Today we had an early start, leaving at 6 am, to do quite a long walk along a jungle trail to get to the cave where the cock of the rock bird nests. This bird is very dramatic, being bright orange/red with a big crest on its head. We had a guide from the local village, who was very knowledgable about trees and their uses and birds. He was able to imitate the sounds of birds that he heard, which helps attract them to come closer. But it is still pretty difficult to see anything as the trees are so thick. Anyway, we did see lots of stuff along the way, including green and red macaw, swallow tailed kites, woodcreepers, woodpeckers, and we heard the screaming piha, which is a very loud caller but is a boring grey colour so is very hard to see. We also saw some amazing butterflies, including this bright electric blue one which I´ve seen at the other trip. It took three hours to get to the cave, but we were rewarded by seeing the cock of the rock, including going in the cave (below a massive rock) where they were nesting high up on the wall, among bats. The really interesting part is listening to how the local amerindian guide talks about the jungle trees and animals and shows such a close knowledge of the whole place. Afterwards we went to the village shop where the guide came from, where they had just butchered a cow, so there was a massive pile of raw meat on the table. I was asking what happened next, thinking that they would be distributing it around the village so that it would get used quickly, but they said they would be packing it up to go in the freezer - so that shut me up. However they do not have electricity in the afternoon here at all, so that does not sound too great. This afternoon was rest time - hit the hammock.
Tomorrow we are going on another early trip to canoe to two oxbow lakes where there is good birding, but also we may be lucky and see monkeys or giant river otters. I´d like to see monkeys as I haven´t seen any yet. We have been told to cover up and use insect repellent - they only warn you after you have booked! We have a boatman to do the canoeing, but I´ve asked to take a turn. They say that the boat will go round in circles, so I´m hoping to show a bit of expertise to control that.
Cheers Kate
Wednesday 31 March 2010
Tuesday 30 March 2010
Savannah
First day of my holiday. We travelled overnight from 9 pm to 9 am. The first excitement was that the windscreen blew out - it was pretty dramatic, but it was actually a temporary windscreen which was plastic. We drove along for quite a time with a howling gale coming through the front of the bus, but then we were transferred to another bus in the middle of nowhere. In fact a howling gale is quite a relief because it is so hot, even at night. After that we kept getting out every hour or so, either at a truck stop for cups of tea and loos, or because it was a police check point or customs. All the time it was dark we were travelling through the jungle, but there was a full moon, so you could watch the trees go by. I thought they would be massive trees, but it was mainly small trees with just the occasional giant. The road deteriorated into a dust road for most of the journey, which was dire in parts, with the bus barely managing 10 miles an hour, but other places was fairly smooth. Eventually it got light, and we had a ferry across a river which was a great dawn experience. Shortly afterwards we emerged from the jungle into the savannah which was quite a relief.
The lodge where we are staying is pretty luxurious, lovely food. In fact they had a volunteer from Canada who is doing a critique of food service in local tourist sites staying today, so we probably had even better food than usual! They have a little swimming pool, and quite an extensive kitchen garden, beautifully set out with raised beds just like a proper organic place. They try to be self sufficient in food as it is in the middle of nowhere.
In late afternoon we had a guide to take us on a nature trail, which was climbing up a hill nearby, so that was great as we could see right across the savannah. He was playing bird calls on his mobile phone which attracted some birds in. I suppose that is cheating, but is apparently quite a common way of making sure tourists do actually see something.
Tomorrow (6 am) we are off on quite a long but flat walk to a place where you are more or less guaranteed to see a coq of the rock, which is Guyana´s national bird. The day after (5.30 am) we are going to do a river trip by dug out canoe. There are cayman and giant river otters.
Sorry to make you all jealous...
Cheers Kate
The lodge where we are staying is pretty luxurious, lovely food. In fact they had a volunteer from Canada who is doing a critique of food service in local tourist sites staying today, so we probably had even better food than usual! They have a little swimming pool, and quite an extensive kitchen garden, beautifully set out with raised beds just like a proper organic place. They try to be self sufficient in food as it is in the middle of nowhere.
In late afternoon we had a guide to take us on a nature trail, which was climbing up a hill nearby, so that was great as we could see right across the savannah. He was playing bird calls on his mobile phone which attracted some birds in. I suppose that is cheating, but is apparently quite a common way of making sure tourists do actually see something.
Tomorrow (6 am) we are off on quite a long but flat walk to a place where you are more or less guaranteed to see a coq of the rock, which is Guyana´s national bird. The day after (5.30 am) we are going to do a river trip by dug out canoe. There are cayman and giant river otters.
Sorry to make you all jealous...
Cheers Kate
Sunday 28 March 2010
Off on the trip tonight
Tonight I'll be on the overnight bus towards Lethem. It takes about 10 to 12 hours, partly on tarmac road, then on a dirt road. They wake you up every few hours and get you off the bus for security checks. So that all sounds pretty dire. We are staying three nights at Rockview Lodge which is an eco-lodge in the centre of Guyana, among mountains and good wildlife spotting country hopefully. There are various trips included in the package.
Then on to Lethem for three nights for the rodeo, which is literally a cowboy weekend. The first event is Friday night when there is a rowdy karioke night at the hotel. Apparently last year an american guy won it, and the local people were a bit angry about that and so it all got a bit out of hand. Let's hope the locals are better at singing this year!
Hope to get some good photos, and give you the lowdown next week.
Cheers
Kate
Then on to Lethem for three nights for the rodeo, which is literally a cowboy weekend. The first event is Friday night when there is a rowdy karioke night at the hotel. Apparently last year an american guy won it, and the local people were a bit angry about that and so it all got a bit out of hand. Let's hope the locals are better at singing this year!
Hope to get some good photos, and give you the lowdown next week.
Cheers
Kate
Wednesday 24 March 2010
Out of contact from 26 March to 6 April
I only get internet access at work, so please don't expect postings to this blog after Friday 26 until Tuesday 6 April. This also applies to email, but I may be able to beg to use someone else's email to catch up at some point. Cheers
Monday 22 March 2010
Working and relaxing
At work I'm writing a half module on visual impairment - adjusting it all to fit the situation here - which is that the support staff themselves have very little know-how and very few resources. So it is about making things bite sized and straight forward in simple language, while trying to retain the correct professionalism.
Had a good bird watching morning on Saturday, we saw three toucans which are a real treat, then a couple of mini woodpeckers. They are about half the size of the UK ones, and creep up the tree. Bird watching is a good hobby as it has that WOW factor - lots of things in Guyana are not very wow, so it brightens things up.
Have got our trip booked up for next week for three nights at Rockview Lodge, which is an eco lodge on the way to Lethem, then three nights staying with a couple of VSO volunteers in Lethem. It is the rodeo weekend, so there should be plenty going on, if only people watching. This is my first bit of leave, so that will be great whatever. We are going on an overnight bus where they pull you off at various checkpoints, so it is a bit exhausting.
Have got a couple of tickets for the cricket 20 20 which is May 3 - W Indies v England. I'm not really into cricket, but it is for the experience.
Yesterday I met a woman from the US who is researching about abuse of women and children in Guyana. The statistic is that one third of children get corporal punishment at home. It is also still legal in schools for head teachers to administer. I have seen teachers carrying a cane or equivalent as a way of getting children to behave. The attitude of men towards women here is very old fashioned - women are expected to be in the home. We experience very different attitudes towards men and women at work, if men are in trouble it is a jokey matter, but for women it is not.
Cheers
Had a good bird watching morning on Saturday, we saw three toucans which are a real treat, then a couple of mini woodpeckers. They are about half the size of the UK ones, and creep up the tree. Bird watching is a good hobby as it has that WOW factor - lots of things in Guyana are not very wow, so it brightens things up.
Have got our trip booked up for next week for three nights at Rockview Lodge, which is an eco lodge on the way to Lethem, then three nights staying with a couple of VSO volunteers in Lethem. It is the rodeo weekend, so there should be plenty going on, if only people watching. This is my first bit of leave, so that will be great whatever. We are going on an overnight bus where they pull you off at various checkpoints, so it is a bit exhausting.
Have got a couple of tickets for the cricket 20 20 which is May 3 - W Indies v England. I'm not really into cricket, but it is for the experience.
Yesterday I met a woman from the US who is researching about abuse of women and children in Guyana. The statistic is that one third of children get corporal punishment at home. It is also still legal in schools for head teachers to administer. I have seen teachers carrying a cane or equivalent as a way of getting children to behave. The attitude of men towards women here is very old fashioned - women are expected to be in the home. We experience very different attitudes towards men and women at work, if men are in trouble it is a jokey matter, but for women it is not.
Cheers
Friday 19 March 2010
Course writing going well
Having a productive time at work - the first module of the special needs course is nearly ready to be printed, and I have started to write a half module on visual impairment. Everything you want to say has to be brought down a few levels to match the local situation, and you have to put in examples to make it easier to understand. I have another week to go before taking a week off before Easter. All our proposals connected to special needs are going into an appeal to UNICEF, so hopefully some of them will get through.
We have a few things lined up for the weekend - tonight is a VSO social for the new batch of volunteers. It is at a roof top bar with free snacks and drinks - it's a shame that I don't drink alcohol isn't it? Nice view though, and it is good to catch up with how everyone is getting on, especially as I am now a bit more positive about my work.
Then Saturday evening we have bridge with our friend from the American Embassy who provides the most scrummy snacks in the world, and insists that we always go round there. I think she feels more comfortable being at home with her security guard at the gate, rather than swanning around the town visiting dubious characters like us.
We have a few things lined up for the weekend - tonight is a VSO social for the new batch of volunteers. It is at a roof top bar with free snacks and drinks - it's a shame that I don't drink alcohol isn't it? Nice view though, and it is good to catch up with how everyone is getting on, especially as I am now a bit more positive about my work.
Then Saturday evening we have bridge with our friend from the American Embassy who provides the most scrummy snacks in the world, and insists that we always go round there. I think she feels more comfortable being at home with her security guard at the gate, rather than swanning around the town visiting dubious characters like us.
Wednesday 17 March 2010
Donkey Cart
These carts are used for general deliveries of timber etc or for picking up grass cut from the verges. The horses are quite thin, and are often left to stand for long periods in the heat. But there is plenty of grass for them on the verges when it has rained. On the back of the carts they often have a verse from the Bible, including the reference.
You can see in the background the contrast between the old house made of wood and the new house made of concrete. But you can't assume that the old house looks scruffy inside. There are huge contrasts everywhere - for instance opposite where I work there is an old man who sleeps rough, boiling up a pot of water over a fire, right in front of a massive new bank building, which looks a bit like a temple. They were watering the new grass inside yesterday, while we are in the middle of water rationing because of the failure of the rains.
You can see in the background the contrast between the old house made of wood and the new house made of concrete. But you can't assume that the old house looks scruffy inside. There are huge contrasts everywhere - for instance opposite where I work there is an old man who sleeps rough, boiling up a pot of water over a fire, right in front of a massive new bank building, which looks a bit like a temple. They were watering the new grass inside yesterday, while we are in the middle of water rationing because of the failure of the rains.
Monday 15 March 2010
Thoughts on a Sunday afternoon
Quiet weekend - it has been a bit cooler which is a blessing - more breeze. I tried out my flatmate's hammock as she is away and decided to rig one up on my balcomy, which works pretty well.
Wildlife in the house: blue and green lizards about 5 inches long - they are rather cute. We have the occasional cockroach - you don't stamp on them because then they release their eggs. You try to catch them with a glass and a bit of card, and chuck them out of the window. Yesterday I heard birdsong very loudly - like a blackbird, and there was a grey version sitting high up in the kitchen. All the windows and doors are open (with security grills) so they can get out easily. We also often have small bats diving around at dusk. Wild ants will come if you leave the smallest crumb on the worksurface - they are very small and get into anything, so you have to keep things shut tightly.
Wildlife in the house: blue and green lizards about 5 inches long - they are rather cute. We have the occasional cockroach - you don't stamp on them because then they release their eggs. You try to catch them with a glass and a bit of card, and chuck them out of the window. Yesterday I heard birdsong very loudly - like a blackbird, and there was a grey version sitting high up in the kitchen. All the windows and doors are open (with security grills) so they can get out easily. We also often have small bats diving around at dusk. Wild ants will come if you leave the smallest crumb on the worksurface - they are very small and get into anything, so you have to keep things shut tightly.
Friday 12 March 2010
Hunting
This is an Amerindian guide who was showing us how they wait for wild animals in the night. They sit up on this when there is a tree fruiting nearby, and they do animal calls hoping the animals will come. He said that they keep a lucky seed in their pocket which means that the animals are more likely to come. In the old days they would shoot with bow and arrow, but nowadays with a gun.
Amerindian village
Amerindian Village - a picture from the trip a couple of weeks ago, showing an Amerindian guide explaining about how they use fruits from this tree. This was at an Amerindian village called Santa Mission.
Things are going fine. Today we have a meeting this afternoon of the head teachers of special schools, to look at the issues involved at managing schools. There is another VSO who is an education management specialist, so she is leading this. I'm just supporting, and arranging the snacks. Every meeting or training has to have snacks. I think this is a remnant of the days when people really were short of food here, or possibly it is because the food people eat is generally cooked food rather than sandwiches. People eat rice and beans, or roti (flat bread) and curry for lunch. You go to the canteen for a snack and the cheapest is channa (chick pea gloop).
My course is all going ahead swimmingly, yesterday I got the distance learning version from my VSO colleague, which makes it all look very professional. I was really pleased with it. So just need to get some more bits sorted, then it can go for printing. Endless permission letters, application forms and notifications sent out this week - I think bureaucracy was invented here. This is because they do not seem to have a system for approval going through meetings. You might expect my boss to take it up to the next levels and get it approved, but that does not happen. You have to go and find the higher managers in person and get them to sign it. They do not have an email system here, and not even pigeon holes, so it is all about walking around. I suppose it is part of the oral culture.
Bridge game this evening with my friend from the American Embassy - last time we had cheesecake! Film tomorrow at the Indian Cultural Centre to mark International Women's Day, and a VSO potluck supper for meeting the new vols on Sunday. The position of women here is fairly dire, think 1950s in the UK. Women are expected to be in the home, or perhaps teacher nurse, office or shop. Many women run market stalls selling produce. But there are people fighting that battle, I know some at choir. They are much older women who were well educated, the younger educated people usually migrate overseas. Over half of Guyanese are overseas, many in Canada.
Tuesday 9 March 2010
Last Mash picture
This one is remarkable regarding the contrast between the golden glitter covered woman pulling the float and the content of the float, which was a minaturised house, with little bits of nicely made furniture.
More Mash
You'll have to lie down to look at this one, but that may be just as well considering the look of this guy! In the background you can see all the families camped out along the road for the day to watch it all go past.
Another Mash picture
A more extreme costume from the children's mash parade. Not quite sure what it signifies, but hey!
Picture - Mash parade
Trying to put on some pictures again. This is one of the children's groups on the Mashramani parade. You can see loads of Guyana flags, and this group looked like they were enjoying themselves, so deserved a picture!
Otherwise everything is going well at the moment. I'm hoping to get my course arrangements signed off today. If that goes OK then I can send out all the letters and start getting teachers signed up.
We're also planning an Easter trip to Lethem in the interior, with a stay at an eco resort on the way. Then over the Easter weekend there's a rodeo which is a big crowd puller - it may be a bit loud, but worth it for the experience. We hope to stay over with a couple of other vols, then do a day trip to Brazil (well just the nearest bit of Brazil!). This is my first bit of time off. Most of my leave will be at the end of my placement - I'm hoping to leave here shortly after July 16, then have a week in the Caribbean before coming home.
Friday 5 March 2010
Things are generally going well with me, I'm looking forward to a quieter weekend following all the festivals and events last week. I'm hoping to get a bit of a break over Easter, possibly travelling to Lethem in the interior where there is a rodeo, and maybe going over into Brazil. Plans are also afoot to go to the Caribbean on the way home in late July, so that sounds exciting.
I was saying last time that I needed to get the SEN Course approved, but it turns out that it does not need to go to any committee to be approved, just by the Director and that is done. We had a session with someone from the Monitoring and Evaluation section who was talking about how to match up our projects to UNICEF targets so it is easier to get the finance. So I'm doing that today. As I'm writing the course at the request of the minister, I am hoping that the finance will not be a problem, but we will see. Meanwhile I am going to write the half module on visual impairment, which will keep me happy for a while. I'm also trying to negotiate who will hold the course when I'm not here, who will write the modules for next term, and who will edit them.
I was saying last time that I needed to get the SEN Course approved, but it turns out that it does not need to go to any committee to be approved, just by the Director and that is done. We had a session with someone from the Monitoring and Evaluation section who was talking about how to match up our projects to UNICEF targets so it is easier to get the finance. So I'm doing that today. As I'm writing the course at the request of the minister, I am hoping that the finance will not be a problem, but we will see. Meanwhile I am going to write the half module on visual impairment, which will keep me happy for a while. I'm also trying to negotiate who will hold the course when I'm not here, who will write the modules for next term, and who will edit them.
Tuesday 2 March 2010
Youman Nabi, Phagwah
Festivals rolling in thick and fast at the moment. Friday/Saturday was Muslim celebration for the birth (and death) of the prophet. Went to a music event which was mainly chanting Kasidas, which are songs from the Koran. I suppose a bit like Psalms. These were mainly done by young men about 14 to 20 say. Amazing strong voices and self assurance to stand up on stage and sing/chant. There was also a visiting performer from Trinidad who had two musicians playing harmonium and small hand drums. He was improvising more and responding back and forth with the musicians. The whole event was quite serious, with well dressed people.
Phagwah is the Hindu festival of spring, also new year, which was yesterday. It is about celebration, music and dancing, covering people with colour and happiness. We went to the Indian Cultural Centre. You wear old clothes because you get bright coloured paint powder marked on your face, amidst happy greetings. The kids squirt you with water pistols full of dye. There was music (same instruments) and brightly dressed dancers in various styles. The message is that when the colours wash off that feeling of happiness should remaim.
The two festivals contrast by being from exact opposite ends - one completely from thought and prayer, the other from the feeling of elation and fun. But both are clearly deeply felt by the participants as a spiritual experience. Fascinating.
Wish they had better PA systems though because it can be a bit painful on the ears when people sing too loudly into microphones. Apparaently there is sometimes trouble with people chucking water around in the streets - particularly if it is filthy water from the trenches...
Back to work today, trying to get this SEN Course approval sorted this week.
Cheers
Phagwah is the Hindu festival of spring, also new year, which was yesterday. It is about celebration, music and dancing, covering people with colour and happiness. We went to the Indian Cultural Centre. You wear old clothes because you get bright coloured paint powder marked on your face, amidst happy greetings. The kids squirt you with water pistols full of dye. There was music (same instruments) and brightly dressed dancers in various styles. The message is that when the colours wash off that feeling of happiness should remaim.
The two festivals contrast by being from exact opposite ends - one completely from thought and prayer, the other from the feeling of elation and fun. But both are clearly deeply felt by the participants as a spiritual experience. Fascinating.
Wish they had better PA systems though because it can be a bit painful on the ears when people sing too loudly into microphones. Apparaently there is sometimes trouble with people chucking water around in the streets - particularly if it is filthy water from the trenches...
Back to work today, trying to get this SEN Course approval sorted this week.
Cheers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)