Here We Go!

Posted on July 6, 2013 by Mark Ormesher

It’s over; it’s finished,
And the day is now done.
The fat lady has sung,
And my holiday has begun!

That’s right – I am no longer a teacher, and I am now officially a tourist! I’m not 100% sure that being “gringo” is any better than being “Sir Mark”, but I’ll bet it’ll be a lot more exciting!

I finished school yesterday (forever!), I’m in Lethem today, and tomorrow I’m heading to Brazil to begin my epic holiday around South America.

There’s a saying that “the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step”, and that’s mostly true for me right now: I’m actually going on a journey of several thousand miles, but it does start with a step – we’re walking to Brazil!

Keep an eye on the blog for news and photos of my travels, and have a look on www.wolpy.com/markormesher if you get time to see an overall view of my travels.

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TG#36 – Hold a Chicken in the Air

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Mark Ormesher

After several failed attempts, I finally caught one (with a little help!)

chicken

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TG#23 – Ceilidh

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Mark Ormesher

Ceilidh about in the open savannah? Check!

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TG#7 – Planking (Photo 1)

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Mark Ormesher

Planking above the school name that I have been painting over the last week…

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TG#31 – Get Involved in a Community Building Project

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Mark Ormesher

Today I was involved in the building of the staff benab, one of my secondary projects this year, and I am counting this as having participated in a community building project.

(A few weeks ago I was also involved in helping to build the village’s new church which would also have counted, however I didn’t snap any photos of that event to upload for the Traveller’s Guide)

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Farewell (+ My Leaving Speech)

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Mark Ormesher

Today was quite an interesting day. I don’t leave Sand Creek until early Saturday morning, but for various reasons our farewell event was held today (Wednesday). Read more »

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TG#6 – Fish and Chips!

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Mark Ormesher

Potatoes aren’t hugely popular or widely available in Guyana, which is why it’s taken me over 9 months to accomplish this task. However, on a recent trip to Lethem we were able to buy some brilliantly fresh barely edible potatoes, so finally I can cross this off the list. Earlier tonight we sliced, parboiled and fried the tatties, served them with fried fish, and had a pretty decent dinner!

chips

I do have a slight admission to make… I took a photo of the chips cooking (above), and then entirely forgot about getting photos of the finished meal for the blog. Sorry!

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Happy Independence Day!

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Mark Ormesher

Today – the 26th of May – is the 47th anniversary of Guyana’s independence from the British, so I wish every Guyanese a Happy Independence Day!

A party was held in the village last night to celebrate which include songs, poems, dances and skits from students (primary and secondary) and talks on Guyanese history from figures in the village. The evening ended with a symbolic flag-raising at midnight to signal the beginning of another year of independence. The National Anthem was sung by everybody present, which I have finally learned all of the words to!

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“The Adventure” (+ Cool Map)

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Mark Ormesher

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At the end of our service as teachers, volunteers in Guyana get roughly five weeks of holiday before we fly back to the UK. Some choose to stay in their projects, some explore more of Guyana, and some decide to travel further afield. Harry and I have decided we’re going to go on an adventure around the top chunk of South America, focussing mainly on Bolivia and Brazil. Read more »

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TG#32 – Teach a Lesson with a Pineapple

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Mark Ormesher

This was originally suggested by my PT Desk Officer, Chris, and I’m pleased to say that it was accomplished this morning! Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a pineapple in time for my lessons on symmetry a few weeks ago, so instead the pineapple was the star of the show for today’s lesson on profit and loss. I was “selling” pineapple chunks in exchange for correct answers, and students were absolutely loving it!

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