Birds, Dance and Music

Saw a pelican fishing on the foreshore on Friday which was a first - something I've never seen before - it was surprisingly agile for something so big - taking off and skimming for fish in the shallows.
Sunday I chanced going to a Hindu event which was advertised on local TV as having singing and dancing. It turned out to be a talent contest for thwe hindu youth who are learning chanting, singing, classical dance and folk dance. I really enjoyed the music - they played harmonium (one hand does the bellows) double ended drum played witht he hands, and a device like a triangle with a long rod so it can be damped with the other hand. They served up food - rice and small tasters of mild curry - on large lily leaves. Better than the ubiquitous polystyrene boxes which litter everywhere around here. They have some Hindu dance classes on a Sunday afternoon starting in January so I'm going to give that a go. Should be a bit of a new challenge. I also found out about a steel drum group that I could join - things are looking up.
Today I had my three month review with my VSO manager - she is pleased with how I am getting on. It was good to be able to discuss my small successes and the challenges I'm working with.

Sharing good practice

We have a day off tomorrow as it is a Muslim holiday. There are quite a few holidays as we get the Christian, Muslim and Hindu, but maybe not all of all of them. It is always a week for something or other as well, and next week is National Disability Week. There is an awareness raising march, a free concert in Main Street, a sticker campaign about letting persons with disabilities onto minibuses. So I'll be going to these events and networking. The Disability Bill is having its second reading in the Guyanese Parliament today. It has taken five years to get this far. If it gets passed then it gives the right to equitable education, so that will make a big difference to Special Needs Education (hopefully). This week we heard that the government is planning on increasing spending on education generally, I hope that includes giving teachers more pay. Currently they get less money than us, and we are classed as volunteers. Most teachers just want to get qualified then go overseas.
Yesterday I had a workshop about how Rehabilitation links up to Education - aimed at teachers and workers in special schools. It was run by the VSO for Rehab, so it was a fun day. We had a game of cricket (guess who hit the ball out into the road and lost it) - then we were asked to list the skills involved in cricket, link the whole experience to education, then think how it could be adapted for a child with any disability to take part. The interesting idea was that every subject on the school curriculum could be taught through the medium of cricket. Cricket is a national obsession in Guyana - maybe I mentioned that I met Clive Lloyd who is a famous West Indies cricketer - are you impressed?
One of the new ideas I am getting involved in is to work on building up a curriculum for special needs based on sharing good practice between the special schools. The idea is to use it as a vehicle to empower teachers - to make them feel that they have valuable expertise, and so they will feel more motivated. But it is hard when they are so badly paid. To get the atmosphere in the schools think about 1950s in the UK. We are going to look at the idea of working on little bits of curriculum, then getting someone to try it out, then it will be tried and tested in Guyana. Then we have to monitor whether it is actually used in classrooms.
A guy at choir says he has a piano accordion that nobody uses, so he will bring it. So maybe I can have a blast on that. Will they cope?

VSO Forum

I am on the annual VSO Forum. There are 47 VSOs plus staff. We are staying at a pretty wacky guest house on the north side of the Demarara river. The proprietor was living in the US for 20 years, and got homesick. So he collected anything he could from Guyana on various visits. So then when he came back he had to build his house bigger just to house all the junk. The place is packed with old furniture, maps, bottles, books, pots, documents, household objects. It is a bit spooky to be constantly surrounded by it all. It is a very common thing for Guyanese to be returning from overseas, over half of Guyanese live overseas.
This VSO Forum is a chance to do a lot of networking, to see how we can work together between the different programme areas: education, disability, secure livelihoods. It is also a chance to hear the inside story of how other vols are getting on in their placements. Many people have similar stories about how the written objectives look impressive, but in fact the best way to get started is on a much more basic level. I'm going to try to do more work in partnership with the disability vols.

Better news

Had a great experience yesterday - there was a session for parents at the unit for the blind where I was able to meet the local person who is the main trainer for teachers of the blind. I also met someone from Jamaica who is helping to make the University of Guyana more equipped to deal with learners with visual impairment. Also there were inspirational talks from various local people. So there is some will power for change. The local person has had some bad experiences with VSOs in the past. I think my approach of supporting at the grass roots level is appreciated. At least it gives the message that VSOs want to empower local people rather than pontificating.
I have got a week fixed up at the other unit for the blind which is in the interior in Linden. I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully I will be able to stay with a local family rather than a guest house, so it will help me get to know local people more.
The next couple of days will be a VSO forum - so everyone is coming in from the regions - they feel like old friends even after just 3 months in country. So it's a chance to catch up and reflect on what has been happening. Time to sit back and enjoy. I am hosting a bring and share supper tonight so the gossip will start then...

Mash dancers

Here are the dancers in the same parade.

Stilt walker Retry!

Try again with this picture - look at the last blog for details.

Stilt Walker + work + chat

Following on from the last picture, this is the stilt walker who led the Mash parade. He took one stilt off and whirled it round his head, strapped it back on his leg, then continued along the road.
I was a bit disappointed on Friday to find that I need to have two weeks down time with the demonstration sessions I have been doing with the pupils in the unit for the blind. The mainstream school does tests, so the support staff are busy supporting the kids to get them done. I was enjoying having the daily challenge of thinking up some practical activities for them, and it was very motivating to have the contact with real kids. Hopefully I can restart for the last week or so of term. Then next term my plan is to work to support the staff to do the sessions themselves, firstly trying out the materials and activities that I have prepared, then I hope to be able to motivate them to invent their own activities. In the meantime I am hoping to be able to start talking to the staff in the mainstream primary and secondary school who have the blind pupils included their sessions. I need to find out what the issues are, and then think how I can try to move things forward in a sustainable way.
Had a good weekend, yesterday I enjoyed a walk with a new volunteer who is a member of ramblers back in the UK. Thursday and Friday this week we have our Volunteer Forum where all the VSOs meet up and have two discussion days. I am really looking forward to that.

Drummers

These drummers were playing outside the Umana Yana, which is a traditional Amerindian hut which is right outside where I work. It is used for community meetings and so on. It was the first meeting of the Mash committee, which plans the Mash carnival in February. So they had drummers and a parade of dancers following a steel band on a lorry. The music and dancing was great, but the meeting was a bit boring!

Beautiful Guyana?

People I meet tend to ask, "How do you like our beautiful country?" Up to now that has been a pretty difficult question to answer, without seeming rude. It is hard to see the beauty when there are lots of stuff that is quite shocking and depressing. But this week I managed to say how much I like it - getting into the half full attitude instead of half empty - it's easy to get around, the birds flowers and butterflies are amazing, the people are incredibly helpful and kind, you have a hundred fruit and vegetables to choose from, and having a cool swimming pool does help. I feel like I live here rather than having landed off another planet. As for the down side, it is a question of being able to maintain the positive yourself, so you don't fall into the pit. That is the challenge every day. What we have to offer is to give an example of positive, respectful and efficient ways of working - get rid of the blame culture.

Had quite a relaxing weekend - on Saturday it rained and rained so I did a bit of baking - which is a hobby which is impossible on a hot day. They have a raisin and rum mush here called carambola which is used for rich fruit cake, so I tried it with plantain (banana) and it came out quite well.
On Saturday midday I had a choir practice - they are joining with the catherdral choir to sing for the consecration and enthronement of the new Bishop of Guyana. I really enjoy choir now, I have some pals among the altos - it is great to do somthing with ordinary people.
One fo the VSOs stayed over the weekend bnefore goin off on ajungle survivla expedition for ten days. The last three days they are let loose with only a machete, they have to cope with finding food, water and shelter. They get tracked by Amerindians who check they are not dying. I don't think I'd fancy it - a bit of a mosquito hell.
At work things are getting better, my local counterpart has started this week. VSO tell us that we must work alongside local people so the work will continue when we have left. Otherwise we are plugging gaps and making no long term difference.