davedoesguyana, 29 June 2011
Guyana , Aishalton 30°

August term post!

Hello there folks!

Weeks, I KNOW, weeks of blog silence! But forgive me, this last term is only a grand total of 10 weeks long. So I have been cramming in absolutely everything into the short space of time, those in touch on facebook will have seen a few status updates and even a few photos! I have been doing school work as usual, hunting trips, parties, graduation, attending church, you name it and I’ve probably done it!

School life is as usual hectic, busy, stressful, and of course a thoroughly good challenge! We’ve only had 10 weeks for the whole term, one week after teaching is to revise the content then two weeks is for exams (annuals, testing the entire years content!) and the last week is reviewing the annual tests. So that only left 6 weeks of actual teaching time. So we were going full pace all the while and yet children still managed to do the usual misbehaving and so on.

This term form 5 students began their CXC examinations, which is the Caribbean standard exam similar to the old British O level. So they had to do those exams this term, the four core subjects are mathematics, Integrated science, Social Studies, and English language (called English A here). Aishalton Secondary School (A.S.S.) offers four option subjects as well. These are Human and Social Biology, Geography, Technical Drawing and English Literature (English B) this years CXC’ers were the first to write English B! So that’s a big step up for the school, offering 8 CXC’s instead of 7. So much so that the next year’s form 5’s HAVE to write 5 CXC’s or they aren’t allowed to write CXC at the school. I tell you, some of my students will have problems with that new rule!

And on friday the 24th of June fifth form students graduated from Aishalton Secondary! So this last weekend has been amassed with parties involving much merriness and dancing! Which was incredible fun! Again, some photos are on facebook!

In extra-curricular activities I have also been pretty busy, I have become very good friends with a family in the village (so much so that I ended up sleeping there two nights in a row!) The head of the family, Michael is how we say in Wapishanna Pakizi (prn. Paakeuzh) which means cowboy! He owns cattle, he fishes and he also hunts for his family. So one time, the creeks were high (good for hunting) and he offered to take me hunting! It was incredible fun, we managed to catch two quails! (well the dogs caught the quails). Our other friend, Antone, shot an Agouti which is like a giant rat, with his bow and arrow. Myself and Michaels son caught a medium sized savanna deer! So we ate very well that night, and deer heart, roasted over an open fire, whilst looking out at an amazing sunset, is a very nice thing! There are also some photos on facebook, for those of you friends who haven’t seen them yet!

Michaels wife, Miss Justa, invited me to attend mass on Sundays, and I’ve been a few times and have enjoyed the services! Strange I know compared to the old Dave from England who wasn’t very Christian at all, but there we go!

Sam had a nice party for his form class one afternoon, we made fried rice (rice with bits of beef, sausage, and veg inside) and roti (a bit like soft naan bread) along with people bringing buscuits, cake, juice, sweeties and we all trekked up a mountain called Makataó! It’s about a 45 minute walk from the school, and we spent the afternoon liming around, listening to music looking out over all of Aishalton village!

Other than that, I can’t quite think of anything that has been going on. I’m leaving Aishalton on the 9th of July to go to Lethem, from their I will go to Boa Vista to spend two or three weeks liming around the place, relaxing in the school holidays! I might be able to make my way down to Manaus a big city in the middle of the Amazon Jungle! Then upon the 5th of August I will make my way to Georgetown, then in the few days before my flight home Sam and myself will be going to Kaiteur falls, the largest single drop waterfall in the world! 11th of August, we depart Timehri airport in Georgetown and will reach back to England on the 12th of August! Thus ending my year away in South America! And I hope at least some of you will be pleased to see me back home!

Anyway, peace and love!

Dave Ross