Georgetown - Post Report Question and Answers
Is it easy to make friends with locals here? Are there any prejudices or any ethnic groups who might feel uncomfortable here?
There is a strong racial divide between people of Indian descent and people of black descent. If you are of either descent, I would encourage you strongly to do research. I know of one black expat who has experienced prejudice and difficulty here due to the local prejudices that exist. Locals seem fairly willing to make friends, but I have mostly stuck to the expat community. The culture is a bit difficult and sometimes I feel as though there is an expectation that I would pay for everything and anything when interacting with locals. - Aug 2026
No and yes. - Apr 2024
I think it is about average for making friends with locals. Georgetown is a very diverse city. - Jun 2022
Locals are the friendliest and most welcoming of any overseas posting. Absolutely incredible for the most part! Just be cautious of the high levels of corruption. - Aug 2021
Guyanese are super friendly. - Sep 2020
Guyanese are generally open to foreigners. Any Guyanese have relatives living in the U.S. or Canada, and nearly everyone has positive views of the United States (even in the current political environment). As noted below, there also isn’t a lot of racial/ethnic prejudice. That said, this is a very small place, so if you’ve had a negative interaction with someone (e.g., refusing a visa, cutting someone off in traffic, declining to give someone money), don’t assume that you’ll never see them again. As with street crime, situational awareness is very important. - Aug 2019