Lefurny’s 6th Birthday

Sometime last year I finally went to our local school to look up Lefurny’s birthdate in the school records since no one in her family knew exactly when it was. Ryan and I discovered that when we moved to our village, she had just turned four (we were told she was three) and so this year would turn six. Ryan and I decided a long time ago that we would celebrate her birthday this year, right before we left. We’re almost positive she has never celebrated her birthday before and who knows when she would again? I had asked one of the teachers at school what the little kids normally do to celebrate their birthdays around here. She said sometimes their moms send in little bags of popcorn for the whole class. Done.

It just so happened that Todd and Moka scheduled their visit during Lefurny’s birthday, so Ryan and I made sure that we would be in our village and enlisted Todd and Moka as part of the party preparation crew. So, on May 9^th, first thing in the morning, the four of us got to work popping popcorn (in a pot, not in a microwave, in case there is still any confusion) and filling bags with it plus some candy.  It was quite a productive assembly line. 

Right around 11am, we headed to the school. Lefurny’s teacher had made her a little birthday crown that said “6” on it. When we got there, they brought Lefurny to the front of the class and all the kids sang a few songs for her. 

Then she was instructed to pick three friends to be her helpers and the four of them walked around the class handing out bags of popcorn. Each child was told to shake Lefurny’s hand and tell her “felicitatie” (congratulations). 

It was pretty adorable. We brought enough for both Kindergarten (her class) and Pre-K and there were left overs for the the rest of the teachers. At first she seemed overwhelmed (kind of had the same expression on her face that she had when we took her to Paramaribo) but then she got into it. Her great grandma and grandpa (our neighbors) actually came to the school, too, which I thought was really nice. I think it was the first time they have ever been there.

 After school, I let her and a friend make her birthday cake (she loves to help bake) and go crazy with some bubbles while it baked. Once it was done baking in our Dutch oven, we called her great grandparents over and held a little party. She picked out which of her dresses she wanted to wear while Todd, Moka and Ryan decorated our little porch with some party decorations Grandma Barb sent. I had even planned ahead to buy candles for her cake. 

 We sang, ate cake and then she got to open presents. Grandma Barb sent way too many things (in two separate care packages) for her, plus Todd and Moka brought a few things, including a Tiana Barbie doll that she loves.

 It was a pretty darn exciting day in her life, if you ask me. I’m really glad that we were able to do that for her. At least for one birthday she felt special and hopefully it will be a happy memory for her for years to come.

Lefurny trying on a new birthday outfit from Grandma Barb

Thanks Mom for sending the party decorations and presents. Thanks Todd and Moka for thinking to bring something for Lefurny and for helping with her little celebration. And thanks to my amazing husband for wanting to do this as much as I did.

There are lots more adorable pictures here.

The Count Down is ON!!

Our Peace Corps service is quickly coming to a close.

In just 3 weeks from today we leave our village.

In 4 weeks from today we leave Suriname.

It's both heart breaking and super exciting. What a situation to be in!

Little Saramaccan Ryan

 If you follow Ryan on Twitter, you already know that he now has a Saramaccan namesake. That's right, folks. After we leave, Suriname will still have two Lindsays and a Ryan to carry on our legacy.

Twaylingay! (Twins!)

"Twaylingay" was probably the first Saramaccan word that Todd and Moka truly memorized. That's not a surprise since as soon as any of our villagers saw Todd and Ryan together that is all that they could say. That's right! Our second and last pair of visitors were none other than the San Francisco branch of the Dapremont fam and we had a great time!

First, we showed Todd and Moka around Paramaribo for a day or so. The most exciting part of this for Ryan and I was crashing at their fancy hotel and taking hot showers! Although, we did take them to the Butterfly Park which is pretty cool.

Morpho Butterflies (see the bright blue on their wings)!

Next, we set off for what they really came for- the jungle! In our village, they met a lot of our friends,

they saw the beautiful river (it's really high right now),

they celebrated Lefurny's 6th birthday (more on this to come),

they helped wash dishes in our creek,

and we put them to work in our English lessons.

  

After a few days in our village, we headed upriver in a dugout canoe to see more of Saramaka.

Ryan and I have been wanting to visit the Saramaccan Museum (another item on my bell list) that is in the second largest village on our river- Pikin Slee. Since Todd has done his own research on Saramaccan culture, we thought he and Moka would enjoy it as well. It was small but very nice.

We slept in a nearby village at another Peace Corps volunteer's house and walked the 20 minutes or so through the jungle to Pikin Slee for the day. It was a lot of fun!

Thanks to our fellow volunteer Evan for being an excellent guide.  From Pikin Slee we went straight back to Paramaribo by boat and then van to send Todd and Moka off. I think they were a little tired from our jungle adventure...

Todd & Moka trying to sleep in the van on the way back to the city

Thanks so much Todd and Moka for taking the time and effort to come all the way to Suriname. We know it is not an easy trip and genuinely appreciate you two sharing in this crazy adventure with us. For the rest of our lives, we'll always have Suriname!

To check out the rest of our awesome pictures from their trip, click here.

Lefurny Goes to the City

Ryan and I decided awhile ago that we wanted to take our neighbor girl, Lefurny, to Paramaribo before we end our service. As many of you know, she holds a very special place in our hearts. Anyways, she is almost six years old and has been outside of our village of 300 people maybe three times. Most likely, even when she went to Paramaribo before, she did not experience any of the western/tourist activities. In other words, we wanted to give her a sort of Disneyland experience that she could remember us by.

She and Ryan arrived in the city (I was already there) at about 1pm. Ryan opened the door to our hostel room and she timidly peeked inside before walking swiftly into my hug. She immediately started inspecting the room- pulling back the curtains to look outside, crawling under the beds, etc.

 First things first- I got to work putting beads in her freshly braided hair. Then I informed her that we were going to a swimming pool. This kid loves to swim. She used to beg her grandma to go to the river so she could "wash". However, we live on the opposite side of the village from the river and her grandma either washes with rain water or goes to the creek, which is much closer. Anyways, she LOVED the pool. For never seeing a pool before (I'd say that's a safe bet), she was not the least bit hesitant or afraid. We had a lot of fun. Special thanks to our Administrative Director, Summer, for donating a swimsuit that perfectly fit her!

After the pool, we walked back to our hostel to shower, get dressed and then head to Pizza Hut. It is too far to walk, so we took a cab. She was pretty excited to ride in a car. I showed her how to put on a seat belt. She could not stop staring out the window at everything. She was pretty confused that we were all going to the restaurant because the only restaurants she has been to are basically stands where the food is already cooked and you take it to go. She was so solemn, just taking everything in. In answer to Ryan's prompting, she said she wanted chicken (of course!) on her pizza, so that's what we got. She liked it a lot.

While at Pizza Hut, she also learned how to flush a toilet, use a soap dispenser and a hand dryer. When I hit the button on the hand dryer, those big eyes and mouth popped open and her eyes darted back and forth from me to the dryer. For dessert, we all split a slice of raspberry cheesecake (Lefurny's pick). She liked that, too. The playground at Pizza Hut was closed for construction, so we had our taxi drop us off at McDonald's so she could play at theirs. Unfortunately, there were not any other kids there when we arrived and she wasn't sure what she should do. So....it was up to me to show her.

Pretty soon she was having a great time, racing around. At one point she tore out of the play area. I was on her heels and discovered that she had spotted a large TV playing cartoons.

After playing at McDonald's, we walked back to our hostel, showered and then we settled her in with a brand new copy of Beauty and the Beast in Dutch before she fell asleep.

The next day we headed straight for the Paramaribo Zoo. It was so cute! She was pretty confused at the whole concept. She has seen a lot of the animals there but either dead in a pot or as a pet (not in a cage). After a little while she got into it, although it was a hot day and she's not used to walking around in the sun.

There was also a huge playground with a ton of kids of all different ethnicities. This was also new for her (both playground equipment and different ethnicities). She was so somber, just looking at everything and everyone. The first thing she went on was the swings and she did not want to get off!

After the zoo, we went to Burger King (don't judge us on buying her unhealthy food; we just wanted her to be able to play on the playgrounds). From there we went to the Peace Corps office and brought her around to meet the staff and other volunteers that were in the city. She did so well practicing her English with everyone!! She just knows the basics ("Hi, how are you? What is your name?") but we want her to get practice carrying herself well and speaking clearly and confidently, etc.

From the Peace Corps office we headed to Paramaribo's only (and pretty new) mall and movie theater. Lefurny's first movie (and 3D movie at that!) was The Lorax. She was super excited about the popcorn. Unfortunately, she had a cold that has been going around here and about three quarters through the movie told me that she was really tired and wanted to sleep (it was about 6pm). I gently told her that we wouldn't be coming back to the theater so if she went to sleep that she would miss out on the movie. She rallied and watched the rest.

Then we walked around the mall, which has all sorts of little things for kids... like face painting!

And cotton candy!

Grandma Barb wanted to make sure that Lefurny got the royal treatment so she got to pick out a toy and a book from the bookstore (in Dutch). Unfortunately, options are limited as far as people who can read it to her in Dutch, but I'm going to have her take it to her teacher. I wanted her to get the message that books are worth spending money on. Hopefully, it will be a tiny stepping stone in helping her Dutch. This toy microphone was the perfect choice as this girl LOVES to sing!

There are lots more pictures of Lefurny's trip here. And yes, I have had most of them printed to put in a little album for Lefurny so she can think back on this trip long after we are gone (*tear*). We had a lot of fun with this cutie. She really is great kid. Seriously has the most energy I've ever seen in a child (and I've looked after a lot of kids) but truly adorable. Ryan and I were both exhausted but happy we made this happen.

Special shout out to my wonderful husband who I know will make an amazing and patient father one day (that day has not come yet, Doc, don't get too excited). I already knew that he was great with Lefurny but he surpassed my expectations which brought my heart lots of joy.

Easter in the Village

If you remember from last year, in the Caribbean, both Easter and Second Easter (on Monday) are celebrated. In my village, what did we do? We went to church both days! It actually was kind of nice to focus on the real reason for the festivities.

If you have it, everyone wears white on Easter (and the women cover their heads)

With goodies sent from Grandma Barb, we had a little Easter egg hunt for our neighbor girl and her visiting sister. The whole concept was new to them but they loved it! It was fun watching them.

On second Easter our village ordained a Head Basia and a new, female Basia, so that was a big deal. Our Captains and Basias all wore their official garb. A lot of people from Paramaribo came out to the village to celebrate.

More pictures here.

Sea Turtles, Monkeys, Snakes- Oh my!

Check! Another item on my bell list completed! For a country with one whole side facing the Atlantic Ocean, Suriname does not offer many beaches. However, on the northeast corner of the country not only are there beaches, but huge sea turtles crawl up on those beaches to lay their eggs in the sand before returning to the ocean. Sign me up!

Info on the "Green Turtle", which is what we saw

 Ryan and I set off with a group of fellow volunteers ready for an adventure. . . which turned into an epic journey. It all began at 6:45am at a meeting place in Paramaribo where we were hoping to catch the government bus. You see, to travel from Paramaribo to Albina, the government bus costs 8.75 SRD per person. If for whatever reason we did not make that bus, the only other option was to hire a private van, which is 70 SRD per person. Quite a price difference and we already knew this trip was going to be very costly. The problem was that none of us had ever taken this particular bus, weren’t sure which bus it was (they aren’t numbered or anything) and were told in advance that this bus is in such high demand that locals will run and shove people out of the way to get on. Some people throw their bags and small children in the open windows to “save” their seat. No joke. It looked like a long shot but we decided to give it our best. As you know, different Peace Corps volunteers in Suriname learn 3 different languages, not including the official language of the country- Dutch. First, we strategically sent out our Aukan and Sranan Tongo speakers to try to talk up other people waiting for buses in order to figure out where the bus would pull up, what time, etc. Our intel told us it might be yellow and could show up any time between 7:30 and 8:30am. We learned who else was waiting for the same bus so when they ran, we would run. Around 8am a yellow bus pulls right up in front of the waiting area. Pandemonium breaks out. People are running. Myself included. Seconds later I find myself and my tiny friend Christine slammed against the door to the bus which has not even been opened yet. There are about 3 people in front of us and a crowd of who knows how many shoving behind us. I have never been in a mosh pit but I now understand the concept. Always looking out for his bride, my herculean husband creates a wall behind us and with a mighty football grunt, pushes the entire crowd back so we can breathe and avoid bodily injury. As soon as Christine and I can enter the bus, we sprint to any open seats and throw our bags down, with the others behind us. Somehow we all found a seat on this bus. It was close.  Two years ago we never would have made it.  

Christine!

After about 4 ½ hours on the back of this ancient bus on a non-paved, muddy road, we arrived in Albina. It had such a different feel than Paramaribo or anywhere in the interior that I had been before! I was out of Saramaaka, that’s for sure. Albina is surrounded by Amerindian and Aukan villages. It is just across the Marowijne River from French Guiana, which is still a region of France. Albina also seemed to have a heavier Caribbean influence. We all bought provisions at the ever present Chinese owned convenience stores and waited for a couple others to meet up with us. Once ready to go, we find out that the boat we were going with left already and only one more would be heading where we needed to go. The driver agreed to take us at a ridiculous price but would not budge. With no other choice, we set out. After a three hour boat ride from Albina to just above Galibi, we arrived.

You can see the red line from Paramaribo, through Moegno to Albina that we traveled. Then by boat from Algina up past Galibi

You could tell that when it had first opened, the little eco-lodge was nice. Unfortunately, years without care had left if pretty dilapidated. We already knew that there would be no electricity and no way to cook food. There were no other visitors and one lone man who would serve as our turtle guide.

That night we feasted on PB & Js, chips and warm bottled water. Despite a bat and red ant invasion of our lodge (seriously, the ants covered the floor so that I was jumping from chair to chair to get around), we were all excited and waiting at 10pm for our guide to take us out to the beach to search for turtles. We were not disappointed. Soon after we set out, we could very clearly see tracks from the sea to the fluffy sand just past the tide’s reach. We hurried over and tried to make out the shape of a turtle in the moonlight (lights are against the reserve’s rules). It took me a minute to realize that the large area in which I was searching for a little turtle, WAS the turtle. It must have been about 4 ½ feet from head to tail and 3 feet across. When we first arrived, I got a kick out of this sign:

Especially, this image:

Once I saw the turtle, I understood. I totally could have ridden on its shell. It was amazing. If I swam up next to one of these while scuba diving, I would have been terrified. We watched as it swept its powerful flippers back and forth, covering up the eggs it just laid. Then, in a specific pattern, it dragged itself out of the nest hole, across the sand and back out to the ocean. It was breathtaking!

Later that night we saw about 3 more. One we caught as she was digging her hole and actually got to see her lay her eggs. Turtle eggs have the same leathery “shell” as an iguana egg, not like a chicken egg at all. I could have stayed out for hours but our guide saw a rainstorm in the midnight sky and practically ran us the ½ mile back to shelter.

The next day, we could see the tracks and nests of many more turtles.  God blessed us with a sunny day (the day before was rainy and dark) and we played in the surf until our boat guy came.

The tire like tracks on the left are turtle tracks and the concave on the top right is the nest

Turtle tracks back out to sea (the tracks coming in were washed away by the tide)

We thought our adventure was over. We got what we came for. Little did we know that we were in for an incredible surprise. On our way back to Albina, our boat guy stopped us in Galibi to check out their beach for a little while. We decided to eat yet another meal of PB & Js and warm water. Someone mentioned there was a “zoo” here, if we wanted to go check it out. I imagined a poor, flea ridden monkey chained in a cage, half mad (yes, from experience). A couple of us obliged the guy and decide to go check it out.

 I could not have been more wrong. Never in Suriname have I seen such well cared for animals. A baby sloth! A baby caiman! A troop of four adorable (and mischievous!) squirrel monkeys! The guy running the zoo would take each one out of their cages and let us hold them or let them get exercise. The area was not fenced in at all! These animals didn’t even try to escape. A majestic toucan! A 5 year old anaconda! A beautiful ocelot (this he did not take out of her cage)! This was amazing! You could tell this place saw a lot of tourists. The guy made sure we all got a turn holding everything and were able to take pictures. That was definitely the most jungle animals that I have been able to touch up close that were still alive.

"Please! No pictures!"

That night we managed to fit nine Peace Corps volunteers in a 3 room house. Our friend Michelle lives in an Amerindian village close to Albina. Her experience in the Amerindian culture is SO different from our experience in a Saramaccan village. It was fun to see yet another side of Suriname. The next day, our trip back to Paramaribo on the government bus proved to be just as epic as our trip out.

I wanted to post a ton more pictures, but they take a long time to load on blogger. So, check out the rest of my pictures here.