THE village of Betsy Ground, East Canje, Berbice, is a small community with colonial-style houses which still seem to be set in olden times and some more modern houses.

The village is large with many one-vehicle concrete internal streets and houses on both sides of the main public road.

There are two churches, a mandir, a mechanic shop, Cheneck Supermarket, which has a Superbet outlet, a Money Gram section, a large supermarket, small shops, the Betsy Ground Nursery and Primary Schools, which is in one large compound, rum shops and other liming spots.

Betsy Ground is a place where time seems to stand still; there is no rush or urgency for anything and it is a very safe place to live.

In this countryside village, bordered by Gangaram and Goed Bananen Land, you can get fresh fish daily, fresh cow’s milk, organic garden vegetables and just about anything else needed for the pot.

The fishmongers would walk through the village daily to sell freshly caught fish and there are roadside stalls selling produce and other things.

The people of Betsy Ground comprise both East Indians and Afro Guyanese and they co-exist in peace and harmony and live side by side with each other.

The locals of Betsy Ground don’t have any complaints because most things are in their favour and they have electricity, potable water supply, internet, good roads, streets, landline phones and reliable cell phone services.

It is a relatively clean place with many colonial-style houses which are well maintained with tidy yards filled with potted plants, flowers and trees.

Some residents have inherited the houses from their parents, who are deceased and have managed to keep it to a good standard over the years with repairs and additions to the properties’ well-painted sections.

Most of the natives of Betsy Ground have lived all their lives in the village and see it as their home, a place they are comfortable and familiar with.

There are, however, a lot of unoccupied houses rotting away and a lot of empty spaces which are overrun by bushes.

Betsy Ground Village is about 15 minutes drive from New Amsterdam. The village can be accessed via Sheet Anchor’s main road, where a series of villages can be found, with the last on that corridor being New Forest, a remote place with no basic facilities.

Most of the elders have passed on while many others have migrated and the people are mostly self-employed and there are many sugar estate workers, some retirees.

The sugar industry keeps this community going, and a lot of people are employed at the Rose Hall and Albion Sugar Estates.

Police Stations, health centres, post offices and other agencies can be accessed at other nearby villages.

The main hospital is in New Amsterdam, just like the large market and other huge shopping malls, gas stations, commercial banks and other businesses.

Betsy Ground is where people still sleep with their doors unlocked and there is no need for grillwork and added security features such as cameras and dogs.

In almost every yard, there are pets, including parrots, dogs, and cats and the people rear their own animals like cows, goats, sheep, creole chickens and ducks.

In Betsy Ground, the yard chickens and ducks roam the streets freely and the cows would graze on the roadways, which is quite normal in the rural setting.

The locals get by doing many things from their home while others leave the village for work daily.