LIFE in ‘The Bush’; a way of life that, when imagined by the average Guyanese, evokes the imagery of hard living; of days spent in isolation, hundreds of miles away from civilization, eating meager meals and having access to little or no modern amenities.
While ‘The Bush’ has no particular geographic location, it is a term largely used to refer to the interior regions, or otherwise, anywhere in Guyana away from the Coast that is sparsely populated and surrounded by forests, or, you guessed it, bush.
Most times, ‘Bush Life’ is considered to be suited more to men, given the roughness of the terrain, the lack of security and the types of jobs available in those areas.
But you’d be surprised to know that, much like all other areas, women have been slowly creeping into these fields to ply their trade in both traditional and unorthodox occupations.
A shining example of how women have comfortably settled into these areas can be seen in the Guyana Goldfields Inc. operations at the Aurora Gold Mine in Region Seven. With a population of about 800 workers on site, just over 60 women, or eight per cent, make up this lot. A small dent in the number, but some of these women hold positions that significantly contribute to the company’s day-to-day operations, oftentimes requiring them to have under their instruction a large number of men.

So, how do they do it? How do they manage living so far away from their homes and their families? More so, how do these women stand firm in a male-dominated environment and demand the respect that their occupations require?
For PAULA CERES, it comes easy because of the field of study she has chosen. One of several University of Guyana students on attachment at that location, Paula said that studying within the Faculty of Technology has always placed her in an environment where males outnumbered the females. Paula is one of the junior civil engineers on site at “Aurora”, and among her responsibilities is supervising the construction of two new dorms currently being built. “When I came over here and I saw so many males, while it was strange for me indeed,

getting accustomed to it wasn’t that hard,” she admitted.
Her interest in the field sprung from her fascination with construction, or what she describes as “transforming things into something beautiful.” It is therefore little wonder that Paula has enjoyed a successful, but busy, nine months living and working in this remote area.
But, being grossly outnumbered, she admits that one must always keep in mind the need to remain confident as they maneuver among the males.
“Be brave!” she said. “The moment they realise that you are not confident or are afraid of them, they would take advantage of you!
“But you cannot allow that! You must also ensure that you know about the field that you are in to the best of your ability, so that when they want to come at you, you can show them that you are here for a reason, and you know what is going on, so they cannot dominate you in any kind of way.”
And while she misses her family at times, Paula has it somewhat easy, seeing the familiar and loving faces of both her brother and boyfriend, who are also stationed there.
Working among more than 700 men on a daily basis while tucked away in the isolation of the interior is nothing strange for Camp Service Supervisor, YVETTE THOM, either, as she has spent more than 14 years working for Omai Gold Mine, Omai Bauxite, and Bosai Minerals in similar position in the pasts.
Yvette’s daily task at AGM includes overseeing the housekeeping and general management of 288 rooms, 40 offices, and 1,000 square metres of common space. She is also in charge of ensuring the wellbeing of all the contractors on site. This is quite a bit of responsibility for one woman to handle, but she is not fazed by it.
In fact, since starting at the operation, she has moved from being just a cleaner to having full responsibility for matters of hospitality at the Camp.
“I’m accustomed to working among men; for me it’s easy,” Yvette says. “In fact, it is much easier than working with women. We just have to understand the men and how to deal with them. Hospitality is number one, so, providing that you are nice, calm and respectful, you will get respect in return.”

Much like Paula, Yvette’s advise to women is not to think of working in such areas as a challenge, but to face it fearlessly instead, as she believes that anything is possible with the right amount of effort and confidence.
“We aren’t directly equal to men, but we can do a whole lot of stuff that men can do. For example, we have women plumbers, drivers and operators up here as well, and they are doing just as good a job as the men.

“So you don’t have to be afraid that you can’t do it, because I am doing it; so I know they can do it too,” she said.
Then there is Head Chef, Romona Wiggins. With a staff of 32 under her wing, Romona is responsible for overseeing the preparation of about 1,500 meals a day. “Life here is not that bad, but when you tell people you are working in the interior, the first thing is that they get the idea that its ‘bush’, but here is more like a little town,” she said, adding:
“The living quarters are more than what you would expect.”
Unsurprisingly, the majority of Romona’s staff is male; only four are females, but she admits that she prefers it that way.
“It is better to have males up here. Earlier, we had a lot of females, but there would arise a lot of conflicts among them. I really prefer males in the kitchen up here,” she said, adding that it just requires that she stays strong, disciplined and stern in order to get the message across to the others that she is in charge.

“I say to them, ‘When it comes to my work, I need my respect; I need to get what I deserve.’ Sometimes some of the men feel that because they are a man, or they may be older [they can rule] but I don’t have age; and I don’t have friends when it comes to my work. You have work and you have to get it done.
“The main thing I am focused on is the standard, efficiency and the quality. It’s not always easy, but at the end of the day, I pull through,” she said.
Tough though it may be, Romona, too, is accustomed to this type of environment, having worked with the Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship in the past. It is a job that required her to be far away from home for a long space of time, where, she said, males sometimes outnumbered the females.
This choice in lifestyle has led Romona to lead the single life, with no children or husband, but she admits that it is not as bad as one may think.
To women considering working in the interior, she advises that they travel into these areas with a plan, and that they stay focused on it. “Don’t come and get carried away; you are outnumbered here! There are mostly men!
“And some women come and get carried away, especially if they are not accustomed to being exposed,” she said.
And so, while life in ‘The Bush’ may seem daunting to many, these women, though, seemingly having been seasoned for such a lifestyle.