An Oasis in the Jungle

Oh my goodness – who would have known that Guyana could be so beautiful! We have just returned from a 4 day trip to Orealla (spellings vary), which is a village 3 or 4 hours up river, inhabited by indigenous Amerindian peoples. What a trip!

We were all extremely click-happy with our cameras throughout this trip, but there is no way of sharing all of the amazing sights with you via the blogger interweb. To try and give you a glimpse I have made a couple of collages, which is my new found way of cramming lots of photos into a single file, as uploading takes so long. I will try and keep the summary of this trip streamlined, but … you know me.

We left for Orealla on Monday evening, after a fun-filled day of racing around the market buying up goods and drinks etc to last us 4 days. There are no real shops up river, so the inhabitants come down river at intervals to buy provisions; the rest they grow. With bags packed full of beans, rice, pasta, greens and rum (!), we headed to our transportation – a passenger boat in which one has to hang a hammock amongst a hundred or so other people, and try to maintain your personal dignity. These hammocks are hung so close to each other that as you lie in one, your face is being pressed by the derriere of the snoring man above you – not the most fun. Thankfully, after traversing the tiny plank bridge with our humungous bags, we were able to make the most of a clear night and sleep on the roof of the boat as it made its way along the river. It was truly a sight we will never forget – sounds mushy, but I am surrounded by Americans!

We were staying at the Kingdom Hall in Orealla, where our friend Kojo has been assigned as a special pioneer. The congregation is made up of 15 people, with Kojo giving almost ALL the talks, EVERY meeting! That man is a legend. We brought a rush of craziness to his serene and spiritual existence, with 6 excitement-starved mainlanders crying out for nature and water. Despite the warnings about piranha, we managed to find a cove that was safe, so Michael (my study and friend) and I set out early in the morning for a swim on Tuesday. So calm, so quiet, proper sand and water you could see through – it was like a paradise for us Skeldonites. Every day was spent swimming and getting frazzled in the sun, with the locals washing themselves, their dogs and their clothes watching on. We were very conscientious about the piranha, so I instilled a ten-minute schedule of ‘toe-check’, to ensure all appendages were accounted for – we even managed to get some of the locals to play along.

We did earn our keep though! Wednesday we and some of the local brothers dressed for the rainforest (shirt, tie, meeting trousers and bag) and embarked on a 3 hour trek to a neighbouring village to preach. For us sign language lot, it was an exciting opportunity to see two young guys who are deaf who have no interaction with any other deaf, ever. After seeing monkeys and small crocs, amazing butterflies and birds, and after falling in the mud and brush we arrived mud and sweat stained to a village eager for news and reading material. We found one of the deaf lads and spent a few hours chatting and exposing him to some language. He regaled us with stories until we could take it no longer. It was such a privilege to come out to see these people. Our bravado failed us when plotting our return trip and we voted for a boat to take us back down the river. It was an amazing day that left us all humbled and desperate to return soon.

On our last night, we planned to stay for the meeting. Most of us were able to put together an outfit, as we had not expected to be there for the evening – the boat had a broken part and so was delayed. I was offered to wear a wedding suit from Kojo – fanstastic! Bell-bottomed, plaid, woollen three-piece suit – just my cup of tea in a tropical climate. You will see the picture of me rocking it below. I was asked to read the congregation bible study text, much to the smirking laughs of our lot for my choice of attire. We made the boat back, though I had to sit up the whole way as my hammock had been buried under the snoring bodies of some very tactile strangers. Stumbled into bed at 3am this morning, dreaming of swimming and brightly coloured birds.

All in all, it was exactly what I need to reignite my love for this place. I want to return to Orealla soon and am sorely tempted to place as a goal serving somewhere like that for a period. It was a real year-book experience and am so glad that I have done this so early in my trip here. It was lovely to be able to take Michael with us too, as he is 15 and he relished to excitement of the environment, along with the hard-core ministry trek. We all woke up today with aching limbs and aching smile-muscles.

I hope all are well and coping with xmas fever over there. We have not really heard much mention of Christmas here, apart from the usual smatterings. It is strange to be here under a mosquito net in my birthday suit waiting for electricity whilst you are all shivering at home bewailing the weather.

Roll on 2012, what delights shall you bring…

CO Week and The Jungle

Hi all

I typed out a huge post, but the internet failed and I lost it all! So, you are not getting that.

Basically, we have had a great week this week with the CO and have made some great strides in the sign language field in terms of meeting the needs of the deaf. I am really looking forward to changes that will come. We have had sad news that DC and Sarah will be leaving for good in 4 weeks to return to the states, so things here are going to get very busy for me.

We are heading into the rainforest next week to spend 4 days in a remote area. Sadly, the pirahna are out biting and so we are restricted on swimming. Some people have lost toes in the last week or so cos of them biting them off! Eek.

Also, have a look at this pic of the weight I have lost! I came weighing a bit above 15 stone and now am 12 and a half! Ha.

Right, have to go - will email back when we return from the jungle.

All Is Well

Hi All,

Just a quick email to say that we are all alive and nothing adverse happened, despite the hype and rumour. The ruling party were voted back in (fair? who knows) and although there were riots and skirmishes in the capital and north, we suffered no harm down here on the rural coast.

We spent a few days relaxing with the imposed-siesta and recharging on food and games. Two sisters from Trinidad were over for the week, which wasn't the best planning. For us, however, it was perfect, as one of them is a chef and has cooked every day all of our meals and we love her and want to keep both of them in a cupboard and only let them out for meal times!

Here are a couple of pics of the joys we get up to here in Guyana! Ciao

Batten Down The Hatches...

Election fever has hit Guyana.

Just a brief post to let you know of what is going down in 'the hood' of Skeldon, Guyana. Tomorrow is election day here in Guyana, which is a very big deal. There are three main parties, all of whom are signified (for the illiterati) by different symbols: the cup, the hand and the key. Currently ruling are the cup, but they do so amidst a lot of accusations of defrauding and misappropriation of funds. Making no comment at all... apart from that the only party that has managed to run a successful ad campaign - with posters, trucks playing music and dance parties - is the said party in control of the purse strings...mmm.

Election day and the succeeding days can be a little turbulent in Guyana, we are led to believe. In the capital there has already been a bit of violence and in previous years people have been killed and attacked in the street, for professing a certain allegiance. Due to this, we have been advised to take the Blitz approach and stock up on food and drink and stay indoors for at least a day or two! Eeeek. This led us to a mad panic yesterday buying all the lemonade, cookie mix, flour, dairy milk and rum that we could get our hands on/afford.

Our plan for tomorrow is to meet up at DC and Sarah's for a brunch and then bed down for the day with movies, games and lots and lots of bad food to eat and cocktails to consume. We are secretly wishing that we need to do this on Tuesday too, as most of us have our time for the month and are crying out for an excuse to stay in bed.

Message to the mother - I will be fine. We should be okay really, as we are mostly regarded as neutral parties, so as long as we do not venture out onto the main road where people congregate and will be travelling to and from the polling stations, the whole thing should pass without incident. The only time bad things will happen is if the popular party lose and then people are know to get a bit aggressive. I will keep you posted!

On a nice note, we had our monthly sign language meeting today at a hall about an hour away - 45 in attendance, on whom 26 were deaf. Not a bad average!

Well, off to lock the gates and plump the cushions and get ready for the joys that tomorrow will bring.

Ciao for now.x

Photos

Hey all

Quick post to say that I have uploaded some new photos from the beach day last week. Please note the brown water and the fully clothed bathing!

Follow the white rabbit: https://picasaweb.google.com/115841554552813020315/GuyanaBeachNov11?authkey=Gv1sRgCMKg_rq83Yj72gE#

Suriname and Beach

Hi to all

As some of you know from my mother's SOS to all, I left the country to go to Suriname (neighbouring country that is in fact Dutch owned). Contrary to her belief, I did not die there, rather, I just popped across for the night to renew my visa for Guyana. 3 months completed!!!

Suriname is a bizarre place, made so by the fact that it is a 25 minute ferry crossing, yet could be another world. It has the same climate etc, yet, it is populated by people who do not walk half naked around, by people who do not just throw their rubbish on the floor as they walk, by shops that have a VARIETY of choices and have air conditioning in their restaurants, hell, they HAVE restaurants. It is like a mini-Europe. I had a very sedate evening in Suriname and then travelled back in the morning for the meeting back in Guyana. It was very uneventful, but resulted in me gaining another 3 months in the country. The immigration guy was extremely reluctant to grant me another 3 months, but I think there was a Balaam moment where the dude said 'I will give you a month... well, I have done 3 months'. Thank you Jehovah! So, I am all good now for another 3, which will take me to February.

Monday was a national holiday so we took the opportunity to head to the beach. I had been before, but this time was so much better. We managed to get an area that was quiet and had a seating section (bleachers to the Americans) where we could all hang out. I spent most of the time in the water fighting with all the young boys. As noted before, Guyana is actually below sea level, but defended - this results in the water being all silty and brown. It is horrible. I folded this time and entered the water - kinda like swimming in tepid tea. That said, it was so nice to be in the water and to have a swim. A good day had by all. Posting a couple of pics, and will try to upload more to picassa later.

Miss you all.

OASIS

It is both eponymous and literal. I am currently sitting in an air conditioned, wireless connected, proper coffee serving, Perrier providing coffee shop called ‘Oasis’ – but I am still in Guyana! It is like one of the wonders of the world! Amongst the arid wasteland that is Guyana, the capital still smells like the backside of a cow, yet, thanks to the Embassy Quarter, Oasis has been created to cater to their more Western needs, much to the glee of Guyana’s inhabitants.

I am in the ‘metropolis’ today to apply for a visa that will allow me entry to Suriname for a few days and see me popping across the waters to renew my visa for Guyana. Yes, guys and girls, I will have completed 3 months here by Tuesday – sorry to whomever lost the sweep stake with that prediction. I had planned to go to Trinidad, but I was a little scared that if I went over, I might not come back! I would have had to have stayed for at least a week in order to get the cheaper flights, and I did not feel that I yet deserved a week off. I am going to save it for a treat, much like the whiskey that Leon bought me – ‘open in emergencies’.

It doesn’t feel like 3 months has passed, it feels like a much longer time, which I am not sure is a good or bad thing. I have already done quite a lot here and feel in a rhythm for the min etc, have learnt some local lingo and know what Guyanese food I do and do not like – fast work for 3 months me thinks. Will I last a full year, who knows! Some friends went across to Suriname on the weekend and brought be back some chorizo, salami, proper coffee and some red and white wine! That will enable me to last another few months at least!

Missing home a lot. Missing London and all that it gives. I am, however, glad to be out of the rat race and am dreading the idea of coming back to work.

Miss you all. Thanks to those of you who have kept in touch. To those who have ignored me (Mallika), let this be a nudge ;)

Swetty Betty Serengeti Spaghetti

WHY IS IT SOOOOOOO HOT HERE?

Tonight was interpreting at the meeting and was horrified to see that when I took my jacket off, I had sweat patches on my elbows! How does that happen? And then when I sat down, I got patches on my knees! This place is not pleasant! Even now as I sit at my friend's writing this, my hair is dripping with sweat - why, oh why?

In other news, I cut my hair myself today! Yes, after spending so much money for the last few years (excluding the short back and sides dolled out in Bethel) on haircuts, I have finally realised how much I was ripped off. I even cut my hair today without a mirror for the most part. Admittedly, my hair is a little wonky at the back, but it all adds character me thinks. Despite the hair being lopped off, it did not prevent the sweat episode detailed above.

Lastly, Jo asked me to post something a little less heavy and a bit more jocular. So, I thought I would tell you about a regular sight here of dogs that seem to be siamese. Yes, they look much like the 'push-me-pull-me's' from Doctor Doolittle, but dog-type: they are the body of a dog pointing one way with a head, and then they have four legs at the rear, and then a dog shape pointing the other way. After being amazed by this mutation of nature and asking how often this happens, people broke it to me that in actual fact they are indeed two dogs, post-coital! They do 'it', as dogs do, but then they find that they are stuck, so they spend a day or so struggling around joined at the 'bits'. They twist around and try to un-join, which just makes it worse and more hilarious to see. I guess that makes more sense than a new breed of conjoined dog freaks. I shall try to get a picture so you can all enjoy the varied delights of the wildlife of Guyana. Oh, and I saw a humungous snake eating a massive bird whole the other day. Need to start taking my camera out more.

Tara.x

Two Months, First Month of Pioneering and an Assembly

Well my lovely readers, I hope all is well back home. Thanks to those of you who have been keeping in touch with emails and letting me know what is going on back home. It seems like I have been here for ages, but in reality it has only been two months! I am not sure if that is a good thing or not…

Things have been really busy, as you can tell from the title of this little update. I put in my pioneering form and completed my first month successfully. It is a strange thing to see one’s average hours go from the twenties to above the requisite seventy. I was really fortunate to do one hundred and one hours!!! I say ‘fortunate’ as this past week has been horrendous for ministry, so I am glad it all evens out through a year. With the assembly taking place, we had to attend rehearsals, spend a day setting up, have the pioneer meeting and then the two days of the assembly. Tiring stuff.

The assembly went really well, Guyana style. We feared that the set up was not going to be complete in time and my patience was sorely tested with people not living up to their word or not treating things in a serious enough manner, so that was good training for me! I had the privilege of interpreting all of the DO’s talks, along with some other talks, so I was busy with my ASL interpreting-debut. On the whole it went well, despite major power cuts throughout the day causing the speakers to have to cut and edit their talks with an axe, which makes interpreting less than easy. Everyone did a sterling job though and we made it through. We had about a thousand present on the Sunday and there were four baptised on the Saturday, one being a brother from our hall who I am good friends with. I am not sure if I will get to post pictures embedded in this blog, but I will try.

With the assembly over, we had a much earned rest on Monday, that for me has spilled over to today also. The power has been off all day, since 8 am, so I have just been chilling and reading. Sadly, no power means no fans, so it hasn’t been the most comfortable of rest days. Ho Hum. Spooky, as I type, the power has just leapt into action and the sweat is being blown from my brow by the fan!

I have to go now and see if I can wash some clothes for the week as I am completely out of wares. Missing you all.

DTG

Pictures

Hi reader people!

Just a quick note to say that I have put up some new photos for you all to peruse. Some are from our trip to the 'beach' as a congregation and the others are from Shamma-Rae's (real name, I kid you not, she is from Texas!) leaving party.

I think you need to have the link, so here it is. Enjoy.x

https://picasaweb.google.com/115841554552813020315/GuyanaMore?authkey=Gv1sRgCPmbovrepu22vQE

Weekend Trip to Linden

Hi all

These posts are becoming quite frequent - I hope you are not getting bored by my ramblings.

I just wanted to tell you about the weekend just gone. DC had been asked to attend a sign language meeting in a place called Linden to deliver a talk to the group there. His wife decided that as there would be no opportunity to go shopping on the way there when stopping in the capital, she didn't want to go. As DC is deaf, he needs an interpreter at various points, so he asked me to go with him, so we thought we would make a weekend out of it.

Setting off at 0630, we grabbed a bus to take us one hour to New Amsterdam, where we then switched to a car to take us the two hours to Georgetown. In doing so, we initially jumped on another bus to make the second leg, but it was taking ages to find other passengers to fill the bus up and we decided to jump out and get a cab. Now, the buses don't like you doing this, as they lose the fare, so they lock you in the bus so you cannot jump out - handy! We feigned the need to go to the toilet and then rushed to a car with two passengers in already and locked the doors, much to the consternation of the bus drivers and touts shouting at us! A couple of hours later we arrived in the horrendous cacophony that is Georgetown. People screaming at you, grabbing your arms and bag to drag you into buses and taxis -twas not fun. Whilst DC played the deaf card and pushed them out the way without talking, I felt bad and me being me ended up chatting to them all and getting further drawn in. It actually worked to our advantage as the guy I spoke to pushed all the other touts out the way and shepherded us to a bus where we got good seats and a swift departure.

Another two hours of driving saw us travelling inland to the town of Linden. DC had warned me that Linden was horrible and very run down, but it had been a year since his last visit and the place was actually quite pleasant. It had many more amenities than where we live and most of the houses are proper houses rather than shacks like here in Skeldon. It is situated on the main passageways up river to the small tribes and villages is a thoroughfare of sorts.

The talk was good (in case he reads this) and we were able to socialise with the brothers after, before heading back to the house of the only baptised deaf publisher in the cong. His name is Leon and his story is really uplifting. We went back to his house, running in the rain that had just hit. His house was effectively a load of MDF that had been thrown up and was extremely bare and simple inside. He had built it himself and was a real step up from where he was living before - a shed of about 10 ft by 10ft - in a backstreet. Leon used to be a Rasta and was involved in a lot of gang activity and violence before coming in the truth. He was one of the main drug dealers and is covered in tatoos - he pointed out a load of his graffiti on the way to his house! Having left all of that as he started studying, he had to find honest work and found a job as a cameraman for one of the tv stations. He went from being really well off from drug dealing to earning about £20 a month - basically the place was ripping him off and he was working for hardly anything. Despite this he built his house and bought a TV and DVD player so that he could watch the WT and the KM and could prepare for his meetings. Sadly, he has twice been broken into and had everything stolen - by his father and brothers no less! After saving up once again, he now has to hide his technology and has to lock his family out from his house in case they steal again. He got baptised last year and is making excellent progress. Although he finds things hard, it is a pleasure to talk to him and to see the way he talks about Jehovah and how he feels saved from Satan's world. I was able to interpret the new DVD for him as there are no subtitles and he didn't know about the history of the organisation. He was so impressed and couldn't stop talking about it.

After going for some food, we went to the sister's house who was hosting us. Upon meeting the sister (who is about 70 years old), she said 'Hello David, show me your socks'!!! Turns out she is Brenda Cross' mum (Hampstead reference) and had just got back from her trip to London. It was so lovely to be with someone who I had a connection with and who had lived in England (34 years in Camden) as I got a proper cup of tea and a full English breakfast in the morning! Not Bad!

We were meant to go to the capital and attend the sign language meeting there too, but we felt beat so decided to head back home instead. Man, it was scary. We were herded into a car in Georgetown with these three people who seemed dodgy as anything. They had a spray paint motif saying 'real hustlers' on the car and we were convinced that they were not proper cab people, rather just some chavs trying to make some money. DC decides to alleviate my worries by telling me all these stories about people who had been mugged and robbed in exactly the same situation! Grrr. The driver drove like a maniac, but thankfully, nothing untoward happened and we got back safe and sound.

All in all, it was a lovely trip away and made me thankful for the opportunity to be here and part of such a special work. Sorry once again about the lack of eloquence in this monologue, but I have been on the min all day in stupidly hot weather (even the locals are moaning) and it is 22:11 right now. This evening one of the girls wanted to make sushi (California rolls) so we had that and played Catan (new to me, kinda like the love child of chess and monopoly). Didn't want to miss the opportunity of both the power and the internet working, so wanted to send this before one or both fails.

Love you all.x

Two experiences

Hey - sorry for the double post, but I was writing this to someone and thought I might like to post it too.

Just two short experiences: 

1. We have a lad who comes to the meetings at the moment. His name is Ravi and he is 17 years old. When you meet him, he gives you a huge smile and a big hug. His coordination is not very good and I thought he had Cerebral Palsy or something. He loves coming to the meetings and never misses. Although he isn't answering yet, he sits with a big smile on his face throughout the whole thing and loves to check his understanding with you as the paragraphs are signed. Turns out, he was locked up by his family, chained to a bed for 10 years, never being allowed out of the house to mix with people, hence the lack of coordination. The brothers here met him and intervened with the family, who finally agreed to let him free. Now they love him and his nature. You would never know he had been through such trauma with the smile that is on his face.

2. We have another young lad - 14 years old - who comes to all the meetings, and who I helped prepare for his first answer the other day. Brothers used to call on him, but he never really responded and didn't seem interested in learning sign language. His parents separated and took him far off, so the brothers here didn't see him for months and months. One of the sisters bumped into his mum at the market and she said that Vishal was back in Skeldon. The brothers thought they would pop by and say hi and they found him completely changed. He was so eager to learn to sign and about Jehovah. In two months he has gone from not signing AT ALL and really despondent, to a lad who answered at the meeting on Thursday, never misses, has two studies a week and who I had to teach about the universe and the planets to the other day! He is lapping up information and signs and it has unlocked such potential in him. His parents have been so amazed by what he is learning, that they have asked us to teach them to read and write, so that they can learn more about the Bible. They go to Church, but don't understand any of it. It is so amazing to see how the gift of communication can literally change these people's lives. 

Will try to post more experiences as they happen. Sorry that the writing is a bit off, so tired!

Molson Creek

Hi all,

Just wanted to write a brief description of my day today. We decided to head out to an area called Molson Creek today - it is a part of our territory that is only covered once a year by the congregation and has never been searched for Deaf. DC and I headed off on the bike, after raiding the Kingdom Hall for a range of magazines, books and brochures.

After an hour of butt-crunching roads, we started to see houses to call at. Many of these people are Amarindian, who are the indigenous people of Guyana, and are very shy with little schooling (and big families). We spent the day calling at all the houses in the village, along with using DC's GPS device to map the whole area and mark every house in the village. DC then uploads it and produces the only maps available on the internet of Guyana (Google doesn't have any). We had a lovely day speaking to such humble people who are all religious and so genuine with their words. We placed books, magazines and brochures at every single house, and even at the local primary school. As we were riding back home, one of the houses ran out to stop us, as they had shown their wares to another part of the family and they wanted some too - a far cry from London - and with whom we have promised to return to with a Bible! I felt bad at one house asking 9 children to share a Bible Stories book! I then returned home to conduct a study with a deaf man who attends all the meetings. We went over the meeting prep and got some answers for him. So, all in all, a busy day! No deaf found, but at least we can say that we tried and made good use of our time in the process.

Today felt like a real accomplishment and has raised our territory covering average to new heights! Bad news is that despite sun block, I got frazzled by the sun - sad face.

Love you all.

Week 3 and Beach Day

Hi all!

All is well here. We have had some exceptionally hot days (high 30's) with no wind this week, so it has tested the antiperspirant to the limits!

This week of ministry has been educational. The guys here have been getting back into the swing of things after the convention, and back to normal ministry. This has allowed a bit more time to take me round and show me some of the deaf men that have had a study previously, but sadly there has not been enough people here to take it. So, hopefully I can restart some of them and have a chance to get my time in for the new service year. The downside to studies is that they give you food - all milk based and have generally either got hair in it or has been earlier sacrificed to an idol or two. They also love showing off that they have cold coke for you to drink by putting a load of ice in it (usually composing of swamp water) - eeeek - trick is to drink it before the ice melts and the evil parasites are released.

I had my first talk on the TMS this week - my first sign language talk in almost two years and in ASL! It went really well and I didn't slip in any BSL at all - very proud. I also interpreted a talk and a prayer, so I am getting into the swing of things, which is encouraging.

So, the big event of the week was Beach Day 2011! This saw the whole of the congregation trundle up to 63 village (the villages are numbered, I am in 78) and to the clay beach and dark water. Guyana, would you believe, is actually below sea level. This means that there are loads of sea defenses keeping the sea from reclaiming the land, and you can walk a couple of miles out to sea and it doesn't come past your knees. The downside to this is that the water is all silty and there is no sand. It is horrible! Nowhere to sit so you stand the whole time. Everyone was playing football and cricket, but they were covered in mud and apparently you have to throw away your clothes after as it is so horrible, so everyone (local) was in boxer shorts over boxer shorts as these can be thrown. Everyone in the hall got there by travelling in a big truck - about 60 people all standing in the back - so funny to see. Whilst at the beach, they served food out of the back and people had made enough for a hundred or so to feast. The cong are so generous and kind, it was a lovely day. I took photos and will post when I have the time to upload on to my picassa.

One of the girls (the girl who I thought had a name beginning with S - it wasn't, it was an A), Amber, leaves today to go back to the States, so we are at their house to say goodbye. Amber hopes to return next year. So, its all change here. Dum Daaa Duhhh

Ciao for now peeps.

Two Weeks In and One Convention Down

Well, the good news is that I am still alive. A little frazzled, but still alive. It is so hot and humid here. The average temp is 35 degrees C plus, and the humidity is stupid. A friend had said to me recently that unless she was sweating, she didn’t feel clean – I must say at this current point of tropical education, I am not yet at that point.

Last weekend saw the District Convention for Berbice, with a peak of 900 and something, with 30 Deaf. It was a really lovely weekend that began on the Thursday with us all travelling the hour or so to the horse race grandstand to help set up the sign language department’s screen, tarpaulin (spelling?) and light blocks. Guys and girls, they actually had me doing manual labour, with power tools! Quite a sight, I assure you. Once done, the place was ready to rock on the Friday. With a team of 8 interpreters, the whole programme was interpreted – credit goes to the local brothers and sisters who aided with this, as they are not trained interpreters, but did a masterful job. I was able to sit back and relax as I wasn’t able to attend the rehearsals, so it was decided it would be too much for me to arrive and have to go straight into interpreting into ASL – phew! I was asked to help out with coordinating the interpreting and working with some other brothers to make sure that everything went smoothly. Thankfully, apart from a couple of power blackouts and technical issues, all was good and the Deaf were very grateful. We had the pleasure of seeing some horses being given their daily stretch during the sessions. The plus side of this was that the owner of the race ground came to do an inspection on the Saturday and he was so impressed with the way it had been cleaned and fixed up, he waived the fee for using it! Jehovah really blessed the proceedings and the brother’s efforts here.

I have settled in somewhat, tho it will take sometime longer I am sure. I have replaced my morning Starbuck’s coffee and granola bar routine with cassava balls and sour from the market as it opens. The biggest challenge here so far has been lunch time – not having the convenience of being able to grab something on the go has been irritating. I am trying to remember to cook more on an evening than I need so that I can reuse the leftovers for my lunchtime. Oh the suffering! Bugs are now my enemy – I have been – and continue to be – bitten like a thing that is bitten a lot. The mossie nets don’t seem to help much, nor do the sprays that I spent a fortune on. Sad Face.

With the Convention out of the way, we have a week or so left before the new service year and the commencement of my pioneering – eek. I am really looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into the territory and the many studies that are waiting to be started. It sounds like the congregation need some manpower too, so there is plenty to be done.

Missing you all a lot. Today I have had a glum day and pined for Le Pain Quotien, Giraffe, Chez Bob, Starbucks and all the other delights of Belsize Park. Oh for a Voignier today and some curry from Aroma!

There are some pictures on my Picassa of the convention if you would like to peruse: https://picasaweb.google.com/115841554552813020315/GuyanaConvention2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCO2ev4_Qp7mWRA

Hi from Berbice, Guyana!!!

Well, I write from my apartment in Skeldon, sitting in my jocks and with the fan on full blast. I guess I should start from the beginning if I am going to tell the story so far.

So, I arrived in Georgetown, Barbados yesterday at a good hour and all was going well. Despite threats of a late flight, the rickity, falling apart plane took off on time and arrived early – nice! This newfound rapture was quickly added to by the fact that the immigration lady hardly even spoke to me as she issued a 3-month visa, which is a hard-won thing at the moment. I purposely measured who was smiling the most and headed for the youngest of all of the officers. Although I firmly believe that Jehovah guided the situation, I would hope that my charm at least didn’t hinder the interaction, Ha. On a high, I turn the corner to see three bags sitting on the carousel and the rest of my travel companions in a queue and filling out forms with a range of looks from consternation, disgust and anger to submission that this is part of the process. It turns out that in their wisdom, LIAT (not uncommonly) decided not to board our bags on the plane, to speed up the process of leaving. At the look of disdain from all the English people, the ladies kindly looked at the floor and said repeatedly ‘we will get you your bags, but we can’t guarantee when’. Nice. So, long story short, I stayed at a lovely Brother (Gale)’s house last night and hoped my baggage would transpire. It hasn’t. I decided that waiting for the bags could take days, so there is no point me wasting my time imposing myself on the family with whom I was staying in a remote area away from the city, so with my rucksack filled with absolutely nothing useful, I caught a car 4 hours ( with death defying driving ) to Skeldon. This cost about £7 and saw me slammed up against the window of a Toyota Corrola, with a woman with a boy of 6 on her lap and a huge fat old man too. Nice.

Although I still don’t have my bags, I am really glad that I came down. I met up with the guys here and had a lovely evening of chatting, watching a movie, having dinner etc. My ASL is pretty rusty, but could understand most of what was talked about, which is confidence building. They did have a little session of mocking BSL for its rudimentary nature – oh well, I won’t break it to them that there is a facsimile and bastardisation of a contrived and fabricated language (only cos I don’t know how!). The people here are Amy (who I know from years ago), Shamma-Rae (Texan, getting married and due to being a white man, everything one thinks to me – I offered, she said no), girl whose name I can’t remember but starts with an S (nice tho), Drew (21 year old, … unique…, living at the same block as me), and DC and Sarah (Deaf elder and his wife who I know from before). We had an interesting discussion last night about how the ministry is going to work now as there are 3 brothers. Basically, as pretty much ALL of their ministry is study taking, if I go with a sister, then it defaults to me to take it. They were talking about how they find that weird and should they wear a head covering etc – I think in the States they have a stricter approach to bros and sis working together and a married couple being split up – Just another thing to get used to!

Hot off the press! Just got a phone call from my friend saying Brother Gale has been contacted by the airline and ONE of my bags has turned up on the flight today! Hurrah. Now the lottery begins of is it my bag with all my electrical items and random effects, or the one with all my clothes in, shoes and a bottle of whiskey. This will decide my actions tomorrow. Looks like I will have to pay to get my bags brought down in a taxi. It is only about a fiver, so fine. Worth it so that I can change my shirt, and shave!

Off to market tomorrow to help the girls buy some stuff for a ‘party’ we are having tomorrow. Apparently they have been on a 31 day parasite-ridding diet and it ends tomorrow. So they are having a little party, and I am invited! The fact that it is exactly the same people as last night makes the invite no less appealing. I will hopefully be able to buy some underwear (will be three days in 40 degree heat straight) and some antiperspirant. It is so hot here – not as bad as I thought it would be, but I haven’t yet tried going on the ministry or to a meeting in a shirt and tie and jacket! Groan.

Okay, very quickly, a brief run down of the country so far. It is just like India with the hustle and bustle. The land is full of palm trees and farms and looks like everything is in a constant state of being built and falling down. It is definitely more Caribbean than South American. I can’t understand a word that anyone is saying to me, which is a bit annoying, as usually I pride myself on picking up the tone and rhythm straight off the plane – it is such a strong patois, plus the Berbice region here is renowned for being the worst of the lot. The whole country has a musty smell: a mix of turmeric, sweat and cumin. Not unpleasant, but never ceasing and it makes one feel a little sick at times. My apartment is simple – a room which is a kitchen/living room and a bedroom with en suite toilet and shower room – I say ensuite: it is basically one room. Very basic, but quite clean and it is a brother that owns it, so it could be worse. There is no cooker, but rather a gas stove or a microwave. Seems that most things are microwaved here. There is water until 10pm at night and internet occasionally. I don’t think the internet will be so reliable here, so perhaps I will need to upload to my blog and respond to emails at DC’s, so don’t expect a constant stream of emails. So… this is my home for the next… who knows.

Really tired as haven’t really slept in days. Off to sleep. Not sure when I will have posted this, as who knows when the internet will kick in.

Love you all and will keep you posted with everything.xxx 

Barbados Airport!!! Half way!

Hey all, I am validating my blog by posting something when I am actually out of the country! The trip has begun... dum di dum da daaaaaaa!

I am currently sitting in Barbados airport using their free internet, which personally I am really impressed by. Gatwick and Heathrow don't give passengers free wifi, yet somewhere like here can - come on, fix up! I write after a pretty uneventful trip so far. The only thing has been baggage fees, but to be honest that is my own fault for not booking a second bag when I made the original booking. Ho hum. Lesson learned. The flights have all been on time, the obligatory screaming kids were present, as were the poo smells coming from their little bottoms. New age mothers allowing their kids to run up and down the aisles, because the figure they can't go anywhere - false reasonings, I say - they could be flushed down the loo, shoved in an overhead compartment or thrown out the landing gear holes... next time!

Need everyone's prayers to help me get through immigration when I arrive and to secure the 90 days that I need, as opposed to the 30 they seem to be giving out at the moment. In addition, one of my bags is on standby, so would love some prayers to make it appear at the same time as I do in Georgetown tonight! That's all.

Love you all - excited about my adventure now. Eager to get there and start it: feels like it has been 'coming' for ages and now just wanna get started. The more fun I have, the more I can blog! (GROAN I hear from you all).

Ciao for now my darlings!

One More Day!

As our compatriots in the classic Les Mis sang so eloquently, one more day!!! I leave tomorrow - but I also sing it in desperation - one more day please! Has been surreal saying bye to everyone. This is the first place and time that I have left where I am honestly a bit nervous and intimidated about lies ahead (and behind) of me.

I love this place so much and have so enjoyed my time in Hampstead, north London. The last year or so Jehovah has really looked after me and given me the time and space to get better and get my life straight. I feel now he is asking for me to channel that new-found energy and inspiration in a new adventure, so 'step over' I shall. It has been sad to say goodbye to people, not least because I am not sure when I will be back. According to current estimates, I'll be back in two months due to lack of espresso and tailored jackets! I hope I am not that easy to break and I last a lil longer than that! Also tingeing the experience of saying 'tarra' is the fact that some of the people here may not even be here when I return, as they will be off on their own adventures. I am hoping that in the digital age, distance shall pose no barrier.

Bags are packed (lots of room in the second bag - what have I forgotten / can I put in as surprise bonus items?) and my outfit chosen to fly in. All the essentials...now... where is my passport...? ;)

Love you all and will miss you. Keep in touch and let me know how you are all doing and how much you love my blog posts. HA.

From the Griff - geronimo - smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast, or probably brunch.

3 weeks to go!

Well, pretend readers, I thought I would write a post, mostly to motivate myself.

I am three weeks off leaving and I have a ridiculous amount of stuff to do. I have to pack up and move out of my flat at the end of this week, leaving behind all that I will need for a week of Twickenham, work, ministry etc. upon my return from the parents in Scotland. I also need to acquire everything that I will need for my trip, including everything from underwear and shirts, to a hat and sunglasses, through to a dvd player and GPS device.

In response to this dire need for action and accomplishment, I have spent the morning watching the final of The Apprentice and a programme about field medicine in Africa! And to make matters worse, I have a coffee booking at 2pm. Oh my goodness, I must mobilise.

If you, theoretical readers, can think of either something to motivate me or things that I should not leave without, please do email me.

DTG

Preparing!

Okay! So, blog up - it must be serious!

The date, as you know, is 30/06/11 - which means that I have about 5 weeks until I go! Scary! My launch date is 8th August. It's going to be a busy few weeks trying to juggle work, going to Scotland to drop everything off from my flat, popping to the Lake District for a pre-planned jaunt, trying to see everyone socially and going to Twickers.

I am trying to make a list of things that are essential to take with me. So far I have:
- Mosquito net and spray
- Laptop with a stupid amount of films and music on external hard drive
- Hat - need to find one that makes me look intrepid
- eeeermmmm.... That is as far as I have got!

Any advice or help would be appreciated.

So, this is going to be my main way of talking to you all. Please do make me feel loved by popping by and reading my updates. I am going to have a lot of free time (and hopefully an Internet connection) so I think this will be my main hobby. Oh, and reading the Bible!

Love you all. Let the fun begin.