Peace Love and Hope

Oh Guyana. I hope I loved you enough.
I hope I turned up in the days that the sun was high and warm and worked hard under your heat and sweated enough.
I hope I taught you something.
I know you taught me something. Or two.
I hope the day ended feeling better than it started.
I hope the next day starts better than it ended.
I hope I tried for you enough.
I hope you felt the fast beats of my heart and the tears of my eyes.
I hope you know that I tried my best.
I hope you know that I loved your children like my own.
I hope you know that many of times they were.
I hope you see a difference because of what I did or did not do.
I know that I will be different, because of what I did and did not do.
I hope you show your beauty to others, like you have shown me.
I hope others will see your beauty that is truly here to see.
I hope you know that you brought some of my favorite people of life together: In my heart and in your country.
I hope you feel the feelings I have for you in every breath that I have left to take
I hope you know that at times it felt like it was forever, but that quickly slipped to lost when I was awake.
I hope you know that I woke up with you, dreamt of you, slept with you.
I hope you know that I broke for you, struggled for you, fought for you.
I hope you know that I loved for you, for everything and everyone you generously gave to me.
I hope you know that I cared for you and will continue you to do so daily.
Oh Guyana, I hope I loved you enough.

peace love and too mucho rainnnnnnnnnnnnn

this is what my street looks like today....... at 9 a.m. and its still raining! yikes!

Sometimes there are just times you have to...

After three hours of waiting for one of my students to get his wrist checked( wait for the doctor visit, meet the doctor then wait for an xray, then wait for the doctor to read the xray, then wait for the prescription, then get sent to get it wrapped and waitt for that, only to find out its too swollen to wrap and we have to come back tomorrow) i finally stood up.

As we were walking out I turned to the 6 nurses that were all sitting down and had been since we got there, looking annoyed at everyone that was around them, and it was like pulling teeth to get an answer, or direction....so i turned to them and I asked them a simple question "Why did you want to be a nurse?"

They all stopped talking, looked up and stared blankly at me.
I then continued, "Well most people become nurses to help people, but you surely arent helping anyone by just sitting there on your ass."


Jillian -1
Guyana- 987

Peace Love and the New Year.

HAPPY 2012! OWOWOWO! Let's just say I asked Santa for some new dance moves for the new year...and boy did he deliver!!! Besides busting a move....here is what i have been up to.......























Ive been feeling all sorts of overwhelmed, excited,completely and utterly happy, nervous, alone, special, thankful, unsure, stressed, anxious, satisfied all depending on the moment, who is around and where I am.
It seems as if I have been living a separate life and in 10 weeks im not sure how well my current self will collide and combine together with the one I used to know. I am not ready. And it seems so easy for the others around me. it seems.

For the first time in my life I dont have a plan for the next journey and to be honest I dont want one. Its something that feels wrong to admit but so right in my heart right now. There is too much to do in the moment to think about what's ahead. And I believe that to be how I should live the rest of my days anyhow. The moments have filled myself with exactly what I always need...and most of the things that happen can't be planned
. I know I will be happy and I know that I am happy wherever I go with the moments I have.

It's funny how the end is the hardest part. The goodbyes..the last looks..the last hugs...the last touches...the last moments with people who have broken and repieced and torn and mended the heart inside of me to be who and where I am today. Ten Weeks. More.

Peace Love and being in the moment

CAMP GLOW :)

CAMP GLOW SHAPES GUYANA’S NEXT GENERATION OF FEMALE LEADERS
by U.S. Peace Corps Guyana on Friday, 30 December 2011 at 11:05
With a lot of sand, sun, laughter, and learning, 25 of Guyana’s young women complete the first annual Camp GLOW leadership camp more confident, competent, and compassionate than when they first arrived.

On December 10, twenty-five young women between the ages of 13-17 years from across Guyana arrived at the Pandama Nature Retreat to participate in the week long leadership camp, Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World), which was primarily organized by currently serving U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs). Participants were selected for Camp based on their responses to application essays and recommendation letters from community members.

The girls spent the days in interactive sessions covering topics such as leadership styles, what it means to be a leader, intercultural competency, decision making, assertive communication, and identifying personality types. In addition, they learned about personal health topics such as diet and nutrition, healthy relationships, sexual health, environmental health, and emotional health. Arts and craft time, team-building activities, swimming, sports, daily exercise, and nightly campfires supplemented their classroom learning, self-introspection, and allowed them a venue for building new friendships. Miss Jevon Wilson, Guyana’s Jamzone Pageant winner came and delivered a powerful and inspirational speech to the girls about some of the trials she has been through in her life and provided encouragement and advice for the girls to attain their goals. Around camp, girls bathed and washed their clothes in the creek water, ate healthy, low salt, low fat, vegetarian meals, and at night, they slept in a large, open, outdoor tent and on cots all generously donated, transported, and set-up by the Guyana Defense Force.

One of the most beneficial and unique aspects of Camp was the presence of two campers who were deaf. Throughout the week they were accompanied by a sign language interpreter who helped translate the sessions. Peace Corps Volunteer Jillian Johnson, who interpreted for the girls, expressed how impressed she was with the other 23 hearing campers, “It gave me hope for the deaf communities in Guyana to watch how open and excited they were to communicate with [names of deaf participants] and to learn sign language. They took the time to actually get to know these girls, to see how kind and funny and amazing they are even though they speak a different language.” She also spoke about how it was one of the first times that the deaf campers had the opportunity to express themselves in a group of their hearing peers. Peace Corps Volunteer Kristin Guthrie explained, “By the end of Camp, it was like we had our own language: half sign language, half gestures, half speaking! And, we all understood it!”

Also leading the sessions and helping to run the camp were 5 female Guyanese counselors. Suanne Lindie of the Berbice Rivering area, taught the session on “assertive communication” and she was the mentor for five of the girls. Camp was a chance for herself to grow while having the opportunity to do something she’s always wanted to try: working with young women. “I’ve been thinking about becoming a teacher on the Berbice River, so this was a chance for me to get an idea of what teaching is like and makes me want to be around young kids. And, I was a little, you know, nervous about talking in front of the girls, but by the end I was comfortable and brave.” Of the other four counselors, two were from the Correntyne area and two from the organization, Hope for All, in Region 2. Peace Corps Volunteer Annie Mills said of the counselors, “They were one of the Camp’s strongest aspects. The camp would not have been nearly as successful and fun without them. All week long, they were role-models of strong, confident Guyanese women.”

One of the most powerful reflections on the week came from one of the Campers from the St. Cuthbert’s Amerindian village. She said, “At Camp I’ve learned that I don’t have to be perfect. I’m imperfect and being imperfect is … perfect.” That ended the evening in applause from her fellow campers and counselors. When they left the next morning, the girls showered each other in hugs, exchanged phone numbers, and boarded the bus, eager to see their families and share their new knowledge and skills with their communities.

The next Camp GLOW Guyana will take place in August 2012.