Being Guyanese is to become cold, callous, corrupt, and much more

Mar 16, 2023 Letters

Dear Editor,

When in Rome, you do as the Romans do. Likewise, when in Guyana, you do as the Guyanese do. As an expat, I’m following that advice and I’m doing like the Guyanese people do. I am finding that assimilation is the only way to survive in this country, if you don’t want to lose your mind. If you can’t beat them, join them. By doing as the Guyanese people do, I’ve become ‘Guyana-ized’.

For example, I don’t stop for pedestrians to cross the streets anymore. I drive like a mad man, and I park my car illegally anywhere I feel like. I am no longer bothered by the ‘stink and dutty’ music concerts and the vulgarity of the music in the cars or the profanity in the people’s conversation. The only thing that stops me from becoming fully Guyana-ized is that I don’t use profanity, imbibe alcohol or visit rum shops. I honk my car horn all the time for any reason and for no reason at all. When driving, I don’t stop at stop signs, and I have become an impatient driver. I drive at a fast rate of speed all the time like I bought my driver licence.

I pay bribes and give out lunch money to get things done quickly. I’m no longer upset about the five police checkpoints I have to go through every Sunday on my way to church over the river and I am asked to leave something. I have become immune. I no longer notice the potholes or the ubiquitous presence of garbage on the streets anymore. When I look into the eyes of the less fortunate, I don’t feel empathy or sympathy for them anymore. I’ve become callous. It’s survival of the fittest. It’s a dog-eat-dog society I’m living in, only the strong survive. I’m Guyana-ized. I’m living a carefree life, and I don’t care about others or anything else anymore. I only care about me, myself and I. I have become institutionalized, Guyana-ized. I accept anything and everything. This is Guyana. Like it or hate it. Take it or leave it. It’s what it is.
Living in Guyana is incredibly interesting, confusing.

First you hate living here. Then you get used to living here. Enough time passes, you get so, you start liking living here. That’s when you’ve become Guyana-ized, institutionalized. I’m no longer bothered by Guyanese who are always late and those private businesses and government offices that waste my time. I have assimilated into the Guyanese culture. I find myself urinating in the streets anywhere and everywhere. I no longer see fear in the eyes of the poorest of poor. I no longer feel their pain. I no longer feel compassion or empathy for them. I feel nothing. I have become one of them in which I no longer care about anyone else but myself.

I’m Guyanized. Like most of the citizenry, I feel unsafe and trapped in this country. Like many Guyanese, I feel like my country has forgotten me. I no longer feel sorry when I hear of people dying from accidents, domestic violence or suicide. I have become numb. To avoid humiliation and frustration, I try to avoid going to all government agencies and banks because I’m not treated with respect and dignity.

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