Leisure and Reflection

On Thursday one of the VSOs went home - she was in a very remote area of the hinterland and was struggling with the isolation and lack of progress with her placement. It makes me glad to be in Georgetown. It is only about the size of Hereford, but has enough amenities to give some options. Also there are loads of VSos, Peace Corps, and Teach First vols, so there is a range of people to talk to, of many ages, nationalities and interests.
On Saturday I went for a long early walk through the Botanical Gardens, bird spotting, then way along the seawall - there were a couple of blokes bringing in some catfish from nes strung from poles on the shore. Big fish - up to 18 inches long. I met my Australian VSO friend walking there so we went off to explore a few cool (air conditioned) supermarkets.
Saturday evening another friend and I went along to the GuyExpo 2009, which is about promoting local business in a low carbon environment. The President of Guyana is trying to negotiate terms to get and international agreement in return for forest conservation. Guyana will certainly need to do something to get some extra cash as it will be in deep water literally if sea levels rise. They'll need lots of pumps as all the populated area is below sea level.
Sunday was a birthday bash for a few vols, a trip to a blackwater creek resort - that is a place where you can swim in a stream and pools and relax in benabs (thatched huts). The local soil is white sand. The black water is because of the iron content - it is like swimming in strong tea. It rained which was great as it cooled things down. Some of the vols had just done the big tourist trip to Kaiteur Falls, you can go overland for 5 days, then fly back.
Today I am feeling a bit less than enthusiastic about my placement, so don't be surprised if I only last a year, not two. I feel then that I can pace myself better. The education system is in a dire state, but the people I work with are focussed very much on the able. It is a bit like swimming through treacle. Still I hope to focus mainly on getting some improvement for the visually impaired where I feel I can have most impact. The baseline of current provision is so low that I can't fail to do some good.
Cheers for now,
Kate