Life in Guyana

I've been here almost 2 months now....it's crazy how fast time flies. I guess I'm just having lots of fun! :)
I'm going to share a little bit on the main observations I have made. Keep in mind that these are just my observations from the area that I live in, the office that I work in, and the people that I am friends with. I haven't traveled much outside of Georgetown so I don't know a lot about the interior and more rural areas in Guyana but here is a little bit more about what I have learned, what I have observed, and what my life is like in Georgetown...
Guyanese Culture...
Of course there are cultural differences between Guyana and Canada but things aren't drastically different in terms of culture, unlike many of the other countries that YCI interns are currently living in (Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, etc.). The culture is very Caribbean, with some Brazilian influence, which you can recognize by the type of music, style of dance, and street parties until sunrise :) The dress is pretty much the same as it is in Canada. When you are working in the international development field and living abroad in developing countries you are told to bring and wear lots of skirts, shorts and dresses that fall below the knee because of the country that you will be living in. However, even in the rural areas of Guyana you will find girls wearing very short skirts, shorts, and dresses just like you would see back in Canada. The majority of clothing that is sold in Guyana comes from the US and a lot of people, especially youth, like to be flashy with brand names, designer bags, expensive sneakers, and lots of jewellery.
Food is very important in Guyanese culture. When it comes to food everything is very communal and Guyanese are very hospitable. When out with a group of friends it is common for one person to buy everyone's lunch and/or drinks. Or, if one person buys food or a snack they will usually share it and pass it around to everyone else. Lunch is the biggest and most important meal of the day and typically when Guyanese cook they will make more than enough food in case any guests stop by. I learned very early on that you must ALWAYS have hot sauce (chili) and ketchup in your kitchen if you plan to entertain Guyanese guests... most people put it on everything! :) The most common Guyanese dishes are: cook-up , fried rice, chow mein, curry, and macaroni. Cook-up is typically a mix of rice, chicken/beef, beans, onions, cook-up seasoning, and pretty much anything else you have around the kitchen!
When it comes to body image it is the complete opposite of North America. In North America we are so obsessed with being thin, fit, and having this "perfect body"...I'm sure right now as the summer approaches in Canada every girl is dieting and working out like crazy to get that perfect beach body. In Guyana, and the Caribbean in general, men like curves and women are a lot more comfortable with their bodies even if they are a little heavier. You can clearly notice how confident the bigger girls are and the very thin girls are more self-conscious doing everything they can to put on weight. I really do wish that our North American obsession with body weight would change and every girl would feel better about themselves!
There are some trends and fads that are very common and evident in Guyana. Here are the two main ones that I have noticed...
1. Tattoos!!! EVERYWHERE. Almost everyone has a tattoo. Tattoo sleeves (cloth material with tattoo designs that you wear on your arms) are the newest trend to have right now.
2. Back in the 90's gold teeth became a fad. It is very common to see people with one gold tooth and I noticed this immediately as I got off the plane. Sometimes they come with a shape such as a heart or a star.
Other observations...
3. Birds are common to have as pets and you will sometimes see men, typically on bicycles, carrying around their birds in cages. I've heard that the men and their birds congregate with others to see whose bird has the largest chirp. Speaking of birds...bird watching is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Guyana!
4. When asked your age adults tend to say the age that they are turning, not the age that they actually are. I am turning 23 in August so I would say that I am 23 even though that isn't for another 3 months.
5. Frequent blackouts. There are typically blackouts at least once a week...Friday afternoons are common scheduled blackouts. My Australian roommate and I embrace the blackouts and spend the time sitting out on our veranda drinking beers and talking which is nice. One day at work when we had a blackout I was expressing to my boss how I enjoy blackouts....we debated about it for a little while before he said "Amanda, one day there is going to be a blackout while you are doing something very important and then you will no longer like blackouts". Sure enough on the first day of the Entrepreneurship Workshop that I was facilitating for the staff there was a blackout and I had to finish the first day without the projector.
6. Unfortunately there is lots of garbage. Georgetown is a beautiful city but it has so much potential to be so much more. You will see piles of garbage everywhere and there is currently no recycling system so EVERYTHING goes in to the garbage.
7. Common Creolese phrases: (GUYANA = CANADA)
• "I aint hear you" = Sorry OR pardon me
• "Me aint know" = I don't know
• "You and who" = who were you with/who are you going with
And I have perfected all of these :) ....well sorta.
Life at YCG...
It is great! It is hilarious and fun and I really enjoy it. The office is very young and we laugh a lot. A typical day involves my boss Dmitri and co-worker Dwayne teasing me about my Canadian accent. Some words that us Canadians pronounce differently than Guyanese: butter, tomato, potato, three (they pronounce 3 as "tree" and 30 as "turty"), water, sour, and healthy (they pronounce it elle-tee). It is pretty hilarious...I am easy to tease and I play along with it.
My greatest learning experiences...
8. I recently facilitated an introductory Entrepreneurship Workshop internally for the YCG staff. Dmitri had asked me to run a workshop for all of the staff and although I was a little nervous about it of course I took it on :) It was an incredible experience and I learned a lot. I'm excited to run the workshop again in the future so that I can improve and gain even more experience.
9. I am learning a lot more about cooking, yay! My Australian roommate, Dale, loves to cook so I am learning lots from him but I am also learning how to cook Guyanese meals from my other friends.
Overall it has been an incredible 2 months. I have learned a lot, experienced a lot, and made a lot of great friends. I can't wait for even more...I just hope that time doesn't fly too fast!