Mek sure fuh put yuh wife and yuh pickney dem

“Mek sure fuh put yuh wife and yuh pickney dem,” said the wonderful accountant at school yesterday as she handed me another form for something else I have to get. National Insurance Scheme apparently and hopefully there is a work permit on its way to me soon. I have been reassured that I am not an illegal immigrant as some paper work has been filed for me but it is crawling its way through the dusty underbelly of Georgetown’s Agency of Bureaucracy.

Talking about dusty places, my lunch box has become the target for a minute world of sugar ants. For two months now my lunchbox has sat undisturbed on my desk until lunchtime. Sadly Wednesday became the day the sugar ants discovered its home and I munched half my way into a slightly too crunchy cheese sandwich. Thursday came and I stupidly didn’t learn my lesson. The ants learnt theirs so before break time they were tucking in. Finally it is Friday and this week has taught me well. I left my lunch box in my bag and carried it around with me. I also had a back-up of a thick aluminium foil coating around the sandwiches.

Yesterday I thought back to my summer of Teach First training and planned a lesson “outside the classroom.” The troublesome year 9s were out in the tropical Sun measuring speed, distance and time of toy cars racing down ramps. I thought this was a great idea until Guyana found a practical joke; torrential rain for precisely 10 minutes whilst we were outside. Thankfully the kids were undeterred and carried on their physics just underneath tiny bits of shelter dotted around the back yard.

Last night I was absolutely shattered. I went for a nap as soon as I got home. Waking up an hour later, I realised I still had to plan all of the next day’s lessons and make three 100 mark end-of-term tests by the next day. I prioritised and forgot the last two lessons, smashed out the tests and was done by 8pm. Just in time for the expat arrival- a few Canadian/English friends came round to do some rum sampling.