Shelley in Guyana: May 2012

Flying kites - this was my kite!

Sunset on the sea wall

The beach

The concert

The market

Having fun in the water!

There were a lot of goodbyes at the end, the office staff, Head Teachers, Literacy Professional Development Course teachers and all my friends I have made. It was so sad saying goodbye and I cannot believe I was in Guyana for 14 months.

I think I have been luckily with my placement because I feel I was able to achieve the objectives that were set at the beginning. I also feel that I have been able to leave sustainable practices in place – though only time will tell!

Once I finished work I had two weeks to finish up, reduce my belongings to two bags and say my goodbyes. They were a packed two weeks and I did a lot of activities.

I finally made it to a Hindu wedding. I dressed up in my Shallowa and had my hair piled high on top of my head. We walked through heavy rain to get to the wedding and most of the service was in the dark due to a black out. The bride was dressed in a beautiful yellow sari and sat with offerings in front of her with the Pandet (like a priest). Then part way through the ceremony the groom entered. This was an arranged marriage and they had only met a few days before the wedding. The ceremony had lots of singing and offerings of fruit and coconut water were made. At one part the bride and groom went under a blanket and their scarves were tied together. They then went upstairs with the wedding party (mothers, sisters etc) and came back in a red dress for the bride and red and cream clothes for the groom. We ate Seven Curry in large green leaves and sweet meats.

I also went to church for Easter Sunday, it was a lovely service, very simple and they even made us stand up and say hello to everyone. It was a very early service so the rest of the day we watched a cricket match. We went to the sea wall in Georgetown and flew our kites (sadly we lost it in a palm tree!!) In the evening we went to a concert and watch Beres Hammound, at nearly 70 he had an amazing voice and so much energy; it was a fantastic concert. Easter Monday everyone headed to the beach and flew kites again. They represent Jesus rising from the dead. We went swimming in the sea and eat good food and drank rum!

It was then time to say those goodbyes, it was incredibly difficult as I had made great friendships this year and also saying goodbye to a country I had fallen in love with.

I have been home a month; it has been great to see friends and family. It has felt strange coming back but starting to settling back in. It has been nice to have hot water, carpets, washing machines and light in the evenings, great food and wine. I am not missing the mosquitoes or cockroaches! But I am missing the warm weather, fruit, slow pace of life, the music (it is so quiet here), people being friendly on the street and the loud vibrant nature of the country.

I have been incredibly lucky to have this experience, I have learnt so much about Guyana, myself and about my profession. It is a privilege to be able to live in another country and experience a culture that way. I would recommend anyone to do V.S.O. We are lucky that the world is becoming a global village and allows us to be able to live and work in other countries. So it just leaves me to say thank you for reading this blog and sharing this amazing experience with me.

Shelley xxx