Guyana- Home Sweet Home Away From Home

EACH DAY YOU CAN EXPECT TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW ABOUT YOURSELF AS WELL AS THE STUDENTS YOU TEACH. I TAUGHT AT TUTORIAL SECONDARY IN BERBICE AND BARTICA SECONDARY IN BARTICA. AT BOTH SCHOOLS I HAD GREAT EXPERIENCES AND THE HEAD MISTRESSES WERE TOUGH YET VERY CARING ABOUT THEIR STUDENTS AND FACULTY.

I WAS PROVIDED WITH THE MATERIALS THAT I NEEDED AND ALL I HAD TO DO WAS MOLD THE YOUNG MINDS FOR THE CXC EXAMS.

IT WASN'T ALL A BED OF ROSES THOUGH. THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I JUST WANTED TO STAY IN BED AND LISTEN TO THE ROOSTER SING AND HEAR THE COW GRAZE BY MY WINDOW RATHER THAN DEAL WITH MY HEADMISTRESS OR THOSE BAD KIDS. THERE ARE JUST TIMES WHEN YOU FEEL "OVER IT". BUT YOU STILL DRAG YOURSELF INTO WORK AND BY THE END OF THE DAY YOU REMEMBER THAT YOU REALLY ARE FOND OF THOSE KIDS AND THE HEADMISTRESS ISN'T THAT BAD...

CHALLENGES OF THE COMMUNITY-
EVERYONE KNOWS EVERYONE. EVEN IN GEORGETOWN PEOPLE KNOW WHEN YOU ARE FOREIGN. I THOUGHT I WOULD BLEND IN MORE HAVING FAMILY IN GUYANA BUT THEY STILL KNEW I WAS FOREIGN AND THEY ESPECIALLY KNEW IF I ASKED A QUESTION. YOUR ACCENT WILL GIVE YOU AWAY ALL THE TIME. WITH THAT BEING SAID CONTRARY TO WHAT I RECENTLY READ ON TRAVEL.STATE.GOV THINK GUYANA IS VERY SAFE AND I HAVE NEVER BEEN SCARED WANDERING THE STREETS OF STARBROEK OR BARTICA AT NIGHT. PEOPLE ARE GENERALLY FRIENDLY AND LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER WHICH IS VERY UNLIKE THE US (SPECIFICALLY NYC).
ITS TOO HARD TO JUST THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU DID IN A YEAR BECAUSE YOU NEVER REMEMBER EACH DAY YOU JUST REMEMBER MOMENTS IN TIME THAT STOOD OUT TO YOU THE MOST, I.E. YOUR FIRST DAY, GETTING USED TO STUDENTS CALLING YOU MISS AS IF ITS YOUR NAME, FINDING YOURSELF USING WORDS LIKE SKYLARKING, SHY(AS IT SHY THE BALL TO ME), TENESSE (NOT THE STATE- IT MEANS THE BLEACHERS), DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY WITH THE LOCALS (INCLUDING STUDENTS WHO ARE OFFERING TO BUY YOU ALCOHOLIC DRINKS- NO AGE LIMIT TO DRINK), MASHRAMANI, PHAGWAH, EGG BALL & CHANNA FOR LUNCH W A COKE, SPORTS DAY (AKA SPORTS MONTHS), CXC EXAMS, REGATTA, LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, AND LASTLY CRYING AS YOU SAY GOOD BYE TO YOUR NEW GUYANESE FAMILY.

SO IF YOU CAN'T TELL I STILL LOVE GUYANA AND I LEFT THERE IN 2007. I VISIT WHEN I CAN AND YES THE STUDENTS STILL CALL ME MISS. IT FEELS SO NICE AND ITS GREAT TO SEE THAT YOU LEFT AN IMPACT SOMEWHERE AND THAT YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A GREAT TEACHER TO AT LEAST ONE OF YOUR STUDENTS.

GOOD LUCK! I HOPE YOU ENJOY GUYANA AS MUCH AS I KNOW I DID!!