If there was a perfect day to write this post, it would probably have been a Monday. I think I started this post on a Monday, but life happens... But back to Monday - I used to go to the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays, meaning that I spend Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday recovering from the pain the personal trainer causes me. Sunday is obviously a day of rest and on Monday I decide that yes, I will probably go to the gym again tomorrow, forgetting the pain from the previous week! Who would have thought I'd actually go to a gym? Anu was a great inspiration for me, and I think we are a good source of strength and commitment for each other. Same goals, and tons of fun together!! The first time I was so sore, I could barely walk. Stairs were hell. It got better each time, but still rough sometimes. I rediscover muscles that I didn't even know existed!!
I hate to talk about the gym equipment because I think the owner is great, but some pieces like bikes or steppers terrify me that they are going to fall apart when I sit on them or if I use them - if they even work that day! Weight equipment is well maintained and the place is very clean. There is minimal ogling from male gym goers as we attempt our routine.
We had some issues with our former personal trainer... Mainly tensions between him and Anu - he being interested in more than just training; her, not so much, having a serious boyfriend and all. Me, just in an awkward position.
Even though we aren't training with him, I feel I should mention the potential personal trainer that we met with. Who is massive. I think his arms are the size of my thighs, only solid, sculpted muscle. It took me five minutes to get over it and talk to him without a ridiculous smile on my face which was fine because he couldn't look at me without a shock, thinking that perhaps he was back in Canada. He reminded me of my best friend - his approach to lifestyle change with workout and nutrition etc and he promised not to fall in love with Anu, but the club and gym fees plus training session and transportation costs was a bit ridiculous for our budgets.
We are now attempting to do aerobics three times a week, Anu a bit more successfully than me. My attempt made for one hot and sweaty me - definitely felt energized and a bit sore the next day... I have been weak and tempted by naps and dinner invitations for pepperpot! Not any less committed, but just need to work on my schedule a bit!
Now of course my entire dealing with pain routine will be off with aerobics Mon/Wed/Fri, but somehow I am sure I will still convince myself to go again - especially with Anu's encouragement!!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Recipe to enjoy: Cook-up
Cook-up (cook up) is a hugely popular Guyanese meal in which all the ingredients are put into one pot and cooked up together. The main ingredients are rice, meat, peas or beans, spices and coconut milk. Any kind of meat may be included in a cook-up. I've only had cook-up with meat once and I wasn't a huge fan. Some favorites include salted pork, pig tails, salt beef, but I prefer to have barbecue chicken or fried fish as a side. Favorite peas are yellow split peas and black-eye peas. Other ingredients include onions, garlic, parsley and thyme. It is often eaten with hot pepper sauce, or my preference is mango achar which is a "pickled condiment" that adds a bit more flavour. I found the following recipe and haven't tested it, but it looks like it has the right ingredients. Okras can be substituted for any kind of pea or bean you want! And I would assume you could just remove the meat from the recipe and not have to adjust anything else. When I get a recipe from a local, I'll test and share it!
Okras Cook-Up Rice
Okras Cook-Up Rice
by Anne-Marie Whittaker
This is the Guyanese version of this popular rice dish. In some islands it is done u with salted cod instead of beef.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
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Method:
Season the beef with Barbadian Seasoning and ketchup. Heat the oil in a saucepan and stir-fry the beef for 5 minutes.
Drain and cut the pig-tails in half and add to the pot. Continue to stir-fry for a further 5 minutes.
Next, add three cups of water, the coconut milk, herbs, seasoning peppers and simmer for 30 minutes or until the beef is tender. Add the okras and continue to boil for a further 5 minutes.
Drain the rice and add to the contents of the pot; stir, then add enough water to just cover the mixture.
Adjust the seasonings, for example add seasoning salt and a little more Barbadian Seasoning, and herbs. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest level, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Note:
Seasoning pepper *: a variety of pepper that has very little heat but a strong aroma and flavour.
Barbadian Seasoning
by Anne-Marie Whittaker
This seasoning is the secret to the success of many mouth-watering Barbadian dishes. It is found in almost every home and comes in several variations. This one is particularly nice.
Ingredients:
- 1½ cups vinegar
- 2 oz thyme
- 2 oz parsley
- 1 lb onions
- 5 oz green onions
- 2 oz marjoram
- 4 Scotch Bonnet peppers or habanero (add more to make it hotter)
- 4 oz garlic
- ½ oz ground clove
- 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 4½ tbs salt
Method:
Remove the stems from the thyme and marjoram and place in a blender with vinegar. Liquefy.
Place the onions, green onions, parsley, peppers and garlic in a food processor and process for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Blend this together with the seasoned vinegar in a mixing bowl.
Stir in the salt, Worcestershire sauce, ground clove and black pepper. Bottle and refrigerate.
Leave it to stand for one week, before using as required.
Note:
Barbadian Seasoning will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Reflections
I am sitting in the Outpatient Clinic at the New Amsterdam Hospital. This is my second visit to this hospital - the first being October 2, 2007; my second day in Guyana. It seems quite fitting that I should return here as I officially will soon be starting my new role as HIS consultant with the Health Sector Development Unit and the first module to develop under my new title is the Outpatient Module.
It is not quite as overwhelming as my first visit. I am used to the open air concept, understanding that the flow of air helps the air from getting too hot and stale, and is more cost efficient than air conditioning. Though I am still not used to the near freezing temperatures of administrative offices which make me feel like I've stepped out of wood heated house into a cold November morning with frost on the ground. I don't know much about electricity costs, but if they all turned the temperature up a few degrees, I am positive there would be somewhere else that could use the money. The waiting areas still get to me, outpatient less so than emergency where they wait outside on benches covered by a roof. Waiting to be seen or hear word of a loved ones condition. It is very advanced compared to some countries because all services are free. I guess waiting is the price they pay.
I am the only white girl for miles so my position sitting on a bench is drawing some attention. I guess they are more used to me at Georgetown Public Hospital Compound or perhaps I just notice their stares less because I am going somewhere, doing something, not sitting and observing.
I am here to learn about the paper system with the purpose of analyzing it to design the electronic module. The task feels a bit more overwhelming as I sit here staring at the forms I collected, questions I developed and thinking about the system I just learned. I feel like if all the log books in this country were stacked one on top of the other, the pile would reach the moon. Maybe even back. The same with all the charts/cards in filing cabinets...
The module won't be as straightforward as I thought. The forms offer little to no information. all information is in the brain of each clinic doctor or hopefully on some hidden list somewhere... Means more meetings... More traveling by car and boat (hopefully no more 6am departure times)... This certainly has been a crash course in hospital and clinic activities.
Mothers and children have a special place in my heart. I can only imagine the joy of having a new baby or the distress at having a sick child. Perhaps this is why two images from today are stuck in my mind....
The woman holding her sick child, limp in her arms, standing outside the emergency wing, surrounded by family and curious observers, wanting to know when she will be seen, the pleading look in her eyes that I could do nothing about....
The woman, glowing, holding her new baby in her arms, leading the parade of proud family and friends out of the hospital, leading them and taking her baby home...
It is not quite as overwhelming as my first visit. I am used to the open air concept, understanding that the flow of air helps the air from getting too hot and stale, and is more cost efficient than air conditioning. Though I am still not used to the near freezing temperatures of administrative offices which make me feel like I've stepped out of wood heated house into a cold November morning with frost on the ground. I don't know much about electricity costs, but if they all turned the temperature up a few degrees, I am positive there would be somewhere else that could use the money. The waiting areas still get to me, outpatient less so than emergency where they wait outside on benches covered by a roof. Waiting to be seen or hear word of a loved ones condition. It is very advanced compared to some countries because all services are free. I guess waiting is the price they pay.
I am the only white girl for miles so my position sitting on a bench is drawing some attention. I guess they are more used to me at Georgetown Public Hospital Compound or perhaps I just notice their stares less because I am going somewhere, doing something, not sitting and observing.
I am here to learn about the paper system with the purpose of analyzing it to design the electronic module. The task feels a bit more overwhelming as I sit here staring at the forms I collected, questions I developed and thinking about the system I just learned. I feel like if all the log books in this country were stacked one on top of the other, the pile would reach the moon. Maybe even back. The same with all the charts/cards in filing cabinets...
The module won't be as straightforward as I thought. The forms offer little to no information. all information is in the brain of each clinic doctor or hopefully on some hidden list somewhere... Means more meetings... More traveling by car and boat (hopefully no more 6am departure times)... This certainly has been a crash course in hospital and clinic activities.
Mothers and children have a special place in my heart. I can only imagine the joy of having a new baby or the distress at having a sick child. Perhaps this is why two images from today are stuck in my mind....
The woman holding her sick child, limp in her arms, standing outside the emergency wing, surrounded by family and curious observers, wanting to know when she will be seen, the pleading look in her eyes that I could do nothing about....
The woman, glowing, holding her new baby in her arms, leading the parade of proud family and friends out of the hospital, leading them and taking her baby home...
Monday, May 19, 2008
Adventures in Guyana... with a friend!!
Yesterday was, without a doubt, the best Sunday I have ever had in Guyana. I love this country, the food and of course, the people, but there is nothing quite like meeting up with a friend from home and sharing a little bit of this country!
He is here through his university to work with the Red Cross and run workshops on various health-related topics. Georgetown is the first stop in his adventure before he travels to Lethem. We started the day with a trip to Oasis for some email checking, pastry tasting (cheese rolls, cheese straws, pine tarts...) and some much needed coffee.
We then called Andre, one of my trusty taxi drivers, to take us on a tour of the big GT. We had walked over to the world's tallest wooden structure (St George's Cathedral) and had Andre drive us south of the city to the Demerara Harbour bridge - the world's longest floating bridge! Yes, we drove across it just to get to the other side and turned around!!
Andre drove us through big residential areas, the equivalent of the GT ghetto, by the cemetery and the prison, and for all the photo opportunities at old government buildings. Final stop on the tour being the zoo with lots of birds, cats and creatures... and a close-up of a manatee! No trip is complete without some fried chicken (yesteday's selection: fried chicken sandwich from Church's). We finished the day with a trip to the sea wall, enjoying the ocean breeze without the brown water and seeing the bustle of activity with families out to enjoy vendors and activities.
Perfect day :)
He is here through his university to work with the Red Cross and run workshops on various health-related topics. Georgetown is the first stop in his adventure before he travels to Lethem. We started the day with a trip to Oasis for some email checking, pastry tasting (cheese rolls, cheese straws, pine tarts...) and some much needed coffee.
We then called Andre, one of my trusty taxi drivers, to take us on a tour of the big GT. We had walked over to the world's tallest wooden structure (St George's Cathedral) and had Andre drive us south of the city to the Demerara Harbour bridge - the world's longest floating bridge! Yes, we drove across it just to get to the other side and turned around!!
Andre drove us through big residential areas, the equivalent of the GT ghetto, by the cemetery and the prison, and for all the photo opportunities at old government buildings. Final stop on the tour being the zoo with lots of birds, cats and creatures... and a close-up of a manatee! No trip is complete without some fried chicken (yesteday's selection: fried chicken sandwich from Church's). We finished the day with a trip to the sea wall, enjoying the ocean breeze without the brown water and seeing the bustle of activity with families out to enjoy vendors and activities.
Perfect day :)
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Sending a Package
There is nothing like having a mother's day present examined for illicit materials that will make you feel guilty for having done nothing and increase your frustrations with the system.
I will not mention the courier because it is not entirely their fault, but it was a bit ridiculous. After careful inspection of the contents: a beaded chain and a homemade cross-stitch picture (which is NOT a placemat and no I don't know it's value - my mother will think it's priceless, tell your customs officer that!), I was faced with the following frustrations:
1) Not being allowed to write the to/from addresses out on the packing slip - and then having to spell most of the words out letter by letter anyway... several times... B-A-N-C-.... F-A-R-A-...
2) Almost not accepting the copy of my passport that everybody else accepts as identification - more specifically that the last person at the courier accepted as id without question.
3) Signing my life away stating without a doubt that there were no narcotics or banned material in my package and guaranteeing the contents BUT then not being allowed to seal the envelope.
4) Feeling like that annoying customer when they go and find the operations manager.
5) Having the manager inspect my package again. And indicate that the package will probably be opened again by customs in Guyana and maybe other countries...
6) Having my package held for a day in Georgetown - obviously because I'm a suspicious individual.
7) Having my package held in the States for a day too.
8) Planning a package to be home before Mother's Day but arrives late.
*sigh*
I will not mention the courier because it is not entirely their fault, but it was a bit ridiculous. After careful inspection of the contents: a beaded chain and a homemade cross-stitch picture (which is NOT a placemat and no I don't know it's value - my mother will think it's priceless, tell your customs officer that!), I was faced with the following frustrations:
1) Not being allowed to write the to/from addresses out on the packing slip - and then having to spell most of the words out letter by letter anyway... several times... B-A-N-C-.... F-A-R-A-...
2) Almost not accepting the copy of my passport that everybody else accepts as identification - more specifically that the last person at the courier accepted as id without question.
3) Signing my life away stating without a doubt that there were no narcotics or banned material in my package and guaranteeing the contents BUT then not being allowed to seal the envelope.
4) Feeling like that annoying customer when they go and find the operations manager.
5) Having the manager inspect my package again. And indicate that the package will probably be opened again by customs in Guyana and maybe other countries...
6) Having my package held for a day in Georgetown - obviously because I'm a suspicious individual.
7) Having my package held in the States for a day too.
8) Planning a package to be home before Mother's Day but arrives late.
*sigh*
Friday, May 2, 2008
Stop and smell the....
...stagnant water outside the Georgetown Public Hospital, more specifically the creation of perfect mosquito breeding ground outside the Malaria Clinic.
...ocean breeze while walking along the sea wall or sitting in the National Park after a good walk.
...fresh homemade roti and squash curry.
...warm unfamiliar floral breeze walking by Promenade Gardens.
...burning of cane fields.
...dead cat in bin two days before garbage day.
...molasses and alcohol in the air outside the El dorado rum building.
...ripe fruit in the market.
...too ripe fruit in my kitchen when I take home more than I can eat!
...ocean breeze while walking along the sea wall or sitting in the National Park after a good walk.
...fresh homemade roti and squash curry.
...warm unfamiliar floral breeze walking by Promenade Gardens.
...burning of cane fields.
...dead cat in bin two days before garbage day.
...molasses and alcohol in the air outside the El dorado rum building.
...ripe fruit in the market.
...too ripe fruit in my kitchen when I take home more than I can eat!
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