TravelStream™ news feed for member brenda_moore on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/brenda_moore en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 30 Nov 2005 15:51:51 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1133380320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1133380320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1133380320/tpod.html Wed, 30 Nov 2005 15:51:51 -0500 From Grande Prairie to Suriname

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Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada

Okay, I said that my last log was the last one but I have one more entry to make because of a fund raising project we have at the office for the children in Suriname. I thought because you followed my journey you may be interested in joining in the efforts to raise some money for the children that I met in my journeys. Specifically for Clauda A, Paarl House and the children of Baku village through the women's organization named Stichting Krin Libi.
Claudia A is an organization right in Paramaribo that houses 22 children living with HIV/AIDS, along with some positive adults. Some of the children were physically disabled as well as being positive. My impression of this organization was that it was incredibly poor, overcrowded and understaffed. The children clamoured all over me while I was there, stealing pieces of affection where ever they could. I felt the staff was great, but just stretched too thin to really give the children the attention they deserved. The children are placed here when their parents die, or when their parents are too ill to take care of them. The aim of Claudia A is to find relatives that will take them and they work hard to make this happen. Only at last resort do they call the government and get social services involved to find a placement. This organization is not set up to raise the children indefinitely like Paarl House.

Paarl House (Parel Huis - dutch) is an orphanage in the true sense of the word in that once the children are placed here, they will be raised until they are old enough to be on their own. This house has twelve children presently but Anne Bishop has big dreams. She has enough money donated from Holland to build a new housing unit but is looking for money to purchase land. She will then construct up to ten modules, each which will house up to 10 children in a family like setting. Paarl House is run very well, is extremely clean and organized, and well staffed. Anne is a great mom to all the children. I would think that some of the children from Claudia A could find their way to Paarl House once the expansion has taken place, if no family members are found to raise them.
The children in Baku Village have no immediate HIV needs - their needs are much more basic. A new school has just been started and the women of the village are trying to raise money for scribblers, pens and pencils, toothpaste and tooth brushes for all the kids, and a lawn mower to mow the grass around the school to protect the children from snakes. They also are using water from Brokopondo Lake and would like to purchase durotanks to catch rain water. This is important becasue the lake is polluted with mercury from the illegal gold mining operations. I see the villages as extremely high risk of HIV infections in the further as a result of a few things. Culturally most men have more than one woman (usually two)and keep a house with them in two separate villages. In addition they travel away to the gold mines for work and often have sexual partners while they are away. Maroon women have a cultural ritual of doing a vaginal cleanse every morning. They will not even touch food until this is done because they do not feel they are clean. The part of this that is interesting in regards to HIV risk is that they steam special leaves for this purpose that actually tighthen the vagina. Obviously this creates a greater risk of micro lesions and ptentially an opening for HIV to enter the body if they are exposed to infected body fluids.

So if you would like to make a donation, we will be collecting money through HIV North Society until Christmas and then sending the money to each agency in Suriname. The nice thing about donating directly like this is that 100% of your donation will make it's way right to the agency and to supporting the children. Cheques can be made out to HIV North Society and mailed to 10108 - 100 Avenue, Grande Prairie Alberta T8V 0V5. HIV North Society would be happy to send you a charitable tax receipt for all donations over $50.00. Thanks for considering a donation. You may even want to make a donation on someone else's behalf as your Christmas gift to them. If you would like to do this just let us know and we will make up a little certificate and send back to you so you can include it in their Christmas card or stocking.

Thanks for the support for the children of Suriname!

Love Brenda
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1132085400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1132085400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1132085400/tpod.html Tue, 15 Nov 2005 17:31:33 -0500 From Grande Prairie to Suriname

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DeBolt, Alberta, Canada

This will be the final blog in my journey to Suriname, as I arrived back in Canada on Saturday evening. My flight plans were changed twice. First news was that I had to do a 24 hour lay over in Trinidid as the plane I was scheduled on would not fly out of the Caracas because of repairs on the airport. So I left Suriname as scheduled on November 11th and spent the lay over in Port of Spain. The second change to the flight was that the last leg from Edmonton to GP could not be made on Saturday night and I would have another layover. At this point I phoned Kerry to rescue me and he traveled down to Edmonton and picked me up at the airport there, Saturday at about 7:00 p.m. The weather is a bit of a shock to my system with -6 to -11 degrees and some snow, but the greetings from family were warm and inviting!

The last two weeks in Suriname was spent trying to finalize the work there and became a bit of a mad scramble. There are some loose ends but I have passed the baton to another CCI collegue and have done what I can do.

I did a few fun things in the final weeks including a tour of the area called Commiwijne - and the site of an old sugar factory. I also attended the most magnificent Art Show and managed to have a painting commissioned and ready the day before departure. One final day at the beach with fellow Canadians and a huge party at my house for Henna's 29th birthday which doubled as a going away party for me.

I was sent off in true "Donavan and Henna" style with a champagne toast at 3:00 in the morning just before we loaded up and headed for the airport. Roci, Roma, Donavan and Henna all made the good-bye journey with me to the airport.

As I reflect back on my journey it feels a bit like a whirl wind. I am not sure if the work that I did will make a difference in the scheme of things but I know for sure the experience has impacted me. It has helped me to appreciate what we have in Canada, including the tremendous networking between organizations and the skilled and motivated people who work in non-profit. I have made what I feel will be lasting friendships with many people in Suriname, and feel grateful to have been so openly included in their lives.

I look forward to re-connecting with many of you over the next few weeks and months.
Thanks for sharing in my journey with me. I have really appreciated the many emails that I received which kept me connected with home.

Love Brenda
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1130965980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1130965980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1130965980/tpod.html Tue, 15 Nov 2005 15:36:09 -0500 From Grande Prairie to Suriname

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Baku, Suriname

Well I have truly had the experience of a life time! Mary (a CCI collegue of mine) and I travelled to the binneland (interior of Suriname)and stayed in a tradional Maroon village for three days followed by two days to the Nature Reserve and hikes through the rain forest. It was a bit like stepping back in time, although there were some modern conveniences that seemed out of place and very impractical for the setting. within the village people had TV's and DVD but rarely any power. The power requires fuel for the generator which is not always available.
We lucked out in meeting Dara Lipton, a Peace Corps volunteered placed in Suriname for two years. She has just had three months of language training in Okanisi - one of the many native tongues of the Maroon people in the Interior. Following that she was placed in the Village of Baku and has been there one short month to date. We met her randomly while she was in Paramaribo to see the doctor. We liked her immediately and she invited Mary and I to come visit for a week end.
So on Thursday morning, we headed down to Saramacca Straat to catch one of the many white vans that could take us to Afobaka. This was a two hour drive down a red dusty road to the top of Brokopondo Lake. Brokopondo is a man made lake that was created in the 50's to produce hydro and control the water of the rivers. It flooded a huge area putting millions of trees under water. What is amazing to see is the the tops of these trees still protrude out of the water like grey fingers reaching out of their watery grave. The lake is huge and displaced many villages years ago. The village of Baku that we are travelling to is at the far end of the lake and one of the few villages that was not moved because of the creation of the lake. We negotiate a boat at Afobaka to take us across the lake. When we get out of the van we are besieged by many boat men who would like to take us, but we are hard negotiators insisting on 20 SRD each (which I thought Dara has told me is the going rate but find out later than it is typically more like 40). 1 Canadian dollar = 2.20 SRD. Finally a man with a red bandana looking very much like a pirate and his camoflaged side kick agree that they will take us for 20 each. But of course as soon as the boat is loaded, they inform us that they will go as soon as they have a little beer. So we wait for about 1 1/2 while they drink beer and try to convince us to buy them some too. Finally we are off, and head across the lake on what used to be a river chanel, as the trees make it impossible to travel anywhere else. Mary and I enjoy the view, while the pirate and two friends they loaded at the last minute sleep and the camoflauge side kick drives the boat. We move just ahead of a small rain storm which only adds to the mystique of the watery graveyard.
We arrive at Baku. Dara hears the boat as her hut is very close to the water and comes to greet us and help us settle in to her hut. She has a small two room hut with a cook house to one side and a two stalled toilet behind - one stall for the chamber pot and another stall for the actual outhouse hole. The village of Baku is home to about 200 people but because of the transient work of the men, we are told that only about 120-150 are ever there at one time. Dara is no longer Dara but has been renamed Yepi Mai by the people of the village which means helping sister-in-law. They have embraced her into their community and do the same with us. We are more than welcome. We do a ritual of walking around the village and greeting everyone. There is a real formality in it and Yepi Mai teaches us enough Okanisi to perform the greeting, over and over and over again to everyone we meet. Ma (or pa) u waki - we say which means you wake ma/pa? They reply with Ya u waki e ma (Ya we woke). Then we say Fai Waki? (how do you wake?). They reply Me waki moi, faii safey waki? (I woke beautifully, how did you wake?) Then we reply Mi waki moi (I woke beautifully). Finally we both respond eeyaa (ya). It is lyrical and sing songing and a delight to learn - until we meet the 50th person and then it starts to get a little old! We have attracted a group of children and my darling Masa has attached herself to my arm. She is a friendly seven year old who I decide I would like to take home with me if I only could figure out how to do this. We walk through the village hand in hand, or arm in arm, meeting all the other villagers. The village is a crowded array of thatched roof huts randomly scattered next to each other. The people are all friendly and happy to see us especially after they realize that we will live exactly like them and participate in all their rituals of the day for the next three days. Dara prepares dinner and we get our first taste of this when it is time to head to the river for our evening bath. We have already changed our clothes and are wearing traditional pange's like all the other women in the village. We do wear tops, although most of the women under 40 are in bra's and the older women are bare breasted. Being 45 I probably fit in the bare breasted category but did choose to leave my top on, or tied my pange up under my armpits! I'm sure in the heat I would have been burnt to a crisp (ouch) so took the safe route on that one. Throughout our stay we met the most incredible people. We met an amazing woman by the name of Esther who has started a womens organization that has been instrumental in building a school for the children. She excitedly tells us of her plans to clear ground for a house for the teachers who come from Photo (what they call the city of Paramaribo). She is a visionary and a dreamer and has many plans for the village. We meet her sister Mama who is also part of the womens network and are invited to go look at the school. They invite us into their homes, they share their stories with us, and allow us to be part of the passion that resides within them. They humbly ask how we might be able to help to make sure the children have note books and pencils, or toothpaste and brushes, or even to get them a lawn mower to cut the grass by the school so the children don't have to worry about snakes. They are excited by our interest and look forward to hearing from us in future whether we can help or not. I promise myself that I will do what I can when I return to Canada even if it is on a personal level for I have fallen in love. We hang our hammocks in Dara's hut and fall asleep quickly from our exhausting day. In the morning we rise at first light - shortly after 6:00 and are told that the first thing we must do is a vaginal cleanse. This happens every morning by every woman by boiling special plants in a kettle and pouring the hot water into a chamber pot. Woman are not allowed to touch or prepare food until this is done as it is said they are not clean. The women embrace this process, as do Mary and I as we truly want to have the complete village experience. Besides that, it is the first hot water for bathing I have seen since coming to Suriname six weeks again and if you know me well you know that a hot bath at the end of the day is a ritual for me. After that it is down to the river to wash the dishes from the night before, wash ourselves, and then wash the pange we were wearing. There is an art in doing this so that you are never really naked. This is an interesting process as they flood the river with soap, they stand and fish in almost the same spot, and it is said that the illegal gold mining operations are filling the rivers and lakes in Suriname with mercury. The villagers also drink this water although Dara has a Duro tank that catches rain water. The little freak that I am, I have brought plenty of bottled water along to ensure that I am not ill. The day evolves by preparing breakfast, playing with children, greeting everyone again with the formal greeting in the Okanisi langauge and then paddling over to another village a short distance away called Lebi Doti to check in with another Peace Corp volunteer by the name of Nathan.
The dynamics in these villages are very interesting. It is obvious that the women play a very powerful role in many ways. They are in chargre of the day to day life in the village, the organization of school, the campaigning to bring in Peace Corps volunteers and the like. However the place is very sexually charged in the sense that every man has more than one wife (usually two and not usually in the same village). When the man arrives home, the woman is pleased to see him and drops everything to accomodate his needs. He sometimes only stays one day and is gone again for days at a time. Every man we met mentions sex and wonders if we would like to take a black man. When I explain that I already have a man at home in Canada, they say that's okay if I want to have two! This is generally polite banter and almost seems like it would be rude if they didn't offer. However I did get the sense that they would be very happy if you said yes. Now what stikes me as a blow to my desirability is that Mary (63 years) gets twice as many offers as I do! The women laugh at the comments and take it all in stride. Most women have 4-5 children and bearing children is a huge part of the culture.
After three sleeps, we say goodbye and head back across Brokopondo Lake to Afobaku. Here we negotiate a van once again to take us to Brownsweg, where we have arranged for the driver from the nature reserve at Brownsberg to pick us up. It is at this point that we know for sure we are in the rain forest, as we hike trails to two differnet falls and take in the wonder of it all. Mary is a seasoned hiker and I work hard to keep in line with her steady pace, but I am invigorated by the exercise. One more night in the hammock and an evening of delightful conversation with Mary and then we head back to Photo. I need to say that Mary is the silver lining in my stay in Suriname and we have become fast friends. She is from Kamloops and gives me more reasons to return there often in the future.
I apopgoize for the length of this blog - but I have seen so much and have so much to say. I will be home in just over a week and can not beleive all of the things that I have done to date. The last week will also be a busy one with an art show I wish to attend, a trip to Commiwijne, a day at the private beach, and a birthday party for Henna that will also serve as my farewell. Oh, and I have some work to finish up too.....
Tot later, Brenda
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1130243580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1130243580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1130243580/tpod.html Tue, 01 Nov 2005 09:26:06 -0500 From Grande Prairie to Suriname

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Paramaribo, Suriname

So let's talk about politics. Last Friday a demonstration, led by the leader of the opposition Desi Bouterse, was staged downtown. There were about 4500 people in attendance and they were protesting the high prices in Suriname - mostly a spin off of the high oil and gas prices. The supporters of the NDP (Bouterse's Party) are demanding a plan from the current government on how they are going to address these rising costs. People are saying that 50% of the population is not eating properly and are demanding nutrition programs for schools, along with other action.

Perhaps a bit of a history lesson will help put the politics in perspective. I will quote from the book Suriname Switi Sranan:
"The National Party of Suriname (NPS) made a strong case for independence that was backed by the Dutch government lead by Prime Minister Den Uyl. The national debt would be cancelled and billions of guilders of foreign aid were promised. Official independence was declared on 25 November 1975. Turbulent and weak politics marked the first years of the new republic. Prosperity and employment barely increased despite considerable bauxite earnings and abundant development funds. This is widely attributed to large-scale corruption and fraud. The exodus of the Suriname people, who until 1980 were allowed to settle in the Netherlands, only made things worse.
Hardly anyone reacted when a small group on non-commissioned officers took over the government after a conflict about the formation of a trade union. There was a brief moment of hope, even in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the incompetent 'civil government' led by strongman Desi Bouterse did nothing to improve the lot of the people: civil rights remained restricted and elections were constantly postponed. The men who staged the coup reacted ruthlessly when concerned union leaders, journalists and a number of intellectuals voiced their criticism; fifteen opponents of the coup were killed in Fort Zeelandia in December 1982.
The outrage in the country and abroad was un precedented. Foreign aid was suspended and the country slipped into international isolation. Several years later, the Bouterse administration came under threat from jungle commando's lead by Ronnie Brunswijk. Innocent civilians were killed in these battles. It would take until 1991 for democracy to be restored and for free elections to be held. Bouterse participated in these with his own political party."

Bouterse is said to be very charming and charismatic. People here either love him or hate him. Demonstrations are planned every two to three days to keep the pressure on the government for some sort of change.

The other thing that I have done recently is to visit the museum at Fort Amsterdam. I have included pictures of the canons, gun powder storage buildings, and the prison - . which didn't close under 1982. The Fort was built where the Suriname and Commiwijne River converge, and certainly would have been a good look out point. I will include a couple pictures of signs, and hopefully you can see the writing well enough to read the information.

Bye for now,
Brenda
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1129555320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1129555320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1129555320/tpod.html Mon, 17 Oct 2005 11:06:45 -0400 From Grande Prairie to Suriname

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Paramaribo, Suriname

October 16, 2005

The last ten days since I updated have been filled with many activities and new adventures here in Suriname. I can't believe that my visit here is half over! Although the focus has been very much work related, I have managed to attended a Maroon Entrepreneur Fair, three more birthday parties for Oma (76), Sylvania (45), and different Oma (90), Salsa dance classes every Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and another day at the private beach! I have never had such a busy social life.

Let me tell you about the Maroon Fair. It was held to celebrate 245 years of independence from slavery and had an entrepreneurial focus. The Maroon people were first brought to Suriname as slaves, but escaped almost immediately after arriving and fled into the interior region of the country densely covered with tropical rain forests, where they still maintain their villages. So there history is not that of slavery but that of defiant independence. My friend, Erna Aviankoi (who spent three weeks with HIV North last fall) was one of the main organizers of the event. I attended one meeting prior to the Fair and drafted some invitations in English, as well as some sponsorship letters in English for the committee. The event was very successful with about 3000 people attending throughout the week-end. Mary and I tried to make it as successful as possible for some of the women selling their wares by buying as much as we thought we could carry home. That translates into presents for everyone! There were booths from craftsmen doing the most incredible carvings and benches from wood, as well as clothing and trinkets. Three of the local ASO's had displays as did The National AIDS Program. There were also displays by groups doing community development in the interior show casing water projects, and of course the gold mining companies trying to convince everyone that they are good corporate citizens. The best part, however was the cultural entertainment including a professional group of Maroon dancers. I attempted to load a video clip of their performance but unfortunately I was not successful.

I need to mention pange's (no idea if I am spelling this correctly). A pange (pang-yee) is a traditional garment within the Maroon culture. It is presented to a young girl by her family when it is determined that she may be at the age to become married or take a sexual partner. It is an honored right of passage and the age of the girl depends on her circumstances and that of her family wishes and plans for her. Although the pange is still presented to young girls it is also worn widely by many women in the Maroon culture and seen as a piece of artwork. The patterns of these beautiful wraps are diverse, as are the colors. In the photo of Erna, she is wearing an absolutely beautiful one.

The other highlight of the last few days was the opportunity to tag along with Donavan while he gave an HIV/AIDS presentation at the local school in Tout Lui Fout. Donavan is a volunteer for PepSur - a youth driven ASO. School just started again the beginning of October and the presentation was made to a group of 10-15 year olds. Although it was in Dutch, it was obvious that a wide range of topics was covered and that there was complete frankness in the discussion. Six teachers sat in on the presentation as well and added information and asked questions regularly keeping it lively. The students warmed up after about 15 minutes and became quite interactive. I am enclosed one photo of a boy helping Donavan with a condom demonstration - you can see both were having some fun with the exercise.

Work wise I have made some more connections. I am pleased to have found a top rate director to take on a production of The Vagina Monologues. Her name in Sharda Ganga and she is the Coordinating Director for Stichting Projekta. She is part of the SHAN network, but also has an incredible reputation in the theatre world here in Suriname. She will be receiving an award in November from the Caribbean AIDS Network for a short edutainment movie she created on HIV/AIDS. I look forward to receiving a copy of her movie which is sub titled in English.
I have set a date for a Fund Development Workshop I will present. Although the topic will focus on fund development (which is what every ASO indicated to me as their priority), I see the underlying reality here in Suriname as a need to develop stronger networking. This is an area that is extremely weak - almost not existent in the HIV movement - and I hope to use the workshop as an activity to bring people together and have them work on a project together. The Vagina Monologues and another event that one of the Peace Corp volunteers is organizing will be used as practical application of information given to them on event management and perhaps through the experience of working together some of their difficulties in working together can be ironed out. Mary will then work with them individually on circle facilitation and future search activities and that may also help bring them to a new understanding. They have never looked at the big picture as a whole to identify if all the needs within the HIV field are being met, if there is duplication of services or missing services, and how they can compliment one another rather than compete with one another. If I had more time, this is not were I would start or the approach I would take but in the very short two months I have here this is the best that I can see as an attempt to get people at the same table. If time were unlimited I think the work should start with individual organization visioning at a staff and board level - not even strategic planning but just visioning - followed by some very specific professional development to bring staff to a level of understanding the importance of "working on the business, not working in the business". Right now the organizations do not have the skill or capacity to move forward. There relationships with one another are more than dysfunctional they border on destructiveness. For all the ACCH members reading this, I just need to say how proud I am of the work we have done together and the ability most organizations have in looking at the greater good!

That is it for this update. Hope everyone is well.
....Brenda
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1128349980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1128349980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1128349980/tpod.html Mon, 03 Oct 2005 11:10:59 -0400 From Grande Prairie to Suriname

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Longa Tabiki, Suriname

I have had my first experience in a Maroon Village. On Saturday morning, with Erna as our guide, the six Canadians on this project, along with Jack from Peace Corp, headed out for the weekend to Longa Tabiki. This was a four-hour bus trip partly on a paved road and partly on a dirt road - both of which had many potholes. We headed east to Moengo and then south until we hit the Marowijne River. From there just a quick ten minute canoe ride across the river to the island called Longa Tabiki - literally translated as Long Island. We stopped at a radio station in Moengo and made some contacts for the radio project as well as at a small radio station at Long Tabiki.
Our accommodation was a two-story cabin type building with a kitchen down below and four bedrooms and toilet and shower above. I took my hammock and mosquito net and had very deluxe accommodations indeed. The others stayed on mattresses on the floor but after the warning from Sherry about bed bugs I was not about to take a chance. That was a good choice, as although the mattresses were rather new and had no bugs, there were not enough of them to go around. We swam in the river that was as warm as bath water and I found rocks for mom in the river. They are quartz, which are discarded from the mining operation that happens along the river just off the island. I am sure all of the gold has been extracted but who knows for sure!
The village itself was very interesting with little huts for houses and dirt paths everywhere. The soil is laterite which is red in color and which contains bauxite. The bauxite in Suriname is big industry and the US based company Suralco extracts it in the production of aluminum. We were covered in a fine red dust from the dusty roads by the time we arrived. Also in the village were a few stores or shops, a church, an intranet (old boarding school which was closed up), the radio station and an airstrip. The power on the island is only turned on from 6:00 - 11:00 p.m. and so this is the only time there is lights or power for the radio station. Don't count on it being turned on at the right time as on Saturday it did not come on until almost 7:00 p.m. and by this time we were cooking in the kitchen in the dark with a very small flashlight.
The gold mining is polluting the river and the government told them to stop mining so close to the village as people are getting diarrhea from the water. However the Graman (chief of the Village) gave them permission to stay because it provides employment for the men of the village. These dynamics are very interesting. Other water used here includes rain water that is collected in large black tanks that collect water off the roofs and eaves troughing systems. There is litter everywhere in Suriname including the roadside to the Villages. They do not recycle plastic and you see it thrown everywhere or burning in the garbage.
Many interesting trees and flowers on the island, along with some cows that looked like brahams, some stupid roosters that started crowing at 5:30 a.m., a variety of birds, and bats that kept freaking me out.
All in all the trip was excellent and I am happy to have had the experience.
We made further work contacts this week with Peace Corp, Maxi Linder, and National AIDS Program. The last group to meet with is Pepsur which we hope will happen today. I will be able to develop a work plan later this week and determine how I will work with each group from here.
Hope you are all enjoying the fall weather and colored leaves.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1127746560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1127746560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1127746560/tpod.html Mon, 26 Sep 2005 10:33:30 -0400 From Grande Prairie to Suriname

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Paramaribo, Suriname

I will tell you a little about work but first we must start with the parties! Thursday was Sherilyn's birthday (turning 23) and we had a beautiful vegetarian dinner at Soerath's house. This is the same host that Sherry had last year, and the family is very used to Canadian guests. I think that Sherilyn makes five for the number of Canadians they have hosted over the years. Soerath is a delight - very friendly and warm. She is Javanese and her husband is black and so she calls her daughters mixed. Three beautiful girls with vibrant personalities. Party number 2 was at my house on Friday night when Donavan and Henna hosted a get together in honor of my birthday which was on Tuesday. About 40 guests I suppose with the five other Canadian Crossroaders, their host families, members of the country committee and relatives and neighbors of Donavan and Henna. Roma (Henna's mom) brought roti and peanut soup and Henna prepared tons as well. A little dancing and a lot of fun! Then Saturday night about 10:00 p.m. we left for an all night Voodoo Party. This is spiritual dancing for the African-Surinamese people to keep in touch with their African roots. Although they are mainly Christian now, they still practice some old traditions - much like the Aboriginal people in Canada. So people would dance in a circle to drumming and singing until someone would go into a trance and dance wildly representing one of the parts of nature - like the snake or the bush etc. People would go to them and hug and hold them for a few seconds to give them a break from the frantic dancing and then when let go they would continue on. It is said that they were really not the ones dancing but the spirit of the snake or the spirit of the bush or other entity in nature. It was very interesting to watch and I joined in the circle dancing. We got home from the Voodoo party at 5:30 in the morning. So the week was very fun filled for sure.
Work was also interesting. We toured Claudia A and Paarl House as well as having a meeting with The Department for Funds for the Interior. The two ASO's were very interesting but a bit emotional as well as they both house children who are HIV+. Paarl House has 12 children who are positive from five months to seven years of age. These are all children that could not be placed with family, and so Annie who manages the place is committed to raising them at Paarl House. They have plans to expand and build hopefully by January because there is a demand to take more children but they have no more room. They have funds for the building from Holland but are short $7500 US for the land. They identified the only need for me to help them with as fund development as they have a strategic plan in place already. All the children have access to HIV medication and so this is a good thing.
Claudia A also has children who are HIV+ but they try to place them back with family member. They have some children who are not positive but there parents are HIV+, and are not well enough to care for them properly. If there is no family members to take them, and all avenues have been exhausted on this front, they will work with the government to place them. Claudia A also supports adults who are positive and does prevention work in the community. Norma identified that she needs help with some board development and strategic planning. We will set up a meeting next week to meet with her and some board members. One board member, Edith, was there when we toured and was welcoming.
We also met with Sjachnaz from SMNP and will go over the work that she has done with Sherry on Monday morning.
We still need to meet with Pepsur and Maxi Linder next week to identify their needs.
So I have been in Suriname for one of my eight weeks and things are going well so far. We have run into some communications problems here and there and has not had a meeting on time yet but other than that, I think all is "goede".
Dutch lessons start next week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and so I think that will help to communicate with people a bit more, or at least eavesdrop a little. Roci, Donavan's 17 year old cousin who has been staying with us for a few days, laughs at my attempts to speak and understand Dutch! There is much room for improvement.
Until the next update....
Brenda
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1127286000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1127286000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1127286000/tpod.html Wed, 21 Sep 2005 13:20:43 -0400 From Grande Prairie to Suriname

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Paramaribo, Suriname

So I will try to give you a little more detail about things here in Suriname. The weather is hot and humid but no body ever knows the temperature. It is like Kay said about India - why talk about it because it is always hot. I did however see a temperature sign on Sunday that said 37 degrees and I think that it has been slightly less than that since. Maybe only 30- 32 perhaps but I don't know for sure. This is the hot season. There are lots of bugs including cockroaches but it amazing how used to them you get in a short time. They startle me if I open a drawer because they scurry away but other than that it is no big deal. I found out they are harmless. Little tiny frogs about the size of a quarter come into the shower at night. Again I am very used to them and really pay them no attention. There are lots of other bugs and ants and things, so you must always wear your shoes outside. I live in the country in the District of Wanica and so there are a lot of frogs and night birds that sing me to sleep.
I started work on Tuesday and so have a sense of how things will work. I have meetings set up with various organizations over the next two days and will take plenty of time to get to know people. Then I will develop a work plan with each of the organizations - SMNP, Maxi Linder, Claudia A, PepSur, and perhaps even Paarl House. SMNP is more general in their work, Maxi Linder works with sex trade, Claudia A works with people who are living with HIV/AIDS, PepSur is a youth based peer support group, and Paarl House is a place for children who are living with HIV/AIDS. I will also get involved in the radio project to do HIV/AIDS programming to the villages in the interior of the country,
The food has been interesting as I already mentioned previously. Thank goodness my stomach has settled down as the first two days were not pretty and I was wondering just a little what I had gotten myself into. That thought process has since passed and I am very comfortable in my surroundings and am now able to try new dishes. We had roti with curried potatoes and spiced beans in town yesterday (roti is an India flat bread of sorts). It was great. Donavan cooked yesterday evening and made a dish of vegetables we had shopped for together at the fresh market in town. It seems that lots of things get mixed together and then you eat them on rice. The mixture had cauliflower, alfalfa sprouts, spices, and chicken and ham. It was really good too. Tonight we had cabbage and spices with beef in it on rice, so you can see that this is quite different from Canada. We also bought lots of fruit and so I am eating oranges, bananas, apples, and papaya. So far I have stuck with the bottled water but some of the other Canadians are drinking the water and are fine.
My house is fabulous. I thought that I would be staying with Erna, the lady who came to Canada last year to visit HIV North. However her niece has come to stay with her to go to high school in the capital and so I am with her friends Donavan and Henna. Henna works doing payroll etc. for the Surolco company and Donavan is involved in youth government, volunteers as a peer councilor with PepSur and goes to school part time. They have been treating me like a queen! The house is tiled throughout and seems to be nicer than most that I have seen. There is a housekeeper that comes in twice a week to clean and do laundry and so I am very spoiled. I have my own bedroom and Henna has gone out of her way to make sure it has a fan, a clothes rack and a small table for my things. They have taken lots of time to show me around and talk to me about the bus routes etc. I can call them at anytime if I need picked up. Henna even offered me the car once it is fixed but that would be totally crazy. You should see how they drive around here. First of all they drive on the left side of the road, passing all the time even in town if nothing is coming. They beep their horn continually so people will let you into the stream of traffic or just to warn someone that you are going through. Polite beeping you know. Lots of potholes and Erna says that the bad roads are nothing to talk about but if they were good then that would be news worth printing!
The variety of cultures here is very obvious - although most people are dark skinned it is easy to look and determine there descent at most times. Javanese have a very Indonesian look to them, Maroon are darker than others, Hindustani have long dark "straight hair" and distinction Indian features, Creole are usually lighter than Maroon, and then there is also many Chinese shop keepers. But everyone has been friendly and inviting and from what I have seen so far lots of people mix well with others. In my family, Donavan is Maroon and Henna is Hindustani. Henna speaks English, Dutch, sarang Tonga, Spanish, and Portuguese. Donavan's English is not as good as Henna's and he speaks Dutch and sarang Tonga. So lots of conversations happen around me where I haven't a clue what anybody is saying but then someone will stop and tell me the gist of things. Dutch lessons will start next week and then I hope to pick up more than a word here or there. However I listened hard for an hour at the river on Sunday to try to pick up a Dutch word or two out of the conversations, until I clued into the fact that they were speaking sarang tonga! They tend to go back and forth a lot depending on who they are speaking to. Most people do speak at least some English and so that is helpful for sure.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1127222460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1127222460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1127222460/tpod.html Tue, 20 Sep 2005 09:34:30 -0400 From Grande Prairie to Suriname

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Paramaribo, Suriname

So it is September 20th - and I am celebrating my 45th birthday in Suriname! So sorry for not sending a message sooner but life as been hectic settling in to say the least. I arrived Saturday morning at 1:10 a.m. but did not arrive at my host family until 5:00 a.m. With the heat and no sleep for two days becasue of night flights, I did feel ill for a couple of days, but I am feeling great now. It was 37 degrees on Sunday and humid - extremely hot but I spent the day with my host family at a river and private beach. I really lucked out with a host family. Donavan and Henna are my hosts and I live in the countryside outside of Paramaribo in the district of Wanica. About ten minute drive outside the City or about 30 minutes by bus. The house is beautiful and I have a very nice room of my own. Everything in Suriname is different than Canada! Am getting used to the tiny little frogs that come out in the shower at night (and I usually get up in the night to shower to cool down and shower about three times a day) and there are harmless insects everywhere. The food takes some adjusting (Jaime - you would not be able to eat!)as it is a melting pot of cultures here including Indian food, Indonesian food, Maroon traditional food, and of course an arrange of fruits I have never heard of. I am finding things that work for my stomach though and slowly trying some new things.
My host family is young - Donavon is 19 and Henna is 28 and so they have been taking such extra special care of me. They drive me wherever I need to go, and buy whatever food that suits me the best. They are planning a birthday party for me on Friday - a Voodoo Voodoo party - which is Maroon music and celebration. They will include me in all their activities, so I will be going to parties with them at their relative houses and an Indian wedding early in October. Donavan is marron and Henna is hindustani.
So I will probably be able to email more regularly now and will include some pictures tomorrow if I can. It feels like a lifetime since I have seen you all as I have had so many experiences already! Take care...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1126711800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1126711800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/brenda_moore/suriname-2005/1126711800/tpod.html Wed, 14 Sep 2005 13:29:14 -0400 From Grande Prairie to Suriname

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Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada

Well, just one more sleep until I leave for Suriname! The last three weeks have flown by, but I think everything is done that can be done to be ready. The bags have been packed and re-packed just to squeeze in a few more things. Sorry, Penny, but the seashell bikini top just didn't fit (me or the suitcase)! I leave at 8:50 from Grande Prairie on Thursday morning but don't actually get to Suriname until almost midnight on Friday night. There is a 7 hour lay over in Toronto and about another 15 hours in Trinidad. Not excited about the Toronto layover but the one in Trinidad will be just fine. I'm looking forward to time by the hotel pool to unwind and move into a little slower pace that I'm told is to be expected in Suriname. Don't laugh...I can slow down.
It was nice to have the opportunity to say farewell to family and friends at the two get together's leading up to departure. Thanks to everyone for the parting well wishes and goodies. I'm sure the time will zoom right along and I will be back before you know it. Of course, you know I will miss you all, but Cassandra (my grand baby) will be just a little harder to leave behind.
My plan is to try to journal at least once a week for the eight weeks that I am away. Doing that regularly will depend on my access to the internet which I'm not sure about yet. I will fill you all in on the work as well as any adventures that come my way.
for those of you that would like to email me you can do so through buskwaw@hotmail.com.
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