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Quirks n features and daily routine

Things Guyana does well

1.      Greetings (& slang). You will never be as cool as some of the Guyanese here. They’re effortlessly cool in a way most people can only observe from a distance. From handshakes to greetings to gait most people have a swagger and coolness unmatched by the Western World. My new favourite greeting is now ‘wamdeh’ literally short for ‘What happened there’ or as is in my current phrasebook ‘wot u saying’.

2.      Drinking in the evenings. I don’t think it is particularly farfetched to assume that in the UK, if you opened a bar at a workplace where beers were £1.50 and men were at said bar for 2 weeks at a time, many a night would be a drunken one, brawls included. Here however, drinks are imbibed (I learnt a new word this week) in the evening in a civilised manner (as civilised as you can be drinking beer). Furthermore, the canteen will be filled at 05:15 with men breaking fast regardless of the previous night's endeavours. 

3.      People smiling and being kind. Maybe this can’t be said of the wider population but everyone here has been particularly kind to me. If you were an intern at British construction site, I imagine you might get an ‘alright mate’ on a good day from a coworker. Maybe even a head nod if the sun was out. But here people say hi and ask about me and what I’m doing and how long I’m here and whether I like the country etc. The list goes on.

4.      Food. The range and combination of food dishes. Here because of the colonial past, the food is influenced by the whole Caribbean region, India, China, Portugal and Britain. For breakfast, there are scones and also channa for example. It really is great and eclectic. Scotch bonnets have also been keeping temperatures up. Also, pineapple.

5.      Manners. Everyone is polite. It is expected. Need I say more?


The bad


1.      Food. Don’t even think about chocolate or heaven forbid, milk. The lack of fresh milk also rules out any attempt at decent tea/coffee. See also: lack of falafels (& hummus), cheese and good tomatoes. Right now I’m really just craving some simple, elemental Italian you know? Neapolitan mozzarella and tomato pizza or spaghetti aglio olio.

2.      Noises in the bathroom. What is it with men in developing countries that feel the need to empty their bloody throats of all its contents every day? AND WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE AT 4:45 AM??? The world’s WORST alarm let me tell you.  

3.      The ants/small flies. After this trip, my respect for ants has increased exponentially (y = ex). They eat everything, climb ridiculous surfaces and work remarkably well in teams. That being said, they aren’t picky with what they’ll eat or who they’ll disturb. And these small flies seem to particularly like me, especially my fingers. They’re so small that they tickle a lot but are frustratingly hard to get rid of.

4.      Short sunsets and daylight hours in summer. I miss sunsets and also light until 10pm.


It is always amusing that the small, simple things are the ones that eventually get to me. I’m basically a plant: feed me good chocolate, water me with good coffee, give me lots of sunlight and I’ll prosper. 


I thought I'd add my daily routine.

04:45 - wake up, get ready and eat breakfast.
05:45 - Bus to office
06:00 - Start the day - I'll either go down to the pit to talk to the drivers or go with the geologists and think about a plan for the day. 
07:00 - In the office, I mind my own business, use the time to browse the web and catch up.
07:45 - Morning meeting. Following this whatever work i'm doing.
11:45 - Lunch.
18:00 - Leave the office.
18:30 - Eat dinner
19:00 - Shower and chill out - reading, drinking, listening to music or just chatting. 
21:00 - Sleep. 




















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