as we retire for the nite.

I feel prepared and ready to move forward on this adventure they call Peace Corps!

Although last week was our final language test - and due to a lingering cold I developed larangites (lost my voice for 6 days!) RIGHT before testing! So soon we'll see how prepared my tester things I am... ;) Losing the voice was a test in pacience. As I've mentioned many times before not greeting is considered extremely rude. SO I had to whisper ' mi siki aini mi neki' to the whole village for 6 days. Everyone there was excited for me when I got my voice back! I was elated to get it back - as my hearing was honestly about to go! Seems people here think because I couldn't talk, they should compensate and talk LOUDER to me. Especially our beloved, already amazingly strong voiced - Celcia.

Some of my favorite events that occured in the last 3 weeks:

1. After a full day of langauge - crossing the river for tech training....missing both breakfast and lunch...I returned to a wonderful, steaming hot bowl of chicken feet!! (Peter Pan is magical and having him stashed away has really saved me here!)

2. While visiting my girls in Drapoda..Partner-in Crime Kate with me...At around midnite.
Climbing through the window of Joesy's locked hut (she was at another village that nite) navagating our way around in the dark, finding her flashlight - but NOT the bag of M&M's we were treasure hunting for!

3. Organizing and witnessing the kids (40 of them) play Cat and Dog. (It's Duck, Duck, Goose but I didn't know the word in Aulcan for Goose)

4. Sucessfully pulling off a health day for the village kids. (some adults showed up too!) Where Lynn, Wayne and I each did a demo/presentation. Mine was handwashing, Lynn tooth care, Wayne minor wound treatment. Kids love the smell of soap!

5. When 6..10-15 yr old boys were playing noisely in the area we take class....watching calm, cool, easy going Lynn - JUMP out of her seat, lose it and chase the kids screaming in English -- SHUT UP AND GET OUT!!

6. Sneaking out my window late at nite to go dancing to the beat of the drums.

7. Waking up in sheer panic, thinking I wet my hammack. (Note: wind pants do NOT make good sleeping pants...they tend to make you sweaty.) No hammack wetting - just sweating!

This is the naked city - nothing goes unseen. So yes - I did get repremanded for number 6. 'Suria me a whippie U!' Ceclia the protective host mom---with a vicious bark. I just smile at her and give her cookies as peace offerings!

So Sur 14 BACK together again-- all 24 strong and in the city till the 1st! This is the last time our group will be united for a while now...as we swear-in on the 1st then off to our perm sites. Bittersweet my friends...bittersweet.

Love-hugs and kisses to you all. I'll update ya tomorrow on the fun of the city!!

xoxoxoxo always!

Happy 4th of July a day late!

Hey guys!



So it's the 5th here and we are heading over to the Ambassator's place for an afternoon of bbq'ing swimming, music and partying. I'm excited to get in that pool! We've met her before, and she's a really cool lady....so we should have a good time and celebrate the 4th! I don't think there will be fireworks ;) but a POOL is sounding really nice!



We head back out for the remaining of our training tomorrow, the dreaded return to homestay ;)and I'm kinda bummed to leave the city (and all the peace corps people!) We've definitely been having a blast here. I will request knowledge on cleaning fish AND Ms. Ilya I learned that raw gutted fish can sit out for a good 6 hours before it spoils. If cooked it can probably make it overnite...without refridgeration. Eggs don't need to be in the fridge...and tofu can last awhile as well. And never fear -- there is ALWAYS peanut butter! I have a new respect for peanut butter. I have also realizedwhat a luxury ice-cubes and COLD liquids are in the city.



I've been rooming with Michelle, and this morning she was kind enough to pluck my eyebrows...not a bad job! I borrowed some earrings and will apply makeup today, I got a good look in the mirror the other day. I no longer have red hair, infact it's almost blondish (I cut it before I left so it's cropped right above my shoulders) I'm insanely tan except for the tops of my legs ;) and red were the bug bits are on me. There's been a few people that have gotten staff infections - damn, that stuff is nasty looking! We're a tough group!



We had laungage for a few hours this morning, and learned the Suriname Anthem, I think we have to sing it (and the Star Spangled Banner) at swear in. I swear in on Bevin's Birthday! (August 1st!) So Bevo - I'll be thinking of you as I belt those out in my amazing singing voice!



We've all been having a great time running around the city - and last nite we sat at the waterfront and listened to I'm not lying....Greatest Wedding Songs of All Times....and shared drinks and laughs with all the PCV's left in Suriname. Sur 12 has started to head home...so everyone is in the city.



I learned today that if I drop Moth Balls down the tiny holes in my house that the bats fly in and out...that they will leave and not return. Apparently moth balls replies bats, squirrels (Ilya again...for your deck area, if you don't mind the smell of moth balls!) and all those critters.



There are also going to smoke bomb my house for the creepy crawlies. So I should be a-okay by move-in!



I grabbed a quick tuna sandwich here - and realized that this country puts ketchup on everything....this has been noted for further eating experiences! ;)



Kinda random post today - but I it's been a lot of hanging out with PCV's and doing random stuff...I love you all and will write hopefully next month.



ps - I could use a yoga book of poses.



Peace out my loves!!

Wait...timeout - what day is it again?

I have completely lost all concept of days of the week lately! I returned from my site visit yesterday and am back in the city until Sunday morning.

After meeting my counterpart at NAKS we headed out for a 5 day site visit.

My counterpart let me know that he held a village meeting and if any man in the village tries to proposition me in anyway, they would be delt with harshly, with the threat of being kicked out of the village! Protective Tomas.

Wanhatti is unbelievable!

It's a 3hour bumpy bus ride to the boat (it's got an outboard motor, but plank seats that honestly really hurt my butt!) :) the boat ride is about another 3 hours. It was a crazy journey (shocking...) out to site. It had rained pretty hard again, so the bus was slower moving, and the lady sitting in front of me had a case of the cha cha cha's so we stopped frequently to let her off and back on again....once we got on the boat (Tomas my counterpart made sure that I wore my bright red lifevest...safety mariah, you put on water shirt!) the heaven's opened and it poured and poured on us. They use umbrella's as shields and hide behind them and huddle under them. It's kinda fun, as you're smooshed next to each other trying not to get drenched. I played patty cake with the girl sitting across from me ;)

We arrived at Wanhatti around 5:00pm and got off the boat just steps from my house to be! Honestly it'll take your breathe away the view from my front door. It's straight up river and jungle. The pathway to the village is slightly away from the front of the house so people are walking by, but not close enough that they are in my 'space' if you will.

House:
It's an actual houselike house. Concrete floors, and wooden walls.
The radio station (it's one room) shares an area of the house. Tiny but I'm use to tiny.
Electricity CAN come on sometimes from 7-11pm
I have a bedroom!! So I can get a bed and not have to sleep in my hammack! (someone send me some sheets -- this made me sooo happy!! I have room for a bed!!) Bedroom is about the size of my bathroom in Chicago, but I'm SOO excited!
Currently there are bats living in the walls of the house, and wasps were making a hive in the corner...cockroachs the size of my plam were running a round, and a toad hopped in a few times ;)

The village and the people:

There are about 200 people total. Everyone works in the bush, they are huge gardeners. Watermelon is a favorite crop. Everyone's plots are huge, each family has at least one plot. No smaller then the size of a football field. Plots are set back in the jungle and you MUST wear boots and carry your machette. They are extremely hard workers. The men also do a lot of net fishing. It's the most traditional village on the river. Heathens is what the missionary called most of the Maroon people, I about wet my pants when I heard that. There is the Moon house and spirit strings on children. I met one pregnant lady who was covered in a healing wash (she smelled of rum and herbs and had a cracked egg on her head)
There is also a 'dead house' where they place the body of the person who has died - (they embalm them) and they party and play music and celebrate their spirit. There are things called Wintees. You 'catch' a wintee and it causes you to shake uncontrolably, talk in tongues, and basically freak the f-out. You are considered posessed by evil spirits, and have to go to the medicane man if this happens.

Mi kissie fishie fu yu!

The next morning of my stay the captian (he's the the highest of high to repect in the village - nothing happens in the villlage without his consent, kinda in a premative way of a major) came knocked on my door....I opened it and he shoved a plate with three LIVE fish, still gasping for breathe at me. You have to accept gives like this, especially from the CAPTIAN. So I took them and thanked him a bunch. I promptly put those fish in a bucket and filled it with water.

I had no idea what to do with those guys!

Next up a 12 yr old girl came to give odie. She sat down and we spoke in my limited langauge - I love that girl (I can't remember her name for the life of me) but she's awesome. (she would follow me through the village carrying a chair, everytime I stopped she would put down the chair for me to sit in....I felt strangely worshipped...) She asked me for the fish that the captian gave me, You don't even want to know how much she laughed til she cried when I showed her the bucket. She was completely confused. I did my standard response, smiled and laughed. We grabbed them out of the bucket and she took them away.

She came back 10 mins later, and they were cleaned and gutted. She hands them back to me again. Then she ran off to do her chores.

Geezz, now what do I do with them!? I don't have a fridge (or electricity) so I was like 'Thank you soo much for cleaning the fish!' It was 9:30am and I have raw dead fish in my house. I put another plate to cover them, and promptly left the house to visit with the village!

I got up to the group of women who are kinda like the leaders of the womens group. They are laughing at me. (shocking again) and have me sit down, and want me to braid their hair. Me braiding hair is usually always a disaster, but it helps to intergrate...we all get a kick out of it.

Then they lead me over to help them make cassava bread. Again there is a ton of laughter and then are loving the fact that I'm trying to flip (baaka baaka) the bread on the hot iron covering the wood fire. It was sooo hot, and smoke got in my eyes, my nose started running...it was a wonderful mess. I love these ladies! They just smile at me and cheered for me, as I flipped the bread and it went everywhere ;)

Rain came - and I headed over to meet Sa Besty. Instantly I knew I would love her. She's over 90 yrs old and cynial. She has a pet parrot named Maria. Sa Betsy -- while I was visiting her a Chinese man came on a motor scooter (I'm still trying to figure out how he got there) to sell clothes. She calls out to him, and actually did buy a blouse - as he's leaving he did something she didn't like (I think he squashed a plant with his bike) and she screams out 'you chinese dog! You're mom's a pumpkin!

Sa Betsy is fiesty!

There is a girl also named Mariah in the village. The midwife named her, the village calls her Yolanda though..so there shouldn't be any confusion.

I spent July 1st there - it was the 145 year of Masipasi, (Suriname's independance day) It's a huge celebrating, everyone hands out sweets, kids have the day off of school, and there is dancing.

One of the women came to get me, and handed me a gift - a pangi! I got gifts of sweets and they dressed me traditionally for dancing that day.

I went to church first, where they sung songs, and celebrated - then outside we sat and ate.....Wanhatti has a band (Come Back Boys) and they pounded on those drums and sangs...and we danced and danced!! Our fearless Captian was all dressed up for the occassion. (He was wearing a Sea Captian's Hat.....ya, I'm serious) He likes the rum, and got himself hammered! His wife took him, and his chair home. It was a wonderful site to see.

Wanhatti and I are going to do just fine.

Last nite we partied our butts of here in the city - karoke and fun with the Sur 12's and 13's as the 12's are heading back home this month.

As always much more to tell you - but I'm running out of time.
If you guys think about it - I would LOVE deep conditioning conditioner, leave-in conditioner, a speaker for my ipod, Secret deorderant, more flip flops. Big Red or Flare gum, pepperment patties....and nail polish for my toes. ;)

Love and kisses!! More hopefully soon before I head out to finish homestay!