Food for thought - 1/25/11

I'm at the airport after a pleasant ride and a good discussion again. I have a number of issues to present for discussion. I think they are important points to mention for those of us who care about Guyana, who discuss Guyana, who criticize Guyana, who contribute to Guyana, who are planning to return to Guyana, who think about the past and the future of Guyana..... All of these points were brought to my attention by a number of different Guyanese who live in Guyana. A few of them are Guyanese who returned to Guyana over 10 years ago.

So, I have to give you the good first. This is the kind of good I appreciate. At the airport, it was quiet. I approached the area where they check your bags. I got to the bins and a woman walked over and asked for my passport. She had a pleasant face and helped me sort my things into different bins - shoes went with the computer, the bag with the coat and the hand luggage. I beeped as I went through and another woman started moving in my direction - her smile was slow and with an easy swagger she approached me and proceeded to pat me down as if she was hugging a daughter. After that the woman asked me to open my bag. As I opened the bag I told her that I had cameras and cords in it and she said to me something like .. “Yes ah see dem ah jus’ wan’ mek sure yuh ain’ gon tie up deh pilot” an’ a big grin split sche cheeks.

I laughed and kept laughing and thought of all the women in the market places and in the hotel who found endearments to use with me all the time - baby, honey. Yes, I’m sure they use them with everyone and ah like that. More than that, I like that they made me feel as if it was personal, motherly, and at home. I entered the restroom at the airport and the toilet was not flushing as it should. When I came out, as I was washing my hands, the woman in charge of cleaning came in and she said to be “baby did it flush fuh you?” How could I not smile and explain that it was not doing its job completely. “It’s okay baby – ay’ll tek care of it.” Okay, let me confess that I totally melt when I feel spoiled.

All of the taxi drivers felt and acted like brothers. Yes, they were all referred to me by some friend so I felt safe and relaxed, but they also shared their thoughts and observations in a friendly way. I believe it could be risky to be frank about circumstances (I was told this by a woman in the market) so , in a way, they displayed a certain amount of trust.