Goodbye Berbice: Things We Learned!

"If you're not learning from your students, you are not a teacher"

This quote was brought up over lunch with a head teacher of one of the schools we have been teaching at. The sentiment really resounded with out past 7 weeks here and we would like to take the opportunity to share exactly what it is that we have learned with all of you!

From our Friday morning classes at Lower Corentyne Secondary School we learned to make the most of every opportunity, no matter how short lived. We only had three sessions at Lower Corentyne but that didn't stop us from engaging with material in a meaningful way- if anything it made us focus more on what the students really wanted to learn. Thank you to the Form 3 and 4 students of Lower Corentyne and especially their teacher, Ms. Odetta for creating such a positive teaching and learning environment.

Eric and our Lower Corentyne class

The remainder of our Fridays were spent with the well organized Smythfield Drop-In Centre and Vryman's Erven Training Centre in New Amsterdam. The young adults at VETC taught us how to make many of the topics we covered relevant to Guyana, whether it be popular contraceptives or common attitudes towards suicide and mental illness- thank you all for your knowledge and willingness to share!

Ali and our Vryman's Erven Training Center class

We have also learned the meaning of hospitality from both the Berbice Islamic School and Corentyne Comprehensive. Our interactions with both schools have resulted in wonderful participation from students, and immensely inclusive staff. Last weekend we were invited to the Miss Compri pageant where we were able to watch some of our students compete for the crown- the experience really made us feel a part of the community. Our relationships with both school staff have exceeded expectations and we really appreciate all of the efforts extended our way. 

Ali and Eric with the Head Teacher from Corentyne Comprehensive at the Miss Compri 2014 Pageant

On Wednesdays we spent our day working at Massiah Primary, Tagore Secondary, and 59 Primary. Head Teacher Bhoge at Massiah has been immensely welcoming and helpful- providing us with opportunities like parent sessions and connecting us to local like-minded organizations, we cannot thank him enough. We have loved teaching the primary students both at Massiah and 59, taking advantage of the smaller class sizes to get to know our students' names and unique personalities!

Our class from 59 Primary after our self esteem activity

Tagore Secondary and Port Mourant Secondary have also been schools we have thoroughly enjoyed teaching in! From condom step demonstrations to discussions about abuse, both have been so engaged and inquisitive; all around pleasures to teach! From them we have learned that questions are the key to knowledge- question box was great with these classes. Thank you to the schools and respective administration and teachers who supported us throughout. 

Half of our Tagore class- the rest were already in exams!

Our Monday morning Port Mourant class

Our largest class all project was hands down the Form 3 J.C. Chandisingh Secondary class. There were between 80-90 students and both of us were always borderline hoarse at the end of a session, but what we learned there was one of the most important lessons: what we had been working towards was worthwhile. Being approached by the Form 4 students and asked to talk to them about the material we were discussing with the Form 3 students really showed that the information and activities we planned were relevant and that the time and effort put into project was absolutely paying off. So thank you for your initiative, eagerness, and constant appreciation.

A few of our Form 3 students and evidence of the beautiful thank you card from some of the other girls in the class!

Some of the Form 4 students we had the pleasure of meeting

Our Form 1+2 Islamic School students after a tiring fitness class

Even though the quote at the beginning of this (extended) entry pertains to students, we also learned invaluable lessons from youths and adults throughout our weeks here that must also be given a mention here. The young women and children at the Camal shelter taught us the skill of flexibility; the amount of participants in activities and lessons was always fluctuating as people moved in and out of their daily responsibilities around the space. We want to thank them for graciously inviting us into their home and loved getting to know some of the wonderful people who live at Camal!

Some of the Camal group!

Some of the people we have gotten to know the best are the Letterkenny kids we saw many afternoons each week. From them we learned the meaning of community. They taught us how to receive people not as guests so much as friends, a lesson we will both take with us forever. Most of our best moments outside of the classroom involve the kids from Letterkenny whether we were playing on our trailer, enjoying a game of soccer, or adventuring out to the beach. Thank you all for being so unbelievably hospitable, warm, and welcoming. 

The Letterkenny gang

Finally we want to thank members of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport for being wonderful partners, and helping us establish our presence across Berbice Region 6.  A special thank you goes out to Geeta, who helped us form contacts with Massiah (71) Primary, 59 Primary and Tagore Memorial Secondary School.  We would also like to thank the Ministry of Education for granting us permission to teach in the public school system in Berbice.  This was an exciting new opportunity for the Berbice project and was a tremendous success.  We hope next year's project will continue to build on our fruitful experience so far.

A much deserved thank you must also go to Omeshwar, our primary contact throughout our trip.  Without his help we would not have been able to have had such a memorable experience.  He has shown us tremendous hospitality and has helped integrate us into the Berbice community.  His endless hard work continues to amaze us and we look forward to working with him again.  A special shout out is also needed for Shivanie, our 7 week adopted mother, who cared for us as if we were her own.  Thank you Shivanie!

A huge shout out must be given to our wondefrul QHO family, whom supported our efforts for the past 9 months.  We would first like to thank our wonderful, beautiful, talented (sparingly) project directors

- Kate and Janet.  Although Janet was not directly associated with the Berbice project, she provided amazing guidance and always brought a smile to our face during fundraising events and meetings.  Kate, we cannot begin to thank you enough for helping us through the year.  You made our transition to living in Guyana seamless and we cannot wait to share so many wonderful stories with you next year.  Another thank you is needed for the wonderful executive members of QHO, especially our co-directors Liz and Fab.  From our day of hiring to the moment we left for project, we never felt uncomfortable or helpless.  The support we've received cannot be understated and we cannot wait to give back to next year's group of peer educators as members of exec.  We also want to thank our fellow Guyana peer educators, the Georgetown project, consisting of Steve, Marni, Colleen, and Casey.  Although they lacked the good looks and wit of the Berbice project, they were amazing people to work alongside with and we are so proud of what they have accomplished in the past 7 weeks.

A final thank you (finally finishing the blog post, thanks for sticking with us), must be given to our family and friends, who have supported us tirelessly over the past year.  We cannot wait to get back home and share all of our stories from our wonderful experience.

With love,
Eric and Ali

Seven Weeks, Come and Gone

To Our Followers: One Last Time...

We cannot believe that we are sitting here writing our last blog post and staring at our packed suitcases on the floor. Looking back at these past seven weeks, they have truly been a whirlwind of the most memorable and eventful experiences and we will never forget our time in Guyana.

On Tuesday, we combined our two classes at St. Pius Primary School for our final lesson on bullying and abuse, followed by fun and games. The students were full of energy, it was a sight to see! We will miss the students at this school dearly. It was such a pleasure to create such a great relationship with St. Pius as we welcomed them as apart of the QHO curriculum for the first time in Guyana history. We can't wait to introduce next years group to this energetic bunch of kids!

The St. Pius students with their Queen's Health Outreach certificates. 

On Wednesday, unfortunately due to exams we were unable to have our final classes with Chase Academy. We are sorry that exams prevented us from saying our goodbyes, but we know the students will do great on their final exams and wish them all the best! Following this, Marni and Steve taught their final class at Adult Education Association where they were surprised with a celebration held by the school where kind words were exchanged.

Steve and Marni with their AEA class (unfortunately Steve's head got cut off)

Unfortunately due to cricket matches, we were unable to have a final session on NTN This Morning. We will definitely miss the awkward close ups while we try to stay professional on television. Thursday morning, Casey and Colleen had their last class at Adult Education Association and made delicious and nutritious fruit smoothies with their students.

Casey and Colleen on their last day with their AEA class. 

Thursday afternoon we said farewell to our Reyaz Business Institute classes with fun games of jeopardy and chocolate prizes. We were all amazed with how much information the students knew and have taken away from our lessons (Whew!).

Marni and Casey with their RBI class.

Steve and Colleen with their RBI class.

This morning we taught our last class at Sophia Training Centre and enjoyed playing basketball and having mini lessons with the students. We wish the students all the best in their final months at the training centre and the best of luck in the future. Later on today we visited one of our favourite places, Ruimveldt Children's Aid Centre for our final visit with the kids. We could not wait to show the kids what surprises we had for them today! We brought soccer balls, basketballs, colouring papers and markers, skipping ropes and books. They had a blast playing with their new toys!

Our last day at Ruimveldt.

It is hard to believe that our project is already over! We have had the most amazing time in Guyana and have appreciated every experience we have been given. Thank you again to the Rima ladies for the making the guesthouse our home away from home for the past weeks and to all of those we have met along the way. Guyana will always be in our hearts and we wish the best of luck to the future projects- we hope you love it as much as we did!

We would like to take the opportunity to thanks everyone who has made our stay in Guyana so amazing and special. The students and teachers we worked with as well as the individuals we met along the way who added to our experience, it would not have been the same without you!

All our love,
Marni, Casey, Colleen and Steve

Last weeks in Georgetown!

Hello at-home followers,

It is hard to believe that we are on our FINAL week in Georgetown! Before we get ahead of ourselves though, we can't wait to share with you last weeks adventures that have brought us to this point in our journey. It has been a hectic yet eye opening week as we finished up our teaching curriculum and began to wrap up the classes.

Tuesday was the first sunny day we've had in a long time since rainy season began. Luckily the nice weather continued for the rest of the week and we were able to take in the glorious Guyana sunshine. Tuesday afternoon we taught at St. Pius Primary School and had a successful class on drugs and alcohol. Later on in the day we joined the children at Ruimveldt for a fun time reading books and playing games.

Some fun and games at Ruimveldt!

Our Wednesday's we spend most of the day teaching the various grades at Chase Academy. This week Marni and Colleen focused on contraceptives and safe sex practices by challenging one of the classes to a condom relay race in order to practice the steps of condom use. It was a good effort put in by both teams but Marni's team came out victorious. Meanwhile Casey and Steve focused their lessons on substance abuse where they also had a challenging quiz game for the students whereby they divided the class in half to see which team knew the greatest amount of facts/myths about drugs.

Colleen and Marni's Form 2 class doing a condom relay!

Thursdays are one of our favourite days! We start off our mornings with our weekly television segment on NTN This Morning. Before our segment this week we were interviewed for a newspaper article in the local newspaper in Georgetown-- so be on the look out for the new stars of Guyana. As always, RBI is such a pleasure to teach at because the students there are so well behaved and eager to learn. Next week we have exciting jeopardy games for the classes which will review all of the material we've covered-- we can't wait to put the students on the spot!

On Friday morning we taught at Sophia Training School about serious topics including depression, suicide, self-esteem and stress management. The class was very keen on this lesson in particular, it seemed as though they understood the severity of mental illnesses and took a lot away from the lesson. Later on, we said our first (of many) goodbyes to the beloved Tricia, our favourite waitress at our favourite restaurant, Steppers. She has fed us delicious black eye and potato stew almost everyday for the past six weeks and we still can't get enough!

Some of the students from Sophia Training Centre

The girls and Tricia at Steppers 

Casey and Colleen headed to Berbice for the weekend Friday afternoon while Steve and Marni stayed in Georgetown. Marni and Steve had a productive weekend here as they wound down from the past week's stress and started to organize things for the final week. Casey and Colleen had a fantastic weekend in Berbice with Ali and Eric. Not only did the girls get to meet all the wonderful children at the youth spaces in Berbice, but the group was also invited to a high school pageant show (where Ali and Eric teach). The group had an unforgettable night filled with laughter as they kicked back and watched the hilarious performing acts and the raw talent and effort put forward by the pageant contestants and staff. Afterwards the group reminisced over the great times we've all shared over the past 6 weeks of project and the great deal of progress we have all made. Before heading back to Georgetown, the group went to the beach in Berbice with some of the local Letter Kenny children where they experienced sinking sand (or what seemed like it). As Colleen likes to say "This is what the people on Naked and Afraid deal with everyday".

The group visits the Miss Compri Pageant in Berbice, here are the contestants

One of the many fantastic performances at the Compri Pageant

Now that the Georgetown team is back together again we are beginning to dread this upcoming week as we know it is filled with goodbyes. We plan to make the most of our time here and can't wait to show the students what we have planned for their teaching lessons this week (GAME WEEK)!

All our love from Georgetown,

Casey, Colleen, Marni, Steve

A Whirlwind Week in Berbice!

Triumph and Success may be the names of towns along our almost bi-weekly drives to Georgetown, they are also notions we are left with at the end of this whirlwind week! Our project is shifting gears towards the last stretch as students (especially the Form 3's whom we primarily teach) enter their exams. Even though the end is near our momentum has not yet slowed- with new and exciting opportunities unfolding just this week! 

Eric leading push-ups at #59 Primary School

On Monday we taught our usual class of Form 3 students at J.C. Chandisingh Secondary School. We wrapped up sexual health and answered the numerous questions from this class of about 80 fourteen year olds. Managing a class of such size means we both have to belt out our lessons. It was either our voices carrying or just word of mouth that led one of the Form 4 students to approach us as we left our lesson and ask if we could come into their class and give the Form 4 students the run down on sexual health too! We immediately agreed and started an hour long impromptu discussion on sexual health and contraceptives, ending with a girl talk/boy talk separation for discussion that we borrowed from our Georgetown counterparts. We were very excited to teach such an eager group of students in such a casual setting where we were asked to speak by those we taught! It really confirmed for us a lot of the reasons why we are here and doing this work!

Getting ready to present skits on Peer Pressure and Bullying!

After answering some of the questions that the Form 4 girls had, one of them mentioned that she was the President of health committee but that the committee was struggling to find people to come talk. Varsha asked if we would be interested in coming to speak and if so they would love to have us! We hope we can set this up in the next week and half because it would be a great opportunity to talk about health with youth here who are also passionate about the topic!

Ali discussing skits with a group of girls

Our whirlwind week continued on Wednesday as we made our usual hour long trip east towards Skeldon. Wednesdays are a special day for us as it is the only time we teach in primary schools. It's a great change of pace in the middle of our busy weeks, as we get a chance to loosen up a bit, and pretend we are kids once more. 

Eric discussing Health Relationships

Over the past two weeks we have been teaching the primary students about healthy relationships, as well as peer pressure. Along with these topics we have addressed questions about bullying as well as drugs and alcohol. The students have been very engaged, and they have loved some of the activities and games we have shared. One of the student's favorite activities is our "Left/ Right" peer pressure game. As the students line up single file, we offer two choices (i.e. to visit the beach - step left, or the market - step right). As students make their choices, they are often looking around or changing their mind when they see their friend's decisions. The game is an excellent way to learn about some of the preferences the class has as well as reveal how peer pressure can work as a passive influence. 

Eric leading one of our favourite Peer Pressure activities!

This past Wednesday offered us more excitement than usual as we were asked to speak at a monthly Parent-Teacher Association assembly. We spoke along side 3 other guests who addressed a group of 80+ parents and teachers. It was an excellent opportunity to engage with the community that we have taught in for the past 6 weeks, as well as collaborate with other educational resources. Being Thursday, today marks the start of our last week here in Berbice. Time has flown by, but we have enjoyed every minute of our time here so far. We are thankful we still have another week to teach and spend time with all our friends! 

More stories to come, 

Eric and Ali

The Countdown begins in Georgetown

Welcome back friends, family and followers!

As we sit around Rima's Guesthouse, our home away from home, planning for this upcoming week's teaching lessons we begin to realize that our journey is soon coming to an end. Keeping in mind our final two weeks in Georgetown we plan to make the most of our time here (you can't get rid of us just yet Guyana)! We have had an incredible adventure so far and we cannot wait to share this past week's events with everyone closely following our blogs at home.

To start off the week, we had a jam packed teaching day at Chase Academy where we taught Form 1, 2, 3 and 4. Chase Academy had been writing exams the previous week so we were thrilled to get right back into the classrooms and continue our lessons there. Since the beginning of our QHO teaching program here in Guyana we have modified our teaching style along the way. This past week we honed in on discussion based lessons. We find this method extremely effective because it removes the impression of "lecturing at students" and instead allows us to integrate the student's opinion on the selected topics. We like to organize the class by forming a circle whereby we can discuss the information as we teach the more serious topics such as drug abuse, alcohol abuse and mental health--we even had some students share stories which was great to see!  

Thursdays are one of our favourite/busiest days in Georgetown. We start off our mornings with our weekly television special on NTN This Morning where we taught about drugs, alcohol and substance abuse. Our first few sessions were difficult to get the hang of but we are getting much more comfortable in front of the T.V! Some of us still burst into laughter when the camera gets a bit too close... After NTN This Morning the crew taught at RBI and had a successful lesson on drug use. The students seemed to know a lot of information and had some great questions about the effects of drug abuse.

The four of us at the NTN This Morning station. 

Before heading off to David Rose Centre for an after-school lesson, the girls treated themselves to Brusters Ice Cream, our favourite treat yet! We have definitely been taking advantage of the ice cream here in Georgetown, especially on sweaty humid days. We are hoping for a Brusters to open in Canada but are realizing our dreams may not come true... David Rose Centre is an after-school youth space for low income families where youth can go to play with friends and stay out of potential trouble. We had a lot of fun getting to know the kids better, they have so much energy!

On Friday, when we usually have our separate Sophia classes with Marni and Colleen teaching one and Steve and Casey teaching another, we combined our class for the day. Marni and Colleen taught about the effects of drug use, abuse and addiction while Steve and Casey taught about alcohol abuse and alcoholism. It was great to teach all four of us together for a change, but we had a quite a big audience to impress this time! Friday ended with another successful day at Ruimveldt. We played games, read books and coloured. We continue to establish long-lasting relationships with the children at Ruimveldt and are dreading our good-byes next week as the days approach.

The kids at Ruimveldt getting ready for dinner. 

On Saturday Ali and Eric made their way to Georgetown where the six of us reunited! After a great lunch and catching up, the girls (Marni, Colleen, Casey and Ali) headed out to Region Street for some shopping and girl time, while the boy (Steve and Eric) shopped for themselves and "crushed a workout" or how the girls like to call it "stinking up Rima's". We then met back up at Rima's and went for a fancy dinner, realizing the next time we are all together is the Friday we leave Guyana.

Sunday morning was a slow start, though Casey and Colleen made the efforts to wake up for 7:30am church. What they didn't realize was that church mass was going to be 2 and a half hours (not the typical 1 hour mass in Canada). Around noon, we boarded the bus and headed for the local airport to head out to Kaieteur Falls. After a rocky hour flight, we finally made it! The hikes from one look out point to another were amazing. Steve conquered his fears of heights while Marni had no fears at all standing and looking over the edge. It was such a great adventure for all of us and we enjoyed every minute of it.

The six of us on the ledge of the falls!

Standing by the falls!

As Ali and Eric headed back to Berbice on Monday, the Georgetown team got right back into their weekly routine. We taught at Chase and went back to David Rose for a lesson on motivation and self esteem. We are so thankful to be able to share the knowledge and information with the children of Guyana.

We are taking it all in before we have to start saying our goodbyes next week. The girls have loved going for walks around the town and along the sea wall exploring the scenery. We are enjoying every last minute we have here while we can because we know we will miss Guyana when we're back home.

Marni, Casey and Colleen by the sea wall.

Sending all our love,

The Georgetown Team
Marni, Steve, Colleen and Casey

Berbice Feature Post: A Typical Tuesday

For those of you who wonder what we get up to minute by minute (Mom), this one's for you!

6:15 AM: Rise and shine! Ali and Eric wake up to the sound of their phone alarm and get set to take on the day.

6:45 AM: The Berbice pair starts their daily workout routine.  Running is no longer an option with the rainy season in full force, so they prefer to do some intense circuit training.

8:00 AM: Breakfast is Ali's favorite part of the day. Oatmeal, bananas, eggs - a nutritious meal!

8:45 AM: After breakfast Ali and Eric take some time to look over their lesson plans for the day and cool off with a nice shower.

9:45 AM: Time to catch a cab! To get a short ride (our usual trip) it is custom to point down, where as a long ride is signaled by pointing upwards.  We have become well accustomed to the transportation lingo in Guyana!

10:00 AM: Ali and Eric get to spend some rare time apart as they teach a solo lesson at Corentyne Comprehensive Secondary. This past week we taugh about contraceptives as well as STIs and HIV/AIDS.

11:15 AM: The pair reunites at the local internet cafe.  It is a great chance to keep in touch with friends back home and to bring you these lovely blog posts.

12:30 PM: Lunch time! On most days we love to hit up our favorite spot: Sha'veh! The menu consists of 10 different items everyday. and the service is absolutely wonderful!

                                                       

1:30 PM: The groups heads back off to do some teaching, this time at Berbice Islamic School.  On Tuesdays we teach the younger Form 1 + 2 students.  The school is very welcoming and the students are a pleasure to teach.

2:45 PM: Ali and Eric head to the market to pick up some groceries for the week.

3:30 PM: Finally home for some precious minutes of relaxation.  Ali and Eric love to do some reading with their spare time.  We are both current reading the Game of Thrones series, and enjoying it thoroughly.

4:15 PM: The pair ships off to the Letter Kenny Youth Friendly Space to hold a short lesson and play some games afterwards.  Its always a blast hanging out with the kids!

6:00 PM: Once the group is back home, dinner is the first thing on their minds.  Stuffed eggplant seems to be a go to dish, which is easy to make and very delicious - don't forget the Parmesan!

7:00 PM: After dinner, Ali and Eric get some chance to relax as well as lesson plan for the following day. Its great to take some time to reflect on the past day and try to improve on lesson plans in any way possible.

9:00 PM: An early bedtime, but very welcomed.  

Time has flown by and we only have two weeks left. We can't wait to get back home and share more stories with our friends and family.

Ali and Eric