QHO Guyana: Lots of Teaching, Cooking and Fun Visits in Berbice

Hey Guys!

We can't believe that we're already half way through project! We've been here for four weeks now and only have three weeks left in Berbice and one final week in Georgetown with the rest of the group.
After an amazing Independence Day weekend in Georgetown we headed back to Berbice early Tuesday morning to make it back in time for our afternoon lessons. Tuesday afternoon we went out to No.59 Primary school to teach the second part of our puberty lesson to the grade 6 class. We've been teaching this class for a few weeks now and it is clear that the students have become much more comfortable with us and are participating lots! After teaching the grade 6's we had the opportunity to speak at a parent seminar that was being held at the school. At the request of the headmistress we ran a session on Nutrition and Healthy Eating Habits. There were two other guest speakers at the seminar, a representative from Child Protection and the president of the region's Parent-Teacher Association. We really enjoyed listening to both of these speakers and learned a lot!
On Thursday morning we went back to the Guyana Business College and taught a lesson on Sex and Contraceptives to a very interested and enthusiastic class.

World Challenge Day Walk-a-Thon

Thursday afternoon we were invited to participate in a walk-a-thon at the Vryman's Erven Training Centre (a school we teach at on Friday mornings). The walk-a-thon was celebrating World Challenge Day and was a huge success! The walk began at the school and went through the community finishing up at the Smythfield Youth Friendly Space. Throughout the walk students handed out brochures on topics such as STIs, contraceptives and family planning. At the end of the walk a speech was given by a Regional Minister about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and we were led in a series of physical exercises. The whole event was broadcasted on national television (some of our students from other schools told us that they saw us exercising on TV!). To conclude the event we ran a session on Physical Activity and Healthy Eating for the students. A big thanks to the organizers of the event for inviting us to come out, we had a lot of fun!
On Friday morning we taught a lesson on Sex and Contraception to the students at the Vryman's Erven Training Centre. It went really well and the students asked some really great questions. In the afternoon we went to the Smythfield Youth Friendly Centre where we led an activity on the importance of having positive self-esteem. The activity was called a 'Pat on the Back' and everyone received an outline of a hand that they put their name on. Then everyone took turns writing nice things about their friends on their paper hands. At the end of the activity everyone got to read all the nice things that everyone had written about them. The kids got really into the activity and added some awesome decorations to their paper hands! We were very excited to get home on Friday night to meet Haily and Janet who had arrived at our house earlier in the afternoon for a weekend visit! When we got home we took them for a walk around the neighbourhood and introduced them to some of the kids from the Letter Kenny Youth Friendly Space. After our walk we all headed home and we taught them how to make one of our favourite meals, stuffed boulangie (eggplant for our North American readers).
We woke up bright and early on Saturday morning and Janet led a 'Tabata' workout for us all which was both challenging and fun! We then went to the Port Mourant Market to pick up some fruits and veggies for lunch and dinner.

Us at the Port Mourant Market

We had a blast showing Janet and Haily around this exciting and busy market. After a delicious lunch of a chickpea salad and fruit salad, the four of us went to the Camal Shelter to run the 'Pat on the Back' activity with the youth there. Kate and Haily worked with the older kids while Janet and Kevin worked with the younger kids. Everyone had a lot of fun and the kids told us that they're looking forward to our next visit, which we are too!

Kevin leading the 'Pat on the Back' activity at the Camal Shelter

Saturday evening we decided to put our Guyanese cooking skills to the test by cooking Pumpkin Curry and Roti. With some advice and tips from the vendors at the market and some of the girls at the Camal Shelter, we managed to pull it off and make a delicious meal! We're excited to share this meal with our family and friends when we get home!

On Sunday morning Kate, Haily and Janet went for a run around Letter Kenny and were amazed by all of the beautiful colours of the houses. After breakfast the four of us walked down the path behind our house to the beach. On our way we were joined by some of the Letter Kenny kids. After our walk we hopped on a minibus and headed out to #63 beach which is Guyana's only swimmable beach. It was very refreshing to go out for a swim in the ocean. While we were swimming a family invited us to play catch in the water with them which was a lot of fun! Overall, it was a great weekend and we had an awesome time showing Haily and Janet around Berbice.