Mashramani

Tuesday was Mash - to celebrate Republic Day. Guyana got independence from the British with a constitution that created republic after 5 years. This was 40 years ago. So this year Mash was a big event. It copies a lot of Trinidad carnival. The floats start gathering at 8 am and move off throughout the day. Each float has a lorry with some people on, but mainly massive ghetto blasters on the back - with soca music so loud it feels like it will give you a heart attack. There are then a procession of people behind the float walking and dancing along the street all dressed up and sometimes with walking floats being pulled along. All along the roads families are camped out for the day, with rough sun shade rigged up, blankets to sit on and loads of food and drink for all.
Sounds fun? Well I was hoping for steel bands, and there was only one and you couldn't really hear them because everything else was so deafening. I've seen masquerade done in another place, which is a bit like a mummers play, and I was hoping for that. They were around but did not seem to be performing unless I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. A lot of the dancing (wining) is very lewd, I cannot describe it in a public place as I am sure to offend somebody, so if you feel strong enough to see a demo you will have to wait! Suffice to say that absolutely nothing is left to the imagination. The whole event was meant to be about celebrating cultural diversity, which was not the case. Everything was very much the same culture. I did not see any Indo-Guyanese culture although there were Amerindian floats but not with their own music or dance. The soca music was often the same track played on every lorry. I found out later that the track that is played by the most floats wins a prize, and it was a fight out between two of them. Talking to local people after the event, they say that soca is what mash is about, it is just the way it is. Of course the street music was blasting out until at least three oclock in the morning, I was glad of having ear plugs.
Monday is Phagwah which when everyone chucks water and paint over each other, so this may or may not be more fun... watch this space. I'm hoping to go to the Indian Cultural Centre to see some dancing, and maybe get to try seven curries. That is the traditional dish, you get a teaspoonful of seven different curries, all vegetarian. The music should be a bit more cultural as well.
Cheers

Saturday was the children's parade for Mash (carnival) - there are competitions all around the regions and the winners get to come up to Georgetown, which is a big event for them. The parade was walking/dancing, usually with a wheeled float which someone is pulling along behind them. All with deafening music played over massive loudspeakers on lorries at regular intervals. I understand that the Mash parade on Tuesday will have more of the traditional steel bands which would be more my kind of thing. It is a public holiday anyway which will break up the week a bit! It is Independence Day, celebrating 40 years as a republic. Also next Monday is a Hindu holiday, Phagwah, so we get a day off for that as well. There is some Kathak dancing at the Indian Cultural Centre that I may get to.
I finished the next draft of my course on Friday, so that was good. I will get some more people to read it and give me feedback this week while I write the overview and get advice about the way of running it and assessing it.
My old pal at my morning swim came back from three months in Trinidad, and exclaimed _ so you're still here then! Well yes, I'm still here and feeling a lot happier with life generally, so that is good.

Getting on with things

This week I've been able to concentrate with sorting out this training course. I've agreed what roles we VSOs will have in getting things done, so I am able to move it on now. I've talked to the head teachers of the 9 special schools and units about the course, and they seem fairly positive about it, but then they probably would not say otherwise. It is difficult to get a straight answer because as I'm working as part of the Ministry of Education, everyone feels they have to agree with me. Also Guyanese people don't like to refuse anything, they say "just now" which means "wait a bit, I'll do it soon", or possibly "no chance today - you'll need to ask me five times before I even give you an answer".
We have five new VSO vols so there is a social tonight at the roof top bar, which has a good view over Georgetown - a good Friday night slow down experience. Free bar and good snack! There is a couple who have just finished in Ghana, with four weeks at home, then out here. They are enjoying the rest now they have got here! A few of the older volunteers get into this kind of globe trotting but I don't think I could cope with the strain.
Everything is very dry here, the rainy season in Dec and Jan did not happen, so they are short of water for the rice fields. They are having to pump water into drainage/irrigation ditches. They are expecting rain in April to relieve the situation.
The main TV channel here gives a good idea of what the government is concerned about, and covers the meetings they have with farmers, also quite a lot of stuff on climate change and the Low Carbon Development Strategy. There has been quite a bit of negotiation with miners who are concerned about having stricter rules about getting permits. The mines are open cast gold mines and make quite a mess of the environment, although they only cover small patches.

Nature Resort trip

Had a lovely day out yesterday at a nature resort. It is a tourist trip, so you get to ride in a comfy coach, then it's speedboat up the Demarara river, then up a side creek, which was the size of the River Lugg. You think that you're going to spot lots of wildlife, but in fact it's not quite like the nature programmes on the telly. We visited an Amerindian village, then did walking through the forest where I spotted a big electric blue butterfly, then kayaking back, then lunch then mountain biking then swimming in the creek... you know I like being busy.
This week there has been a bit of a freeze on spending, so I'm not going off to the interior, but that is quite a relief - I would have been running around producing the handouts and preparing sessions.
On Friday I had a long chat to another vol who may take over the main thinking about this SEN course, as he would be able to continue with it next year. That also would be a big relief - I could do more of the administration and support. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
This week is the build up to Mashramani (carnival) so when it all hots up there will be extreme street parades with steel bands, extreme costumes and lots of wild behaviour. We also get a day's public holiday on the 23 Feb for it. It is a general festival celebrating Guyana as a nation, so that is more of a uniting factor- most of the other festivals are one religion or another.

Lots going on

Today is looking busy - I'm seeing a couple of teachers at the unit for the blind, then going to meet someone from the University of Guyana. I'm hoping to be able to do some sensitisation about disability and blindness to their maths students and staff. So that may be a bit of a challenge, but nearer to my core skills for a change! I've done the second draft of the module for the SEN course, so that is going to two colleagues for them to do their bit. Tomorrow and Friday I'm up country in Linden, no internet there.
Next week (Wed, Thu) I've been asked to go to the interior (flying) to do some input on SEN to literacy educators. I am adapting stuff from the course to suit what they are doing, plus some extra things about teaching adults and about Numeracy. I have to edit down the handouts. It may however not be happening as there is uncertainty about the finance for it.
Sunday I'm pff to a nature resort for the day. It's a treat for my friends birthday. There are walks in the jungle, canoeing, mountain biking, visit to amerindian village, and wildlife spotting. PHEW!

Monastery

I had a lovely weekend away staying at the monastery. It is a benedictine monastery with three monks - you are sharing their space, eating meals with them and attending the myriad services if you wish. One monk plays/improvises very enlivening music for the services, the garden is interesting with orange trees, paw paw, there is a fantastic view out over the river and the odd toucan hopping around the trees. Plus the golden sandy beach on the riverside for a swim. Idyllic!
Back to work today, I've been teaching some maths to a teacher, along with how to do practical work for it, and how to do it in Braille. I'm going up country on Thursday to Friday this week, to work with the staff at the other unit for the blind. I enjoy that as it seems pretty clear what you are trying to do. They did set themselves a target to do some Jaws (computer speech program) with the children every day, so let's hope they have actually done something...

Busy with work and fun time

I've had a busy week writing a course in special needs. I decided to base it on all the stuff I've been doing over the last few months which is really practical strategies for trying out with your class, then seeing what works. Pragmatism!
I've also done quite a few individual support sessions with teachers in the mainstream schools where they have units for the blind. Many of these are not really about blindness, more about slow learners - children who can't read, but I'm gradually learning something about literacy so that I can maybe offer some helpful suggestions.
This weekend I'm off with a friend to stay at the monastery that I visited before (which also has a brilliant beach) and to visit some VSO friends who are leaving Guyana next week. It is interesting to listen to the leaver's perspective...
Things are hotting up as I have been asked to fly off to Lethem in the interior to help with a literacy training, so that will be exciting - Wed 17 to 18 Feb.

Half Way letter

I'm calling this a half way letter as I am working for 11 months (1 month holiday). So what's four good things about being in Guyana?
1. Friends - I've made lots of good friends I realise - it's a bit painful at first when you are trying to establish new friendships - things are not as they seem because of different cultures. But now I have good friend who are British, American, Australian, Philipino and Guyanese. Also there are a few repeat volunteers who end up being a bit stateless - who have spent the last 10 years being cols in Asia, Africa, Pacific - they have quite a different attitude - nothing is very surprising any more. A handy attitude to have for survival here.
2. The Guyanese are open and friendly although very formal - you meet someone, anyone, and they expect a polite marning, good afternoon, good evening, good night, although it's hard to get the good night correct as it is used as an opening greeting instead of a farewell. If you sit next to someone in an event, you would be seen as stand offish if you didn't speak and have a chat.
3. Wildlife - to maintain sanity, I need to check out something bearutiful and surprising - toucans, red macaws, huge butterflies, massive kingfishers, trees full of epiphytes, cannon ball trees and shrubs with attendant hummingbirds.
4. Church. I've been quite inspired bu the enthusiasm and commitment of all ages - 95% of Guyanese are actively religious - I have got more serious about my faith while I have been here - it is a cornerstone.
What about the challenges? Within the scope of what I can make public that is!
1. It's been hard to settle at work as we had so little induction, also because my placement had objectives on a much higher level than I usually work, whereas what I really needed to do was to get in at the grass roots - at least that is what got me motivated.
2. Getting on with other VSO vols has been a major challenge. We all get in each other's pockets too much, and it is easy to assume that other vols see things the same way - so don't assume anything about anybody.
3. No countryside walkable from Georgetown and it is hugely expensive to travel, no footpaths, no maps, canals clogged with plastic, smouldering heaps of rubbish beside the roads, stray dogs...
(I am allowed a little moan aren't I?)