Nailah Simmons, Public Health Threats in Suriname Summer 2023
Suriname is a country in northern South America and has a tropical climate. The country has two seasons: rainy and dry. We happened to be in Suriname during the rainy season. Although I completely expected Suriname to be very hot, it still surprised me how hot and humid it really was. It’s hard to describe the temperature, but it was overwhelmingly different from what I’m used to. Because it was so hot, I packed many pairs of shorts and tank tops. Even though I wore almost all of those shorts and tank tops, I didn’t consider that there were field trips we’d be going on where long pants and long sleeves would’ve been a better fit. During this trip, a good chunk of our time was spent outdoors in rainforest areas. Since it was the rainy season, plenty of mosquitos were out and about. I used mosquito repellent, but it would’ve been ideal also to have brought a few pairs of long sleeves and long pants so that my skin wouldn’t have been as exposed to mosquito bites.
Apart from being surprised by the weather in Suriname, I was also surprised to see how diverse the country is. A component of this course was weekly readings before our time abroad, which covered a brief history of Suriname and how it became a multicultural nation. These readings were informative, but it’s one thing to read about something and another thing to see it in front of you physically. I met individuals from many different cultures and loved learning about everyone’s cultures and traditions. Near our hotel was a street lined with restaurants with food choices from many nations, including Indian, Japanese, Thai, and Surinamese. This is one of many aspects of Suriname that showcases how diverse the country is.
Something else that surprised me was the small-scale gold mining activities occurring in Suriname. Again, this is something we read about prior to the experience, but words couldn’t justify what that looks like in real life. One of our field trips was visiting a small-scale gold mining site, and it was like no other experience I’ve ever had. Suriname is a country that’s dense with forests, and mining activities are actively contributing to deforestation in the country. This was evident when we arrived at the site, as a significant amount of forest was depleted. Suriname was full of surprises, and I learned so much that I hadn’t thought about beforehand.
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