We Brought the Whole World to Our Village

Peace Corps Volunteers have been doing the World Map Project since 1988 in over 40 countries around the world. The idea is to bring people together to create large, colorful maps of the world from which the entire community benefits. To be perfectly honest, I was a little skeptical at first. I mean, aren't things like HIV/AIDS education and clean drinking water more important than painting a pretty mural?

However, after living in our village for a year and a half, it become apparent that many children and adults have minimal knowledge of world geography. I have been asked so many times if Africa is right next to America. Or how big America and the Netherlands are, etc. I try to explain to people that you could fit about 50 Surinames inside of America but that is hard to visualize. Due to the remote location of the villages along the Upper Suriname River, schools do not always receive all of the resources that they would like. Plus, many adults in my village never went to school or received minimal education. We decided this would be a solid investment in education for all ages.

Before

After

We were right. Since completing this project, villagers of all ages, from 5 years old to the village elders have learned new things about the world and where Suriname fits into it. It has been inspiring to see the awe in their eyes when they see how big Russia is and how far the Chinese immigrants traveled from China to reach Suriname. Or that the Netherlands is about the same size, if not smaller than Suriname. I am sure many thought it was much bigger considering its influence on this small country.

6th Graders

4th Graders

The most exciting part of this project, though, was that we did it in partnership with the Peace Corps Program Worldwise Schools. Our amazing Worldwise Schools partner is none other than Mrs. Summer Tracy, of course! We have had the privilege of working with Summer's last three years of classes, mostly sharing the Surinamese culture through letters and Skype calls. This year we decided to paint world maps together! Mrs. Tracy's current 3rd grade class raised the money to buy paint, paintbrushes, etc. for our map. While 3rd-6th graders at our village school helped paint our map in Suriname (along with our headmistress, captain and two lead teachers), Mrs. Tracy's 3rd grade class painted their own map back home. 

With both maps almost finished, we were able to pull off a Skype call with all of Mrs. Tracy's 3rd graders and about 8 of our 5th and 6th grade English learners (they all won English competitions to be able to stay after school to participate). Our kids practiced their English while Mrs. Tracy's kids learned the Saramaccan greeting. Then, we showed each other our maps and finally the kids were allowed to ask each other a few culture questions while I translated. The SLOW internet cut us off a few times but overall it was a huge success! I think it is so important for children (and adults!) to be exposed to other countries and cultures.

Thank you so much, Mrs. Tracy's class, for all of your hard work fundraising and for being our excellent map making partners!

Amazing job to Ryan, as well, for being the project lead on this one and coordinating it like a champion! I like being your right hand woman.

Each child painting a country had to first find the country in this atlas, then locate it  on the blank outlined map on the wall. 

 Lastly, this project would not have gone as smoothly and as quickly without our dedicated team including the captain of our village, our headmistress and our two partner teachers- Mrs. Panka and Mrs. Main.

We took A LOT of great pictures of this project, so check out the rest here.

Flutterbies …aka Butterflies

I made a “bell list”. I called it a “bucket list” at first but Ryan did not appreciate the insinuation that I might die before I did the things on the list when, in fact, they are things that I want to do in Suriname before we move back to the states. So, I compromised and am calling it my “bell list” since it is a list of things that I want to do before I ring the bell at the Peace Corps office which symbolizes the end of my service.

Anyways, here is my first bell list blog post. Did you all know that Suriname has a butterfly park where they not only have exotic butterflies on display in a museum (dead) and a netted atrium (alive) but also breed tons of different species and then sell them to zoos and exhibits in the U.S. and Europe?

 First, they grow all of the different types of plants that the butterfly larvae eat. They place the butterfly eggs on the plants so when the larvae hatch, they can start eating. After the larvae turns into a caterpillar and forms a cocoon, the workers pick the cocoons up and put them in a holding area, then hang them upside down in a different area for the butterfly to emerge. Or, they export the cocoons. I think that’s pretty impressive. Especially since Suriname is home to the morpho butterfly- an iridescent blue one. As I mentioned in a previous post (The Amazon: terrifying and awesome), I see them frequently and they are beautiful! They are believed to be a sign of good luck.

Morpho butterfly- almost impossible to catch in a picture due to its erratic flight pattern

These are all cocoons- of multiple shapes, sizes and colors.

Newly out of his cocoon

Ryan and I enjoyed our trip to the butterfly farm and hope you like our pictures. There are more awesome ones Here.

Dolphins in Suriname!

 While we were in the city, the U.S. Ambassador to Suriname, John Nay, extended an invitation to Peace Corps for any volunteers to go on a river tour to search for dolphins with him and some of his friends/colleagues. That is when I learned that Suriname has dolphins. I know a lot about Saramaccan culture and the jungle interior but Suriname is an extremely diverse country, both in people and ecosystems. It was a wonderful experience to see another side of the country that I have called my home for the last two years. It also did this California girl’s spirit good to walk along the small beach and listen to the sound of the waves (even if they were a muddy brown instead of my sky blue).

"I love Suriname"

Not exactly a cruise ship but we loved it!

 If any of you are thinking, “wow, is that normal for Peace Corps volunteers to hang out with ambassadors?” No, I do not think it is but this is one of the perks of serving in a small country. Plus, in my opinion, Ambassador Nay is a genuinely amiable guy, excellent host and huge supporter of Peace Corps.

Ryan, I and Ambassador Nay

For more pictures, including a few from a fishing village that we visited, click here.

My Birthday Post!!

Yes, my birthday post. A month and a half after my birthday...

Like last year, I had two birthdays- one in our village and one in Paramaribo. On my true birthday, I woke up to this awesome sign on our porch:

 Ryan also bought me some glitzy earrings and the latest season of one of my shows. Yes, my husband is wonderful.

Later that morning, I helped give a hygiene lesson with our clinic nurses (as I mentioned in a previous post) and Ryan and I gave an English lesson to our 5^th graders.  At the end of the hygiene lesson, the 6^th grade teacher turned to the kids and asked, “Do you know whose birthday is today?” To which they replied, “yes- Bendemai!” Then they sang 3-4 songs to me, which is a Saramaccan tradition. It was very sweet. Another teacher who is also a village leader appeared and gave me a 1 liter bottle of soda (an appropriate birthday gift in Saramaaka). The teachers danced me around while the kids sang. Later, various people stopped by to sing to me or congratulate me on my birthday. In keeping with Saramaccan norms, Ryan baked a cake so I could hand out pieces to people who dropped by. Our 85-year-old neighbor hobbled over and gave me a bottle of peach wine. It was adorable! Then Ryan walked 20 minutes to the port near us and bought a frozen chicken so he could cook me an awesome dinner: walnut (from America) and herb encrusted chicken with mushroom and garlic mashed potatoes complete with candle light (by choice since we had electricity!) and wine. It was delicious!

Look how cute he is!!

About a week and a half later, I celebrated with a Girls Night Out in Paramaribo with most of the female volunteers in country. Actually, there is a girl in the training group after mine who has my same birthday AND age so we celebrated together. We're twins! This is Jessica:

We went out to a fancy dinner and then checked out a new lounge which was actually pretty fun. I had a blast! It’s good for a girl Peace Corps volunteer’s soul to get dressed up every once in a while. Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate! 

Claire, Valoria, Whitney, Summer and Meghan- start getting ready for next year- we have birthdays to make up for!!! Alysha, that would be a good time for you to visit. Just saying.

More b-day pics here.

Downhill Slope

The days have been long but the months have been short. It is hard to believe that we only have about five months left of our Peace Corps service. Half of our villagers talk as if we are leaving tomorrow and the other half insist that we have become so Saramaccan that we cannot possible go back and live in America. Though I appreciate the integration compliment, let me assure everyone back home that there is no doubt that we will be returning to the states this summer.  ;)

Like much of our time in this extreme, cultural challenge, emotions are high. One moment volunteers in my training group are exhausted from almost 2 years of washing clothes in the river and just want to go home now. The next they are close to tears at the thought of not waking up next to neighbors they have come to love. My heart is also being pulled in two directions.

What I WILL miss about my life in Suriname:

·         Our neighbor girl, Lefurny. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to leave her. L

·         Simplicity.

·         The richness of spreading information to people who have not heard it before.

·         Being able to wear flip flops and tank tops every day.

·         Having it literally not matter what I wear because the person next to me is wearing a lady’s see through nightie as a daytime outfit.

·         The creek by my house.

·         Green everywhere.

·         The amazing and strong women here. If I start to think about all of them and the work we have done together, I will be a blubbering mess.

·         Being so close to nature.

·         My porch!

·         Getting to hang out with my hubby so much!

·         Learning firsthand about the realities and challenges of development work.

·         Being able to learn new things about Saramaccan culture in my everyday life.

·         Not having to constantly rush from one thing to the next.

·         Not having to pay rent, water, electricity, and phone bills. Eek!

      My fellow Peace Corps Volunteer friends. They are the only ones who truly understand what I've experienced here.

What I WON’T miss about my life in Suriname:

·         Putting on a headlamp and grabbing an umbrella before crawling out of my 3 foot tall back door into the pouring rain and pitch blackness of 2am to walk out to my latrine and pee in my pee pot.

·         Vegetable, meat and fruit deficiencies. I will be doing a joyful dance every time I set foot in an American grocery store from here on out.

·         Sweating all the time.

·         Mosquitoes, biting flies, and creepy insects.

·         Walking in dirt and/or mud all the time.

·         Lack of privacy (do your neighbors know exactly what time you go to bed, when you wash, if you brushed your teeth, how many times you peed, etc. because all those things are done outside of your house and your neighbor is always outside, too?)

·         Being asked invasive and creepy questions by men I don’t know on a daily basis.

·         Being the only young married American couple in the freakin’ country.

·         Washing my clothes in the river or creek. I CANNOT believe I ever complained about having to push a button on a washing machine. Ridiculous.

·         Very defined gender roles.

·         Crowded, stifling hot public transportation. I day dream about driving alone in my own car going directly to wherever I want with a cool breeze blowing while I sing my heart out to the radio because no one’s listening. Literally daydream.

Like all things in life, this experience has neither been completely positive or completely negative. With the good comes the bad. It is just up to the individual person to decide which good things she is willing to sacrifice and which bad things she can put up with. Many people have asked me if, knowing all that I know now, would I still have joined the Peace Corps? Yes.  Peace Corps is not a perfect organization, by far. However, it offers a valuable, unique perspective that, I think, is extremely difficult to find anywhere else. International organizations are challenging. It is impossible to make one mold and expect it to prosper in various cultures. International development is hard. Period. The Protestant work ethic is an American value. Demanding efficiency is an American norm. “Beggars can’t be choosers” is an American saying. In order to be effective in a country outside of the U.S., development workers cannot bring an American mindset on the plane. High expectations can be good. However, expecting someone to reach “Z” when they are starting at “A” is not realistic. Progress is progress. If that person who starts at “A” reaches “F”, then that is an accomplishment. Although many western minds tend to disagree, success does not only come in huge numbers or impressive statistics.

Case in point: For the last couple of weeks I have been working with the 5-year-old who lives next door to me. After she gets home from Kindergarten, we sit on my porch and I make up activities for her, such as tracing shapes, coloring, cutting and gluing. My sister (a 3^rd grade teacher in America) explained that these skills are important for young children to learn because they improve their fine motor skills, which will later set them up to write well for the rest of their lives. Is this time and effort going to show up as large numbers on my official Peace Corps trimester report? No. Is it changing the world on a grand scale? No. But I hope and pray that it will change her world. That it will encourage her to do well in school because without an education her future is dim.

I guess my point with all this is to say do not judge people until you have walked in their shoes. Development work is slow. Don’t judge development workers. Some people complain about how difficult it is for certain demographics to get ahead in America. I agree. We should not stop working to change this. Just know that in some countries, it is difficult for ANYONE to get ahead. There are smart, hardworking people who are never given any opportunity to improve their status. Don’t judge countries that just cannot seem to get it together. If you were born and raised there, would you be able to get it together? Easy to say “yes”…until you have actually experienced that life (and for longer than a tourist).

Hygiene!

Your favorite blogger is now 27 years old. What did I do for my birthday you ask? I continued with a series of hygiene trainings, of course! The life of a Peace Corps volunteer. :) More on my birthday celebrations later...

A while back the U.S. military came to Suriname to provide cost free medical procedures and construction projects. They brought hundreds of toiletry packets that they gave to Peace Corps that included a hand towel, wash cloth, tooth brush, tooth paste, comb, brush, band-aids, etc. I requested some for our village. Instead of simply giving handouts, I thought this was a great opportunity to hold a training. As a health volunteer I have done a lot with HIV/AIDS but not a lot with hygiene and sanitation (at least, not officially). I showed the packs to my polic clinic nurse Lenda and asked what she thought. She currently has two nursing interns doing their field work here. Part of their requirements is to hold a community training. Perfect! Lenda and I met with the student to go over the information that should be covered. I also provided visual aides and activity ideas. Lenda thought the demographic who would benefit the most from a hygiene training was pregnant women and mothers with babies. She invited women from my village and the two other villages that our poli clinic covers. Thirty-one women showed up. Two-thirds of them had to travel by boat to attend. It was very successful!

A young mother, Ornella, washing her hands at a Durotank at the end of the training

A young mother and Lenda showing everyone what was inside the hygiene packets provided by the U.S. military

Lenda also wanted to go into the schools with the hygiene lesson. The first lesson given to mothers was done in Saramaccan and Sranan Tongo, mixed. In the schools, the nurses must speak Dutch. We evaluated what went well and what did not go well with the first lesson and came up with another lesson plan, targeted towards youth. This second training went even smoother. The nursing student did a wonderful job and I look forward to her future work. Lenda is very strict about anything we do here in my village (healthwise) we must do in the other villages that the poli clinic is responsible for. So, next week we will be traveling to a nearby village to hold the same hygiene lesson in their school.

"Personal Hygiene: What is personal hygiene?" (in Dutch)

Discussing when it is necessary to wash one's hands with soap

Click here to see more pictures.

Christmas Cleaning!

A "good Saramaccan woman" washes her house before New Years Day every year. It is just like the American spring cleaning tradition. Well, our hut was getting pretty gross, so Ryan and I pulled EVERYTHING out of the front room and scrubbed down the walls and floor. Talk about a dirty job. I am glad we did it, though. We organized and got rid of a lot of stuff. Less work to do in 5 months when we move back to the states!

Of course, Lefurny wanted to help. Here she is scrubbing down a shelf.