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.
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| The ceiling continues much higher than pictured, in a dome shape |
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| Beautiful organ! One of the organists played in this church for over 40 years. |
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| All of the birds are so brightly colored! |
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| HUGE Anaconda - and apparently this is considered a "small" one. The head was bigger than my entire hand! Terrifying... |
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| Caiman - we thought he was sleeping, but then the eyes opened and looked straight at us lol |
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| 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. :)
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| 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
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