How is Suriname different from America?

That's probably the question I'm asked more than any other from our family and friends in America. So, I decided to do a blog post about it. I've been thinking about this for a couple weeks but it's hard to remember all the little ways Suriname is it's own unique place.

• I'll start with the most obvious: climate. It is hot and humid here. It's usually somewhere between 85-95 degrees every day with about 90% humidity. Let's just say you don't go outside without expecting to sweat. A lot. That being said, I don't find the heat as oppressive as I expected to unless I go out at midday. The rest of the time it's pretty bearable.
• We use SRDs or Suriname Dollars here. The ratio is about 3.5 SRDs to 1 USD so I usually just divide things by three in my head but it can still be difficult to assess the actual value of a particular item.

cattle heron

• It is very expensive to live here. Everything costs two to three times as much as in America.
• Travel is very difficult and expensive as well. There are no direct flights to the USA and even flying to neighboring countries is expensive and difficult partly due to the fact that the airport is only open during certain hours.
• The national language is Dutch. In the business/government world most people speak at least some English. Out on the streets, however, Dutch and Sranan Tongo rule supreme. I've learned a few phrases with hopes of learning more but for now we just muddle through it with my five words of Dutch and their minimal English.
• We drive on the left side of the road here. It wasn't that difficult to adapt to but every once in a while I find myself forgetting that I have to wait to turn right, which has caused some tense moments.

a "winkel" or little Chinese shop

• Bicycles, scooters, and motorcycles have the right of way here and they definitely take advantage of that fact. There are also TONS of two-wheeled vehicles all over the roads. Most people don't wear helmets and it's not unusual to see kids or toddlers riding on scooters with their parents.

typical houses

• I'm not sure whether the people of Suriname even know that car seats exist. I've yet to see a single local put their baby in a car seat. In fact, most people don't even use seat belts.
• Many of the streets even within Paramaribo aren't paved. The jeep has come in handy on these  roads especially when they're muddy from all the rain.



trash on the side of the road

• Did I mention that it rains here? I have never seen the likes of this rain in America except one time driving to Las Vegas, NV when I was a kid. It was pouring the whole way there and the streets of Vegas were flooded when we arrived. Yep, it sounds like Suriname. When it rains here it's so loud that you have to turn the volume up about ten notches if you're listening to anything. An umbrella will do you no good if you get caught in a downpour since it rains so hard the water will come right through it.

• When it rains it floods. Our street is often about tire deep, when it floods you can't see the edges of the canals (scary!).
• There are canals all over the city. The streets are quite narrow and you have to be careful not to drive into the canals. 

these buses are everywhere and every one is different

• Sidewalks are few and far between here so if you want to walk much you do it on the street which can be dangerous. The occasional sidewalk is generally used for parking.
• You can park pretty much anywhere. In most areas there aren't designated parking spots or meters. It's pretty much a free for all.

can you believe someone lives here? 

• The streets have Dutch names I can't even pronounce and they often change names every few blocks which can make it very challenging to navigate.
• We're on the metric system here so it's been an adjustment to figure out how much of a particular item I need and how much things actually cost. This has been an issue most often when buying gas and meat, but now I now a kilo of hamburger is around 2 lbs. so it all works out. :)

a kiskadee

• Shopping is a bit of an event here. There are many stores scattered all over Paramaribo (or Parbo as we write when we're lazy) but there isn't any one store that has it all (think Target). So when I need groceries I usually go to one of the two international grocery stores and usually find the majority of items on my list. Certain items just aren't available all of the time. Like the cottage/ricotta cheese I drove all over town looking for when I wanted to make lasagna. I've found it before and since but that particular day it was just gone. There are lots of things like that.

the streets

• Grocery stores generally don't carry meat or fruit so I have to go to the butcher and the fruit stand for those items. Each fruit stand carries different fruits so I might have to go to more than one stand if I have particular fruit I want. For example, there is one guy who just sells watermelon but they are SO good that I make an extra stop at his stand.

a fruit stand we frequent

• It's just hard to know where to buy certain things. There are SO many different stores but even similar stores have different things so I just have to keep trying different places until I find what I need. I'm sure it'll get easier as I go but right now it can be frustrating.
• The stores all close at 2pm on Saturdays so I have to make sure to do my shopping early.

down by the waterkant

• The milk is weird. Mostly it comes in a box and doesn't need to be refrigerated until it's opened but they do have some fresh milk that comes in bags. I don't like the flavor of any of it so I don't drink much milk anymore. Luckily the kids don't seem to mind.
• The ice cream is also different - especially vanilla. I don't really know how to explain it but it doesn't taste like American ice cream at all. I'm sure this is because it comes from the same cows as the milk, but we don't eat much ice cream.

one of many toads

• The people here love kids. Everywhere we go people are so nice to them and play with them. (Very different from the metro DC area)
• There are many kinds of ants here and they all bite. It can be difficult to play in the grass because the ants are all over and the kids often get bit.
• There are street dogs all over the place. They aren't aggressive but they are mangy and I feel so bad for them.
• There are really cool river dolphins in the river.
• A few varieties of sea turtles nest on the beaches here and you can see them if you take a tour.
• There are lots of lizards, geckos, toads, bats, frogs, and many different kinds of birds all over.



pompelmoes (or pomelo in English) is our favorite new fruit

• There are no mountains here which is a big change from Utah.
• It is definitely the jungle here. The undergrowth is thick and the trees lining the streets are predominantly palm trees of one variety or another. 
• There are only about 500,000 people in the whole country and 400,000 live in Paramaribo itself.
• Nearly every house has a patio with hammocks hung. Most people spend a lot of time socializing on their patio/balcony.
• The houses here are very different than those in other places I've lived. Many of the people are quite poor and live in small shacks. There are definitely nice homes as well, but when we drive around the city it amazes me to see people coming out of homes I thought for sure were abandoned. Many houses and fences are made out of corrugated tin.

the streets

• Not surprisingly most houses here don't have air conditioning. Many people use fans and leave the windows and doors open. Those who do have air conditioning call it air-co.
• The garbage is placed in a basket on a pole in front of the house. There is trash all over the streets, yards, etc. I think this is partly due to the trash system because the trash bags will often split open and spill all over. People also don't seem to have a problem littering here and will just throw their garbage on the ground.
• There is no recycling program in Suriname except for plastic bottles.
• There aren't many playgrounds or places to take the kids to play which has been hard. We're definitely missing the spraygrounds in Northern Virginia.
• The houses are nearly all tiled floors.

a bat flying around our patio

• There are grates on nearly every door and window.
• Everyone hangs their clothes to dry here.
• White people are definitely the minority here. I feel like we stand out wherever we go.
• Everyone here uses a cell phone but no one has a cell phone plan. They just use prepaid minutes and top off as needed. They also don't have voicemail set up so if you want to reach someone you just have to keep calling and calling and calling...
• Phone numbers are generally six to eight digits. If it's a cell phone you dial a zero first.
• There are no zip codes in Paramaribo. Addresses generally consist of the name of the street and the number on the house or building. For example: Kwattaweg 56

• We love the local Indonesian food. Our favorites include bami, nasi, loempias, and sauto soep. Yum!
• Most foreigners have household help here. We have a housekeeper and a gardener come once a week for approximately $20/day.
• The gardener uses a weed whacker to cut the grass and a machete to trim the bushes.
• The internet is frustratingly slow and costs as much as in America.
• Our LDS church services are in Dutch.



the soup in the back is saoto and it's bami and nasi on the plate

• It's very common to see men hanging around without a shirt on. Or just peeing on the side of the road.

These comments are just my personal observations and opinions from spending the last three months in Suriname. I reserve the right to change my mind at any time. :)

After reading this post Adam told me it sounds like I hate Suriname. I don't hate Suriname. Is it very different from America? Yes. Am I still adjusting to living here? Yes. But I don't hate it here. In fact, as time goes by I'm starting to like it. And as soon as some of the new families with kids arrive at post it will be great! The hardest thing for me is just missing my friends/family and not having anyone to hang out with. The longer I'm here the more that changes since we're getting to know people. So, don't worry, Suriname is a great place it just takes some getting used to!

Also, I tried to get the pictures near applicable observations but it was too big of a hassle so I gave up. Sorry. I'm just a quitter. :)