Guyana - "Those crazy Americans!"

I guarantee our neighbors were thinking, "Those crazy Americans," yesterday evening, but I'll get to that in a bit. 

Overall, yesterday was quite relaxing. We went to bed around 8:30pm the night we arrived - yes, 8:30pm. We were running on 3 hours of sleep from the plane ride, so an early night was needed. Plus, it gets dark here at like 5:30/6pm, but we're used to it getting dark at 9:00/9:30pm, so it always feels later. I slept in yesterday until about 6:30, then read for a few hours all cozy under the mosquito netting canopy. :) Breakfast was Honey Nut Cheerios and peanut butter toast with guava jam (the jam is a Guyana speciality). Amanda and I proceeded to be lazy and read, color, and watch Netflix all day. It was glorious. We also got to figure out the showers here. We discovered that, while our hosts were amazing and got us a washing machine and wireless internet, we do not have hot water. Good thing it's so hot everyday! The cold showers are actually heavenly! 



We did, however make some "friends" over the past few days. The first night, I woke up to the sound of a pan lid banging around on the counter. When I went to investigate, I discovered a lizard crawling around on the counter. At least it eats bugs? Then last night, the little guy (pictured right) decided to visit us and hang out in the sink. He's actually kind of cute. :)

Now to the reason our neighbors think we're nuts (preface - I have never handled bugs very well. I can get over them being around, but they still freak me out): A lovely 2+ inch cockroach was crawling around on the wall, and proceeded to crawl up to the ceiling. I was standing on a chair with a flyswatter, hoping it wouldn't come near me, when out of the blue it FLEW towards Amanda and I in the living room. Needless to say, we both screamed bloody murder and were freaking out. Neither of us knew cockroaches could fly!


Today, we finally got to start work. We met with the representatives from IICA and the various Guyana governmental organizations we are working with. From that meeting, we figured out the schedule and team assignments for the various field work. This week, I'm on the supermarket team getting the samples from supermarkets all across the country. We prepped the sampling kits today, and worked around the lab trying to get everything settled. Ready to start bright and early at 6:00am tomorrow!

Amanda and I in front of the IICA building

After work, some amazing people who work in the lab graciously offered to run errands with us. We needed to stop at the bank, find a place to buy delicious fresh fruit, and grab a few groceries. Two of the lab people we're working with live near us and offered to basically be our guides for the duration of our stay. :)

Cart with all kinds of fresh fruit - the pineapple is amazing!!

The supermarket closest to our flat - it consists of about 5-6 aisles half the size of ones in US grocery stores (but we could still find Kraft Mac-n-cheese and Honey Nut Cheerios!)

All-in-all, a very fun 2 days. I'm excited to see what the rest of the week brings, and I hope everything keeps going well in terms of the research and work we're doing here. :) Prayers are still very much appreciated. 

Much Love,
Joslyn

P.S. Traditional blog post bible verse:
1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.