Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Hello all! Well, I've been in the city since Wednesday- hopefully you all had a good Thanksgiving! It was definitely a lot different being in 90 degree weather instead of the Missouri cold! The Ambassador had the PC staff and volunteers over for dinner-turkey and mashed potatoes, a few other sides and pie. Unfortunately there were no party potatoes, ham or green bean casserole! Luckily my mom sent the ingredients for the casserole- it really is a must for the holidays!-so the following night when our group of volunteers made Mexican- it only seemed appropriate to have some green beans! Getting through the first major holiday was rough- talking to family when they are all sitting around the table back home and knowing what (and who) we were missing was difficult for a lot of the volunteers. Unfortunately some of the volunteers were unable to come in for the holiday bc of their site location and the cost of coming in (Joe and some others) and they were missed (one in particular by me!). I did sent a box full of treats, veggies and a bottle of red down to Joe's site via the airline that travels there- so hopefully those helped him a bit!

The past three weeks at site have been somewhat eventful project-wise. After coming back from the city the last time, I had hoped to finally have a new latrine built and plywood put under my zinc roof (it helps a bit with the heat- it's a sauna inside during the day!), but was disappointed to see that nothing had been done. Luckily the PC doctor can get things moving and talked to my counterpart- so hopefully THIS time when I get back there will be more progress! I also tried to have my first official meeting when I first returned from the city. Joe was there so I had some moral support, we told a lot of the villagers when/where, and attempted to make 'no bake cookies' (which basically turned into balls of sugar-it’s hard to bake with no oven!) for the meeting. Needless to say, when not one person showed, I was a bit upset. Two weeks later, I was able to work a meeting into a funeral type meeting called a broko day. (Whenever someone from the village dies, they get together and dance, sing and eat at certain time intervals (1 week, 6 weeks, 6 months and so on) to remember that person. Sometimes they last a few hours, sometimes they go until 6 am.) My counterpart and I took advantage of that and tried to talk to the villagers about what they wanted me to help them do (Caroline was there with me this time- it's very nerve racking to speak in Saramaccan to a few people, let alone 50!) So, the village decided they wanted running water, durotanks, and machines to help with the rice and casaba, and a pre-school. Next, I'll try and have a meeting to see who is going to help me with what projects and decide what organizations I can hopefully work with to get some of these goals accomplished. There are various ones here in Suriname, including UNICEF, PAHO and their National Women’s Movement, that I will more than likely work with. There is also a small tourist lodge- 3 huts and a meeting house of sorts- that is being worked on by a villager (for the past 9 years) and hopefully I will be able to help him generate some clients with some basic marketing, etc.

There's a lot of other possibilities for projects running through my head, but the big problem is getting people motivated to do things. That is the main obstacle we face here – motivation. The Surinamese culture prefers to be polite and basically tell you what you would like to hear, instead of what they really feel. This is challenging when you are trying to get people to commit to things, and they tell you 'ok, sure' but really they mean 'no way'. This is something that PC tried to help the volunteers understand and work around, but I am not sure exactly how to do that, yet am hoping with time I will be able to do so. I think it is going to take a lot of trial and error. Most of the villages are used to NGOs and other groups visiting for a few days and then providing the villages with items, such as rice, materials, etc., so they are often used to 'handouts', which is discouraging. Wanting people to accomplish things and help better their community is exasperating when they are used to saying 'give me' and 'what did you bring me' and are indeed given what they ask for. I know this is one of the most tiring things for PCVs here- being told 'da me ___'. (Give me ___). At first I think we were all shocked at how blunt people are with that, but you do get used to it at time and it is easier to say no.

I have not begun teaching English yet, as I wanted to wait and talk to the village about what they wanted me to help them with first. I will probably begin the first of the year, as I'll be back to the city for the holidays where I will also trying to meet with various organizations to get an idea of what can be done to help get my projects moving. It can take a very long time to obtain funding for things, so I am interested to see what I will be able to do during my time here.

I miss you all and love you- it is so difficult being away, especially this time of year! I was sad to miss Black Friday for the first time in years! Shopping in Suriname really isn’t the same- and oh yeah, there’s also the factor of not really having an income! Nic – I got the Halloween box and absolutely love everything! Tell ‘the boys’ thanks too! Mom the casserole was delicious! Brea I got your card – you look very teacherly/ high school senior like in your school photo (thanks for the handwriting paper- I really will try and work on my writing here guys- I know you have been having to skip some words in my letters!) Frank Happy Late Birthday! Everyone – enjoy the cold bc I am very jealous of it! Frani and Elizabeth- thank you for the cards- what a nice surprise! Hello Ronda! I hope that you had a good holiday as well- I really wish Joe would have been able to come in- but he said he was making pumpkin bread, so I guess he was trying for his own Thanksgiving dinner of sorts! Hopefully you will like reading about what we are up to here!

Also- there are new pictures up!

Back to Site!

Well, I am finally headed back to site tomorrow after 3 weeks in the city. I have unfortunately gotten used to the air conditioning and other perks that come with city life, so I am sure that it will take a few days to readjust. Joe is coming with me for a few days so he can meet my village and see my site, so it will be nice to have him there as all the villagers come by to see where I've been/what I've brought for them/did I bring back meat/why I was gone so long/etc. I will be back around Thanksgiving with most of the other volunteers, so I will update more then. Thank you all for your comments and I miss you so much! I hope all is well!

Sick and Sick

Hello All- Well, I am in the city now and have been for about a week. I was planning on coming in, but when I came down with a fever and the worst headache of my life, decided to come in a little sooner. After doing some tests, the PC doc ruled out Dengue Fever (his first guess) and then malaria, and finally decided that I have mono. He's not exactly sure how I contracted it- but his guess is that Joe somehow passed it on to me, even though he had it- oh, about 8 years ago in high school. Who knows. Between that, a skin infection and your other typical jungle meds (malaria meds), I have been on more medication in the last month than I think I have been in my entire life. But, I am finally feeling better- just exhausted and really nauseous. But don't worry- I'm on medicine for that, too. I'll have been in the city for about 3 weeks when I finally head back; we all have training next week and then are planning on staying in to watch the election. It's interesting bc a few people in my village have asked me who I am voting for. They really like Obama!

The village life is going. I am getting more used to it, but it is still difficult and challenging- as I am sure it will be for the next 1.5 years. I'll finally be starting English lessons when I get back, as the villagers keep asking for them. They have also mentioned a few other things that they would like; a school and a machine to help pound rice, which, after helping with I can completely see the justification for the rice machine. Since this is the main-or basically entire part-of their diet, having a machine to help them clean and pound the rice would make their lives a lot easier. It is really hard work- no wonder the women have such strong arms! After helping for about 20 minutes, I was worn out- they use a huge mortar and pestle (wooden) to pound and break up the rice, raising it about their heads and slamming it down repeatedly until the rice is broken up. It’s an all day- or multiple day- affair.

I have been trying to visit the villagers more, even though it gets very uncomfortable and repetitive very quickly. I have the same conversations over and over, but sometimes there are interesting ones. Like when a villager brought me to his house and gave me cold oranges, then pulled out his Jean Claude Van Dame movie collection. They’re impressed with his fighting skills! It’s interesting the American things they’ve encountered here. I had a discussion with a girl about the show ‘Are you Afraid of the Dark?’- Which she informed me was too scary for her-and which I remember watching in about 6th grade-thanks Nickelodeon! Also, the people with generators like to play their music loud and early (luckily another PCV gave me some earplugs so I can try and sleep in past 5:30) and I’ll hear a nice AM mix of Celine Dion, Ben Folds Five, DMX, Bob Marley and Beyonce. At least they like to spice it up!

I’m hoping to be going on a vacay for the holidays. It’s really tempting to come home for a few weeks, but I worry if I do, I won’t want to come back. I’m still sad that I’m not going to be able to do any baking! (The Dutch Oven isn’t the best, and I have a feeling any candy would melt instantly-or just never harden!) Hopefully I can come up with something! Well I miss you all and love you- hope all is well!

p.s.- I put up some pics of my house on the Kodak site. Now you can all see my little home!
p.p.s - Mom I hope you are coming up with a sasy costume for Dixie for Halloween-you know she is going to want to go trick-or-treating!

7 weeks out

Hello All! Now that I’ve told you about my first day at site…and I hope you all enjoyed the new pics of me and everyone else from my group…onto the next 7 weeks!

So after the first day…My second day there, a number of the villagers, including the captain and bashas (important influential figures of the village) came over to my house and brought some coconut soup and while they all talked, I tried to listen and pick up anything that I could- which was very little. They presented me with a small wooden paddle that one of the villagers had carved-he makes small items like these and bongis-or tiny little stools that you sit on when you visit people-and sells them at local tourist lodges.

Over the past 7 weeks I have made a somewhat schedule of what I do with my days.
8 am – wake up and take a bucket bath, then make breakfast-oatmeal- or Quaker Oats as they call it. They all know that I eat this every morning and one of the questions you get asked everyday is what did you cook. Now when they ask, they answer their own question and say ‘Quaker Oats?’ and laugh. When I ask them, it is rice, rice and water, or rice and okra.

9 am – Rake the leaves that fall from the huge tree in front of my house. While it is a pain to rake it every day, I have to, or else the women will come by and mention it’s not done, and also it give me something to do for about 30 minutes.

10 am – Walk around and say good morning to people. You go around the village and ask them if they woke up followed by how did they wake. Then, sometimes I sit and try and chat with them; I’m still limited on the vocab, but it’s getting better.

12 pm- make lunch- either a bit of rice and some beans, tuna, or TVP- texturized vegetable protein that’s similar to beans. We are told that in order to stay ‘healthy’ we need to get about 50 grams of protein a day- which is impossible!

1 pm – Sit outside under the tree and read/talk to people as they walk by.

3 pm – Go to the river and wash dishes/laundry/myself bc at this time of day the heat it brutal. I am still amazed at how my I sweat here. Eventually I hope to get used to the heat!

5 pm - write in my journal/letters/read

6 pm – Fix dinner- the same as lunch

7 pm – Sit with villagers when they come over to chat

8-9 pm- Close my door and get ready for bed
Repeat next day

Eventually I will be starting English lessons, probably sometime within the next month. Some of the villagers have picked up a bit of English from previous volunteers but they all want to learn more. I’m waiting until I feel comfortable more with Saramaccan until I start. I get a lot of pressure about what I do and don’t understand and how I’m progressing with it. I finally started to try and help them understand that it takes a while to learn an entirely new language by asking how long they thought it would take for them to learn English. Fluently.
Once December comes, I will begin working on projects; I have some ideas and possibilities in my head, but the important thing to remember is to do projects that the village feels they need and will benefit from, as they will be the ones continuing to work on them when I am gone.

Adjusting to village life is difficult, and when I am asked about it, I am honest. I respond by saying that it’s rough, but I am doing it, hoping that each day gets better. Every day is different and there are many low points, but then at times there are things that happen that boost my morale. I am replacing a volunteer, and it is difficult, as I am compared constantly. I try to help them understand that I am a different person, I live here now, and I’ll be their friend as well.

There are several of the villagers that I have become friends with. Directly across from my house is a 23 year old-I spend a lot of my time with her and her little boy. My counterpart (the person PC has designated to help me if I need it) and his brother have been helpful and stop by most days to see how I am doing. They actually have a business-one goes into the jungle and cuts down trees and brings it to the other who sands and planes it, then they sell it to other people on the river. I mentioned the man who does woodworking. I explained to him that my grandparents do similar things/carvings with wood as well, and he seemed impressed. He also has one of the few fruit trees in the village, so he brings me apacinas aka green oranges. There are also several older villagers that are very sweet and friendly, reminding me and making me miss my grandparents back home. I was a bit concerned-ok really concerned- about all the kids in the village, but have managed to work with them. We play and when I am reading, I give them books to look at or when I am writing, paper to draw on. I tried to teach one tic-tack-toe, but that is going to take some time. I have my favorites, a little boy that is always peeking in my windows, so I ‘look’ for him as he runs from window to window playing a kind of peek-a-boo; a little girl who is always laughing and dancing who I taught to give ‘high fives’, another little boy who has the highest voice, but is always smiling and grinning at me- the main toy the kids have are kites made from plastic bags that they tie string to and run around the paths of the village- and he is constantly running by my house with his little high pitched giggle. 2 other little girls, are always peeking in my windows (it’s a popular thing to do) and I say ‘hey you’ to them, so now whenever they see me, they say ‘hey you’.

So, over all, it has been rough. Peace Corps warned us that the first 3 months was going to be tough and difficult, that they would be lonely and emotionally draining. That has been a major understatement. But I keep in mind that I am new, and it will get better the longer I am here and also once I begin project work. Hope you all are well and that everything is going well. I MISS you all and Love you!!!! I’ll be back in the city around the end of October and will update again then! There are also a few new random pictures on the kodak site!

Pictures! Finally!!

Hey all- I managed to put up pictures through a different album on Kodakgallery.com
You need an email: smith.cristin.e@gmail.com and password: suriname in order to log in. (I've been in the city an extra few days bc I've been sick so I've had some time to mess around with it!) Hope you like them and I will try and put up more soon!

Welcome 'Home'!

Hello all- I have been at my site since the 2nd of August- that's about 5 weeks that I have been living the rugged jungle life. The way to our sites was rough, as it was the day after swearing in and we were all a bit worn out from all the festivities! (And we were all nervous and antsy to get to our villages!) After about 4 hours on the dirty Afobaka road, and our selves and belongings getting covered with about an inch thick layer of red dirty- we made it to our 'drop of spot'. (After a drive on this red road, everyone is always a nice shade of orange that can be mistaken for a nice yet mis-colored tan!) There were boats there ready to take us to our separate villages- I was so nervous- I didn't want to leave my friends and go off on my own! I just kept thinking "This is it!". A lot of us had people from our villages there to help us unload our stuff and load the boats (I should mention when I say boat I mean a rugged wooden boat with a simple motor slapped on the back). So I am in my boat with 2 people from my village on the way to my new home. The ride is short, and pretty, and I just keep thinking "What have I gotten myself into?" The boat pulls up to the village and I am so nervous I kinda feel like I'm going to be sick. A bunch of kids meet me at the river to help me carry my stuff to my new "home" a 25 year old wooden house (zinc roof= one hotttt sauna), about 20x40 feet, two rooms, a washhouse, durotank (no running water in these parts!), a latrine that is unbelievable full (still working on getting a new one built) and enough huge spiders that I have to just let a lot of them be- and ignore them- bc they are endless- Sometime I will put up some picks of them and you will see how hard it is to ignore them!(note- the tarantulas did not get ignored!!!)
I get to my house after walking uphill on little wandering dirt paths that I still have yet to remember- we all know how I am with directions/locations. I've tried explaining this to the village how I always forget how to get place- and my family gets frustrated with me!- so when I was walking around one day and had to ask where my house was, I heard about it from most of the villagers. Haha. Back to day 1- I have bags and bags of groceries/supplies/belongings, and there are about 75 pairs of eyes starting at me though my windows, whispering and talking about me. I pretty much just pace from room to room for who knows how long bc it is so overwhelming to have all these people you can hardly understand looking at you and sizing you up. Eventually I got a lot of my stuff put away in meat buckets- huge tubs that they store meat in at the market- luckily I am replacing a volunteer so I didn't have to clean these out myself. (After watching some other new site volunteers clean theirs out, I can see why they didn't want to eat for awhile after that! ). Some of the women bring me coconut rice for my first meal, about 2 pounds of it- I eat a bit, but it is coconutty, and well, it's not really one of my favorite things-that and coffee. Too bad that it's their main additive in this country! I finally make it to bed and am exhausted. Welcome 'home'!
P.S.-I got your 25 lb box dad, g'ma, and everyone- it was kind of awkward lugging it through the streets of the city- but worth it!! Nic and Beth and Emily #1 and #2- I got all the bday packages from you all- Finally!! I love everything! Thank you for thinking of me!!! I miss you all- Uncle Marty and Aunt Rosemary- have a fun anniversary party and Amanda- have a amazing WEDDING!!! Wish I was there to see you all- less than a year!! Love you!

PCT(rainee) to PCV(olunteer)

Training is FINALLY over! We’re all in the city getting ready to go to our sites and swear-in, buying things for our houses, taking care of things, and eating a lot of food that we aren’t going to get for awhile. I think most of us will be living off rice, peanut butter, beans and fish (cheap and easy to get) so we’re taking advantage of what we can get while we’re in Paramaribo. It’s really hectic and we don’t have enough time to get everything done. Not to mention we leave at 6am on Saturday for out sites.
After the last trip to the city for the 4th, we went back to our home stays for 3 final weeks. When I came back, my mom’s hubby was there, and brought her a little present, a tiny pet monkey. I am completely a fan of monkeys, or yapi-yapis, but it’s really sad bc she keeps him tied up on about 6 inches of string. I don’t think he can really enjoy the monkey life that way. So, the next night, I get this tupper of ‘mystery meat’ for dinner, and it smells and looks like nothing I’ve had before. Suddenly I remember that people usually have pet monkeys when they hunt the moms for food. Needless to say, I didn’t eat dinner that night. And was really sad.
The good news-finally- was that when I came back everyone said that my language was a lot better- I think maybe going to site and realizing I really needed to step it up if I was going to be able to communicate helped. I also tried to talk more to my mom, but it gets frustrating, bc she’s so quiet and looks at me with a blank stare when I do try and talk, so I have no idea if I am saying anything right or wrong.
I FINALLY got my first care package when I got back – us girls managed to eat everything – all 30 granola bars, Dots, 1lb. of beef jerky and everything else-within a week. (p.s.-beef jerky is a good thing to send!) I was so excited, bc every time I would see me trainer, I would ask if we had mail, and it is usually no- it took 5 weeks for it to get here from MO. Stuff comes faster from other places- Caroline’s stuff from MD comes in 2-3 weeks-which is frustrating.
Having my 25th birthday in Suriname was …different. It was basically us girls making a cake after language class, and then going to the ‘winki’ or kinda convenient store, for some drinks. And a lot of cheese sticks (or fake cheetos). Evidentially I was really in a Saramaccan mood be I just couldn’t stop talking in it (I guess I forgot English) and was doing really well- or so I’m told. Talked to Nic, mom, dad, and got a call from Uncle Marty and Aunt Rosemary singing me Happy Birthday—it was so good to talk to you guys, but it made me wish I was back home, too! And Grandma Smith, I got your belated birthday card the day before my birthday- so it was right on time! Shockingly, my mom (here) gave me bread and peanut butter (I know it was the one thing I told her I liked, but I’ve been getting that 2x a day for the past week and am REALLY getting tired of it) and then rice and dumplings. I was so wishing I could have been eating Caesar salad, manicotti, and some chocolate lasagna cake, but maybe in 2 years. Kept thinking of last year, back in KC, going out with everyone and wearing a dress and heels and actually looking like I put myself together or something. It’s kinda nice not to have to worry about hair/make-up/clothes/etc., but then it would be really nice to be able to for a change. That’s what going to the ‘big city’ is for.
Friday the 25th was our last training day, and we had language testing and project portfolio evaluations all day, so it was one langa daka (long day- see you can learn Saramaccan too and join the 12,000 other people-yes only 12k- that speak it!). Everyone made me a super sweet and cute card and Joe gave me a broken dead rose (nice) and then a really pretty bunch of flowers that he stole from someone’s garden. They’re so pretty that some of them look fake.
We had our last big project of training- our CDA (Community Development Project)- a health fair with a bunch of kids teaching them about nutrition and teeth brushing. It wentr well, but some of the kiddies were getting a little rowdy, expecially when the jumprope came out!
So, Sunday, we made dinner for all our host families- spaghetti (but with peanut sauce bc they hate marinara sauce here), meatballs (I made those and they were delish!), chicken, garlic bread, salad (I am really missing being able to have salads and fresh stuff whenever I want-as delicious as sopropo is- the MOST bitter vegetable you will ever eat-or actually you will most likely never eat- lettuce and carrots and grapes would be amazing, if they weren’t so hard to find, or expensive. The diet here is going to be really limited when we have about $160 USD per month to work with for our living expenses.) We’ve had a good group at our homestay- me, Caroline, Kimmy and Gwyn- and the good news is we are all on the same river for our sites, just 3 hour boat rides between us. We took a pic with all our 'moms' that I think you can see in the photopucket album. We left our homestays at 6 am on Monday- our moms were there to see us off and told us all to 'belle' (call) them when we get to our villages.
On the 2nd we go to our sites- at 6 am, the morning after swearing in-not very excited about that- and we’re supposed to stay there for 2 months- BUT I will be back in the city mid-Sept, so I will try and update and fill you in on how everything is going. I miss you all and love you!!! CABA! (done!) Happy 65th Birthday dad- hope you guys all have fun at the lake and don't miss me too much! And Amanda- I'll be thinking of you on your big day!!! Congrats to you and Lucas and I will be there in spirit!

25 months to go!!

OK! So I am trying to finally put some pics up- there is a link on the left side of this page to my photobucket account. The internet here is running super slow so we'll see what I can do! If it doesn’t work, I will be back to the internet in August, so I will try again then! We've been at home stay- where we live with a host family for 6 weeks- and it has been rough! It’s hard having to tell someone your every move and always be told you’re doing things wrong- the Saramaccans have their own way for everything- which is of course the only way! Most of the other volunteers have their own houses- some even with beds! (Sleeping in a hammock for 3.5 weeks has definitely made me miss my featherbed!) The first day, my 'mom' took me to my room (I am not one of the lucky ones with my own house)-it's basically an 8x8 foot storage space that I share with bats, mice, ants and the occasional lizard. I've managed to keep the bats out- mostly- by stuffing every possible hole with toilet paper-they still manage to get in! My first meal was-shocking-chicken and rice. Luckily I was able to tell my mom that I love peanut butter (pinda kasi) so I get that and bread every morning. We didn't have a latrine for the first few days, so that was definitely a challenging experience (involving Ziplock bags). We go to the river/shower/kitchen sink/trash can/garbage disposal/washing machine (really multipurpose!) every day after our language classes- the Saramaccan is coming along slowly-very slowly! All the volunteers have been in the capital since Thursday- the first group of volunteers are leaving to go home, and we are having a party for the 4th of July. I’m super excited bc they’re making us hamburgers-I am still having trouble with the food! Every once in awhile we will get something at our home stay that reminds me of something back home- fried casaba and ketchup=hash browns. Fried plantains=funnel cake( they really like their friedness here!) Since we’ve been here in the city we’ve been able to find more American food- they have a Pizza Hut and KFC and a Starbuckish place. Finally got some mail a few weeks back- THANK YOU Nic mom and grandma! It’s so exciting to hear from you! We’re headed back to our homestays tomorrow and have 3 more weeks there- then swearing in in August. I got to go to my site for a few days last week and met the village- luckily the current volunteer is still there so she took me around and introduced me. It was basically 4 really awkward days with me just smiling, saying ‘Ay’ yes to everything (bc of course I usually have no idea what they’re saying!) and being exhausted from trying to understand a different language all day. I still can’t believe that I am in the jungle- this experience really makes you take things into perspective and challenge youself, and it’s rough- really rough! But it’s worth it! OK- I miss you all and love you and will talk to you soon!!!! (mom- I got 2 letters) (Happy Birthday Aunt Rosemary and grandma and Em and Jazzie (25!!!) (NIC I LOVE YOUR RING and I am already super excited to come home and see it (and you and everyone else, I guess))

Chicken and Rice

So, I have offically finished one week of training. 8 hours a day of language, lectures and other fun stuff. One day was full of telling us about health issues we will proably face- giardia, dengue, cicia, botfly (where a fly actaully lays a egg sack under your skin. o m g), yoou know, fun stuff. And then the afternoon was all about bugs and snakes and animals to watch out for. Exciting stuff!! Last week was very busy and long, and finished it off on Saturday with our first visit to the capital, Paramaribo. Walking through the market was an experience, we certainly got some looks, and plenty of people asked if we were Dutch (they were early settlers here). Felt sick (shocking- it takes quite a while to get adjusted to everthing here- thinking it was dehydration) and fell asleep with some others on the deck of a restuarant, woke up pink from the sun- it really is a lot hotter here! It's nice to get a little color though- everyone kept saying how white my legs were( if only I had my Mystic)- thanks!

Tomorrow we leave for a site vist where we will be until Friday. We get to practice our language, mine is Saramaccan. What- you haven't heard of it? Thinking I'll be pretty limited on using that when I get back. And unfortunately, I'm not picking it up very quickly. Found out were I will be in August, village of 150-300 called Gangestone.

We've all been getting to know each other, and have all bonded as a whole. But I still miss my bffs from back home. Atl least I've got everyone's picture in my scrap book! It's been supper fun- like summer camp, until now. We kinda break up a bit starting tomorrow, but will get together every Friday the rest of the summer to go over stuff.

It only took 3 days to get tired of the food. Meals consist of hod dog buns and maybe cheese and PB for breakfast, and the chicken and rice for lunch and dinner. Every day. Chicken and rice. But I'm not talking chicken breasts- it's random pieces of meat on a bbone and kind of possible fried ( I'm not sure about that). I have never had so much chicken and rice. UGH! Needless to say I have been eating granola bars after almost every meal bc I'm still hungry.

Grandma you will be glad to know that we get to have our own gardens here- if only I had a little elf to help me!

Hello everyone! Suriname is amazing! It's so wild to think that I'm actually here- it's hasn't really hit me yet.-- It's so pretty and green. It's pretty hot and humid, but not nearly as bad as I expected. Don't worry my hair is still frizzy! We got into the airport at 1 am Saturday and all the other volunteers we there to meet us. It was so exciting! Since then we have all been getting to know each other. The whole group is awesome, about an even mix of guys and girls. We've all got roomies- kinda like the typical college dorm life excapt for freezing cold showers and mosquito nets- and roomies who I actually get along with! We're having interviews for our sites tomorrow- Still not sure where I want to be; some of the projects are quite a bit different than I expected. And I think it's be nice to be close to some other volunteers, so those are a few factors. We're supposed to find out Thursday where we will be going, and in a month or so we visit there. We had a field trip yesterday (bumpy mud roads= motion sickness!) and saw some of the villages. It's amazing how different everything is from the US and how the different people live. We should be getting cell phones after we swear in in August- I can't wait! I miss you all terribly and can't wait until I am able to call you all! Right now everything has been so busy, so there's been a lot to think about during the day, but it's still hard not being able to call. Someone mentioned calling cards so I am going to look into that. I love you and miss you! NJB I hope you had a super fun bday and I want to see pics of you in your sassy dress!

The Time Is Here- What!?!?

So today is the day! I'm so many emotions it's rediculious, (Nic and Beth I spelled it that way just for you). Nervous/excited/anxious/sad/scared and wondering what have I gotten myself into. After getting to Miami on Wednesday and two days filled with info, lectures and icebreakers, we are heading to Suriname. It's crazy to think that in less than 1 day (and 8 hours on a plane) I will be in another country- and a third world one at that (who would have ever thought- CS in Suriname). There's 24 of us volunteers in 2 programs, Business and Health. I think that I am the least well-traveled considering the only time I've been out of the States is for a trip to Cancun. Many of the other volunteers have been involved in similar programs, like hurricane relief or ESL. This is my first attempt! The amazing thing is how well everyone in the group is getting along. Each volunteer has their own little story (which we got to learn during the first session thanks to a wonderful icebreaker), and we are slowly learning about each other (we do have 27 months together so we can take it a little slow).

There's been a lot of talk about everything to expect, from sickness to loneliness to depression, so it's a little intimidating to walk into a situation where they're telling you it's not all fun and games. But then they remind us that this is "the toughest job you'll ever love", so hopefully it will all be worth it. It's hard to be away from my friends and fam and to not know when I will see/talk to them again. But the helpful thing is that I know they support me and love me and that is really helping me make it through. There are so many things about this situation that are difficult, but I keep reminding myself that it will be worth it. For some reason, a year into this looong process, I still want to be here, so I know somehow it will be worth it.

Well, it's time for me to pack up my stuff- all 85ish pounds (I'm a bit over my limit- 80 was so restricting!)-not including my massive computer bag which left my back sore from carrying it around Wednesday. Probably should have tried to pack it a little lighter- but it's too late now! So, I will talk to everyone when I can and I love you and miss you already and thank you for all the support! And thank you so much for the comments and good wishes! I got teary eyed reading them (big surprise)(Because he's wonderful Uncle Marty!)

Slight Panic Mode!

Well, the date is getting closer! In less than a week I will be on my way to the next 27 month stage of my life- in a third world country! Definitely a bit different than what I would have pictured a few years ago (like maybe a nice corporate job in a big US city with cute little apartment)- but I can't wait, even if there are plenty of mosquitoes and 80% humidity waiting for me. The last days here are going to be super hectic and stressful, and of course will be very emotional (anyone who knows me is I'm sure expecting lots of tears!), and I'm sure will be filled with lots of visits and dinners. For some reason when you leave the country for excessive amounts of time, everyone wants to take you out to eat(which I L O V E)- I'm on my 12th day in a row of eating out with someone that I won't see for a while! Maybe it's the concern that I will be eating mostly rice with a few veggies for the next few years that makes people want to feed me pizza and country fried steak (delish). Ok- enough for my first post- I am officially a 'blogger!'