A Rocky Start Means a Smooth Finish - I hope.

Miss Sylvie and the 19 New First Year Students with their Tablets

Here I Come - Ready or NOT!

I do not know why I do not listen to myself. I am always telling people that no matter what it involves in Guyana, it will not be done until you are here - standing face to face, in person, in the flesh. I had made a commitment to return to Mercy last Winter and with it there were a list of requests that I had for my living there. I repeated the small list several times: shower-with water; screened flat [now Chikungunya virus is here too]; internet in the flat; and a 3rd bedroom so Dennis when he comes won't have to sleep with Sylvia. Hey, not much, eh?

With many assurances that all would be looked after, when Sylvia arrived none of the above had been completed... and several days later when I arrived: the shower was in and dripping and if I didn't kneel down only my crotch and downwards would be clean; one window had a screen; and there was no internet in the flat or for that matter in the school or old computer cafe. And, true to form there has been a scurry of activity on all fronts and a 100% effort to complete all our requests. Now we have: internet in our flat, the school and so do the students on their tablets; a shower that is almost as high as my head -though with no head of its own; almost all the windows have screens; and the third bedroom has been planned, outlined and will begin construction "Just Now".

Everyone here has done everything to please us since we arrived. And believe me, Sylvia and I are grateful. It is even more amazing when you realize that we are living above the average residence for most of the hospital staff.

At the last minute, we got moved from my Upper Bank House flat [Chuck and Kathy's] because they are storing Materials Management supplies there [and Tony, the Lower Bank House as well]. So the boxes get the best breeze and view! We are in Dr. Daniel's old Flat which has been unused and unattended for several years since his death. It is a lovely, large, two story flat and more than enough. Our two bedrooms are upstairs. 

Evil People Cannot Be Allowed To Win

As you know I [or rather, generous people like you] have been providing a tablet/netbook for each new student nurse at Mercy Hospital.  This year I was in great time and found a good price.   However, the company and the salesperson scammed me.   The real losers are my students as they will be the ones disadvantaged, with even more than their usual difficulties.  

It is not that I lost money.   Money and I have had an uneasy relationship with periods of separation and loss being frequent.  It is not even that I got scammed, which can happen to anyone – especially if you take any risks in life at all. 

It is not that someone stole from me.   (Of course, that anguishes me, but will not change my trusting approach to human beings.  To see everyone as untrustworthy and protect yourself and belongings is to enter a world that I do not wish to live in.)

What makes this loss completely unacceptable is that first, the money I lost was not mine!   It was the money of my family, friends and colleagues who had donated their dollars in order to purchase tablets that the nursing students would use for their whole nursing education.

 

Names of those involved in the scam are available on request, so that you can avoid dealings with them.  Needless to say, I am still exploring all avenues to regain the loss. ]

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However, This Story Has a Happy Ending,.. Keep Reading
 

Through the extreme generosity of family and friends, I was able to purchase a second set of tablets for the new students to use.   I am most fortunate to have these loving and generous people in my life.    I have distributed the tablets to the students and now they are grateful, though they might not be so happy when they have to do lots of research on their tablets.

 

Silvia Wilvert, My Co-Volunteer
I first met Sylvia when she was in Guyana in 2010 to 2012 as  a volunteer with the Scarboro Fathers of Canada.   She recently got the itch to return and wanted to join me in teaching the PBL Course. 

She is also moonlighting with the Scarboro Fathers in supervising/mentoring two new volunteers. She is off to Berbice today with the two new volunteers and the "old" one, Donna, to visit Scarboro priests, Mike Threr, Louis Lopez and Shawn Daley for a party or a retreat, I am not sure.  She needed to arrive a week earlier than I did, so she has borne the brunt of getting our requests completed.   She has just jumped in and adjusted to Problem Based Learning - beginning with some practical problems!

Continuity and Change

I have been coming to Mercy and Guyana since 2002; while I would love to point to all the advances the country has made in that decade, there is often sameness or even regression.   One clear sign of progress is below:

 

This is the Eve Leary Parade Grounds right across Parade Street [naturally] from Mercy.  When I first came, this entire field was cut by machete with the worker stooped over whacking at the grass and then dragging it off on a blanket.

Other advancements have come with problems of their own making.  Way more cars every year, so more traffic in need of repair more frequently ..... and walking in the city is now almost a contact sport.  

There maybe some more wealth in the country, but it has come on the back of drug trafficking and increased crime rates

And a Disturbing Change

 

The latest World Health Organization Report listed Guyana as having the highest suicide rate in the world. OMG:  Guyana is Number 1 in something!    Suicide is a by-product of wealth, happiness, safety, fulfillment, lack of suffering and it really can't be addressed out of context.  There will be a Suicide Prevention Day and March on September 10th for World Suicide Prevention Day; however, there needs to be steadily decreasing poverty, job fulfilment and living wages, effective government, resources physical and human expertise to assist with persons' mental health and illnesses.  Respect for the rights of all people, especially the rights of women, needs to be learned and appreciated.    I will still join the March and maybe have the students join me.  It won't be enough, but it may light a candle and as the old saying goes, "it is better than cursing the darkness."

  

I have some colleagues coming down to start addressing these and other mental health issues.  They will be here towards the end of October with a dozen more professionals; I will keep you informed.   The Team Leaders were here last year and listened to what the country was requesting, so are returning to start addressing this huge need.   Last year they looked like this:

 

Bhiro Harry- Psychiatry Guyana, Canadian Team Members: Ram Kalap, Peter Kuhnert, Sujay Patel, Brenna Patel,
and Dennis LeBlanc, Volunteer at Mercy Hospital.

Another Constant

As soon as possible after I get here, I do something.  See if you can spot the change?

 

And Finally, My Girls.. or Rather St. Ann's Girls

I got over to St Ann's after classes on Thursday... and they are were really excited to see me - and my camera.  They wanted to know if there was going to be another photography contest.  Yes, there is and I already have the prizes thanks to the children [including Deborah] from The Church at Stony Hill, Medina, Ohio.    The girls are getting bigger every year and there are now 46, I think.   I will put one or two pics in the post; the others I'll add to the Slide Show on the side.  [You can enlarge the slide show pictures by "double-clicking".]

Please remember all my Guyanese families in your prayers; and this year please remember Anne and our family in your prayers as well.  

 

Thanks for reading, John

One-Fourth In and Only Two-Thirds Left

No, the sun hasn't gotten to my head... It always seems that once I have settled in the remainder of the time goes by quicker... and before you know it I have run out of time to do all that I had planned.   This may not happen this year as Tony has developed the knack of worrying about most things way in advance of them arriving - at least several times; at least, I will not have my usual excuses this year.

Speaking of getting to my head: I visited Raison, my barber of almost all my years here, who greeted me by name and didn't even ask if my "tail" was to come off... I now have my Guyana haircut.   I like it as it is cooler... and drier.   Raison added a spritzer of olive oil as he said, "all the cool guys use it." Naturally, I agreed.  There are some days that my Canadian length keeps its "just showered" wetness all day... Ugh. [See previous blog.]

I think it is getting fuller on the top!

Saturday I was out doing a presentation to moms [and grandmothers -moms again] and one dad of the students at Mercy Wings in a poorer section of Georgetown.  Wings was founded by the Sisters of Mercy back in 2000 and has as its mission to facilitate the transformation of youths who are labeled as ‘failures’ into a new kind of youth who have a positive self-image, have integrated sound moral values and a healthy spirituality, and are socially conscious.   Empowerment through human development and skills training enables them to be self-sufficient, motivated to take charge of their lives, and become agents of social and attitudinal change.   [Don't you just love mission statements!]  However, Wings has graduated approximately 300 trainees, most of whom have secured jobs, and a number of whom have gone on to more advanced education.

Mercy Sister Denise is the Director at Wings

Sylvia is a Scarborough Volunteer who is working at Wings and St. Ann's; and is miffed because Tony and I took the Mercy Volunteers out to dinner without her and she is a Canadian, eh?

Adolescent Development, which is a major component of the programme, is seen as helping teenagers learn who they are, by developing a positive self-image; exploring the nature of family and their relationship with their parents and siblings; learning anger management and conflict resolution; and gaining practical knowledge about such things as drugs, alcohol, AIDS, smoking, gambling and violent behaviour.   And I was there to talk to the parents about the losses they have had in their lives and how it impacts their parenting and own living.  As I was given a whole hour [did you ever notice that experts seldom stay long - for if they did, no one would consider them experts .....] I felt  --- Ugh!   These parents are often single parents of single parents, themselves with very little education and a job or two or three that just covers minimum expenses.  The women are most likely victims of domestic abuse with at least one partner, as the neighbourhood is somewhat short on refined, well-educated men.   They all had dreams of escaping the cycle of poverty that they grew up in, and yet they are still there.   They planned to raise their own children with an unconditional love that they did not know themselves as children.  And just a couple of weeks ago a neighbourhood family of five were gunned down in their car in broad daylight... Come to think of it they probably know more about loss and grief than I do...  So it may be a good thing that I only had my expert hour.



There were about two dozen there eager, interested and doing their best so that their children will be able to have the better life that so far has escaped them.   There were many questions and comments, most of which I could actually understand ..... but providing an expert answer was way more difficult.     At best, I gave them some frameworks or tools to make a tiny bit of sense out of their raw thoughts and feelings.  

The highlight of the time was in response to a series of questions about the impact of parents' fighting on the development of their children.  I am of the opinion that fighting is not either here nor there.  If the children can see the parents resolve the argument constructively ..... and we agreed that any use of machetes was not constructive .... it was in fact excellent role modeling for their children's own arguments.  They wanted an example so I asked for a volunteer and we would role play a spousal conflict. 

I asked my volunteer to think a of a simple and light fight that she and her partner get into.   She said, "Sex."  and the remainder of the class agreed with a huge roar of laughter.  I suggested that a less complicated topic might serve our purposes, but there was no going back.  I just wanted to illustrate the benefits of role reversals in understanding the other.So she described her part in the dialogue... and to no one's surprise... she is basically tired, and her partner who has a job but no household responsibilities is ready for a lot more action.  She found it hard to be him until I acted the husband's position ..... though I did find it extremely hard to be a crude, horny husband. [I must have nailed it because the room was chattering, "That he!"] 

Then I got her to be him and I was the tired wife .....  She got into his head and without my prompting said, "I guess we have a problem."  The "problem we share" is an amazing first step in a satisfactory solution.   The collective wisdom of the group came up with solid suggestions for satisfying both partners.   And after the session, the lone man came up to me and told me he was the husband of the woman I was coming on to in the role play .....  Whoops...  And he thanked me, as he understood his wife better.. and just for good measure they are foster parents of two more than their own four.    I always learn more than I teach.

Speaking of things that have been out in the sun too long...  My guard dogs.   These dogs have been protecting me and keeping me safe... in unusual ways. 
So far they have terrified all my visitors.  I have resorted to visiting my guests on the steps of the church.  However, after consulting with my dog whisperer and feeder Sandra, [who cooks something for them every day... and delivers it as well ..... maybe if I bark, she'll leave some dinner for me .....]  I learned that the best thing is a bribe.  So now when my company arrive, I litter the yard with dog treats.   And it works.. though I have to repeat the process on the way out too.

And then the canines come into their own about 3AM [and settling down before sunrise] when they and the accompanying neighbourhood beasts bark loudly and constantly at some intruder seen only by them.   [I wonder if Tony consults on dogs who have hallucinations?]





Sandra - and "Pastor" Val [all the way from Canada] told me the barking was my fault because the mutts are bored... and I should spend an hour or so with them, reaping personal rewards too .....  I will defer this till after I am really crazy and have a doctor's referral for Pet Therapy!  

I have decided to try the same solution that worked for dog problem #1... I'll just chuck a few treats out the window.  Stay tuned, I'll tell you if it works or if I just have fat guard dogs.





Our nursing students seem to have latched on to PBL; they are getting more precise at defining problems and developing a personal resource bank of books, websites and older nursing students/staff to assist with their learning.   Some days Tony and I are convinced that we are missing something... and other days Tony wonders whether it is his wonderful and insightful and comprehensive and delightful facilitative leadership [including some of mine] or it is the students' hunger for knowledge and the appropriateness of the PBL model?  I have long tried to avoid fundamentalism in religion and reductionism in science - so I usually answer "probably both are true"... even all those grandiose qualities he self-attributes ..... I just agree.   [Though in the spirit of honest disclosure required of all great work:  he said he was buying dinner tonight!]

 



Speaking of writers, I came across a quote from Edward Ward, an English writer in the Caribbean, about 1700:

The Condition of an Author, is much like that of a Strumpet, both exposing our Reputations 

to supply our Necessities, ...   The chiefest and most commendable Talent, 

admir'd in either, is the Knack of Pleasing ..... 

The only difference between us is, in this particular, wherein the Jilt has the Advantage, 

We do our Business First, and stand to the Courtesie of our Benefactors to Reward us after; 

whilst the other, for her Security, makes her Rider pay for his Journey, 

before he mounts the Saddle. 

Well, enough of my ramblings, my Benefactors.
John

[See Donations page.]