A Busy Week

Peace Corps volunteers generally read a lot, even if they rarely read before their service, because the pace of life in many other countries is slower than it is in States. There was one recent volunteer in Suriname that read over three hundred books during his time in country. That’s at least three a week!

I am a reader, yet the only time I find to read is either in the early afternoons, when it is too hot to do anything else, or in the last hour before bed. Perhaps this is because there is always something to do in my village or because I just take a long time with the ordinary things of life, cooking for instance. My colleagues usually complain about having too much free time. I would almost like a little more.

Because of warden training and the Peace Corps Director’s visit to Suriname, I had only one week at site in between trips to the city. During the week, however, I had even less time than usual. On Sunday I helped a group of men clear rainforest for a building. I learned useful information about wasps and ants and how to cut Makah palms by using a forked stick to direct the thorny falling branches away for one’s head. It is actually quite impressive how quickly four people with machetes can bushwhack. I love it, and I had to be told twice when to take a break out of the afternoon sun because I go so involved hacking away. On Monday I went with one of my neighbors for a forty-five minute boat ride into the jungle to where he cuts and mills lumber. I really enjoy being on the river. In a sense, the jungle is all the same, yet there are always new things to see wherever I go. I helped carry some planks and posts with my neighbor and his sons, and he gave me a few to use on my house. All day Wednesday and Thursday, the Inter-American Development Bank hosted a seminar on Decentralization and Local Government Strengthening. It was taught in a mixture of Aucan and Dutch, which became very difficult to follow towards the ends of the days. Nevertheless, seventeen local leaders, one of them being myself, are now certified trainers in Civic Participation. While I’m in the city, I’m going to try to find an English version of the training manual, so I can help explain a few things.

Fortunately, I had all day Friday to clean and prepare for my city trip. Maybe in the city I’ll get a chance to read.

Just Another Day in the Jungle

As I have mentioned before, I did not come into the Peace Corps with the expectation, or really even the desire for the stereotypical “Peace Corps experience,” yet I have to admit, life in the rain forests of Suriname is really cool. Tourists come almost every week from Europe for a two or three day taste of life here.

I just finished sharpening my machete after a day of clearing jungle. Machetes that are well used in the bush become black, and mine is starting to turn quite dark. I can now cut down young, but rather strong trees with relatively few strokes, though it takes me longer than the people who have grown up here. I named my machete, “Durandal,” after the unbreakable sword in The Song of Roland, a medieval epic poem. Like any good sword, it rings when it strikes.

The last couple of days I have made river trips to a nearby village and a lumber site, deep in the forest. Because I live in essentially the capital of the Ndjuka, we have two means of transportation: air and river. Most villages only have the river. I love traveling on the river in dugout canoes. They are heavier, and thus, harder to paddle than aluminum, though. Eventually, I would like to buy a canoe to make my own river adventures. Rapids are very common of the Tappenahony, especially when the dry season lowers the water level. They were originally a source of defense for the Ndjuka people escaping the Dutch slave plantations in the north. It will take some time to learn to navigate the river.

My house is a one-room wooden structure with a zinc roof. The walls are very low, and the roof rises to a steep vault. The rafters structure are roughly cut young trees that remind one of a rustic lodge. It seems long and narrow because of the roof structure, though it is les than twice as long as it is wide. Because of its architecture and proximity to the rain forest, I call it, “Jungle Hall.” Since my house is so small and since the zinc conducts the sun’s heat very well, I will be spending almost all of my time outside, using the structure for sleeping, and as a storehouse for up to six months worth of food. The front of the house was originally carved and painted in traditional Ndjuka designs, but this is barely discernable now. I think the designs are beautiful, and if I cannot find someone to help me paint it thus again, I will paint it white with green trim in the spirit of the original dwelling.

In my free time I read good literature, study geography, and write.

A Note on Updates

I have been in my remote site of Diitabiki in the interior of Suriname and completely out of touch for about the last month. Usually I will be out of touch for up to three months, but recently I came down with dengue fever, so I have some time in the city. I type up blog entries in advance, however, and publish them whenever I get the chance, modifying their date stamp to the time that I wrote the article.

Pictures can be found here at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/michael.brannagan/Suriname

Dengue Fever

For the past week or so I have been out of commission with dengue fever. This is a rare disease for the interior, but my Surinamese counterpart got it too. I was able to take care of myself, partially out of necessity, for the first three days, but on the fourth day, the care of one of my neighbors, Heni, was greatly appreciated.

On the first night, last Friday, I had a 102 something fever, but I felt a little better during the day. I rested for two days, but got stir crazy by the third, and I tried to work, as much as I was able, on my house. Just after talking to my parents on the phone, however, I fainted. It actually must have looked pretty funny saying, “goodbye,” going to hang up the receiver, and collapsing before it landed on the hook. Then I decided to go to the clinic.

Fainting made many of my neighbors worried, and they insisted that I go to the city. The Peace Corps Medical Officer thought I should too. For a week, I get to recuperate in the city, reading books on African history, watching international news, and eating food not prepared by me. I also have used my time to talk with UNICEF and PAHO people about potential projects in my area, and I’m planning on helping organize the Peace Corps library if I can.