By Michel Outridge

EVEN though she is not originally from Zee Zight, West Coast Berbice, Angela Bal has made the village her home for the past 29 years.

The 59-year-old is from Williamsburg, Corentyne, Berbice, but got married to a native of Zee Zight and relocated.

She has a small roadside snackette just in front of the Zee Zight Nursery School where she would prepare home-made snacks for villagers.

Bal also sells cold beverages such as lemonade and carbonated drinks, among other things.

The elder is well-known and most residents would stop by for a cold beverage on their way home for a quick chat.

Bal has had the small business since she relocated to the village 29 years ago as a means of earning. However, it was closed for some time as a direct impact of the pandemic which also saw the closure of schools countrywide.

The mother of three stated that when schools closed she had to close the business, but reopened a few days ago.

Bal would get up early and prepare cassava balls, egg balls, pholurie with mango sour and other eatables such as tamarind balls, pastries and biscuits.

Her little shop is well-kept and the surroundings are also neat and clean and is outfitted with a garbage bin since, in this village, the residents are against refuse-dumping and has opted to take care of the environment.

With her children all grown up and leading their own lives, Bal has the time to be at her small snackette while her husband is a taxi driver in the village.

“This village is very quiet and we feel safe here because if the villagers catch you while stealing, you will not be spared and will be beaten; so we don’t get any thieves around here and if you shout out, everybody run out to help,” she said.

Bal would open up her snackette from 07:30hrs to up until 15:00hrs and when there is school, it is the busiest time for her and reflecting on that, she admitted that she misses the little ones who would often crowd her shop to make purchases.

A Ketting resident
Another relocated resident Joshua Rampersaud, told the Pepperpot Magazine that he and his family which include his sister and parents, have been residing at Ketting Village for the past 10 years.

Their house is the last one in the village and it is nearest to the seawall and the farmlands.

Rampersaud, 16, reported that he is a student of Berbice High School and is being home-schooled along with his sister, who is a student of Rosignol Secondary School.

He related that his father is a construction worker and his mother works in a store and they were away at work at that time.

The Ketting resident said his sibling is 14 years old and they are trying to cope with schoolwork at home; with schools being closed, they are bored.

According to him, Ketting means reserve and thus, the village was named.