September 2015

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 and I am excited because I HAVE NEVER READ A HARRY POTTER book!  We are moving at a rather slow pace that I HOPE will improve as we read.  They all like the plot and seem to enjoy fantasy and adventure.  International Literacy Day was on the 8^th and I was pleased to be able to give each student (all 26) a book for them to call their own.  Some children have not had a book in their home! I will keep building home libraries as I can.

We had our first PTA meeting and it looks like some parents might like a workshop on making some cost effective teaching aids.  I have a Sunday afternoon in October set aside to help parents get some simple but fun tools in their home to engage interaction.  Why does study have to be boring?  No!  It doesn’t.  It only takes commitment and engagement. I’ll let you know how the workshop pans out!

The Berbice Expo took place mid-September. Several of the newest group of volunteers (GUY27) attended and I tagged along on opening night.  Basically, this Expo looked something like a County Fair might look in the US.  There were vendors, crafts, agricultural and mining displays.  There were food items and a small area for children to have rides or jump in a bouncy house.  I enjoyed spending time with new volunteers and staying the night with Suzi.  She, Zach and I took an early morning beach walk – so serene and lovely.  I would be at the beach every day if one were that close to me!

My friend, Michelle and I have had a plan for some time to visit the interior of this awesome country.  We have been told time and again the “real” Guyana can only be seen in the interior.  However, about 80% of the population is coastal and many of Guyana’s own have never seen the interior.  Believe me, IT IS NOT EASY to access.  One has the choice of taking a 9 hour (at best) bus trip on THE BUMPIEST road I have ever been on for any distance OR flying in a 13 seat plane over the jungle.  Because I have always been one to say, “I’ll try anything once” we rode in and flew out.  After taking the ride I realized Michelle HAD taken the bus ride even farther last spring when she went to Brazil.  Realizing this, I told her I really appreciated her making the trip as I am not sure I would have signed up to do it again.  On her trip in April the bus had 3 flat tires and it took about 14 hours.  At any rate, our bus ride was uneventful aside from hitting my head on the window or roof a couple of times!  We were among a large Brazilian family that only spoke Portuguese so we were pretty lost in any conversation attempt.  The driver had quite an array of music for us.  I was thrown back to the 60’s and 80’s with country tunes intermixed with Celene Dion, Elton John, Kool and the Gang and of course every once in a while some Soca Music.
 
 We arrived at our ferry crossing at 3AM and had some time to catch some rest before crossing at sunrise.
We were greeted by Alex of Iwokrama Lodge/Turtle Camp. 

The short ride took us to the Lodge where we would take two morning breakfasts.  After our first breakfast, we loaded a small boat for the trip to Turtle Mountain Camp.
 
As we left, Sandcar, the seemingly domesticated caiman cleared the way. The Turtle Mountain Camp is a site where students and scientists study wildlife and forest.  There are a few round houses with half walls and hooks for hammock sleeping.   This building is where we took our meals at the camp. 
 

While the staff unloaded the boat and set up lunch, Michelle and I sat by a pond taking in the beauty of not only the sights but the sounds.  
 
I heard something I had never heard and thought it to be Howling Monkeys…..what a sound they can make!   We had a nice lunch and rested in hammocks before a mid-afternoon hike up Turtle Mountain. 

Now, this is not the Rocky Mountains, but there was elevation of about 980 feet and we were excited to be elevated some looking over the jungle and the Essequibo River.  We were told the 7.2 mile hike would be arduous and I found it to be so, but it felt great! 
 

We returned to camp just in time for the sun to set and another delicious meal.  We took our hammock bed about 8PM.  I was pleased to see that I really could have a restful sleep in a hammock in the jungle!  The dew was heavy and we actually were a bit chilly upon awakening.  It’s Guyana…the sun beats sharp (hard) and early so the dew dissipated quickly.  We packed up and were back on the boat about 7AM, headed for Iwokrama Lodge for breakfast #2.  After breakfast we loaded into a truck and were driven to Atta Lodge, about an hour away. 

  
We would take a morning hike that was THE MAIN reason for making this trip.  Known as the Iwokrama Canopy Walkway, we had hoped to walk the entire length of the walkway.  However, a few weeks before our arrival a couple of sections had been crushed by a falling tree.  SO...we could walk onto platform one and turn back.  It was beautiful and we did see a sleeping sloth hanging upside down in a tree.  
 






 Afternoon hike....





Hikes are over and I relax with a cold adult beverage.....

I was told the word ATTA is hammock in the local Amerindian language.  However, this location is modern with nice mattresses. (I am not sure, but I think all of us PC Volunteers sleep on foam mattresses that soon turn to cereal bowl shapes.)


The bathroom is set up in interesting fashion.  One gets a real sense of showering in the jungle, yet it is a room with only a partial ceiling and a slightly dropped wall.  No worries, only birds and critters high is trees might see over the wall.
 
Meals there were also delicious and abundant.   We enjoyed the night with a game of Scrabble before going to bed.  In both of these sites, we were the sole guests.  Talk about having special attention!  We again had an early breakfast and were picked up for transport to our next destination.
 

This would be the airstrip in Annai.  This tiny spot is located at Red Rock Lodge where a large fire had come perilously close only the day before.
 
 
Again, no other visitors.  It seems thousands would have been there just the weekend before for the Ruppinini Music Festival and we were there as staff would be catching their wind.  There was a TV set up in the waiting area where Michelle and I sat and watched the historic event of the Pope addressing folks in Philadelphia.
 

It was truly surreal to be there.  Soon we would see the tiny plane land and circle back to pick us up.  The flight would be one hour and 20 minutes into Georgetown.  It is amazing to look out of the window and see what appears to be broccoli head after broccoli head lined up below.  Very dense, indeed! The adventure into the jungle was complete…too short, but certainly memorable.

Back in the village, we are finishing up the first month of Term 1.  I look forward to seeing children returning for lessons after school in October.  Time to knuckle down and get on with the literacy part…my REASON for being here!

Until later ~~~~a view of THE LONELY ROAD that runs in and out of my village.