An Overdue Georgetown Update

Good afternoon (a typical Guyanese greeting),

Wow! Our third week in Georgetown has flown by yet again. It feels as though the days are going by faster and faster here in our home away from home. Today marks the half way point in our QHO adventure. We have completed 3 and a half weeks and are looking forward to another thrilling 3 and a half more.

Last week was jam packed! We focused our lessons on puberty, sex, and contraceptives both in the classrooms and on TV. Despite some giggles at the beginning the students soon became engaged in the topics and had some great (awkward) questions for us! We like to start off these lessons with a "slang shake out" where the students can get out all the sillies/giggles before we get in depth about more serious issues. Then we mix in content with some fun games to help solidify the information in an exciting way. Overall the participation in the classrooms was amazing and we feel as though the students took a lot away from the lessons. We even had some beneficial discussions, or "girl chats", after class where we could really connect with the students and give them some one-on-one advice.

Last Tuesday we were invited to a Health Fair with the Ministry of Health, a potential partner for the future years of QHO Guyana, where we sat in on one of their daily lessons. It was interesting to see how similar QHO and the Ministry of Health are in the content we provide and how we work to translate that information. The goals of both QHO and the Ministry of Health work towards making the next generation more aware of health issues and risks. We are hopeful that QHO Guyana will be working closely with the Ministry of Health in the years to come and can collaborate to make both projects more successful.

Our day spent observing the Ministry of Health and their teaching practices.

On Friday Ali and Eric from the Berbice team came to visit Georgetown for the weekend. They got to Georgetown just in time to join us at Ruimveldt Children's Aid Centre. We are always excited to be reunited with the kids at Ruimveldt and their smiling faces that make our weeks truly special. Ali and Eric had a blast at the youth space and we hope that they can join us again soon!

Some of the wonderful children at Ruimveldt before dinner time!

Friday night we were able to attend another weekly cricket match-- however a new experience for the Berbice team! The five Georgetown and Berbice PE's watched from the side lines as one of our own, Steve, was recruited to play for the Floodlight Cricket Team. It was a great time cheering Steve on and watching him make some great saves and even hit some six pointers. Reyaz, our RBI and TV contact, had Marni's (early) birthday celebration prepared at the cricket game where we explored some delicious Guyanese dishes.

Steve and Reyaz before their big cricket game.

Just as we thought Steve had hit his peak athletic career here in Guyana, Steve was drafted to a basketball team for one game. He played for a total of 45 seconds--his strength lied in his amazing bench warming skills. But we all had a blast cheering him on and are very proud of him, he even received a trophy for his efforts.

We loved having Ali and Eric visit for the weekend in Georgetown. It was wonderful catching up with them and spending time as a group, it is always nice having the full team together. We were able to celebrate Guyana Independence Day with some fireworks and delicious local Guyanese food later in the night.

The six Guyana PE's enjoying Independence Day fireworks by the Sea Wall. 

We love our trips to the market and go at least 3 times a week! We go through a ton of fruit here because we cannot get enough of it. It is so sweet and delicious!

Some of the delicious fruits at the market.

Casey and Colleen's market adventure. 

This week we look forward to focusing our lessons on STI's (sexually transmitted infections) and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). We hope the students learn and take away important information from these lessons.

All our love,

The Georgetown Team
(Steve, Colleen, Casey, Marni)