But spending time with these lovely children and their Mum was quite sobering and gave me food for thought.
Sunday 27 November 2011
New Amsterdam 3
In the foreground is a small drainage ditch. All Guyana's coastal regions have drainage systems as the land is flat and low lying.
New Amsterdam 2
For a volunteer one advantage of living and working in a smaller town, with outlying village settlements, rather than the much larger capital, is that you quickly become a familiar face and can begin to develop a network of friendships among the Guyanese population.
On Friday evening I was welcomed at the Ladies Fitness Class, which took place at the back of the church hall, beyond the rows of table tennis games.
On Saturday I was included in the invitation to eat with a family living in Friendship village. I followed Shelley's guidance on convention. We took some food "for later", pencils, colouring books and soft drinks for our host, a single working parent helped with childcare arrangements by her 74 year old mother, who is bringing up her five lovely children in a small 2 bedroom house.
After eating, playing card games and practising Christmas carols, we walked to the Back Dam, a back canal, played on the bridge, wandered by some tethered calves, passed country gardens and finally onto the ball field next to Friendship school where boys were playing cricket and a small herd of goats were chewing at the shrubs. There the children were happy to cast off their footwear and race around the field for entertainment. We carried with us a large bottle of water by way of refreshment.
On Friday evening I was welcomed at the Ladies Fitness Class, which took place at the back of the church hall, beyond the rows of table tennis games.
On Saturday I was included in the invitation to eat with a family living in Friendship village. I followed Shelley's guidance on convention. We took some food "for later", pencils, colouring books and soft drinks for our host, a single working parent helped with childcare arrangements by her 74 year old mother, who is bringing up her five lovely children in a small 2 bedroom house.
After eating, playing card games and practising Christmas carols, we walked to the Back Dam, a back canal, played on the bridge, wandered by some tethered calves, passed country gardens and finally onto the ball field next to Friendship school where boys were playing cricket and a small herd of goats were chewing at the shrubs. There the children were happy to cast off their footwear and race around the field for entertainment. We carried with us a large bottle of water by way of refreshment.
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| The children pose on the bridge. |
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam is a small, sleepy market town. As well as plenty of election posters, and a party rally in the main street on the Friday evening (which we avoided, as instructed), preparations for Christmas were underway. Fairy lights and quantities of sparkly red and green materials were in evidence, plus the Guyanese choice of decorations for the festive season- brightly coloured silk flowers.
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| Inside the market hall- New Amsterdam |
Taxi! 2
New Amsterdam is south east- not south west- of Georgetown. (Edit from previous posting!)
New Amsterdam is on the east bank of the Berbice River, one of the main rivers in the country, giving its name to one of the three main provinces.
Until 2008, the coastal road crossed the Berbice via a ferry service. The process of waiting, loading, crossing, unloading and moving off took hours, enabling New Amsterdam and Rosignol on the west bank to earn income from trading with the passing and captive traffic. Both small towns are now much quieter, and probably poorer, but the Berbice Bridge - the 6th largest floating bridge in the world- has made the journey much quicker.
Like the Demerara Bridge outside Georgetown, this bridge has a retractable section across the shipping lane, which is operated each day at high tide to allow passage for ocean going vessels.
New Amsterdam is on the east bank of the Berbice River, one of the main rivers in the country, giving its name to one of the three main provinces.
Until 2008, the coastal road crossed the Berbice via a ferry service. The process of waiting, loading, crossing, unloading and moving off took hours, enabling New Amsterdam and Rosignol on the west bank to earn income from trading with the passing and captive traffic. Both small towns are now much quieter, and probably poorer, but the Berbice Bridge - the 6th largest floating bridge in the world- has made the journey much quicker.
Like the Demerara Bridge outside Georgetown, this bridge has a retractable section across the shipping lane, which is operated each day at high tide to allow passage for ocean going vessels.
 |
| The Demerara Bridge- retracted- photo taken from the old stelling (landing) in New Amsterdam |
Taxi!
Last Friday, I set off for New Amsterdam, a small market town about 100 km south west of Georgetown. The journey takes the coastal road, one of the few paved roads in Guyana, which continues to the border with Suriname. I went to stay with Shelley, a fellow VSO teacher, to exchange work ideas and future plans and to enjoy "liming" in New Amsterdam.
The pace of life, the greater openness of people and the delight in simple pleasures gave me a hint of the country living that some Guyanese Georgetown residents speak fondly of when reminiscing of childhood days:- playing out at night under a full moon; dancing in the torrential rain; bathing naked in the canals and creeks: all beyond the experiences of this urban creature.
In the words of the worn out "Strictly Come Dancing" cliché- its the journey that counts.
The journey- while not the highlight- had its interests.
A`shared taxi, safer and only slightly dearer than the regular mini- bus service- was the chosen mode for travel. Limits on passenger numbers apply to paying adults only. My return journey reminded me of family days out in the 1960's, with two nursing mothers and their babies, one father and a toddler crammed into the back of an average saloon vehicle. I obeyed the driver's instruction and sat in the front seat.
While in town taxi drivers are chatty, but once on the main highway, the serious business of driving at over 100kph along the two lane road takes over. Bob Marley was the entertainment on the CD system on Friday and as the man sitting to my left was a grade A student of Mr Marley's lyrics, I enjoyed trio-phonic listening for the duration of the journey.
In addition to anticipating Police radar traps, the driver would slow down for:- the occasional animal on the road- lumbering cows, trotting goats, lean dogs and puzzled hens; farm tractors and horse drawn carts; minibuses collecting and dropping off passengers and squads of brightly uniformed school children.
Villages string along the road in quick succession, their names revealing Guyana's past. Good Hope and Success suggest settlements of newly emancipated slaves or indentured labourers. Places like Onverwagt were originally Dutch, Essex, Buxton and Bath were English, Strathspey was Scottish and Non Pareil (which I continue to mistranslate as "without umbrella"), French. I cannot account for Bachelors Adventure or Lovely Lass.
Adjacent to the bridge over a small river is the rusting skeleton of an old railway bridge, one of the few remainders of the small railway network abandoned, scrapped and sold off in the 1970s.
The surrounding countryside is not intensively cultivated, but there are plantations of coconuts and sugar cane and rice fields. Near a rice processing factory were burning mountains of spent rice husks, and workers raking the wet processed rice on the roadside to dry, before shovelling it into bags.
The pace of life, the greater openness of people and the delight in simple pleasures gave me a hint of the country living that some Guyanese Georgetown residents speak fondly of when reminiscing of childhood days:- playing out at night under a full moon; dancing in the torrential rain; bathing naked in the canals and creeks: all beyond the experiences of this urban creature.
In the words of the worn out "Strictly Come Dancing" cliché- its the journey that counts.
The journey- while not the highlight- had its interests.
A`shared taxi, safer and only slightly dearer than the regular mini- bus service- was the chosen mode for travel. Limits on passenger numbers apply to paying adults only. My return journey reminded me of family days out in the 1960's, with two nursing mothers and their babies, one father and a toddler crammed into the back of an average saloon vehicle. I obeyed the driver's instruction and sat in the front seat.
While in town taxi drivers are chatty, but once on the main highway, the serious business of driving at over 100kph along the two lane road takes over. Bob Marley was the entertainment on the CD system on Friday and as the man sitting to my left was a grade A student of Mr Marley's lyrics, I enjoyed trio-phonic listening for the duration of the journey.
In addition to anticipating Police radar traps, the driver would slow down for:- the occasional animal on the road- lumbering cows, trotting goats, lean dogs and puzzled hens; farm tractors and horse drawn carts; minibuses collecting and dropping off passengers and squads of brightly uniformed school children.
Villages string along the road in quick succession, their names revealing Guyana's past. Good Hope and Success suggest settlements of newly emancipated slaves or indentured labourers. Places like Onverwagt were originally Dutch, Essex, Buxton and Bath were English, Strathspey was Scottish and Non Pareil (which I continue to mistranslate as "without umbrella"), French. I cannot account for Bachelors Adventure or Lovely Lass.
Adjacent to the bridge over a small river is the rusting skeleton of an old railway bridge, one of the few remainders of the small railway network abandoned, scrapped and sold off in the 1970s.
The surrounding countryside is not intensively cultivated, but there are plantations of coconuts and sugar cane and rice fields. Near a rice processing factory were burning mountains of spent rice husks, and workers raking the wet processed rice on the roadside to dry, before shovelling it into bags.
The P word
Tomorrow the people of Guyana go to the polls to elect a new National Assembly and a new President of Guyana.
As volunteers we have all been trying to follow events from a safe distance, adhering to VSO policy of non-involvement in the politics of the host country. Also, as there has been a past history of election fraud and post election violence, although the two most recent elections were completed peacefully, we are to "lie low" for the next week, with our homes stocked up with goods. (As we would for Christmas at home, forgetting that in the UK, all basic items can be bought 364 days of the year.)
The People's Progressive Party (PPP/C) has won every election since it took power from the People's National Congress (PNC) in 1992. The PPP President, Bharrat Jagdeo, who has served two terms of office must now, under the rules of the constitution, stand down.
A wish for change is freely expressed by taxi drivers, colleagues at work, and anyone who feels they can bend your ear- opinions all met with a non- committal "interesting".
46% of voters are young- between the ages of 18 and 35.
The Starbroek News today talks of no party winning an overall majority.
Any party standing must be able to field candidates for over 50% of the available seats, thus effectively ruling out small minority groups. A third of a party's candidates must be women.
Traditionally the PPP/C took the vote of the Indo-Guyanese community and the old PNC, the Afro-Guyanese. But politicians have been "crossing the floor" of the assembly and this year the ruling PPP/C - slogan "Working Together for a Better Tomorrow"- faces a new contender.
A Party for National Unity-APNU-with a leadership drawn from the PNC, the PPP/C, the Workers' Party Alliance (WPA) , the Guyana Action Party (GAP) and the National Front Alliance (NFA) and the slogan "A Good Life for All Guyanese" makes the direct appeal across all ethnic groups.
The third party, the Alliance for Change (AFC), formed in 2001- slogan "Unlocking Guyana's Future", and logo, a key- is lead by three politicians formerly from the PPP/C, the PNC and the WPA. It also draws support from different ethnic groups and has become a main opposition party.
Scanning the manifesto materials from each of the parties on the Caribbean Elections website reveals very little policy detail other than broad sweeping promises and some key capital projects:- a road to Brazil, a deep water Harbour on the Demerara, solar and water power, maintaining Guyana's environmental status and developing the ICT infrastructure.
Since the election was announced the Guyana papers have reported charges and counter charges of wrong doings and failures levelled by rivals from all the main parties, while letters from ordinary people raising questions about poverty, pensions, housing, education health, jobs, street cleaning and rubbish collections, water and power, crime and violence indicate what people. These issues are reflected in debates on the TV.
The fact that each party has a simple logo- the PPP/C has a cup, APNU has the palm of the hand and the AFC, a key- is a reminder that some voters will be unable to read names on the ballot paper.
25 National Assembly members will be directly elected representatives for their region, based on population numbers. The other 40 members will come from the top up list, and seats will be allocated proportionate to the share of the national vote.
The new Assembly will then elect the President and Prime Minister.
Tomorrow has been declared a public holiday.
As volunteers we have all been trying to follow events from a safe distance, adhering to VSO policy of non-involvement in the politics of the host country. Also, as there has been a past history of election fraud and post election violence, although the two most recent elections were completed peacefully, we are to "lie low" for the next week, with our homes stocked up with goods. (As we would for Christmas at home, forgetting that in the UK, all basic items can be bought 364 days of the year.)
The People's Progressive Party (PPP/C) has won every election since it took power from the People's National Congress (PNC) in 1992. The PPP President, Bharrat Jagdeo, who has served two terms of office must now, under the rules of the constitution, stand down.
A wish for change is freely expressed by taxi drivers, colleagues at work, and anyone who feels they can bend your ear- opinions all met with a non- committal "interesting".
46% of voters are young- between the ages of 18 and 35.
The Starbroek News today talks of no party winning an overall majority.
Any party standing must be able to field candidates for over 50% of the available seats, thus effectively ruling out small minority groups. A third of a party's candidates must be women.
Traditionally the PPP/C took the vote of the Indo-Guyanese community and the old PNC, the Afro-Guyanese. But politicians have been "crossing the floor" of the assembly and this year the ruling PPP/C - slogan "Working Together for a Better Tomorrow"- faces a new contender.
A Party for National Unity-APNU-with a leadership drawn from the PNC, the PPP/C, the Workers' Party Alliance (WPA) , the Guyana Action Party (GAP) and the National Front Alliance (NFA) and the slogan "A Good Life for All Guyanese" makes the direct appeal across all ethnic groups.
The third party, the Alliance for Change (AFC), formed in 2001- slogan "Unlocking Guyana's Future", and logo, a key- is lead by three politicians formerly from the PPP/C, the PNC and the WPA. It also draws support from different ethnic groups and has become a main opposition party.
Scanning the manifesto materials from each of the parties on the Caribbean Elections website reveals very little policy detail other than broad sweeping promises and some key capital projects:- a road to Brazil, a deep water Harbour on the Demerara, solar and water power, maintaining Guyana's environmental status and developing the ICT infrastructure.
Since the election was announced the Guyana papers have reported charges and counter charges of wrong doings and failures levelled by rivals from all the main parties, while letters from ordinary people raising questions about poverty, pensions, housing, education health, jobs, street cleaning and rubbish collections, water and power, crime and violence indicate what people. These issues are reflected in debates on the TV.
The fact that each party has a simple logo- the PPP/C has a cup, APNU has the palm of the hand and the AFC, a key- is a reminder that some voters will be unable to read names on the ballot paper.
25 National Assembly members will be directly elected representatives for their region, based on population numbers. The other 40 members will come from the top up list, and seats will be allocated proportionate to the share of the national vote.
The new Assembly will then elect the President and Prime Minister.
Tomorrow has been declared a public holiday.
Sunday 13 November 2011
Lending a hand
In between discussing the future of our polluted planet, the potential for economic collapse across Europe, Italy post media-tycoon Berlusconi, Guyana beating Trinidad in some pre pre pre qualifier for the next football World Cup and the end of the mango season, there is a constant awareness of poverty all too close, and what any individual can do to "lend a hand."
(This is also a helpful counterbalance when homesickness unexpectedly strikes. There has to be a time for tears, a retreat to a wash room, a sense of loneliness and a questioning of purpose- and then the time for moving on.)
It is a topic frequently discussed, but each volunteer makes a personal decision, reconciling conscience, compassion and sheer practicality. My own resolutions- which will probably change again- are currently: to buy an item of fruit and give if stopped by someone begging in the market; to buy additional stocks of dry foods and basic toiletries to drop off with specific people who are linked with families through the Food for the Poor charity; to support the activities in the special schools I visit by buying raffle tickets, craft products, donating consumerables, sponsoring places on school visits and treats; and to carry change for collections and cake sales outside shops.
The Christmas season is upon is Guyana, and Santa's bell can now be heard ringing outside many shops as the Salvation Army makes its Christmas Collection.
Supporting good causes also generates a social life. In recent weeks, along with other volunteers I have been to a Dance and BBQ (sadly with no dancing- just the food, drinking and chat) in aid of a Rest Home, a fashion show to support Help and Shelter and a March and BBQ organised by the Disabled Persons' Network, in a small town outside Georgetown, to raise funds and awareness of issues faced by people with disabilities.
Help and Shelter, set up in 1994, supports resolving problems caused by domestic violence. Their own research, supported by the University of Guyana, indicates that at least one in three women in Guyana have experienced actual violence in the home. Their client base runs to 8,000, 85% women and 80% of all clients spouses. (For more information visit www.hands.org.gy) The fashion event was a showcase for local designers and tailors from Georgetown, and the styles and trends represented the ethnic mix that is Guyana. Highly patterned and jewelled Indian sari-type fabrics draped from shoulders were followed by boldly printed African styled dresses and two pieces set off by elaborately tied head-wear. Fitted figure hugging bodices and flamenco frills from thigh to ankle suggested Brazilian carnival, while bright boldly clashing colours and modern shapes showed the Soca -Caribbean influences. Some models were trained professionals; other men, women and all the children were related to volunteers from the Shelter, and happy to represent the normal spectrum of heights and widths -from "T'in to T'ick to extra T'ick" as the MC announced, with a call for each person to be proud and happy with themselves as they are. (The spirit of Gok) Facts and figures about domestic violence, the numbers of people Help and Shelter have supported and a couple of brave personal stories were a sobering reminder of why we were all there.
Friday was the 11th day of the 11th month- and for a couple of weeks I had been seeing poppies pinned to shirts- mostly the shirts of school children. The Legion of Guyana, aided by government grants and funds from the Canadian Royal Legion, continues to actively support ageing veterans from this "Commonwealth" country, which was, until 1966, a part of the British empire and still under British governance. Sunday the 13th sees the annual parade to the cenotaph in the centre of Georgetown with the Legion, the Scouts, the Police and other groups in attendance. But as local newspapers acknowledge, there is dwindling interest in this day and what it represents for the modern independent Guyana.
Pupils at this school heard about Remembrance day, and about Guyana's links with armed forces in Canada, the USA and the UK- reflecting the three main destinations of the many Guyanese who continue to leave the country in search of work.
(This is also a helpful counterbalance when homesickness unexpectedly strikes. There has to be a time for tears, a retreat to a wash room, a sense of loneliness and a questioning of purpose- and then the time for moving on.)
It is a topic frequently discussed, but each volunteer makes a personal decision, reconciling conscience, compassion and sheer practicality. My own resolutions- which will probably change again- are currently: to buy an item of fruit and give if stopped by someone begging in the market; to buy additional stocks of dry foods and basic toiletries to drop off with specific people who are linked with families through the Food for the Poor charity; to support the activities in the special schools I visit by buying raffle tickets, craft products, donating consumerables, sponsoring places on school visits and treats; and to carry change for collections and cake sales outside shops.
The Christmas season is upon is Guyana, and Santa's bell can now be heard ringing outside many shops as the Salvation Army makes its Christmas Collection.
Supporting good causes also generates a social life. In recent weeks, along with other volunteers I have been to a Dance and BBQ (sadly with no dancing- just the food, drinking and chat) in aid of a Rest Home, a fashion show to support Help and Shelter and a March and BBQ organised by the Disabled Persons' Network, in a small town outside Georgetown, to raise funds and awareness of issues faced by people with disabilities.
Help and Shelter, set up in 1994, supports resolving problems caused by domestic violence. Their own research, supported by the University of Guyana, indicates that at least one in three women in Guyana have experienced actual violence in the home. Their client base runs to 8,000, 85% women and 80% of all clients spouses. (For more information visit www.hands.org.gy) The fashion event was a showcase for local designers and tailors from Georgetown, and the styles and trends represented the ethnic mix that is Guyana. Highly patterned and jewelled Indian sari-type fabrics draped from shoulders were followed by boldly printed African styled dresses and two pieces set off by elaborately tied head-wear. Fitted figure hugging bodices and flamenco frills from thigh to ankle suggested Brazilian carnival, while bright boldly clashing colours and modern shapes showed the Soca -Caribbean influences. Some models were trained professionals; other men, women and all the children were related to volunteers from the Shelter, and happy to represent the normal spectrum of heights and widths -from "T'in to T'ick to extra T'ick" as the MC announced, with a call for each person to be proud and happy with themselves as they are. (The spirit of Gok) Facts and figures about domestic violence, the numbers of people Help and Shelter have supported and a couple of brave personal stories were a sobering reminder of why we were all there.
Friday was the 11th day of the 11th month- and for a couple of weeks I had been seeing poppies pinned to shirts- mostly the shirts of school children. The Legion of Guyana, aided by government grants and funds from the Canadian Royal Legion, continues to actively support ageing veterans from this "Commonwealth" country, which was, until 1966, a part of the British empire and still under British governance. Sunday the 13th sees the annual parade to the cenotaph in the centre of Georgetown with the Legion, the Scouts, the Police and other groups in attendance. But as local newspapers acknowledge, there is dwindling interest in this day and what it represents for the modern independent Guyana.
Pupils at this school heard about Remembrance day, and about Guyana's links with armed forces in Canada, the USA and the UK- reflecting the three main destinations of the many Guyanese who continue to leave the country in search of work.
Monday 7 November 2011
Work- but not as I knew it
I have now been working for approximately ten weeks.
From my old work pattern of classroom, small group and individual teaching I have moved to training and mentoring with some office based duties. To date I have recorded twenty training, observation and one to one mentoring sessions with headteachers and teachers, principally but not wholly from the Special Educational Needs (SEN) sector. I have been well supported in this change in role by other volunteers, not only working in education but also in health and the volunteering sector, as placements typically involve developing capacity through sharing and developing people's skills, knowledge and practices.
Training days- "Workshops" as they are called here- reflect the routines and rhythms of everyday work. An 8.30 am start will mean the first people will be arriving at 8.30. Delays will be caused by transport problems, sorting out children and schooling, sudden heavy rainfall etc etc.
The opening period is for chat and catching up, as establishing and maintaining good conversational relationships is key to working together. This will take an unspecified length of time.
The extent of opening formalities will reflect the status of the meeting but anything with a national profile will require the relevant government minister, other dignitaries and a television camera to record the event for the evening news. The national pledge may be stated, or a prayer offered.
The training agenda can then begin, with two key elements to be negotiated:- mid-morning snack and lunch. I can now appreciate the importance of the food and drink, as I recognise the toll that the heat and humidity takes, and I welcome the arrival of the pastry savouries, the sponge cakes and the chilled fruit drinks at 10 am, along with the fried chicken or fish, cook-up rice and side salad a few hours later.
Guyana is a talking culture.There is a natural feel for rhetoric. Participation, debate, role playing are all relished in workshop sessions. Ice Breakers, Energizers and the like really do get people talking and energized.
This photo indicates another aspect of some training sessions. In order to buy materials for future "Craft" lessons, the special schools sell items made by pupils. Adjacent to the policy documents and examples of teaching materials from "low tech" resources, there may be a display table of needlework, art and wood work products.
From my old work pattern of classroom, small group and individual teaching I have moved to training and mentoring with some office based duties. To date I have recorded twenty training, observation and one to one mentoring sessions with headteachers and teachers, principally but not wholly from the Special Educational Needs (SEN) sector. I have been well supported in this change in role by other volunteers, not only working in education but also in health and the volunteering sector, as placements typically involve developing capacity through sharing and developing people's skills, knowledge and practices.
Training days- "Workshops" as they are called here- reflect the routines and rhythms of everyday work. An 8.30 am start will mean the first people will be arriving at 8.30. Delays will be caused by transport problems, sorting out children and schooling, sudden heavy rainfall etc etc.
The opening period is for chat and catching up, as establishing and maintaining good conversational relationships is key to working together. This will take an unspecified length of time.
The extent of opening formalities will reflect the status of the meeting but anything with a national profile will require the relevant government minister, other dignitaries and a television camera to record the event for the evening news. The national pledge may be stated, or a prayer offered.
The training agenda can then begin, with two key elements to be negotiated:- mid-morning snack and lunch. I can now appreciate the importance of the food and drink, as I recognise the toll that the heat and humidity takes, and I welcome the arrival of the pastry savouries, the sponge cakes and the chilled fruit drinks at 10 am, along with the fried chicken or fish, cook-up rice and side salad a few hours later.
Guyana is a talking culture.There is a natural feel for rhetoric. Participation, debate, role playing are all relished in workshop sessions. Ice Breakers, Energizers and the like really do get people talking and energized.
This photo indicates another aspect of some training sessions. In order to buy materials for future "Craft" lessons, the special schools sell items made by pupils. Adjacent to the policy documents and examples of teaching materials from "low tech" resources, there may be a display table of needlework, art and wood work products.
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