Guyana - Tourists

This has been a relatively relaxing week. :) Earlier this week, I got to Skype and get some much needed updates and face-time with some fantastic people. Although I am thoroughly enjoying my time in Guyana, and I am really missing people from back home!

Things in the lab have been progressing nicely, and I am really enjoying the work. This is a really fascinating research project, and I'm excited I get to be a part of it! As I've said numerous times before, time spent in the lab and with the people working in the lab has been fantastic. Lunchtime is full of laughter and stories, and it's wonderful. Amanda and I had some hilarious conversations when we asked the lab people to guess our ages. Apparently, they have been trying to figure it out for a while now, but didn't want to appear rude by asking. They all guessed that Amanda was 26-27 and that I was 21-22. HA! Their reasoning is that they thought, since Amanda is starting her PhD, she should be older. They also thought I just finished my Master's degree super young. I was flattered because they thought I was younger. ;) They could not believe it when I told them I was 26 and Amanda was 24. We explained that Amanda is pretty young for starting a PhD, and that I took 2 years off from school before starting my Master's degree. A lot of shocked faces and laughter happened in that conversation. :) :)

On Wednesday we had a short day in the lab, so Zenzie and Jason took us souvenir shopping and on a tour of the city. They are the best, and so incredibly patient, because Amanda and I went into every single little craft hut not once, not twice, but THREE times. First, to see what all they had and for what price, second to buy things at the best price, and third because we forgot where we saw the things we wanted to buy and had to look through all of the shops again. :) They never once complained and were helping us pick things out and encouraging us to take our time. Apparently, Guyanese shop the same way, so it was normal for them. 

We then got to visit St. George's Cathedral. It is over 100 years old and one of the tallest wooden churches in the world! The church was breathtaking inside, and the ceilings were massive! They are working to restore it, but it was still incredibly beautiful. :) It was really hard to get the height of the sanctuary to translate into a picture, so these pictures don't do it justice.

The ceiling continues much higher than pictured, in a dome shape

Beautiful organ! One of the organists played in this church for over 40 years.

They also too us to the Guyana National Zoo & Botanical Gardens. It was a cool zoo, and their plans for updating and expansion are really impressive! One thing I will say - we could get much closer to the animals here than we can in the US. :) 

All of the birds are so brightly colored!

HUGE Anaconda - and apparently this is considered a "small" one.
The head was bigger than my entire hand! Terrifying...

Caiman - we thought he was sleeping, but then
the eyes opened and looked straight at us lol

Harpy Eagle - the largest raptor found in the Americas. Love his hair-do :)

After the zoo, we got to relax a bit at home before dinner. Nalissa invited us over to her mother-in-law's house for a traditional dinner of metem-gee and fried fish. It was DELICIOUS!! Metem-gee is a stew with sweet potatoes, plantains, peppers, and dumplings all boiled in coconut milk. Seriously, so delicious. They even had some pound cake and black cake for dessert, but the stew and fish was so filling we got the dessert in a doggy-bag to go. What's even better is they had made some crab curry as well, and sent it home with us to have for dinner tonight (Thursday). Seriously, everyone here is taking such good care of us and indulging our wish to try as many traditional Guyanese dishes as we can while here. :)

Not pictured - the fried fish

This weekend is a long weekend, as Monday is a Caribbean Holiday (and, incidentally, the 4th of July). Amanda and I are taking the opportunity to visit Chelsea (another public health student working on this project) in Trinidad & Tobago. It will be great to catch up with her, and we are looking forward to white sand beaches and snorkeling in the crystal clear water. :)

Much Love,
Joslyn

P.S. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ. -Philippeans 4:7

Guyana - "Cherokee 2568 Romeo - Climb and maintain 10,000"

There are no words to describe the experience of seeing Kaieteur Falls yesterday. It was beyond incredible! Kaieteur Falls is one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world, as well as one of the tallest single drop falls (822 ft - about 5 times higher than Niagara Falls). Our ride was a Cessna Caravan, with 12 passengers plus the pilot and co-pilot. Side note: Amanda and I were both incredibly surprised when the pilot turned to talk to the passengers and he was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Canadian. Not what we were expecting at all, but a pleasant surprise. ;)

The flight took about an hour, and we were cruising over completely untouched jungle the entire time. Less than 50% of that section of the Amazon has been explored. We were in uncharted territory, and it was amazing! Amazon Rainforest as far as the eye could see. I am still in absolute awe.

Our first view of the falls was from the plane. Again, there are no words to sufficiently describe how awesome this view was.

Once we landed, we were off on our rainforest trek! We saw some amazing foliage and even a rare Golden Frog! The Golden Poison Dart Frog is one of the deadliest animals on the planet, with enough poison to kill 10 grown men! We did not find this out until after we got close enough to take a picture. :)

We hiked to 3 different vantage points, and each time the view was spectacular. There's not much to say, so enjoy the pictures!

It rained at this first lookout, but I'm so glad it did!! (see later pictures)

The first of many rainbows we saw that day. :) :)

Not going to lie, it was a little freaky dangling my legs over
the edge of the cliff. :) But the view was INCREDIBLE!

Once we boarded the plane to head back, the pilot took us around for a few more passes of the falls. He then backtracked and turned back to follow the river...to then dive over the falls! It took us all by surprise, but it was so cool! The plane tires were practically touching the water! We definitely got an up close and personal view of the waterfall. :)

Mist behind the waterfall.

The edge of the waterfall, just before we dove over the edge. :)

We also got a nice view of the city of Georgetown on the way back. It's such a colorful city!!

All-in-all, an incredible day yesterday. I am so glad I got to see Kaieteur Falls, and I hope I get to go back someday.

Much Love,

Joslyn

P.S. In his had are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. -Psalm 95:4-5

Guyana - We're not in Ohio anymore...

Well, we're definitely not in Ohio anymore! I think the heat, flying cockroaches, lizards, and trashcan fruit-fly infestation of 2016 definitely made that clear lol. ;) The internet hasn't been working the past several days, so I'm trying to catch up on posts. I last posted the night before we went to the fish wharf. It was so cool! There were fresh fish everywhere, varying from alive in a bucket to headless or gutless. Zenzie and Jason from the lab tried to get us to buy a whole fish, and asked us if we knew how to clean/gut it. HA. Amanda and I just looked at each other and that told them all they needed to know. They think it's hilarious that we've never cleaned/gutted a fish or killed and plucked a chicken. Who knew we'd need those skills on this trip? Also, I learned that 'shrimp' and 'prawn' mean the same thing - British English is quite common here in Guyana.

Colorful boats at the wharf

Fresh shrimp

There were so many people buying and selling fish, shark, crab, and shrimp. It was such a cool experience! We also learned that Guyana has the largest freshwater fish in the world (Arapaima) - it can grow to be 9 ft long!! Apparently it's a gentle giant, but I don't want to test that statement...

After we got back from the wharf, we went to the lab for a little bit, then it was laundry time! Little did we know that it was a 4+ hour process...I am so grateful they put in a washing machine for us, but man do I miss my little washer and dryer from my apartment! To start, we had to move the washer in front of the sink and attach a hose from the faucet to the washer. Once the washer was filled with water, we added the detergent and let it do it's thing. Then, we had to drain the wash water via a short hose into a bucket. Eight buckets later, it was empty. We then had to add fresh water to rinse our clothes, and again drain it (8 more buckets full). There is a small spin compartment that helps dry the clothes, but only a few clothing items could go in at a time. Once they went through the spin cycle, we hung the clothes on our Macgyvered clothesline in the kitchen. At one point, the hose came off the back of the washer and water spilled out everywhere. At least we got a clean floor AND clean clothes out of this process?? It was quite an undertaking, but the clean clothes were worth it. :)

The lovely washing machine

Clothes everywhere :)

Sunday we also had some work to do in the lab, but it didn't take long. We were free to relax the rest of the afternoon, which was heavenly. Reading, reading, and more reading. :) Then, Nalissa and Jason picked us up to show us the seawall. It was so cool to see the Atlantic ocean! Admittedly, the water was kind of gross looking - all brown and murky; but still, it was the ocean! The seawall was almost like a boardwalk, with games and rides for kids and food stands set up all over. Apparently, the thing to do at night is to park by the seawall and blast music, hang out with friends, and drink. We left before that got too busy, as our Guyanese friends did not recommend that we stick around for that. :) On the way home, we got to grab a burger, fries, and a milkshake. It was a nice treat, and the burgers even had grilled pineapple on them! 

Pretty sunset on the beach

View of the 'beach' from the jetty

During the workweek, everyone at the lab has been making sure to throw in some fun, touristy excursions. :) We stopped for fresh coconut water on the way back from Berbice, climbed to the top of a lighthouse for an amazing view of Georgetown, and went to the Guyana National Museum and saw their Giant Sloth exhibit. They are very good at balancing work and play. :)

Fresh coconut is DELICIOUS!

One view of Georgetown - I love all of the colorful houses!

View with the Atlantic ocean

Giant Sloth (Pictured: Zenzie, me, Amanda)

They had a little tea tray with mugs all set up
for Amanda and I to have at the lab.
They are too good to us! :)

I just have to mention how amazing the entire lab staff has been thus far. Everyone is SO welcoming, and they do everything they can to make sure Amanda and I are comfortable and enjoying our time in Guyana. They are so proud of their country, and are definitely making sure we get to see and experience the best Guyana has to offer. I have officially become addicted to roti and curry. I could eat all the curry dishes all the time!! It has truly been a wonderful trip thus far, and I'm even more excited to see what else we get to see and experience while here. 




This weekend, we're flying to see Kaieteur Falls (either the world's widest or tallest single drop waterfall, I've been told differing facts lol) and the Georgetown Zoo & Botanical Gardens. Amanda and I said that while trekking through the jungle, we would abide by the, "smack first, explain later," rule when it came to bugs. :) Plus, Nalissa and Jason are taking us to a restaurant to get "Guyanese Chinese food", whatever that means. I'm sure it will be delicious!

The amazing lab team!
Back: Dr. Hartley, Jason, Sven
Front: Zenzie, Amanda, Shevon, me, Nalissa

Much Love,
Joslyn

P.S. Psalm 121:7-8 - The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

Guyana - Routine, Roti, & Research

Cows on the way to Berbice

I think I've finally gotten into a routine here in Guyana! Wake up, eat breakfast, and head to work - either the lab or fieldwork collecting samples. Week 1 of the research project is almost over, and things have actually gone well! There have been a few hiccups, but that's to be expected with any international research project. You just go with the flow and adapt to work in the variety of situations you come across. I've also gotten to travel to different parts of Guyana (Berbice), and the scenery has been beautiful!

Once we're done working in the lab, we head home to relax and cook. I'm so excited to actually have time to cook now! Amanda and I have been making a variety of dinners that require a wide range of effort - everything from mac-n-cheese to pineapple teriyaki chicken over rice. See pictures below. Tonight, we're attempting chow mein with veggies and chicken. 

We've also gotten to try some Guyanese dishes! Beef pepper pot is DELICIOUS - it's like a stew with a sort of gravy, and you dip homemade bread in it. We've also tried roti and pumpkin. It was a sort of thick pumpkin stew with different seasonings. It also had these orange things in it that I thought were carrots - they were not carrots, they were peppers. Really, really, really spicy peppers! I ate a whole one by accident, and thought my mouth was one fire! Not a pleasant experience, but I survived and that has to have increased my spice tolerance, right? As for the roti, well that is this amazing kind of flat bread. Apparently it's best with curry, but that wasn't ready yet when we picked up lunch on our way to the lab this morning. We'll just have to try that another time.

French toast with guava jam and fried potatoes

Mac-n-cheese and Netflix

Pineapple teriyaki chicken over rice

Roti (note - this is a google picture)

Beef pepper pot (note - this is a google picture)

We have about a 30 minute drive from our flat to the lab, as it is sort of outside the city on Agriculture Road (fitting name). Here are some videos of the drive down Agriculture Road (turn down your computer volume - the wind is very loud):

This weekend we have a few things to work on in the lab, and then hopefully we'll explore Georgetown with some of the friends we've made at the lab. They have a whole list of things we have to see and foods we have to try before we leave Guyana, so here's hoping we get to everything! Tomorrow morning, they are taking us to a fish market at 6:00am. Apparently they usually go at 4:00am, but I think the shocked look on our faces convinced them to make it 6:00am. :)

Much Love,

Joslyn

P.S. Luke 4:10 He will put his angels in charge of you to watch over you carefully.