By Lakhram Bhagirat
Not everyone wants to grow up, we just want to enjoy the perks of being a grown up. We want the nice things and privileges and not the responsibilities, but what do we do when we are a mere teenager and life reveals how ugly it can be, leaving us virtually alone. We adapt, right?
Being 15, for many of us, means a life where our mothers coddle us and fathers take care of our every need or even our grandparents spoil us rotten, but the case is very different for Sharon Coylasar of Aishalton in Region Nine. You see, it has only been a few months since Sharon’s mother, Marina Browne, passed away but even before that, the teenager has always been independent and a self-starter.
Sharon is a Fourth Form student of the Aishalton Secondary School in Deep South Rupununi and she is an inspiration to everyone in the small Amerindian community and even those afar. But what makes Sharon so unique? She is not your average teenager. She lives by herself and runs a small grocery shop to maintain the home and send her to school.
As we learned earlier, Sharon’s mother died in March of this year and since then she has been left to fend for herself, since her brother died last year and her sister is a doctor in Georgetown. She explains that her father has been out of her life for over a decade and since the death of her mother, an aunt that lives nearby would “check-in” with her at night.
Sharon is preparing to transition from Fourth to Fifth Form where she is expected to sit eight subjects at the 2019 Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) examination. Filled with teenaged giggles, she explains that her number one passion is business and it is only fitting that she sit the core business subjects at the upcoming CSEC exams.
“I want to be an independent woman, a self-employed woman, a business woman so that I can show people what I am made of. I am strong, Indigenous and proud. Our village (of Aishalton) is small, everyone looks out for everyone, and that is why I want to stay here and work and develop this village. I want the other young ladies to see what they can do and what we can do together,” Sharon says.
Not knowing how to speak to someone about the loss of the only parental figure in their life, I casually asked Sharon “how has she been coping since her mother’s passing,” and the answer was one that surprised me; not because of how gut-wrenching it was, but rather it was the level of maturity it was delivered with.
“Since my mother passed, it has been hard. She used to run the shop and I would make snacks like puri and pulorie and so and take to school and sell because of a programme we were doing but all of that I had to stop. I couldn’t cope with all of that. I had experienced the loss of a close person when my brother died but when my mother died, it was like everything stopped. I realised I was alone and had to take care of myself so I started to plan every day and adjust. It is a bit easier now but I miss her every day. But now I can cope with school and the shop,” she explained.
Quite frankly, even as an adult it is tough to imagine a life where mommy is not there and for a mere teenager to come to terms and understand the role of stepping up to the proverbial plate is not only commendable, but inspiring.
Growing up for Sharon has been fun and even though she does not have much spare time now, she spends whatever time she can get with her school friends and like any teenager, browsing social media sites. She enjoys a good movie but now with the pressures of completing labs work for her Integrated Science School Based Assessment (SBA), coupled with SBAs for every other subject, she cannot remember the last time she saw a good movie.
Sharon wakes up every morning at the crack of dawn, makes breakfast and opens the shop for about three hours before venturing to school. At school, she explains it is hard to focus since managing a household and studies takes its toll at times. After school, she would hurry home and open the shop for another few hours because that is the only source of income she has.
“I have been trying ever since and I’m still maintaining the grades despite the struggles I have on a daily basis, which is no mom around to talk to,” she noted.
Now, whenever Sharon receives a good grade or any commendation from her teachers, she just taps herself on the back and says good work as her mother would have done.
Sharon has the drive to forge ahead despite the obstacles. She sees herself expanding her business to that of a general store and furthering her studies in the field of Business Management and Accounting. She aspires to develop her community and make her mark.
“I like challenges. Plenty people ask me how I do it but at the end of the day, I have to do it. Sometimes I do wish that I can just be like the other girls but then I am thankful for the experience. I like to be independent and I want to remain that way until I die,” Sharon said amidst giggles.
Fellow villager Immaculata Casimero describes Sharon as an “inspiration”, adding that the village of Aishalton is proud of her. (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
