This experience in Georgetown is completely different to my
last visits to Guyana. Everyone in England had warned me that it would be and I
have prepared myself for not feeling completely elated ALL the time! Georgetown
is like a country in itself compared to the interior of Guyana. Yesterday I
went swimming again in the hotel pool with Javan and free Wifi. Then on the way
home we bought wholemeal bread and I took cheese and mayo sandwiches into
school with me! I ate cheese and mayo sandwiches every day at school in London-
I just can’t escape them.
The weekend just passed was really good. I went to a couple
of parties for a friend’s birthday and Mael put on a great BBQ at his veranda.
I got a bit too excited about someone’s Bluetooth speakers that you could
remotely control with your phone. Rum is ridiculously cheap here and we got
proof of the point when we woke up on Sunday after the BBQ to find over 4
Litres that people had brought and not drank.
After our liming session by the pool on Sunday, we walked to
Javan’s mum’s house in Bagotstown. The village/town is part of Georgetown and
it reminded me of Rhianna’s “Shot a man down” video- dusty streets, wooden
houses on stilts, kids playing cricket etc. Also because as we walked into the
village, Javan joked, “This is where all the robberies and murders happen.” (He
was joking mum)
I spent some time talking to Javan’s mum, who has been a
teacher here for a long time and also taught at the same school as I did when I
was here in 2008. It was crazy to hear that she had the same moans, about
inclusion agendas and government policies screwing up state schools, that I
heard in the UK.
I was about a 4 out of 10 on the Sweat-o-meter at school
today but I did feel dehydrated and tired for most of the day. Does anyone know
if you can safely drink ORS instead of water? I’m thinking it might allow me to
drink less but keep hydrated... I had the standard Homework Collecting
experience in my last lesson today. Half of the class had done some lovely
work, some had gone all Wikipedia over it and some had not done (yes teachers,
detentions and calls home did happen). I think I might be teaching one of the
Prime Ministers grand kids.
My walk home today was hilarious. I was walking behind a
large, sauntering lady who was singing (badly) very loudly. She would have been
getting in the way but I adjusted my walk to not seem so English. Everyone
saunters here. She broke from her song to shout, “What the hell broking up in
this place?!” in a loud Guyanese accent. Just ahead of her was a flood covering
the pavement and most of the road and we had to treacherously inch along a
plank to avoid wet feet.
In a cheeky bit of Downton Abbey watching tonight via some
dubious satellite connection, Javan exclaimed, “Bare action, bai.” Surely this
is the first time that has ever been said about Downton!
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