The Second Week...

Settled in... Almost

I think there is some combination of just getting tired of asking for the same thing and adapting to the situation.  We now have screens on most windows ..... kind of like partially pregnant, so we have begun a programme to train the mosquitos to buzz only around the windows with screens.  

And the mattresses still leave one somewhat crippled in the morning.

Actually, things just happen slower here... the screens are coming, the mattresses might be coming and the third bedroom construction has begun, with help from Sylvia and me in moving stuff.

I told Dennis to imagine the walls and maybe a door.

I can kid about it; it is just different culture with a different relationship to time.  However, on the plus side, we have a shower and a new rain forest shower head and it is the best shower I have ever had in the 11 plus years I've been coming here.  And for the other things, "Here is where I can practice my patience... or lack of it."    (My sainted mother was fond of saying, "Patience is a virtue desired by many, but possessed by few.")

It does seem like we have been here longer than two weeks.   I guess that is because I have been busy... way busier than I am in my laid-back, sleepy life in Ayr.    I am already starting to look forward to that again .....  I used to think getting down to Bucky's for breakfast at 7 was early.

PBL in Full swing

Our adaptation of Problem Based Learning is working very well, maybe too well.   The students have never been exposed to this way of learning and were skeptical at first, but now are going great guns.    I have been awarding a mark if they get their research for their small group distributed electronically to everyone before 8 am on the class morning.  I usually make a comment or two for clarification, or where they might go for further research.  Unfortunately for me, the students are in almost100% compliance ..... That's a lot of comments I have to make!   Plus we have an exam every PBL day to grade..  Grading would be easy if I [or another tutor] didn't have to read their work!     Also, in the research topic development group, we have changed to a group mark.  [Thanks to Bev Clark who help designed the grading sheet.]  It is a wonderfully sadistic all-or-nothing method.  Either ALL the students do something - participate, ask relevant questions, choose research topics, etc... or there is no point.   Well, the groups are self-enforcing ..... Amazingly, everyone seems to participate now!

They have mastered their tablets and are choosing websites that are more than credible.  And most amazing to me is that they are sharing their research with the others in the small group without reading from a printed page or their tablets - at least initially.

We are still hunting for a regular tutor as we have been improvising each day.  Some days I tell them that we will be experimenting with tutor-less groups!  I explain that there is some evidence these groups do well.  [It is amazing how believable you can be as the tutor.]  Actually, we have had to use tutor-less groups in other years and no one died; I guess that is success.

"There will be no pizza this year": [l-r] Elsie, Cheyenne, Damali, Leslyn, Joylyn, Crystal.

And We Did Robin Hood again... always good.

It is an old values-clarification exercise; I have used it for years and it always generates discussion and a little sparring.  Try it: You have to rank the four characters from most moral to least moral and write your reasons down... Then we go "live" and the class takes sides on how they ranked everyone .....

“The Sheriff of Nottingham captured Little John and Robin Hood and imprisoned them in his maximum security dungeon.  Maid Marion begged the sheriff for their release, pleading her love for Robin.

The Sheriff agreed to release them only if Maid Marion spent the night with him, indulging his carnal pleasures.  She agreed.

The next morning the Sheriff released his prisoners.  Robin at once demanded that Marion tell him how she persuaded the Sheriff to let them go free.
Marion confessed the truth, and was bewildered when Robin abused her, calling her a slut, and saying that he never wanted to see her again.

At this, Little John defended her, inviting her to leave Sherwood Forest with him and promising life-long devotion.  She accepted and they rode away together.”

I preface the class with one a Guyanese saying, "Even the rose bush has pimplah."   There are no perfect people, not you or me or anyone.  Everyone "Burps and Farts".     I had thought of changing the ending to Robin and Little John riding off together, but ..... this is Guyana.

New Blog Feature

I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier.  There are so many persons who work at Mercy and are dedicated to improving the lives of patients and staff that I will highlight a random staff person each week .....  giving you a chance to meet them.  When I had this great thought, I was in line in the cafeteria!  I hope to continue with the staff profiles in later blogs.

Hersham Alexander

[R] Hersham serving a customer at the Cafeteria Counter.
[L] Optimistic and helpful.

Hersham Alexander has been a Mercy Hospital employee for 14 years. During that time he has worked as a Kitchen Attendant, Baker, Store Room Staff, Counter Server.  My favourites of his jobs is "drinking water jug carrier" ..... Whenever I need water, I can just give him my keys and a huge new bottle of water appears.  When I first came I used to tell him, "No, I can do that.  I am not that old."  Now I just let him - - though I COULD carry it if I HAD TO ..... I think.

Hersham was born in Kitty, now a part of Georgetown and now lives on the East Coast in Enmore, Demerara, with his wife of 6 years, Simone, and their two children, Joshua and Resheda.

I asked him where he saw himself in 10 years and he said he wants to be an independent farmer, a fruit producer.   He will start with chickens because the government gives extra land if you are also a chicken farmer.   He is working on raising capital in order to begin.

I asked him what advice he would give my (three?) readers, and he said, "Buy Local."  I told him most of the readers were in North America, so buying local would leave him poor.  He said, "Buy International."  Maybe he could give another piece of wisdom:  "Enjoy life as it comes and along the way always meet new people because you never know how you will affect them and they you."

And Finally, The Girls of St. Ann's

Actually, they are really the young ladies.  It seems that more than 50% of the "girls" are over 14 years old.  And can you imagine what that means?   22 teenage girls living in the same place!!   Well, they do have some raging hormones and so do the boys who go to their schools.   Sisters-in-charge are very good at many things; however, boyfriend advice is not usually one of them .....   Well, I offered to do a course for some of the older girls on "Bodies, Boyfriends, Boundaries, Beliefs."  [I left out Balling as I thought it might be pushing my reputation for good taste.]  I told Sister Leone that I would like to see about 12 of the oldest girls in the class, and we would meet for an hour on Thursdays at 4:30.  This Thursday was our first class with 21 girls.    We developed some ground rules for the group and one was:  what happens in the group stays in the group .....  So that's the end of that story!

This week's pictures are in the Slideshow at the top left of the blog...  Double click for the slide show. And thanks for reading.  John

I Have Decided That After 10 Years

I have decided to act "as if" I will return to Guyana in September.  Let me tell you why:

This time I needed to "ponder", more than other years.   Of course, I had the usual concerns over my age, energy and family commitments.    [My family supports me 100% and wishes that I didn't go.]

A Legacy - Inflated Ego or Student Benefit?
My contemplation difficulties centred more on whether I make a difference to the education of nurses there.   Yes, I know and love that I have impacted the lives of over two hundred nurses.     My pondering has to do with leaving some sort of legacy change... someone there to pick up the torch and teach the PBL course - or even the essential subjects!  I have missed two years over my time there and both times the students received... no psychology, no sociology, no ethics...  Scary, eh?  I do find it depressing.

I have found that while the "important" subjects in professional education like nursing -- say Anatomy and Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology are seldom a major worry when in clinical practice.   Imagine a nurse coming home all frustrated from a fight with her colleague over which is the 6th cranial nerve ... unlikely!  The stressors of professional life are in the areas of relationships, self-worth and correct choices.   Don't think I am picking on nursing, as it is the same in medicine and ministry.

I have set my personal goals to focus on establishing structures that will allow my courses to be taught without me.   Ideally, I'd love to see the Problem Based approach used; however, I'll settle for anything workable.  To this end, I have asked the hospital and school to consider implementing some of my requests for this September.

If the school is not able to accommodate my requests, I will probably not return in 2015 unlikely.  I know that I will be sad.    But that is not today's worry.



Do I have the Energy to go the Distance? 
Hey, once I am there with the students and the girls from St Ann's, I have all the energy I need.  

It is all the work and begging beforehand that makes me tired.   I have had so many loyal and generous friends over the years who have made my journeys possible and successful.   I am not anxious to tell them that I [and really my students] still need them and their generosity, but my lottery ticket strategy doesn't seem to be working as an alternative.

This may seem strange but a motivation to return is the more threatening question, "Do I have the energy NOT to go?"   Staying at home would require me to find something new and different project in which to invest my energies.    

So I have committed to act "as if" and go ahead with plans to return.   If I discover before September that the plan is creating more frustrations than not, I'll change my decision.



If I was only going alone...
 Last year was a good year, I had lots of support from my North American volunteers Bev and Dennis, a local faculty member, Elsie, who helped with the coordinating of the programme, and the three UG graduates who were the small group tutors.  (They all received a graduate course credit from University of St.Joseph, Connecticut, thanks to the efforts of Marylou Welch, a retired faculty member and long time friend of Mercy Hospital. )
Then, there was the Mental Health Team from Grand River Hospital [Peter, Sujay, Ram and Brenna] who spent a full week with Bhiro Harry exploring the possibilities of future involvements with the Guyanese -- and they did and will return this fall with specific goals.  [I'll write more about this team and what they hope to accomplish.]
There is also a congregation in Ohio who want to be involved with Mercy Hospital.   You may wonder "Ohio?" Their pastor is a colleague of one of my disciples, Deborah.    They want to assist in any way possible, with construction, maintenance, landscaping, nursing, and/ or teaching.   I hope to go to Ohio this spring to further the development of this partnership.
I have a retired doctor from Montreal who seems willing to commit to help with the PBL course at Mercy for the full three months.   He is also interested in other involvements in Guyana as well.
Their assumptions are that I will be at Mercy as usual.


Is Ten Years a Tradition?
I have developed a rhythm to my last decade that I have enjoyed and found meaningful.   Yes, nothing and certainly no one lasts forever; if I do return this year, there will come a year that I decide - or life decides for me - that I will not be there... Of course, life will go on.    
I can't claim a long term pin from Mercy, as I have only been part time; however, there sure aren't that many Mercy employees who have been there longer than I have.   I don't know what that says, but it seems significant.
The Guyanese are dominated by the hope of getting out one day... emigrating almost anywhere else.   So anyone who keeps coming back when they don't have to be there is a symbol of hopefulness - in them, Mercy and Guyana.    It is no secret that Mercy Hospital is struggling to survive and needs all the support financially and personally that we can offer.   I consider my self a small offering to the hospital's future.



So Much for Humility
I am a good teacher.  I have fun and my students enjoy the adventure of learning about nursing and themselves.   Last year's students sang "To Sir With Love" when I left.  Very corny - even in the movie - and I liked it.
I do make my students do a serious evaluation of everything and everyone involved with the course; three of the average [Modesty prevents me from including the top ones.] comments about me were:

• Rev John's teaching was Excellent!! I have learnt so much from him. He has taught me to think outside the box, not only within the box.  He has helped me to be a more motivated individual.
• It was attention grabbing, short, precise and unforgettable.  He insured we understood our topics to a "T". He questioned us mercilessly  [LOL J] only to bring out the best in us.
• Rev. John was an excellent teacher.  He gave me more attention in my homework and presentations and challenged me - that motivated me to push harder and research properly - and leave him speechless.

How can I not go back and inflict myself on another batch?   And my girls at St. Ann's are expecting "The Second Annual Father John's Photography Contest"!   So I will act "as if" I will return,, because TIME GOES and if I keep waiting to decide, it will be September.    I will keep everyone up to date on my possible return...

The Tenth Year Should Be Significant

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Change and Continuity
Time goes... Sometimes the hours and days just disappear without a trace and sometimes similar moments mark a life.   I thought that my 10th anniversary deserved a "significant" reflection, but like empathy, it is the other who determines my grade.   I'll have to let the ten years of "my" students give me a mark.   And I'll just return to my usual insignificant ramblings.

This year certainly had the usual and familiar continuities: heat, flooding, energetic and grateful students, chicken and rice [though there was more chicken-and-noodles this year], the miracle of my mattress with the dinosaurs printed on it  (a miracle because I am sure that the mattress had been made before the Thoracic Period), and old friends...

There were enough changes to make it a distinctive year.   You know about my two volunteers, Bev Clarke and Dennis LeBlanc, as they each took up their "first" blogger pens.   I found their presence exciting and exhausting.  It was exhausting as they both had way more energy than I did and as "first timers" to Guyana wanted to experience as much as they could jam into their three weeks each.    I did get to see and do some things that I hadn't done before.  And really when it came down to it, I just missed a few naps.   The students loved Bev and Dennis and their contributions to the course.   I could not have run the course nearly as well without them.

A little autobiographical background:   I grew up on a street around the corner from my Grade School, Our Lady Help of Christians, in Brooklyn, New York where I had my first friends.  Then, I went to Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception for the Brooklyn Diocese, High School Department - a  Roman Catholic Seminary where I found new friends. Then, after four years, I went to Maryknoll Fathers College, Novitiate and Major Seminary where I had a whole new set of people who knew me [and that may have been a good thing].  After six years, I ended up changing religious brands, getting married and living in Ontario, Canada, where I became a pastor of a small German Lutheran Congregation, St. James. After another six years, I went to McMaster Medical Centre as a Chaplain  and stayed long enough to get a 25 year pin.   In 2002, I became a refugee from middle management in the hospital-turned-corporation and skipped into retirement, then soon began my semesters at Mercy Hospital, Georgetown.

The "constructed" bio above was part of my reflection from living for 7 years in Middle West Pubnico, Nova Scotia.   This small and tight-knit Acadian village is a place where most people my age knew their friends from school days... and knew their friends' parents, grandparents, siblings and how they are (ALL!) related.  No one there could escape their past.  I sometimes envied that harmony of years as there have been none who have journeyed with me through all my changes of place and person.   So being in the Guyana context with Dennis and Bev was a gift -- just to have them to chat with (and Charlie in previous years) and remember stories from our past selves.   I know I am not the same "Lefty" of  my childhood home on 28th Street, nor "Champ" of  High School, nor "Jo'c" of university, nor "Pastor" or "Chaplain" or the "Mr. O" of soccer, but it was good to feel connected to all those apparitions of My Self.

 

Now that I come to think about this theme, I realize it has been with me for some time.   When Maryknoll celebrated its 100th Anniversary, I wrote a reflection called, "The Accidental Missionary".  (I have attached a link to spare my students reading more than a few paragraphs; I suggest reading it to all those who are having trouble sleeping.)   And this year I celebrated 40 years of being ordained, at a service in my old church of St. James. To tell you the truth, even I can't remember what I said; I do remember being overwhelmed by all the people who showed up from my fractured history.    I guess I am just getting old -- the stage where remembering is more important that dreaming - Sh-t, I hope not.  

And you may remember the whirlwind visit of the Mental Health Canadians - Peter, Sujay, Ram and Brenna. In trying to get their visit planned I had the opportunity of spending a lot of time with my friend, Bhiro Harry, who is the Chief Psychiatrist in Guyana... It is always a joy to connect with someone who is "like you" in many ways.   And we "used" the Canadians to help us have a few beers together.     This month, Bhiro visited the Canadians at Grand River Hospital, Kitchener, not far from my home... Unfortunately I was out west in Calgary attending to a death in my family.  I had planned for him to come and visit in my home with my wife, Anne (I had been a guest in his home and met his wife, Georgia) and to take him out for a nice meal -- and to pay for it.   (He usually ends up paying when we go out in Guyana, so I was to buy here...)    Oh well, next time he comes to Canada .....

Events Worth Picturing in My Last Week

Azalia Luke [m.] who was a first year student many years ago
and a tutor in the PBL course this year graduated from University Guyana
with the highest grades in the entire Faculty of Health Sciences.
Of course, I have taken credit for setting her on the right path!

Judge Rev (I couldn't find my white powdered wig, so housekeeping helped me out) presided over the ethics final exam, "The Assisted Death Trial of Jessie".
The students write about how each of the ethics principles applied to a case of an elderly woman
who put her husband with advanced dementia in a car to die.   They showed growing understanding of all the principles -- even when they got them wrong!
In the afternoon I assigned different roles, ranging from Jessie through defender, prosecutor, Jesus .....  Hey, it is just a role play!
They each had three minutes to present their viewpoint ..... and they almost came to blows this year.
They served as jury too and the vote was split evenly for acquittal or  life imprisonment.  So I broke the tie.

Amazing!  The Sisters of Mercy, including many octogenarians like Sisters Judith and Noel,
took up supporting the Guyana Women Miners’ Organisation and their leader, Simona Broomes  (left at top) in their fight against human trafficking in the interior of Guyana.   I wonder where the leadership for so many social issues will come from after these "tough" women die.

The students have formed the first Nursing Student Association in order to improve their schooling
and working conditions at Mercy Hospital.   Denzil Hernandez was elected the first president.  
They sponsored the trip to The Creek  (yea!) and are the ones behind the project of tiling the classroom floors.  
I do hope they succeed and gain a sense of power to take on other needed projects.

And the mandatory "Farewell Gift".  This time it was a carved turtle
as I had said more than once as they took forever to get into their small groups,
"A herd of turtles can move faster."

 My Florida Interlude

My slightly younger sister, Kathy and her partner Mike,
for many reasons too long and too crazy to explain here
are adopting a  baby, nicknamed "Jack".
And I thought the people of Guyana needed your prayers!

Speaking of prayer.. I spent a few days golfing with my brother, Tony.
I had not golfed at all in 2013, so I was prepared to yield the Family Championship.
He needed a win as he lost last year and so golfed 5/6 times a week.
I am practicing my humility, so I can't brag about who won.

The End 

Certainly it is the end for this tour.  I (and no one else either) do not know about the future and whether I'll get back.  As per my tradition, I'll celebrate Christmas and Old Year's Night with Anne, then start thinking about No 11.

I want to thank you all for reading these stories.   I do hope that they have conveyed some of the meaning the people of Guyana provided for my life, and some of my contributions to them.   I cannot do what I do without the support of many people who contribute their thoughts and support.   My most important supporter is my wife, Anne, who almost wholeheartedly encourages my time away.

Thank you.  John JSPS

"Small" Success, Swimsuits, Solicitations [Spoiler Alert]

Dr. Cheryl  Barnard listens in on Tiffany
and her students discussing "Marvin"

Visit: University of St. Joseph Faculty

Sister Beth Fisher observing Nurse Elsie
with her small group.

I really need to start with the most important happening of the week.  The Problem Based Learning programme here has been successful  because we have relied on the "volunteer" efforts of three University of Guyana graduates - Azalia Luke, Roberta Binda and Tiffany Chichester-Gilkes - and a local full-time faculty member - Elsie Asabere.  They were under the illusion that their efforts might get some course recognition from St. Joseph's University in Connecticut.  I had been chatting with Professor Marylou Welsh for most of the year about the possibility of this actually happening.   So this week Marylou and three other members of the University of St Joseph's came for a visit to participate in a PBL session with the tutors leading the students' small groups - while I sat outside wondering if the students were actually going to be awake after the day at the creek [See last week's blog: Big Girls at the Creek].

Dr. Marylou Welsh participating with Nurse Azalia
and the PBL students

Dr Janet Knecht listens as a student shares her learning in Nurse Roberta's group.

However, it seems that I had nothing to worry about as all four returned with glowing reports of the leadership skills of the tutors, and the level of work and interaction from the students.    Their feedback confirmed what I have felt about the students' work (sometimes!) and the growing skill level of the tutors.  Now Marylou will return to Connecticut and continue to shepherd the new course through the administrative channels at St Joe's.

While I would love, of course, to take all the credit for the recognition, the lion's share will need to go to Marylou who had volunteered her time to get the course recognition and be the "official" teacher.   I need to thank Marylou for making one of my "tall tales" be a true story.  

An Aside:  While it may not be of the same magnitude as Willie Mays telling me that I would make a great Center Fielder, the visit by the "Giants" from St. Joe's was affirming for the students and tutors in ways that will last long after their short visit.  The students and tutors all received positive feedback for their work and teaching skills.   And from my favourite autobiographical novel, My Name is Asher Lev, (by Chaim Potok) "Remember my son, some tastes remain on your tongue a long time."

Some of the students want me to thank Bev Clarke for getting them in shape to be good PBL participants...  (I am pretty sure they may say the same thing about Dennis LeBlanc who comes on Sunday.)   I know from Bev's perspective is was a short visit .... and yet one never knows how one person impacts another.    And so the circle of significance grows to include all of you who continue supporting me with prayers and donations.   The visitors could hardly believe that after ten years here I still have friends who helped buy the tablets for the students.  (These last sentences are true and a crass attempt to get you ready to read below in a good mood.)

Rough Day at the Beach

Wednesday was Eid Mubarak and a national holiday.    The newly re-energized Student Association under the Presidency of Denzil Hernandez organized a student trip to the Creek [All creeks are just called The Creek here.]   It was put together in a short time after I said I'd get the prizes for the games.   The students organized the transportation, food, timing, games...  and we were off only a half hour after the planned time -- clearly a record.   Somehow the prizes never arrived, but that didn't dampen the fun or the games.   I was a first time loser almost every time with Salout (Sp?) -- it is like "Red Rover, Red Rover",  but obviously I didn't understand the fine points.  And while my mind thought about engaging in a pleasant game of Twister, my body refused to get up off the bench.    I had to content myself with being the official sunburn checker on all the girls regularly throughout the day.

Some teaching days are easier than others.  However, when we finally got back to Georgetown, they were deciding where they were going that night, while I was so tired I had to go to bed without my supper!
 

I have had to admire the leadership shown by the whole Student Association as they have addressed the low morale at Mercy and have decided to do something about it.   They have developed a series of events and projects planned throughout the year to increase spirit.and raise a few bucks.   They have developed:

• Motto: Together we aspire ; Together we achieve. 
• 2013-2014 Vision statement: Respect and Equality for our student nurses.
• Aim: To do all in our power to promote a more cordial relationship between our members, Senior Personnel , other members of the Health Team and the Community as a whole.

 

And to show their support for the less fortunate; they invited Adrian Anderson,
an Assistant Administrator, to come as their guest.

Can you Find My Keys?

As I was going up my stairs outside my flat, I dropped my keys

 

but with my cat-like reflexes

I kicked them through the opening between the stairs.
 

I think that they are still there; if you can spot them tell me!

Good thing I keep an "idiot set" hidden .......... somewhere.

Briefly:

•  I recently found out that the first year students were doing their Anatomy and Physiology without any textbooks.   I knew I still had some donation dollars lodged with Guyana Christian Charities, so I ordered enough used texts online and had them shipped through Taju's company at JFK and they were here in a week.  Thanks for your continued support.  The students thought it was Christmas.   I tried to tell them not to get too excited because  if the teacher knows they have a textbook, she will just expect more.  
• As well, with your help, we have started a reference section for PBL in the hospital library. Already there are five books and growing..  And the tutors have actually read some.   And Sister Catherine is mellowing in her late 80's.  She is going to ignore the filing system that the library uses and put all the PBL books in a section of their own and even mixed with photocopied journal articles.
• My old friend of almost 50 years, Dennis LeBlanc, will arrive on Sunday Morning.  He is coming to volunteer for three weeks.   We were in Maryknoll College together and chose similar paths in life -- ministry.  (We did change brands, however, with him becoming Baptist, and we both ended up as pastoral counselors.)    I am looking forward to seeing the continuities and changes that 50 years has done.  Come to think of it, though, I did see him a couple of years ago in Nova Scotia, and he was quite recognizable, which meant I felt good about inviting him to volunteer!
• The very little girls at St. Ann's had my camera .....I have just a few photos to give a sense of their work.

 

Speaking of Christmas: I didn't have the nerve to post this two weeks ago.  Christmas is a really big event here...really big.   When I was at the Republic Bank to see my banker, Michael Ram, this was front and center in the lobby:

Now that You are in the Christmas Spirit

Hey, if banks can use Christmas to get you in the mood to take out a loan .....

I have two great opportunities for you:

• Photography Contest at St Ann's Girls Home:  The Contest is entitled "Father John's First and Probably Last Photography Contest".  There will be four categories (Girls Playing, Studying, Working and Action) with four prize winners.    I have already printed about 40 pictures and hung them up at St. Ann's.  They had all told me that they wanted MP3 players for the prizes and that they were about $10 US ..... Well, the cheapest ones turn out to cost $25.   So if you'd like to donate an MP3 prize, you can send a cheque to Guyana Christian Charities .....  just email me that you did and I'll get the MP3 player because all who read my blog are trustworthy. 
• Buy a Tile Project:  This is the first undertaking by the Mercy Students' Association.   They are trying to get donations of a $1,000 Gy per tile ($5 US) in order to tile the floors in the nursing school classrooms.  At present they are a powdery concrete and always seem dusty and dirty though housekeeping now cleans them daily.   The students will do the work themselves under the guidance of an real installer, in order to keep costs down. And here's the part you will really like:  If you donate (10 tiles makes you a "Bronze Donor", 20 "Silver Donor", 30 "Gold Donor" and 50 "Platinum Donor")  you will have an engraved tile placed on a wall in the classroom forever or until the building collapses.   I think they will make wonderful Christmas gifts for all my grandkids; I'll let Anne explain why these are better than toys!   Same deal: just send your cheque to Guyana Christian Charities with "Tile" in the memo field... and 100% of the donation will go to the tiles project.   Or you can mail it to Mercy Student Association at the Hospital and again put "Tile" in the memo line...

(Anne says:  all our grandchildren have more toys than anyone in Guyana can imagine -- they don't need more!  But they love to feel useful!!)

Thanks for getting this far.  John

Beverley Ponders the Experience

I have been home a week now and am having some difficulties adjusting back into my old life.My heart is full of love and joy for my family, especially my darling baby grandson Kalin 

Beating the drums because his Baba is home

...but at the same time I feel a deep sadness at having left my wonderful freshman students at St. Joseph’s Mercy Hospital School of Nursing  in Guyana.

When I left for home last Friday, the class gave me a poem that I would like to share.

“ Slowly the leaves of memory will fall

I will pick them up and gather them all

Because today, tomorrow and ‘ till my life is thru

I will always cherish this friendship and you”

Thank you Ariel, Vikram( Vicky), Niravana( Nir), Shellon (Gravendande), Kenishia (Neshia), Bibi, Hakeema (Keema), Marissa, Lisa, Keisha, Lavetta (Lovie), Zoanna ( Zoey), Vansessa, Jonice (Jon), Michelle, Telisha, Nikita (Nikki) and ALeea (Leea) 

"Don't go.  Send Rev. John instead."  I know they didn't mean it.

I will always remember you and our shared learning experiences. Please continue to fight for your dreams.

Thank you also Rev. John for inviting me to be part of your very important work not only with the students but also with the children at St. Anne’s Orphanage who clearly adore you. 

My visits with the children and Sister Leonie filled me with admiration for the courage of these little children and for the love and dedication of those who care for them.

Sister Leonie says. "Great having you around Beverly."

Out and About in three weeks...

This drinking water stream outside Linden
inspired my un-inspiring sermon from Amos,
"Let justice roll down like waters and honesty like an ever flowing stream. "

to a $2.50 market lunch

Enjoying the beauty of a resort

the sweat of the Cane Factory at Wales

Some Reflections

The greatest difficulty for the first time volunteer is getting information about  Guyana, that you can trust. It would be helpful if volunteers received a little on safety, customs, clothing restrictions, food etc. that apply to the area where they will be spending most of their time. Being a volunteer is very different from being a family member visitor and there are marked differences between the concerns of male and females as well as age related concerns.

My expectation of myself was to be useful and not a nuisance. However, not really understanding the cultural norms and expectations, I initially felt very insecure. Although I have traveled extensively on my own both in the Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia, the difference in coming to Guyana was determining what information was true and what was media or protects ourselves against lawsuits hype. If you are a young perky woman and males shout rude remarks from passing cars, your danger alert is much different than when you are an older unperky woman, struggling along the road side careful to not trip over chunks of broken pavement. Both situations can be potentially dangerous but  for a quick mugging the older person is an easier target. So strategies for personal safety are different . I found it difficult to determine how to keep myself independent yet safe.

So I arrived a nervous wreck. Lucky John!  The first week was tough getting settled, heat, humidity, and the brightness of the sun made me feel out of sync time-wise. At breakfast time it seemed to me that it was noon because the sky was so bright. I had a couple days of feeling “punk “ off and on  but John graciously gave me the air conditioned computer room ( there are no computers—they mysteriously disappeared) for my tutorials. I got accustomed to the climate differences quite quickly.

Accommodations were rustic but being born and raised in western Canada, ( western Canadian women are tough) the living conditions were similar to those that I have experienced in my cabin in the bush in Northern Manitoba /Ontario. I love it there in spite of the limitations. At my cabin, there is now a shower that sometimes trickles a little water on you but it beats bathing in polluted lakes thanks to the granite industry. Granite countertops anyone? Bugs and critters are your neighbors and unfortunately, here in Guyana, I had to kill three of my cockroach neighbors, Marvin, David and Jack. I have my standards and they were just getting too friendly. John said I didn’t have to drown them in insect repellent. To each his own.

We ate at the hospital most times. The food was tasty but sometimes I needed more protein. I really enjoyed our trips outside the city. We visited a sugar cane factory and saw the most beautiful bauxite mine. I couldn't resist giving one of the hospital glamour girls a shot about the potential for lung disorders due to working in the factory without a mask. John dragged me away from her while I was screaming and ranting. Administrators are the same the world over I guess. So are old broads.!

I didn’t go into the jungle, no time and it really wasn’t a priority for me. I’ve been to the jungle in Brazil and I really wanted to see how people live in Georgetown. The city is a tragic postcard of colonial rule. It was like looking at the wrinkly face of an old woman and failing to see the beauty and gentleness in her eyes and the strength of her aging spirit. Colonial times must have been spectacular from an architectural perspective. All the buildings are  wooden with intricate wood designs and inlay. Unfortunately, most of them are rotting away but they still retain a certain beauty. There are still beautiful churches and  Hindu temples that are colorful and well maintained . When you consider the shameful history of the country , the energy of the people is short of miraculous. When “ nothing ever gets done” or when things “change without rhyme nor reason” its hard to remember that this is a society in which people have an inheritance of slavery and oppression. Consequently, there is still a somewhat fragile infrastructure and as a result there is dirt and garbage everywhere-----.But, the sun shines, people smile and the music is joyful and uplifting.

I met some really nice people. The security guard at the hospital grounds loved reading romance novels and some days we chatted about romance and real life. She felt badly because she was working and couldn’t go walking with me and she felt it wasn’t safe for me to walk alone. I walked around the hospital area and felt o.k. When I asked my students about walking alone, one of them very politely said to me” But Mam, look at your hair, nobody has hair that color.” We laughed and joked about store colored hair.

So I tagged along after John. He was thrilled, I’m sure, especially after we had a talk about stride length differences between a 6 foot male and a 5ft 5inch female. Fortunately, being a physio I had the “facts” at my finger tips. I’m leaving out the part that I’m a dreamer who like to look at absolutely everything as I walk around.

The course for the freshman nursing students is excellent and John works 24/7 to make everything work for the students. I found the approach to sometimes be very doc oriented and Tony is a hard act to follow. But it all worked well for me because we focused on a team approach with emphasis on nursing goals. I found the exam a day very different from what I was used to as a PBL tutor but I understand the need in Guyana for continuity across programs. I tried a few tricks with my students which seemed to work well for us. After tutorial and before going into the exam room, we did some breathing exercises and then I told them to grab a brain and turn it on as they went through the door to do the exam. A small joke but  they laughed and rolled their eyes. Maybe it  worked  because they did well in the tests even if the questions hadn’t been fully explored in the tutorial session.

 I was very impressed by the student’s desire and the sacrifices they made to learn. Their ability to quickly synthesize information and apply it to the problems was outstanding. It was a far cry from some students I had at home who would file a complaint if a tutor gave them a grade of an A instead of an A+ even though they had tried to pass off work done in another course .

The amount of work John puts into organizing ,planning and designing the course is incredible. The creative way he present ethical issues to the students so that concepts are presented and discussed in an atmosphere of fun is impressive. I learned a lot.

The last two weeks past very quickly and before I knew it, it was time to go home.

Epilogue
Years ago, a Physio pal told me that the only reason for our lives was to help each other along life’s journey. Thank you very much ,John, for giving me the chance to not just “talk the talk” but also to “walk the walk” even though my steps were very small and the distance traveled very short.

"Some tastes remain on the tongue a long time."

All the best to everyone.

Beverley