This #ThrowbackThursday, I remember how grateful I was that a room became available at a Holiday Inn Express in Virginia so that I could stay for a while. I was driving through Virginia on my way home to Maryland. I decided to stop. I quite liked the hotel. I enjoyed the breakfast. From the pictures (shown here: https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/2022/08/more-travel-pics.html), you can see I had both coffee and hot chocolate!
A few of my hotel stays are documented in this blog.
Today I remember my vacation time in Georgia many years ago (my second trip to Georgia since living in the United States). I enjoyed the drive there (from Maryland). I also enjoyed my time there. It felt like a vacation - I stayed at hotels, I spent some time exploring the local area, and so on. I was at ease in Georgia although I had a bad experience in the past (in another part of Georgia). I took some photos that I added to this blog. I remember I used the hotel computer in the lobby for a post.
These two posts show photos of some of my activities in Georgia:
https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/2022/08/still-traveling.html
https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/2022/08/interesting-article-on-online-reviews.html
#ThrowbackThursday
I traveled to the United States yesterday. It was a hectic travel day. Two flights got me to where I wanted to go (from Guyana to Maryland). I left Guyana at 6am and arrived at my final destination at around 7pm.
I actually enjoyed both flights. The flights were long but the time went by quickly. I didn't expect it, but I was served snacks on both flights.
Good morning from Linden, Guyana! Yesterday, I had pizza. I felt like I was having a special treat. It was the first time I had pizza in months. It did not taste as good as pizza in the United States but it was a good experience.
My diet has been different. I am eating Guyanese foods such as cheese roll, pine tarts, and black pudding and more Guyanese fruits. I do not usually eat foods such as pizza or subs or burgers. I am not on a diet. The food I eat has lots of calories, sugar, and fat just as food in the U.S. For example, cheese roll and pine tarts are pastry and have a lot of calories.
There are some things that are very different. For example, the 1% and 2% milk are not options here. I get milk in packets.
Games lead to more tourists. Guyana is benefiting from cricket. I am curious about the country of origin of the tourists. Could it be that most of the tourists are from the Caribbean?
This is good information. Travel seems to be popular again across the US. It seems that no one is thinking of COVID. I bet it will triple for the Paris Olympics.
It is a good afternoon in Linden Guyana! I am not doing much and I am feeling good. My right eye feels a little funny but I feel good overall.
I am very thankful for God's mercies. About a year ago, I was staying at a rehab center working to get rid of issues with my legs/walking. It was like I was in a dorm again. I exercised the legs and practiced walking every day until I was better. Rehab was good overall and very successful! After rehab, I was able to use my legs again. Rehab issued a wheelchair in case I needed one. (Read my past posts that mention rehab here: https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/search?q=rehab).
I have been in Guyana for several months. I recall the trip to Guyana from the U.S. There was a lot of walking at the airports. I recall that at JFK Airport I walked for about 3-4 minutes at a time. After 3-4 minutes, I needed to rest. I was also breathless. The exercise was good. I needed a wheelchair only when I got to Cheddi Jagan International Airport. It has been several months and I am now so much better/stronger! Now, my legs are pretty much normal. I do not need to use a wheelchair.
I recall that I was on oxygen when I started rehab (for lung issues). I was off the oxygen when I left. 2023 was one of my very tough years!
Good morning from Amelia's Ward, Linden, Guyana! It rained very early in the morning so it is much cooler.
I am heading out. All signs indicate that it would be a busy day. I hope to get fruits.
Here is a travel video I found: $10 challenge in Guyana. The guy in the video tries to spend a total of US$10 on interesting things in the country. He is not very familiar with Guyana. https://youtu.be/rmxGQDZ-Vdw?si=PhKH4pGYqC05SJ9F
I am certain you can relate to the video. We all have dollar limits in mind when we go shopping.
It is hot today in Linden and I was at the outside pipe (standpipe). These pipes are usually in the backyard or at the side of the yard in Guyana. Refreshing water is always flowing from the standpipe. I was at the side of the yard yet near the rear of the house, and the water was cool.
In Linden, there are a lot of food options to cool down. Some of my favorites are icicle, custard block, ice cream, snow cone, and a cold fruit juice or coconut water. Icicle and custard block are sold primarily to school children (in school yards). Adults could also obtain those options.
Snow cones are very popular. There are numerous street vendors that sell snow cones in cities and towns in Guyana. I like my snow cone with condensed milk, which is an option for buyers.
Good morning from Linden, Guyana!
It is hot in Linden and I am using/employing the regular strategies to stay cool. I drink a lot of cold water, the air conditioner and fan are on all day, and so on. I even clean up with cool water. I cleaned up at the outside pipe a few times. It is lots of fun.
The most boring city in the world? I stumbled upon this video by K. Martin that highlighted that Belgium is called the most boring city in the world: https://youtu.be/7bJQ0t5tZi4?si=PQLgXTiAGkvBd9H6.
I don't believe it. He didn't believe it either. Where did that originate? A basic Google search provides impressive information about Belgium. For example, the headquarters for the European Union is in Belgium.
I spend a lot of time indoors. I like the unit (and living by myself). I try to keep it clean. I don't like the shower - there is no water when I turn it on. I use the sink. I also use a bucket.
Did you know that in Linden "taking a bath" does not usually refer to soaking in a bathtub as in the United States - where taking a bath and taking a shower are different ways to clean up? I remember that in Linden, taking a bath referred to bathing (cleaning up one's body) by taking a shower in the bathroom or cleaning up at the outside pipe. I guess it would also refer to soaking in a bathtub if the household had one.
It seems that my childhood/close friends from Linden are out of the area. I believe they are in other places because of work. I do not have friends to go out with here in Linden (like my sister did when she was here)!
I know quite a few people/families in the neighborhood. I usually say "Hi" to the neighbors.
I moved to the US right after completing my economics degree at the University of Guyana (UG) and lived there for over 22 years. In the US, I lived in several cities/locations and states. I lived in MD and in Gainesville FL for several years. I moved around quite a bit in MD. Years ago, I lost my bags in NY. I stayed there a while hoping that the contents of my bags will be returned to me.
This is my second "trip"/vacation to Guyana since moving to the US. Last time I was in Guyana, I was in Georgetown first and then traveled to Linden. I walked a lot - I walked along Brickdam, along Regent Street and so on. In Linden, I visited a lot of places with my mother (who looks young for her age).
I was skinny then. This time, I am heavier. I gained weight (due to illness, less exercise, and so on). My health issues are mostly behind me.
I will be in Guyana for a while longer.
Posted earlier in Facebook:
It is a new morning in Georgetown, Guyana! I am up and feeling much better. Yesterday was rough. I was out most of the day dealing with issues connected with my debit/credit card. I tried to use my debit/credit card at 3 banks. I figured out that the five-digit pin for my card (set up by Bank of America in the US - I believe this is standard) was an issue. Everything is better and I am looking forward to a better day.
My laptop still does not work. It could be that the scan at the airport security checkpoint affected it. I am working to fix it soon.
Preparing for the GCE A-Level examinations (at President's College) was tough. The school had trouble finding teachers and came up with out-of-the-box solutions. The Accounting class traveled to the University of Guyana for classes (a professional from the Accounting Department taught the class). Another lecturer visited the school to teach Statistics. We did not have an Economics teacher (O-Levels was much better).
The trip to UG was tiring but also fun. We traveled by minibus. I recall that the bus driver smiled a lot. He seemed pleased to have the job.
I learned a little bit about the UG campus then. We had classes in any available classroom in the Education building, which was at the front of the UG campus. We saw some of the hustle and bustle of the campus from that building. For some strange reason, I was interested in the trees near the front of the Education building. I learned that they were ackee trees.
I am enjoying a cup of green tea while I work. I am steadily getting the work on my hand hygiene paper done.
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I decided to have a second pair of eyes review my latest version so I sent the paper to my father for review. Hopefully, he has some time to do a thorough review.
I had an appointment at Enterprise Rent-a-Car scheduled for today (Allstate decided to assist me with the rental of a vehicle to get around while my vehicle is being repaired). The appointment was canceled because Enterprise is out of vehicles for rent.
It is surprising that so many people are renting cars. Months ago, I tried to rent a vehicle and got the same result. People are probably renting cars for travel/vacation. When I was on vacation about six months ago, I was amazed that so many people were traveling. The highways were full. The hotels were fully booked. There seems to be a mad rush to catch up on vacation now that COVID is less of an issue.
I am still waiting for Allstate to make a decision on the amount I will receive for inconvenience (I assume the matter is not closed). I am hoping I will receive more than they are currently offering.
On the subject of travel....
People usually travel for vacation, for fun (to have a good time). But people also travel to countries such as Romania and China from the US. Could it be that people travel to investigate rumors or see scary things in person?
I checked reviews by travelers to both countries (some investigation, which is a change from reviewing research on online reviews). The travelers reported that they enjoyed their trips (see below).
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I am working on the hand hygiene paper to return to the publisher.
I am also thinking of ways to make passive income. Travel is one idea. Travel blogging is an option. There is the potential for lots of income. Did you see my LinkedIn travel profile? View the profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fahmeena-odetta (it is one of several profiles I created in LinkedIn).
