One year down and one to go!

Hey there! May 3rd was my one year anniversary here in Suriname! I can't believe how fast and slow at the same time it went by. One of the things you hear all the time about Peace Corps is that the days crawl by but the weeks fly by. It's true! It feels like just recently I moved out to site and I was scared out of my mind but I also remember how I didn't think training would ever end! The one year mark is bittersweet though. We will be saying bye to the 16's, the group of volunteers that came to Suriname a year before my group did. They have reached the end of their service and are headed home over the next few months. It's hard to say bye since we've made such great friendships. I've relied on several of them as a huge support system during my adjustment in Suriname. They new the ropes of life when we arrived in country since they had already lived here for a year. I was assigned a wonderful volunteer mentor a few villages away from my own and I'll miss her presence in Suriname and the long chats we have. I wish her luck though with beginning graduate school!!! I'm excited to have so many new friends in their group that i'll get to visit once I'm done with my own service in a year! Site is going well. Nothing to exciting to report. Since I don't have anything new to talk about I decided that this blog I would tell you all about my good friend Woi. She is my closest friend in my village and pretty much my Saramaccan Mother. Woi is my captains daughter and my counterparts sister. She is the secretary in the women's group that is established in my village. During my very first visit in the village Woi was the person who helped give me a village name, Badjamai, set up my hammock, brought me a table for my stuff since my house was completely empty, brought me dinner, a lantern to sleep with, checked on me right before she went to bed, checked on me first thing the next morning, brought me breakfast and tea, and introduced me to the entire village. Since my first visit she has essentially adopted me into her family. She lectures me on how to live like the Saramaccans and brags on me when I do everything right. She continues to grump at me about my ability to wash pots. I believe they are perfectly clean but she believes they can SHINE and get cleaner. I don't think we'll ever agree on the status of my pots. She checks on me at night before she goes to bed and checks on me first thing in the morning. On days that I get to the village after being in the city for awhile she'll bring me dinner since she thinks i'll be tired. While i'm away from the village in the city or elsewhere she and her daughter Sunuka clean my yard for me and check on my vegetables. Woi wakes up very early to take her dishes and laundry to the river to wash then after washing everything (for a family of 8) she comes back to her house and begins cooking for her family. She also washes dishes and laundry for her elderly mother and father. Once the food for the day is cooked she sends her kids and grandkids off to school then heads to work. Twice a week she walks 45 minutes through the thick jungle to another village and rakes the grounds of one of the organizations there. After finishing her work she walks back to our village and washes the dishes from the morning meal. Once she is finished at the river she walks with some of her children and usually a grandkid tied to her back to her grounds where she tends to her vegetables and looks for Maipa seeds to bring back to the village. When it's Maipi seed season she spends the rest of her day breaking open the seeds with a heavy mortar and pestle in order to eventually gather enough to make Maipi seed oil. I've helped her break open the seeds before and I get tired after about 10 minutes but she sits for HOURS working. At the end of her day she washes dishes and laundry again before preparing the evening meal and getting all the kids ready for bed. The last thing she does before bed is walk over to my house to check that everything is good with me. She has had vast amounts of patience with me and continues to go out of her way to teach me about life in Saramacca. She has taught me about growing vegetables, using a machete, the "right" way to wash clothes and dishes, she taught me how to cross stitch like the women and always checks to make sure i'm included in any events taking place in the village. She knows i'm shy and forces me to come out of my shell. I'm so thankful to have her in the village. She made my first year in Suriname go by so easily. On days when i'm homesick she seems to know and makes me help her with something which always cheers me up. She has also been a key player in helping me with the water project for the village. She is fantastic at reminding everyone we have important meetings and ensuring that everyone shows up to the meetings. She also helped me with gathering information about the village in order to develop the project. Needless to say I don't think I could have made it through the first year without her. She is an incredible person and i'm so thankful for her. Here are some pictures I took of her recently! Another blog coming soon!