Land of seconds (and overstocks)

We went shopping for casual clothing today.  When you change T-shirts twice a day because of the hot weather and [dare I say] sweat, it's good to have a few in the drawer.
   What is interesting is the selection of shirts available.  Pictured here is a good quality shirt from  The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association,  2011 Football Champs, the Montclair Mounties.  The fact that we bought this shirt [and other much like it] in Guyana says alot about the goods available in the country.  I can only speak about what is available in stores and the market in New Amsterdam, but here it seems most of the goods are either manufacturers' seconds, overstocks from other countries [primarily the USA], and discontinued items like the clothes washing machine which the church bought for us that was so discontinued that the manufacturer didn't even list it on their website [not to mention that it only came with Spanish or Portuguese instructions].  One of the things that was stressed to us before we came here was not to bring too much clothing with us so that we could buy 'local' products so that we fit in and didn't look like tourists.  Little did we know that to fit in was to wear T-shirts from undefeated New Jersey high school football teams, complete with member names on the back.

This situation brings up several thoughts all at once:  First, it's good that we can purchase clothing that is already made that would otherwise go unused or simply sold as rags.  Second, the price is right, having purchased 3 or 4 T-shirts for the equivalent of $5.00 [USD or CAD] total.  Third, it answers the question, 'Where do all those unsold tees go?'

And this sort of 'off quality' does not end at clothing - our dishes show smears in the glazing and other flaws that makes one think they were rejected by more affluent buyers, to finally be shipped to Guyana - as they say, the last stop for the boat where everyone and everything that's left gets off.

This could be a depressing story, except that despite the difficulties, people here find their own style, find their own fashion [and there is high fashion here, indeed] and get on with their lives without worrying about what NJSIAA means on their T-shirt, or that the dish the put their cook up in isn't Wedgwood china. Maybe it's a good thing that people here can use what others reject and that they have the resources to think about other things.

So, congrats, Montclair Mounties, and thanks for the shirt.

Hazards of Ministry

In every ministry situation there are hazards.  Some are larger than others.  Some are easily seen, whereas others stay hidden for a long time, until they leap out full-blown.

Here is one that was certainly unexpected, though not surprising when discovered -- a 6-foot Anaconda in the ditch in front of Ebenezer, found by the workers cleaning the ditch.  The parsonage is directly behind the man's left shoulder.  

One can only wonder what it's been eating that allowed it to get that large in the location where it was found.  There are always animals on the roads in Guyana - but usually they are donkeys and goats and cows.  The anaconda brings to mind the fact that we are not in some rural place in North America, but we are truly in South America.  The ministry is much the same as it would be anywhere, but some of the hazards are a bit different.

Still, the Pastor is expected to conquer all. 

Everything you wanted to know about life in Guyana

My sister emailed me to mention that I have not done any blog posts in August, so I figured I should do one right away.  Although I have thought of several to write, life here does not include the incessant internet use that made so much of my life in North America.  This is said to cover any lack of initiative or laziness on my part, and sounds so much better - noble even.

Sister did ask some questions which will be the basis of this blog.

The Rain -- We are moving into the 'hot' season [everything is relative] so it does not rain every day like it did when we came, but today we had what they call a 'white rain.' I think because it is heavy enough to make the air look white, not to mention that the whole sky is white as well.  Since most places on the coastal plain are barely above sea-level, and some not quite above high tide, a heavy rain means flooding.  The city is full of ditches which they call gutters, and like any gutter, they are intended to take the rain away.  But when it rains heavily, the water stretches from the one gutter to the other on the sides of  Lutheran Courts - surrounding the church with water and generally making a mess for about half a day or more till it subsides again and you can distinguish the gutters in isolation.

Gutters are not only the storm sewers, but they are the 'grey water' sewers as well.  While the toilets go into a septic system, the sinks and shower and laundry go directly into the gutters.  Gutters are often filled with weeds, grasses and even larger aquatic plants.  Surprisingly, either they don't smell bad or we have gotten used to the smell, because although the one gutter runs directly behind the house, we don't smell it.  But with everywhere being so close to sea-level, the water must run very slowly.

The Fresh Water system is quite simple:  Water flows by gravity from the 400 gal. black tanks (B) into the house [and, in our case, the church] for domestic use. The concrete reservoir holds about the same amount of water as the two tanks.  It is filled by rain water from the eaves of the house - much like prairie cysterns once were - and/or by the city water that comes in via the pump and pipe system (C).  The pump also allows for filling the tanks from the reservoir.  This is all a manual operation in that someone [that is, me] has to set up the pump and plug it in  properly either to pump from (A) to (B) or from the city main to either place.  City water runs three times a day for one to three hours each time.  Although 'natives' can generally drink this water, visitors can't and some natives don't, so there is quite a market for bottled water.  We use bottled water for drinking, but the piped water can be used for most cooking and washing.

What came as a bit of a surprise is that there is no water heater - other than the kettle on the stove.  Early morning showers can be quite cold, but by afternoon water sitting all day in a black tank can be quite warm.

Food -- The fruit pictured at the top of the page is Breadfruit.  It is cut from the tree by using a hook on a stick or a machette in the hand of a climbing person.  The hook is an iron knife on a long pole.  Since breadfruit trees can be 30 to 50 feet tall, with a long pole you can at least get the lower ones without climbing.  One of our favourite new foods is breadfruit. Not native to this part of the world it was brought to the Carribean as a cheap food to feed slaves.  It turns out that it is also easily grown, nutritious and tastes good.  There are many ways it is prepared, many of which are similar to potatoes.

Beside breadfruit, several fruits that are not exported and a few that are expensive in North America, are also available for reasonable prices at the local market, stores, or from street vendors, as are ones you would know like bananas, mangos, limes [usually key limes], oranges, etc. Many fruits and vegetables that are available here are not actually grown here.  Most root vegetables are difficult or impossible to grow here because they would rot in the ground, but you can find potatoes and carrots in the stores and markets.  In the Lutheran Courts are several trees and fruit bearing bushes.  In our garden [about 50' x 65'] we have two coconut palms, one mango tree, two pomegrate bushes, a guava bush, a 'five-finger fruit' tree [known to you as 'star fruit'], an orange tree,  two stands of banana trees, and a stand of 'soft' sugar cane [not the same variety that commerial sugar comes from], a passion fruit vine, and three pigeon pea bushes [a bean similar to navy beans], three different kinds of Thyme, plus a variety of flowering plants.  And the garden isn't half full.

Any of the items mentioned here can be further researched on the internet, but if there's some clarification needed, I am always here - leave a comment.

I'm ending here so as not to be overly boring.  Bits and pieces will continue to unfold about life in Guyana.

Peace.