Merry Christmas...Vrolijke Kerstmis

A quick message to say Merry Christmas.

I hope this season finds you well. This is my first Christmas away from my family. I'll try not to cry! I'm lucky to have some wonderful new friends here in Suriname to spend the holidays with. That will help!

I look forward to telling you next week all about what it is like to spend Christmas in Suriname. Until then....have a lovely Christmas.

Here I am with my Christmas tree. Snowflakes and all!

And now in dutch….

Hoi allemaal!

Vrolijk Kerstmis.

Ik hoop deze seizoen vondsten u goed. Dit is mijn eerste Kerstmis weg van mijn familie. Ik zal proberen niet te huilen! Ik ben gelukkig om sommige fantastische nieuwe vrienden hier in Suriname te hebben om de vakanties met uit te geven. Dat zal helpen!

Ik kijk ernaar uit om vertellen u volgende week iedereen waarover het is Alsof Kerstmis in Suriname uitgeef. Tot dan. ... Fijne Feestdagen.

Hier ben ik met mijn kerstboom. Sneeuwvlokken en iedereen!

Outdoor Concerts are a Hazard to Your Health

So, I rode in my first ambulance EVER here in Suriname. It happened on Saturday night after I got hit by a beer bottle thrown into a crowd at an outdoor Shaggy concert. Yes, I said Shaggy. He was here in Suriname. Telesur the only telecommunications company here in Suriname is celebrating 25 years and they brought Shaggy in as a thank you to the community.

He was really good too…at least he was for the whole HALF a song that I got to see. Corina and I had just arrived from a Christmas party. We were just starting to enjoy it when out of nowhere something hit us. It was shocking at first. You didn’t quite know what happened but then I turned to Corina who was really shocked. She had about 30 cuts down her arm and neck and we were both covered in glass which had shattered so fine it was like we were covered in sparkles. I remember saying we needed to find first-aid and then suddenly some guy in a Telesur shirt was pulling us through the crowd which by the way was parting like the Red Sea. You should have seen the looks on peoples’ faces as we passed. For one we were dripping in blood no way they were going to touch us. For two I’m sure we must have both looked quite scared ourselves.

In the ambulance the Suriname Red Cross immediately went to work and before we knew it we were moving. Mid-street another girl was put in the ambulance with us. She also got hit by the bottle – on the head – not nice! We arrived at the ER and were taken in immediately. While they cleaned up Corina who was hurt waaay worse than me I took care of paperwork and payment. Yes, we had to pay for health care, but the time from getting hit to being taken to the ER and getting cleaned up was less than two hours. When has that EVER happened in Canada? Cuts like ours would have warranted a wait of several hours I’m sure. I might be on side for this whole paying for health care deal. Save yourself the comments…I know, I know, it’s fine as long as you can afford to pay. Well, I’ll tell you, it was worth every cent. At least until the next day when I went to inspect my cut which for some reason hadn’t stopped bleeding only to find it still had glass in it. Apparently even when you pay the care isn’t always good… ha ha I joke. The care was actually very good and I’m not the one who really needed attention…afterall, I’ve cut myself worse with a kitchen knife. Corina on the other hand was a connect-the-dots of cuts, but she handled it like a trooper….at least until the nurse at the hospital went to clean her with iodine. Then it was another story. Funniest of all. Corina happens to have the whole thing on video and if I can figure out how to hook up video through U-Tube I’ll put it up so you can all see exactly as much of the free Shaggy concert as I did!!

On the Road to the Interior

WARNING: This is a loooooong one. Apparently it's really interesting to get out of the city!!! But I promise...lots of pictures for the non-readers out there!


Doesn't this picture look like a publicity shot for the show Survivor?!?! I love it!

I took my first trip into the interior of Suriname two weeks ago - three glorious days away from the noise and chaos of Paramaribo. We traveled first to Brownsberg Nature Reserve at the centre of which ironically is a man-made hill. The Brownsberg hill was formed through the excavation of bauxite. However it was formed, it’s a perfect escape from Paramaribo. After a bumpy ride down the bauxite roads and a hair-raising ride up the mountain we arrived at the camp. It’s a cluster of houses actually and research stations run by Stinasu (an eco foundation here in Suriname) and the World Wildlife Fund. The accommodations were pretty posh by the standards I was used to (trekking in Thailand is much more rustic!). Here we had an actual house with cooking facilities, showers, toilets and electricity for part of the night. We had bunks to sleep in and the most lovely of all, a great view overlooking Brokopondo Lake (which also happens to be man-made). The Lake was formed when the valley was flooded to build Suriname’s only hydro dam.

The road to Brownsberg.


The view of Brokopondo Lake.


Our posh cabin.


Our bunks with mosquito nets.


We arrived with plenty of time to take a hike. So off we went with the promise that supper would be ready when we returned. We decided to hike to two waterfalls – Irenevallen and Leovallen (vallen is waterfall for my non-nederlanders!).



The hike started out easy enough, but as we made our way into the jungle and down, down, and still further down. I thought dear god, at some point I’m going to have to climb back up!



We arrived finally at our first falls after about an hour and a half. We probably could have gotten there sooner but there were so many things to see and take pictures of along the way like….

Birds taking a bath in the puddle on the road.

Photo by Berwyn.

Blue butterflies…so many beautiful blue butterflies.

Photo by Berwyn.

A beautiful view of Brownsberg.


HUGE trees with perfect vines for swinging.


When we finally arrived at the falls I have to admit I was VERY disappointed. For one I’ve seen many beautiful waterfalls in my travels. Not to mention Canada has some seriously beautiful waterfalls. Sure you can’t swim or even tolerate the cold water to stand in, but damn they are beautiful. For two, I had just walked over an hour down some very slippery clay trails to get to a fall I had envisioned swimming in. So I was a bit bummed. That said it was still pretty and nice and refreshing after getting sweaty on the trail.



We stayed just long enough to have a little picnic then it was off to the next falls. I have to say I ABSOLUTELY dreaded the walk back – my Prairie girl legs were just not toned for climbing…but I managed….barely!!

Here we are on the trail.

Photo by Berwyn

We got to the next falls but I decided to sit this one out. I wasn’t thrilled about hiking down to another falls only to be disappointed again. I opted instead to take a rest and enjoy the jungle in my own way – sitting on a log cursing at the mosquitos and looking waaaaaay up above the trees to find the sky. The other adventurers went on but it wasn’t long before I was rejoined by one who had gone down and confirmed my suspicion – these falls were even smaller and there was definitely no swimming in them either. Retribution for once listening to my gut instinct paid off…yay me!

Back at the camp we enjoyed a delicious dinner and then took to the benches overlooking the lake. It was a gorgeous evening. Julie, Christa, Corina and I enjoyed sitting looking out at the lake and wondering what the strange white cloud that was floating slowly and much lower than any other cloud in the sky was. Was it chemical and therefore the reason why there were in fact very few mosquitos in Brownsberg as compared to the city?

You decide…..note the cloud.

Photo by Berwyn

The next morning we got up early to catch site of some howler monkeys. We’d heard them the day before during our hike but didn’t catch site of them. This time they were right near our camp. So funny. We stood looking up at them, they sat looking down at us.

I won't lie. No way my camera could get a shot like this...thanks Berwyn!


In the morning we took a short walk up to a beautiful lookout and just enjoyed the view. Note: I enjoyed this hike MUCH more than the day before!!!


Christa and I at the lookout.


Corina and Berwyn smile for the camera...see Berwyn's camera? Now you understand all the good photos!


The view from Mazaroni Top (ie the lookout).


Just after lunch it was time to get back on the bus and head down the mountain (er hill!) and catch a boat to Tonka Eiland. Unfortunately we lost Berwyn who was determined to get some good shots in this cave (full of bats) that we’d encountered on our hike the day before.

Berwyn……Berwyn…..where are you????


The boat ride to Tonka Eiland brought us up close and personal with all of those trees that were submerged when the lake was made. Sometimes we came very close (you could feel them scrape along the bottom of the boat and then you’d hear the motor hit). I wondered if we’d actually make it to Tonka Eiland!


But we did. And it was great. We went swimming (some ventured in farther than others). Had a chance to wander around and just relax. Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Some shots around Tonka Eiland.




Our cabin.


And here's how we spent most of our time at Tonka Eiland....swimming...with the pirahnas (though I only saw minnows)!!


It happened to be a full moon the night we were there. While Julie, Corina and Marjan curled up in hammocks Christa and I staked out a spot on the beach.


Did I mention that our cabin was home to bats, spiders and geckos? That's not why we slept outside (for most of the night anyway). No it's because the full moon, the nice breeze and the waves rolling in were just too nice to resist!

Photo by Berwyn (as if you had to even ask!)

And here's another he took....do you blame us for hanging out on the beach all night?


The next morning we got to go piranha fishing. Unfortunately only half our party caught fish. I maintain that by the time it was my turn the piranhas were well fed!!





Photo by Berwyn.

After lunch (which included piranha)

it was time to pack up and head back to Paramaribo.

I have to say I was a bit sad to get back on the boat. For one there was the rough road to endure on the return trip and then we’d be back in the city. Back to the noise. Back to the barking dogs. And even worse, back to the mosquitos.

Safety first. Christa and I faithfully wear our life-jackets.


And so did Marjan and Inge!


If anything getting to the interior of Suriname once certainly is motivation to plan more trips and to venture even farther. Not sure where I’ll get to but I know I want to see more.

Many thanks to our WONDERFUL guides. Did I mention that I was sort of a guide too? My dutch has gotten good enough that I acted as an interpreter for the trip...yay me!
Rehana


Buru & Sidesh


Red dust from the bauxite roads gets onto everything. All along the way the trees (and our bus) are covered with it.


Until next time....

Jolly St. Nick???

This past Saturday night I went to help at a Christmas party for children and their families affected by HIV. The party included, food, games and presents. Santa was there too, though he (or perhaps she!) was a lot less jolly than average mall Santa in North America. This Santa didn’t Ho Ho Ho and kept sunglasses on all night. I’d say that Corina, Berwyn and I with our digital cameras were a bigger draw than Santa that night. In fact, I think we were the biggest draw in the room. Constantly surrounded my beautiful children smiling for pictures or hoping to get their hands on the camera to see the pictures or take some pictures themselves. I think Santa could have taken some tips from the Canadians on how to connect with kids!

I have to admit that when I first arrived at the party I couldn’t help but feel a certain sadness to know that all of the kids there either had HIV themselves or had a family member who did. I just felt so sad to know that these kids were impacted by something not by their own choice. As the night went on, I forgot that sadness and just had fun with the kids and they had fun with us and isn’t that the whole point of it.

For a children’s party the room was remarkably under control. The kids were so well behaved. Especially the group from the orphanage. They were eerily well behaved for a group of about 15 kids who had no immediate adult supervision sitting at the table with them. My own nieces and nephews are MUCH louder. Which makes one wonder about the possibility that there is some truth to the rumours that the orphanage is being run under a ‘firm hand’. There was this one little boy from the orphanage who kept talking to me when I would come to bring food to his table. But I was clueless as to what he was saying so I would just smile at him and kept on serving food. I finally realized he only wanted someone to occupy the empty chair beside him. At one point I watched him pat the chair inviting or rather insisting that one of the adults take a seat. I think he was maybe 3 years old or younger so funny!

The party was lovely, though I question the musical stylings of the DJ. First the music was strictly club music (at a children’s Christmas party!??!). Then I told Corina I was going to go and request some Christmas music (I know, how novel!). As I was walking up, Mr. DJ did in fact start playing a Christmas tune – Joy to the World. So I spun on my heel and turned back towards Corina. But this was no ordinary version of Joy to the World. No, this version was sampled with the Macarena (does everyone remember that annoying tune we inherited from Mexican resort bars?). I wish I could describe it Joy to the World – beat – beat – Macarena. It was just wrong. Apparently the only way we were going to get pure Christmas tunes at this party was if we sang them ourselves. So an MC took up a mic and went around the room person to person. The kids singing was so damn adorable. I didn’t understand half of it of course because 1) it was in dutch and 2) it was mostly mumbled version by kids who only know some of the words and made up the rest. I heard some VERY funny versions of Jingle Bells I’ll tell ya. Corina and I sang ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’. It wasn’t quite the same as a night of caroling with the crew back in Canada but I imagine it’s the best I’ll get here in Suriname.

Anyway, here are some pics from the party.

Corina with a few of the kids.


How's that icecream? Good?


And now press here...Corina demos how to use the digital camera.


Musical chairs is always a popular party game.


One of the many kids gathered around Corina and I waiting for a chance to try out the digital camera.

World AIDS Day

Friday, December 1 marked World AIDS Day.

There were quite a few activities taking place here to mark the day, many lead by Stichting Mamio Namen Project.

The day started with a networking meeting of all the AIDS Service Organizations (it’s rare to get them all in the same room together so it’s a nice sight to see them take steps towards working together). Next it was off to the World AIDS Day Walk. At the walk the various AIDS quilts (or Mamios) were displayed. The Mamios are made in memory of people who have died from AIDS here in Suriname. Before the walk got underway there were speeches and presentations, then it was off for the walk which I actually had to leave early so I could get to my next event...the launch of a new men’s association. Suriname Men United is an association for men who have sex with men. No, it’s not a gay men’s association, it’s a men who have sex with men organization. The reason you don’t use the term gay is because there are many men who have sex with men but who have wives, etc and so therefore are not technically gay. I’ve been learning so much here in Suriname! Anyhoo, the event was held at a men’s resort. The launch included poems, a comedy routine and a VERY funny act by the ‘Poeniecat Dolls’ Suriname’s version of the Pussycat Dolls. Poenie by the way is vagina in Surinamese. Of course the Poeniecat Dolls were all transvestites. Say what you want, I wish I could move my hips the way the lead (male) dancer did and I can’t even stand in stilettos never mind dance in them!! At the end we were all given candles and we walked to a form of a red ribbon where we placed our candles in a tribute to those who have died of AIDS. It was really quite nice and you could see many people gathered around who had lost a loved one.

The tribute was indeed lovely, but for me, I think most profound about the day was the mamios, especially the ones for the little babies. Children of 4 months and 7 months who have died of AIDS. Children who got AIDS from their mothers. It’s so senseless.

There is a lot of opportunity to reverse the spread of HIV here and in some ways a lot of good work is happening. But there are days when it feels overwhelming to deal with the cultural behavior and how that is contributing to the spread of the disease. In the interior you’d think you were in Africa in some places. There are some that even maintain the belief that if you have sex with a virgin you can be cured of AIDS. Of course this is ridiculous. And then there is the behavior of having a wife and a mistress on the side or a husband and a lover since it seems to be a two-way street here in that regard. They have their partner and their lover and they don’t use condoms with any of them particularly their husbands/wives because using a condom with your husband/wife suggests you’re not being faithful...which of course everyone in Suriname is! One big vicious cycle. People don’t have to die from this disease, or get it in the first place, it’s preventable! And that might be the single most frustrating thing about all of this.

I’ll get off my soapbox now. Here are some photos of World AIDS Day in Suriname.

Some of the Mamios.






The AIDS Walk...lead by Santa no less!



The marching band kept us all in step.


My fellow Crossroader Julie and Milton, the manager of the National AIDS Program (where I'm working) in Suriname.


A backshot of me in the walk (this also happens to be on my street, my house is just outside of view on this shot to the left).


In memory of those who have died.