L is for Love

Looking at the calendar I realize that I’ve been living in Guyana for over 16 months. Guyana is no longer an acquaintance, it’s like family, our love will survive anything, it’ll always be a part of me, even when I’m angry with her. And of course, it’s not only out of habit that our love has grown, as you can see from the posts in this blog!

Every day I discover a new love here, something that moves me: the amazing view from the hill, a tiny water frog sitting on the tin of corn (come on, water frogs rock because they eat yucky bugs… and are cute when they don’t panic and jump onto you), my neighbour teaching me to make roti and eddo leaf stew that doesn't "scratch your mouth", the rain that fills the tanks and washes the dust away (the roads too, which is not so good), the amazing and forever changing skies, the slowing down of my hectic lifestyle, and a never ending list…

I was sat here, wondering what Guyanese love about Guyana, so I decided to ask around.

Like me and you are here now, gaffing. I love having the time. Out there you don’t have time, people always working and running.

(Ruth)

Peace. There is no war to go out to.

(Ottis)

  

Everything in general. Freedom in particular.

(Ian)

 

The magnificent sceneries.

(Vernon)

The cultural variety. Women are all so different. (smile)

(Andre)

The rivers, I love all the river life.
(Margaret) 

And last, but not least, my favourite answer and the most passionate one, that you have to read as fast as you can, until you loose your breathe, because Guyana's beauty is precisely that: breathe taking:

The women, cheap food, never ending variety of greens and fruit, parties are the bomb, generosity, one man buying drinks for all his friends, cricket and cricket parties, the variety of food, curries, black pudding, coconut water, the unique expressions, Amerindian tribes, the spectacular Indian weddings, funeral wakes, dominoes, coffee, friends and liquor, US dollar exchanges, new and old cultures, undocumented, boats, 4 wheel bikes, donkey carts, cell phones, satellite phones and bush radios, everybody knows somebody that you know, price of gold, African Kweh kwehs, big noisy sound systems, soca music, reggae music, young women and men contorting their bodies in wild sexual abandon when they dance.

(Nicholas)

Oh Guyana LOVE!