Cheers to Guyanese Food and Week Four!

Our third week of teaching has come to an end and we have begun the fourth. Last week we focused mostly on suicide and depression lessons, as well as STI and contraceptives lessons. Both are very important topics to discuss with our students, as puberty, maturation, and a changing social environment can give rise to a whole array of new feelings and challenges. At the end of each class we give the students a chance to write anonymous questions which we will then answer and discuss at the beginning of the following class. This has provided us with a very effective and honest way of gauging how the class is feeling, and what areas of the material need to be supplemented with more clarification. We are excited to be receiving a growing number of lesson-related questions and concerns, and we believe this indicates a growing trust and connection with our students. We have had multiple opportunities to discuss optimal solutions to student issues with the Head Teachers of the schools. This has allowed us to develop effective and culturally sensitive responses to student inquiries regarding questions surrounding sexual health, abuse, and suicide. Through conversation with members of the community and school staff we have also learned about more accessible resources for STI testing and contraceptives, and we were able to relay these permanent resources to our students.

On another note, we are proud to announce that we have continued to expand our Guyanese cookbook. We are officially capable of preparing traditional meals and dishes such as plantain fries, pumpkin and roti, and bagan choka. As in any culture, food makes friends. In Guyana, we have been blessed with new friends that have taught us how to prepare some pretty spectacular tasting dishes.

Walking through a typical marketplace in Guyana

This past weekend we ventured to Georgetown to visit the other half of our team and celebrate Independence Day together. This quality time was much needed for reflecting on our initiative experiences so far, and discussing and critically brainstorming how we might be able to improve our lessons over the next 3 weeks, and our role in future years. We enjoyed a change of pace spending the weekend in the city. During our visit we realized how different our experiences, challenges and opportunities have been, between the Georgetown and Berbice initiatives. We found our visit to Georgetown rejuvenating, and we’re ready to dive back into lesson planning and classes for the next three weeks of teaching. 


Part of the QHO Guyana team in Georgetown