Cultural Differences- Getting to know Guyana

So Guyana used to be called Guiana, then British Guiana, and now it’s Guyana. This last change happened May, 26 1966 as Guyana gained it’s independence. Guiana is the Amerindian word for “land of many waters.”

Ok. so that’s kind of boring… but here are some other random facts.

To my sociological, anthropological people -there are six (kind of seven) main ethnic groups in Guyana.
1)Amerindian
2)Europeans
3)Africans
4)Portuguese
5)East Indians
6)Chinese
7)Mixed-Guyanese

The three main religions are Christian, Hindu, and Muslim.

There are 10 regions, more or less comparable to our states, and boat loads of waterways.

It’s definitely a Caribbean country. You know you say it’s in Central America even though it’s really in South America, but you come here and you hear the Creoles and you understand why it’s a Caribbean country.

The national language is indeed English, but (and that’s a big but) there is another language that is quite difficult to understand! -Creolese- Mainly you hear everyone talking with almost a Jamaican accent, very Caribbean. But once they start speaking quickly to each other it tends to get a little jumbled. Occasionally my host father is difficult to understand, but most of the time my family is easy to understand as they speak very little Creolese. Apparently it is’t spoken in school, and those who don’t speak it are often better educated or of a higher class. It’s like you don’t hear doctors speaking Creoles, but maybe you’ll hear the bus driver. Here’s a slew of Creolese sayings/words:

lime- hang out
vexed- mad/upset
susu- gossip/whispering
mi nah no- I don’t know
mino- I know
pittance- very little
tek- take/took
di- the
an- and
nof- a lot/plenty
taak- talk
awee, geens- away, against
badii- body
piipl- people
bai- buy
waahn- want
wahm-nin day- what’s happening
mii- me
ii- he
abedeez- we
aalyall- all of you
dem- them
gaf-talk

PS my Creolese is pretty pathetic and I don’t hate it.. I often understand it and that’s good enough for me!

Some households have cars, electricity, wifi, dish television, running water etc. while others have bucket flush toilets, or even latrines, outhouses, people taking bucket bathes, no running water to the house etc. It all varies. Some homes are just the mother, father, and children while others are mother, father, adult children, grand children… pets you know the norm. Some homes are wooden some cement, some huge some small.

For those of you wondering more on the lines of the home I’m living in.. my host family’s home is very nice, rather large, has running water, electricity, wifi, 3 cars, dish television, flushable toilets, a shower, a full kitchen (oven, gas stove top, refrigerator, microwave). I have my own room, a full size bed, bars on my windows, a lock on my door.

I have a host mother, father, and adult sister who live in the upstairs portion of the house. My host brother, his wife, and 2 kids live in the downstairs portion of the house both containing kitchens and bathrooms. And the from of the downstairs is basically another kitchen for my host mom as she used to do and still does a bit is catering.

The home I live in is beautiful, and I’m quite fortunate!

K- I need sleep Love ya, I hoped you liked your first insight into life here!

xoxo,
Fran