While Suriname’s crime statistics don’t even skim those of big American cities, Paramaribo is still an urban center that has its share of criminality. In fact, many residents are feeling uncomfortable with the recent crime waves, a rarity to Suriname. It is always best to take precautions; they may prevent you or your loved ones from becoming easy victims.

Many of the following tips are common sense, but there may be some new ones that you could add to your own list of safety habits. These tips are also not meant to bring you paranoia, but rather remind you that being alert and prepared may possibly prevent you from becoming a victim. Instinct tells us to defend ourselves and our loved ones, but if the crook has a weapon and you do not, play it safe and cooperate. Your life is far more valuable than your wallet!

Street Smarts
– Never walk around with wads of cash or flaunt your cash when making purchases.
– Try to keep cash and valuables in the bank or, if you must, well-hidden in your home.
– Avoid walking with a purse or exposing your cell phone when walking in the downtown area.
– Try to avoid using ATM’s at night or when it’s dark out.
– Stay in groups, have someone escort you to your car if possible.
– Do not frequent the same cambios.

Home Safety
– Always keep your front gate(s) and your doors locked.
– Purchase a home alarm with motion detectors and glass breaking sensors, and make sure it is functioning as it should. Does the alarm monitoring company have all the correct phone numbers to reach you on?
– Always use your home alarm; at night, when you leave, when you are home alone, and when you are gone for long periods of time (make sure that a trusted person can check on your home or has a key).
– Do not open the gate for strangers.
– Keep a cell phone/home phone near your bed.
– Before exiting your vehicle, upon arrival at your home, check that everything appears normal. Did your dogs greet you? Are the lights on? Are there any open doors or windows?
– If you have pets/dogs that assist in alerting you, protect them too. Burglars are known to poison pets. Train your pets not to take food from strangers. At night, keep your pets in your home, inside the iron bars, or on the leash (out of site to passer-byers) so that your pets do not go near the front gate and risk being poisoned.
– Keep good relationships with your neighbors. Try to keep an eye on each other’s homes and remain alert for screams or uncommon noises.

Car Safety
– Lock your car doors and keep your car windows closed while in traffic.
– Never leave purses, laptops, or valuable items in your parked car.
– Ladies, do not leave your purse in the car seat next to you while driving. Make a habit of placing your purse on the floor, in the back seat.
– If you are robbed in or near your car, do as you are told so as not to escalate the situation or cause injury to yourself.
– If you suspect you are being followed, pull over into the nearest public commercial area and call the police (115). Note the license plate, make, model, and color of the car, if you can.

And while we’re on the topic of safety, here are a few other tips to keep in mind.

Most houses in Suriname have windows and doors that are enclosed with iron bars (dievenijzer). Dief means burglar in Dutch, so it’s safe to assume that these decorative attachments were built to serve two purposes: to look nice, and to keep robbers out. Iron bars are a common sight within the Caribbean. But as with most things, there are also drawbacks to having iron bars in and outside of your home. The same bars that keep unwanted guest out can also hold you prisoner in your own home.
The more doors a house has, the more keys are needed to open the locks. Your Surinamese key chain probably weighs more than a pound because you have so many of them. But, can you easily identify the keys? Do you have copies near the exits of your home? Where do you keep your keys at night?
– Begin by purchasing color key rings or products that can help you differentiate the keys so you know exactly which belong to each lock.
– Keep only the important keys on your key ring and place the rest on hooks or nails near the exits of your home. For example, place a small hook with a spare key near windows with locks that open to create fire exits. Make sure the keys are placed in strategic places, easily accessible to you, but not to thieves who may try to access them from the outside.
– Also keep a basket of spare keys that only you and members of your household know the location of. Keep your key chain(s) near you at night. In case of a fire, you do not have time to go searching for keys.
– Make sure your household has a fire escape plan.
Purchase fire extinguishers and smoke alarms for your home. If you have a gas stove, do not place the gas tanks inside your kitchen, in your garage, or in places where they are vulnerable to damage. Even gas tanks get stolen, so be sure to also enclose them in iron cages, as well as outside air-conditioning units, and the copper plumbing that runs outside of your home. The number for the fire department is 110.

DEBIT CARDS
Most modern stores have debit card machines, but functionality depends on a good broadband connection from the telephone company, Telesur. Like the ATM machines, the debit card machines operate sporadically. When they work, however, they are very convenient. When they don’t work, it’s raining, or the power goes out, and you don’t have cash, you cannot buy groceries or gas. And if it’s the weekend and the banks are closed and the ATMs and debit machines aren’t working, “heb je echt pech” (you’re really out of luck). Sounds like too many coincidences, right? Well, power outages occur as frequently here as snowstorms in Antarctica. Most banks are closed on the weekends, and on during the week most operate only from 8:00am to 2pm. Rain falls almost every afternoon during rainy season, further debilitating the ease of doing business and slowing traffic.

PAYDAY
Most companies pay their employees only once a month, at the end of the month or at the beginning of the new month. Salaries are discussed in monthly terms, not weekly or annually as we accustomed to in America. When financial figures are written exceeding a thousand, a period is also used in place of the comma. For example, 1200 Suriname dollars would be written 1.200 srd. If you are part of the working class, I highly recommend getting direct deposit because of the convenience it offers to avoid bank lines. Do not go to the bank during the first or last week of the month – it’s too busy. When you must go to the bank, because the ATMs aren’t working, go between 10-11am or after 1pm. Take out enough cash for the month and hide it well, somewhere in your alarm protected, iron enclosed, dog guarded, sentry protected house. Every few days take some cash out of your “home account” as needed. Never carry a lot of cash with you because you can put yourself in danger of a robbery or assault.

CAMBIOS
If you are paid in US dollars, keep your money in U.S. dollars (in the bank) and only exchange a small amount at a time at the local cambios (monetary exchange counters). They can be found around almost every corner and usually have heavily armed guards securing the property. Pick out of handful of different locations and vary your frequentation of each. Never develop a banking or cambio routine by going to the same place at the same time on the same days. Either cambio workers or nearby observers may be “watching” you and someday decide to follow you. I find the drive-up cambios with guards to be the most convenient. Greet the window cashier or guard nicely and tell him/her that you would like to exchange dollars for SRDs, and ask them for the exchange rate that you would like to have. For example, if the bank is exchanging your dollars at 3.25 ($1 = 3.25 SRD), ask the cambio to buy them from you at rate of 3.33. If they refuse, lower your rate to what you find acceptable. Remember that unlike the banks, cambios are competitive with their rates. They want your dollars. Don’t be fooled or taken advantage of; they will turn around and sell those same dollars you just exchanged with them for 3.35 SRD each. That’s how they make their profit. You may be asked for an ID (at the beginning of 2011, the government imposed laws that required cambios to track customer purchases). The law was in practice for about 2 weeks, but I haven’t been asked for my ID since.

CAMBIO LISTING
Exces Cambio
Florin Exchange
Money Line
Surpost Money Exchange
Surora Exchange
Valex

MONEY TRANSFERS
As previously mentioned, international and local money transfers can be done via the bank. Ask your bank for specific instructions as well as what the charges are for the transactions. Bringing cash in and out of the country is also an option, although some countries limit the amount of money you can physically carry between borders without declaring the amount of cash you have and filling in a special form. Last I knew, the total amount of cash allowed on hand when entering of leaving the U.S.A. was $9,999 USD. Again, traveling with this much cash is not recommended.
There are a number of money transfer locations where the beneficiary of an overseas transfer can pick up their cash. When receiving a transfer, you will most likely be asked for your passport or Suriname I.D., the ten digit transfer number (for Western Union), the amount you are to receive, the country of origin, the name of the person sending you the money, and your address and telephone number. Customer service representatives do not have the right to ask you what the money will be used for or why you are receiving it.

MONEY TRANSFER COMPANIES
Western Union
Money Gram

CURRENCY
The people of Suriname like to refer to their country currency, effective as per January 1, 2004, as the Suriname Dollar (SRD), but you may notice that most businesses that cater to vacationers (hotels, car rental agencies, luxury shops, tour groups, high- end restaurants) price their goods and services in US Dollars and Euros. That is mostly for the buyer’s convenience, but also because some business owners and citizens still don’t trust the stability of their own country’s currency. During the 1980s, the country went through a rough economic turmoil involving high inflation. Many people lost their life’s savings in the process of converting the Suriname Guilder (then used currency) to the Suriname Dollar.

BILLS & COINS

Bills
100 srd bill
50 srd bill
25 srd bill
10 srd bill
5 srd bill

Coins
2.50 srd coin (also called a “dollar”)
1 srd coin (worth about .325 American cents)
25 srd kwartje coin (like the American quarter but not the same value)
10 srd dubbeltje cent coin (like the American dime but not the same value)
5 srd stuiver cent coin (like the American nickel but not the same value)
1 srd cent coin (like the American penny but not the same value)

Because of its plethora of fresh water rivers and its location along the Caribbean coast, Suriname is home to over 350 species of freshwater fish. There are plenty of organized fishing tours to choose from (only a few are listed). If you like to eat fish but not catch them, the local supermarkets, fish markets, and restaurants also serve up a good variety.

If you love fish, be sure to taste the sweet and sour fish at Lucky Twins and other Chinese restaurants. Their Koebie fish is deep fried in a spicy batter and doused with a sweet and sour sauce. The Koebie Fish, one of Suriname’s finer delicacies, carries its own treasure rocks. Koebie stones are two little white stones that can be found inside the fish crossbones in the Kobie’s head. These stones help the fish to balance. After devouring the tasty fish, some people make it a tradition to search for the Koebie stones and polish them off. They are often jeweled with gold encasings and worn as necklace charms.

Fishing Tours
Suriname Fishing Tour 
Nature Resort Kabalebo
Sukrupatu Resort – Saramacca

Where to buy fishing accessories
Tomahawk
The Tackle Box

Some Popular Freshwater Surinamese Fish
The Brown Hoplo Catfish (Kwie Kwie) – type of hard-shelled Catfish that is often prepared with curry
The Giant Trahira (Anjumara) – a huge deep river fish that is very strong and difficult to catch
The Red-tail Catfish – a large catfish with a reddish-orange tail and a white strip across its body
Wolf Fish (Patakka)
The Peacock Bass (Tukunari) – a wild predator, great-tasting, and a very popular catch for fisherman
The Piranha (Pireng) – a bit dry on the tongue, but tastes great in soup
Cichlid Fish (Krobia)
Pencil Fish (Matoeli)

Some Sea Fish
Acoupa Weakfish (Bang Bang)
Bass Kandratiki (Kandra)

What to buy at your local fish market/supermarket
Bang Bang – often pickled and served like sushi on a sandwich, also makes a great fried fish
Koebie
Bacalou – used in moksi alesie and Her Heri dishes
Kandra
Botervis
Wit Witte

BANKING

One morning, I wake up late and finally get out the door by 9:30am. I have a simple plan in place. First, I will run by the ATM machine on Kernkampweg– I know is distributes American dollars; then I’ll drive to the Cambio (money exchange), and then go shopping.

I can’t find a parking space at the bank, so I parallel park across the street and strut towards the ATM serenaded by a few obnoxious whistles. The screen reads – THIS ATM IS TEMPORARILY OUT OF ORDER. Ugh! I should’ve known better. The ATM machines rarely work and I always need cash on the days they’re broken. The alternative cash retrieval method involves the doom of entering the bank. That means I need a passport. So, I leave the other side of town and go back home in search of my passport. While in a harried route to open the door, I forget to turn off the house alarm and trip over the dog’s chew toy. On the way out, my automatic gate gets stuck. I get out of the car and manually push the gate open, drive the car out into the street and manually push the gate shut again. This is the same gate, by the way, that was serviced by a technician and “fixed” the week before. I remember that the bank is only across the street from my house, less than 1/8 of a mile, but across a very busy four-lane highway. There’s only a sliver of asphalt and grass in between the divergent traffic lanes, about the width of household ladder. Although crossing the highway with a car feels like the equivalent of Frogger hopping across the freeway in a metal cage. My husband doesn’t agree, but he usually waits five or more minutes at the intersection before deciding the turn left and take the round about the long way around anyway. I figure it will be faster, and more environmentally conscious to walk to the bank. I get there at 10:15 and, to my great surprise, there isn’t a line of 25 people sandwiched between the labyrinthine plastic separators. There are three customers in front of me. Amused, I start playing Klondike on my blackberry. Three old gentlemen enter into the 60+ lane, now occupying the services of one of the two bank tellers. There are now seven people in front of me; my wait in line has just increased by 20 minutes.

It only took a few of these experiences to convince me that I needed to adopt a new banking method, and quickly. I now avoid the bank at all costs, only going once a month, unless there’s an emergency. Suriname is still a cash country, but I consider it a necessary evil to have a bank account if you plan to live here. Opening a bank account is not difficult if you have a letter from your employer with your function and salary (dated within one month of your bank account application date), your valid I.D. (passport of Suriname I.D.), and your “stay” papers. Depending on your work situation or immigration status, there may be different requirements. Keep in mind that your country of citizenship may require you to declare all of your foreign accounts when doing your taxes.

There are a handful of international banks in Suriname, and having an account has its benefits. First of all, keeping a lot of money in your house is not necessarily a safe solution. Houses are often broken into or those coming in and out of your home may steal from you (repair persons/maids). Secondly, many companies offer direct deposit of paychecks. This is a more convenient option than running to the bank with a wad of cash or a paycheck, especially with the limited hours of operation and long lines. Thirdly, having a bank account can make bill paying a lot less complicated. The utility companies (EBS, Telesur, SWM) offer electronic bill pay. The alternative to online bill pay is physically going to the utility’s payment offices and standing in line to pay. Via online banking, you can set up bill pay and make transfers to international accounts and domestic accounts (bank to bank within the country). You could use the domestic transfer option, for example, to pay your child’s private school tuition without ever leaving the house or office. You may also order checks for your personal or business accounts. Checks can be used to make transfers between banks and bank accounts as well. You can fill out a check in advance and hand it to the customer service person rather than waiting in line for one the tellers. Worry not, you are allowed to write the checks and the amounts in English.

ATM’s

Automatic transfer machines systems (ATM’s) are known as cash machines “geld automaat” or “pin” machines. Avoid using ATM’s late at night. Using your “pinpas” (debit card/credit card) to pay or getting some money out of the ATM is called “pinnen”. To find an ATM, just ask someone, “Waar kan ik pinnen?”

Although most of the banks allow US dollar accounts and Euro accounts, RBC Bank (owned by Royal Bank of Canada) also offers the convenience of ATM cards and ATM machines that give out US dollars and Euros from your Surinamese bank account(s).

ATM’s that give out US dollars:

RBC Bank – Kernkampweg – Paramaribo South
RBC Bank Head Office – Kerkplein/downtown
RBC ATM Hermitage Mall – Paramaribo South
RBC ATM next to Tulip Supermarket – North Paramaribo (Tourtonnelaan)

Those listed above and a few other ATM’s (mostly inside the major hotels) also accept credit cards and overseas debit cards, but only dispense Suriname dollars in the equivalent of your foreign accounts currency (bank exchange rate + fees).

Read more about “Banking” by Sabrina Zondervan next week.