There must be a Secret Guyanese Code

National March for Suicide Awareness

This was the scene at 6:40 this morning before the advertised 7:00 start of the March last Sunday.  I will give an all-around view  for the full effect…

 

Through some special communication only known to a few Piai men, the March was going to begin at 6am, not at the newspaper published 7am -- though it only left about 6:20 and did not follow the designated route.  A security guard from the Bank of Guyana had pity on the only person sitting on the stairs and said, "They already left."  "No, that is okay; I am waiting for the 7 AM National Suicide Prevention March."  "Yes, they left with the Minister of Health after he gave a speech."   I did find out that they were not going to end at the Umana Yana [probably because it burnt down last week], but would finish right here.  And about the time for the March to start, they were finishing.    I did get a few pictures with some people actually in them.

If this was supposed to be the National March… I would have hated to see a local one.   However, I did get a chance to chat with the Minister of Health... and a picture to prove it. 

Well, that freed up my morning, so I consoled myself on the walk back that I would stop at my favourite french fry place for a double order of breakfast fries; AND, it was not open.   Why would it have been when their sign says open at 7AM?

 And in the same Inscrutable Vein of Guyanese Logic..

I was wanting some newsprint paper for my class at St Ann's.  In one of the Nursing School's rooms there is an easel - a really nice, sturdy, wooden one, but with no paper.  I asked a few teachers and they did not remember seeing any, but there must be some around.  When the secretary arrived after lunch, I asked Kelta if there was any newsprint paper.
She said that they didn't have any.
But what about the easel?
Yes, that is what it is for, but there is no paper, as no one uses it.
Could it be that no one uses it because there is never any paper?
What if I wanted some newsprint?
I don't think so, as there is no budget for it.
Thanks.
Luckily, a secretary in Hospital Admin loves me and let me have a few sheets from a hidden stash.

And one more "head scratcher"

There is a new disease here in Guyana "Chikungunya".  It is related to Dengue and seems that every third person you meet has it or has had it.  So the health prevention crowd is out informing the public.  Here is the sign near our flat.

 Be sure to read the Prevention Section
before looking at the following pictures

And then not too far away is the area below our flat.





Another Special Mercy Staffer
Margaret Douglas

Margaret doesn't need to go to the gym; she tosses around heavy loads all day

Margaret is a 17 year veteran of the hottest part of Mercy - the Laundry Facility.  She has been in that facility for all those 17 years and now is the Head Laundress.  She does like to stay put.   In fact, she was born on Norton Street in Georgetown and now lives in the same house on Norton Street.   She was married but has been a widow for 16 years.  She raised her family there, and now there are 9 grandchildren for her and her daughters, Brandee and Deedee to spoil.

Margaret said that the best part of coming to work each day at Mercy was giving herself the challenge to try to  improve something.  After all those years, the machines are really her second set of children.  She can tell by the sounds and rhythms if the machines are not right.  And in 10 years from now?  You guessed it:  Margaret sees herself still in the laundry because she likes it there and she watches her diet and stays fit ..... and there are still some parts of the facility she can improve.
So her wisdom for the readers:  As you get older, you get more wise.  You get more knowledge about life; imagine if you could go back ten years in your life how much smarter you would have been.  If you get to be old, use your wisdom to help younger people.

Police Rodeo
Saturday was the Annual Police Services Rodeo right across the street on the Parade Grounds.   I knew it was on because the gentleman on the loudspeaker almost blew out the glass on the flat's windows.   There are always lots of people there and some food and beer, so I went over for a few hours.   Now:  you know of the famous Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride?  Well, the Guyana Police force topped it with the Guyanese Mounted Police Musical Chairs.

There was also the usual display of close order marching, police dog obedience and skill maneuvers, gymnastics, hand-to-hand combat and then at dusk there is the horse jumping show when the horses jump through a flaming hoop .....  And one can't forget the ubiquitous motorcycle races.   I did get to see some of my old students with their families out to enjoy the activities -- and I even remembered all their names.

Some PBL... or Rather "Field Trip" - Almost
Still following the old axiom that almost anything is better than teaching; I announced to the students we were going on a field trip...  They were exuberant and wanted to know where and did they have to wear their uniforms?  I said yes, but I would pay transportation .....  We were going to the Radiology Department!   (I was really glad that no one had a gun with them!)  We had talked about lots of Imaging techniques and we wanted them to see them in action as well as see some of the images.   They were shown MRI, CT Scan, Xrays and Ultrasound.   The Radiographer and Radiologist were patient and good teachers... and it took the whole hour.

Radiographer Tijo explains the CT.

Dr. Persaud discusses Ultrasound.

And Finally Christmas Early
Whenever a container arrives from the North, it is almost as intense as watching kids unwrap their presents at Christmas.   It is also "all hands on deck" as much needed items get distributed to the right area.    I think that this particular shipment came from "my"  Guyana Christian Charities Canada.

So much stuff in one container.

Doesn't Dr. Bridgemohan look like the CEO? And in the picture is Mr. Williams and  St Juanita's Daughter, Joannah Ramsammy.



Thanks for reading.

John -- now a proud official member
of the Mercy Student Nurses Association.

Moving into Elmer Gantry Territory... Do you want more Prosperity?

I have said many times I couldn't have been successful with out all the financial assistance of my family, friends,colleagues and some people whom I have never even met.   Well, my 2014 First Year Nursing Students will need similar support.

Primarily, I am looking to provide each student with their own tablet.    The tablets are not in addition to textbooks; for in the world of today, tablets are the textbooks.    

A textbook is expensive.. and one is required for each course.  So my course would require at least four different textbooks: one for each ethics, neurology, psychology and sociology.   A cheap nursing textbook that I would choose for Ethics costs $75.00 and I'd still have to pay to ship them to Guyana.

The tablets that I am looking at providing will cost about $200.00 in the student's hands... tablet, case, shipping, duty, everything.

The students will be able to use them for all of their subjects in Second, Third and Fourth years... at no additional cost for each new subject.    [And now that I am an old guy - another bonus - is that the tablets weigh a lot less.]

I know that I ask the same people each year.   If you need a break from my begging, I will surely understand.   If you are able to make any contribution, I and my students will appreciate any gift.  

* However, before you pass this year, you may want to read what Arthur Brooks, a conservative expert on the benefits of charitable giving wrote this week [29 March 2014]  in the New York Times:

"In 2003, while working on a book about charitable giving, I stumbled across a strange pattern in my data. Paradoxically, I was finding that donors ended up with more income after making their gifts. This was more than correlation; I found solid evidence that giving stimulated prosperity...  

But when I mentioned my weird findings to a colleague, he told me that they were fairly unsurprising. Psychologists, I learned, have long found that donating and volunteering bring a host of benefits to those who give. In one typical study, researchers from Harvard and the University of British Columbia confirmed that, in terms of quantifying “happiness,” spending money on oneself barely moves the needle, but spending on others causes a significant increase.

... I have found that the real magic of fund-raising goes even deeper than temporary happiness or extra income. It creates meaning." 

Remember that neither I nor Guyana Christian Charities use any of your donation for beer or administrative costs.   100% goes to the purchase of tablets.

Please consider making:
a donation to the 2014 nursing students;
an increase your personal happiness and life's meaning;
and, an investment in your future prosperity.

Sorry, I can't guarantee the last two, 
but your donation will benefit the students greatly.

No donation too small and of course, no donation too big!    
Donating is easy at: PayPal or for more options: Donations.    

If you have any questions, please email me.   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

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 

One More Week and I am Ready - to Go!

          Next Saturday at this time I'll be jetting home via Toronto and I am looking forward to it.   It does seem that my three months here is just about the right length: I have told the students everything that I know; chicken has become a four letter word; and my patience - while improving with age - has pretty much evaporated.  The cafeteria opens at 8:00 or so the sign says... at 8:55 this morning there was still no sign of life!  ... despite the choruses of  "Just now, Father."  The noises of construction generators, cement mixers, electric saws, trucks, fade into the background noises - until they stop, and then you realize the pleasure it is when you no longer bang your head against the wall.    I know that Tony and I will run to the finish this week, making the most of our remaining time -- and if I were leaving this week, I'd probably have had these feelings last week!

          I thought that you might be interested in how the students reflected on their morgue visits.  This is pretty typical :

 

          We have started our last PBL problem, "Sabrena", which we finish on our last teaching morning, Thursday.  I think that I have convinced Tony that we do not have to include that day's exam in their final marks set for that afternoon. [Say a prayer that his neurosis doesn't get the best of him and me!]

          Tuesday morning, we had guests from the National Commission on Disability come to do a presentation on the recent act and its implications for everyone in Guyana; they also offered very practical advice on how to deal with people with various disabilities.  [I had mentioned about not waving to my one-armed brother when he is water skiing.]  I had prepared the usual certificate for our guest presenters and had listed their presentation as "Increasing Sensitivity to the Needs of the Handicapped"..... an insensitive faux pas...  I was going to just rip up the certificate, but they took it ..... and I promised to say disabled the next time.  

          The act is in some ways paradigmatic of Guyana.    It is an excellent and progressive piece of legislation with almost no chance of ever being implemented .....  For example, when the "kokers" [See Endnote: Now I feel like a professor.] didn't close one morning, I had to wade through 6-8" of water on my way to class --  all wheelchairs would have needed pontoons!   Oh well, the intent is excellent.  And all the speakers were excellent; the students learned much.

         That afternoon, we did our OSCE [Oral Structured Clinical Exam]  They worked in groups of 4 and had 5 new problems at five different stations with ten minutes to discuss each problem, including feedback from the examiners.  We had three faculty who enjoyed the experience -- so who knows, maybe they will try PBL.....  I can dream!  The student teams did very well and received good grades at all stations.  One staff examiner thought that they should really know more if they were going to be RNs, but she changed her mind when she found out they had begun their education less than three months ago.   They have done very well.

          I was preaching last Sunday for the Annual Harvest Home Services at Epiphany and King of Glory churches.  I was supposed to do Ascension Church as well, but that one got cancelled.  [I guess they had a better offer.]   I had a good time and talked about "gratitude" at Epiphany and I did a Reverse Offering.  I passed around the offering plate and everyone took a quote about gratitude - no money and no sweets!  Hey, at least I liked it .....

         Then Kampta and I walked over to the bus in the West Ruimveld Market [Pics in the slide show.]  It is a very advanced Drive-Though Super-Market!   When we got to the West Bank there was no one at the church.  It seems that the government party was having a big rally with speeches and free stuff and entertainment and free transportation at the same time as MY service.   Well, Harvest Home got postponed for a few weeks and I got to talk to the remnant!  

 Yes, that is a floor mop, but to be fair Aunt Glory did clean the altar before the floors.

          I did a talk about how the Guyanese and the Israelites had similar histories.  The first lots of Indentured Indians came to Belle Vue where King of Glory is located.  It was also one of the worst plantations for Indians.  One official wrote in the same year they arrived:

"The spectacle," he writes, "presented to the observer, in the sick-house was heart-rending! The house itself was wretchedly filthy, the persons and the clothes of the patients were filthy also; the poor sufferers had no mats nor mattresses to lie on; a dirty blanket was laid under them and their clothes wrapped together formed a kind of a pillow.

In one room where there were raised boards for the accommodation of seven persons only, eleven were confined -- four of them lying on the floor. The squalid wretchedness of their appearance, their emaciated forms, and their intense sufferings from disease and sores, were enough to make the heart bleed! In the second room were found a worse class of patients. The scene in this chamber beggars description; out of the five confined there, two were dead, and one of the remaining three cannot long survive; should the others ultimately recover, it will be by a miracle -- their bones appeared ready to protrude through their skins! (these three died shortly after.) When the magistrate inquired by signs of the miserable creature who appeared to be near death, what food he was allowed -- he pulled out some hard brown biscuit from under his head, and exhibited it!"

          In the liturgy that day, we were celebrating the land that the Lord had given, and rejoicing in it.  The human spirit has amazing resiliency!   And those adults in worship would have known family who were indentured there! 

With the political rally happening at the same time, I did wonder about the similarities between religion and politics:  both seduce believers with promises for the future that one never lives to see!   At least with religion, they tell you that!

          I did a lot of Genealogy look-ups in earlier years, but this year I got one request from a big donor to Guyana Christian Charities, so I had to suck up and go do some research.   It is a good thing I knew at least that they were Catholics from Georgetown because it is impossible to get any research done at the Registry Office.  It is even worse than a few years ago!  I did find one link that I was looking for and that helped them find the grandmother's half brother in England... who is still alive.   I love happy endings -- and before I get any more requests ..... I quit!  I am leaving on a high note.

          Another high note is that we had a "boys' night out" - except that Marysia came along!  Women constantly boggle my mind.  Tony and I had tried to take Marysia and Claudette out to dinner to say thank you for all that they had done in the PBL programme.  They both told us that no thanks were necessary and they didn't need to go out to dinner.  Marysia's husband Ian had wanted to go out drinking with me, so I got him invited when Bhiro and a Cuban Cardiologist were going out on Thursday.   I told Marysia to invite Ian -- and she couldn't believe that SHE wasn't invited.   Now this was the same woman who earlier didn't want to go out at all !   So we invited Marysia in order to preserve Ian's marriage -- or at least some of the matrimonial benefits.  Lara, the cardiologist, made my night:   he knew Ché Guevara,  my hero from university days!   

          And when I tried to pay (as Bhiro had picked up the tab the last time) he said something like, "It is my honour to recognize you who came here as volunteers to help Guyana."  I was very touched.  And it was probably a good thing as a few of the crowd drank a lot of some 25 year old rum.   I still got a warm welcome from Faustina who had my Parbo opened before we sat down.  [Yes, another sign it is time to go -- she might yield to temptation next time.] 

        Tony couldn't make the Mens' Night because he was getting revived.  The church that he attends was/is having a series of Revival Services and he wanted to help the choir and the keyboardist, a piano student of his.     I did go to the opening night of the Revival as it is Tabitha's church and she is always most welcoming to me each year.    Their founder, Joshua Daniels, is 80 plus and still going strong.   However, his understanding of Christianity is much closer to Tony's than mine.   [It actually may be closer to almost everyone's view of Christianity than mine.]

          And now it is close to lunchtime!  Thanks for reading ..... and remember, there are more pictures in the slideshow above.   This is probably the last blog from Guyana; I'll do a final one after I am home.
Endnote:  On the advice of my editor.   Kokers are dams that control the flow of water into the city from the back dams/rivers and then on to the ocean.   The ocean ones are open at low tide; however, it opened at high tide and since the coast is below high tide levels.... flooding!   And in most places this is still done by hand!