So, I have had my first encounter with the Peace Corps Suriname doctor, Doctor Legiman. We call him doc. He is a little asian-american man who has a hilarious personality. Don't get me wrong, we have seen him around the training facility quite a number of times now. He gives lectures on STD's and Creepies and Crawlies. We now have a running joke about the SIKA fly that lays eggs under your skin and you have to wait a week before you can pop the wound and pull out the baby growing inside you. (This, as it turns out, is one of the least worrisome bugs, as it has a limited effect on you. I won't get into the more gruesome ones.)
I have also already had to endure 3 shots! And I was lucky because I apparently am up to date on my Hepatitis A and B shots. There is at least one more shot (the last in the 3-series of rabies shots) but more likely is that there will be up to 5 more for me.
But this time, I had to call Doc to come see me. Yesterday, I thought that it would be a good idea to do sprints running backwards. Of course, I promptly tripped myself, went flying and landed on my elbow. It is now very bruised and painful to twist in one direction. So I called Doc to come see me and tell me that I didn't have a fracture. He said it looks like its all soft tissue damage, so that is good. Tomorrow, I call him for an update, and in the mean time, I got a strong anti inflammatory. Being injured is no fun. Try putting your hair into a pony tail with one arm!
Tomorrow, I have to present a 45 minute presentation on Nutrition. My partner and I have to do a lot of work on that tonight, so I will be busy with that today too. We are some of the last people to go, having seen everyone else's presentations last week and this week, so we have a lot of pressure to use lessons we've learned from others in our own presentations.
On sunday, we depart to our host families for the week, and we might not have internet. Shortly after that, we go visit our future site for a week. All in all, I might not update this blog for a while.
Think of me, as I take my malaria pills and have vivid dreams because of it, and as I have awkward moments with host families and such.
Gotta go!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Camp Suriname
Staying in Lelydorp is starting to feel a bit like camp. We spend all day in our various language classes, and all evening learning about Suriname. We all go to the kitchen to eat breakfast in the morning, and we get a 2 hour break to go to the nearby restaurants for lunch. Then we try to do things together, often using the last bit of sunlight to play a game of soccer or kickball. I am quite skilled at soccer compared to these kids, which I was surprised about, but is a nice ego boost. And I am learning a lot of baseball strategy by playing kickball.
Although we are adults, we got in trouble by the country director this weekend because someone brought an outsider to the training facility late at night. I am definitely in agreement that whoever it was was not thinking straight, but I can't say that it didn't make me feel like I was five when we all got a good talking to.
Camp Suriname is pretty nice and all, but I am starting to feel like I am in a bubble, protected from the real world that lurks in the distance. We are always listening to people tell us about what we will encounter and what will be expected of us, but there is not an inkling of any of that yet. That being said, we are scheduled to make our first one-week homestay trip next week. We are all very excited to finally get to be in the mix of things. A lot of the girls will be expected to wear Pangi's (the skirts we bought last weekend) for the first time ever, so that will be an experience. Then there are the awkward things, like that fact that Saramaccan's don't really have mealtimes and don't often eat together, and DEFINITELY don't talk while eating. I'll report back on that one. There's also the fact that my host mother is supposed to teach me to wash my clothes by the river and wash myself as well. They are big on hygiene, especially in the private area, and I am told that many of last years volunteers got a one on one lesson from their host moms on proper downstairs washing techniques. That should be awkward. Even more so because it will involve a lot of hand gestures and failed attempts at communication.
Oh, by the way, the address I was given was incorrect. I am told that the mail has been delivered, even with the incorrect address, but just in case, here is the real one:
Peace Corps Suriname
Attn: Alissa Kispersky
P.O.B. 9500
Franchepanestraat 12-16
Paramaribo, Suriname
South America
It is time for me to go now! I am loving the comments you guys are leaving so keep it up! Also feel free to ask me about any certain aspects of my life here that you want to know about.
See you next time!
Although we are adults, we got in trouble by the country director this weekend because someone brought an outsider to the training facility late at night. I am definitely in agreement that whoever it was was not thinking straight, but I can't say that it didn't make me feel like I was five when we all got a good talking to.
Camp Suriname is pretty nice and all, but I am starting to feel like I am in a bubble, protected from the real world that lurks in the distance. We are always listening to people tell us about what we will encounter and what will be expected of us, but there is not an inkling of any of that yet. That being said, we are scheduled to make our first one-week homestay trip next week. We are all very excited to finally get to be in the mix of things. A lot of the girls will be expected to wear Pangi's (the skirts we bought last weekend) for the first time ever, so that will be an experience. Then there are the awkward things, like that fact that Saramaccan's don't really have mealtimes and don't often eat together, and DEFINITELY don't talk while eating. I'll report back on that one. There's also the fact that my host mother is supposed to teach me to wash my clothes by the river and wash myself as well. They are big on hygiene, especially in the private area, and I am told that many of last years volunteers got a one on one lesson from their host moms on proper downstairs washing techniques. That should be awkward. Even more so because it will involve a lot of hand gestures and failed attempts at communication.
Oh, by the way, the address I was given was incorrect. I am told that the mail has been delivered, even with the incorrect address, but just in case, here is the real one:
Peace Corps Suriname
Attn: Alissa Kispersky
P.O.B. 9500
Franchepanestraat 12-16
Paramaribo, Suriname
South America
It is time for me to go now! I am loving the comments you guys are leaving so keep it up! Also feel free to ask me about any certain aspects of my life here that you want to know about.
See you next time!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
First Trip to the City
Paramaribo: THE city in Suriname. This weekend was Sur-17's (the 17th group of volunteers in Suriname) first chaperoned outing to the big city! Although I usually hate being coddled and treated like a child, I was grateful to have our Language teachers with us as we explored. Our teachers had the whole thing planned, from the bus fare, to which shops we would enter. It costs 1.65 SRD (suriname dollars) to take the bus from Lelydorp to Paramaribo. The current exchange rate is something like 3.3 SRD to one USD.
We were taken into a shop at which we could buy cloth for Pangi. (This is especially for the girls, since we will be wearing them pretty much all the time once we get to the interior. The guys just wear shorts and T-shirts.) Women standing behind the counter let you choose one of a million cloth patterns, then they judge your waist size by staring at it, and cut off the appropriate amount of material. My Pangi size was judged to be the "usual" 1.35 meters. If I was an industrious woman, I could now buy other materials and sew them onto my Pangi in patterns. Or at least sew a border into it. I think I will wait for someone to teach me how to do that before I attempt it.
We also walked through a giant market. People were selling all kinds of fruit and vegetables, and I was a bit overwhelmed. It is mango season, and I have yet to buy one to try it, because I am too scared to delve into the market-depths. Our teachers took us to a stand where we bought ginger beer. It was incredibly spicy. But also very refreshing. We also got some local cake from another stand. Next time I will try to buy something I have not yet tried here.
The next shop was a department store, which was surprisingly all-encompassing. The stores in Lelydorp have been pretty limited and seem to have only the cheap "made-in-china" type products. Here, though, I could have bought a pair of men's tighty whiteys with african print on them, and a border that said "clench." Jon, you are lucky I wasn't in a spending mood.
Also on our route was a bookstore. It was nicer than any of the other stores I have seen in Suriname so far. It reminded me of the Bookstore in Germany that I used to love as a kid. But in Suriname, you have to put any item you want to buy into a basket as you walk around the store. Otherwise they yell at you. The bookstore had an interesting mix of categories, separating the sections of books into languages (yes there was an english section). Unfortunately, there were no books in Saramaccan. It's not really a written language anyways. Our teacher does spell words for us to write down, but she is constantly spelling the words differently, often causing much confusion. I did buy some envelopes and a pen, though, since I managed to forget to bring more than 2 pens with me to Suriname. I don't know what I was thinking.
By the end of the day, we were thoroughly exhausted. I can hardly sit straight after all that walking and learning. (By the way, the men here like to call out to women on the street, mostly doing kissing noises and beckoning for you to join them. We are told not to respond because we might encourage them to do it more. I think it's funny when I'm with a group of people, but I could imagine it would feel a bit more threatening if I was walking alone. ) I can't wait till the day when I can call this place home, and not be scared to walk the streets by myself.
If you've gotten this far, you might be interested in the fact that I have a Picasa album to which I am attempting to add my photos as much as possible. Jon has been nice enough to set it up so that there is a link to the album at the bottom of this blog page. So far, I have been able to upload about 4 pictures in an hour of internet use. So don't get too excited. But it's a start!
We were taken into a shop at which we could buy cloth for Pangi. (This is especially for the girls, since we will be wearing them pretty much all the time once we get to the interior. The guys just wear shorts and T-shirts.) Women standing behind the counter let you choose one of a million cloth patterns, then they judge your waist size by staring at it, and cut off the appropriate amount of material. My Pangi size was judged to be the "usual" 1.35 meters. If I was an industrious woman, I could now buy other materials and sew them onto my Pangi in patterns. Or at least sew a border into it. I think I will wait for someone to teach me how to do that before I attempt it.
We also walked through a giant market. People were selling all kinds of fruit and vegetables, and I was a bit overwhelmed. It is mango season, and I have yet to buy one to try it, because I am too scared to delve into the market-depths. Our teachers took us to a stand where we bought ginger beer. It was incredibly spicy. But also very refreshing. We also got some local cake from another stand. Next time I will try to buy something I have not yet tried here.
The next shop was a department store, which was surprisingly all-encompassing. The stores in Lelydorp have been pretty limited and seem to have only the cheap "made-in-china" type products. Here, though, I could have bought a pair of men's tighty whiteys with african print on them, and a border that said "clench." Jon, you are lucky I wasn't in a spending mood.
Also on our route was a bookstore. It was nicer than any of the other stores I have seen in Suriname so far. It reminded me of the Bookstore in Germany that I used to love as a kid. But in Suriname, you have to put any item you want to buy into a basket as you walk around the store. Otherwise they yell at you. The bookstore had an interesting mix of categories, separating the sections of books into languages (yes there was an english section). Unfortunately, there were no books in Saramaccan. It's not really a written language anyways. Our teacher does spell words for us to write down, but she is constantly spelling the words differently, often causing much confusion. I did buy some envelopes and a pen, though, since I managed to forget to bring more than 2 pens with me to Suriname. I don't know what I was thinking.
By the end of the day, we were thoroughly exhausted. I can hardly sit straight after all that walking and learning. (By the way, the men here like to call out to women on the street, mostly doing kissing noises and beckoning for you to join them. We are told not to respond because we might encourage them to do it more. I think it's funny when I'm with a group of people, but I could imagine it would feel a bit more threatening if I was walking alone. ) I can't wait till the day when I can call this place home, and not be scared to walk the streets by myself.
If you've gotten this far, you might be interested in the fact that I have a Picasa album to which I am attempting to add my photos as much as possible. Jon has been nice enough to set it up so that there is a link to the album at the bottom of this blog page. So far, I have been able to upload about 4 pictures in an hour of internet use. So don't get too excited. But it's a start!
Friday, May 13, 2011
First week of Language Courses!
Time flies when you spend most of your day in language class! 5 days a week, we go into our smal groups for language instruction. My group consists of 5 people. 4 girls and one guy. Our instructor is awesome. We are learning a lot from her. She speaks Saramaccan, Aucan, Sranan Tongo, English and Dutch. At least. We learn a lot of dutch words in addition to the Saramaccan ones since Dutch influence is huge around here. When we go to the shops to buy things, we are constantly struggling to communicate with the locals. This is especially hard since they may speak dutch or sranan or english, and figuring out which language you are trying to understand is harder than trying to speak it. Twice a week we also have "culture" class, which involves us asking our language teacher obnoxious questions about their cultures. It sounds like women are in a serious pickle out in the jungle. Women are expected to be virgins before marriage, purity, the whole nine yards. Then, when they get married (at around 14) their man might have a few other wives. They are expected to have as many children as possible, and also do all the work in the fields and in the house. And the laundry and the food. You heard me. The men don't have to do anything. They go around maybe hunting sometimes. and disciplining their children of course. The nice ones help their wives on occasion. The bad ones don't. End of story.
I am trying to understand the cultural differences.
I am super exited for the potential growth that this new language will enable me to experience!!!!
Later!
Alissa
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Sweeti Sranan (beloved Suriname)
Hello All!
It's been a week now since I arrived in Suriname. Plans have changed just a little bit. I was originally told that most of my training would be spent living in a host family. Instead of that, now they have decided to have us stay mostly at the training center. We are in a little town called Lelydorp, south of Paramaribo, but not far away. There is only really one street that all the shops are on. We walk from the training center to the shops in about 10 minutes. After 4 weeks of language training (my language will be Saramaccan), we will spend a week in a host family, then return to the training center. After one more week of language, we all get to spend a week in the actual jungle, half with a current volunteer to learn the ways, and half in our future site to introduce ourselves. Then back to the training center, one more week of host family stay, and then we get sworn in. It's all very complicated.
As it turns out, the internet situation is also a bit complicated. The Peace Corps has set up 3 laptops for us to use, but the internet is so slow, I have so far been unsuccessful at loading any of my 70 pictures to my blog. You guys will have to do without them until I can figure out what to do about that. I do, however, have a cell phone! Calls are very expensive to and from the US, but I can at least keep in touch on occasion. Email me for the number.
My mailing address is:
my name here
c/o U.S. Peace Corps
P.O.B. 9500
Paramaribo-Zuid
Suriname
South America
Feel free to mail me pacakages of love. It turns out it would be awesome to have a little flash drive, so that's the first thing on my wish list.
Training so far has been what I've expected. Lots of information sessions. We were introduced to the rules of peace corps, how to stay healthy in country, how to use phones, where to go for food, how to prepare mentally for the challenge of cultural adaptation, even how to wash our laundry. We are definitely being prepared as well as possible for our big adventure. Monday we start language courses, and that will take most of our day. There are 5 groups of language classes (ca. 5 people each), learning either Aucan, Sranan Tongo, or Saramaccan. Three of the groups are learning Saramaccan, and since most villages that speak Saramaccan live along the Suriname River, I assume most of us will be placed into villages along there.
The weather here is pretty crazy. We have just started the "long rainy season" so every day I've been in country, I have experienced at least one heavy downpour in the afternoon. I have started showering at least twice a day, as you can't help but be sweaty throughout most of the day. At the training center I do have a bed and a shower. It sounds like most volunteers also buy themselves beds for their villages instead of hammocks. I am disappointed to hear that, as I thought hammocks were a part of the experience. I think I'll buy one to take naps in anyways. Speaking of buying things, we have already gone out to purchase laundry necessities. Yes, I am doing my own laundry by hand now. I own a bucket, a brush, and a bar of soap, with which I am attempting to cleanse the sweat out of my clothes. So far I've done it once and the clothes are still drying. I'll report back on my effectiveness. I will probably start doing my laundry three times a week, since doing a week's worth of laundry is an absurd amount of work.
We spent some time earlier this week getting to know the earlier generations of volunteers. That was one of the most fulfilling experiences, as they were able to give us perspectives on things like getting heckled by the males when walking in the city, and learning to accept that Surinamese people will constantly tell us we are washing our clothes incorrectly. I have also learned that there are a lot of dogs here. They are mostly strays and stare lovingly at you from a distance but are unwilling to get very close, since they are used to having things thrown at them. My plan is to woo one of them and make it my pet. I hear that the people of Suriname will think that I'm crazy. But there are a few volunteers that have had pets (not actually sanctioned by the PC). They have had dogs, cats, birds and even monkeys! The latter sounds lame, since you usually have to tie them up and put them in diapers. A dog sounds more fun.
I will write more later, as time permits.
Alissa
It's been a week now since I arrived in Suriname. Plans have changed just a little bit. I was originally told that most of my training would be spent living in a host family. Instead of that, now they have decided to have us stay mostly at the training center. We are in a little town called Lelydorp, south of Paramaribo, but not far away. There is only really one street that all the shops are on. We walk from the training center to the shops in about 10 minutes. After 4 weeks of language training (my language will be Saramaccan), we will spend a week in a host family, then return to the training center. After one more week of language, we all get to spend a week in the actual jungle, half with a current volunteer to learn the ways, and half in our future site to introduce ourselves. Then back to the training center, one more week of host family stay, and then we get sworn in. It's all very complicated.
As it turns out, the internet situation is also a bit complicated. The Peace Corps has set up 3 laptops for us to use, but the internet is so slow, I have so far been unsuccessful at loading any of my 70 pictures to my blog. You guys will have to do without them until I can figure out what to do about that. I do, however, have a cell phone! Calls are very expensive to and from the US, but I can at least keep in touch on occasion. Email me for the number.
My mailing address is:
my name here
c/o U.S. Peace Corps
P.O.B. 9500
Paramaribo-Zuid
Suriname
South America
Feel free to mail me pacakages of love. It turns out it would be awesome to have a little flash drive, so that's the first thing on my wish list.
Training so far has been what I've expected. Lots of information sessions. We were introduced to the rules of peace corps, how to stay healthy in country, how to use phones, where to go for food, how to prepare mentally for the challenge of cultural adaptation, even how to wash our laundry. We are definitely being prepared as well as possible for our big adventure. Monday we start language courses, and that will take most of our day. There are 5 groups of language classes (ca. 5 people each), learning either Aucan, Sranan Tongo, or Saramaccan. Three of the groups are learning Saramaccan, and since most villages that speak Saramaccan live along the Suriname River, I assume most of us will be placed into villages along there.
The weather here is pretty crazy. We have just started the "long rainy season" so every day I've been in country, I have experienced at least one heavy downpour in the afternoon. I have started showering at least twice a day, as you can't help but be sweaty throughout most of the day. At the training center I do have a bed and a shower. It sounds like most volunteers also buy themselves beds for their villages instead of hammocks. I am disappointed to hear that, as I thought hammocks were a part of the experience. I think I'll buy one to take naps in anyways. Speaking of buying things, we have already gone out to purchase laundry necessities. Yes, I am doing my own laundry by hand now. I own a bucket, a brush, and a bar of soap, with which I am attempting to cleanse the sweat out of my clothes. So far I've done it once and the clothes are still drying. I'll report back on my effectiveness. I will probably start doing my laundry three times a week, since doing a week's worth of laundry is an absurd amount of work.
We spent some time earlier this week getting to know the earlier generations of volunteers. That was one of the most fulfilling experiences, as they were able to give us perspectives on things like getting heckled by the males when walking in the city, and learning to accept that Surinamese people will constantly tell us we are washing our clothes incorrectly. I have also learned that there are a lot of dogs here. They are mostly strays and stare lovingly at you from a distance but are unwilling to get very close, since they are used to having things thrown at them. My plan is to woo one of them and make it my pet. I hear that the people of Suriname will think that I'm crazy. But there are a few volunteers that have had pets (not actually sanctioned by the PC). They have had dogs, cats, birds and even monkeys! The latter sounds lame, since you usually have to tie them up and put them in diapers. A dog sounds more fun.
I will write more later, as time permits.
Alissa
Monday, May 2, 2011
Still in Miami
I have to say, it really is nice having gotten to Miami a day before most of the other Peace Corps Volunteers. Most of them got into the hotel about the same time we were supposed to report for the Staging event in the conference room. None of the latecomers really got to meet anyone before having to sit in meetings.
We did some ice breakers, learned about some of the Peace Corps' rules and spent some time conversing about our concerns and our aspirations for service. It is very strange to know these people so little yet feel so connected to them as a result of the unknown that still looms ahead. We are a pretty diverse group in terms of home towns. Pretty much no one is from the same state. Although there are at least 5 of us from California. WOOT!
Here are some pics from lunch before the Staging. At this point I had no idea who anyone was.
Left to Right:
Me
Lindsay ( I met her last night)
Jamie
Evan
Left to Right:
Dale
Tim
Cameron, from LA
My roommate, Michelle, also from LA
Please excuse these pictures. They are the only ones I took today and I had to make the blog a little more exciting.
Tomorrow we check out of our hotel at 6AM, only to sit at the airport for 4 hours. Then we travel to Curacao, with another 5 hour layover, and a direct flight to Suriname, finally arriving in-country at midnight. It's gonna be a long day.
I should be in bed right now, so it's time to say goodnight!
Alissa
We did some ice breakers, learned about some of the Peace Corps' rules and spent some time conversing about our concerns and our aspirations for service. It is very strange to know these people so little yet feel so connected to them as a result of the unknown that still looms ahead. We are a pretty diverse group in terms of home towns. Pretty much no one is from the same state. Although there are at least 5 of us from California. WOOT!
Here are some pics from lunch before the Staging. At this point I had no idea who anyone was.
Left to Right:
Me
Lindsay ( I met her last night)
Jamie
Evan
Left to Right:
Dale
Tim
Cameron, from LA
My roommate, Michelle, also from LA
Please excuse these pictures. They are the only ones I took today and I had to make the blog a little more exciting.
Tomorrow we check out of our hotel at 6AM, only to sit at the airport for 4 hours. Then we travel to Curacao, with another 5 hour layover, and a direct flight to Suriname, finally arriving in-country at midnight. It's gonna be a long day.
I should be in bed right now, so it's time to say goodnight!
Alissa
Sunday, May 1, 2011
First Night In Miami
So, here I am!
I have said my final goodbyes to everyone and have flown alone all the way to Miami, but the reality of my future has yet to set in.
My first flight to Texas went without a hitch. I pulled out my kindle, feeling very elitist with my new gadget. Of course, soon after that, I was put in my place by a woman reading a book on her iPad. On the second flight, I had the good fortune to sit INBETWEEN a mother and father of 3 boys between 2 and 8. They also had an iPad, and were watching Toy Story 3 on it. Kids are very quiet while watching movies, which is nice! Don't let anyone tell you that kids these days are glued to screens because they are born that way. Their parent are using screens as an excuse to get some rest!
I had a minor panic attack about the short layover time (1 hour) and not being able to get the shuttle to my hotel to stop for me, but all in all, the journey was painless. Also, I have already met 3 other volunteers. We sought out a place to have dinner in the neighborhood and were able to test our Spanish skills in a Cuban mom and pop place. Not nearly as good as Los Cubanos, but who am I to judge. We have had a lot to talk about, mostly questions about what might be waiting for us when we actually get to Suriname. Conversations about 'toilet conditions' and 'wearing the native clothes' and 'how many bugs there will be' are going to haunt my dreams tonight.
I hope you all weren't too worried. I have already received the obligatory 'I'm worried' email from mom, but the worst is yet to come, so be strong!
More updates to come!
Alissa
I have said my final goodbyes to everyone and have flown alone all the way to Miami, but the reality of my future has yet to set in.
My first flight to Texas went without a hitch. I pulled out my kindle, feeling very elitist with my new gadget. Of course, soon after that, I was put in my place by a woman reading a book on her iPad. On the second flight, I had the good fortune to sit INBETWEEN a mother and father of 3 boys between 2 and 8. They also had an iPad, and were watching Toy Story 3 on it. Kids are very quiet while watching movies, which is nice! Don't let anyone tell you that kids these days are glued to screens because they are born that way. Their parent are using screens as an excuse to get some rest!
I had a minor panic attack about the short layover time (1 hour) and not being able to get the shuttle to my hotel to stop for me, but all in all, the journey was painless. Also, I have already met 3 other volunteers. We sought out a place to have dinner in the neighborhood and were able to test our Spanish skills in a Cuban mom and pop place. Not nearly as good as Los Cubanos, but who am I to judge. We have had a lot to talk about, mostly questions about what might be waiting for us when we actually get to Suriname. Conversations about 'toilet conditions' and 'wearing the native clothes' and 'how many bugs there will be' are going to haunt my dreams tonight.
I hope you all weren't too worried. I have already received the obligatory 'I'm worried' email from mom, but the worst is yet to come, so be strong!
More updates to come!
Alissa
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