Go well and safely

Evaluating

Yesterday was evaluation day, so we were at HQ for 11am to meet the girls all in smart uniform. It was raining cats and dogs and all the streets were flooded (it’s not like it rains here a lot in the rainforest you know…) so lots of the girls were late or stuck at home. That was sad as we’d have liked to have seen them again but the ones who came gave us great points to take away and discuss before next year’s project. We were sadly unable to make it to the zoo in the morning due to the rain and also being super busy preparing for evaluation! We gave the girls gifts to say thank you for being so brilliant and got hugs in return which was lovely and a few tears came our way (from Nikki of course!)

Afterwards we went for a well earned meal at the Roti Hut, our new favourite place, as we were starving and by the time we finished up at HQ and got there it was past 2pm! Laura and Heather went to the supermarket and Nikki, Hannah and I went home via the fruit man. Once we were home and Laura and Heather had returned, we went to sort out our tour afterwards to Arrowpoint Lodge, and to pick up a menu from Pizza Hut! The evening brought with it our pizza party which was so much fun and involved learning some awesome Guyanese dancing! Not sure we quite did it like them but we had fun anyway! There was a little bit of cheesy 90s pop being sung as well! There were hugs and tears as we sang ‘Go well and safely’ out of the window as the girls left. After a lovely evening we relaxed together and had fun on our last night as a team in Guyana!

Pizza party!

This is our last blog post from Guyana as today Laura left! Tears all around as the taxi came to pick her up. Heather and Hannah went with her to the airport whilst Nikki and I said goodbye at the gate. Nobody can quite believe how quickly these three weeks have gone and that project has now ended! As we are leaving for tour tomorrow we are all busy packing and washing in preparation but it feels like we should be planning something or thinking of a training!

After twelve days of trainings, camp, evaluation, and three weeks of life in Guyana this is Team Guyana 2012 signing out. We hope you have enjoyed hearing about our journey and our time on GOLD – its been an unforgettable experience.

Team Guyana 2012, over and out. 

Because I am a girlguide there's nothing I'd rather be!

Hello!

We arrived back from camp yesterday, dirty, smelly and exhausted so the update is coming today! It has been a busy four days so there is lots to write!

Day 1 – Monday

Crowding on the bus

We were up bright and early for Nikki and Laura to go resources shopping with Berle and Sarah, and so we could have pancakes! Heather, Hannah and I spent the morning preparing, packing the resources bag and cleaning the apartment. At lunch time we had a homemade pepperpot that was made for us by Miranda’s (one of the guiders) Mum! It was soon time to get in a taxi to HQ with our hundreds of bags to meet the girls and the bus. There were 12 girls when we arrived and once all was packed on we thought it was a full as it could get, but we stopped twice to pick up more people and more stuff on the way!  We squeezed in however and drove through some beautiful countryside and over the Berbice river to reach New Amsterdam. It was somewhat a surprise therefore when we arrived at the campsite, expecting a rural wilderness, which was a church garden off the main street. We soldiered on however and got a horseshoe of tents up before dark and just before rain came. Some of the tents were slightly dodgy looking and one of them needed pegging out just where a giant pile of poo was. There were actually several piles of poo around and we saw some of the animals that were making them too… Bless Saudia who went round and scraped the worst of it up, then covered it with hay. It was a good job as the girls were running around in bare feet, despite our best advice. We had some small activities planned to learn names and similar but as it was dark we left them to get settled after dinner.

Day 2 - Tuesday

At the orphanage

Teaching knots!

After an uncomfortably hot night we woke at 6am with the sun and got changed (with some grumbling from Heather and I!) to begin the day. It’s surprising how hot the sun is even in the morning! This morning we were teaching knots which was really fun and the girls got into it! We had an Olympic theme so each patrol had a country name, and we had an Opening Ceremony and then raised the flags and sang both national anthems. The girls could earn pieces of string for good deeds and things well done so we said if they could show us all 7 knots we’d taught them they would get a piece of string. They all managed it so we were very proud, particularly as we’d only learnt the knots ourselves that morning. The church gave us an indoor space that we could use which was great as somewhere shaded to have lunch and do activities, and get some relief from the sun burning down. The leftover food from Monday was taken by Berle, Hannah and Nikki to a childrens orphanage which was lovely but really humbling experience for them. The afternoon was given over to water games which cause a lot of complaining but they did enjoy and was very funny to watch, particularly when Hannah, Laura and Nikki got their own back on Heather causing a water fight! It was quite a relief to cool down after the heat of the day. After drying off we left them to practice for their talent show in the evening, bathe (their favourite thing – they were not amused to hear that when I go to Guide camp in the UK we go for 5 days and don’t bathe!) and do duties.We had a quick wet wipe wash and spray with febreeze to freshen up before evening entertainment. The talent show was great and it was really hard to pick the winner!  Luckily Berle was there to be the decider.

Team games!

Day 3 – Wednesday

This morning, after a much better night’s sleep, we began with crafts which everyone enjoyed, one of the girls even made 5 pom poms which she is going to put on her school bag! We also had them making friendship bracelets, beaded geckos and dreamcatchers. That kept them going till lunchtime and after lunch we played some more team games. It was surprising as it started to absolutely tip it down but the girls wanted to carry on anyway – despite all the moaning the day before! It was fun for them though and then they went off and organised their own games. After they had dried off and changed into (for some of them) the fourth outfit of the day, they went into town for a look about and to visit the shop with Erin and Saudia leading. We stayed at the campsite and did some planning. It was campfire in the evening which was interesting as the wood was somewhat damp and did not want to light. Luckily we had some kerosene to make FIRE which Heather enjoyed using her skills as a Science teacher! We also sang songs about burning and fire to encourage it to burn! Sadly after the kerosene had burned out there was only embers but we had a nice time and sang ourselves hoarse. By the time we went to bed we were all exhausted!

Day 4 - Thursday

With several more mozzie bites than we would have hoped for (i.e. hundreds) we woke for the final day at camp. We put away our tents once they had dried from morning dew and helped the girls take down theirs which was an interesting experience! The bus company rang to say they wouldn’t be there till 2pm as they were leaving Georgetown at 11am so we completed all our striking camp tasks, had lunch and a closing ceremony where we awarded the prizes to the winning team and said goodbye in time for 2pm. At 4.30pm the bus finally turned up, and the packing saga began. By the end of it, Nikki was literally sitting in one of the cooking pots sharing 4 and a 3 year old to 3 seats, stuff was piled high everywhere possible and some places that shouldn’t be possible! By the time we reached Georgetown having stopped to drop people off three or four times (involving taking off all the pots to clear the exit each time) we were exhausted, hot and somewhat travel sick. Thankfully the bus dropped us off at home so we could just climb the stairs and collapse. Unfortunately we were not home in time to go to the concert with Maria but we had lovely showers and visited the Roti Hut which was amazing!! We even had ice cream and cake afterwards! Just what we needed after a long day! We had to do planning before we could finally fall, clean and full of food, into a comfy bed with a fan! Relief!

Happy campers!

We all enjoyed camp (despite some original feelings) but we were glad to be home yesterday, particularly after the bus journey! Today is evaluation day and the end of the project causing some tears this morning! Tomorrow when Laura leaves is going to be sad times but wow – what a project!

Lots of GOLD love

Team Guyana 2012

A busy weekend!

Hello everyone!

With all the leaders after training

We have been having another busy few days! On Saturday we had a training session with the leaders and it was great to meet them all. Hopefully we have helped them with the sessions we did on camp planning and badges. We had around 16 leaders which was quite a success and possibly due to having a weekend training, which is something to think about for next year’s project. After training there was some shopping to be done, and then home for some intense camp planning. We also had to get ready for dinner with Mrs. P and Maria which was lovely and we got to try lots of Guyanese cuisine including boiled breadfruit which is quite like potato! After dinner we got down to some more planning and ended up with a considerable To Do List!

Heather preparing for camp!

Maria took Heather and Laura to church on Sunday morning which started at 7am and went on till 10am! They had a good time and an interesting experience of a different culture. We continued the culture theme by going out for brunch with Berle, Sarah, Gloria, Oshelle and some of the other commissioners for Guiding in Guyana. We went to a Guyanese buffet called Herdmanston House and Lodge which was really nice and gave us a chance to try the national dish of Guyana – pepperpot. We also had ‘bakes’, curry, and salted fish! Everyone was very brave and gave it all a try – it was all good! After ticking off all the other things on our to do list, we watched Christina Ohuruogu win her silver medal in the women’s 400m which was very exciting! We also watched the Men’s 100m final – go Usain Bolt! We are very much enjoying our occasional watching of the Olympics even though it is punctuated by very odd adverts and hardly visible on the TV. We are keeping up with Britain’s efforts online too!

With the leaders at brunch

After that we went to Pegasus Hotel to go swimming! That was really refreshing and just what we needed. We had a really nice dinner and a cocktail which was appreciated after the busy week we’ve had. By the end of the day we were all ready for bed and went straight there when we arrived home!

Today we are going camping so it is all go here, Sarah is coming to take Nikki and Laura to get some more resources, everyone is furiously packing and hoping things will dry in time! We will be away until Thursday so probably no posts until then – don’t worry about us, we haven’t got lost! Sarah has told us to expect up to 30 guides so we shall see what happens there… I think we will be 5 very tired GOLDies on Thursday!

Lots of GOLD love

Team Guyana 2012

Swimming! 

Wow!

 Hello everyone!

Hannah and her saviours!

We have had an amazing few days and have been as busy as bees! Yesterday (Thursday) was our last day of training with the girls at HQ so mixed feelings of happiness at how the girls had grown, and sadness at how quickly the time has gone! Our plan for the day was to help the girls complete the active response badge which certainly kept both them and us busy. It involves dealing with bleeding, if someone’s not breathing, accident response, making an emergency phone call and fire and water safety. Luckily we had our resident lifesaver, Hannah, on standby for the water safety! The girls did really well –especially in the heat, even the Guyanese were feeling it - and all the ones who were there all day passed (we had two after lunch stragglers who passed their clauses too). We had a little ‘assessment’ at the end of the day – Laura was not breathing, I was drowning in water, Hannah was bleeding profusely, and Heather’s house was on fire. They all dealt with each situation in a calm manner and were so good at keeping us calm too! We had an amazing lunch of roti and curry homemade for us by some of the Leaders. One of the girls brought us cake and biscuits which was so cute and really appreciated – yum! A special mention must go to Laura for Thursday for her amazing golf swing cockroach removal (much to everyone’s relief – I was standing on the bed trying not to scream).

All the girls!

Today was an amazing day! Heather, Hannah and I were up with the sun at 5.15am to get ready and walk (after leaping the locked gate to our house) to Romaira Airways where we caught a bus to take us to the airport for our flight to Kaieteur Falls! The bus there was interesting – not the two beautiful ones either side but a normal #42 minibus looking a bit beaten! We were amazed to find inside that it had air con though. When we arrived at the airport after a bit of kerfuffle outside we were allowed to check in through the ‘Flight Crew and VIPs’ queue, and sit and wait in the executive lounge. We each had a cup of tea and a biscuit but sadly my tea was slightly orange… After a slight delay due to weather we eventually caught our first view of the plane. It was tiny, and just about fitted in the 9 passengers and the pilot. Hannah and I held hands in terror during the take-off but were soon overawed by the amount of trees and beautiful scenery beneath us. The noise and vibration from the wings was incredible so it was with a certain amount of relief that we came upon the mountains and saw some beautiful cliffsides rising up beneath us. 

Shortly we had our first view of the falls – the largest single drop waterfall in the world – and the pilot took us on a slightly terrifying circle over it which was amazing. We came into land on this tiny and bumpy looking runway and with relief stepped out onto the grass into Kaieteur National Park. There was a beautiful building to look at but soon we were on our way into the rainforest with our guide, Lee, who was casually wearing flip flops and hopping about all over the place! We saw some golden frogs which are only 16mm in adulthood, and an alarm clock beetle! The view of the falls and the mist coming off were amazing, and we had a fab time visiting all the views (one of which was called Boy Scout’s view) and taking daring pictures near the edge and down a little rock climb! Needless to say, we were all in amazement and awe. The flight home was equally as hair-raising – the pilot, at 5000ft, decided to open his window and fly with his arm out of it… casual. Eventually we reached Timehri Airport and were soon reunited with Nikki and Laura. They had been having a busy morning buying Guyana out of souvenirs, and were chilling out when we arrived, hot and sweaty.

Heather, Jess and Hannah at Kaieteur Falls

After a quick relax, Nikki, Hannah and I went off to Mr. Phagoo’s – a buy-everything shop – and the Guyana store for camp resources. On our return, Heather and Laura had washed the team tops, and we had a lovely chat with our neighbour Maria. We were then surprised by a huge number of bats that appeared in the garden and Heather even managed to get a picture of one – they fly really fast and at your head!

We have been so lucky these past two days and although we are tired I think we’d all agree it was worth it! Hopefully lots of the girls we’ve been working with will be there at camp!

Lots of GOLD love

Team Guyana 2012

The team and our badge planning!

Happy Emancipation Day!

The crowds and the stage in the National Park

Today is Emancipation Day (celebrating the abolition of slavery fully passed on the 1^st August 1836) and we have been celebrating in true Guyanese style! We went to Berle’s office at a prompt 2pm expecting to meet Schemel and Oshelle, two people we know from Guides, and of course left about 3pm! We were joined by Barry and Claire, a couple working for the church in Guyana, from New Zealand. When we arrived at the National Park it was busy and boiling hot! We had a wander along the rows of stalls selling food, jewellery, toys and some with information about the original Guyanese villages and African culture. (Before you say, I know we are in South America but due to the slave trade – our bad – there is lots of African culture here and that is what they were celebrating!) There was also some African material and clothes to buy and lots of amazing creations on display! Quite a lot of people watching ensued as we finished purchasing and headed to the stands to watch dancing, martial arts and singing displayed on a stage. We tried lots of Guyanese food – cassava pone wrapped in a leaf, a pink and white cake type thing with coconut involved, sweet and salty plantain chips (amazing) and candyfloss! (Not sure if that’s traditional, but we ate it anyway!)

Some of our favourite outfits

As we baked under the equatorial sun even the Guyanese were feeling the heat and we copied their brilliant idea of hiding under an umbrella from the sun. The displays on the stage were great and really entertaining but we sadly had to leave as it would be soon time for sun setting and it’s better to be safe at home before that happens. We have been busy since then planning and taking in washing and making dinner! Tomorrow we are back to training and hopefully the girls will learn some first aid skills… watch this space!

Lots of GOLD love

A very warm Team Guyana 2012

The team feeling hot but happy!

P.S. Hope all the other teams are having as great a time as us on project – can’t wait to hear all the adventures and we’re enjoying reading the blogs!

Feeling hot hot hot

Talking about advocacy yesterday

We have a had a run of extremely hot days recently and humidity this evening was 94% so we’re feeling quite tired and lacking in energy! The weather forecast is ‘Feels like 47°C’ so we’re really looking forward to that… After the success of yesterday’s advocacy training we were ready for some more and our wish for more girls was accorded, to our delight. When we arrived there were only three girls waiting for us which was a bit worrying but we did some singing and slowly girls turned up until we had a fair number. In the morning we discussed ways to advocate – one suggestion was skywriting – and made postcards inviting people to join Guides, similar to our UK ones. We also did some team building games, just like the ones at INTOPS, and some shouting games. Heather, Hannah and I had to run off to pay for our flight to Kaieteur Falls, but like true Guides made it back just in time for lunch! We quite enjoyed our little trip as it was full of air conditioning but it was a shame to miss chatting to the girls as they did their artwork.

Hannah getting her nails done yesterday!

After lunch we handed over leadership to some of the young leaders and older girls and facilitated them making Problem Trees, where the problem is written along the trunk, causes in the roots and consequences in the branches. Once they had this to go on they wrote speeches and performed them. We sat and heckled in the back row to encourage them to be louder – mainly Laura shouting ‘Ain’t no flies on me!’ The change in the girls from when we first met them was again plain to see, a few in particular have really come out of their shells and are so much more confident! The evaluations from today made us all smile too J

This evening we have been able to relax as tomorrow is a day off for Emancipation Day! We are hoping to go to the National Park and join in some of the celebrations. There are also plans for washing and pancakes so we will let you know how that goes!

The other main event of the evening was to a visit from our downstairs neighbour Lily, who is lovely, and so brave as she has moved here for 9 months! On the subject of neighbours, we tried the Sasparilla (I think) fruits that Mrs P gave us but they weren’t our favourite! We were also given some bananas by Maria from her friend’s garden!

Lots of GOLD love

Team Guyana 2012

Welcome to the Caribbean love!

It was our second day off yesterday and Ashley, one of the Guyanese Nikki met last year, took us to Princess Hotel which is the most expensive one in Georgetown to go swimming! We were all very excited about the prospect, particularly due to the brown water. We arrived and a bit bizarrely had our bags searched, but found a nice table spot next to the deep end and quite quickly got in. It was such a nice pool and so just what we needed to be clean and cool! We were very excited about the prospect of a tan too (except the non-tanning ones among us). It was 10ft deep at the end and we had a ‘who can touch the bottom’ competition, definitely won by Ashley, with the runner-up being Heather. After we’d had enough of sunning and swimming and the clouds began to gather we went and sat in the shade and ordered some chips. Sadly it was about two hours later before the chips actually arrived so we were a little disappointed and very hungry! We got some free fried fish and plantain chips for our wait though so that was appreciated. We then left and took a taxi home. The taxi route took us through some of the poorer areas, and having just been in such a luxurious hotel the difference was even more marked and reminded us that even though we’d had a lovely day in a fab location, there is a reason for our trip and hopefully we will make a difference.

When we reached home we chatted to Ashley and planned for our first day of advocacy. After a late dinner we were all pretty tired and so went to our new beds as we have all moved around so everyone gets a fair deal.

Today was advocacy day #1 of 2, and we certainly had a busy one! We only had a small number of girls which was a little disappointing but we felt like they really got a lot out of the activities we did. The difference we saw in them from the morning to the afternoon was tangible and really made our day. The morning was mainly team and confidence building and voice projection – i.e. lots of shouting games – and resulted in us having a little less energy and voice in the afternoon! Because they were in such a small group we were able to have some really good discussions with them and get to know them more. It was also some of the quieter girls so hearing them being able to voice their ideas was great. The day culminated in them writing a letter to the Ministry of Forestry about deforestation and reasons to stop it – they did it all by themselves and it worked out really well when we wrote it up on big pieces of paper.

This evening we had a relax on the patio where we saw some amazing birds and also got some tasty home baked bread from our neighbour Mrs. P. which were so so tasty. She also gave us fruit from the tree to have for breakfast – how kind is that! After planning for tomorrow, we had tea and now are having some pineapple! Wish you were here?

Lots of GOLD love

Team Guyana 2012

The morning after the night before!

Yesterday was our first day off here in Guyana and we certainly did it in style! We started with a relaxed morning, and then Laura and Heather went to get water and juice, whilst Hannah and I went to supermarket and the fruit stall, and Nikki stayed at home and played housewife! We all made it back safely and bearing goods, (probably something due to the fact Laura and I were not together) much to mummy Nikki’s relief. We had lunch in the Guyanese style – jam sandwiches and crisps! Then it was time to begin our explorations! Not being entirely sure about which minibus goes where, we went into town, to be told by a quite scary lady that the bus to the sea wall was the one we’d just got off. So dutifully we got back on and did a return journey of the one we’d just done and then further on to the sea wall. It was quite good because we got our bearings a bit more round town but of course the sea wall runs the entire coast of Guyana so if you aren’t specific about which part it’s a bit hit and miss! As it was the minibus stopped at traffic lights to drop us off in the middle of the road which was kind of near the sea wall, the bit which Nikki hadn’t been before but was all was well because I broke the bus accidentally as I stepped out so we returned the unhelpful favour!

We made our way to the sea wall where the Atlantic Ocean stretched out into the distance before us and mangroves trees littered the area next to the wall. We had a fairly long walk in the sun but also in a nice breeze to the bandstand and to a nice-ish bit of beach where we drew in the sand and took some lovely pictures! We also got to see the Umana Yana which is an Amerinidian hut as a monument for the Conference of Non-Aligned nations. By this time it was getting quite late so we headed to the Pegasus Hotel, for a nice drink to cool us down. Luckily for us, there was a really nice bar and grill serving cocktails so we of course had to give one a go, especially as we didn’t get any in Trinidad. They were amazing, and the bar staff were so lovely and kind – we even got a picture of them with Tash (the bear)! We stayed for dinner which was so appreciated - also really Guyanese, a burger accompanied by some great Cajun chips – and just had a lovely evening, relaxing together in comfort and feeling really full!

We got taxis back to the apartment where we had lots of fun playing Heather’s quiz – even if some of the questions were on the theme of ‘Which street in London am I thinking of?’ causing much complaining from both teams alike. Nikki and Hannah won (much to Laura and I’s chagrin) even if just by 4 points (and some of those points were somewhat arguable!).

This morning was an interesting one though as during the night the electricity went off meaning no fans and being very hot! Another interesting occurrence was brown water started coming out of the taps and whilst poor Heather was in the shower. Nikki just said ‘Maybe we need some rain’ when the heavens opened and torrential rain hit, so we are waiting to see if this has any effect on the colour of the water…

This afternoon we are going swimming with one of Guyanese girls, Ashley, who is taking us to Buddies, which we think is at the Princess Hotel. Should be lovely and just in time as a good place  to have showers where the water isn’t brown! 

Lots of GOLD love

Team Guyana 2012 

Please, recycle de bottles, please, recycle de tin

Hello everyone!
It now almost a week since we met, and all is still rosy in the Team Guyana camp!
We have been very busy and are all grateful for an evening off planning and a weekend break to look forward to! Yesterday was our second environment day, and was focussed on landfill. One of the things the girls were tasked to do was create a TV advert about recycling and landfill and they were amazing. They are all really creative so love doing anything like that, especially musical things! It was really cute as well, because two of the girls came up and gave us hugs at the end which added a bit of happiness to the day! (Also, on the evaluation sheets one had written 'The best thing is when I got picked in the pineapple group with Jess!' which gave one such a nice feeling to read!) Lunch was really good again, and we got baked goods at the end of the day too. They were so appreciated as we decided to venture for the first time to the market - what an experience! Luckily we had Erin with us to guide us and take care of us as it was so busy! We went first to get money, which is quite amusing as the exchange rate is £3 to $1000 Guyana so your bank balance looks fantastic! We then went to the Guyana store which sells just about everything, including some really strange postcards that look like they've been there forever! The minibus rides to and from were also an experience - both hair-raising and squishy! (Turns out you can fit 4 people on the seat!)
Today has been our final environment day and all about junk and reusing stuff. Heather and Nikki took an early morning visit to the market to post postcards and get money and food, and met Laura, Hannah and I there. The girls were brilliant today and we had so much fun with them. Each leader took a group and we got only a little competitive! They made lots of clothes and jewellery throughout the day - including cranes, that well known origami fashion item - and culminated at the end of the day in a fashion show modelling two outfits. The creations were very inventive and you could see the girls really enjoyed it. Hannah and I also enjoyed making a pleated skirt that looked really good when on! We have had a nicely chilled evening which was just what was required as it has been HOT today, hotter than usual, and we are all quite tired from our week's dramas and exertions. Some time has also been spent nursing mozzie bites and blisters! Nikki and Hannah are cooking tea, as we have all moved upstairs as the sun goes in like clockwork at 6pm here. Previously we were sitting out in the garden, chatting to our lovely neighbour, Maria, who shared some fruit called Grenadilla with us. It tastes similar to passionfruit, and you only eat the seeds, but its really big and shaped like a squash! It was really good and so nice to chat with Maria. Hopefully we will be having a meal with her and Mrs. P at some point next week.

That's all for now, I'm sure there'll be lots soon as this weekend is our exploration of Georgetown and a trip to Buddy's!
Lots of GOLD love,

Team Guyana 2012

1st Day of Training - My Fadah had a tree

Hello everyone!

We are currently enjoying a somewhat sporadic internet connection so we thought it's about time to update you on our doings from yesterday!

Jess and Gabrielle

Today was our first real day of training which was exciting and slightly daunting! Today and for the next few days we are training on the environment so lots of focus today was on global warming. We had a few more girls today about 16 or so coming and going, which was a lot more names to learn! Luckily they wrote them down so we could see what they were! The girls made some posters, and wrote a 'message on a bottle' to pass on the message to others to protect the planet! They also did some pretty amazing songs, poems and even a rap about protecting the environment. They were so good we wrote them up on big pieces of paper and found out all the words - some really well thought up rhymes included! Even some of the girls who looked like they weren't really into it and a bit 'cool for school' surprised us with their participation. We also have a young rogue named Gabrielle (4 years old) who is certainly making training more lively!
We got our first taste of Guyanese food as the lunch is always provided at HQ and today we had curried chicken and potatoes, in roti which was amazing - our first taste of meat on project as well. Bizarrely it was accompanied by a drink that was almost certainly Irn Bru, which pleased Laura and I immensely as a taste from home! Nikki also got to try Irn Bru for the first time... not sure if it was enjoyable or not!
They really enjoyed the songs and games we did today - 'Get Loose, Get Funky' is an especial favourite.
We had the chance to learn a few things too - some hip dancing (not so easy) and a game called 'My Fadah had a tree' which was really good to give them a chance to show us something and good for us to get something new to take back to our units!

Poster making

After training, which ended at 3pm, we headed to the supermarket, which was a nice visit as it is air conditioned in there, but involves going somewhat out of our way. We were all quite warm (and tired after a hard day's training!) by the time we reached the apartment, but we had some cold water ready in the fridge and a nice garden to sit out in so all was well. We're kind of getting used to the heat, although the mozzies are still bugging us - obviously British flesh is a new delicacy for them! This afternoon we have been busy washing and the garden is littered with drying clothes. There was a lot of splashing but that was quite appreciated in the heat! Laura and Nikki are cooking dinner tonight and then we will plan for tomorrow. We are going to sleep quite early, and waking up early, which is quite nice because it's cooler in the morning and less bugs although hopefully tonight we will have less mosquito bites!

That's all for now, we're all well and happy (at least I think so :) ), and send everyone at home our love,
Lots of GOLD love,


Team Guyana 2012

Heather explaining the next activity

Greetings from Guyana!

Hello everyone!

Well, this is it, the big one! We have arrived in sunny and HOT Guyana and have just about settled in! Yesterday we flew in to Cheddi Jagan Airport and - after the scariest landing ever - were picked up by Berle, the Chief Commissioner of Guyana Girl Guides, and Erin, a guide herself who Nikki met last year. The flight was pretty cool, over the rainforests and some reefs and ocean shelves! We drove to Georgetown (mouths wide open all the way at the houses and trees!) and were shown the HQ where we will train, the supermarket and the water place where we can get drinking water. We also went to our apartment, which sadly doesn't have air con, but is owned by a lovely lady called Mrs. Patterson. It has everything we need if it is perhaps a little 'rustic'. We do have a little sitting area, two verandas and a garden which is amazing, featuring figs and breadfruit! It was quite manic yesterday driving around, unpacking, and getting used to being sweltering all the time!
Today was slightly calmer, we met some of the girls for the first time (we were amazed to turn up at HQ to see them waiting for us, even though we were right on time!) and Nikki was able to sit down with Berle and plan out the project including when we go on camp! We also met Glory, the president of the association. We spent the morning with the girls getting to know them and playing icebreakers and doing energisers. By the time lunchtime came around we were quite tired but had to wait for the pouring Caribbean rain to pause before heading home! Laura and I went 'straight' home whilst the others went via the supermarket, but it appeared we didn't actually know the way home, so ended up lost and wandering for a good while until finally working out the way and arriving at the apartment footsore and boiling hot! Nikki, bless her, had been having a heart attack wondering where we were, as they'd managed to get to the supermarket and home by the time we had arrived!
This afternoon we have all just chilled and slept because its so hot and we're not used to it! Nikki and Hannah went to get water, a herculean effort, and the lady who lives with Mrs. Patterson brought Heather, Laura and I 'Five finger' fruit juice and Breadfruit chips which were both amazing, and so kind. Heather even saw a hummingbird whilst she was in the garden!
Now we're cooking dinner and later we will make a long term plan for the project and a short term one for tomorrow.

That's all for now, its hard to describe everything that has happened but I think that's the main news!
Lots of love,
Team Guyana 2012

P.S. Mosquito got in the net last night - bite count is at 15+ on the first day!
P.P.S Pictures to come later

TRINIDAD!!!!!!

Hello from the Caribbean!!

We have arrived in the lovely island of Trinidad, and so far we have been here a good 3 hours! We have been fairly busy (ha!) in our short time here. Our 9 hour flight from Gatwick was uneventful and quite pleasant, flying with Caribbean Airlines, we were well looked after by our friendly air steward, Thomas! The food was also quite edible, for a change (even though Nikki assures us 'it's no BA') and we were full enough when we reached the hotel that we decided not to worry about dinner and to go swimming instead!

We set off from the travelodge this morning, and after a short trip to the wrong terminal, and a go on the monorail we arrived at the baggage desk only slightly later than planned. We had a very nice breakfast in Wetherspoons in the airport and felt fully prepared to get on with the day.

When we arrived at the airport in Trinidad, we got through immigration etc. quite quickly, and only Heather needed her baggage searched. Then, we waited outside for the holiday inn bus to turn up. It is quite warm and humid even though the sun has set, but we were lucky enough to get to have a swim in the lovely pool when we arrived, which we had to ourselves! There were no cocktails to be seen but we didn't worry and just enjoyed the pool and relaxing in our hotel rooms.

Now we are all a bit tired as it is technically 2 o' clock in the morning at home, so we're having a small snack of highland shorties to keep us going for a little bit!

I'm sure we'll have much more to tell you tomorrow as we arrive in Guyana and see our apartment and begin project! Not sure how much access to internet though so you'll just have to watch this space.

Lots of GOLD love,
Team Guyana 2012, reporting from Port of Spain, Trinidad!

Our team bear, Tash, wearing her hoodie on the plane

1 day to go...

Hello!

The Guyana journey has begun as we all made our way to the travelodge at Gatwick Airport, arriving in dribs and drabs throughout the afternoon. Poor Laura had been there all day by the time we all arrived - there is only one flight from Glasgow per day! Eventually though we were all together and ready to begin in our adventure. 

Sadly we are now a five, as one of our beloved team members is unable to join us :( We all miss you Zoe and totally support your decision! 

After Trinidad tomorrow, watch this space for new posts!

love 

Team Guyana 2012

One week to go!

Hello!

Everything is getting very exciting, as it is only one week till our South American adventure begins. Packing has begun in earnest for some of the team (super organised!) and all remains is for the last few bits to be purchased, the session plans printed and bound (thanks Heather and Zoe) and printing essential items! I know I have dragged my parents around every camping and outdoors-y shop in about a 50 mile radius looking for stuff like walking sandals and travel wash. I’ve also spent a lot of time searching for shorts, because apparently no shops sell shorts that go below the knee, or even reach the knee region! (For future reference, go to Dorothy Perkins, and don’t try to buy shorts in March).

Quick update, our badge selling is going well but if you would still like one please buy one soon so we can put our fundraising to good use in Guyana! Please email goldguyana2012@gmail.com for a copy of the challenge badge pack or to order badges – they are very beautiful, and would make an excellent addition to any camp blanket.

As to our plans for our trip, our session plans are completed on our two main themes – advocacy and the environment. We have also some prepared for leadership and event planning which we are hoping will be really useful for the GGGA! As well as running trainings, we are hoping to help start a recycling project and begin a garden! I have been getting lots of practice at growing things at work, in preparation – not sure the same rules apply in Guyana as England though!  After we’ve finished our project, 4 of us get to go travelling (sorry Laura and Zoe) to the interior, and to the AMAZON RAINFOREST which is almost a lifetime dream for me so that is certainly fuelling the excitement.

The first stage of the trip is to Gatwick Travelodge, where we will all meet to have team photos, get very excited, and have a chilled evening before flight #1 to Trinidad! Therefore, we are going to have a very busy blog starting next Saturday – so keep your eyes peeled and some free time for reading and being jealous of our adventures J

Good luck to all the GOLD teams setting off shortly, and we look forward to hearing about it all when we get back!

Lots of GOLD love and excitement

Jess

And the GOLD Guyana 2012 Team! xxxx

3rd Briefing - Luton!

With only 5 weeks to go until G-day, we were all very excited to meet up for 3^rd briefing, which was just this weekend at Nikki’s sister’s house in Luton (thank you very much Carrie and Nino!). Sadly one of the team, our beloved Laura, was unable to make it because of her silly back, but we all wish her to get well with all of our hearts! Due to amazing advances in technology we were happily able to skype and so we could all talk together, and we dressed up a bear in Laura’s t-shirt so she was there in spirit!

Team photo in our beautiful hoodies!

Friday evening was very relaxed, Nikki, Hannah, Heather and Zoe went shopping and made tea whilst I struggled with trains being late and being stranded in Derby and Leicester for longer than anticipated (I have never been so delighted to arrive somewhere)! Finally though, we were all together, and catching up on all the chat we have missed since 2^nd briefing. Despite everyone’s tiredness we had a long chat as there was so much to catch up on, as well as skyping Laura (which occasioned some tears!). There was also the very exciting moment when we all got our kit!! They are very pretty, all lovely colours and beautifully embroidered. Needless to say we all wore our hoodies all weekend J. We all dropped off quite quickly once we had assigned beds – training for Guyana!

Saturday dawned bright and early, with our lovely leader bringing tea in bed! We spent the morning researching and writing session plans and resource lists, Hannah and Heather focussing on the environment, Jess and Zoe on advocacy, and Laura on leadership and energisers. Nikki has the unenviable task of writing up the Handbook they worked on last year to take to Guyana with us.  We had great excitement when we received the parcel Laura had sent, containing not only our beautiful badges, but also some amazing Guyana biscuits with the Guyana flag and our badge iced on them. Nikki cried again when she read her letter!

We had lunch, and afterwards continued marking things off our ‘to do’ list, which was quite long and creatively presented as post-its on a Guyana flag which when we had finished them could be moved to the UK flag! When we had come to the end of our tether for the day we skyped Laura to keep her updated, then got ready and went out for dinner at a local restaurant. We all had a lovely time and lovely food! We did feel a little sorry for the couple next to us who had clearly come out for an intimate, quiet dinner, when we sat down right (and I mean RIGHT) next to them. It didn’t improve when a huge party came and sat on the other side, by which time we’d had a few glasses of wine! We were of course very sensible and fairly quiet for GOLD team standards but they weren’t very happy judging by the looks they gave us! There was also a visit to some very strange toilets, but that’s another story...

In the evening we skyped with Laura and chatted until the wee hours, whilst looking up hotels in Trinidad (how exciting!) and confirming that Nikki is ‘a serious leader!’ There was an incident before we got to sleep with inflatable beds deflating but eventually it was time for another sleep. It seemed to come round really quickly, and it was not long at all before it was Sunday, the last day we would be together before Guyana!!

Sunday morning began a bit later, but still quite early for a weekend, and after breakfast and showers we started our day with looking at the kitlist with Laura on skype which was a long but very useful process, involving dividing out group stuff and reminding us of stuff we still need to get!  We also went through forms, of which there are a lot, and the risk assessment (a little scary!). Then we got very excited making gingerbread Lauras, showcasing the various guises we have seen her in! After we ate them with a cup of tea, we did some more things on our to do list, then had lunch. In the afternoon we went for a walk to clear our heads and took some pictures in a local park, possibly scaring/confusing local people on the way. We were glad of our decision not to take the giant bear though!

All too soon we had finished all our stuff and divided out the remaining things to do, and it was time to leave. We made a thank you card for our hosts, packed and hoovered, and then it was time to go! Train trek number 2 was about to begin for me (apologies for the train complaints!) and for Zoe and Hannah too. We skyped Laura one last time to wish her farewell and send her our love (We love you Laura, we do, we love you Laura, we do, we love you Laura, we do! Oh Laura we love you!) and headed to the train station to go our separate ways!

We all had an amazing weekend, as always, and it was nice to really get down to some Guyana business. It’s unbelievably close now, only 5 weeks away, and so everything is sorted or being sorted, and getting very very exciting! There is a lot to do in these 5 weeks and I know they are going to go so quickly but it still feels like a long time till we will be reunited as GOLD Guyana 2012 again! This time it will be for real though, and all our planning will come to fruition!

Well that’s all from us, for now anyway, our next blog may be coming to you from Trinidad!! (Or, less excitingly but still quite exciting, at least for us... Gatwick Travelodge!)

Lots of GOLD love

Jess xxx

P.S More photos to come! If anyone wants a copy of the challenge badge pack or a badge, email us at goldguyana2012@gmail.com :)