Long-days of lock-down
on Fiona Craven (Guyana), 05/Dec/2011 23:47, 34 days ago
So elections are over, and there is now a new president ofGuyana– I’ll leave you to google it and find out who! The process passed off relatively smoothly and peacefully, although there have been protests, and with concerns of violence, us VSOs were on lockdown for the latter half of the week. It’s been a strange time of reading and reflection, and tryingto stop myself going barking mad by baking! As the aroma of banana bread filled my kitchen, news from the outside world filtered in. I’m ashamed to admit that I’m not especially political at home, however my experiences over the last week will hopefully change that.Guyanawanted change, and 74% of the voters turned out to have their say (that’s 346,717 people). There is wide spread upset at the result amongst many of the population (especially the AfroGuyanese). The previous party remain in power, however the opposition have won the majority in the National Assembly and will have a new influence over the politics of this country. Hearing stories from friends and colleagues of how the election process was carried out, and of what is expected to come, it is a wake up call to how precious true democracy is. I don’t have the political idealism of the thousands of other people across the middle east and the rest of the world, because I don’t need that idealism. I’m lucky enough to be from a country that for all its political disgraces, is a democracy, and I don’t feel completely powerless when it comes to the politics happening around me. So many others aren’t able to feel the same way.The long days of lock down have also provided me with opportunities to reflect on my time here. As I read back over some of my early blog entries, it got me thinking of all that’s happened externally and internally over the last 10 months. Mum and Dad recently escaped the Irish winter for a visit, and playing tour guide to them further reinforced how much like home this beautiful country has become. Back in February and March I very much felt like and observer and outsider, and while I could never claim to really know the country after just 10 months, I definitely feel a sense of ownership over my experiences here. In an earlier blog entry (see ‘Me and Oprah’) I wrote about my hopes to get school screenings up and running in the regions. This turned out to be abig project, but we have successfully started them in Regions 5, 6& 7. I’ve also had colleagues from the regions come up toGeorgetownfor a week to work with me and my colleagues in the speech department and upskill their clinical skills. Both projects have been hugely exciting to work on and mean I can leave the country feeling proud of what’s been achieved. Being able to say I love my work has massively impacted on the joy I’m experiencing through being here. To anyone toying with the idea of volunteering abroad I say go for it. If you experience half of what the last few months have provided me with then you’re going to have the experience of a lifetime!For those of you interested in finding out more, here's the link to an informative opinion piece on the recent election.http://degtscene.com/news/oped/457-save-guyana-history-summons-its-leaders-to-higher-purpose.htmlAnd for those of you interested in an experience of a lifetime, here's the link to VSO Irelandhttp://www.vso.ie/