Since September so many things have happened, so I will attempt to do a round up!
Early in the first term was extremely busy with sports. We had interhouse, where the pupils of the school were split into James House and Fredericks Houseb and competed against each other over 3 days in track, field and cycling events. It was a great competition, it was nice to work with the younger students as well, and it helped us to learn lots more names! (There's 141 students in the school and I think I know most of their names, hopefully more than half). Sadly James House (Octavia's house) were victorius over Fredericks House (my house), though they both competed fiercely. After interhouse came interschools, where we travelled down to Sawariwau, another village in South Central Rupununi, with our top athletes, to compete against other schools. It was a great week, though tiring, especially as we had to get our students on the field at 5 every morning to train them. I was doing the scoring for our school, to make sure we didn't get cheated out of any points, and I managed to get a terrible sunburn on my legs - there was actually a line where one side it was red and the other white. It was good to keep my brain practicing fast mental maths, especially during the 100m sprints, by the time we had had the athletes presented to us in the order they finished in, the next race was over. In the end, Macushi Primary came 3rd! We also spent time with Tamas and Jack, the 2 PTVs in Sawariwau, and Alex and Sam, who had come with Sand Creek, and it was great to hear how they were getting on.
In October (I think), we went to visit Shirley, and English women who lives at Mountain Point, close to Shulinab Village. We cycled up there, which took a good few hours, and spent the weekend there. We got fed loads by Aunty Rhonda, and also learnt how to make some good food. Shirley has lots of horses, so we helped her feed them and helped out generally around the house. When we woke up on Sunday morning we found Jaguar tracks around the house - sadly I still haven't seen an actual Jaguar (though I don't want to see one too close up!).
In November we spent a weekend in the falls with some friends. we rode horses down to Public Landing, which is a small space next to a creek, where we roast chicken, then put up our hammocks to spent the night. Then on Saturday morning we rode to the falls. The falls are really beautiful, we swam and shot fish to roast with an arrow and a piece of rubber. I actually managed to shoot one fish, though it was pathetically small! Luckily the boys were there, otherwise we may have starved, or just lived off farine. The boys also shot an eel, which tasted really good roasted.
December was very busy with revison, tests and the closing of school. I was very impressed with my students, at their results in their end of term exams, the majority passed (got 45% or higher overall). The last week of school was spent doing christmas activities, looking over test papers and preparing for the closing of school. Also a whole day was spent with the pupils washing their furniture - I can't imagine that happening in an English school. On the last day of school, the students put on a talent show for friends and family, which was very entertaining! I had Grade 9 singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. We also had a staff party, which was really fun - lots of dancing! It was a great end to a long (15 weeks!) term.
Hopefully I will try and update this blog a bit more, though the internet is tempermental, I guess we'll see! It will probably end up being more round up posts.
Thursday, 19 March 2015
6 months late...
Hi all! Though I'm not sure if there is anyone to say hi to still, seeing as I haven't posted on here since I got to my project. Ooops, sorry about that, I have planned to plenty of times, but the internet is so painfully slow, that I give up and use the small amount of time I spend on the internet contacting friends and family.
So it's now 7 months in, and we're in our second last week of the Easter tern, time had been flying by recently, I feel like it was only just Christmas!
Seeing as I haven't posted since I got to Shulinab, below is a blog post which I wrote out on paper soon after getting here, but just didn't get round to putting up:
Since my last post I travelled down to Lethem from Georgetown in a 12 seater plane, stayed one night there with the rest of the region 9 lot (in a supposedly haunted guest house), then got driven down to Shulinab, where we have been for the past 3 weeks. (Well, 7 months now).
We had a few days to get ourselves sorted and settled into the community before school started. We spent most of that time meeting people and walking around the village. Everyone has been so lovely and welcoming to us, and they are all happy to help us if we need.
On the first day of school I was quite nervous, especially after finding out that my pupils of my grade 9 class will be between 13 and 16 (turning 17!), so not that much younger than me. The pupils here are really respectful and lovely. I'm really enjoying teaching at the moment, but there is a lot of paperwork! Most evenings we spend lesson planning, because things have to change often depending on how well the previous lesson went. Octavia and I both teach under the mango trees in the school compound, as the school has a zinc roof and it gets extremely hot inside. The mango season has just finished, but in the first week mangos were dropping all around the place - making a great breaktime snack. Luckily none have fallen on my head as of yet! Though I do get a lot of ants and spiders falling onto me / my desk during the day, which is not overally pleasent, but you get used to it.
On the first weekend after our first week teaching it was the Heritage celebrations in Shulinab, as September is Amerindian Heritage month. Tave and I both tried our hand at archery, shooting the homemade water turtle. On the Saturday we were taken to a nearby creek by a fellow teacher and some of his friends, where we had a lovely, refreshing swim in the water. In the evening it was the last night of the village Heritage celebrations, where skits, songs and dances were performed. Most of the skits were in Macushi (the local language), but we enjoyed them anyway. We then spent the rest of the evening dancing with lots of people. On the Sunday, after a walk through the village we met a man who offered to take us horse riding, so that evening we went for a horseride in the moonlight, which was beautiful.
The pupils have started athletic sports at school in the afternoon, preparing for the interhouse and interschools competitions. The weeks are starting to go by really quickly, but it feels like I've been here and been teaching for a long time. I can't believe I left home just over a month ago.
We haven't heard much from the other projects as we have no phone signal, and limited internet access, but from what we've heard, everyone seems to be doing well and enjoying their projects. we saw the Aishalton boys last Saturday as they were going up to Lethem for supplies, and stopped by to say hello. It was lovely to hear about their project and how they are getting on.
I'm loving living here, and I think Tave and I have both naturally adapted to life here. I'm loving sleeping in a hammock, I think I'm going to need to find a place to hang one up when I get home.
So it's now 7 months in, and we're in our second last week of the Easter tern, time had been flying by recently, I feel like it was only just Christmas!
Seeing as I haven't posted since I got to Shulinab, below is a blog post which I wrote out on paper soon after getting here, but just didn't get round to putting up:
Since my last post I travelled down to Lethem from Georgetown in a 12 seater plane, stayed one night there with the rest of the region 9 lot (in a supposedly haunted guest house), then got driven down to Shulinab, where we have been for the past 3 weeks. (Well, 7 months now).
We had a few days to get ourselves sorted and settled into the community before school started. We spent most of that time meeting people and walking around the village. Everyone has been so lovely and welcoming to us, and they are all happy to help us if we need.
On the first day of school I was quite nervous, especially after finding out that my pupils of my grade 9 class will be between 13 and 16 (turning 17!), so not that much younger than me. The pupils here are really respectful and lovely. I'm really enjoying teaching at the moment, but there is a lot of paperwork! Most evenings we spend lesson planning, because things have to change often depending on how well the previous lesson went. Octavia and I both teach under the mango trees in the school compound, as the school has a zinc roof and it gets extremely hot inside. The mango season has just finished, but in the first week mangos were dropping all around the place - making a great breaktime snack. Luckily none have fallen on my head as of yet! Though I do get a lot of ants and spiders falling onto me / my desk during the day, which is not overally pleasent, but you get used to it.
On the first weekend after our first week teaching it was the Heritage celebrations in Shulinab, as September is Amerindian Heritage month. Tave and I both tried our hand at archery, shooting the homemade water turtle. On the Saturday we were taken to a nearby creek by a fellow teacher and some of his friends, where we had a lovely, refreshing swim in the water. In the evening it was the last night of the village Heritage celebrations, where skits, songs and dances were performed. Most of the skits were in Macushi (the local language), but we enjoyed them anyway. We then spent the rest of the evening dancing with lots of people. On the Sunday, after a walk through the village we met a man who offered to take us horse riding, so that evening we went for a horseride in the moonlight, which was beautiful.
The pupils have started athletic sports at school in the afternoon, preparing for the interhouse and interschools competitions. The weeks are starting to go by really quickly, but it feels like I've been here and been teaching for a long time. I can't believe I left home just over a month ago.
We haven't heard much from the other projects as we have no phone signal, and limited internet access, but from what we've heard, everyone seems to be doing well and enjoying their projects. we saw the Aishalton boys last Saturday as they were going up to Lethem for supplies, and stopped by to say hello. It was lovely to hear about their project and how they are getting on.
I'm loving living here, and I think Tave and I have both naturally adapted to life here. I'm loving sleeping in a hammock, I think I'm going to need to find a place to hang one up when I get home.
Wednesday, 20 August 2014
Hello from Guyana!
I'm here! We arrived in Guyana on Saturday morning at about 4am after more than 24hours of travelling and two delayed planes. We're currently staying in Georgetown, the capital city, with our rep and her family who have been kind enough to open their house to us.
We went to the zoo the other day where we saw a whole range of animals - it was completely different from a British zoo. There was a manatee who we could only see the nose of, poking out the water.
I've been woken up by both dogs and cats since I've been here, the dogs next door barking and the family cat walking into our room and meowing in our faces - not really a bad alarm clock.
It's nice here in Georgetown, but I can't wait to get down to my project!
I will have internet for the next few days, so will try to keep people updated as much as I can before I have no contact.
We went to the zoo the other day where we saw a whole range of animals - it was completely different from a British zoo. There was a manatee who we could only see the nose of, poking out the water.
I've been woken up by both dogs and cats since I've been here, the dogs next door barking and the family cat walking into our room and meowing in our faces - not really a bad alarm clock.
It's nice here in Georgetown, but I can't wait to get down to my project!
I will have internet for the next few days, so will try to keep people updated as much as I can before I have no contact.
Monday, 4 August 2014
Training!
Between the 5th and the 9th of July I was back up on the Isle of Coll for my training for Project Trust with my partner, everyone else going to Guyana, and the group going to Ghana too. It was a wonderful week I met the most amazing people who I can't wait to spend a year with, I also found out more about my project - such as the fact that I will be sleeping in a hammock for a year! Training really helped give me a more indepth knowledge about things that might happen over the next 12 months and what to do, it was also great to get to know everyone I will be involved with - my desk officer, my partner, and the rest of the country group. It just made me 100x more excited to go! (And maybe a little bit more nervous as I'm starting to see it as a reality!).
It was great to see a couple of people from my selection again, one who's going to Guyana and one who is going to Ghana. It was great to talk about what we had been up to since September with fundraising and everything. I can't believe that I've actually finished fundraising! I've raised all £5,600! Thank you to everyone who helped along the way, it means so much!!!
I also know my leaving date, and as I'm only just writing about training now, its less than 2 weeks away! Friday the 15th August! This means that at the moment I'm sorting out the last of my injections, starting on malaria tablets and making sure I've got everything I need (which hopefully I will have).
I've already been up north and said goodbye to some relatives, but will be seeing many friends in the next week or so and having to say goodbye to them - it's quite strange to do so as it doesn't seem like I'm really going yet...
It was great to see a couple of people from my selection again, one who's going to Guyana and one who is going to Ghana. It was great to talk about what we had been up to since September with fundraising and everything. I can't believe that I've actually finished fundraising! I've raised all £5,600! Thank you to everyone who helped along the way, it means so much!!!
I also know my leaving date, and as I'm only just writing about training now, its less than 2 weeks away! Friday the 15th August! This means that at the moment I'm sorting out the last of my injections, starting on malaria tablets and making sure I've got everything I need (which hopefully I will have).
I've already been up north and said goodbye to some relatives, but will be seeing many friends in the next week or so and having to say goodbye to them - it's quite strange to do so as it doesn't seem like I'm really going yet...
This is the Guyana lot (there are 27 of us!) plus desk officer Chris in the middle :)
Saturday, 17 May 2014
Leaving
So yesterday was my last day of college, and it made me think about leaving. The two years of college went so fast, I feel like I only just started there, and it has made me realise that in about 3 months I will be leaving home and going to live somewhere completely new and different.
I am so excited about going away, but will still miss everyone from home, so I have got a little book in which people can write messages and I can stick photos in to take with me to have a small bit of home with me. I had it at college with me and people wrote the loveliest of things.
It won't be long until I'm heading to Guyana, so I look forward to spending the time I have left in England before I go with friends and family.
I can't believe I'm leaving soon, but I'm sure in a years time I'll feel much the same about leaving Guyana.
I'm very close to my total, not far to go now, so if anyone would like to donate here's my page:
uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CatherineEdwards2
I am so excited about going away, but will still miss everyone from home, so I have got a little book in which people can write messages and I can stick photos in to take with me to have a small bit of home with me. I had it at college with me and people wrote the loveliest of things.
It won't be long until I'm heading to Guyana, so I look forward to spending the time I have left in England before I go with friends and family.
I can't believe I'm leaving soon, but I'm sure in a years time I'll feel much the same about leaving Guyana.
I'm very close to my total, not far to go now, so if anyone would like to donate here's my page:
uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CatherineEdwards2
Thursday, 8 May 2014
A little bit of information
Recently Project Trust have been finalising everybody's placing, matching partners and choosing projects. In the last couple of days they have been emailing out details of where we are going!
Today I got my email, and I have been placed in Guyana (I know that seems kinda obvious, but there was a chance that it could have been Ghana, as you get given more than one country when selected, as a just in case). Most people in their emails got details of their projects, however I have been placed in a new project which means I don't know the fine details at the moment.
However, I did get a lot of information on Guyana, such as all the injections I'm going to have to get (scary...), and the type of things to bring with me. I also got told that I should be flying out at late August 2014, and returning early to mid August 2015, and more details about training. :D
This makes things a bit more real for me, I'm going to live abroad for a year in about 3 and a half months...!
Today I got my email, and I have been placed in Guyana (I know that seems kinda obvious, but there was a chance that it could have been Ghana, as you get given more than one country when selected, as a just in case). Most people in their emails got details of their projects, however I have been placed in a new project which means I don't know the fine details at the moment.
However, I did get a lot of information on Guyana, such as all the injections I'm going to have to get (scary...), and the type of things to bring with me. I also got told that I should be flying out at late August 2014, and returning early to mid August 2015, and more details about training. :D
This makes things a bit more real for me, I'm going to live abroad for a year in about 3 and a half months...!
Saturday, 26 April 2014
What a brilliant night!
We had our Ceilidh last night, and it was such an amazing evening! Everyone was dancing and having fun!
I have quite a few thank yous to dish out :)
- Thank you to everyone who came, and danced, bought food, drink and raffle tickets - you made the night!
- Thank you to The Coach House Company who played amazing music, and especially to Colin who's calling was absolutely fantastic! Check out their facebook page:
www.facebook.com/TheCoachHouseCompany
- Thank you to everyone who donated a raffle prize: Louis Farouk, Godfreys, Whites Greengrocers, To Be Established, Organica Pizza, Kobkun Thai Therapy, Seasons and Blossoms, Blackstock Kitchen, La Fromagerie, Diverse Hair, Blighty Coffee, Cinnamon Village and Miss Pem as well as from some very kind friends and family.
- Thank you to everyone who helped us out on the night, from setting up to folding up raffle tickets and everything inbetween!
- Thank you to Will and the Unity Unitarian Church for the use of the hall and facilities!
- Thank you to mine and Corinna's parents who helped us make this happen, making sure we had everything, inviting friends and colleagues, and just being brilliant!
- And last, but by absolutely no means least, thank you Corinna for planning this whole thing with me, and for making it happen together, it's been great fun!
I really hope I haven't forgotten anything/anyone - if so I'm sorry, thank you too!
And now for the total of what we raised on the night, we've spend the day collecting and counting the money and taking away costs, and our grand total is........... £826.35!!!!!!!!
We actually can't believe how much we made, we are just so grateful to everyone who has supported us!
This puts me very close to my total, I've got over £5000, so hopefully I will be there soon.
Thank you all again!
I have quite a few thank yous to dish out :)
- Thank you to everyone who came, and danced, bought food, drink and raffle tickets - you made the night!
- Thank you to The Coach House Company who played amazing music, and especially to Colin who's calling was absolutely fantastic! Check out their facebook page:
www.facebook.com/TheCoachHouseCompany
- Thank you to everyone who donated a raffle prize: Louis Farouk, Godfreys, Whites Greengrocers, To Be Established, Organica Pizza, Kobkun Thai Therapy, Seasons and Blossoms, Blackstock Kitchen, La Fromagerie, Diverse Hair, Blighty Coffee, Cinnamon Village and Miss Pem as well as from some very kind friends and family.
- Thank you to everyone who helped us out on the night, from setting up to folding up raffle tickets and everything inbetween!
- Thank you to Will and the Unity Unitarian Church for the use of the hall and facilities!
- Thank you to mine and Corinna's parents who helped us make this happen, making sure we had everything, inviting friends and colleagues, and just being brilliant!
- And last, but by absolutely no means least, thank you Corinna for planning this whole thing with me, and for making it happen together, it's been great fun!
I really hope I haven't forgotten anything/anyone - if so I'm sorry, thank you too!
And now for the total of what we raised on the night, we've spend the day collecting and counting the money and taking away costs, and our grand total is........... £826.35!!!!!!!!
We actually can't believe how much we made, we are just so grateful to everyone who has supported us!
This puts me very close to my total, I've got over £5000, so hopefully I will be there soon.
Thank you all again!
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