Family Visit!

Coconut water, hydrating and delicious

At the airport! Welcome!

Last Wednesday dawned bright and sunny, humid and hot, a typical day in Guyana in every respect except for the fact that we had our first (and probably only) family visitors! We were so excited to welcome Mom and Stephan for their 10-day visit. Tim and I hired our favorite taxi driver (a rasta man with tons of character, I'd even say as much personality as there are dreadlocks on his head, and that is a lot) to take us to the airport to greet them. We wanted to welcome them in style so we made a welcome sign to hold up at the airport and stopped at the first roadside fruit stand we saw to buy us all fresh coconuts and happily drank the water with
straws.

Since Mom and Steph have arrived, I have loved getting to narrate the experience of Guyana to them and see each and every unique aspect of this wild country in the light of their fresh perspective. The things that had become almost mundane to us (wildly speeding mini buses, scrumptious tropical fruits, Creolese dialect, livestock roaming the streets, trash piles burning on the sides of public roads, unexpected torrential downpours, and much more) became new and exciting again as we watched Mom and Steph witness them for the first time.

Both Mom and Stephan have been champions so far, enduring the not-so-niceties of life in a
developing country with aplomb. Mom has a series of itchy red bites all over her body that are maybe mosquitoes or bed bugs or fleas, but she doesn't complain. They both are rudely awoken every morning by the incessant crowing of the many roosters that live in the yard next
door. They sweat in the heat and yearn for the comfort of a fan orA/C but still join us on our daily routine trips to work and the market and around.

Since Tim and I couldn't totally play hooky from our responsibilities, so far we have just been showing Mom and Steph around Linden, introducing them to our friends and coworkers and living as we do, experiencing our routine. This weekend, however, the fun begins! We have planned a river boat, day-trip-adventure for Saturday and a flight to and guided tour of Kaieteur and Orindiuk Falls on Sunday. We will eat Brazilian BBQ, explore Georgetown and come back to Linden in time to start prepping for Thanksgiving.

Everyone is well and happy and so totally grateful to be sharing this unique, rare and wonderful
adventure together. More stories in the days to come...

-Chelsea