Olivia Stoetzer
Fall 2022
“The village was very poor, and people mostly did sugar cane cutting for jobs, that was the only resource and income. My father did that for some time before he got promoted to the factory, where they made the sugar.”
As the oldest child of seven, Susan Byman recognizes the importance of family and providing for those she loves. I have experienced this personally because Susan is my aunt. Susan grew up in Guyana, a country at the top of South America that borders Venezuela and Suriname. The country is known for its three large rivers that all empty into the Caribbean Sea.
Susan and her family of nine lived in a small house in a village called Wales, on the west bank of Demerara River. As a former colony of the Dutch West India Company, and later colonized by the British, the region is known for its sugar plantations. “The village was very poor, and people mostly did sugar cane cutting for jobs, that was the only resource and income. My father did that for some time before he got promoted to the factory, where they made the sugar.”
As the oldest sibling, Susan was responsible for taking care of her family and home, through a variety of chores and responsibilities from a young age. “My mom gave me fifty dollars [Guyanese dollar] to go to the market because I was the oldest of seven siblings, so I had to be able to manage that fifty dollars for all the vegetables and meat to last for the whole week… I remember buying one pound of meat and when my mom cut it up, we all got one piece of the meat and some potato, and then some rice to kind of stretch it along for everyone.”
Susan and her family were resourceful and found happiness in each other’s company. “My parents worked very hard, and made sure we were able to have whatever little bit we had. We were able to share things. We were always welcoming people with whatever. I grew up with those kinds of ethics.”
As a teenager, Susan began working in Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana, at a small shop.
“I was able to work there for a little bit when I was called to the office. I was kind of nervous because I thought I was going to lose my job, and I needed this money to help my parents and siblings. So, I went to the office, and the woman and her husband who own the snack bar said, ‘We would like you to have you come to our home to take care of our three children.’ I was so honored and happy… I accepted right away, and they were also delighted. That day, I packed up all my things and went home… I moved in, I believe, the following week to the residential neighborhood.”
This was the start of Susan’s career in care and her immigration journey. Her work enabled her to support her family economically.
Susan arrived in the United States when she was 22 years old. “I came here [the United States] in March, and it was a very, very cool, bleak, dark day when I arrived in New York. Someone picked me up from the airport and drove me to their home, and it was cold, and I was kind of sad and nervous.”
Susan stayed with her aunt and uncle when she first arrived in the United States. “I didn’t know anyone. No friends except my aunt and uncle, who live in the Bronx, close to Fordham Road, and they had a very small apartment, a one-bedroom apartment… People would be walking up and down the street, and I was like, ‘Why am I here? What am I doing here?’ But then I had to tell myself the reason I’m here is to work and help my family.” Though these first few months were hard emotionally for Susan, she created a strong connection with her aunt and uncle and had the opportunity to explore New York and her new neighborhood.
When she first arrived, Susan struggled to find a job, until she finally got a call from a family friend to meet a family in need of in-house care for their elderly mother in New Jersey. “I said, absolutely…I took the train and then got off in New Jersey, and then the whole family picked me up… I was very nervous because I was 22 and I didn’t know anyone, and everything was strange and scary… That’s when I met the woman… She liked me right away. She loved my disposition. She loved my honesty, and she said, ‘Okay, you’re hired. When can you start? Can you start today?’ …So I got back on the train, went back home to the Bronx, and then got all my stuff together, and I moved into these people’s house in New Jersey – a very, very nice family. I was really blessed to have met them.”
“I felt comfortable, even though I was scared because I was in a strange place in a strange home. so unfortunately I had to listen carefully and pay a lot of attention to the English and the dialect to learn everything that was happening and what I was seeing. As the time went by and years went by, I felt very comfortable, and also they sponsored me so I could get my citizenship.” Through her work, Susan made strong connections with her patients and their families.
“People would be walking up and down the street, and I was like, ‘Why am I here? What am I doing here?’ But then I had to tell myself the reason I’m here is to work and help my family.”
After the passing of her patient, Susan moved to Westport, Connecticut to care for another member of their family. She worked for several families while attending community college in Norwalk, where she was able to gain her certification in hospice care. “I had gotten a job at the nursing home, and in that time period I met your grandmother, and I was taking care of her in the nursing home. And she and I got very close because she was very, very interesting, and I talked with her, and she told me a lot about her life and about the history, and I was fascinated about all that she was saying.”
“Then, one day she says to me that she would like me to meet her son and so I said, ‘Okay,’ and I made that appointment to have coffee with your uncle, who is willing to talk through things. We work together as a team, and he is a very nice person, who is intelligent, and has a lot of stories to tell. I felt blessed to have known him. I am so delighted to have met your grandmother, and also to have met your uncle.” Susan and my uncle have made their home in Milford, Connecticut.
Thirty years later, Susan is still very much connected to her family. Her family is spread all over the world, in Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, Guyana, and some relations in the United States. “I keep in touch with my family because my family is my biggest fan. So, on Sunday mornings, I would have my coffee, and my ritual is to call my siblings and ask them questions and check up on them how they’re doing, make sure they have enough to eat, and hear what their week was like. So to me, that brings me joy and happiness, and my heart and belly are filled with love and content.” Susan tries to visit her family every few years.
Susan remarked much about the beauty of Guyana and the hospitality of its people.
“We have six races in Guyana, and everybody would come together, whether you’re black or white or brown, and would celebrate all the holidays and all the rituals. Everybody comes together when it’s Diwali, or Phagwa, or any of the Hindu holidays. Everybody celebrated. And, also if you’re Hindu or you’re Muslim, everybody celebrates Christmas, which I find rather interesting because I don’t think any other Caribbean countries do it that way.”
Susan shows pride for her birthplace, but also feels just as strongly about her identity as anAmerican. “I feel very much at home…I’m always grateful to this country for its opportunities. I came from my country with a suitcase and five dollars, and to have earned the things that I’ve earned here simply gives me a sense of peace and happiness that I can have a few dollars in my bank accounts, and have clothes and have food. I can have many things that I feel that I wasn’t able to have in my home country. So I’m so glad to be in this country, and to have the things that I’ve had.”
Susan personifies the American Dream, with her grit and determination, but also her grace and kindness. She has spent her life providing for her family, while also accomplishing so much – from immigrating to the United States, to establishing her own community and family, to finding work that she truly enjoys and touching the lives of her patients.
“I’m very grateful to live in this country because it provides many opportunities that I could not have accomplished otherwise. I’m also happy that I came so I could help my family and experience the culture here. I should state that I’m truly blessed and thankful for the many things in my life. I try everyday to learn more about my hopes and dreams. I can say that I am a courageous person because I have been through so many different obstacles in my life. And, I believe that I’m a very strong, independent woman, and I try to accomplish many different things in my life by working, trying to go to school, trying to educate myself, trying to learn the culture, and trying to help people by doing whatever I can do to help.”
Susan continues to bring love and kindness to her family and community both in Guyana and the United States.