Demonstrate remorse/sorrow/contrition by how you live your life from the moment you realize your error. You apologize for bumping into someone. You cannot undo profoundly harming another with simply words. You can only acknowledge your wrong, make amends, change your actions to prevent a repeat and help others avoid the same error.

The underlying idea behind democracy is that the average of citizen’s views leads to a moderate wisdom that is both egalitarian and restrained. This doesn't eliminate the tyranny of the majority, masses can be whipped up into illegitimate fervor. In general a broad consensus evolved from those who will suffer the greatest consequences of failure ensures a slow and balanced progression. This is a critical aspect of democracy: broad based citizen lead representative government ensures that those with the least, the least resources and protection from failure, have the greatest influence on the course of government as a group.

The wise and learned elite often have reserves to minimize the consequences of failure. The wealthy can afford to take great risks because they are not betting tonight’s dinner. They will not suddenly face starvation. This is the stark divide between how the majority living pay check to pay check and an elite minority with large buffer of reserves will run the country. Slow, cautious and considered suddenly makes sense when your daily survival may be at stake. A deliberate government with checks and balances to slow change is wise when your goal is to protect the least secure in society. Until we return government to the people we can expect a gamblers mentality running our country. The logic of saving the bankers and letting the homeowners fail makes sense to the power player seeking to maximize national income and international power. To the individual hoping to obtain and maintain a comfortable life, the high stakes games of international relations and global economics runs counter to ensuring a stable and secure environment to raise a family. We once debated guns or butter when deciding on national spending priorities, the debate has been silenced, the decision made: the US will serve as the policeman of the world. We will borrow from our children to maintain today’s spending levels. We will cut social programs before reducing military spending.

Henry Ford had the epiphany that if he didn’t pay his workers a living wages they could never afford to buy the vehicles they were producing. Today we outsource production to reduce labor costs rather than ensure sufficient good paying jobs for Americans. Today rather than raising wages to purchase goods made in America, we reduce the cost of goods so Americans on lower wages can afford to purchase products from developing countries. Today rather than building automobiles, televisions and great infrastructure projects, America has become a service economy, we don’t build, we serve. We take orders at fast-food restaurants, calls in customer service centers and orders in stores at malls to support the consumer driven service economy. Was that our collective dream for America?

The elite financial market makers and corporate titans are having a ball placing their big bets in the financial markets. Is circulating money while skimming a cut off the top, acting on insider knowledge and manipulating markets with sheer volume a productive economic activity? Is this the market systems that we have been assured will provide for us and create the stability our family’s desire and enable us to grow as individuals? A nation of people struggling just to keep ahead of the next crisis is not one that will have the opportunity to make productive choices to improve their lot in life. It is time to wind down the casino markets and re-establish our core human values of ensuring the basic human need of security, stability and an educational system that offers the individual the opportunity to achieve through participation and effort in an equitable and accessible system. We may never be able to make the world fair but we can at least offer a basic level of opportunity to all citizens to participate in the economic system and reap the rewards of hard work and fair play.

Noemster and Ilana making a postcard.I can honestly say, without a hint of exaggeration, that ourrecent trip to Barbados was the BEST vacation that I’ve ever had and I knowIlana feels the same way. It’s hard to put into words just how awesome it was. To try to use a simile, if this vacation hadbeen a concert it would be like if Led Zeppelin played a reunion show for yoursurprise birthday after finding out that John Bonham hadn’t actually been deadthis whole time he’d just been gone working on his masterpiece, a whole newkind of bacon that gives you a 6-pack,slows aging, and prevents cancer.... it was like that.

Barbados as a whole was extraordinary. With a population ofonly about 300,000 it’s small enough to feel like a community. It is also verydeveloped: extremely clean, potable water from every tap, electricity all thetime, and everywhere we went the people were super nice (even outside touristhotspots).

Ilana and I arrived 2 days earlier than everyone. We spentour 3rd anniversary at the Butterfly Beach Hotel, which was reallynice. The hotel was not crazy expensive, right on the ocean, walking distanceto a supermarket= awesome. We definitely experienced a period ofadjustment going from remote Guyana to Barbados (hence the reason we dropped aserious wad at the supermarket our first night (mostly on salad ingredients,cheese, and wine (ok and bacon))).

Then, they came. Some might say we had our cake and ate ittoo. Others might say it was like watching a cake ice itself, cut itself up,then dance it’s way onto your fork. First Noemi, sweet sweet Noemi. Then Alexand Cat, glorious. Then, about an hour before the New Year began, Drew andHibby (is there an emoticon for holding back a tear?). Again, I’m havingtrouble finding words.

I got a little excited to see the washing machine.

About what transpired from then, it is only fair to say “holy$@%, that was the best $@^*%@^ time of my life.” We laughed, we sang, we gaineda combined weight of 14 pounds (just Ilana and me). I literally woke up eachmorning saying, “man, that was the best dream....” and then I’d realize it wasreally happening.

'Nuf said.Activities included: going to beautiful beaches, snorkellingwith sea turtles, going on a pleasure cruise, swimming in caves, taste testingrum, karaokeing, mini bussing, and eating delicious food the best of which wasprepared by Ilana and Drew.

For those thinking about going to Barbados and interested inthe details of the trip, this is what we found worked well for us:Staying in a 3 bedroom condo in St Lawrence Gap (called theTerraces), close enough to bars that it was walking distance, but far enoughthat it wasn’t loud. Thanks to Noemi, our card-carrying travel agent superpal,for finding it. I think my compatriots would agree that the condo made it the best vacation2. Were able to take the mini bus to Carlisle Bay, where youcan snorkel with ship wrecks and turtles. We also did a 6-hour catamaran tourthere that was this** good. We used a crew called Jammin and would highlyHIGHLY recommend them.

Pleasure cruise.We went to Oistins Famous Fish Fry Fridays to on a Friday, butwere happy to discover that it’s better to go on a weeknight because there werealot fewer people. At the pier right behind the fish market you can take theguts of the fresh you just bought and feed it to sea turtles for free. We gotin and swam with them there too. To the northern parts of the island we went to a beachcalled Sheba Bath that looked right out of a James Bond movie. Also went toHarrison Cave and Animal Flower Cave.Rum tour close to Bridgetown is fun if you love Mt Gay rum,but it’s not actually where they distil it. For that you have to go to adifferent place up the island.

Animal Flower Cave. Thanks to our friends for coming and seeing us in Barbados.We look at the photos often and say that was just one of many awesome vacationswe’re going to have with you guys. Alex, it was ok to see you too I guess. Ourplan of joining the Peace Corps to get you to buy us an iPad has finallyworked. Didn’t see that coming did you? Gra

*Works better with “legendary”. **As good as the blacked out parts from Hang Over but on aboat.



Coincidence or Barbados love bubble magic?

I would like to share a poem by my amazing friend and inspirational PCV friend, Jillian Johnson. It pretty much sums up how I am feeling as I look ahead to the ever nearing horizon of change. Thank you Jillian for your poetry!

Oh Guyana by Jillian Johnson

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 takeI 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.

Seattle got some serious snow, by Seattle standards that is. We opened the curtains one morning to lie in bed and watch it fall. We drank hot chocolate, snuggled under blankets, read books, and periodically checked to see how much more snow there was on the ground. Soon we felt as though we'd stepped into Narnia.

We discovered that even a dog from the rainforests of Guyana can enjoy the snow. I'm pretty sure Sa'sa thought the snow in the backyard had fallen just for her as it took some effort to bring her back inside. Eventually the streets were covered and families were sledding down the hills and cross country skiing to the grocery store. We let Sa'sa run without a leash through the snow while we threw snowballs, made snow angels, and stood in awe of how beautifully transformed our neighborhood had become in just a few hours.

Yes, Paul is missing a tooth. He lost it in a bicycle accident in September and doesn't always wear the retainer with the fake one. :)

Sa'sa is so ready for us to follow her. She really did look like a wild dog in the snow.

The high school soccer field was deserted and beautiful.

One of my favorites games was trying to get Sa'sa to catch snowballs. She was so confused when they hit the ground and disappeared.

Sa'sa eats snow.

Sa'sa digs at snow.She also makes yellow snow, but I don't have a picture of that last one.

See! Narnia!

I shot this one while stuck in traffic on the way to Brenna's wedding. Cable lines had fallen on the freeway so we were stuck for a good half hour. The view was worth it.

Last one of the dog. I swear.

Paul spent a lot of time curled up on the couch studying for class. Sa'sa didn't mind.

One either dedicates themself to lifelong learning or allows themself to become an old fart that dissipates into the air becoming irrelevant. The only exceptions are Senators and CEOs who maintain enough power to be able to enforce their errant outdated views. This class of old white fart is currently driving us over the edge in the effort to maintain their office. The only question is will it be different this time? Will there be profound consequences to growth as the cure to all ills, ignoring pollution and consuming non-renewable resources at ever faster rates? I feel a bit like Willy E. Coyote in the Road Runner Cartoons looking down at my feet and discovering no terra firma and seemingly being one of only a few to notice, while my fellow countrymen argue over which old political ideology is going to grow us out of the current financial wreck.

The obnoxious alarm went off at 4:30 in the morning. I opened my eyes as Chelsea struggled through the mosquito net to silence the buzzing, ringing bells from her Motorola. As I came to consciousness a thought shot through my head, ‘This could be my last morning in Guyana. I could be getting out of bed and checking my bags for my eminent departure. I could be anxiously and excitedly waiting for my driver to come and carry Chels and me to the international airport then drop us at the passenger loading corner. Before we know it we will be on plane that’s lifting off the ground, cabin pressure rises, Chelsea will nod off to sleep then…’

I snap back to the present. It’s not my last day; it’s Sara’s, I remember with sad, but proud sigh.

This morning Chels and I trundled down to Sara’s apartment. Our friends Princess and Becky were moving around the living space gathering and packing last minute things, as Sara organized and zipped up her book bag. Then they waited to leave.

It all seemed so surreal. The pattering of the persistent rain provided a picture perfect backdrop to this momentous occasion. One of our own was close of servicing. Our family, Guy 22, started as 35 and as of yesterday had 22. Now we’re down one more. She was a good one. She was my sister and a wonderful, wonderful friend. She, of course, is Sara.

Though it was not all of us who departed at morning-time, but it was a premonition, a marker of things to come. True, not every Guy 22er will depart these coming months, but most of us will need to say good-bye.

We volunteers are growing up; we’re moving on. I know we have not learned all we could from our service, but we have learned plenty to take back to our respective homes of record and enlighten our hometown communities. Or maybe some of us won’t return home just yet, but rather travel and gain more rich experiences to always carry with us.

Sara,I will miss you. And I know you will succeed in all of your future endeavors. I wish you the best of the best of luck. And I thank you for being brave and blazing the trail for the rest of us. I know we will be friends for a long, long, long time and I can’t wait to see you stateside, gurrrl!

In other news, Chels and I are doing well we’re still working steady on our projects and loving our community. These last few months are going to be a grand time. Happy Saturday!

Last night we had Sara's co-workers over and, along with Princess, Becky, Chelsea, Cassie and myself, ate classic Guyanese food and spent the night gaffing.

Power is a failed human phenomenon. Those in power are rarely if ever pursuing the interest of the larger group. If the interests of the leaders and group do not coincidently coincide, the group’s interests will always be ignored. Institutions must be created to foster coincidence of interests across society. Without mutual interests those with the guns will starve those without.

Tim, about to swing into the creek

The awesome peeps who came out to celebrate Sara

This weekend we had a hootenanny to celebrate Sara and say goodbye to her before she leaves Guyana next week. Some amazing Volunteers came to Linden to visit and we “proper enjoyed ourselves” with some of our best Guyanese friends and neighbors. We cooked some amazing food; curry, salad, pasta salad, fruit salad and a pancake feast. On Saturday we walked to the creek near my house and did some swimming and jumping off trees into the cool black water. It was sunny and hot as we walked to the creek but it quickly got cloudy and, as we were swimming, it began to rain. At that moment, looking around at the jungle surrounding us and the huge drops of water splashing in the beautiful creek, being surrounded by fun-loving, like-minded friends, I felt so blessed to be in the Peace Corps and very nostalgic for this experience that is rapidly coming to a close.

After our creek adventure, we relaxed with peppermint hot cocoa (thanks Emily and friends!) and because of the rainy weather, actually felt cool-ish for once in Guyana. Then we met up with our friends at our favorite local restaurant and bar for a goodbye party for Sara. We surprised her with a catered dinner of all her favorite Guyanese food: greens cookup, plantain chips and baked chicken. And of course Banks beer. We danced the night away and laughed until our faces hurt.

Sara got early COS (Close of Service) to go home next weekend since all her projects are finished. I will miss her dearly! Sara has been like the sister I never had during our time in Peace Corps. Even in training we lived close to each other and our host families were related so we shared many laughs during our first 2 months in country as we got accustomed to Guyana in Essequibo. I was so excited when we got assigned to Linden together because I knew Sara would be a good influence on me and help me get back into shape. Almost every morning for the last two years Sara and I have worked out together, walking, running, yoga-ing and trying to get ‘cut like Kate’ (the sexy, fit character from the epic TV show ‘Lost’). We have shared our joys and pain, laughing so hard we cried and cried on each other’s shoulders. We have spent hours watching movies, sharing music, cooking, cleaning, gardening, hiking and adventuring throughout Guyana and Barbados. Together we have swam with sea turtles and watched them lay their eggs, danced to Caribbean music, fended off pushy Guyanese men and watched toucans soar over our own neighborhood in this urban jungle. I have so much respect for Sara and am so grateful she came into my life. She is one of the kindest people I know, and is so reliable and trustworthy. She is so strong to have gone through some of the challenges she has faced in her life and so brave to be facing an exciting, uncertain future. I have no doubt that we will be friends for a very, very long time!

Sara, I will miss you terribly in these last few months but I am SO freakin’ proud of you and so excited to hear of your adventures integrating back into America. I know you will land on your feet back home, because you are a strong, capable and amazing woman. I just have a feeling that so many unbelievable things are in store for you in 2012. I’m so thankful to have shared this journey with you and I can’t wait to continue sharing in your life as we move into the next adventure, starting of course with nachos and margaritas when I join you Stateside!

Lots of love for our friend Sara

Too much fun!

Creek time!

Well…Mother Nature you tried, but I am sorry to inform you that you failed. My parents arrived in Guyana on January 7th, and despite the enormous amounts of rain we were able to make it out to Mabaruma, even if it was two days later than planned, and show them what our day to day mostly consists of.

Echevarria’s-1, Mother Nature-0…

After returning from our kick-ass trip from Barbados (Nate will be posting about these glorious 10 days) we were quickly welcomed by my mom and dad who arrived the same day as us. We spent the first two nights in Vreed en Hoop were we trained prior to moving to Mabaruma and introduced my parents to our host mom Debee and the rest of the clan. We commemorated our reunion, yup…you guessed it, with an awesome bottle of wine my parents brought us and finally made it to sleep at 2am after all the excitement of seeing each other began to wear off. The next day we caught up and our host mom cooked my favorite Guyanese meal for them to try and then that night my parents treated us all to dinner at the Brazilian Restaurant. That night we had an impromptu little party, were my mom showed our Indo-Guyanese friends how to dance Puerto Rican reggae (this was just one of the many times my mom showed Guyanese how to dance Spanish music). Needless to say, they now ask me on a daily basis when my mom is returning to Guyana to dance with them, because they don’t see me dance and well they like her better. Haha! Thanks MOM!

We spent the remaining two days trying to get out to Mabaruma, but since our air strip is a dirt road and there are no lights, the rain was too much for us to fly. So we were forced to stay in Georgetown for a few more days. But because my parents are awesome and brought multiple bottles of wine and tons of snack goodies, we spent those days just catching up drinking and talking.

We finally made it out to Mabaruma and only had a few days to show them the highlights of our village. We showed them the market, went for a day-long hike to the falls, played pool, went out to WhiteCreek and cooked some Guyanese food, walked around our village and introduced them to about a hundred people, we took them to our jobs and gave them an idea of our daily work schedule and lastly we went to a rum shop, where yes my mom danced again, but this time it was Salsa. My dad spoiled us by cooking almost every meal and giving us a break from the kitchen, and then as quickly as they arrived they were gone. Bummer. We didn’t even get to show them how we do our wash (wink…wink). I think they figured if they kept us occupied they would leave before we would realize wash needed to be done. Smart.

Our holiday season was epic. Between having both sets of parents come visit us, not only to Guyana but all the way out to the middle-of-nowhere-Mabaruma, as well as having five of our closest friends travel all the way to Barbados to spend new year’s with us, well I don’t want to get too mushy, but we feel soo unbelievably lucky. Thank you Thank you Thank you. Thank you for not only coming and seeing us, but also for bringing us sooooooooo many goodies, loving us and then making sure we got to see, eat, drink and do everything we have missed this last year while we were with you.

Karen & Charlie, Edda & Jose, Alex, Cat, Hibby, Drew and Noemi WE LOVE YOU!

Till next time.

In 1980 we made a choice in direction and philosophy that our country would follow for the next generation. We might not have realized at the time how significant the choice was but it is clear now. We had the option of re-electing a President who was warning us about a looming crisis in natural resources and limiting our life style or a happy-go-lucky Californian B actor who only saw a bright future for an exceptional Nation. The option was stark, cut back or spend our way to prosperity. Can’t fault us for following the optimist!

Now we are told that our life-style IS American, in our very blood. Anyone threatening to impinge on our life style is an enemy. That is an interesting outlook as it ultimately puts anyone and everyone who competes with us for natural resources in our sights. Today it is oil, the Middle East and Muslims. A newly discovered oil super field find creates a new hot spot, new conflicts and new enemies if they do not agree to our terms.

Oil as the center of the developed economy is likely to transition to a new fuel as it once did from coal. We cling to oil because we are the leader of the oil based economy. Other nations are seeking to change the game by investing in renewable energy. We seem to be the only nation on the planet that can’t see the decline of oil. It is not renewable and will one day decline in output. It is highly polluting when burned. The extraction, transportation and refining processes are environmentally damaging.

This is where being the leader is a disadvantage. We want to leverage our capital investment in the fossil fuel infrastructure we built. Change is not to our competitive advantage. If we continue to attempt to maintain the status quo, we’ll succeed in extending the oil economy but at the cost of a collapse when the world finally does transition to the next energy source. We’ll be in the unfamiliar and unenviable position of playing catch up. We need to pull the tentacles of vested interest out of our government so we can make the best competitive national decisions for our long term success, stability and longevity. Oil is not in the best interests of individual American’s, only the oilman gains by delay.

In saying goodbyes and departing on this journey, I am grateful for all those who have helped me get to this point. In life it is easy to forget that it is not just our individual drive and hard work that has helped us reach our accomplishments. Those around us, friends, family, teachers, or the … Continue reading »

In saying goodbyes and departing on this journey, I am grateful for all those who have helped me get to this point. In life it is easy to forget that it is not just our individual drive and hard work that has helped us reach our accomplishments. Those around us, friends, family, teachers, or the … Continue reading »

The bags are packed, things are in order, I am ready to go – I think.

The bags are packed, things are in order, I am ready to go – I think.

Today I live on 10 dollars a day on Camiguin Island in the Philippines versus 350 dollars a day in Long Beach California. How has my life changed? Stress, I never realized the level of continuous underlying stress in my life until the last few years living in developing countries without all the stuff around my neck. When I gave up the house, the cars and boat, I became aware of how much worry goes into maintaining all that great stuff, all the worrying about maintenance, damage, theft and monthly payments. The stuff requires a full time job without interruption!

I came back to Guyana to bad news. Like I mentioned in my last blog post, I was immensely looking forward to seeing my grandpuppies when I got back. It was a little off-putting to see one of them sitting on the steps as my taxi pulled up to the house, because she was pretty scrawny looking. No matter, I thought, and greeted Wendy, my host mom, who had come to the car to give me a hug. I couldn’t help but ask if they were all alive, and I got a worse answer than I could have imagined—“All but the mother.” My Lady girl, born right around when I got to Guyana, my sole companion for my first tearful weeks as a volunteer, my running buddy, given up and reclaimed again because she just couldn’t stay away, was hit by a car on Christmas Eve. She died a few hours later. Her motherless puppies didn’t fare well after her death—they may have all been alive when I first returned, but the three scrawny ones all got sick and died within the week. The final two, the handsome Lazarus and Harry, both have new homes and loving 10-year-old students for their new mothers. For the first time in many months, I never return home to a wagging tail and never hear barking in my backyard at night. Maybe one day I’ll have a dog again, but not in St. Cuthbert’s Mission. Keeping a dog healthy and safe in the bush is not an easy task, and I have enough responsibility as it is as a Peace Corps Volunteer.Speaking of which, onto happier things: teaching! Our school was extremely short-staffed at the beginning of the term, so I was assigned my own class full-time, the fourth graders. I love ‘em. They’re well-behaved, bright, and best of all, so enthusiastic about learning and eager to work. Aside from the fact that I have to cater to reading levels that range between first-grade level and sixth-grade level, they’re easier to handle than any class I’ve ever worked with in the U.S. They are constantly brightening my day by trying their best, doing extra work that I don’t tell them to do, working together in the groups I’ve placed them in even though groupwork is a foreign concept to them, and laughing at my dumb jokes. During a writing exercise I told them to write for a minute about teachers and one girl wrote “I like Miss Kelly and she like me too.” And, on Friday, we talked about what we had done during the week and two kids independently told me, “Miss, you teach we good!” (Heh…maybe not so much with the grammar…)Despite that, teaching was rough for my first week or so, because of the aformenetioned staffing problems. There were several days when our school only had 3 teachers for about 180 kids (and I was one of the three). Behavioral issues are bound to pop up when the teacher-student ratio is that bad, and pop up they did…but life at St. Cuthbert’s Primary has gotten easier. Our headmistress, Ms. Bev, deferred her leave because we’re short teachers, so she’s back. She also talked to a woman who applied to teach a good six months ago whose paperwork still has not been processed by the ministry, and she agreed to start teaching even though she probably won’t get paid for a while. And finally, a set of volunteers from Canada, four of them, will be living in the mission for the next ten weeks! They just arrived a few days ago, so I haven’t gotten to know them too well yet, but they’re planning on helping out in the school. Looks like 2012 is going to be a good year for St. Cuthbert’s Primary School.

In the first week of January we, along with all our fellow Guy22 PCVs attended our Close of Service (COS) Conference. This was our last training conference as a Peace Corps Volunteer. It was also the last time we will be seeing many of our PCV friends and the last time we were all together as a group. The week was a blend of fun, nostalgia, stress and anticipation. We were at Splashmin’s, a blackwater resort about 40 minutes outside of Linden, and got to enjoy the hot showers, good food and freedom to swim in the blackwater lake every day. We spent the days in sessions, discussing logistics to going home (our official COS date is April 4th), readjustment allowance, plane tickets, health insurance, and all the millions of forms we have to fill out prior to leaving Guyana. That was slightly stressful to think about all that we have to do in the short time remaining in our service.

But then there was also a free day when we didn’t have sessions. We spent the day near the water, spent some quality time with good friends, took a little boat ride, and I (Tim) even played some Ultimate Frisbee, which I really enjoyed (I forgot how fun that game is) even though I spent the next few days with sore legs and a sore back, but it did give me an opportunity to complain that I was ollllld.

After the conference, we had to go to Town to get medical clearances and fill out several close of service forms. Now though we are back on track and ready to complete our projects.

It is a very exciting and nerve-wracking time. We just purchased our plane tickets out of the country (exciting!) so the South America trip is a reality. But before we go on our jaunt through Andes, to the Incan Trails, Bolivian lakes, Chilean beaches, and Argentinian wine country (more details to follow) we have our work here to finish. We have to say goodbye to all the friends we’ve made, complete our projects, fill out more PC forms, take a foreign service officers exam, and perhaps travel once more through the jungles and rivers of this beautiful, unique country. There are still difficulties and challenges ahead of us, but “just now” (a proper just now, mind you) we’ll be gone.

There are lessons we’ll take away, stories to share, and more adventures to be had…but all of those can be written for another day.

Tim and Paulette, our PC Training Manager

Awesome PCV friends on a boat at Splashmins

PCLP (Peace Corps Life Partners) in the blackwater

Our friend Cassie entertains us all at COS spinning a fire hula hoop!

Nature is fractal. Most things can be broken down into smaller parts that are similar to their larger origins. Small steps are always easier than larger steps. Things change, processes change, patterns change, systems change. Sometimes nature includes large jumps. They are infrequent but hugely impactful. Think asteroids. We cannot predict when they will happen. We can only know that they will happen. Don’t ignore the big one for lack of a finite prediction. Life isn’t anything like what anyone says it is. Keep doubting the experts. They are being paid to guess at the future and will continue to do so for as long as people keep paying them. Great work if you can find it. People have always been willing to pay for lousy predictions. See the tarot card readers on Venice Beach and the financial advisors in the high rises behind them on Sunset Blvd? Everybody has got to eat, just don’t give them your dinner.

Hey all!

I had an amazing time in America with my friends and family. I am the luckiest girl to have the opportunity to see so many people that I love. I shared some of my Guyanese experiences with my friends and family during my "Guyanese Night." It didn't go quite as I planned, but even still--we had fun! I had to make a lot of alterations, such as...using canned pumpkin for the Pumpkin curry. The pumpkin curry also turned out really spicy because although I brought back Guyanese spices to America, I gave them as presents and I didn't want to use their presents for the night. So Ali (my sister) and I went to an Indian market and got another kind of curry that was REALLY spicy. So that didn't turn out as planned. Then we didn't have a gas stove at home, so I couldn't cook the boulanger (eggplant) on an open flame and it didn't have the same flavor OR consistancy. Ali helped me with that one and she put it in the blender. It turned out great...but it didn't taste like boulanger choka! Then I made chana (chickpeas) which actually turned out really nice! I also made bhaggie curry (spinich) and that turned out good too. I had oil roti (everyone thought tasted like pita bread) and rice to eat the curries with. Everyone liked the food and so I am glad that I could "kind of" share what Guyanese food was like!!

I am back at school and it has been pretty exciting so far. I finally got my shipment of donated books (20 lbs!) to my school. 58 books in total...which doubles what we have now! The kids looked through the books already. They absolutely had a field day with these! I am hoping that this is the beginning of something bigger and better!

A special thanks to Elaine, Nick, Ali, and Holly for making the trip to Ohio to see me while I was home. Thanks to my family who rearranged their plans for me and made me feel so comfortable. And more thanks to all the people already in Ohio who took the time to visit with me and listen to my experiences. It meant so much to me.

More later!

Counting down the days until I am going to be in Guyana…can’t wait!

Counting down the days until I am going to be in Guyana…can’t wait!

In less than a month I will be calling Guyana home. The odds and ends that I need to accomplish before that happens seem to be never ending. The most daunting task – PACKING. Sitting in the middle of my bedroom floor with stacks of clothes, books, and ‘stuff’ around me I contemplate what items … Continue reading »

In less than a month I will be calling Guyana home. The odds and ends that I need to accomplish before that happens seem to be never ending. The most daunting task – PACKING. Sitting in the middle of my bedroom floor with stacks of clothes, books, and ‘stuff’ around me I contemplate what items … Continue reading »

While I have no doubt that the US is playing the game as it has always been played, just as rough, cruel, violent, self-serving and duplicitous while unabashedly lying to its citizens, we must stop. The spot light is on the US as the world leader. We will take the blame for the failing world economy and unstable geopolitics that we have had our dirty hands in whether it is fair or not. When the post WWII US lead party ends every nation state with a grudge is going to happily point the figure at us. Somebody has to take the fall and our ability to manage and manipulate world opinion is waning while the up and coming nation states are rapidly growing. The change power will turn on momentum and preserved future. Just like any politician that has been in office too long, people simply get tired of the same old face and the same old rhetoric. It would be wise to start cleaning up our act before we get tarred with the worst of our actions as the international power base shifts away from a US centric world.

It is hard for me to believe it is finally happening, I am going to leave for the Peace Corps. It was this time last year that I was just finishing my initial application and hitting submit, and now I am getting ready to leave for Guyana at the end of January. Looking back on … Continue reading »

I am going to Guyana. While I have known this for over two months now the excitement of finally getting an assignment wore off fast when I went to work and realized how far away my departure date of January 30, 2012 seemed. With that being said, the excitement is coming back as I look … Continue reading »

As many Peace Corps applicants know it is a slow and steady process to get an invitation to the Peace Corps. It has been a busy couple of months for me, which has helped keep my mind off the fact that I hadn’t heard anything for quite a while. I sent in my medical packet … Continue reading »

As many Peace Corps applicants know it is a slow and steady process to get an invitation to the Peace Corps. It has been a busy couple of months for me, which has helped keep my mind off the fact that I hadn’t heard anything for quite a while. I sent in my medical packet … Continue reading »

The phrase ” hurry up and wait” seems to apply to my life. I try to do as much as I can in a timely manner, just to sit back and wait for the others to make decisions. As my application for the Peace Corps sits on some nurses desk, I have hurried up and … Continue reading »

The phrase ” hurry up and wait” seems to apply to my life. I try to do as much as I can in a timely manner, just to sit back and wait for the others to make decisions. As my application for the Peace Corps sits on some nurses desk, I have hurried up and … Continue reading »

The rumors are true, medical clearance is a tedious process that will test your patients. In the initial application there is a thorough questionnaire that needs to be filled out. A “yes” to specific questions throws up a red flag no matter the severity of the situation.With that being said I needed to fill out … Continue reading »

The rumors are true, medical clearance is a tedious process that will test your patients. In the initial application there is a thorough questionnaire that needs to be filled out. A “yes” to specific questions throws up a red flag no matter the severity of the situation.With that being said I needed to fill out … Continue reading »

Life is changing and in flux. I always seem to be planning some new adventure and journey to expand my world view. The next big adventure…Peace Corps. After much thought and consideration on the different directions I could take in life, this seemed to be the best fit. Traveling, meeting new people, and doing what … Continue reading »

Life is changing and in flux. I always seem to be planning some new adventure and journey to expand my world view. The next big adventure…Peace Corps. After much thought and consideration on the different directions I could take in life, this seemed to be the best fit. Traveling, meeting new people, and doing what … Continue reading »

Welcome to our new blog!

We've created a place online where we can post information, news, and updates about the things we do at the Bartica Learning Resources Centre (BLRC).

Here's a little information about us:

Bartica is a small town of 20,000 people and rests on a peninsula where the Cuyuni and Mazaruni rivers join the mighty Essequibo (the largest river in Guyana). The BLRC is a library/resources centre at gateway to the interior of Guyana.

Our centre is run and operated by two teachers:

Tr. Angela Douglas - who is the coordinator for this center

Tr. Naomi Benn - who is the assistant coordinator and technical adviser

These two wonderful people are supported by Peace Corps, VSO, and World Teach volunteers from around the world.

Currently, we are raising money to purchase new computers for the centre so that we can begin to teach teachers and students how to improve education by using a computer.

Here is the link to our donation site if you are interested in contributing:

Computer Learning Resource Center Grant

We hope you will check back regularly to learn more about the BLRC and to see the kinds of things we do here for the schools and community members of Bartica!

All the best,

The members of the Bartica Learning Resources Centre

Today was a great day.

Children from Holy Name Primary School,visited the center to do some work with Mr. Peter Jailall.

Who is Mr. Peter Jailall? He is a Guyanese-Canadian who lives in Toronto. He is also a poet and story teller.

Mr. Jailall is here, in Guyana, to help primary students improve their writing skills and their story telling skills. He does this by first telling a story to them, then asking them to paint a picture of the story, and then by having them write their own stories.

Here are some of the paintings that children from Holy Name Primary did today.

Their stories will be published in a small booklet. Copies of this booklet will be at their school, at our library, and hopefully online at this blog!

We hope you enjoy what you see so far!

All the best,

Tr Naomi,

Bartica Learning Resources Centre,

Guyana, South America

So typically I dont use this blog to post life updates, but recently the following news came to fruition and I found it important to share with all of you. Check out our life update blog whenrichterbecomesquinlivan.blogspot.com

Friends and family, it is official. We received our nomination and invitation to serve as education and health community volunteers in the country of Guyana. Not to be mistaken with the African nations of Ghana or Guinea, Guyana is located in the North Eastern coast of South America, bordered by Venezuela (Northwest), Suriname (Southeast) and Brazil (South) SEE MAP.While not a Spanish speaking country Guyana is one of the most diverse countries in the world and certainly the most in South America. It has a history of European imperialism, multiple indigenous tribes still in existence and history of slavery. For more info check this out. We have spent the last two days researching the country and still do not feel like we know even a fraction of what there is to know.

While there is way too much about Guyana to share with all of you we can share the logistics of Peace Corps Adventure. We will be going to Miami February 7, 2009. There we will meet the 22 group of Peace Corps volunteers to go to Guyana. In Miami we will also take care of any last minute paper work, medical requirements and get any needed vaccinations for our adventure. As a group we will board a plane to Guyana. We will spend the next 8 weeks in training as a group. We will learn the language (Creolese), culture, as well as different health and safety measures that will need to be followed. During our training we will be observed and evaluated by Peace Corps Guyana and will then graduate onto our official volunteer time.

Our volunteer time will consist of 24 months of service in a extremely rural setting, with no running water or electricity. This will most likely be in the interior savanna or northern rain forest regions where there are many small indigenous villages of 200-300 people. Alyssa's project will consist of basic classroom education (math, science, reading, etc.), community development and health education. Paul's projects will include health education and outreach in schools, clinics and with NGOs. These projects set up the perfect opportunity for us to work on separate things but also at times partner together to attempt to enrich a community.

There will be many more posts to come.

Please continue to pray for our process of getting ready to leave as well as the actual journey.

If we haven't seen you in awhile please, please, please contact us because things will get crazy soon and we want to make sure we hang out with all of you.

The other day I was in the office getting ready for our midweek event when a student walked in to hang out before the night. He nonchalantly walked over to our candy grabbed something and begun eating it. He then opened the refrigerator, then the freezer, then the cabinets. He then found a bag of popcorn and put it in the microwave to begin popping it.

I had to say something. So I asked him what he was doing. "Getting a snack," he replied, as he went back to his task of meeting his "needs." I quickly removed the bag of popcorn from the microwave and threw the candy in the trash and told him that he can't just have things in the office and that he needs to ask for them. "Well, the other leaders always say that I can have things." Well first off I am not another leader and second I highly doubt that they told him he could just waltz into the office and have his way with any thing and everything there.

This event and a conversation I had with my friend Jonny Gas, has had me to thinking about the sense of entitlement in our society today. It led my students to just take things from the office, it led that guy this morning to cut me off on that wave, and ultimately it has led people to follow their own selfish interests (whether financially or socially). Everyone seems to believe that they are due theirs without contributing or putting in the work.

Im sure some of you out their believe it is a direct result of our political system. Maybe some of you feel that it is directly correlated with our lack of biblical truth. Maybe, as I believe, it is a direct result of parenting and the last half a century collapse of our family structure.

I want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on entitlement?

In May of this year I was required to write a research paper based off of what I felt was one of the greatest issues facing our world today. Barring over-population and consequently over-consumption (come on people, really you need to stop having so many babies, we dont have that much food),religious/political wars and global warming I decided to focus on our plastic garbage. Many of us have began following the "Green revolution" by using reusable plastic bags and water bottles, as well as limiting our single use plastic use. But many of us do not understand the complexities for why we limit those things other than it is good for our communities. My paper (if you wish to read it I can send it to you) focused on the finacial and environmental impact plastics have in hopes of bringing light to the issue of the longivity of plastic life. Part of my research focused on what is known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch (or gyre)".

This morning I was listening to NPR and they had researchers who have just returned from the garbage patch and were discussing their findings as well as solutions to limiting plastic waste. Listen to it (below).

Hopefully you will feel encouraged to change your lifestyle for the sake of our oceans.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2009/aug/31/scripps-scientists-discuss-expedition-great-pacifi/

Earlier this year a good friend of mine gave me a copy of Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain. It is a remarkable autobiography about Merton's early travels through Europe and the U.S., and his eventual finding of God in the mists of a world war. After being baptised into the Catholic Church he shuns society and shrinks away to a Trappist monastery where he wrote this book.

Merton, an intensely brilliant and passionate man, spent the early part of his twenties attempting to find peace after realizing that nothing in his worldly life assuaged his growing restlessness. It is from this part of his life that I wish to share a quote with you. Merton, on a transatlantic trip from England to New York realizes (After reading Karl Marxs) that he wishes to change the world and create a class-less society. Thus he becomes a self-proclaimed Communist (in word not practice). I too have fantasized about this ideal and because of this feel like I can connect. It is a long quote but worth the read.

It is true that the materialistic society, the so-called culture that has evolved under the tender mercies of capitalism, has produced what seems to be the ultimate limit of this worldliness. And nowhere, except perhaps in the analogous society of pagan Rome, has there ever been such a flowering of cheap and petty and disgusting lusts and vanities as in the world of capitalism, where there is no evil that is not fostered and encouraged for the sake of making money. We live in a society whose whole policy is to excite every nerve in the human body and keep it at the highest pitch of artificial tension, to strain every human desire to the limit and to create as many new desires and synthetic passions as possible, in order to cater to them with the products of our factories and printing presses and movie studios and all the rest.

For there can be no doubt that modern society (this from the 1930's) is in a terrible condition, and that its wars and depressions and its slums and all its other evils are principally the fruits of an unjust social system, a system that must be reformed and purified or else replaced. However, if you are wrong, does that make me right? If you are bad, does that prove that I am good? I don't know how anybody who pretends to know anything about history can be so naive as to suppose that after all these centuries of corrupt and imperfect social systems, there is eventually to evolve something perfect and pure out of them-the good out of the evil, the unchanging and stable and eternal out of the variable and mutable,m the just of of the unjust. But perhaps the revolution is a contradiction of evolution, and therefore means the replacement of the unjust by the just, of the evil by the good. And yet it is still just as naive to suppose that members of the same human species, without having changed anything but their minds, should suddenly turn around and produce anything but imperfection and, at best, the barest shadow of justice.

Earlier this morning I went to a church where that ever so popular tag line was strewed across a screen in front of the stars and stripes dramatically waving in the wind. The image was meant to stir up a sense of belonging, remembrance and pride in out country. I'm sure it did. But something felt strange because directly next to the flag lay a cross.

This blogs purpose isn't to convince you to disown America and become a Communist. I don't not love my country, but when the love of a country becomes synonymous with the act of following Christ I believe there is a major disconnect. When the flag begins to fly higher than the cross there is a problem. Shane Claiborne writes in his book The Irresistible Revolution My heart sank as I walked into the foyer and noticed something I had never seen before: the American flag standing prominently in front of the auditorium. And never before was I so heartbroken that the cross was missing...It is a dangerous day when we can take the cross out of the church more easily then the flag. No wonder it is hard for seekers to find God nowadays. It's difficult to know where Christianity ends and America begins. Our money says, "In God We Trust." God's name is on America's money, and America's flag is on God's Altars.God has blessed America. I am remembered of that everyday that I get in my car to go to the grocery store that has seemingly endless supplies of food to put in my refrigerator that will hold more than I can eat in two weeks. When we put a bumper sticker proclaiming that God needs to bless our country we are essentially spitting on everything he has already done and forgetting God's children in other countries that are suffering endless amounts. So today I ask that you ask God to bless everyone.

I thought it time to begin my own blog.

Many of you maybe familiar with the blog my wife and I share(whenrichterbecomesquinlivan.blogspot.com) which is dedicated to updates on the happenings of our family. This blog's sole purpose will be different in that it will (hopefully) allow me to write my thoughts, philosophies, frustrations and anything that I find interesting or important freely. While the other blog is truly something that allows our family and friends to continue to be involved in our life this blog will be, as the title suggests rants; Or snippets into my mind.

I like to think myself a realist, but have been called a cynic, or a pessimist. I write what I see or experience, sometime without consideration of some who are emotionally invested in a situation. I do not mention this because I lack faith in who I am, or who I have been created to be, but as a warning. Some of what I say may offend you. For that I apologize. I truly do not seek to offend, or write merely to "rock the boat" but to stir up thoughtful and authentic consideration; or as a friend recently mentioned, "to lift your blindfold."

I ask that as you read this blog, you attempt to clear your mind of any preconceptions or philosophies that you may have and thoughtfully assess my words. As my title quote mentions, I ask that you judge my rants based off of your own humble assessment of my thoughts.

As another request, I ask that you engage with me in this project. I am a full believer that a church community requires active involvement of all members. In order for that to exist a healthy, committed and authentic conversation needs to happen. This does not mean that you simply attack what I have to say with the intention of shifting my philosophies, but that you allow for dialog as a brother (or sister) in Christ. If you disagree with me give reason and I will respectfully respond.

Remember that Without Love We Perish

"Error never shows itself in its NAKED REALITY, in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary maybe led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself." - Irenaeus of Lyons