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