The memories began when I was in primary school. It usually started with having to get out of bed in the wee hours of the morning (before bird wife wake, you know). Then there was the anxiety of having to wait on my mother, grandmother, aunt or uncle to be really, really ready to leave. Smile. Memories.
Then we caught a big bus to travel along the Linden highway. Back in those days the name did not have Soesdyke as prefix/suffix. It was just plain Linden highway. I loved passing above the houses and seeing the rooftops; then smoke rising, wondering what the occupants were doing. Were they ‘pressing’ their clothes? Were they eating breakfast or lunch? Smile. Memories.
We stopped at the main Dora entrance, not at the Dora Junction (shortcut) like nowadays. This part of the memory I did not appreciate. The long, never ending walk, with fears of meeting a jaguar or two, always looking behind me, just in case. Just in case. Coming to think of it, just in case of what? What would I/we have done if we had met a jaguar? At any rate, my girlish mind did not reach that far. Smile. Memories.
After about two hours of walking, with snack breaks in-between, we would finally be at the Dora banks of the Demerara River! How I especially loved that part! I would see a cousin or two, maybe an aunt or uncle waiting. Breathe a sigh of relief! We had not been eaten by any jaguars! Smile. Memories.
My holidays were officially begun! Play nonstop! Swimming in the river, climbing trees, eating fresh fruits, playing doll house, helping in my grandmother’s garden, watching full moon, visiting the friends of my relatives, going everywhere in a boat! Oh the memories! Every creek signalled a new ‘village’, everyone knew my relatives, and that meant instant recognition and new friends for me! De Cottage, Uitkomst, Spring Garden, Dora, Endeavour, etc.
Girlhood days! Smile. Memories.
