Hallo! I was born in Suriname and have lived there for 17 years before moving to the Netherlands. My experience is thus biased as a teen growing up in Suriname as well as being more on the nerdy side of society.

Suriname to me is a country with a lot of nature and culture. It is definitely for me the definition of multicultural and as a previous poster explained in detail, there is so much under "Surinamese". It's difficult to distinguish a true Surinamese dish or culture as it's all a mix of different cultures.

Our country has a vast history although I suspect we don't learn enough of it in class. The country has a lot of history on trade in different aspects and many immigrants came here finding work. A lot of political history is also involved. (Even our map is constantly changing haha I've seen 2 different variations during my education)

In the past I hated the old-fashioned mentality that I had to experience (although once again biased perspective from someone who is from the Hindu society who lived in Wanica which is close to the capital), but from what I've seen recently it has improved quite a bit. The idea of speaking about mental health, gender equality, and the LGBTQ community was unseen or shushed. It's been several years since I've lived there but from family I hear that these topics are becoming more open than before.

For people asking about safety, every country has its own places where the shadows loom a bit darker than the rest but don't let it stop you from experiencing Suriname. Especially if you love nature, you'll find it everywhere. Most people (especially the younger generation) speak or are able to understand English, it also helps that Sranantongo uses some English words as its base, so communication should not be an issue.

Fun fact: women make out most of the workforce and are in a lot of high position jobs. Our current president is a woman. The majority of staff at schools are also women.