A Study in Solidarity: Guyana 2018

Hii this is Jenn and Susy here! We are checking in and can't wait to tell you all about our wonderful day today! We first started off our morning with a integrating class session about our experiences over the weekend in the Arawak village of Moraikobai. This conversation was crucial for all of us, especially since it was focused around racial tensions within Guyana. These dynamics reflect strongly on the ways in which each of our group members experience each site and interactions with the people. We plan on continuing this conversation tomorrow with more thoughts and in-depth reflections! After, we drove out to the The Palms: Geriatric Facility, where we explored and met with some familiar and new faces! I, Jenn, was able to go back and continue my conversation with a woman named Daughter. She is the most wonderful and warm woman I have ever encountered. On the first visit, I was unable to converse long because I met her at the end of the visiting hours. So, this time I literal

What's up, what's up! This is Amanda and Robson writing to you about our awesome weekend trip to the interior where we visited an AmerIndian village called Moraikobai. On Saturday morning, we left Georgetown to start our journey down the northern coast of Guyana, where we stopped in Mahaicony at our hosts' home for the first time. Unlike many of our trips in Guyana, this was our first time taking a boat to the place that we visited.We rode on a speed boat where we saw nature at its finest! We rode pass the tropical rain forest on our way to Moraikobai and caught glimpse of bamboos and Guyana's national bird, the Canje Pheasant, on our way back. It was a beautiful sight to see. When we first arrived in the village, we were excited to see how the AmerIndians were celebrating the 52nd anniversary of independence. We were welcomed with music and dancing people around the center of the village where our rest house was located. As a group, we walked around to see more of the

It's Betsy and Robson coming at you live from Georgetown, Guyana. So today, we woke up and visited the National History Museum where we observed tons of indigenous species. The upper floor had species with a tablet depicting where they were discovered and what creatures are on the verge of extinction. Betsy enjoyed learning about the Giant Sloth and its history in Guyana while Robson learned about conservation efforts for four main marine turtles found in Guyana such as; Pacific Ridley, Leatherback turtle, Green turtle and Hawksbill turtle which the Museum wants fishermen to protect before they become extinct from the face of the Earth. The bottom floor of the museum had ancient artifacts like currency bills, tablets which show Guyana's independence from Britain and Dutch, boats and ships that were used in the past, vases, maps, some archeological tools and some other items. Following our trip to the museum we returned to the Palms, the geriatric facility, to

Hey everyone, it's Osrica and Torrie from Guyana! Today was structured differently than our normal days. We took an hour and thirty minute bus ride to Linden to explore Osrica's hometown. Although the bus ride was long, we were excited to see a different part of Guyana besides the commercial hub, Georgetown. Linden is known for its mining of bauxite and natural resources. It was fascinating to see a much more rural area of Guyana as we drove to Linden. The houses were spread apart and we saw glimpses of the denseness of the rainforest as along the way. After we pulled into the bus park, Osrica was able to go visit with her family, while the rest of us had a quick history tour of the town and went to the Blue Lagoon. Since Linden is a mining town, our bus driver took us around the area to show us some of the mining sites and taught us a little about its history. It was incredible to see the immense dunes and hills created by the mining industry. Then, we grabbed some lunc

Hii everyone! This is Jenn and Amanda here!! Today was the first day we got to wear our fancy outfits when we visited Parliament in Georgetown. When we first arrived, the building looked exquisite on the outside with eye-catching architecture. Compared to the rest of Georgetown, the  bright building stands out.We would've never imagined ourselves sitting in the 64-chair Parliament Chamber. As a former British colony, Guyana's legislative branch has been influenced by Britain and their style of governing. At Parliament, we met Mr. December (yes, the month!!!), who introduced us more to Guyana's government and what happens when members of Parliament gather together. Contrary to the peaceful images we see on television, we learned that it can get a bit chaotic! We found it interesting to hear Mr. December mention things we've discussed in our preparation class. He spoke about the past racial relations in Guyana and how its history has influenced the current politics of the

Hello! Jenn and Betsy here! Today we got the opportunity to visit two sites.  The first was called the Palms which is a geriatric housing facility for both men and women. Our team arrived in the morning just before lunch time and divided into three groups to better serve the large community that resides there. Jenn's group was privileged to engage with an all female ward who were friendly, loved music and dance like their hips don't lie. Most of the women that we encountered were thrilled to talk to us and tell us their life stories! Jenn found herself conversing about female empowerment which was touching to voice. Betsy's group was able to go to three different wards to interact with people with various disabilities and backgrounds. Conversations diverged into topics such as eating, praying, and love. It can be assured that many parables were exchanged within the tin roofs of the ward. Afterwards, Anthony cooked up a delicious lunch for us! It consisted of fried chic