Henry in Guyana

Well, I've been here for one week and a lot has happened. Blackouts have been frequent; Saints is on a different grid to the apartment, and at one point I came home because there was a blackout at school and a few hours later got a blackout at home. One night in particular everything went off just as I was going to sleep - it was very sweaty. When the fan came on (I'd arranged it so it was ready to go) in the middle of the night it was a sudden release from stale heat to refreshing breeze..

A couple of days ago I took a trip to NCERD, the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (they spell centre correctly here!) Because of Guyana's vast interior, teaching resources are limited so there is a plan in place to equip 50 schools with computer labs and have some kind of content distribution to help teachers. I haven't really worked out what is going on there so far but they are willing for me to get involved so I will go and spend a day next week. It was a stark contrast to Saints - most rooms were air conditioned and there was a lot of flashy equipment (big flat screens) around. Government departments (although perhaps not their staff) seem comparatively well funded.

Last night after work I ended up drinking on a street corner. Another chap I work with who is my age has some friends who live nearby and a couple of them own food and drink stands. A bit later on some old boys turned up and started playing Dominos. Now in the UK, drinking on a street corner is seen as the lowest of the low, but here it's more like having a little party outdoors. It was good fun and everyone was very friendly, and quite amused at the prospect of me being here for 6 months. One of the chaps ran a stall selling puri - a kind of flatbread which I had some of. A bit later I got the munchies so I had another, this time with shark in. It tastes like a mix between chicken and fish, and in my opinion champions the best bits of both! Most chicken and fish in this country comes fried (think KFC). The other chap had a stall selling ice drinks so he had plenty of ice for us (which you need).

I have also had curry roti (another kind of flatbread) a couple of times - these are sold anywhere from street stands to McDonald's style restaurants. They're pretty tasty and quite cheap. I also ordered a "cake slice" but I would describe it as more of a cake - it was huge and less than 50p. A bit of a contrast to £2.99 for a slice of something in Starbuck's.

Tomorrow sees my first weekend in Georgetown...