First week in Georgetown!

 

I was so excited but also very nervous.

Nervous about living alone.

Nervous about not knowing anyone.

Nervous about work.

Nervous about walking around alone.

Nervous about being away from home for 9 months.

But...excited to grow and learn A LOT.

Excited to start making friends.

Excited to challenge myself at work.

Excited about living in the Caribbean, in a country that is not frequently visited by tourists.

Excited about all of the incredible new experiences Georgetown and Guyana will bring.

The very first thing that I want to say is....Youth Challenge Guyana (YCG) is AMAZING! It has only been 4 days in the office and I am so impressed with the organization, the staff, the volunteers, and every program that YCG runs. I am so happy that I have the opportunity to work with the YCG team for 9 months and support the incredible initiatives that they do in Guyana.

At 11:30pm on Monday March 21st I boarded the plane to Port of Spain, Trinidad where I took a connecting flight to Georgetown, Guyana. My trip started off great after bumping into a good friend of mine at the Toronto airport and making friends with one of the flight attendants from Trinidad. Both of my flights were half full so I had 3 seats to myself to sleep...although I didn't sleep much. The plane letters from family and friends occupied my time and they were all so sweet. I got a good sense of the ethnicity of Guyanese on the flight...a mix of people with African, Indian, Chinese, Amerindian, and European descent. Most people I have spoken with say that a true Guyanese has a mixed background. As we were landing I stared out the window at a sea of green...endless rain forest that looked as if it went on forever. It was incredible. I had never seen anything like it. Untouched mother nature with no sign of roads or paths anywhere. 

When I departed the plane on Tuesday morning I was officially really nervous. I was picked up by Mr. Wilson, a driver and VCT (Voluntary Counselling and Testing) worker at YCG. Mr. Wilson and I spent about 2 hours in the car driving into Georgetown (it should only take about 30 minutes) and we talked about everything.

·                    The 2 lane main road, the East Bank highway, runs from the airport to Georgetown and it is the main road right along Demerara River. Due to heavy rainfall the previous week part of the road had flooded and caused a huge traffic jam.

·                    Creolese: the dialect of English that Guyanese speak....Mr. Wilson would say something and I could barely understand ANYTHING!

·                    All of the houses are built out of wood or cement. They are both about the same price to build and a lot of houses are built on stilts which protects them from the heavy rainfall. I've noticed that some of the houses tend to be very colourful.

We finally arrived at the office and I met almost all of the staff which was great. The YCG office is a really nice 3 story building in the heart of Georgetown and it is recently air conditioned which is so necessary. It is SO HOT and SO HUMID here! I was immediately given an orientation schedule and staff contact list by Dwayne who is responsible for Logistics among other things. The lovely Sehkisha, Finance and Admin Assistant, oriented me for the entire day with introductions to all the staff, getting a sim card and credit for my phone, exchanging money, and settling in to my apartment. I knew that I was going to enjoy working at YCG right from the start after meeting all of the staff and hearing the awesome music that Dwayne was playing :) (I love the Caribbean music!) As we drove around town running errands I attempted to participate in the conversation that Sehkisha and Mr. Wilson were having but I couldn't understand a thing. It is basically a whole different language...at least in the first week. Of course the Guyanese can turn their Creolese on or off but when speaking to each other they prefer Creolese. 

My apartment is AWESOME! I LOVE IT. Three bedrooms, a large open living room space, nice bathroom and shower, a wooden dining table, and a kitchen with a fridge, microwave, oven, and stove...more than I need. I can't wait for all of my friends and family to visit (hint, hint)! No hot water but with this humidity I am really enjoying the cold refreshing showers. The best part of all...I live on the top floor of a 2 story building and I have a really cute balcony/porch :) It is located in a really nice quiet neighbourhood with an internet cafe and shop right around the corner which is very convenient.  

The following 3 days at work were filled with one-on-one meetings with each of the staff and learning about the Women's Entrepreneurship Program that I will be managing over the next 9 months. Work began right away and I was immediately given responsibility for managing the entire program and recruiting more women. There are currently 22 women signed up for the program and our target is 50. The program will start with a one-week training session that will be done in 2 batches (25 women in each) and they want to start it in 2 weeks on April 4th. Again, I was excited but nervous....so much is happening so fast!

I met with the Executive Director, Dmitri, and the Finance Manager, Samantha, to discuss the entrepreneurship program and my internship and we threw some ideas around. I was very impressed. They are so nice, accomplished, and intelligent. Dmitri modeled an incredible leader and manager by asking me about my strengths.....the perfect question to ask to make use of your staff's abilities and skills. I was given several things to complete for next week and was told that Dmitri and I would be meeting with the local newspaper and television stations for interviews within the next week. It is going to be my first time being interviewed on TV! A reporter from Kaieteur News, a local newspaper, interviewed Dmitri and I on Friday morning for the Sunday paper which was great. It is definitely going to be challenging, especially in the first couple months with the adjustment, but I love how much responsibility I am being given and how much Dmitri is involving me. 

The nights and weekend were spent unpacking, relaxing, and hanging out with some work friends. I really appreciated my coworkers being so hospitable and kind by taking me out for lunch, buying me ice cream, walking me home after work, and taking me out at night. I was eager to make friends in the beginning and found myself a little lonely at times. It is really difficult moving to a new country on your own where you know absolutely no one! I feel a lot more comfortable after a week though and I'm excited to make some more friends. 

Some interesting things about Guyana...

·                    Men always walk on the side of the street closest to the cars when walking with a woman as protection. 

·                    The public transportation, minibuses, is the same that they have in many other countries (including Kenya). Except in Georgetown they don't pack them like sardines.

·                    Guyanese wear the exact same clothing that you would find back home in Canada pretty much. The majority of their clothes and shoes are recent styles imported from the states.

·                    Single parents are very common in Georgetown.

·                    Clubs and bars don't really close and you can drink alcohol in public places....at the seawall, on the side of the street, etc. just like a lot of places in the world. It’s nice to get away from all of the rules in Canada.

·                    Blackberry’s are very popular and almost all of my coworkers have one. Not all of the iphone features work in Guyana so they aren't common.

·                    Lunch is the biggest meal of the day but most families don't eat all together at the table. I’ve been told there is limited discussion between children and their parents.  

·                    Food:

o                         Chow mein is a popular dish (noodles with corned beef, vegetables, and seasoning). My co-worker taught me how to make this!

o                         Other common meals: Rice, chicken curry, fried chicken, roti

o                         I particularly like channa for lunch (chickpeas with a mango sauce)

·                    Some creolese or Guyanese phrases and words:

o                         "gaffing" = chatting/talking

o                         "woppening" = what's happening

o                         "wha going on" = what's going on (a common greeting)

o                         "I deh" = I'm fine

o                         "just now" = in a moment, I'll give you it a little later (i.e. Regarding a report)

o                         "lata down" = see you later

o                         "lime" = chill/hang out. Guyanese love to lime!

Some fun things that I did this week:

·                    Attended a Wedding Expo with some female co-workers.

·                    Danced at some Georgetown clubs/bars. When you are invited out by someone that person will typically pay for all of the drinks.

·                    Hung out/limed at the seawall...on Sunday it is the place to be! The concrete wall is about 3.5 feet high and 5 feet wide and it runs along the north coast of Georgetown on the Atlantic Ocean. There are lots of couples, families, and groups of friends who hang out there with food, drinks, and music as vendors and cars line the seawall. I love it already!

·                    Played football/soccer with my coworkers in the Georgetown National Park. 

This experience has already been very different from my past experience working in Kenya. This time I am living in an urban city working out of a large office instead of in the field in a small rural town. The culture in Georgetown is a lot more similar to Canada then Kenyan culture is. I still have a lot to learn and a lot to get adjusted to.

When I reflect on where I am, what I have done, and who I am I'm so happy and grateful for everything and everyone that I have in my life and all of the incredible experiences that I have had. I am 22 years old and I am so happy that I have been given the opportunity to do so much. I hope that I can really help YCG grow and succeed and that I can change the life of at least 1 entrepreneur. I want to integrate into the community and inspire others. I've already started working hard on my Creolese :)

A new chapter begins...

Another chapter of my life has started and this time I am living in Georgetown, Guyana! I will be working with Youth Challenge International (YCI) as a CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) funded IYIP intern. I am working with YCI's partner organization, Youth Challenge Guyana (YCG), for 9 months as the Women's Entrepreneurship Program Officer. I am very excited and I can't wait for this incredible journey!

This part of my life has a lot of "firsts" that I am nervous about but also very excited for....

·         First time in South America and first time in the Caribbean. Although Guyana is geographically located in South America it is considered to be more of a Caribbean country and is a part of the Caribbean Community known as CARICOM.

·         First time traveling and working overseas on my own (I am the only Canadian this time)

·         Longest time living away from home and outside of Canada....9 months!

I am thrilled to be working with Youth Challenge International (www.yci.org) and I strongly believe in everything that they do. YCI is dedicated to empowering youth to educate their peers and make a difference in their communities in several different countries around the world. Half of the world's population is under the age of 25 and 89% of youth reside in the developing world with 22.5% of the world's youth living in poverty. Youth are the future and we should start with them to make real change.

Last week myself and six other IYIP interns with YCI participated in six days of training in preparation for the internships ahead of us. Each intern is working in a different position with a different local organization. There are 3 interns working in Tanzania, 1 in Ghana, 1 in Uganda, 1 in Guatemala, and 1 in Guyana...ME! We spent 3 days with YCI learning about the organization, our goals and expectations, development, power and privilege, capacity building, and lots more. The second part of training was 3 days with the Centre for Intercultural Learning (CIL) where we learned more about working in a different country with a different culture which included lots on communication, tools for effective internships, and knowledge sharing between interns.

The training was incredible and I learned a lot as someone without an international development background. Every intern was a perfect fit for their position and we all learned a lot from each other and everyone's incredible past experiences. Just a couple important and interesting learning points for anyone working in a different country or with different cultures...

·         Listen, observe, ask. Non-verbal communication is so important.

·         Suspend judgement. Put yourself in someone else' shoes and make no assumptions.

·         Recognize and acknowledge power and privilege.

·         Ask a lot of questions: triangulate by asking at least 3 different people.

·         Even though the concept of time is different in different countries you should always show up on time and start meetings on time to set the expectations.

·         As an interculturally effective person you must be able to deal with ambiguity.

My favourite part of the training was meeting with my country resource person, Marlon, from Guyana. He was so kind, intelligent, and inspirational and I learned so much from him about everything! Guyana is an interesting and beautiful country. The majority of Guyana is densely forested and it is turning into one of the continent's premier ecotourism destinations. Georgetown, where I'm living, is the capital city and is distinctly Caribbean with a mix of many different ethnic backgrounds.

Guyana in a nutshell...

·         Area: 215,000 sq km (about the size of the UK). The country is located just north of the equator in northern South America between Venezuela and Suriname, north of Brazil.

·         Population: 765,000 (Guyana), 200,000 (Georgetown). The country's population is shrinking by 0.5% each year as a result of emigration.

·         The majority of the population lives on the coastal plain, which supports agriculture, and lies a few feet below sea level but is protected by drainage canals, dams, and walls. The interior is mostly tropical rainforest and the country is swarming with rivers.

·         Guyana is one of the four non-Spanish speaking South American countries. The official language is English, however the spoken English that Guyanese use on a daily basis is a dialect known as Creolese. Hindi, Urdu, and Amerindian are also spoken in more interior parts.

·         Climate: tropical, hot and humid moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)

·         Population living below the national poverty line: 16.8%. Guyana is one of the poorest countries in the Commonwealth Caribbean.

·         Kaieteur Falls!!!! Guyana is home to the world's highest single-drop waterfall....pretty awesome!

·         Guyana is ethnically diverse: East Indian immigrants make up approximately 44% of the population, next are the Afro-Guyanese (30%), and indigenous peoples, or the Amerindians (9%). People of mixed race make up 17%. The remainder includes small groups of Chinese, English, and Portuguese.

·         As a result of the decline in the standard of living and the lack of opportunities for youth, thousands seek to go abroad and for most families today the thing most desired is a visa to the US or Canada. The majority of Guyanese have a relative overseas sending them back money to cover the high costs of living.

·         Urban couples customarily have 3 to 5 children; rural families may have 5 or more.

·         Cricket is a national obsession and dominoes is a favourite table game.

·         Holidays are really BIG and exciting! They have lots to celebrate because of the different religions.

·         Sugar and rice are the main exports as well as bauxite, gold, diamonds, timber and shrimp.

·         Guyanese are outgoing, friendly, and fun-loving!

Lastly, throughout the training we spoke a lot about our hopes and dreams for the internship and here are a couple of mine...

·         Learn as much as possible about Guyana and the culture

·         Make lots of life-long friendships :)

·         Network within the community, specifically with people working in international development, micro-finance, and entrepreneurship

·         Challenge myself

·         Participate in cultural activities

·         Work effectively with my team at YCG

·         Support women entrepreneurs in Georgetown and improve their businesses

·         Have fun!

I hope that you continue to read my blog about my adventures in Guyana and the Women's Entrepreneurship Program in Georgetown. I would greatly appreciate any feedback, advice, and suggestions in the future regarding the entrepreneurship program and how I can improve my work and make it more effective. I am expecting to encounter many challenges as a foreigner who doesn't know everything about Guyana, Georgetown, and the culture, but I am looking forward to an incredible 9 months of experience and learning!