It is a truth universally acknowledged………
on Fiona Craven (Guyana), 27/Jan/2012 01:17, 34 days ago
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…………that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. Better still a WHITE wife. And the single man doesn’t have to have a good fortune. Or even be single for that matter!In my year here, I’ve had more marriage proposals than a girl is entitled to in one lifetime. Some of them are very eloquently put and allude to my “beautiful eyes” and “sexy body” (!). Others are put forward as simple business arrangements (“could you marry me and bring me to live with you in Canada”),while others are very direct (“do you want to have a brown baby with me?”). I’ve had texts from friends telling me their neighbour “wants a white wife”, asking am I interested. I tend to respond that I can’t cook a proper Guyanese curry and usually end up burning the philouri and this usually puts them off!Dating inGuyanais a cultural minefield of its own. Guys seem to assume one date constitutes an engagement, but neither does that stop them from simultaneously dating several women at the same time. Unfortunately, cheating is pretty much a social norm here, and while it makes for fascinating family histories, it can also be quite dangerous. I know of an Afro-Guyanese guy who will only date Indian girls because every year he discovers another sibling on his father’s side, and the risk of ending up in a relationship with his half sister is too high!The types of first dates one goes on are also a cultural experience. Dates can be anything from sitting in the guy’s car for the night eating rice out of a Styrofoam box, to an evening at the cultural centre followed by warm beers in the carpark, to watching TV with his mother!On a final word on dating and cheating, check out the lyrics to one of the major hits here at the moment:“Oh lord, don’t let me cheat on my girlfriend, for as far as I can see, she loves only me.Oh lord, don’t let me cheat on my girlfriend. But lord if you can’t stop me from cheating, just don’t let me get caught.”Ladies, you have been warned!!
