SHE’S a single parent and mother of six, and in spite of all the adversity, nothing will stop her from ensuring that her children have the best Christmas they’ve ever had in years; not even the fact that she is dead broke and doesn’t know where the next meal is coming from! Odessa resides in a squatting area in suburban D’Urban Backlands, just behind the Chinese Embassy, and when the Guyana Chronicle visited last week, she was busy decorating her home.
Though she doesn’t have electricity, she had strung up the fairy lights and all the paraphernalia associated with Christmas, and was determined that pepperpot or not, black cake or not, she is still celebrating. She’s doing it for the children.

PEPPERPOT OR NOT
“As long as you have children, you have to try your best to do something to help, because, even self they might going and seeing everybody house well dress up and whatever,” she said, “they still might be looking forward to you doing something as a parent.”
You see, two of her children once lived with their grandmother, who celebrated Christmas in grand style. So, now that they are living with her, Odessa does not want to disappoint them.
“They accustom to the holiday decoration,” she said, “so that is why I does try meh best to do it for them; no matter if the money is not there. Is not every year you does buy decoration, because when yuh tek down, yuh does put up fuh next time.”
Clearly caught up in the spirit of the season, she said, a dreamy smile on her face: “Christmas is an exciting time for me; I rather Christmas and Easter, because I grow with that in me.”
She vowed to do whatever it takes to provide at least a little cake and some pepperpot, foods associated with Christmas in Guyana.
But that will all depend on if her ‘children-fathers’ come up with the money.
MONEY NOT THERE
“Money-wise, it is not there right now,” she said wistfully, “but I trying to see how much I could do to make them happy.”
Odessa is unemployed, and has been living in the squatting area eight years now. Her children’s ages range from 13 years to one year old.
She agrees that life is quite challenging without a job, so she’s praying that the new year will bring her better luck, so she could put her catering skills to the test again.
Ideally, she would like to find work in the hospitality industry, or failing that, to open her own little food business.
Her greatest wish for the new year, however, is to acquire a piece of land from the Ministry of Communities, where her application had been languishing since last year. She’d also like to have a little help with some school supplies, so she could send her children to school.