Behind the Screen
The opinions, views, and insights stated within this Monologue are my own. The facts, fallacies, and errors, however, belong to someone else (see disclaimer).
Wednesday, July 31, 2002
Today I received a fun letter in the mail from my Aunt Sarah (my dad's sister). Enclosed she sent me two photographs of family members holding up signs wishing me well.
The first read "Got Milk?" and pictured Aunt Susie & Tommy, Cousin Deavon, and Nana (my dad's mom).
The second sign read "Hi Jason, We miss you" and pictured Aunt Sarah & Coker, Cousin Patrick & Nicole, and Cousin Alex (who has just started driver's ed).
Thanks Sarah and everyone for putting this all together. Your warm greetings were well received. Have fun on the coast of North Carolina this week. Wish I could be there.
This week I moved back to Station Street in the Kitty area of Georgetown. Since we are conducting our site visits right now, I thought it would easier for me to avoid the one-hour commute via mini-busses from Grove and set up temporary housing back in the city.
I would have moved back in with my previous host family of Gale, Anthony, and Zowie, but they are currently housing another volunteer -- Gina -- who is also stationed in Georgetown. Instead, I moved in with Norma and Henry, who have served as host parents for Patrick and Anna Joyce -- making them my third host family. Patrick and Anna are assigned to New Amsterdam, so they are not in town this weekend, leaving their room available for me.
Best of all, Norma and Henry have a desktop computer with Internet access. And since my WWF counterpart has been in conferences all week, I've had the chance to stay at home to get some much needed surfing done. I really needed my online fix. But I sure do miss my high-speed cable modem. 56k dial-up is painful!
Today I added a commenting system to the Monologue section of my website. At the bottom of each posting, you'll find a link that looks like this "Comment?". While I'm still in the testing phase, I hope that this new feature will give you the ability to comment on some of my posting for me and others to enjoy. Let me know what you think by trying it out now.
Tuesday, July 30, 2002
Last night I managed to sync my Palm Pilot to a host family's computer and was able to upload about 200 black and white photos that I have taken during my first eight weeks of training. They are all rather small and were taken with a low resolution, but at least they give you an idea of what I have been experiencing.
The first dozen photos or so are of us all in training. The next dozen features shots of my first host family's home, as well as their 90-pound four-year-old Zowie. You'll then find more photos of us in training, with some focus on Information Technology. After that, you'll find several photos of our group going to Baracara Resort. That was a fun trip. You'll then see photos of me and Tim's visit to Dean's home on the Essiquibo coast. Next comes some nasty photos of the loss of my toe nail, and eventually the loss of that toe nail.
I hope you enjoy them. I'll continue to shoot low resolution b&w photos during training. But once I settle in to my job and have access to a regular computer, I'll switch to a higher resolution and color format.
Here is an interesting article about Peace Corps safety. It was published by Peace Corps Online, which is distributed monthly via email.
The GAO issued its long awaited report on Peace Corps Safety and Security on July 25. The report said that assaults against Peace Corps volunteers around the world have doubled in the past decade and that Peace Corps' efforts to safeguard volunteers are not consistent. The report offered a number of recommendations to the Peace Corps to improve security. Director Vasquez with his background in law enforcement seems the ideal man to implement these changes and when he appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations committee last year during his confirmation hearings he said that he would make safety and security of volunteers one of his top priorities. Read the complete GAO report and Director Vasquez's response on what he will do to improve volunteer security.
Monday, July 29, 2002
Today I met my counterpart at the World Wildlife Fund, Dr. Patrick Williams. Patrick is the Program Officer for the Guyana branch and is one of two employees, the other being his assistant.
It wasn't until about 11:30 today that Patrick was able to find the time to meet with me. He came by the Peace Corps office, where I was waiting in the volunteer lounge. We then got in his car and drove about two miles south for a tour of his office. Located in the Bel Air Park area of Georgetown, I found the office to be quite comfortable. I hope to post photos sometime in the next month or so. In the meantime, here is the contact information:
WWF Guianas
Lot 87A, Ituni Street & Issano Place
Bel Air Park
Georgetown, Guyana
592-223-7802 tel
592-223-7801 fax
wwf@networksgy.com
http://www.wwfguianas.org/Due to Patrick attending a conference this week, we were really only able to visit for about 15 minutes. So I still do not know an awful lot about what will be expected of me, but here are some basics.
The WWF Guianas website was developed by a Peace Corps volunteer located in Suriname. She will be leaving soon, so I'll likely take over that project -- which is just what I was looking for. I'll also be developing a Knowledge Center that will enable the Guiana offices to share information with each other over a private intranet.
Part of my duties will also include conducting research on topics that interest the WWF. I'll likely be attending various conferences and workshops, as well as making trips into the field. These travel opportunities, in addition to their IT needs, are what interest me the most.
So all in all, our brief meeting today was very inspiring and offers me a lot of hope for an exciting and fruitful two years. While I would love to spend more time this week learning more about my duties, I'll just have to learn to be patient and to wait for training to end.
Saturday, July 27, 2002
Friday was a bit disappointing, for my World Wildlife Fund counterpart did not show up to the Peace Corps Counterpart Conference. The purpose of the conference was to have the 23 volunteers meet their counterparts, to learn more about what they will be doing and where they will be living, and to create an action plan for our site visits this upcoming week.
Of the 23 volunteers, I was one of three who did not have a counterpart arrive. So the three of us still have little idea of what we will be doing for the next two years.
The good news is that my counterparts from the WWF were not able to attend the conference for they have been out of town for most of this week. This news gives me the hope that a) they frequently travel throughout Guyana and b) I'll get to go with them.
On Monday, I plan to find their office and hope to learn more about their expectations of me. I'll be sure to let you know more about what I might be doing as soon as I find out myself.
I did take the time to search for some more information about the WWF and its presence in Guyana. I managed to find a website for the Guianas, which includes French Guiana, Suriname, and Guyana. Here is the link and a brief description of what they do:
WWF-Guianas, part of the global WWF family, is working to protect the forests, freshwaters and coasts of the Guianas (French Guiana, Suriname, and Guyana).
The Guianas have a rich diversity of coastal mangroves, globally significant marine turtle nesting beaches, fresh and saltwater swamps, grassy savannas, and pristine low and highland rainforests with extremely high levels of species found nowhere else in the world.
Although WWF has supported conservation activities in the Guianas since the mid-1960s, with the launching of WWF-Guianas Program in 1998, WWF adopted a regional approach to conservation in the Guianas. WWF-Guianas is coordinated from a regional office in Paramaribo, Suriname with technical staff based in Cayenne, French Guiana and Georgetown, Guyana.
WWF - Taking Action for a Living Planet
WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
Since it was founded in 1961, WWF has become one of the world's largest and most effective independent organizations dedicated to the conservation of nature. It has reached this status through a constant record of conservation achievements.
WWF now operates in around 100 countries, supported by nearly five million people worldwide. Its initials and famous Panda logo have become a powerful rallying point for everyone who cares about the future of the planet and wants to help shape it in a positive way.
Forty years ago, WWF's work consisted mainly of protecting animals and plants threatened with extinction. Not just because they are beautiful and rare, but because they are part of a complex chain in which the disappearance of even a single species can have far-reaching consequences.
Since then, the scope of the work has broadened. Today, the organization also tackles the many forms of pollution that are harming the soil, atmosphere, freshwater and oceans, which ultimately sustain life. It also looks for new and sustainable ways of using the planet's natural resources. WWF is taking action to protect the environment for people and for nature.
Thursday, July 25, 2002
Yesterday, we were all told where we will be stationed for the next two years and a few basics about what we will be doing. It is such a relief to finally know.
I will be stationed in Georgetown and will be working for the World Wildlife Fund. That's really about all I know. I know little to nothing about the organization, I do not know what I will be doing there, and I don't even know where in Georgetown it is located. But this information will come it time, much of it tomorrow.
Tomorrow, we get to meet our counterparts -- the local person who will be working with us on a daily basis. And next week, I'll be spending all of my time in Georgetown working with my counterpart, learning his/her expectations, and setting goals for the next two years. I'll then be able to offer you a lot more information about what I will be doing.
In the meantime, you might consider visiting these links -- I'm sure I will once I have the time: United States World Wildlife Fund, WWF International, and the WWF Global Network.
I have so much more to say but little time to do so, for I have only about 15 minutes per week of Internet time to give you updates. I also haven't checked my email in a few weeks, so I'm sorry if you have not heard a response from me. I enjoy hearing from friends and family and will be sure to respond once I'm able.
Tuesday, July 23, 2002
This week I received a great care package from David Pittman, a second-cousin (e.g. my dad's cousin). It was a great surprise, for it contained some of the following goodies, all of which would be great to receive from anyone else at any time (hint, hint, nudge, nudge):
- Solar Powered Mosquito Repellant
- Lonely Planet travel guide for Brazil
- A few magazines about computers and gadgets
- A copy of the Wall Street Journal
- And several photographs of family and friends
So thanks David for all of the great goodies. They were all well received and appreciated.
Should you decide to send me a care package of your own, please consider the following. For starters, sending packages via USPS air mail is the fastest and cheapest method that I've discovered so far. Second, the US Embassy opens and searches all of my mail prior to giving it to me. This naturally increases the amount of time it takes for me to receive my mail. But when a package or mail does reach me, I've found that it is always worth the wait.
Thanks David. Hope all is well in Charlotte.
Sunday, July 21, 2002
It was nice having all 23 of us back together for training this past week. We all had much to share with each other for we just switched host families on Sunday, July 14, and were visiting other volunteers the previous week. In general, many of us had a great volunteer visit but were having some anxiety for switching to new host families and neighborhoods.
On Tuesday, July 16, the six information technology volunteers spent their morning at Central High School in Georgetown. This was our second visit and last to work on the computers in their computer lab. They had six Pentium machines, some of which had only 540 MB hard drives. The lab had no network or Internet access, so much of our efforts were spent cleaning up software, reinstalling the OS, and swapping out some RAM between machines. We also brought two 286s back to life by pulling spare parts from various other machines that were stacked up as junk in the far corner. It was some great hands-on hardware experience. I feel quite comfortable taking apart a computer and putting it back together now.
The latter part of the week we had agriculture lessons. Much of it was for large-scale farming purposes, so I didn't find much of the information useful. But it was good for me to get a few blisters working out in a field.
It is rumored that we all learn what we will be doing and where we will be stationed on Wednesday. I can't tell you how relieved most of us will feel once we finally learn what we will be doing and exactly where we will be living.
Lastly, I wanted to share a few of my favorite photos. The first one is a photo of us visiting Baracara Resort on the Essiquibo river. The second photo is me taking a shower. This photo is indicative of how dirty most Guyanese get each day and how they bathe. Just kidding. I got this muddy playing ultimate Frisbee one Sunday afternoon. And the third photo is me relaxing in a hammock after a hard day of training. It's tough being a volunteer.
Tuesday, July 16, 2002
On Sunday, I said goodbye to Gale, Anthony, and Zowie as I packed up my stuff and moved to my new host family in Grove. We all had to switch host families so that those who have been living in the country get to experience city life, and vice versa.
While my new host family is great and has hosted eight other volunteers, I'm still adjusting to the change. For starters, I now have a hell of a commute to make it into Georgetown each morning for training. I have to walk about 10 minutes to get to the main road so that I can catch a mini-bus.
The mini-bus rides are horrible. The seats are two small, they cram too many people into them (up to 23 at one point, though they have seats for only 15 people), and just about every other uncomfortable amenity you can think of. Plus, they drive on all sides of the road and off.
My new host family's home is about the same size as my last one. Only this time, there are six members of their family and the host is packed with two sets of furniture. So I'm feeling a bit cramped.
We also don't have running water, so I have to "shower" out of a bucket, fill the toilet after flushing, and carry water up stairs.
But as expected, the people are great and do all they can to make me feel welcomed and comfortable. I'll write more about my experiences in Grove later.
I also want to let you know about a fellow volunteer's website. Hans Anderson is an education volunteer in training but has a computer science degree. I believe that he has forgotten more about information technology than I have ever learned. Without question, he will be a great resource for us.
Well, Hans has his own server and website that I hope you will visit. It is likely that I'll also start using his server to post photos, but we'll see. I hope you enjoy his site: http://www.thebestthing.org/.
Saturday, July 13, 2002
I've posted some more great photos taken by other volunteers during the first five weeks of training. Click here to see them. This one is a great group shot.
The health and safety of the Peace Corps volunteers remains of high importance to the staff here in Guyana. And for good reason, for it is easy for us to get ill or have some kind of security concern.
For starters, we have received a host of vaccinations and still have another round to go. Here's a list of the immunizations I've received to date, as well as the upcoming ones:
June 5:
MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella
Yellow Fever
Rabies #1June 12:
Rabies #2
Hepatitis A #1
Hepatitis B #1July 3:
Rabies #3
Diphtheria
TyphoidJuly 12:
Polio
Hepatitis B #2January 2003:
Hepatitis A #2
Hepatitis B #3Despite these precautions, several members of our group of 23 have already fallen ill. The most serious illness that one of us caught was Dengue fever, which has taken him out of training for two weeks so far. Thankfully, the Peace Corps put him up in a hotel with air conditioning.
The bad news is that according to a recent Newsweek cover story, mosquito-transmitted dengue is on the rise. Tahiti had tens of thousands of cases last year, several people died on Fiji of the severest form of dengue, and Hawaii had its first epidemic (more than 100 cases) in 50 years. And just this week, while visiting Dean in Essiquibo, I visited with another volunteer who just recently had dengue. I suppose the loss of my toenail is much better than some of the alternatives.
Friday, July 12, 2002
Last week I managed to post a 10 minute MP3 file of me talking about my first month as a Peace Corps volunteer in training. I had a lot of fun putting this "broadcast" together and hope that it will serve as a great addition to the Monologue section of my site.
I hope to record and post a new audio broadcast each month, so please be sure to return to the following hyperlink on occasion to hear the latest from me:
The last week or so has been great. Starting with Saturday, July 6, most of us went to a fourth of July party at the US Ambassador's house outside of Georgetown. The party was great, for we were fed hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, and many of the trimmings. We also had a great visit with the Ambassador, who once served as a Peace Corps volunteer himself.
On Sunday, about half of our group (10 people or so) attended a party at one of the host parent's homes. We played card games, dominoes, and sampled some of the country's finest rum.
On Monday, Tim (another GUY10 volunteer in training) and I traveled to Essequibo to spend the week with Dean, a GUY9 volunteer. Essequibo is located about halfway between the Essequibo river and Anna Regina, on the coast. To get there, Tim and had to ride a bus for 45 minutes, a speed boat for 45 minutes, and then a taxi ride for another 45 minutes.
It was a fun week with Dean. We attended some of his neighbor's wedding festivities, spent time napping in hammocks, and went to a lake to go swimming. All in all, it was a great week of 'training.'
The toenail on my right big toe, however, is getting worse and has become a bit more painful. While playing some casual volleyball at the lake on Thursday, I managed to tear more of the nail up, causing my nail to bleed around two of its edges. I'm not to pleased with this injury and hope that my nail will eventually fall of completely (or, perhaps, I'll cut it off) and grow back in good condition. We'll see.
Saturday, July 06, 2002
Here are some more online photos for you to view. These were taken and posted by Megan Rayman.
I appreciate all who visit the Monologue section of my website to hear about my experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer. But if you really want to hear about my adventures, I have created a 10 minute MP3 recording (4.3 MB) summarizing my first month in training. It is my intent to post a monthly audio update, so stay tuned. You can access this file by clicking here.
Simply download this file to your computer, double click on it, and an audio player like RealAudio, Windows Media Player, or WinAmp should open and begin playing my voice. Of course, you'll need to have this software and speakers to hear me.
On Wednesday, July 3, Georgetown experienced riots, looting, fires, and gunshots. The Peace Corps personally took all of us home from training and asked us to stay with our host families the rest of the evening. I saw some of the protestors, but no violence. Basically, the minority party stormed the president of Guyana's office and managed to break in. The president's guards killed two intruders and a few stores were looted.
Here is a follow-up story that ran on Friday in the Guyana Chronicle.
Police on high alert after violence -- two shot dead as group invades Office of the President compound
THE Police were last night on high alert and security and patrol arrangements by the Police and Army were intensified in Georgetown following the shocking midday invasion yesterday of the Office of the President compound by illegal protestors - two of whom were shot dead, nine injured and several arrested - and the burning of two Regent Street stores.
The last incident up to press time was an attempt to burn down the Courts Furniture Store and Caribbean Chemicals on Regent Street. One of the show windows of Courts was smashed, Police said.
At the time of the lunchtime attack on the Presidential Complex, President Bharrat Jagdeo was attending the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Civil Society Encounter at the Ocean View Convention Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.
In a series of events that started before sunrise, hundreds of protestors from Mr. Phillip Bynoe's People's Solidarity Movement, aligned to the main Opposition People's National Congress/Reform (PNC/R), eventually made their way to the Office of the President, where a group stormed through the gate of the compound while ministers and other officials of the Government were at work in their offices.
The Office of the President reported that the guards at the gate were assaulted and the group of criminal elements stormed into the compound. Warning shots and continuous appeals from the security ranks on duty failed to prevent the invasion, it said.
Sergeant Lewis, the officer in charge of the Presidential Guards at the New Garden Street sentry point was beaten and had to be hospitalized because of the injuries to his head, the office said.
The protestors forced their way into several offices, concentrating on the Accounts Department. The Office of the President said several staff members and work-study students were threatened, held at knife point and robbed.
The group then began to carry out an indiscriminate destruction of equipment, furniture and parts of the offices.
The Presidential guards then discharged rounds during which a man and a woman were shot dead. A black handle knife was discovered in the waist of the deceased man, Police said.
Seventeen persons who were part of the protest were arrested and are in custody, Police said.
Nine persons who suffered gunshot wounds had to be treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital, the Ministry of Health reported. Five of them were admitted to the hospital.
Those injured were: Germaine Fraser, 25, of Beterverwagting; Orland Caesar, 25, also of Beterverwagting; Tracy Hopkinson, 29, of Plaisance; Ralph Caesar, 30, of Linden; Mark Lewis, 29, of Golden Grove; Bryan London, 19, of Paradise; Andy Williams, 32, of West Ruimveldt; Kelvin Nicholson of Melanie; Clint Fletcher, 32, of Linden.
In a statement, Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy lamented that the health sector was again severely challenged as a large number of persons from the unruly protest had to be treated by the hospital, while still taking care of genuinely sick persons.
A `station wagon' was overturned and set on fire by protestors at the junction of Regent and New Garden Streets.
Down Regent Street, several huge stones and other debris were thrown on the road.
Shortly thereafter, Police reported that a group of protestors broke down the door of the Payless Variety and Gift Store on Regent Street, looted and then lit the store afire. A car parked outside of the store, which belonged to the store's owner, was also turned over and shoved on the pavement in front of the store. It caught afire as the blaze spread.
The fire soon caught on the Fullworths General Store next door. The store was gutted, except for the front half of the bottom and middle flats of the store. However, only a small quantity of goods from the ground floor was spared.
Though there were complaints that the Fire Service was slow to arrive on the scene, their actions, aided by others, helped to avert damage to other stores, including the newly opened Bounty Meat Centre.
Police said the driver of a fire tender which was proceeding to the scene of the fires was assaulted and some of his gear stolen while a wheel of the vehicle was punctured.
At the fired razed on, panic gripped Regent Street as the overhead electric wires started sparking and persons ran in fright in all directions.
As they are forced to do every time there is a protest, Regent Street stores shut their doors. Shutters were rolled up, iron doors were slammed in and ply boards, where not already, were quickly put on to protect glass show windows.
Up to dusk, some stores were still busy putting protective measures in place.
At around 14:00 hrs Police said, a vehicle owned by a Professional Distribution Investments was attacked and looted while on Oronoque Street during which a quantity of cash and cigarettes were stolen.
Police reported that the driver, salesman and another occupant fled the scene and the vehicle was later towed away by its owners.
The bus and taxi parks were also virtually cleared as the events unfolded. At least one taxi service cancelled its services for a while. When it resumed service, its customers were mainly those who wanted to be taken out of town.
The march, led by Bynoe, who has publicly indicated his alignment to the PNC/R, moved off at around 06:55 hrs from Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara.
However, the string of criminal activities started three hours before, when a fire was lit on the Victoria Public Road by criminal elements, Police said. The fire was extinguished by the Police.
Shortly after, Police said another fire was lit on the Golden Grove public road by "criminal elements" from a crowd of about 50 persons who, "while enjoying the spectacle of their unlawful actions", chanted "More fire, more fire". This fire, too, was extinguished by the Police.
Then at Belfield public road, a blockage was erected, "again by criminal elements" who placed the shell of a motor car across the road, Police said. The blockage was removed by Police.
During the march to Georgetown, which apparently grew in size from village to village, Police said, two citizens, one from Good Hope and the other from Success, were among those robbed "by criminal elements" who were in the illegal procession led by Bynoe.
Police said that in the first incident, a 42-year-old woman of Success was robbed of her gold chain and pendant valued at $16,000. The woman was a passenger on a mini-bus which was proceeding slowly along the Coldingen Public Road when another woman approached her and snatched the chain and pendant she was wearing around her neck. The robber reportedly disappeared back into the procession, Police said.
In the other incident, which occurred at about 09:25 hrs, a 32-year-old man of Success Village was robbed of his bicycle valued at $8,000. Police said four men from the procession went into his yard, beat him and his wife, then rode out the yard with the bicycle. The attackers threw his wife on the ground after the beating.
Police reported that during the protests, ten incidents of robbery with violence were perpetrated on commuters and cash and other valuables stolen by criminal elements armed with knives, sticks and metal bars.
Meantime, the group of persons who had for weeks been encamped outside the residence of the Prime Minister on Main Street, Georgetown, were no longer in sight last evening.
The Police dismantled the camp and took the materials to the Brickdam Police Station.
The persons who were in the camp were seen headed to the environs of Stabroek Market after the camp was dismantled.
The removal of the tent left the area in a filthy state, with numerous disposable food boxes and other material scattered about, changing the face of an otherwise beautiful thoroughfare that is Main Street.