— Grimmond family starts anew after hurricane in Bahamas

THE Grimmond family, a Guyanese couple and their three children who returned from one of the hurricane-ravaged islands of The Bahamas last year, is fully embracing their new life in the Rupununi savannah.

Since returning, rebuilding their lives has not been easy, but Orin and Sholme Grimmond are making the best of their situation, even when faced with the newest crisis — the COVID-19 pandemic.

The family of five now lives in Central Lethem with Orin’s parents. While he hails from Region Nine, his wife is from Berbice, but they both agreed that Lethem is the best option for their family and haven’t regretted it since.

Orin and Sholme were previously teachers in The Bahamas and returned on September 15, 2019, after seven years, with the help of the government and the private sector.
They returned with their children, then seven-year-old Seraphine, two-year-old Angeline and two-month-old Kemuel.

Telling of his experience in the hurricane, upon arrival at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Orin said: “The experience was horrifying; it was traumatizing to begin with. As husband and father, I looked at my family and there was nothing that I could have done to save my family. We were in the ceiling and the water was rising; it was terrifying because there was no way to escape this water. What we did was we kicked the door out and there was still no help; still no way I could save my family. The only thing I can say — and I can’t exclude God out of it — is that it was a miracle that happened that day.”

A FRESH START
At the moment, Orin is not working due to the COVID-19 lockdown. In pre-pandemic months, he earned a living through providing lessons to children from the town, bringing his expertise in Technical Drawing.

Orin has not yet returned to the public teaching system as his application sent in January has not yet received a response. Meanwhile, Sholme has decided that she will remain at home to take care of their two youngest.

“Right now, we’re still struggling to get back life as per normal. It’s a little difficult because we have two small kids, a baby and a toddler,” Orin said.
Even so, he said that their eldest, Seraphine, is attending primary school and has been enjoying her new experience in the grand savannah.

“It’s a vast difference and she’s really enjoying it because many of the things right now she’s really seeing them for the first time. Back that way there aren’t really any animals,” he said. “She enjoys nature, the mountain views, the rivers and so on.”
He is thankful that since the spread of COVID-19, there hasn’t been an outbreak in the Region and his family has displayed no symptoms of the virus.

He is also thankful for the welcoming response received from Lethem residents when his family arrived, and the turnout to his lessons.

“The community has been very, very supportive. Many of them want the extra lessons,” Orin said. He told the newspaper that he wants to venture out into teaching reading as he has realised that literacy is still lacking in the Region to some extent.

BRACE FOR THIS CRISIS
He said that the COVID-19 pandemic has not been easy with the halt in work but he hopes that Guyanese can all understand that the only way to get through the pandemic is if everyone adheres to the emergency measures in place.
In his experience with crises, he said that it is best to stock up on the supplies you can and wait for any crisis to pass.

“Coming from one disaster and in to another, we felt like it was happening all over again. When the alert is given that a natural disaster is heading your way you need to prepare; you need to adhere. You need to stock up goods for at least one to three months because you don’t know the extent of the damage that this natural disaster can cause,” he said.
“Coming into this other crisis, I felt like we were preparing all over again for a hurricane but just in a different way. It [coronavirus] is disastrous and its deadly; we can’t see it but it does have an effect on our body and I think it could even be worse if we do not heed the warnings given by public ministries.”

He urged fellow Guyanese to remember that their actions or inaction in this case can affect others, inclusive of some of the most vulnerable such as children.
Orin also reminded them to put God first in all their doings. He and his immediate family are Seventh-Day Adventists (SDAs) and he is also now serving as the leader for the Men’s Ministry Department at the SDA church.

Though his parents are not Adventists, he says that he keeps devotion every morning and helps them to understand the word of God.
The Grimmonds have no plans to return to The Bahamas currently, and hope to make positive contributions in their new town.

“At the moment, our plan is to live here in the Rupununi for a couple of years, establish ourselves again. We wouldn’t live in Georgetown, we’ve decided that we’re going to be right here in the Rupununi. We have no plans to return to The Bahamas to work but maybe we might visit there because we have friends there,” he said.

“We look forward to working and serving this community to the best that we can in whatever way that we can.”