Shady lettuce= the devil

Long time no write :(
I had food poisoning/ an amoeba too = everything including my appetite(crazy being a fat kid an all) left my body for 5 days.
I think i got it from shady lettuce that I bought at the market from a new-to-me vendor. I usually just get all my veggies and fruit from Val, but she wasn't there this week. So, as i walked in the market( it has about 25 stands, all local farmers, or people who buy and sell from local farmers) everyone comes at you with "where ya shappin gal?" "yu need spice? smell my marry man pork(basil)...i got flustered and ended up just falling for the shady lettuce lady. Lesson Learned.

So I was out for most of the week BUT I kept my door open so I was still able to witness the outside world.
Kids running past in their school uniforms, yelling mawnin miss!, as they kicked an empty fruta can back and forth...moms holding their babies while being hovered by their man as he pedaled all three of them on a bike, and of course the "slashers"/grass cutters, that will wave creepily and smile till i wave back.

I also had the opportunity to name some of the animals in my house, the mice:Kermit, Nacho, and Grande(thats the rat), the lizards are hotdog and ketchup, and all the mosquitos i just call b**ch. :)


Anyways I am back to work now! and i just gotta say: ODE to Rainy season!

I love you because for the few moments you do rain everyday I am not covered in sweat, only in your water...which everyone then tells me I am going to get sick because of...but i still appreciate you mucho, however,I don't like you because i have to walk to work for 40 mins, and for about 10 of that water is up to either my knees, shins, or ankles because of the poor water system, so then i have to trudge through the nasty parasite ridden water, usually getting my flip flops stuck, almost trip and fall, and then i have to wait for an additional minute for it to pop back up, this happens at least twice, sometimes i decide to dive in with my hand after it...but ive decided that that is a bad decision because the water contains something called grass lous-sp? from all the sewage and trash(its usually in the grass), which is a parasite that burrows in your skin, between your toes and knuckles and itches like a mofo!!

So when I get to school, I have to bleach my skin to kill it..healthy!!

Usually only half the kiddos come on rain days too, which is another reason no me gusta :(

The students are doing testing this week though, so most of the students came!! YYAYAYAYAYYA- assessment is week long, and then next week school ends( Apparently the headmistress set an ending date too soon for the term, so we had to add on another week?? loco!!!

SO mucho work to be done, so i better get to it!

"Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough
time for the important things in her life."-brian andreas


Peace Love and Parasites!

The key is to fall 7 times, and to get back up 8!

The school I work at has 50+ special needs students, and 5 teachers. When there is a workshop, or someone is sick, or whatever reason a teacher isn't there, it doesn't so happen that they are replaced by a sub, just the teachers that are left take over their classes plus another teachers. This is what happened today.

Me +14 students who are deaf, + 8 under 6 year olds.

I was already a bit elevated, because of not knowing the teachers were going to be gone, and then trying to create some lesson plans for each of the classes, because its not as if teachers leave them..
Then in the afternoon session one of the other teachers started taunting another student, getting the other students to laugh. All I heard was screaming for an hour, and the last 5 mins i realized it was the other teacher causing it. The teacher! One of the only 3 adults.AWESOME. Yay for being on the same page??


Boo me for complaining, but sometimes its hard to internalize all the frustrations that happen on a daily basis, and then add in what happened above.

Peace, Love and Frustration

Its one of those moments in life, when you just think, "Really? this is my life!!?"

So I was talking to my neighbor Cita on a dirt side street, when a pregnant cow started making all sorts of noises.
I told her that it didn't seem very happy, and she said,"It's not, when I say go, run as fast as you can!", I froze for a second,being from Sconnie and all, but then put my game face on, and the minute she yelled "GO!" I booked it.

The cow started chasing me, I started screaming and flailing about, but made my way home safely.Close call.

Anywho....I am feeling better after having that punk, Dengue, in my life. Went to the Alpha House Orphanage on Monday for the first time in a week, Man i missed those kids!!!They are my favorite part of Guyana.

Then I got to see my students, they are also my favorite part of Guyana, and we went on "tour" aka a field-trip to the water plant on Tuesday! Most of the information went right over their heads, but it was very educational and fun for the kids to see!!!
The entire field trip cost $20 U.S., Unfortunately some kids couldn't afford the 50 cent fee and stayed home. I didn't know this of course until the day of, and so they didn't go. It makes me sad to think of it..especially because I could have saved some of the money I make in a month so they didn't have to miss out on this opportunity.

:(

On another note...School Ends July 2! A day before my 24th birthday...happy birthday tooo meee!!!! I'll be teaching a Life Skills course with another volunteer this summer, as well as doing in home autism therapy for 2 of my kids at the school. This is a new idea for Guyana, they do not have access to in-home care, so I'm really excited to work with the families and test it out!!!!!

ohhhh and shout out to my daddio! he turned the big 6-0 this month...and is the best pen pal ever! :) owowo LOVE YOU!!!!

Peace, Love and Angry Pregnant Cows!

Reason number 845 that I DO NOT like mosquitos.

I want a t-shirt that says " I survived Dengue Fever, 2010"

Dengue Fever= headaches, high fever that doesn't stop, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and a rash all over that feels like pins and needles, kind of like how your foot feels when it falls asleep for too long...You get it from mosquitoes!!!!!

I spent most of the week away from work, and I'm anxious to get back on the grind...the nurse said it usually takes 2 weeks to fully recover, but I got my eye on Monday.

Peace, Love and Surviving the Dengue!!!!