Oh my goodness – who would have known that Guyana could be
so beautiful! We have just returned from a 4 day trip to Orealla (spellings
vary), which is a village 3 or 4 hours up river, inhabited by indigenous
Amerindian peoples. What a trip!
We were all extremely click-happy with our cameras
throughout this trip, but there is no way of sharing all of the amazing sights
with you via the blogger interweb. To try and give you a glimpse I have made a
couple of collages, which is my new found way of cramming lots of photos into a
single file, as uploading takes so long. I will try and keep the summary of
this trip streamlined, but … you know me.
We left for Orealla on Monday evening, after a fun-filled
day of racing around the market buying up goods and drinks etc to last us 4
days. There are no real shops up river, so the inhabitants come down river at
intervals to buy provisions; the rest they grow. With bags packed full of
beans, rice, pasta, greens and rum (!), we headed to our transportation – a
passenger boat in which one has to hang a hammock amongst a hundred or so other
people, and try to maintain your personal dignity. These hammocks are hung so
close to each other that as you lie in one, your face is being pressed by the
derriere of the snoring man above you – not the most fun. Thankfully, after
traversing the tiny plank bridge with our humungous bags, we were able to make
the most of a clear night and sleep on the roof of the boat as it made its way
along the river. It was truly a sight we will never forget – sounds mushy, but
I am surrounded by Americans!
We were staying at the Kingdom Hall in Orealla, where our
friend Kojo has been assigned as a special pioneer. The congregation is made up
of 15 people, with Kojo giving almost ALL the talks, EVERY meeting! That man is
a legend. We brought a rush of craziness to his serene and spiritual existence,
with 6 excitement-starved mainlanders crying out for nature and water. Despite
the warnings about piranha, we managed to find a cove that was safe, so Michael
(my study and friend) and I set out early in the morning for a swim on Tuesday.
So calm, so quiet, proper sand and water you could see through – it was like a
paradise for us Skeldonites. Every day was spent swimming and getting frazzled
in the sun, with the locals washing themselves, their dogs and their clothes
watching on. We were very conscientious about the piranha, so I instilled a
ten-minute schedule of ‘toe-check’, to ensure all appendages were accounted for
– we even managed to get some of the locals to play along.
We did earn our keep though! Wednesday we and some of the
local brothers dressed for the rainforest (shirt, tie, meeting trousers and
bag) and embarked on a 3 hour trek to a neighbouring village to preach. For us
sign language lot, it was an exciting opportunity to see two young guys who are
deaf who have no interaction with any other deaf, ever. After seeing monkeys
and small crocs, amazing butterflies and birds, and after falling in the mud
and brush we arrived mud and sweat stained to a village eager for news and
reading material. We found one of the deaf lads and spent a few hours chatting
and exposing him to some language. He regaled us with stories until we could
take it no longer. It was such a privilege to come out to see these people. Our
bravado failed us when plotting our return trip and we voted for a boat to take
us back down the river. It was an amazing day that left us all humbled and
desperate to return soon.
On our last night, we planned to stay for the meeting. Most
of us were able to put together an outfit, as we had not expected to be there
for the evening – the boat had a broken part and so was delayed. I was offered
to wear a wedding suit from Kojo – fanstastic! Bell-bottomed, plaid, woollen
three-piece suit – just my cup of tea in a tropical climate. You will see the
picture of me rocking it below. I was asked to read the congregation bible
study text, much to the smirking laughs of our lot for my choice of attire. We
made the boat back, though I had to sit up the whole way as my hammock had been
buried under the snoring bodies of some very tactile strangers. Stumbled into
bed at 3am this morning, dreaming of swimming and brightly coloured birds.
All in all, it was exactly what I need to reignite my love
for this place. I want to return to Orealla soon and am sorely tempted to place
as a goal serving somewhere like that for a period. It was a real year-book
experience and am so glad that I have done this so early in my trip here. It
was lovely to be able to take Michael with us too, as he is 15 and he relished
to excitement of the environment, along with the hard-core ministry trek. We
all woke up today with aching limbs and aching smile-muscles.
I hope all are well and coping with xmas fever over there.
We have not really heard much mention of Christmas here, apart from the usual
smatterings. It is strange to be here under a mosquito net in my birthday suit
waiting for electricity whilst you are all shivering at home bewailing the
weather.
Roll on 2012, what delights shall you bring…
