tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49228871984378192332023-11-16T06:34:10.334-08:00A Year in GuyanaBanterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-41593480854182944022013-05-15T05:29:00.002-07:002013-05-15T12:31:55.649-07:00July and an Update from St Andrews<br />
I began writing this in August and have just realised that I never
finished it. How terrible! I'm very sorry. As a way of an apology I
will also write a few words about how much the trip has influenced my
life now.<br />
<br />
<br />
It's August now and I decided to write about the whole of July as
opposed to just the two weeks I had in Guyana. This is partly because
of a lot of thoughts that have been going through my mind in the last
fortnight.<br />
<br />
<br />
During the last week of school, as I said, the Grade Nines were
sitting their National Exams. Monday was a holiday, so on Tuesday
they sat their Maths exam. I saw the paper and it looked promising -
most of the questions were about things we'd spent a lot of time on.
I asked a few students how they think they got on - they mostly said
it was easy and they thought they had passed, so that's a good sign.
If I'm brutally honest, I'd just like to point out that it isn't very
likely this many people have passed, as they say that after every
exam.<br />
<br />
<br />
During this week we had very few of the other students in classes,
and unfortunately as teachers we were encouraged to tell the students
to go home. As I was somewhat unwilling to do this, I wanted to give
a few of them games to play some of the time, but there is very
little in the school to give them. Emily and I did manage to do some
activities with my Grade 10 class and this seemed to go down very
well. We split them up into three groups and gave them activities to
do. The most popular was a game where students have to make it across
the classroom without touching the floor using only two chairs for
each group of 8. They really enjoyed playing this and, though it did
take them some time, they stuck with it and completed it. I was
having fun even watching them, and there were students lined up
around the outside windows just watching and laughing with us, which
was a lovely sight.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOk_T6Y_JwgxiY4sACt1HdU90LTUch57pizTyLENvBPHqMjKzpF1lxs7kgLXYIrW3booj568qKdwx10td4Gei5XKq_FtvABbvKDBct5L0GnD5IvBC-rVDyycncLrXCxJGs6HUf0mYuPI8/s1600/DSCF3822.JPG"><img align="BOTTOM" border="0" height="240" name="graphics1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOk_T6Y_JwgxiY4sACt1HdU90LTUch57pizTyLENvBPHqMjKzpF1lxs7kgLXYIrW3booj568qKdwx10td4Gei5XKq_FtvABbvKDBct5L0GnD5IvBC-rVDyycncLrXCxJGs6HUf0mYuPI8/s320/DSCF3822.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
On the night of Friday 6th we had a leaving party for myself,
Emily, Fiza, Lisa and Candacie. There were quite a lot of people
there, and it was great to say goodbye to people we had known for the
majority of the year. That was the last time I danced forr<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">ó</span>
in Paramakatoi - I'm already missing it so much!<br />
<br />
After this I spent the week visiting people, saying goodbye and
drinking an awful lot of cassiri. The day before I left, Emily had
organised dinner for me at our friend Monroe's. We decided to have a
fire and roast chicken over it, and he is better at setting fires
than us, so we agreed to have it there. In the end it was Monroe,
Candacie, Emily and myself, each of us bringing something to eat.
Emily also surprised me with an early birthday/leaving cake which was
delicious!<br />
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<br /></div>
It was Friday 13th that I eventually left Paramakatoi. It was very
sudden - what had happened was a misunderstanding which meant I
thought the flight had been paid for, but when I went up in the
morning to check it hadn't. I therefore got money and went to pay for
the flight and my weight, when the plane arrived before I was ready.
I had to ask Emily to collect my hand luggage and the pilot waited
for me while I paid. I said a hurried goodbye to those who had come
to see me off, and then got into the plane. I can still picture
Paramakatoi the way I left it on that plane. The Pakaraima mountains
were so beautiful, though, and I was immediately distracted by the
views I was seeing on the way to Monkey Mountain, that I didn't
really think about the fact that I had left my home of eleven months
potentially forever. I say this - I absolutely plan to go back, but
who knows where I'll be in four or even two years' time.<br />
<br />
<br />
After leaving Paramakatoi, the plane landed in Monkey Mountain,
then flew to Mahdia, the capital of Region 8. In the end we were
there for about five hours whilst the planes were doing shuttles in
and out of villages in the region, and I eventually reached
Georgetown around 6pm. I took a taxi to the flat to find some of the
other volunteers already there. Many of them were planning to go
travelling around the Caribbean or South America, or even just within
Guyana itself.<br />
<br />
<br />
Though I considered travelling with some of the other volunteers
(since Emily had decided to remain in Paramakatoi until mid-August),
I had a lot of trouble communicating with them whilst I was in
Paramakatoi and therefore couldn't organise anything, and I wasn't
really interested in being a tourist at that time. In the end I went
home on the 17<sup>th</sup> of July, a month before I had originally
planned to leave. It meant that I was going home alone, but my
reasoning was that it meant I would have time to work and gather some
money together for University, as my parents were sort of freaking
out about the financial implications of that decision.<br />
<br />
<br />
So I was brought to the airport by Kala's daughter Rishon and two
of the other volunteers. My bag weighed under 23kg despite the
plastic bag of farine and three hammocks I'd squeezed into my
luggage. After a short wait in Cheddi Jagan Airport in Georgetown I
flew to Barbados again, where I had a five hour wait for the next
flight. Exhausted as I was, I ended up lying on top of my bags and
drifting in and out of sleep for that time. I then got the plane to
London and from there up to Inverness. The amount of thoughts rushing
through my mind on arrival were too many for me to tell you about,
and quite honestly too much for me to even remember. I recall Project
Trust telling us on training that reverse culture shock was something
we would be likely to experience, and that pretty much sums up how I
felt.<br />
<br />
<br />
What I do remember is the warmth and gratitude I felt towards my
friends who had come to meet me in Inverness airport. They brought me
biscuits and fresh strawberries. Strawberries had never tasted that
good before in my life, and I doubt they ever will again. My parents
were obviously there, too, and it was lovely seeing them. A year of
not living with them and just experiencing their kindest of sides
through their parcels and letters did wonders for our relationship.<br />
<br />
<br />
I went home and unpacked and passed on my gift of a hammock to the
family and that was the end of that. The parenthesis ended and I
continued with my life.<br />
<br />
<br />
As if.<br />
<br />
<br />
I have now been back in Scotland for 10 months. I would be lying
if I said I didn't compare my life here to that in Guyana on a daily
basis. I am always surprised to discover that there are people who
don't know that I spent a year of my life living in Guyana. I guess I
have finally passed the annoying, “Well, when I was in Guyana...”
stage, though I am sure there are people who would debate that claim.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I cannot count the ways in which my
experiences in Guyana have changed my life. I remember being told
recently that there are some languages in which the conditional case
doesn't exist, that is, they do not describe how things could have
been, would have been, might have been or any other alternative path,
but they only say what was, what is and what will be. It made me
value acceptance and progression a lot more, and consequently I have
since tried not to wonder where I would be if I hadn't gone to
Guyana, though there are a few obvious changes.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
For one, I had no intention of going
into University. My aim was to do some sort of technical theatre or
similar in college and then get into the music industry - I still
have the personal statement that I would have put on my UCAS
application had I not made the decision to take a year out. The
University application I made in Guyana was a decision I arrived at
sort of half-heartedly at the time, thinking that I would like to
have something to go back to if I chose to follow that path. However,
as I chatted to the other volunteers and teachers I realised how
fortunate we are in this country, and it became my intention to make
the most of it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In Scotland, education is free and of
an excellent quality up until the end of your first degree. In
Guyana, the students I taught would have to pay to attend a college
if they wanted to complete A-levels, and also because of the distance
these colleges are from their homes, they would have to pay to move
into a flat in the capital, too. Never mind the fact that the Primary
and Secondary teaching they received until this point was not at an
appropriate level, on <i>top</i> of that, if they went into
University achieving A-levels, any degree that they would graduate
with would only be valid within the Caribbean. When you graduate from
a Scottish University you are given a qualification that is
recognised and valued across the world. What sort of a fool would I
be to disregard an opportunity like that?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Hence, I applied to study Physics, and
was accepted into the University of St Andrews, where I am now, 15
months later, sitting my second set of exams.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In a way my experience in Guyana has
somewhat hindered my capacity to work. I left school very much a
product of our education system: capable of sitting and passing exams
in Sciences and Languages; a memory conditioned to remember formulae
and rules that could be applied to these subjects; and terrified of
failure and the shame of not living up to expectations. I returned
from Guyana with my English vocabulary (never mind that of my other
mother tongue) considerably depleted, my mind struggling to recall
those things I had learnt in my fifth and sixth years of secondary
school and my head filled with questions: “what even is the point
in all this?”, “why do we live like this when there is a much
simpler way of life?”, “do I even want to have a graduate
career?”, amongst many others.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The ways in which that year has
benefited my education, though, far outweigh these. I have developed
an appreciation for the standard of education we receive in Scottish
Universities, at no direct cost to us, as students. I have learned to
work hard and do the best I can and not just make do with “scraping
by”, as I had been doing in school. As a teacher, there is nothing
more frustrating than watching a bright student fail put in effort to
achieve what they are capable of and, as a result, fall behind. The
students you gain more respect for are those who put in the work,
regardless of their ability. I have developed an enthusiasm for life
and people that I wouldn't have had otherwise, and the lack of which
could easily have been my downfall in future, more difficult years of
my degree. I have matured, become comfortable in my skin, learned to
be apathetic to others' perceptions of me, gained the ability to
relax, learned to accept others as they choose to be, learned that it
is OK to be selfish sometimes and formed my own perceptions of true
friendship. I have learned so much more than that, but there is a
brief summary.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
And it is as a result of all these
things that I am where I am now. I feel that I have managed to end up
in a stable, safe position after all of that. I know people who have
dropped out of University, I know others who have returned to their
Project to live for a while longer and I have seen people who have
slipped right back into the routine of their old lives as if they had
never left. I feel that I have achieved a happy medium. I am on the
path to a potentially successful future, in terms of a career, should
I choose to pursue it, and in terms of my life's ambition. For the
time being, I want to experience new things and meet more people from
different cultures and learn about other lifestyles. And I am happy
to continue on with my life creating opportunities to do that.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
A returned volunteer was quoted in one
of the Project Trust booklets saying, “My Project Trust gap year
has made me want to do something extraordinary every year. I never
want to let a year go by without being able to look back and say,
'Wow, that was a good one!'” and I agree with her completely.
Though I may feel a little tied down to University and St Andrews,
that does not mean that I have to feel suffocated. In the past months
I have made some great friends, some excellent revelations about what
I want out of life and some exciting plans for a summer travelling in
France and Germany, not to mention a years worth of studying. This
trip has been the nudge I needed to get some momentum and animation
into my life, for which I am now excited and motivated as ever.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If you need motivation to make your
life more exciting, you will not regret something like this. Though
essentially you may not want to be a teacher at the end of it (I
don't), or even whatever else you volunteer as, the experience counts
for much more than that realisation. My advice to anyone considering
something similar is simply this: do it. I have been told so many
times that in life we regret the things that we don't do, not the
things we do. I truly believe this, and the sooner you get out of
your comfort zone, the more alive your existence will become.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If you have read this and kept up with
my blog until now, thank you. I hope you have gained something out of
it, too. If you take nothing from it, I'm going to leave you with
this from Steve Jobs:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
“For the past 33 years, I have looked
in the mirror every morning and asked myself, 'If today were the last
day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And
whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know
I need to change something.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Kind regards and best of luck for the
future,</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Antje</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHysDdO3vMizNMZRFdXR-YFD8z25RyAt8G1LTNBYch8cByzSoVoEnTUNSs7krB8LkFn6MGbqd-VFWNO9ZAFo20UQhpi8kdxekMjBOupPgG3uhLHK4hRVrfG8kti4VFUOXZQDcipO14ng/s1600/Tug+of+War.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="548" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHysDdO3vMizNMZRFdXR-YFD8z25RyAt8G1LTNBYch8cByzSoVoEnTUNSs7krB8LkFn6MGbqd-VFWNO9ZAFo20UQhpi8kdxekMjBOupPgG3uhLHK4hRVrfG8kti4VFUOXZQDcipO14ng/s640/Tug+of+War.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tug of War in the beautiful Paramakatoi. Credit: Lisa Jardeleza</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-87831307892687759882012-07-21T11:54:00.000-07:002012-07-21T11:54:01.790-07:00BLOG UPDATE #10 – JUNE<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The second last month of my stay in
Paramakatoi has been a busy one. Towards the end of the month I had
quite a few people beginning to say goodbye to me, in my opinion a
little prematurely but, if I'm honest, I might not see some of them
before I leave.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On the 5<sup>th</sup> of June we had a
potluck dinner for Fiza's birthday. This is where the guests bring
different dishes and share it with everyone else, so there is always
plenty to eat. I think Fiza had intended for us to bring something
from our country, so Emily a Scottish dish, Candacie something
Guyanese, but because of the lack of ingredients it was difficult to
do this. In the end we had shrimp cook up, salted fish, deer tuma,
cassava bread, garlic bread, a chicken dish from the Philippines,
some Malaysian chicken and German chocolate cake for dessert. Apart
from myself and Fiza, the guests were Emily, Lisa, Candacie, Leon (a
teacher) and some friends from the village: Vashti, China Doll and Mr
Dublin (not the Education Officer, another Mr Dublin). At the weekend
we also had a party in the village so that more people could come. It
was really enjoyable, there was a lot of dancing, and plenty people
because Fiza had made some cake.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The Grade Eleven CXC exams finished on
Monday 11<sup>th</sup> June. That evening the matron of the
dormitories had organised a graduation ceremony for the students who
had been staying there. Candacie, Fiza, Lisa, Emily and I were
invited to attend and we decided it would be a nice opportunity to
dress up a bit.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
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<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Lisa, Fiza, Antje, Emily,
Candacie</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
When we arrived the
generator wasn't working and the dining hall was lit with candles,
but after ten minutes the generator was fixed and we were all ushered
inside. The fifty-something graduating students were the last to
enter. The boys were all dressed in smart black trousers, white
shirts, smart black shoes and bow ties. The girls were wearing black
skirts, white blouses, and black high heeled shoes. They all looked
very smart. I won't recite the whole ceremony but there were a few
main parts which stick out in my memory. There was one item which
involved a group of younger students holding up the names of each of
the graduating students on a sign, and reading out short descriptions
of them beginning with their initials. It was very nice, though
Guyanese tend to be very honest and blunt so some of the students
were a little offended by what was said about them. Another item
involved only the students who are an active part of the Seventh Day
Adventist Church, who were about half of the group. They were each
given a new candle and the pastor, Father Balkarran, held a lit
candle. The students sang a song as one by one the Grade Eleven
students walked up to the pastor and lit their own candles, then
lined up along the edge of the stage area. It was very pretty,
although I fear the other students did feel excluded. At the end of
the ceremony we were given some cook up, cake and drinks, while the
teachers with cameras took photos of the Grade Elevens. It was a
fairly well organised evening, for Guyana, but it still lacked the
structure and fluidity that we would normally expect in an event like
this.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Emily and I had been told
that on the 17<sup>th</sup> of June (father's day) there would be a
wedding, but instead there was a feast for the fathers, so the
wedding was the next day. After school finished we went straight home
to get changed and then to the church. The couple getting married
looked very unhappy to be there, but when it came to the kiss, they
got a bit carried away and started kissing each other all over the
neck so they definitely wanted to get married. At the same time as
the wedding there was also a games day for father's day at the
playing field, so we went there for twenty minutes before going to
the reception. At least half of the village was there watching the
eating competition, the needle and thread race and other contests. As
we left they were asking around for a bow and arrow for the shooting
competition – we learnt afterwards that Leon had won it and
received a large chicken as a prize. Anyway, we then walked the ten
minutes to the groom's house and met the new Mrs Sandwell, who was
from another village.</div>
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</div>
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</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Antje, Emily, Hyacinth
Sandwell, Fiza</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
They were serving cook up
and chow mein out of big round pots and there was some tuma at the
side, too.</div>
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<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I ate some cook up, not
realising that there were pieces of pepper in it, and put a big piece
into my mouth. I ended up feeling very sick from it, and trying to
drink cassiri to cool my mouth – it wasn't until a few days later
that somebody told me cassiri only makes it worse! It was very tasty
though.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
On Sunday 25<sup>th</sup> of
June the National Grade Nine exam papers were supposed to arrive. On
Friday 29<sup>th</sup> of June they finally arrived. The students in
the dormitories had to stay there for a week more than they expected,
despite the serious food shortages which the dormitories were facing.
Both of these things were supposed to come on a plane from Mahdia. At
one point the Community Teachers Association had to make donations to
buy a bag of rice to feed the students. I will not begin to explain
how frustrating this whole affair was.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Apart from the above we
spent a lot of time visiting people. The village was muddy and wet a
lot of the time but whenever the weather allowed it we went to see a
lot of the friends we had made throughout the year. I have enjoyed
the month a lot more than many of the others – even more! I feel
like I am finally getting close to a lot of the villagers and I am
beginning to feel sad about leaving so soon. Anyway, I'll leave it
for this month.</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
All the best and thanks for
reading once again,</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Antje</div>Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-56190772929141062292012-06-20T14:35:00.000-07:002012-06-20T14:35:46.839-07:00# 9 - ExamsHello everyone!<br />
<br />
May is the exam month for everyone - in Guyana too, though not for everybody. I know a lot of you reading this will just have been finishing your exams as I am writing it. Hope you have all done well.<br />
<br />
Here we have CXC CSECs. These are pretty much the equivalent of SQA Intermediate 2. It's the same age of pupils as for those exams, too. I didn't teach any of them, but it does disrupt the school a lot. On days when compulsory subjects are written, namely Maths, English, Social Studies and Integrated Science, the school is closed to students. We teachers are left to attend school despite the lack of students, which doesn't appear to make sense. If you consider, however, that the school has neither a (working) computer nor a (working) printer/photocopier, you will be able to appreciate how much paperwork has to be done by hand. Needless to say, it's time well spent.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the National Grade 9 Exams are also fast approaching: Maths is on the 25th June. For the last three weeks in May and the following four weeks of June this means hard work. I am having two hours worth of extra lessons three days a week to finish the syllabus. I am also planning to organize a mock exam for Friday, 15th June, just to shock the students and to encourage them to revise properly.<br />
<br />
The exams are the main focus of May and June, but as it's coming up to the end of term, and thus to the end of the year, I have been trying to do as much as I can out of school. Emily and I have been spending a lot of weekends visiting people. In the first week in May we were invited to eat tuma with a villager called Miss Julinda.<br />
Tuma is a type of stew, often with eddo leaf or some other sort of greens, most commonly made with meat, but sometimes with fish. A lot of people also like to put hot chili peppers into it, too. When we went to eat tuma at Julinda's, it was plain (so not hot) but it was made with meat from a deer which her nephew, Leon, a teacher at the school, had shot a few days ago. It was delicious. We were given cassava bread and some cassiri (the drink) to have with it, and we talked at lot to Julinda, her children and her nieces. After the meal we played some games with them. One game involved throwing a small hoop made of grass over a stick standing in the ground. The aim was to get the hoop around the stick and gain a sweet. Another game is called "dog and bone": players are split into two teams which then stand equal distances from the "bone" (we used a stick, but anything will do). The players are numbered and everyone has a partner with the same number as them on the opposite team. When a number is called, the two players with that number run to the middle and try to get the bone first, however once they have the bone, the other player can tag them and they have to give it up again. What usually happens if two experienced players are competing is, they run to the middle and sort of sparr until one player is quick enough to snatch the bone and escape to their team. Julinda always gave the winner a sweet, too. There were more than these two games, but I won't name them all. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.<br />
<br />
On the 25th of May, Ryan, a volunteer from Chenapou, came to visit us. He had walked for ten hours through muddy paths and was very tired on arrival, so we let him sleep. The next day was a Saturday, so we took him to see the rest of Paramakatoi. We visited many people and drank a lot of cassiri, and in the end we spent all day out in the village. The 26th of May is Independence Day in Guyana, so there was a party in the evening at Vashti's shop. Ryan was obviously ambushed immediately by everyone, especially by some of the older women. The party went on until early in the morning and all the time music was playing and people were dancing forro and soca. It's difficult to describe the atmosphere of one of these parties, but it isn't like parties in Scotland. I want to say that the parties here are much less civilised, but this may be taken as a negative thing, which it absolutely isn't. I suppose a good description would be to say it's simpler. The host makes the tonic, sometimes cari or cassiri too, and that is what everyone drinks. Apart from that, music is played, people dance and people talk. But mainly people dance. And that is all. It is such a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere that you can't help but enjoy yourself. And it's nearly always dark, bar one small chink of light, which is great because you don't feel like everyone's watching you, and it contributes to the relaxed atmosphere. The dancing is something I'm going to miss a lot, because I am probably not going to find anywhere to dance forro back home.<br />
<br />
Ryan left again on Tuesday morning, to walk back to Chenapou. Apart from that not much happened this month. Obviously a big part of it is the realisation that now it's June, I'm coming home really soon and that though I'm excited about returning home, I will be sad to leave Paramakatoi.<br />
<br />
All the best to everyone. Thanks once again for taking the time to read this,<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
Antje xxx<br />
<br />Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-34978814211298561492012-06-16T09:23:00.000-07:002012-06-16T09:23:16.148-07:00Blog Update #8 - The Lethem Rodeo<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<![endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blog Update #8 – The Lethem Rodeo</b></div>
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Hello everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
the end of April, month number 8 in Guyana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have only ten weeks left in Paramakatoi, and three-and-a-half months
left abroad, but this last month has been a good one.</div>
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For about a week leading up to the Easter holidays, Emily
and I had been excitedly divulging to pretty much everyone that we were
planning on going to the Lethem Rodeo on a truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The holidays came, and we received news that
the truck would be arriving at the beginning of the first week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were on stand-by already on Sunday 1<sup>st</sup>
April.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That same day, we decided to go
and buy some flour from Vashti’s shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We went to find not Vashti, but her sister, China Doll (She looks like a
china doll, and that’s what everyone knows her as.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure what her real name is.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>China Doll had us believing that she had been
told that the truck would not be arriving at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily and I were devastated, but we kept asking
her, “China Doll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you serious?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is this for real?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She eventually gave in and started laughing,
managing to mention that it was April Fool’s Day!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that’s the first time in over five
years that someone played a prank on me on 1<sup>st</sup> April.</div>
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So on Monday, 2<sup>nd</sup> April, the truck finally
arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the same day, there came to
Paramakatoi a procession of about 15 four-by-fours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every year, the president leads a safari from
Georgetown down through the rainforest to Lethem, and back up to
Georgetown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He visits a lot of the
different Amerindian settlements and promises to bring them better education,
healthcare, and other things which probably won’t happen (The newly elected
Donald Ramotar gave a rather (tedious) lengthy speech at the Rodeo, granting
them a cheque for an amount considerably less than £1,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even in Guyana, that’s not a lot of money,
but it is worth more here than you might think.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Tuesday morning, the truck left
Paramakatoi around 07h00; on the back were seated almost twenty villagers and
contractors, including Emily and myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It also included among the villagers, our friend and colleague Monroe,
China Doll, two of our students, alone, and five more of our students with
their families.</div>
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I’m not quite sure how
to explain the track we travelled on, but basically, imagine a forest path for
hill walkers, which passes over some rough terrain and a lot of hills, then put
some football-sized rocks on it, make it really muddy and give it two tyre
trails instead of one path: that’s pretty much what we were travelling on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truck was meant for carrying materials,
and people only in the cabin at the front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The tyres were over a metre tall, so we were sitting high up, but on
random bits of machinery and boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
spent half of the journey with my feet braced up against a chainsaw (without a
cover), and the other half sitting on a generator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other people were sitting on boxes, barrels,
a spare tyre and bags.</div>
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The countryside which we travelled through, however, was
spectacular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the first day, we
travelled mainly through the rainforest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ducking out of the way of branches was so common it became subconscious,
but it made us realise how truly untouched the jungle is here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the forest is left to grow wild and
diverse, with only small acre-sized patches cleared for subsistence farming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were travelling through pure wilderness,
over the Southern Pakaraima Mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We passed through many villages, which were all equally beautiful:
houses built of clay or wood, with zinc roofs or leaves laid on wooden frames,
with trees of all types surrounding them, and often farms nearby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In almost every village there are a school, a
church and a health centre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of
these are built by the same organisation that built the school here and are
building the primary school here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
buildings all have the same sort of layout as our school, with slight
variations, and they’re all yellow with red zinc roofs so they’re easy to spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The churches are usually community built, or
built by a charity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we reached
Tawailing Mountain, which is where you turn to go off the “main road” to Monkey
Mountain (a village), the bush ended for a while and we could see across a
large part of the Pakaraimas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
absolutely breath-taking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of what
we could see was rainforest-clad mountains with the occasional patch of
savannah, bathed in bright sunlight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
know it sounds clichéd, but that is genuinely what we were looking at.</div>
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Our journey continued further south, over and around more
mountains and through a few more Amerindian settlements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 04h00, we reached Yawong Paru.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here the truck stopped for the night as the
driver made some repairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yawong Paru is
on top of a small mountain with other peaks surrounding it, and patches of
rainforest decorating the valleys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
what I think of when I imagine a mountain top village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily and I overnighted in the nursery
school, where we hung our hammocks from beams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We bathed in a creek two minutes away and ate dinner with the
contractors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we went to sleep at
about 20h00 – exhaustion pretty much knocked us out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And thank goodness! – At 03h30 on Wednesday,
we were woken by the trucks horn being sounded furiously just outside the
window.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truck driver said he wanted
to reach Lethem early so he could make it to Georgetown that evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hurriedly gathered our things – took down
our hammocks, packed our bags and climbed aboard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was 04h00 by the time the last man was on
the truck, and still we had only the light of the stars and the vehicles
headlights disturbing the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
drove through rainforest – half asleep admittedly, until we reached the
beginnings of the Pupununi Savannah, in patches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We reached Karasabai around midday – this is
where the savannah properly begins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had to stand up near the front of the truck to catch the wind because it was so
hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Karasabai to Lethem the road
improves drastically: it is basically like a Forestry Commission gravel
path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much smoother riding then the
morning, I can tell you that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From
Paramakatoi to Karasabai had taken us 17 hours and from Karasabai to Lethem,
the same distance, as the crow flies, took us two-and-a-half hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By 15h00 Emily, Monroe, Ezra (a pupil) and I
were wandering through Lethem trying to find a taxi to take us to St Ignatius,
where the volunteers live.</div>
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We walked along the main road past some shops. Emily
insisted on going into “Emily’s supermarket” to ask for directions to St.
Ignatius, but the teller was busy trying to speak English to some Brazilian
tourists who only spoke Portuguese. We then continued walking and were soon
stopped by a couple in a car selling cakes. We asked them for directions to St.
Ignatius and whether it would be possible to walk there. We soon established
that they were teachers there, too, that they knew Dan,& Will, the
volunteers, and that they were, in fact, a taxi, too, so they agreed to take us
there.</div>
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Dan never got our letter telling him that we were planning
on coming, so he was shocked to see us. Ed and Peter, volunteers in Aishalton,
had arrived the previous day and they were expecting seven more guests the next
day but we were nonetheless welcomed into his home. We ended up sleeping on the
concrete floor. On Thursday we decided to take a day trip to Boa Vista, in
Brazil.</div>
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Bonfim is just across the border from Lethem, and a two-hour
bus ride takes you to Boa Vista. We took a taxi across the border and I was
surprised by the change of development from Guyana to Brazil. Roads were
properly tarred, without potholes, cars are new and buses are luxurious. The
bus we got to Boa Vista had faux – leather seats, foot rests and air-conditioning.
We arrived at a bus station like I imagine any Scottish bus station to be.
There were even ATMs! We basically spent the entire day walking about and
seeing the town. For breakfast we stopped at a small caf<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">é</span>, and were thoroughly tested
on our (extremely) limited Portuguese. We ended up having cheese toasties and
cheesecake because these were the only things the waitress could find in our
phrasebook. It was very embarrassing, and I decided there and then to learn
Spanish before travelling to any other country in South America. Which I had
every intention of doing, anyway. Apart from breakfast I also managed to
purchase some flip-flops. Then we returned on the bus to Bonfim and by taxi to
Lethem.</div>
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Saturday was the first day of the rodeo. We arrived at the
rodeo ground around lunchtime and watched the broncos and bullriding. Vaquieros
from all over Guyana compete to see who can stay on the wild horses and bulls
for longest. The worst accident was when someone got a horn to the face, but no
blood was spilt, so all is well. I must admit, the entire event was much
smaller than I expected, but that was a miscalculation on my part. It is maybe
understandable for a big event such as this to have a small turnout when the
host country’s population does not exceed 800 000. The spectator stands only
held about 2000 people. But it was a really good event.</div>
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On Sunday it was much the same, except that the events
included a horse race. That evening I went back with a group of volunteers and
took part in some of the dancing. They played forro, soca, chutney and
dancehall, but I only really danced forro. It was a very good evening. At about
03h30 the music stopped and we went home.</div>
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On Wednesday afternoon I got the bus up to Georgetown. It is
a minibus, which fits 15 people at a push. Emily, by the way, got the truck
back up to Paramakatoi. I left Lethem at 17h00, and slept on the bus, which
stopped at 23h00 for the night. From 06h00 to 18h00 the next day we drove
through jungle, mining areas and limberyards. By the time I reached Georgetown
I was quite happy to be somewhere stationary, and with a bed, even if it was
Georgetown and mosquito-infested.</div>
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Friday was spent shopping for the final term in Paramakatoi.
The next three days I was left in Georgetown with Mike & Ryan, the Chenapou
volunteers, waiting for a flight back to our projects. On Tuesday morning we
got a bus back to Mahdia. This is a very similar journey to the one I had made
the previous Thursday and, in fact, part of it is the same road. Mahdia is in
Region 8, though, and the plane from there to Paramakatoi takes only about 30
mins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The town itself is very much a mining town. Most people here
are black, though it was originally an Amerindian settlement. Now most of the
Amerindians live in an area of Mahdia called Campbelltown. They moved because Mahdia
is now very dirty and smelly, with the mining. Needless to say I was happy to
be on a plane to PK on Wednesday afternoon.</div>
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I arrived in Paramakatoi and was greeted by Lisa, a
WorldTeach Volunteer. Then I came back to the house to find Emily in the
hammock nursing an infection on her knee and barely able to move it. Therefore
I unpacked the food boxes I had brought and made dinner, all quite contentedly,
as I was more than happy to be back in Paramakatoi.</div>
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In school on Thursday I remember
everyone being extremely welcoming. Sir Harald said to me, “Good morning, Miss
Antje. Welcome home!” Which is really what it felt like. Since then I have had
a quiet week. I’ve been mainly concentrating on trying to get my maths classes
through the course, so I have extra lessons until 17h00 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays
and Thursdays. I am already behind, having only covered half of the work I had
planned for this week, and I am really beginning to worry. I would just have
expected my pupils to be able to do some of the exercises I have been
repeatedly teaching them in different contexts by now. But, as I keep telling
myself, I can only do the best possible given their previous education in
Maths, so I count my blessings.</div>
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On Sunday, 29<sup>th</sup> April,
Emily and I were invited down to one of the villager’s farms. Miss Patty is the
head teacher of the Primary School and her son, Monroe, is one of our
colleagues in the Secondary. We left Paramakatoi at 11h00 and arrived at Miss
Patty’s mum’s house, which is where she does all her cassava work, before
twelve. When we arrived we were let into the house to find Miss Patty’s mum,
her sister and her niece. The house is made of wood with a slate roof and
inside there were two beds and a table, and an extension housed the open fire,
the farine pan and several small seats, among other things. Miss Patty’s sister
was already parching farine and her daughter, one of our students, had already
started sifting the grated cassava as soon as we arrived. We were given some
farine, fried beef and callaloo to eat. Soon after this Emily began to help
parching the farine.</div>
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The farine pan is a large metal
oil drum flattened out and with its edges bent up so as to stop any farine
rolling out. The process of making farine is long and has many different steps.
First, the cassava is peeled (the skin is scraped off with a knife), then it is
washed and grated. After this, it is placed in a matapee, which is a long tube
woven from reed, to be squeezed. The water of cassava contains a poison which
is removed by this process. This is repeated until the cassava is dry enough,
and then the cassava is sifted. It is then put onto the hot farine pan,
previously greased with cow fat. It is then constantly stirred and scraped from
the bottom with a sort of wooden paddle. It is made in large amounts in big
pans, so usually two people will stand at the side stirring at any one time.
This continues for a good hour until the farine is golden and hard. Then it is
removed and sifted once more.</div>
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When Emily was stirring the
farine, Fayann, Miss Patty’s daughter, was already sifting the next lot of
cassava so that it would be ready to parch as soon as what was in the pan was
finished. In the meantime, I went outside and helped Monroe chop some wood for
the fire. Hilarity ensued because I was a bit rusty, and pink because of the
temperature. I then went inside and helped Emily stir the farine. After this,
Emily and I scraped the skin off some cassava. Then, after Monroe and Fayann
had washed it, I grated some of this cassava, and my wrist and fingers, too.
The grater they use is basically a big wooden board with metal spikes sticking
out of it. There are no holes and you lean this against your thighs and grate
using your body-weight. It is also very sharp. – The whole time we were talking
to Miss Patty, Monroe, Fayann, their Amai (gran) and her daughter. It was a
really enjoyable day. We then walked back up the mountain, Emily carrying a
warishi. A warishi is the equivalent of a rucksack – made from a wooden frame
with a back and sides woven from the same plant as the matapee. Everyone in the
village was very excited and surprised to see Emily arrive carrying one of
these. So we arrived home with 10 lbs of farine, a yam, some bananas and some
tangerines. This was the first time anyone had let us help them with their
cassava work, and we really enjoyed it. I hope we’ll get the chance to do it
again in the next few months.</div>
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I think that’s all for now. April
has definitely been more eventful than the previous few months for me. I’m
trying to make the most of my time here; after all, I have only ten weeks left
in Paramakatoi.</div>
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As always, thank you for reading.
Lots of love to you all,</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Antje xxx</div>
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<br /></div>Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-85205217131991088512012-04-25T06:59:00.000-07:002012-04-25T06:59:44.577-07:00March 2012It's the end of another term - only one left now. This term has gone by with little occasion. The last four weeks in school were slow and very little was done in terms of school work. After the week that everyone in the dormitories was sent home, we had a week and a half of revision; then a week and a half of end of term tests, and the last week was "records' week".<br />
After the dorms were fumigated, only about half the students returned for the following week, and it was only by the end of the next week that almost everyone was back. Having missed out on essentially three weeks' worth of work, I must admit that I am far behind in the syllabus. Next term will be mostly taken up with extra lessons, I think. This term, Grade 9 (the year that I teach) were given projects to do for most of their subjects. The Maths project was not a difficult one and, admittedly with much explanation and encouragement, most students have pretty much completed their final draft. (It is difficult to explain to somebody who is used to the British education system the level these children are at in terms of comprehension and knowledge, but basically they are at least two years behind where they should be. This is mainly because of poor teaching quality in lower levels.) The project consists of four things - the students have to collect some information from fellow students; then draw a bar graph using said information, then write a report. They also have to have some sort of plan. You'd be surprised at how many of them struggle to draw a bar graph correctly. Anyway, I've spent a lot of time explaining the project to the students and at least now their marks are reasonable. The marks count for 25% of their end-of-year mark - they'll get an assessment by the Ministry of Education also.<br />
<br />
In the second week of March, because so few of the children returned to school, the classes were again merged into fewer classes - each year group had also been joined into one class in the previous week. This means a lot of the time the teachers had spare time, so they sat in other classes to supervise. This helped me a lot with the way the students worked and behaved in the one class I struggle with. I actually managed to do some work, which was great.<br />
That Saturday, 10th March, Emily and I decided to go for a walk to Bamboo Creek. This is a settlememnt about a three-hour walk away and has about 50 houses. You have to walk down the mountain, as if you're going to Yahwong or to one of the farms, and then for over two hours on a trail, i.e. the "main road" to Lethem. We walked with suncream and soap, and a bottle of water - that was all. When we arrived, we were nonetheless surnburnt, very hot and not really all too exhausted. We walked through the village to see if we could find somewhere to bathe but instead found the school compound. This is built under the shadow of a steep mountain in a clearing surrounded by rainforest. Inside there is a primary school - which is bigger and in a better condition than our main school building; accommodation for a medic/health centre; and teachers' accommodation. Luckily for us one of my pupils came running out of the latter and offered to show us around. Valentina took us to see the school building, then introduced us to her mum and her pet monkey, Jack, and then showed us to the creek - which we would not have found by ourselves. We bathed in the little pool - lovely and refreshing in the warm sun. Then Valentina took us back to her house, stopping at her auntie's house to get us some lemons, which were at least 10cm in diameter. When we reached Valentina's house, her mother had made us lunch, consisting of some boiled eggs, boiled yam, tuma (a sort of stew with greens and hot peppers) and cassava bread. We were full at the end of that and overwhelmed by our host's kindness. They also gave us (as well as the lemons) some papaya, a mango, a big bunch of spring onions and a bag of "buckbeads". These are small seeds which are dry and hard and can be threaded to make jewellery. These things we carried all the way back up the hill with us. After giving us these things, Valentina took us up to her sister's house, which is on top of a small hill and overlooks Bamboo Creek and a lot of the rainforest. The view is absolutely stunning! After this, we walked back to the trail and Valentina left us to return home. We walked back and returned in three hours; we had made it there in about two-and-a-half, but it started raining about 20 minutes before we reached Paramakatoi, so we were delayed. It stopped raining just as we reached PK again. It was really a wonderful day - despite the sunburn. I think I am fitter than when I arrived, too, because I didn't really feel all that exhausted.<br />
<br />
In the last few years there has been a lot of construction work going on in Paramakatoi, and therefore some weeks ago a new church building was completed. On the 25th of March there was an official church opening where people from all over the subregion came to celebrate and worship. On Friday the church was painted and decorated so that on Sunday, when the celebrations began, it was green on the outside and the inside had a stage with a curtain as a background and about 200 balloons hung up around the church, among other things. It was beautiful. Being a member of the community, I felt it only polite to go to this service, despite being agnostic and definitely not a member of the Weslyan Church. Emily and I arrived at a church full of at least 500 people. We were seated and joined the congregation in being told "Praise the Lord" about 50 times by the same Brother. Then followed a four-hour service consisting of different speakers and singers. At the end everyone who had donated money and time towards the construction of the church was thanked - the church was built entirely of donations. The contractors were men from the village who had volunteered to help - one of them was a young man who was bitten by a snake during construction and subsequently died. One of the locals, Virgi (the shopkeeper), got quite emotional about this as he was telling the story. A lot of the congregation were very upset, too. After the service, there was a big meal for everyone. There was tuma, cook up, cassava bread, cassiri, paracari and plenty more. I was, unfortunately, not hungry at all, so I didn't eat anything, but Emily enjoyed the meal a lot.<br />
There were services every morning and every evening from that Sunday until Thursday morning. It was only on Friday morning that the village was back to its normal population, though it seems a bit quiet since all of the students have gone home, too.<br />
<br />
So now it's the start of the Easter holidays and we're hoping to get to Lethem for the rodeo. The contractors who are building the primary school are receiving materials via truck from Lethem, so we're hoping to get a lift down with them either today or tomorrow. I'll let you know next month how it all worked, of course.<br />
<br />
Until next time, thank you for reading and take care,<br />
<br />
Love, Antje xxxxBanterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-22791747692822631022012-03-19T06:09:00.000-07:002012-03-19T06:09:32.624-07:00Blog Update #6 - Mashrami<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">Hello everyone!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So here it is, half way through the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Six months have probably gone by much quicker for me than for you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am beginning to struggle to think of events which are interesting, so apologies in advance.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The first two weeks of the month (February) were reasonably uneventful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily got a haircut from one of the locals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had to have it on the week of the full moon and she was given rules to abide for her hair to grow faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Amerindians do something called blowing, where they whisper in Patamona under their breath, and then blow you, then whisper again, then blow you again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily was getting a haircut so the elderly woman whispered charms to encourage healthy hair growth, and then blew her hair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was also told not to let any boys touch her hair and that she wasn’t allowed to share a comb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her hair is healthy, but it’s always been healthy, so what difference it made I’m not sure.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Mashramani is Guyana’s republic day, and is 23<sup>rd</sup> February.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a national holiday, so the Guyanese celebrate by having pretty much a week’s holiday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Monday 20<sup>th</sup> February, we had lessons in school as normal, though the students protested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tuesday was supposed to be the start of celebrations with a rally and a talk from someone important, but nobody organised it so it didn’t happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily and I then asked Mrs Toney if anybody had organised the rest of the week’s activities, which they hadn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We therefore took it upon ourselves to organise Wednesday’s sports day and concert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can imagine that this was a difficult task, it being Tuesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sports day went well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We allocated a different event to each teacher, so everyone had as little as possible to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a beautifully sunny day - the nicest we’ve had for weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m still recovering from the sunburn.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We went to school to register and then took all the children to the school field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here we split them into their houses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>House A – Hummingbird; House B – Cock of the Rock; House C – Harpy Eagle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each house leader took names of participants and teams and then the races began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a sack race, a three-legged race, a duck race and an egg-and-spoon race (with guavas instead of eggs, because eggs cost GU$80 – about 25p).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was then an eating competition where participants had to eat three packets of salty crackers, drink a cup of water and the run 100 metres.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was then a tug of war between the students, and then one for the teachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My side won once and lost once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was then a small five-a-side football tournament – everyone took this more seriously than all of the other events, the teams even using football strips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was also a short game of cricket and a few volleyball games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all it was very successful.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the evening was the concert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This concert had over twenty acts and over two thirds were forro dances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of the poor organisation (due to lack of time) the electric equipment kept malfunctioning, the music was constantly muddled up and few people came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the Christmas concert we managed to raise GU$68,000; the Mash concert raised only GU$18,000 (about £60).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a pity to waste such an opportunity.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On Thursday 23<sup>rd</sup> (Mash) we had the day off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was supposed to be a parade on the airstrip, but once again this wasn’t organised so it didn’t happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were told in the afternoon that there had been a football game – had we known before we would have gone, but instead we spent the day liming.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Friday was a clean-up day in school, so obviously, few children turned up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But all the classrooms were cleaned – the desks were scrubbed and the windows cleaned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily and I tidied the tiny staff room, which was overflowing with textbooks and paperwork.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were finished by lunchtime, so we got the afternoon off.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At the beginning of that week, we had been told that there was a scabies outbreak in the dorms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The exterminator and the regional education officer were supposed to arrive that Wednesday to sort it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They eventually arrived on the Sunday, when all the dorm kids were sent home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that this whole week, there are only village children in school, and, of them, some don’t bother to turn up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This sets the school one week behind work, which is extremely frustrating, given we already missed and entire week for Mash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So because so few students are in school, all the year groups have been merged, so there are only about seven classes in total.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This also means that teachers have a lot of extra time, and often there are two teachers sitting in a classroom whilst another takes the lesson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is great for me because I have a problem with discipline in one of my classes, and this has helped a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often the children speak Patamona, which I can’t understand, but the other teachers sitting in the classroom hear what they say and translate.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Monday was one of the world teach volunteers’, Lisa’s, birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the evening, Emily and I went to Candacie’s with Lisa and Fiza for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had shark and balle, which was very tasty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After this, we went out onto the airstrip and one of Lisa’s friends distracted her while the four of us went to a woman called Vashti’s house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had organised a surprise party, so there was music, wine and people were waiting there for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all hid in the shadows and surprised Lisa when she arrived five minutes later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a great party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was plenty of wine and plenty of dancing, which is a recipe for a successful night.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yesterday (29<sup>th</sup> February) I met two French journalists who are sutck here because of the lack of planes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were filming for a programme called “La Rue d’Impossible” (The Impossible Road), so they travelled from Georgetown to Lethem by truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Naturally, they faced some transportation difficulties, and arrived in Paramakatoi later than expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But anyway, they have said they will be returning to France in 10-12 days, so any letters we want to send we can give to them to post on their return to Paris.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’m going to run and give them this now.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">All my love to all of you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, thank you for reading,</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Antje x</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">[Again, sorry about the lack of pictures. No new ones yet, hopefully we shall be seeing some soon!]</div>Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-66424611244326236752012-03-03T07:26:00.000-08:002012-03-03T07:26:33.833-08:00Blog Update #5 - "Ee Ko Pay Waysaik"<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">Hi everyone!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the end of January already, so I suppose it’s time for another update.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems like yesterday I was writing all about Christmas, but by the time I send this I will have been back in Paramakatoi for one month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has flown by, yet again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily and I almost cried on 25<sup>th</sup>, as it marked five months into our project; only seven months left!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, as Emily pointed out, taking into consideration everything we did last term, we still have a lot of amazing experiences left, and a lot of time too.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of the four (and a half) weeks back in school, I don’t think we’ve had one full week of teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first week back was admin work and organising timetables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The three other weeks have been disrupted by countless meetings about teaching, welfare and Mashramani (the Guyanese equivalent of carnival).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Friday will be a “clean-up day” – meaning we clean the school compound in the morning and get the afternoon off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which is quite convenient for Emily and myself because Doug and Ross from the Project Trust Team are supposed to be coming to visit us then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll be able to meet them coming off the plane.</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, in school there have been few developments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure if I mentioned that Sir Harold Simon is technically retired now, so the new head teacher is Miss Florina Toney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not much has changed, except that the discipline is slipping yet further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure how long Miss Toney will be head teacher for, because I don’t really think she likes the responsibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Technically, the head teacher is supposed to be a university graduate too, so we’ll see if they send anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I doubt it, though – the Ministry of Education pretty much ignore us here in Paramakatoi.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Teaching is the same as last term. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am still behind on all my schemes and struggling to catch up because most things take longer to teach than I anticipate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in terms of respect and responsiveness the pupils are much the same as they were at the end of last term, so I can’t complain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We still get girls from the dorms visiting us every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last Friday (27<sup>th</sup>), two girls helped me make shortbread because I happened to be making it when they walked in the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was for a Burn’s Night Emily and I held for our friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lisa, Fiza and Candacie came down to ours to celebrate “the Birthday of oor National Baird”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made the Paramakatoi equivalent of mince ‘n’ tatties, because we didn’t have any hope of replicating haggis, neeps ‘n’ tatties 6,000 miles from Scotland!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We bought 2lbs of beef – slaughtered, literally, the day before – and stewed it with some cabbage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I swear it was the best beef I’ve ever tasted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also made some mashed potatoes with spring onions, and margarine (if you can even call it that) instead of butter, which I think turned out quite well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of a toast to the lassies, Emily read a speech given by the late Steve Jobs at a university graduation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reply was a short poem picked out from a collection on Fiza’s laptop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was all very improvised, but good fun!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We managed to have a few drams, too, though we had to use rum instead of whisky (again, 6,000 miles from Scotland).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were going to do some Ceilidh dancing, too, but we didn’t have any music, unfortunately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, we went to a party and danced Forro, which is on par with Ceilidh dancing in my opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the party, I was asked to teach an Amerindian how to dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had left Paramakatoi when he was young and had “forgotten” how to dance Forro…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns out he was better than me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was still fun, though.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On 21<sup>st</sup> a man form the village took us down to Kawa River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Siprion Stanislaus picked Fiza, Emily and myself up at 8.30am with his niece, Nicolie, a girl in grade 9.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked along the bush trail towards Kato, and after only five minutes encountered a snake!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was only about 20cm long, but it was poisonous so Siprion gave it two thwacks with his cutlass and then threw the lifeless body away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We walked for a further two hours until we reached Siprion’s old camp – where another family had taken over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Siprion pretended to be angry about this, but they were his friends so it was obvious he was joking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Siprion has been away from Paramakatoi for two years, and is still finding his place again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was refused a firearms license by the government, but had a shotgun anyway because he needed it to hunt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So they arrested him and he was sent to jail for two years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has destroyed the poor man’s life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His wife has taken his kids and gone to live in Mahdia, more out of shame than anything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has come back to find his farm reclaimed by the jungle, some of his trees cut down and his camp commandeered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has also lost a lot of his friends, and has therefore taken a liking to Emily and Lisa, hence the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gives us fruit and veg regularly, too, which is really nice.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyway, we stopped and gaffed for a while, drank some cassiri, and then headed onto the track for the last five minutes of the journey to Kawa River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped and bathed and made some lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fiza made mashed potatoes, rice and stew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then spent some time gaffing, before heading back along the track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took us nearly five hours to walk back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The track is much longer than the bush trail, and we stopped for a while to gaff and drink cassiri with Siprion’s brother and then his nephew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time we got back it was almost dark and was just beginning to rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then Siprion invited himself in for a small glass of rum!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He actually did this three nights in a row, and then one morning – which confirms, in Emily’s opinion, that he is an alcoholic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am pleased to say we have hidden the rum and avoided any confrontations for now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a nice guy, though; he won’t give us any bother.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The next day Emily and I finally got round to visiting Nurse Wall again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The previous weeks we had gone by but she had a visitor, so we ended up spending three ours playing games with some local children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a lot of fun: they taught us some new games and how to whistle through our hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So on Sunday we went over again and gaffed with Nurse Wall for a while.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She lent us a 1,000 piece puzzle which we did last weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nurse Wall is a missionary who came from the US in the 70s, then came back in the 90s and has stayed ever since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is retiring in May, though, and returning to the US, but I know she will be back to visit regularly.</div><div class="MsoNormal">We then went to visit Mr & Mrs Williams, our old neighbours from when we stayed in the guest house (medic).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gave us some cassiri and an eddo, which is like a potato when it’s cooked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time we got home we had a collection of bananas, oranges, eddo, yam, spring onions, greens and more!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was great.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This afternoon we went to play volleyball with some girls from the dorms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up playing cricket with some local children, though eventually we had to stop because we couldn’t decide on the right rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then played rounders until it was too dark to see the ball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am exhausted.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Over the past two weeks we’ve been making more of an effort to learn the local tongue Patamona.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will write a few phrases phonetically so you can get an idea of what it’s like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apostrophes are glottal stops.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Tingin (kuru) – thank you (very much).<br />
Ae pannai aeke – be quiet</b> (I actually think this is our most useful phrase.)<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Waku bay na’ may sang – how are you?</b> (Literally: “Are you good?”)<br />
The reply is: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">yes – aewaik/aewat</b> or <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">no - canny.<br />
Ee ko pay way saik – I’m cold</b> (This is a phrase we’ve used a lot recently because it has been cold and raingin for most of January.)<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wa po ka sa’ mang – I’m hungry.<br />
Oo te yat – I’m going.<br />
Win a pong by – Let’s go back.<br />
Ee tu yah bura mang – I don’t understand/I don’t know </b>(very useful)<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chew ae you timbara – Red face.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Often when we can’t understand the Patamona, there are enough English words woven into the language that we can pick up some of what’s being said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes people have conversations half in English, half in Patamona and are constantly switching from one to another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, this can be frustrating sometimes, but I find it really interesting.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now I have to go, I’m giving this update to Doug when he visits and I have a few more letter to write.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope all is well in snowy Scotland…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though I heard it’s been quite a mild winter so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you for taking the time to read about my experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until next time.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Love, Antje x</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">P.S. No pictures this time, sorry... The memory card Antje mailed us has a bunch of viruses on it so we won't be uplodaing any of those pictures.Hopefully new ones will arrive! </div>Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-5654137950121880142012-01-31T03:24:00.000-08:002012-01-31T03:24:40.322-08:00Blog Update #4 - "Christmas and Surprises"<div class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]-->The 2<sup>nd</sup> December marked the end of our twelfth week in the guesthouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the 4<sup>th</sup> December we finally moved into our own house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a semi-detached concrete bungalow with two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living area/dining room and a washroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a latrine outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no running water except an outside tap at the rain tank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The electricity is still the same – four hours in the evening from about 5pm to about 9pm, give or take half an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have lights in our bedrooms, but the lights in the kitchen and dining room don’t work, so we use candles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We each have a double bed and I have a chest of drawers; Emily has a wardrobe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We use a kerosene stove to cook, a bucket and a bowl to bathe and, as I said, a drop-pit latrine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be perfectly honest, this is more like what I expected to be living like, and I’m not really bothered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been very easy to get used to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two best things about having our own house have so far been the journey to our house: the guest house was on top of a hill, and it is a relief not to have to climb it every day; and a split door – like in a stable, where you can open the top half and keep the bottom half closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is great for keeping out dogs and chickens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My only concern so far has been the abundance of spiders and cockroaches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spiders we’ve been told to kill on sight because many are poisonous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Comforting, isn’t it?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The last week in Paramakatoi we spent liming (chilling) on the airstrip at night, and doing paperwork in school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The majority of the students left before the week was up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the Monday night, we held a Christmas concert – mainly organised by Emily and Fizah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were thirty-something acts, including a nativity scene, poems, songs, carols, forro dances, hip hop dances and forro singing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also did the Highland fling to Emily singing Auld Lang Syne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was very Scottish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Altogether the profit from ticket sales and the food stalls was G$70,000.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s over £230!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was incredible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This money has gone to the dormitories, where it will be used to buy prizes for the best kept room and such like, and perhaps one lucky day, the children might get some ice cream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the last week of term we also (finally) got internet in the village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Steve, a shopkeeper, bought the router and a satellite phone, but they are expensive to use so I haven’t posted this personally, but sent it to my parents instead.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On Saturday, 17<sup>th</sup> December, we flew out to Mahdia and then Georgetown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we arrived it was raining and fairly cool for Georgetown; probably mid to high twenties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had to pay for a taxi back to the Project Trust flat, but we shared with Candacie so it wasn’t too bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived back to find only the two Chenapou volunteers, since no-one else had managed to travel back yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Naturally, the flat was already a state, and in our absence the bathroom had flooded and a frog had made itself at home in the shower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would have been silly of us to be surprised that the boys hadn’t cleaned it up, but since Emily and I had cleaned the flat top to bottom (including the bathroom) before we left in September, we excused ourselves from cleaning duties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that is acceptable, considering there were 11 people moving into the flat soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, our second surprise came when we were told that we would be going to Tobago for Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily had convinced herself that it wasn’t happening because we hadn’t heard anything from the organisers, but I chose to remember that no news is good news and stayed hopeful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We therefore had five days to do all our shopping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up buying pretty much the same as last term, but with more biscuits and a bigger variety of spices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We paid only G$5,000 (£15) less than last time, but it was worth it I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>£280 for three months’ worth of food for two people is more than reasonable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we had assumed we weren’t going to Tobago, we didn’t have any beach clothes, so we also did a spot of shopping.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On Friday 23<sup>rd</sup> December, we flew from Georgetown to Trinidad, and the on to Tobago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seven people had not double-checked whether their luggage was checked in all the way to Tobago, so they were left behind to get a later flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had been told it would go straight there, but I’m glad I did check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we arrived in Tobago, Andrew, the guest house owner picked us up and drove us the 10 minutes to “Candles in the Wind”.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9ruS_YgX1kZoME6N9kuS4u9i-CqG_O484EWcuZIEp4PY3C12wJgHqmXHu_euxfph0xwD-7fQsTS11qsL-8TPzcctpVta96TMDmfsywg5w8dlBmX30PvjkNvWpZpjwIOFpkfikPUfi5o/s1600/Candles+guest+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9ruS_YgX1kZoME6N9kuS4u9i-CqG_O484EWcuZIEp4PY3C12wJgHqmXHu_euxfph0xwD-7fQsTS11qsL-8TPzcctpVta96TMDmfsywg5w8dlBmX30PvjkNvWpZpjwIOFpkfikPUfi5o/s320/Candles+guest+house.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We were surprised by the accommodation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Candles” was the cheapest guest house we could find in Tobago, and yet it was luxury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were double beds, TVs, warm showers (!), air conditioning systems, fans, an oven, a fridge and a freezer, drinkable running water and a computer with internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really a very nice place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ten minutes down the road was a supermarket which sold hobnobs and McVities Digestives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was bliss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am now familiar with five currencies: £1 = <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">€1.30 = US$1.50 = G$315 = T&T$10 (give or take).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How cool is that?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Most of the week was spent in the guesthouse and on the beach.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpHhOFhNgIKGo6CG76WIjcwsPU9ByNsX2FApnmM4ismI67nRZeNRiDANnw5wJlvcTukNsZ7wZ3OEDLJUpdJjqgpOP0g3wKq-AODaeygoZRMnUF8y5iT0AYRk182ZUlQBb0kMRay4KBg0/s1600/No+swimming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpHhOFhNgIKGo6CG76WIjcwsPU9ByNsX2FApnmM4ismI67nRZeNRiDANnw5wJlvcTukNsZ7wZ3OEDLJUpdJjqgpOP0g3wKq-AODaeygoZRMnUF8y5iT0AYRk182ZUlQBb0kMRay4KBg0/s320/No+swimming.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>The majority of the group spent a lot of time drinking/drunk, but no-one got into any bother so all is well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Christmas Eve we decided to make a Christmas dinner, but because the 7.14kg Turkey took too long to defrost, we had it on Christmas morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really good, actually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also had Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for dessert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just how you want your Christmas Day to start.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfGxW90rtvc9hHTI8GsmoNmGdoRwvbr6lvebqlIfj52L5lVUVoBbaBKVt9LSvaReLI7H7an0FkpBwck8RZuvUMLmnWSyr3Q4f9B5stW21dpdTzHmaii4A-DiMMHNWTofegAcygfPUXYY/s1600/Christmas+dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfGxW90rtvc9hHTI8GsmoNmGdoRwvbr6lvebqlIfj52L5lVUVoBbaBKVt9LSvaReLI7H7an0FkpBwck8RZuvUMLmnWSyr3Q4f9B5stW21dpdTzHmaii4A-DiMMHNWTofegAcygfPUXYY/s320/Christmas+dinner.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>That morning I also spoke to my family for the first time in three and a half months, which was great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At about midday, we left to go on a boat trip around the area called Crown Point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an open bar so naturally everyone ended up a little tipsy, but not before we’d had the chance to go snorkelling and swimming.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrC8XxVkOOtGfLOjd84gyxHW93slM6fBQSqid7PyagmTez54w2rMXKZLy49swZsuVRMn8LoXPseVPRlfa4xVsT1WxWyizaoS7NKrafPOUCHKxsS-6ieHqcG_mPoJYrk92Z9PnvehFn4wQ/s1600/Boat+trip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrC8XxVkOOtGfLOjd84gyxHW93slM6fBQSqid7PyagmTez54w2rMXKZLy49swZsuVRMn8LoXPseVPRlfa4xVsT1WxWyizaoS7NKrafPOUCHKxsS-6ieHqcG_mPoJYrk92Z9PnvehFn4wQ/s320/Boat+trip.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>At sunset, the guide took us to an island pool, which is a bit of a seabed which is about a metre below the surface so we were essentially able to stand in the middle of the Caribbean Sea in waist high water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was incredible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were then taken back to the guest house and told we’d be picked up at 10 to go out to the clubs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, by 10 o’clock, half of us were asleep and the other half also tired, so Christmas day ended up being the only night no-one went out.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>We flew back to Georgetown on Friday 3oth December (with no hassle in the luggage department).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point, I had forgotten my pin for my bank card, and Emily’s cards began playing up, so by Sunday, we were out of cash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On New Year’s Eve (Or “Old Year’s Day”, as they call it here), we went out to a club called Palm Court.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We paid G$5,000 (£15) to get in, and we were told this would include breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we stayed ‘til breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was not the best night out ever: the majority of the other people were rich folk in their mid-twenties or older, so we felt a bit out of place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of the diversity in ethnicity in Guyana, the music played was also very varied.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They played a lot of Indian music - including Chutney – and a fair bit of Soca, which is what the Guyanese and generally Caribbean like to dance (“wine”) to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also played some forro – which is the Brazilian dancing music - and they played a few what would probably now count as oldies – things lie “Girls just Wanna have Fun”, “Footloose”, and “I Want to Break Free”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I enjoyed this bit very much, especially since all my music has been wiped off my iPod.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At six o’clock, just after sunrise, we had breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The local dish pepperpot is beef stewed until it’s incredibly tender with chilli peppers and cassaveep which is made from Cassava and can be replaced with burnt sugar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s very good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had this with balle, bread and some sliced chicken,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate it in the taxi on the way home, and then went straight to bed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>I awoke at twelve, and went through to our neighbour Stacey’s house, to find most of the Project Trust girls watching Edward Scissorhands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily went off to buy ingredients to make a birthday cake (it was her birthday) and to buy some nice clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had run out of money by this point, so I was unable to buy her a present or ingredients to make a cake, but I’ll make it up to her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent the day watching films we’d bought earlier – “My Sister’s Keeper”, “Up in the Air”, and “Chicago”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was nice to have a lazy day again.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">So after arriving at the airport on Monday morning at 6 am, we were weighed, along with our boxes, and we checked in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Ministry of Education pay for 100lbs of luggage per person, and we had at least300lbs between the two of us, but we were lucky enough to get all our luggage aboard without having to pay any extra.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank goodness, because we had no money.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>We arrived late morning and said goodbye to the Chenapou volunteers, who were continuing on to Mahdia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the villagers helped us carry our ten boxes to the house, and we then made ourselves at home: Emily slept and I unpacked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be fair, Emily had sores all over her legs and therefore what we think was blood poisoning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s getting better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That night there were two parties in the village; one at Brazilman’s shop, and one at a stage which was built in the playing fields for the president’s visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were both a bit disappointing though, so we went back home.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>In school on Tuesday, we did very little; we are expecting new teachers, and the timetable can’t be sorted until they arrive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the afternoon, there was a CTA (PTA) meeting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t go, as it wasn’t compulsory, so I spent the afternoon writing letters, and Emily washing clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the evening, there was supposed to be another party, but it ended up just being some people playing dominoes, so we didn’t go.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The rest of this week will be pretty relaxing too. Tomorrow afternoon we are organising the timetable for this term.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Until next Monday, we’ve been told to expect poor attendance from pupils as they all sort of filter in from their villages.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>I think that’s pretty much all for December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope I’ve answered all your un-asked questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope you don’t need me to tell you that I’m happy here, but that you can see from this post that I am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, I wish you all the best for 2012 and a healthy and eventful year to come.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Love from the jungle, Antje xxx</span></div>Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-28544919946612141742011-12-20T06:03:00.000-08:002011-12-20T06:03:41.555-08:00BLOG UPDATE #3 November and the Three Month Mark<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">Last Friday, 25<sup>th</sup> November was our three month mark. I can’t believe a quarter of my time here in Paramakatoi has gone already. I expect they have gone a lot more quickly for me than for you. I have had an eventful month; incredible in many ways and obviously somewhat emotional but I am proud to say that there have been no breakdowns so far.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"> </span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">The last weekend in October a colleague of ours, Monroe, took Emily and myself down to Yahwong. This is a river that flows through the valley at Mountain Foot and a 1 hour walk away. We went to “topside”, i.e. the top of the falls. Since it had rained recently the water was flowing very fast and the falls were raging. It was truly awesome. We spent the entire day just bathing and climbing on the rocks. There was a particularly ferocious waterfall which made an arc from the rock it fell from, and it was possible to climb under this arc and just sit on the rock. I was unable to stay there for very long as it felt a little claustrophobic and my body decided it didn’t want to breathe in such a damp enclosed space. But it was really cool. The walk back up the mountain took about 3 hours. Monroe took us back up the road instead of the bush path (for a change of scenery, he claimed, though I believe he just didn’t have enough faith to believe we would make it back up the steep path) so it was longer and still fairly steep. When we reached about halfway the heavens opened and we were soaked through to the bone. It didn’t stop until we reached the top of the mountain again – just as we were entering PK again. It was my first outdoor experience of a rainforest downpour – and I enjoyed every minute of it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">The next weekend we celebrated Eid Al-Addha, the Islamic celebration of light. Fiza made us dinner, which was incredible: a Malaysian chicken dish made with hot pepper and turmeric, sticky rice (which she cooks to perfection), scrambled eggs and roasted peanuts. Candacie also made a type of bake with salted fish and a type of (very) hot pepper called spider monkey. This was also delicious, if a little too spicy for me. We had also decided to celebrate Bonfire Night, we had even considered the possibility of roasting marshmallows, but in the end we just burned the rubbish strewn outside the Guest House. At least it didn’t look like the Guest House was sitting on top of a rubbish tip afterwards.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">Yes, we are, unfortunately, still living in the Guest House, after what will be 12 weeks on Friday 2<sup>nd</sup> December. There is some good news, though; Miss Norma, a villager who works for the Guyana Elections Committee, had asked her husband and her son-in-law to renovate a Peace Corps house for us. It belongs to the Ministry of Education so we are entitled to live there. Last weekend the guys finished the renovation and now all we need is for the R.Ed.O. in Mahdia to send us out some essentials. We have asked for a stove and gas, buckets (to fetch water – there are no taps), pots and other cooking utensils and a few other bits and pieces. We hope to have moved in by the end of the term, and definitely by the time you read this.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">A few weeks ago we finally received a mailbag in Paramakatoi, nine weeks after we arrived. It was, for mw, an anti-climax, as the only letters I received were ones written to myself and Emily from Project Trust. I realise that I asked everyone to send letters to the flat in Campbellville, but it seems that Rishon (Kala’s daughter) is holding on to our letters there to give us at Christmas instead of sending them to us here. We have asked her to send them out so hopefully we will get them soon. Emily was lucky enough to receive some letters which had been sent directly to PK, so I suggest that from now on mail be sent directly to the first address I gave – in the first blog post.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">So we are lucky enough to be in a part of Guyana which has strong influences from Brazil. They practice here a type of dancing called forro (pronounced fawhaw), and the parties consist mainly of this. They call the basic move a two-step, and the more complicated version a three-step, and it is usually a partner dance. Most people here are really good at it, and it is actually quite disturbing to see 8 year old boys dancing it, as it is somewhat sexual. So what usually happens when there is a party is that the hosts let someone know, and from there the word spreads like wildfire. Everyone is invited – from school children to grandparents – and basically is you hear about it, you can go. The more the merrier. Music is played from 6 or 7pm onwards, and it is then that people begin drinking. Wine is brewed locally by everyone – from tangerine to potato through every type of fruit that you can think of. They also drink cassiri, paracari and other fermented cassava drinks. Personally, I am not a big fan, but if you are offered a drink it is rude and nigh on impossible to refuse. Some of the wine we are offered is very nice, though. We would usually go to the party around 9pm since this is when everyone is drunk enough to start dancing. Within minutes men of all ages are asking us to dance. The conversations usually go something like this:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Miss, please for a dance.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No, thank you.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Why not, Miss?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I don’t want to dance yet.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Why not, Miss?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I will dance later, but not yet.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You know for dance?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes, I know how to dance.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Miss, I teach you.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I know how to dance.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You want some more wine, Miss?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No, thank you, I just got this glass.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I get you some wine, Miss.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“No, it’s ok, I’ll get some more later.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Please dance with me, Miss.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Just now. Come back and ask me again later.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“How long, Miss?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I don’t know, just later.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“How long, Miss?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“About fifteen minutes.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Ok, Miss. I come back.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">You get the drift. I must say, I don’t always say no, especially not if it’s someone I know, but at the beginning there are usually few people dancing and so everyone can see you dance. This is only a problem because “everyone” includes pupils, who take great pleasure in ridiculing us the next day, often about who you were dancing with and how happy you were about it. And those of you who know me well know how easily my face gets flushed, so playing it cool and remaining poker-faced is not an option. Needless to say the parties where there is little or no light tend to be the best ones, as we get no comments from pupils the concept of a weekend is somewhat overlooked here.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">On Monday 28<sup>th</sup> November there was a general election here in Guyana. Every person who is allowed to vote is entitled to a ballot in their village, so about 100 people were brought to PK to be distributed by plane to the surrounding villages. I heard about one village where one man was able to vote, and because he had the right, just like everyone else, to a vote, the government spent half a million Guyana Dollars to bring the ballot to this village. It’s crazy. So anyway, during the past few weeks there have been several visits from political parties. The party in power last session gave a speech in the multi-purpose hall and apparently, forgetting that sarcasm is lost on the people of Paramakatoi, made a joke about changing Guyana to a communist country. The villagers were then too scared to vote for this party. But they won anyway. And the new President is allegedly only the new leader of the party because he can be controlled by the former President and leader, who was by law not allowed to stay in power for a third session, but clearly found a way to run the country from behind the scenes. Smooth. Elections have meant that the Guest House has been full up for the past two weeks and will be for the rest of this week. It has been difficult and exhausting, mentally and physically. We now have to queue to use the bathroom and kitchen in the morning, despite having a limited amount of time to get ready for school, which starts at 08:45. But it’s not all bad. We got the Monday off school since election day was declared a national holiday. So I enjoyed sleeping and lazing in the hot sun.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">Monday was also our first day for a few weeks without electricity. On Sunday there was some sort of mini explosion or fire at the electricity pole and so on Monday and yesterday we’ve had no current. It does make a nice change falling asleep to a cacophony of snoring instead of the racket of some amateur action film at volume 100. Also, the iPod is temporarily broken, so it’s not like we need any electricity to charge anything. We are also running out of water as it hasn’t rained in over a week. You see, most guests fail to grasp the concept of water conservation since the majority of them come from Georgetown where there seems to be an abundance of running water. Some of the guests are really nice though. A man called Ewart from Kato comes to stay quite often and he is a very nice and intelligent man, so great to talk to; especially, he says, because we are the same age as his daughter, so he feels comfortable talking to us. There was also a “Brazilman” (as they call them here) who stayed for one night and couldn’t speak a word of English. He was still kind enough to try to converse with us and generous enough to give us a bottle of coke and a beer each, a lot of biscuits and some sweets before hitting the hay early, and leaving us with his phone to listen to Brazilian music. The fact that neither of us likes beer we have obviously entirely overlooked, since it’s the thought that counts. It’s visitors like this who we live for.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">I am struggling to think of much else that has happened in the last few months. I am currently supervising my registration class whilst other classes do end of term tests. This class is doing a course called the Secondary Competency Certificate Program, which means they are in a lower class and get more class time to complete the syllabus. They are, therefore, given projects to complete instead of exams at the end of each term. Do the last couple of weeks have been jam-packed with work – trying to finish the termly scheme on time. I have not completed all the work I was supposed to this term with my classes. Luckily I had to write my own end of term exams so I was able to tailor it to what work we had actually done. So yeah, I am trying to keep an eye on forty 14-17 year olds right now. They are a bit of a handful but I love them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">So for now it is time for me to go. I will update the blog again at the end of next month, hopefully from Georgetown and hopefully with some pictures of our new house. Fingers crossed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">Another Merry Christmas to you all and lots of happy thoughts for next year,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">All my love,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-CARRIBEAN">Antje xxx</span></div>Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-77717793714055838232011-12-20T05:49:00.000-08:002011-12-20T05:49:48.699-08:00MailHello everyone,<br />
<br />
The order of these updates might change a little but I just need to say, all mail that was sent to Georgetown I didn't actually receive until now (I'm back in Georgetown now), so I would like to ask you all to send everything to PK from now on. Sorry to change it again. It just means I get it sooner and that I can reply sooner as well. Thank you. The address is in the first blog post. Antje Kremer, Paramakatoi Secondary School, Paramakatoi, etc.<br />
<br />
Love, Antje xBanterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-75533678299810611462011-11-29T05:35:00.000-08:002011-11-29T05:35:57.618-08:00Blog Update 2# - October 29th 2011<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">I apologise for the lateness of this update.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had hoped to send another before the end of October, but time flies and you lose track quite easily here.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmh9ocfWxPyIJ1TtKX1x-05NnNHWXdyQx-iVJ_V06h_Gkz0LOb6m3sbTeY_MMhhJW0Y75dn3lHKc-IGm8iDltcp9U0J7bw8I7fX-BU5I3iDYWtHzWYfFRybVdc3pASbkjmUfPOpd544K8/s1600/DSCF7149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmh9ocfWxPyIJ1TtKX1x-05NnNHWXdyQx-iVJ_V06h_Gkz0LOb6m3sbTeY_MMhhJW0Y75dn3lHKc-IGm8iDltcp9U0J7bw8I7fX-BU5I3iDYWtHzWYfFRybVdc3pASbkjmUfPOpd544K8/s320/DSCF7149.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">The last month has been incredible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teaching has become easier, we’ve managed to get some beef, we’ve made our first friend, and we’re really getting used to the way of life here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only let-downs have been the lack of a house (still) and the fact that there hasn’t been a mailbag since we’ve arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But these are in my opinion minor problems, and only make me worry a little.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The other week, we heard that someone had slaughtered a cow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So straight after school, Lisa and I went down to one of the market places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were faced with the sight of sides and legs of a cow strung up and some pieces lying on a table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was exactly how I imagined it would be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We asked for two pounds each, and received them in two big chunks of meat and bone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>G$1,000 for 2 pounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s about £1.60 for a pound of beef.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was incredible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made a beef and potato curry, and chili con carne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was dinner and lunch for three days, I think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our other meals often involve balle, which we have with scrambled eggs for breakfast or lunch, or with soup for dinner; porridge or pancakes for breakfast; mainly some sort of curry for dinner; and a lot of fruit in between – it’s currently banana and orange season, and we’re still getting some tangerines, though they are now out of season.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqymaQjcuyYQE8Ro36-CNxSwfnQ531WscEN3AZB7uOq3I4USPrpA523bL3g34dhT9hjMdBCaPm0ZD_KLzs6Z8dH-yvBc0TA4gt3ReBrgx3TnWYJwgUS0qOFjrSquMG0DEPEkVGJgHAz0/s1600/DSCF7141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqymaQjcuyYQE8Ro36-CNxSwfnQ531WscEN3AZB7uOq3I4USPrpA523bL3g34dhT9hjMdBCaPm0ZD_KLzs6Z8dH-yvBc0TA4gt3ReBrgx3TnWYJwgUS0qOFjrSquMG0DEPEkVGJgHAz0/s320/DSCF7141.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are a few teachers who we don’t talk to much, but the majority of them we get on really well with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We often play Scrabble with La Cruiz and Fiza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously Liza and Fiza (World Teach) are friends of ours, and sometimes it’s really nice to stay up talking to them, and Candy, who is also becoming a good friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other teachers we get on well with in school, but few of them really talk to us outwith school, apart from Val-ann, Marcie and Monroe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Val-ann gave us some tangerines from one of her many tangerine-trees, and is a very lovely person through and through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her mother is also incredibly warm-hearted and kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Monroe is a funny guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve recently discovered that basically everything he says is a joke, and since then we understand him a lot better.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWA-7eiFnH2yemUHAXSR8OATjKoQmswLoSEisVHfAsIYKWV4uYQedPPRVs7SsQvmzBJSbsBK7Ir0IWNzppTFi0753E_meph3pGa-TPnCfv5w-jWANJBSi4EywgMWyTfvk9mnOw-UyFBo/s1600/DSCF7201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWA-7eiFnH2yemUHAXSR8OATjKoQmswLoSEisVHfAsIYKWV4uYQedPPRVs7SsQvmzBJSbsBK7Ir0IWNzppTFi0753E_meph3pGa-TPnCfv5w-jWANJBSi4EywgMWyTfvk9mnOw-UyFBo/s320/DSCF7201.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Last weekend, he took us down to Jahwong topside, which is a waterfall; the topside means we were at the </div><div class="MsoNormal">top of the falls, as opposed to the bottom side which is where Mr Simon takes us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really cool, especially since it had rained a lot so the river was full and roaring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also rained on our way back up the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not talking about rain like it is at home though – this was torrential rainforest rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took half of the road with it and soaked us to the bone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Monroe has also offered to get rid of the mouse that has taken residence in our house, which has chewed some of our flour-bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we’ve managed to make some friends, which is great.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Washing cooking and keeping track of water/fetching water are part of our life now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s funny how quickly necessities become regularities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t even notice anymore when something needs to be done, I just get on with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it is the last week of October, and we are unfortunately still in the guesthouse.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbCjiQB2aYgpc7VNrpiL9keeC-4a_fVyGRacgj2xUOmmRhy9OA1lwMNcge4epK4IkQvap4-6DZZ3Px7mdVP4W5P-2q9X5ATSDjzVZqG9QI4CMtk0W4kzSxTVKTAEFr48Ph6nix8oDrzs/s1600/DSCF7140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbCjiQB2aYgpc7VNrpiL9keeC-4a_fVyGRacgj2xUOmmRhy9OA1lwMNcge4epK4IkQvap4-6DZZ3Px7mdVP4W5P-2q9X5ATSDjzVZqG9QI4CMtk0W4kzSxTVKTAEFr48Ph6nix8oDrzs/s320/DSCF7140.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Since Ms Lewis arrived, she has managed to get very little done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The REDO visited the village for an hour (!) one Sunday and took a look at a Ministry of Education house which the DEO was hoping to let us stay in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She made a list of everything which needs to be done to the building to make it habitable, and it was a long one; then she asked the REXO whether the Ministry could fund it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What Ms Lewis has not managed to gather up the courage to tell us yet is that he didn’t say they would.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The REXO is apparently coming to check it out himself, but even Ms Lewis doesn’t know when that will be, so it could easily be next year before he comes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So in the meantime, a woman from the Guyana Elections Committee in PK has said she will try to phone the REXO herself to see if he can approve of her son renovating it already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has reminded us once more of the immense kindness and generosity of the people here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We couldn’t believe it when she offered us this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So for now we are in the guesthouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Last night was the first night we’ve been alone in the guesthouse for about a month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really nice to be able to cook our dinner in peace, and not get told we were doing it wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the guests – they’ve corrected our cooking a great deal, be it with or without our appreciation at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been able to perfect my balle, a type of deep-fried bread roll – believe me, it’s delicious – and my chicken curry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily has taught me how to make delicious rice, and we are getting better at roti, an Indian bread you eat with curry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say feeding ourselves hasn’t been as big an issue as we first anticipated, and I actually quite enjoy the regularity of cooking every night, though Emily seems to have taken over cooking dinner for the time being.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, living with somebody new in a new country has been quite challenging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far we haven’t fallen out, but we obviously have disagreements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve never before realised how pernickety I am about the way I live and how I like things done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been brought up to hate wastefulness, and therefore have become extremely efficient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I make only as much water as is needed for tea, use only as many candles as will let me see what I am writing, put only as much food on my plate as I know I will eat, etcetera, etcetera.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkS81WP-_F_hwHtKOMoX580O8BbX6fMkTNSCmCKt8dexehSMC3MI1XyW_iYz8vI_7mTtUSgvlg9g2evXJWsFIlgWVj1G7GR9ijhiXQZm6GXFUFBikFC3c1tsINyxFALSFHfAn47wOrEMY/s1600/DSCF7177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkS81WP-_F_hwHtKOMoX580O8BbX6fMkTNSCmCKt8dexehSMC3MI1XyW_iYz8vI_7mTtUSgvlg9g2evXJWsFIlgWVj1G7GR9ijhiXQZm6GXFUFBikFC3c1tsINyxFALSFHfAn47wOrEMY/s320/DSCF7177.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I didn’t know though just how much it really bothers me when people aren’t the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say I have become somewhat more tolerant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am also very, very British in that I accept things as they are instead of fighting for something for fear of causing a fuss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe I can fight for things when they mean a lot to me, but it seems I am also very apathetic when it comes to things which don’t bother me, but bother people around me – an example being the housing situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not really as bothered about it as I maybe should be, and definitely not as much as Emily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few other home truths have been made apparent to me too, but I won’t bore you with the details.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Since my last blog update, there have been few other developments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly after I sent it, I went to Kato – a three-hour walk away – for the inter-schools sports competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a lot of fun; though it was cold at night – we stayed for three nights – it’s strange how quickly you can get used to something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our return, we had to finally get used to teaching properly – without interruptions from sports practise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was still struggling with one of my classes, until recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I told Mr Simon about their lack of respect, because I literally managed to teach them about one lesson’s worth of work in one week, and instead of confronting the problem, he told me that he would teach them instead!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was not what I expected or wanted, but he insisted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns out that now he’s given the class, along with another of my classes, to a volunteer teacher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did ask him about this, but he then told me that they would soon be changing the timetable because it was badly done, so we’ll see what happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do like Mr Simon, so I’m not angry with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just think his disciplinary actions leave a lot to be desired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So now teaching is a lot easier – I teach the top three classes in grade 9, so I basically teach the same lesson three times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only have 15 out of 40 lessons a week though, so I don’t think it’s very good use of my time or the Ministry’s money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I say, we’ll see what happens when they change the timetable.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m sorry for not replying to any letters – I have not received anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sammy is in town now so he might bring back a mailbag, or go to the post office, to tell them to send one out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t wait for the mailbag to finally arrive, and hopefully with some letters for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only contact I have had with home apart from my sending letters was October 13<sup>th</sup>, when we managed to get to Kurukabaru, a village two hours away on a quad, and use the priest’s internet to start university applications.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sent an email to my parents and my brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t have enough time to update my blog as well, otherwise I would have done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think we are going back soon to complete our applications so I’ll try to find the time to write an update then, although I might get there before this has reached my parents.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I hope you are all well and that uni, school and work are still good and exciting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please don’t let my lack of mail deter you from writing to me; I will appreciate a letter no matter how late it arrives.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thank you for reading and much love to everyone,</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Antje xxx</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">P.S. Merry Christmas everyone!! And best of luck for the New Year!</div>Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-25684803228137033892011-10-19T09:54:00.000-07:002011-10-19T09:54:01.006-07:00Blog Update #1 “Welcome to Paramakatoi! That mountain over there is called Kawa.”<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-GB</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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I am writing this from a country called Guyana (South America; not Africa), from Region 8, in a town called Paramakatoi which lies on a clearing in the rainforest, after a long day sitting in the boiling sun…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In (what I’d love to say is my new home)… the Paramakatoi Guest House.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Confused?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So am I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me start from the beginning. <div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We left Georgetown luxuries and Kala behind on a four-seater plane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The Ogle” is a small airport in Georgetown where most flights to interior leave from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s seriously tiny and has little security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCAZwemkmP702EFAIzg2PXXu3Sjv-kJ42d1IaeESWHkv2dh_MWIO5vT6aFbTsVm2gKlQV3-nOft3rJFUZ6Wsk8Buqqrsedu6JEDRUJDUM1K_AfJ147QfjDlGb0pP7Ig8bnEm9tMafIM4/s1600/DSCF7013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCAZwemkmP702EFAIzg2PXXu3Sjv-kJ42d1IaeESWHkv2dh_MWIO5vT6aFbTsVm2gKlQV3-nOft3rJFUZ6Wsk8Buqqrsedu6JEDRUJDUM1K_AfJ147QfjDlGb0pP7Ig8bnEm9tMafIM4/s320/DSCF7013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"> The pilot basically came to the waiting area and says, “Miss Emily and Miss…… to Paramakatoi?”, so Emily and I followed him to the plane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They didn’t ask my name again, so I just left them to wonder how it’s pronounced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do find here people struggle just as much with my name as they do in Scotland, the only difference being that here they don’t ask more than once. So anyway, we followed the pilot to the plane – on the way our bags were casually searched, and we were asked if we had any sharp objects, which of course we didn’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plane was a tiny wee thing: as I say, four seats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had two little engines on the wings, and that was about all there was room for!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our bags and food boxes came to a total of 451 pounds, which was of course too much for the plane.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cZ6_bykRKWy5YtHvYYu_MuPJm2gFSs6AaH_lY3IMZFkkBxfu6Z2md5PT8DICOEr2eaaepwD6CfvECeYdlNme_87QIdCCFIHuu4mrLaux_9E5H0-1__WziNdsx7Ngsa1hC-Rn7Kvs6wE/s1600/DSCF7011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8cZ6_bykRKWy5YtHvYYu_MuPJm2gFSs6AaH_lY3IMZFkkBxfu6Z2md5PT8DICOEr2eaaepwD6CfvECeYdlNme_87QIdCCFIHuu4mrLaux_9E5H0-1__WziNdsx7Ngsa1hC-Rn7Kvs6wE/s320/DSCF7011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">So seven boxes and the majority of our toilet roll will be sent out on 25<sup>th</sup> September.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To get the boxes sent out to us, we had to pay a total of G$33,000, which is roughly £110.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did expect to pay more than this, so we were pleasantly surprised.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So we took off within ten minutes of getting on the plane – the biggest delay was simply waiting for the co-pilot to turn up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The engines were extremely loud, and therefore made any lengthy conversation impossible, but I’m fairly sure my face conveyed my excitement perfectly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took about ten minutes to reach 6,500 feet (sitting right behind the pilot, I could see all the dials and meters), so we were able to see a lot of Georgetown quite clearly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then flew on, over the Demerara River (for those of you who don’t know, the Demerara River flows through the part of Guyana where Demerara sugar originates, hence the name of the sugar); over countless more rivers; all the while, we could see the landscape turning from savannah to mountainous rainforest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really very spectacular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, I now know why Guyana is called The Land of many Waters – there are rivers everywhere!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeing them from above also made me appreciate how very untouched Guyana is: the rivers twist and turn with the land and the only man-made things within miles of them are small wooden houses sprinkled along their shores<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYi2BmBdDKdV0ORI1xRG-dBY2jHX3CD5lUiq0moeH49pWJNE_1YlE0hwRx8zLlF4INGJX7pXLknBtjiJF4bXBrBDCJ4IgEegq4JvuuPaD6AUA2wkY6_7M3cj-fcVZxeOU0Fqp2sLXvzo/s1600/DSCF7060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYi2BmBdDKdV0ORI1xRG-dBY2jHX3CD5lUiq0moeH49pWJNE_1YlE0hwRx8zLlF4INGJX7pXLknBtjiJF4bXBrBDCJ4IgEegq4JvuuPaD6AUA2wkY6_7M3cj-fcVZxeOU0Fqp2sLXvzo/s320/DSCF7060.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">The pilot also took us over Kaieteur Falls – spectacular also to see them, but it just made me more excited to visit them.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHf5FsgitUTtTCBq0-KzppqX7I-EJv6276y468mza7pEGuZ4EGAdJs8l7GaRo4fLb4SWh_qcqGWbVQ07-1tuwZU4hCzXydkD-RQSRAqND-F4rQCI0j6FJvEmiD5baCDAuapjUlcLA52qc/s1600/DSCF7120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHf5FsgitUTtTCBq0-KzppqX7I-EJv6276y468mza7pEGuZ4EGAdJs8l7GaRo4fLb4SWh_qcqGWbVQ07-1tuwZU4hCzXydkD-RQSRAqND-F4rQCI0j6FJvEmiD5baCDAuapjUlcLA52qc/s320/DSCF7120.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We then flew deeper into the mountains and over a village called Chenapau where two Project Trust volunteers, Mike and Ryan, were flying to on the same day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw Paramakatoi soon after the pilot began descending; it really is just placed on top of a mountain – it’s quite big though, even from the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly before we landed, the pilot turned around and asked, “you want to free-fall?” and didn’t wait for an answer but just did it anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think he must have seen my face light up and assumed (correctly) that we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily isn’t the best at flying, so she wasn’t too pleased, but it was fantastic!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The airstrip is literally just a bit of road, just long enough and no longer, so the landing was exciting, if a little nerve-wracking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we got off the plane, we were greeted by four women and Nurse Wall – a missionary who usually looks after Project Trust volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She told us she was actually just leaving until December, but that we would enjoy Paramakatoi, and that she would be happy to help us when she returned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were also met by Mr Dublin, the Deputy Regional Education Officer (REDO), who asked a few boys from the school to help us carry our things up to our house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were about twelve, but stronger than us by a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We followed them up the hill with a few of the women (or “Aunties”, as middle-aged women are called; older women are all “Granny” or the Patamona equivalent), who helped us carry our rucksacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We watched the boys walk up, past the house which we thought was ours (we’ve seen pictures, and it’s one of the only houses in the village that has stilts) and stop at a big house on top of the hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we got there, we were faced with this:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tGzpstT_yCVYKiIq6QmhJWewn816NPbpkugmbQmTBFKrEAj8rRInqeORQrIQmbz-AwoWnFlN-OhDPqH9nlBhfzABfO8pMglKbFxvsLoLnyQJwEpinRAyiwHk03Mee_1bbS8RHaxd_RM/s1600/DSCF7127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tGzpstT_yCVYKiIq6QmhJWewn816NPbpkugmbQmTBFKrEAj8rRInqeORQrIQmbz-AwoWnFlN-OhDPqH9nlBhfzABfO8pMglKbFxvsLoLnyQJwEpinRAyiwHk03Mee_1bbS8RHaxd_RM/s320/DSCF7127.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Surprised as we were, Mr Dublin was very comforting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told us that there wasn’t enough Ministry of Education housing for all the teachers, so we would be in the guest house until they find a free house, which has turned out to be indefinitely, because there isn’t actually a spare house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been told in the meantime we are welcome to have meals at the dormitories, until our food-boxes arrive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, this week we’ve been told that there is a doctor’s house which is free because the doctor never stays more than a few nights, so we’re trying to get permission from the Regional Health Officer (RHO) to stay there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully by the time I next update my blog, we will have sorted something out.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anyway, we spent Friday lying in out hammocks on the front porch, and also wandering around the village meeting people and finding our bearings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We lost count of the amount of times people said to us, “welcome to Paramakatoi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hope you enjoy it here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see that mountain?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That mountain is Kawa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kawa Mountain.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But everyone is really lovely and welcoming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also bumped into Mr Harold Simon, the acting headmaster since the previous headmistress was let go; the region have not actually replaced her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a lovely, adorable little man, and it was a bit of a relief to know that our headmaster was extremely easy to get on with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to visit the two World Teach volunteers, Hafizah (Fiza) and Lisa, who are incidentally staying in the house that the Project Trust volunteers usually occupy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is another teacher staying in the adjoining house where we thought the World Teach volunteers would be staying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her name is Candacie (Candy) and she is lovely, and a very good teacher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s here until the end of this year, and the she will be returning to Georgetown to do her teaching degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all get on really well, and there are definitely no hard feelings between us.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On Saturday morning, we went with Mr Simon, Fiza and Lisa to Mr Simon’s farm which is at Mountain Foot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is about a 45 minute walk, although I think we maybe took a little longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The journey is entirely downhill after the first ten minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was difficult mainly because Emily and I had not had time to have breakfast or go down to the spring to get water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically, Fiza turned up at eight and said “are you ready?” and we didn’t have a clue what she was talking about!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we grabbed our bags, swimsuits and towels and headed down the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The view was stunning, and we passed farm after farm of tangerine trees, mango trees, cassava plants, pumpkin plants, watermelon plants, and the list goes on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were given a pumpkin and a cabbage between the two of us (Emily and myself).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After going to the farm, Mr Simon took us down to a creek, which was amazing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water was so clear and cool, we swam for hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was such a relief to get out of the hot sun.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">We walked back up the mountain around 2pm, after a lunch of fresh cassava bread and stewed bush-cow (tapir meat).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The walk back up was difficult to say the least, and the heat of the sun made it exhausting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re hoping to go down there quite regularly because it was so lovely, and the walk back up the hill can only get easier!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So on the first day of school, the pupils were all asked to weed the track for the inter-house sports.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They used cutlasses, so it took the whole morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then had the afternoon off, which meant we had time to begin our lesson plans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day was surprising in many ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The biggest shock was that the children do not know some basic things which should have been taught in previous years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I teach grade nine maths, which is the equivalent of second year maths in Scotland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The year is split into 9A and 9B classes; the A classes will be sitting their CXC exams at the end of grade II, the B classes are the ones who will not manage because they are either badly behaved or are not bright enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The A classes, however, struggle to multiply by any numbers bigger than ten, even 100.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The B classes are extremely difficult to control, and there is even one child in one class who doesn’t speak English, only Patamona, even though the language used in school is English.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQSD0x0q3wNh75DRkcnJWlvT-fDq5kRC6Jzp6U_JOvPWQbfMDCga54nPvV-ovVEA-v7-rcHGHeE1GiTj1SZUtGkWEV8XOWkyHin25g6FZIHhtRdD81xtvMg95hBDLgFgI3VYSB1VrOx4/s1600/DSCF7135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQSD0x0q3wNh75DRkcnJWlvT-fDq5kRC6Jzp6U_JOvPWQbfMDCga54nPvV-ovVEA-v7-rcHGHeE1GiTj1SZUtGkWEV8XOWkyHin25g6FZIHhtRdD81xtvMg95hBDLgFgI3VYSB1VrOx4/s320/DSCF7135.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the meantime, I am beginning to get the hang of teaching, and understanding the accent also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve made a few friends in the village, mainly teachers and the cooks in the dormitories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our neighbour, Mr Winston Williams – the medic – is also extremely nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some evenings we go down to the airstrip and just sit and watch the lightning or look at the stars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is lightning every night, all around the mountains; it lights up the clouds, and most of the sky on the horizon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sorry but I really can’t capture that on camera.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Apart from that, I don’t think there’s much to tell!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is really a beautiful place, and I feel very at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It does get quite hot during the day, but it cools down at night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It rains sometimes, maybe a couple of times a week, but that’s nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only thing which is bothering us, of course, is the lack of a house, but we’re definitely happy here – everyone is very wary of the fact that the last Project Trust volunteers left after a week – we keep having to reassure people that we really are here for the year!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So anyway, now I have to go, I really need to send this letter today as the mail is only sent once a week.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thank you for reading, all the best to everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope you are all well and that those of you in uni are settling in alright.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">All my love, Antje xxx</div>Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-56454604276718367422011-09-05T11:25:00.000-07:002011-09-05T11:25:31.966-07:00MAILHello! Just a quick note to say if you are going to send me anything, be it letter or parcel, if you send it to the PT flat it will reach me quicker:<br />
<br />
Antje Kremer<br />
102 Campbell Avenue<br />
"Section L"<br />
Campbellville<br />
Georgetown<br />
Guyana<br />
South America<br />
<br />
Then either Kala or her daughter will send it on to me. Thank you!Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-8610988601857931092011-08-31T09:53:00.000-07:002011-08-31T09:53:30.326-07:00A Week InHello!<br />
<br />
I arrived safe and sound in Georgetown after a long and extremely tiring journey. We got here around 1am local time last Friday. This is the first opportunity I have had to get on the internet so I'm sorry for taking this long.<br />
<br />
After sleeping only until 6am (11am GMT) on the Friday we all had to get up and spent the entire day lazing around in the sun, trying (and failing) to get used to the heat. Indeed, sitting here now, at a computer, with a fan blowing on my back it's still far too warm. But the locals say it is "the hottest week of the year" or something, as it always is when you'd quite like to be a wee bit cooler. But no matter, it's lovely to be able to wear shorts and t-shirt and not compain about the cold!<br />
<br />
The rest of the week we have spent avoiding the sun by our flat. This is tiny. two bedrooms, a kitchen with a bathroom attached and a veranda. We have all strung hammocks up outside because it is just too hot to sleep inside. We do have mosquito nets as well, because the mozzies are an absoolute nightmare. I've already been bitten about 20 times, and I am by far not the worst. The hammocks are really comfortable, I find it difficult to stay awake whle lying in one. In fact, on Sunday, I lay down in a hammock at about 11am with the intention of joining the conversation going on around me, and just ended up falling asleep. It was lovely.<br />
<br />
On Monday we went to a meeting with the Ministry of Education, which, of course, lasted far too long and was far too boring, but we did get to meet the Minister of Education (our employer), which was good. One of the first evenings we went out for a chinese, where our meal costed roughly four pounds, and was huge, last night we had dinner at a pizza place and met the World Teach volunteers who will also be based in Paramakatoi. They seemed very nice, though I must say Emily did most of the talking to them.<br />
<br />
Tonight is the opening of Heritage Month, so there will be a celebration, which I am looking forward to. We are going out to a Brazilian buffet restaurant tonight after this, which should be good though it is fairly expensive by Guyana standards (G$3500 - roughly twelve pounds).<br />
<br />
I am pleased to say everybody seems to be getting on very well, though one of the guys has been having trouble adapting to a lot of things, and culture shock hit him quite badly. Apart from that and the occaisional hint of cabin fever, we are all getting along famously, which is a relief to Kala, our representative, as she said last year's group were nowhere near as close. I now see what Doug means about her being a great person to have as a representative - she will help you with absolutely anything, and believe me, she has a lot of contacts.<br />
<br />
I am leaving next Friday, but all but four volunteers are leaving tomorrow or the day after, so I should get another chance to use the internet before I go to Paramakatoi.<br />
<br />
For now, I have to go, people are getting impatient. All the best and I hope everyone is well.<br />
<br />
AntjeBanterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-80012264336435226922011-08-24T03:38:00.000-07:002011-08-24T03:38:57.932-07:00The Journey Begins...<div style="font-family: inherit;">Hello everyone! Or should that be goodbye...?</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"> </div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm leaving this evening to begin my journey towards the remote Paramakatoi. I don't quite know how I feel about this yet. It seems so far away and yet I'm counting the hours (seven) until I leave my home, my friends and my family, not to mention the many comforts</span> and luxuries I have become so used to in my few years in our society. I really can't explain the excitement and anticipation which has been brewing inside me for close to four months now. All I have to say is that I am forever grateful to everyone who helped me along the way, I know there is absolutely no chance that I would even be contemplating going on this trip if I hadn't had your support. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I don't know how to tell you how much this means to me.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">I don't know if you've ever tried fitting a year's worth of clothes, shoes, toiletries and teaching materials, along with about five years of memories, into a 65L rucksack without exceeding 23kg. No easy feat. It is, however, in a way embarrassing, to think how many things and belongings we feel we need to have. My room is full of boxes upon boxes of things that I thought I needed. Things I use once in a lifetime but don't want to throw away for fear of facing an occasion when I will have to think, "if only I'd kept that a month longer", or "I gave this away last week!" and then grudgingly buying another. To be quite honest, I wouldn't be surprised if when I return I bear a bag of weight maybe 10kg, and still think I won't use the majority of it again. I'm sure my mum would be more than happy if this was the case.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">So my epic journey:</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">I will get a bus to Glasgow this evening, where I will stay with my Project Trust partner, Emily. In the morning we will fly down to Gatwick, to arrive at about eight in the morning, check in, and then fly from Gatwick to Barbados at midday, arriving at about half past eight in the evening, GMT. We will then wait about five hours in Barbados airport, before flying to Georgetown, to arrive at about half past ten, Guyana time. So about half past three in the morning, our time. I will be in Georgetown until the 9th of September, when I fly to Paramakatoi. From then on it's letters only, and the beginning of my year as a teacher.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">I will try to post another update during my stay in Georgetown to let you know I got there safely.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Just a quick word - if you send me a letter, please print the address on a big, white sticker on the envelope, then it is more likely to get there. Sorry if I'm repeating myself, but this is quite important.</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">So all there is left to say is - please keep checking my blog and have a fantastic year!</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Lots of love,</div><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">Antje</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">xxx</div>Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-72020222061002165772011-07-20T11:20:00.000-07:002011-07-20T11:20:40.188-07:00Briefed, Trained and Extremely Excited<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hello everyone!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So I've just come back from training on Monday and I am getting really eager to be off. I have found out a whole lot more information about my project, but most importantly....</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I AM LEAVING ON THE 25TH OF AUGUST.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped me reach this point. It would be a tragic thing for me not to have managed to get this far after all the effort everyone has put in, so my sincerest appreciation to every single one of you.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On training I was told a lot about my project - too much to put on this page without it getting tedious, but I will try to sum it up as best I can.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My partner is called Emily and is in some ways my double (personality-wise anyway), and in some ways my exact opposite. I really think project trust have done an amazing job in pairing up the volunteers and I really couldn't have asked for anyone better. I say this now, goodness knows what I'll say after living with her for a year, but I know we will work it out, whatever happens.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our house is, yes, on stilts, and it has a lovely red zinc roof and is supposedly one of the nicest houses in the village. It is right next door to the school and literally a 50m - if that - walk from the air strip. The toilet is "erratic" and the shower doesn't work, but there are rivers everywhere and the locals bathe as often as three times a day, so it won't be a problem. There is a rain butt for water, but this has to be boiled. We have two gas rings for cooking, and there is an oven in the school in case we want to bake. There are beds in our rooms but when we arrive in Georgetown, Kala Seegopaul, our representative and a very accomplished woman, will take us hammock shopping, so I suspect we will end up sleeping in these instead, as there are apparently bed bugs.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are 16 Project Trust volunteers in total in Guyana, and just over the five days of training we have already bonded a lot. About a two days' walk from Paramakatoi (PK) there is a village called Chenapou, home to one of the fifty-odd primary schools which send pupils to board and go to school in PK. Here there are two more Project Trust volunteers, Ryan and Mike, who are then only a further few hours from Kaieteur Falls, the world's largest single drop waterfall - meaning the combination of height and water volume falling here is greater than anywhere else on earth. It is said to be a really breathtaking and awesome place, so watch this space, as we will definitely be going there.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have found out an awful lot about the culture but I will try to keep this brief. PK is inhabited by Amerindians: subsistence farmers who live off what they can grow from the land (apparently anything, but they tend to grow mainly cassava and fruit). Any food they do need to buy is flown in from Georgetown on a small eight-seat plane - which is also how we get to the village. There is a small shop for other everyday things but it is expensive. Their two main past times are "liming</span>" - <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">lazing about, also "gaffing", which is basically the same but also incorporates some talking/ gossiping - and dancing - which is supposedly quite intimate and very sexual.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the villages in the Potaro-Siparuni Region (or Region 8 - containing PK) of Guyana the Amerindians still speak in their native tongue - a language called Patamona - a lot of the time, and I am delighted to be exposed to and get the chance to learn a little of a language which is spoken by only a few thousand people. For example, the word "Paramakatoi" comes from the name of the creek it is based on and from the Patamona word for savannah: "katoi" or "ktoi" - so the Savannah on the Parama Creek.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The main mode of transport is, not surprisingly, walking, however it is possible to hire ATVs (quad bikes) and guides for journeys between villages. I must admit this is one of the most exciting parts for me so far! The next nearest town, Kato, is a three hour walk away, a walk which some of the pupils unfortunately have to undertake on a daily basis.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We will be staying in Georgetown for at least five days before going out to our project. During this time we are to buy any extra things we need and a term's worth of food. This will cost us approximately 50,000 guyanese dollars, a pound being about G</span><span class="st"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">$</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">300. We will be paid monthly wages of G$60,000 plus G$7,000 "rural area incentive". This is because we will actually be working for the Ministry of Education in Guyana as, having Highers (and Advanced Highers), we are more qualified than some of the other teachers, who only have the equivalent of GCSEs in the form of an end of year exam by the Caribbean Examinations Council, or CXC.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I will obviously find out an awful lot more while I am out there and I imagine it will be different in many ways to what I have entailed so far. I will put up another post shortly before I leave, but for now, I leave you with my address.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They say that every volunteer responds differently to different things and there are other pieces of information or realizations which really hit home, and for me, it was receiving this address on the front of my post report which made me appreciate what I am doing, and what lies ahead of me. It seems strange but it gave me a bit of a jolt into reality</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Miss Antje Kremer</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Paramakatoi Secondary School</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Paramakatoi</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">North Pakaraimas</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Region 8</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Guyana</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">South America</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks for reading and please stay in touch,</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All my love, </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Antje</span></div>Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922887198437819233.post-59398398146066134012011-06-26T12:55:00.000-07:002011-06-26T12:55:05.911-07:00So, What's This All About?<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hello and welcome to my blog!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As you all know, at the end of August I am going to begin my epic year out in the mountains of Guyana. Currently I know very little about my project, but what follows is what I have managed to find out.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I know that I will be teaching Maths, Sciences and English in Paramakatoi Secondary School, and I will be living in a 2 bedroom house (on stilts) with my partner - another Project Trust volunteer who I will be paired up with on training.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Paramakatoi</u></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have been doing some research into the village and have found out that it has a population of about 2000, and that the school roll is currently roughly 500 pupils, and some of these come from surrounding villages so have to board. In the town itself, there are only two (possibly three) official shops - but these are haberdashery, so I will have to do all my food shopping in Georgetown, the capital - a 2 hour flight from Paramakatoi, and I suspect I will end up growing a lot of things myself. The lack of shops also means that alcohol is not readily available - those of you who know me well will know that this will not faze me in the slightest - however, this means that a lot of people brew their own alcoholic drinks from Cassava (a woody shrub whose root and leaf can be eaten in many different forms).</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Due to Paramakatoi's remoteness, villagers will happily walk the 2 days to the next nearest village, but I am not to go far without a guide as there are many intertwining paths and I could easily lose my way. There are also no police officers or station - therefore any misunderstandings are resolved by the Village Captain. I believe this means that it is a very trusting community, and apparently because of the lower alcohol consumption there is also less violence. It all sounds very refreshing, and extremely different!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u>Climate</u> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The climate is tropical, and though I will be up in the mountains where it should be comparatively cold, this is relative, and the sun can still be unbearable between 11am and 3pm. Paramakatoi being in the rainforest, you will not be surprised to hear that the rainfall is really quite high, it is, in fact, 350cm a year - almost four times as much as on the Back Isle. Guyana is, incidentally, also called "The Land of Many Waters" - also not surprising. I have heard that volunteers often end up bathing in nearby creeks and rivers, which I understand are refreshingly cool compared to the warm air.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That's all I know so far. I am sure I find out plenty more on my training week from the 13th to the 17th of July. I will try and post another update in about a months time, or if I find out any more in the meantime.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thanks again for reading this. I hope that over the next fourteen months you will take the time to revisit my page and find out how I am getting on. I will hopefully have my postal address in Paramakatoi posted up with the first blog entry from abroad.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bye for now,</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Antje.</div>Banterjehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13055402608436446832noreply@blogger.com0