Happy Anniversary

This Saturday was my one-month anniversary in Guyana. Strangely, I feel like I have been here much longer than that, whether it is good or bad.

If you ask me how Georgetown is… I may have to say that it is not too nice. It is hot& humid. It is dirty and there are litters everywhere. The water canal system makes it even worse, because the stagnant water is so dirty and smelly.

You have to go refill a big bottle of water for drinking every four days. The tap water is brown. You need to boil and filter the water. There are so many hateful mosquitoes and cockroaches in the house.

Sure it is not the most comfortable lifestyle, but it is not as bad as it sounds (?). I am trying to think of it this way. It is a combination of camping, going to your grandma’s house in countryside during a summer vacation and Japan 20 years ago.

Twenty years ago in Japan, we didn’t have air-conditioning in every room. We often slept with your fan on. We used to have these smelly and nasty water ditches along the road, where tadpoles were swimming.

When you go camping, you may not get to take an adequate shower. At the end of the day you are so tired, so you sleep ok anyways even if you feel a bit dirty or not comfortable. You have to bring your own drinking water.

In countryside, there are many bugs, and your bed may smell a bit moldy. If I think this way, I can quite take it.

There are other things that remind me of “good old” Japan. Things like sodas come in glass bottles and children playing and running around in a street. This is before my time, but powder milk (skim milk) is commonly used.

There are two things that I REALLY do not enjoy; these are traffic and being called “Chinee girl”. I will take another opportunity to elaborate on the topics.