I’ve been asked to post more of what everyday life is like in Guyana. So I’ll do my best. It’s a little difficult to give a distinctive idea but I like the task and it’s a good way to bring a little more of my life here to everyone back home.
Ok, so the market…it’s definitely not like grocery stores I am use to where you step into a very bright, clean, organized building, where you travel up and down the aisles gathering items from your list in hand.
Instead, it’s a big run-down looking building with tons of different vendors (or shops if you will), kind of like a mall. It’s your one-stop shop; you can get everything from household items, clothing, and food. There are also homemade food stands where you can grab a cup of channa or a pine tart. I do have a few vendors who I visit regularly which is nice. I just tell them what I am shopping for and they gather it for me. All of this is actually quite convenient it’s just crowded and I don’t always like to deal with the hassle and bustle that comes with going to the market.
the pictures aren't great
It’s a pretty big market and I am sure I haven’t even seen everything yet. It sometimes feels like a maze as you can enter from many different openings, some of which are very narrow alleys (or cracks as I call them). There are stray animals roaming and it doesn’t smell all that pleasant. But I am very grateful that it’s open everyday.
If I don’t feel like going to the market I can stop at various vegetable stands along my route to and from work, which I do a lot. There are a few small markets, more like grocery stores that are nice to go to. I like one across the river, as I have free range to browse the store and actually pick things off the shelves.
My meals...
We still do group meals a few nights a week, which it great. But I also enjoy cooking for myself. My meals are pretty simple and not a lot of effort goes into cooking them. I tend to eat a lot of the same things each week because there’s not a lot of variety and I love eating lots of fruits and vegetables, which can get expensive so I try and spread things out over a week. I eat a lot of beans and rice, usually mixed with lots of veggies.
Almost every week I get a pound of pumpkin, a few plantains, a bag of carrots (they are imported from the U.S.) some greens (bora, callaloo, orka), sweet potatoes, garlic, onion, and whatever fruit I can afford that week (pineapple or papaya, I’m sad mangoes are out of season).
Steamed plantains, okra, and pumpkin with garlic...yummy
I was getting coconut weekly but I’ve started to cut back on that. I’ve also started to buy peanuts and raisins more, which make great snacks. Usually I’ll make a big pot of something and eat it through out the week. For breakfast (again my options are slim) I’ll either have eggs (usually a veggie scramble), oatmeal, or I’ll make a smoothie depending on my supply of smoothie ingredients.
Fiber!
The other afternoon I was researching (thank goodness for the Internet) the fiber content of foods, especially foods readily available here. I did this for my personal knowledge so I would know which foods I could eat here to get enough fiber in my diet (after all, we know how important fiber is!). As I was researching I realized this information would also be helpful at the health center.
On Monday Medex called me into her office to speak to a patient about his diet. She said he needs help eating more fiber. Perfect, I thought, seeing as I just did all this research. So I sat down with him and I was able to write up a pretty good list of high fiber foods for him. It’s funny how things work out.
Make sure you’re getting enough fiber in your diet!
So, I think the rainy season is officially over because it’s HOT!!! I hope the dry season doesn’t last too long.
