Easter Summary

I find myself with a bit of unsolicited free time (we thought the boat back to Orealla left Skeldon at 3pm, so rushed from Georgetown, panicked for a couple of hours about missing our only ride home, then found out it's actually going at 11) so I might as well update this thing.

I've been thinking quite a lot recently about how quickly my time in Guyana is passing. I was warned by several people before I left the UK that the first couple of months - the period in which I'd be undergoing the transition from A-level student to teacher - would drag, but once I'd settled in the time would fly by. The latter, at least, is true, but I never really felt time was dragging - even initially. The truth is, Guyana isn't the hardest of countries to settle into. There's no language barrier (per se. Grappling with creole is an ongoing thing, but it's simple enough once you disregard everything you know about grammar and start saying "nuff" instead of "a fair few"), the overwhelmingly Caribbean atmosphere and pace of life makes getting stressed difficult (and completely pointless, since no one will respond to it), and the abundance of fresh - and free! - pineapple, coconut, mango, passion fruit, banana and cashew is a bonus, too. Yes, all the PTVs have experienced trying stuff, but the general consensus whenever we meet is "OMFG how do we only have 8/6/4 months left?!?!?!?!?!" It's odd to think that this time last year I was eagerly awaiting my May Letter informing me of my project, and now my replacement will be feeling the same. If anyone reading this happens to be going to Guyana with PT this year, hello!

Anyway, that's enough of that, here's what I got up to over the past couple of weeks: (here comes the mammoth bullet-pointed list)

• Fell over myself scrambling out of my hammock to run and fling my arms around my parents and brother, as they stood looking jet-lagged on a Georgetown street corner at 2am.
• Sat in shock as my brother emptied his hand-luggage onto the bed, revealing the wide array of British food he'd good-naturedly been lugging around for 24 hours.
• Held hands with a spider monkey for about an hour in The Most Depressing Zoo on Earth.
• Laughed heartily at the Agouti's common name being "John".
• Returned to Wakapoa, and underwent the awkward meeting of The Boyfriend and The Parents. Luckily he erased any tension by producing a baby giant otter. 
• Realised just how annoying the cry of a baby giant otter is. 
• Dragged three very unwilling people to Lethem for a rodeo, which involved an 18-hour minibus journey down Guyana's only road.
• Fell asleep and missed the giant anteaters everyone else saw.
• Ate lots of meat on a stick, whilst drinking farrine from a cup and waving at Donald Ramotar. He waved back!!
• Spent all of my money on an exquisite vaquero hat.
• Danced Forró with three surprisingly willing people.
• Sat through another 18-hour minibus journey, but this time the trip was punctuated with rattlesnake spotting in which I actually managed to partake. Our driver also leapt out of the bus at 2am to have a cutlass fight in the middle of the road with a driver who'd been travelling in the opposite direction. 
• Went to Splashmins creek/water park, figuring we'd have a lovely day out.
• Sat shivering in the rain at the totally empty Splashmins, refusing to get out of our swimwear and admit defeat. Like the resilient Brits we are.
• Drank plenty Carib when we realised it wasn't going to be a lovely day out unless we were high.
• Went black caiman spotting at Arrowpoint nature resort.
• Actually spotted lots of black caiman (caimen?). Well, other people did; I spotted a few black caiman EYES. It counts. (There's also a huge black caiman who basks on a stelling every day in Orealla, so I didn't mind not seeing these ones up-close).
• Watched in mild-yet-passive horror as my brother failed to hop elegantly from one canoe to another and fell - veeery slowly, while being drawn into the splits - into the caiman-filled creek.
• Climbed a teetering wabbani to see a marabunta/tarantula hawk wasp nest, and broke the lovely walking stick I'd been carrying all morning.
• Dived off a stelling and got loads of water up my nose.
• Sat crying on the flight to Kaieteur as the water stuck up my nose and my sinuses reacted to the pressure changes and caused me horrible, horrible pain.
• Immediately forgot the pain as we pushed our way through the rainforest, following the roar of Kaieteur falls.
• Ate cheese whilst standing in a triumphant pose at the top of the falls.
• Marvelled at just how close we were able to get to the falls. Almost fell off the edge, I did.
• Took several photos leaning over the drop on one leg, freaking out those nearby.

Crap. Just been informed there's a staged blackout happening in a min. Did loads more but will fill you in another time. Inabit x