Working and relaxing
on Kate in Guyana (Guyana), 22/Mar/2010 17:46, 34 days ago
At work I'm writing a half module on visual impairment - adjusting it all to fit the situation here - which is that the support staff themselves have very little know-how and very few resources. So it is about making things bite sized and straight forward in simple language, while trying to retain the correct professionalism.Had a good bird watching morning on Saturday, we saw three toucans which are a real treat, then a couple of mini woodpeckers. They are about half the size of the UK ones, and creep up the tree. Bird watching is a good hobby as it has that WOW factor - lots of things in Guyana are not very wow, so it brightens things up.Have got our trip booked up for next week for three nights at Rockview Lodge, which is an eco lodge on the way to Lethem, then three nights staying with a couple of VSO volunteers in Lethem. It is the rodeo weekend, so there should be plenty going on, if only people watching. This is my first bit of leave, so that will be great whatever. We are going on an overnight bus where they pull you off at various checkpoints, so it is a bit exhausting.Have got a couple of tickets for the cricket 20 20 which is May 3 - W Indies v England. I'm not really into cricket, but it is for the experience.Yesterday I met a woman from the US who is researching about abuse of women and children in Guyana. The statistic is that one third of children get corporal punishment at home. It is also still legal in schools for head teachers to administer. I have seen teachers carrying a cane or equivalent as a way of getting children to behave. The attitude of men towards women here is very old fashioned - women are expected to be in the home. We experience very different attitudes towards men and women at work, if men are in trouble it is a jokey matter, but for women it is not.Cheers