My Guyana Experience: 5 months down, 7 more to go!

So it's been quite a while since I've last blogged, and so much has happened...not really....:)

I was able to go home for Christmas which was wonderful! I got to spend time with my husband Travis, and our 2 fur babies Yuki and Bering.

Yuki being a baby as always.

It was a great Christmas, and I was sad to leave. So I'm back in Guyana New Years day preparing for the new semester and I get sick. I've not yet had the experience of being a patient in a hospital here, and it is quite the ordeal and a 2 day affair. But I am feeling better now and things are back to normal.

So I started out the new semester with teaching an intensive neuroanatomy and physiology course, which my students were troopers through. It was a hard course, but they're still smiling :) They've been a pleasure to get to know and work with here.

I've been able to do a bit of touring around Georgetown area a bit lately. I went on a Rum Tour with some folks I've met through InterNations. I have to say I'm not a huge fan of rum, not even the 21 year. I've been told it's really smooth going down, and I just don't feel it's that smooth! I do enjoy the after taste, and I think my taste buds are becoming a bit more sophisticated in the flavors I can now detect. I taste a caramel molasses after taste with the 21 compared to the 15 year I only taste a molasses after taste (but what do I know :))

Getting ready for our tour with our hard hats on and ear plugs in. (Yes they gave us ear plugs!!! I was super impressed!)

Molasses in a bucket..

Yeast plant- where the yeast is mixed with the molasses..

I was able to take pictures inside the plant before being told I can't...:P

This is a model of one of the refineries made of green heart wood, and it's probably been running for the last 100 years and it's still in use! Eldorado Rum has been voted best rum in the world, and we found out that the distillery buys Jack Daniels barrels to store their rum in, which I guess also gives it its unique taste.

Ramona and me before our rum tasting shots.

I tried all of them except the 8 year rum.

From left to right: Patrick, Ramona, Erin, Jessica

As if that wasn't enough alcohol, the next day Ramona and I with 2 other Peace Corps Volunteers (Janet and Patty) did an overnight trip to Pandama Winery. It was a very nice weekend getaway and the host and hostess, Warren and Tracy were wonderful!

Picture of the camp grounds for those interested in camping.

Found these chairs to be fun :)

This is Sassy! One of the 4 pups Warren and Tracy have.

Different kinds of wine that Warren makes. I have tried Jamoon and cashew. Jamoon has a black pepper after taste.

Tracy is a fantastic cook. This was pasta with butterfish and a combination of herbs. It was delicious!

This was the cabin that we stayed in.

Black water creek we cooled off in.

Where we ate our meals.

Because of my obsession of tree tops- needed a picture of tree tops!

Our attempt at a group selfie!

Tracy was roasting eggplant on an open fire to be used in our artisan pizza. Probably the best artisan pizza I've ever eaten!

I've had the opportunity to find higher places to rig a hoop that a taxi driver friend made for me. He's a welder by trade and supplements his income by doing taxi work. I'm working on gaining my bruises back :)