Hi
I was in Suriname from 1959-1963 when I was 10-14 years old.I'm writing a book about growing up there, then. I've had help from an antropologist who worked there at the time, with information on the Maroon tribes. I'm also, of course, using online resources, such as they are. Most of what I am getting though, is on either before the period I'm writing about, or post independence.
What I would most like would be to have the opportunity to email  back and forth with others who lived there at the time I did. I was only a child at the time, with only a child's memories and perceptions. It would be very helpful to be able to talk with others, and employ some of their memories and perceptions of those years, as well, in the writing of the book. The time period I am writing about was the five year period from 1958-1963 when Mr. Emanuels was Premier.
I see those years as a great social experiment. An attempt to form a society where people of various races and cultures could form, not so much a melting pot, as a mosaic, where everyone could live in harmony, working towards a society free from poverty, free from bigotry. That it ultimately failed does not negate the value of the experiment itself. It is a piece of history that I think people from all over the world could benefit from hearing. It will be of no value, though, if it is not accurate. To make it accurate I need input from others who lived there during those years.
I live in CA too, in the high desert, above the Cochella Valley, above the Palm Springs area. I lived for years in Northern California, before moving down here, as well though.
If you have any relatives or friends who lived in Suriname in those years I would love to have the opportunity to email with them.
As for friends here in CA, I am always happy to meet new friends, though I suspect from you posting, that I am old enough to be your grandmother lol.
I would love to hear from you.
Lynn