What's new in Guyana?

The month of October saw two more of our group leave Guyana.   It was hard to see friends Kelly and Erika leave and I took a day off of school to have lunch with them in Georgetown before they left the country.   I am happy they are safe and moving on to their next chapter of life outside of Guyana.   Kelly on the left and Erika in pink top joined by me, Lindsey and Tanoa for lunch at The Oasis.   Admittedly, I go to a place where I question my role in the Peace Corps; in the village; in school when these things happen.   Then I return to school and see the smiles, hear the cries of “Miss Patty” and receive the hugs that I know I’m at the right place.   October was dedicated to sports, Sports, SPORTS and more SPORTS!   Sandvoort Primary is not unlike any other primary school in Guyana when it comes to competitive and enthusiastic response when given a chance at sports….in particular, cricket.   However, in terms of numbers, Sandvoort Primary has just 25 children, G1-

Well, it’s turned fall where many of my friends and family now see some signs of the season.  Here in Guyana it’s still hot.  However, I do in fact see leaves dropping here and there and am reminded of home. Some of my new Guyanese friends are now traveling in England, Canada and the US.  They are excited to see the colors vividly displayed and I have to admit….I am looking forward to seeing them myself.  That will be NEXT fall! September has had me going.  I started the term doing assessments on the students G1-G6.  Some, as expected did fall back, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of improvements.  One girl alone took up my challenge to read 10 books during the summer.  She now has become a reading enthusiast! I have initiated two separate before school book study groups.  The first is early readers on Monday and Wednesday mornings for ½ hour and the fluent readers are Tuesday and Thursday for the same time.  This group is engaged in the first Harry Potter book

Where do I start?  This August is certainly different than last August.  This time last year I was scheduling the most mundane tasks for the sake of looking like I had something to do.  I have just completed mid-service training and now look at finishing some projects before I leave next summer.  I know the time will go quickly.  Emancipation Day is celebrated August 1 in Guyana.  This year, Sandvoort Village had a week-long celebration that started with no less than the President of Guyana making an appearance on August 1 right at the Community Centre (upstairs at the Health Centre).  I was asked to give a short talk during the ceremony and addressed a packed house JUST BEFORE His Excellency, David Granger gave a nice speech.  I have my speech added at the bottom of this blog entry.    The night our training finished, I was on a plane headed out to meet my sisters for a MILESTONE CRUISE.  Well, that’s what WE called it.  All three of them had or will have soon a mil

Summer time and the livin' is easy....or NOT! How can it be that it's 1/2 way through summer and just now I feel like I can relax? Well, here's why..... Toward the end of June I realized I had not been feeling 100%.  I had a bad cough (I told PC Medical that I had a demolition derby going on inside) and generally weak.  I had no fever or other symptoms but after 3 weeks of enduring it, I called the Nurse Jean.  She authorized a visit to nearby Dr. Ganesh in New Amsterdam so that I would not have to travel to Georgetown.  He put me on some medication and PC Medical restocked my vitamins.  In a week's time I felt better.  All the while, school was wrapping up and I still had lessons with children in my house.  I said farewell to children at nearby Lockhaber School as they would soon have their own PCV assigned to them.  I worked with villagers to begin preparation for a big village Emancipation celebration in August.  July rolled around and Term 3 was done on the 3rd.

CONSOLIDATION Sunday, May 10th...Mother's Day in US and Guyana.  What am I doing?  I am being picked up by a PC driver and taken to a quiet and fairly remote location in Rose Hall.  There are two vehicles that started early in the morning from Peace Corps HQ in Georgetown.  They have stopped along the way to collect volunteers in key areas known to be volatile after elections.  National Elections will take place Monday, May 11.  We arrive at our destination about noon and soon served lunch.  For the next 6 days we are free of preparing our own meals.  We are free of our duties, in general.  I look at it as R&R.  I hope others do also.  There is a large building that is used as sleeping quarters with a men's dorm and women's dorm on the bottom floor.  More private sleeping quarters are upstairs that staff will use.  There will be about 18 volunteers in the dorms that could easily accommodate twice the number. Across the yard is a larger common building where we will

Bright Side vs. Dark Side Most times, I find my current situation as a Peace Corps Volunteer rewarding and answering a long standing question of, “What would it be like….?” I knew it would come at a price to take 27 months and serve in a country, a culture unknown to me.  What I did not factor in or even know or think about is the daily assault to every one of my senses.  I knew garbage would be burned.  I had read and tried to prepare for bucket baths and cold showers.  I knew I was going to a tropical climate and it would be hot and humid.  I knew there would be familiar and unfamiliar food.  I knew that the culture likely had music folks identified with.  I realized Creolese would be a challenging dialect of English.  I knew that the people of Guyana came from many peoples over more than one body of water.  Even knowing all of this, I was unprepared for  the transportation challenges in all forms; the routine starchy food offerings that are typically over sugared and salted; the a