After having to deal with a difficult name change issue, they had her first and last name flipped on her ticket, flight delays and even one flight cancellation Mom made it to Suriname! Only 12 hours later than originally planned. She was a bit tired but she made it!
We spent the first day of her visit resting in the hotel. I was truly okay with just being lazy since I had access to HOT WATER, AIR CONDITIONING, TELEVISION and MY MOMMA!!! The next day I took Mom to get a massage, her first massage ever! Every once and awhile a few of the volunteers and I treat ourselves to a relaxing massage so I wanted Mom to get a chance to rejuvenate from traveling. After the massage, I took mom to the Peace Corps office to meet the staff and volunteers. Once the tour was over it was time to go grocery shopping for site. Another volunteer accompanied Mom and I to the store where we usually buy our food for site. It's an American style grocery store so us volunteers love it. Jessica (fellow volunteer) and I told Mom all about the foods that are best for taking to site and what the best splurges are, cake and cheese! We packed up all our groceries and were ready to leave the next morning.
Mom standing in front of our "wagi" |
Mom and I on the road to Atjoni |
Safety First! |
Taking it all in. |
The first evening in the village was spent visiting with everyone who came by my house and getting Mom settled in. I showed her around my 10 by 13 foot home and showed her the latrine... Little did I know that Mom would have quite the phobia of the latrine. We went to be early since she was exhausted and we would be waking up early because several volunteers from surrounding communities would be coming to visit the next morning.
Peace Corps Volunteers hanging out with Mom! |
Five other volunteers came to meet my mom and visit for the day. They were all able to catch boats in the morning so everyone got to my village early. It also happened to be Caroline's birthday (one of the other volunteers) so Mom and I had planned a special lunch menu for her birthday. Mom had a great time laughing with the volunteers. We're a weird bunch but you kind of have to have a special sense of humor to do Peace Corps. Mom and I had bought groceries to make a Mexican food feast, which included LOTS of cheese! A way to a Peace Corps Volunteer is through cheese, at least in Suriname it is. After stuffing ourselves with chilli, quesadillas, refried beans and cheese, we baked a delicious cake for Caroline's birthday. It was fun getting to show Mom how we cook and even bake out at site. After the volunteers left that afternoon, Mom and I just tried to relax and stay as cool (it was well into the 90's) as possible the rest of the day.
The next day started early because my mother does not sleep in much to my annoyance. I tried to explain to her that it is really fun to sleep in but nope, she wasn't having it! So we got up at 7am because she is hardheaded. I took Mom to the river to give her the real experience of washing clothes at the river. She said it was exhausting which it was and always is. Hand washing clothes on a cement step or rock in 90 degree weather is not fun but it is part of my life here so she had to experience it. We rested after washing a lot of laundry, resting is HUGE in down here because the sun is just too intense so you need to rest a lot, and made a tasty lunch of rice and cabbage. In the afternoon, my best friends in the village took Mom and I out to their farm lands. They loved showing Mom everything they grow and how they harvest the different fruits, vegetables, nuts and rice. I was so nervous to have Mom walking through the jungle but also really excited to see her doing really awesome with it! Mom is tough as nails so she adapted to life out here quickly and jumped right in to work alongside the women.
Mom and my friend Marlene at her peanut grounds |
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Woi and Marlene showing Mom how to cut rice |
Once we got back from doing a little work at Marlene's
grounds, my friend Alua came by my house to show Mom how they carve bowls out
of calabashes. A calabash is similar to a gourd and is used as bowls, spoons
and drinking bowls. They pick the calabash off a tree, it grows kind of like an
apple but much much bigger, then cut it in half, scoop out the insides, boil it
and then carve beautiful designs in it. It is pretty difficult to carve them
mainly because you are carving the inside of a bowl with a broken piece of
glass. Your hand cramps and you're always paranoid of cutting yourself with the
piece of glass. Alua was determined to show Mom how to do it though. Mom is
very artsy so picked up on the carving process very quickly. All the women
bragged on how smart Mom was and that she picked it up faster than I did! Mom
carved a butterfly on the inside of hers. Later that evening she noticed she
couldn't feel the tip of her finger, where she was holding the piece of glass,
I told her not to worry because the same thing happened to me and the feeling
would come back in about 2 weeks. :)
Learning to carve calabashes with Alua |
The last full day we had in the village was spent napping in
the hammock, a Peace Corps MUST, and visiting with everyone in the village. My
Captain's wife (village leader) had given Mom a beautiful "koosu" and
my best friend in the village, Woi, gave Mom a bandana-like cloth called an
"angisa" that is worn around the mid-section of you body to signify
you are married. Mom and I dressed up in our "koosu's" and
"angisa's" and walked around the entire village. Everyone LOVED
seeing Mom dressed as they do. She got lots of hugs from everyone. We made sure
to take lots of photos and here are a few:
Mom and I wearing out traditional outfits |
Mom and I standing in front of my house |
The last evening in the village was spent with my closest
friends in the community and my village counterpart, a man named Theo. Everyone
was very sad to see Mom go but was incredibly happy that she was able to come
visit. My counterpart even sent one of his own "bandja koto's", a
traditional man's garment worn as a shirt, with Mom to give to Dad when she got
home.
Mom did a fantastic job catching onto the language while she
was here. It meant a lot to the community that she was trying so hard to be
able to speak with them.
The next morning we caught a boat and then a
"wagi" back to the city. I think it was very emotional for Mom to say
goodbye to everyone in my village, especially my close friends. Mom made sure
to tell them all how thankful she was that they had taken care of her daughter
for two years.
View of the river from the boat ride |
Boats in the village of Atjoni |
After a long day of travel, we arrived in the city and
headed straight for Burger King!!! Yes, we have a REAL Burger King here in
Suriname! I explained to Mom that one of the best parts about traveling back to
the city after being at site for awhile is getting junk food your first day in.
After indulging in some Burger King, we went to the hotel to relax for the rest
of the day. I took Mom to do a little souvenir shopping over the next few days
but mainly we were just lazy in the hotel room. I was more than happy to just
be lazy in the company of my mom.
Dinner with Mom and a few Peace Corps Volunteers |
I have to say that I am so very proud of my Mom that she had
the courage and determination to come down here and be a Peace Corps Volunteer
for a few days. I am the woman I am because of my parents and I don't think I
could ever thank them enough for how they have always supported and loved me.
God blessed me with an incredible family and I thank Him everyday for it.
Momma - Thank you for coming to visit me. Thank you for
being so open to a new culture. Thank you for being patient. Thank you for
having an awesome sense of humor. Thank you for being courageous. Thank you for
being tenacious and passing that characteristic onto me. Thank you for loving
your "pain in the butt" daughter.
Daddy - Thank you for letting Momma come visit me. Thank you
for supporting my choices even though they may have been terrifying for you as
my parent. Thank you for always encouraging me in everything I attempt. Thank
you for being a source of wisdom and knowledge. And also thank you as well for
loving your "pain in the butt" daughter.
Here's a little quote I saw on another friends blog and I
thought it would be quite fitting for this one.
"There are two things children should get from their
parents: roots and wings". ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe