Greetings from Guyana!

For those of you who don’t know, I came here through the Harvard-based NGO WorldTeach. I will be here until July 2010 teaching biology and chemistry at Berbice High School in Region 6. I live in a house on the compound of New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary School with two roommates: Moses and Caroline. They are from the Dominican Republic and Canada, respectively. There are six other WT volunteers placed in various locations throughout Guyana, all of whom were recruited to teach math and science at Guyanese secondary schools.

The reason we, and volunteers from many other organizations such as the Peace Corps, VSO, and Project Trust, are here is because of a severe teacher shortage in Guyana caused by teachers being lured away to other countries by higher wages.

I have been here approximately 24 days so far, but it feels like much longer. I am quickly finding out that this trip is not the idealized majestic and beautiful journey most would imagine. Instead, I am finding the stress of living abroad, which I knew was inevitable but thought I could easily handle, in fact, is very real. Despite the fact that I am able to keep in contact with home through readily available internet access at the internet café across the street, a luxury not enjoyed by many volunteers, I find I am missing family and friends much more than I expected. Luckily, whenever I begin to feel down, I am able to disappear into a book. So far, I have read Green City in the Sun, Notes from Underground, and am halfway through A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. By the end of the year I should be very well-read.

While the school year began on Tuesday and I have taught a few biology classes, I don’t have a set teaching schedule yet. Even though I am supposed to be the teacher, I find I am learning more than I expected—about myself. Up until this point, I was the student, which makes it difficult to switch suddenly to being in the position of authority. The chorus of “Good morning, Miss,” I am greeted with daily by the students makes me uncomfortable, as I am unaccustomed to so much formality. An additional challenge is the unexpected language barrier. Being of African, East Indian, Dutch, Portuguese, and Amerindian descent, the English of the students is colored by a unique accent I have never before encountered and often struggle with.

There are some bright spots. Walking down the street, I enjoy watching cows graze in ditches filled with pink water lilies the size of two outstretched hands. Though people have yelled “white girl” at me more than once, in general people have been very friendly and supportive. They are happy I am here to teach and consider it a great personal sacrifice.

Getting to learn my way around the market has been interesting. Moses, Caroline, and I explored it yesterday morning. There is ample fresh produce, which we have used to make some delicious dishes. I tried my hand at fried plantains last night and have decided they should be a regular part of my diet. Also, yesterday afternoon I bought a bicycle for $13,000 GD (about $70 US) to serve as my primary mode of transportation. It is a beautiful thing. When it comes time for me to leave, I look forward to giving it away.

I am something of a spectacle when I ride it. In addition to me being a small white girl in a black neighborhood, not many other people can afford such a nice bike. As I was riding it home for the first time, a woman yelled at me "Ride that bike, white girl!"