Forgive them anyway.

Friends and Family,

This week seems like it has gone by in the blink of an eye. Last weekend I ended up going out with Sarah and Audrey on friday night and sleeping on saturday! It was a fun weekend that was really laid back and relaxed. On Sunday I took a day trip to a town called Parika with Ms. Marietta a mercy associate who lives with the Sisters. She wanted to show me a couple things in the area. The bus ride there was nice - I miss driving sometimes. Parika has a large boat harbor because it is on the Essiquibo river. This is one of the two major rivers in Guyana and is one of the larger rivers of South America. We saw the boats and she showed me the different places where I could get on the boats to go to different areas of the country.

When I got back to Georgetown I ended up going and visiting a few friends. My friend who has been in the bus accident last week passed by my house to visit with me. Seeing them was a really huge blessing. Although I had known that they were alright, I had heard their voice - I still didn't have the closure of actually seeing them alive and well.

Audrey and I have begun teaching a summer computer class together in Sophia at Mercy Wings. We are teaching with another man from the UK - his name is Ryan. It has been a good adventure so far. There are about 13 students in our first class and 7 in our second. We have all been taking turns teaching which makes things a lot easier than being responsible for teaching every lesson. I do like teaching but I feel like I am in need of a break! :) Ryan is new here so his energy is helping push forward the class at a good pace.

Working at the hospital this week was really slow and really crazy. It seemed like the saying when it rains it pours was very true this week. On tuesday when I was at the hospital we had VERY FEW patients and I ended up going home a little bit early because there was nothing for us to do. Friday I ended up going in during the afternoon to help out because things were going to be CRAZY, and they were. I just laughed to myself at the end of the exhausting day on friday. Sometimes that's just how life goes right.

We had one of our friends over for dinner this week, pizza and beer! When he came over and we were about to eat he was waiting for us to serve up the pizza. At that point we realized how there are still some small cultural differences that we forget about. Back home you would almost always know to help yourself and especially after being told, where as here people almost always serve you when you are eating at their house. mmmm just writing this blog makes me crave pizza again! Such a treat!

I know that I have posted this poem on my blog again - but it really has helped me this week:

Mother Teresa's Anyway Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

This week I had a long mental debate whether or not to give someone the benefit of the doubt. With all of my being I wanted to be mad and angry at the person who had wronged me, but I just didn't have it within myself. I don't know what it is but I sometimes have a really hard time holding a grudge. (sometimes) Then I reminded myself that - they said sorry - so I should forgive them. God doesn't think about forgiving me when I say sorry, he forgives me. Why do I need to think that I am more important than God to continue to hold a grudge?! I kept re-reading this poem this week to remind myself that at the end of the day it is between me and God. Life here can be tough, people can wrong you and hurt you even when you have given them your best. When this happens all I want to do is to get vexed and yell back - not call them - and push them out of my life. However, Mother Teresa reminds me that is not what Christ would do. Life is too short to stay mad. Life is too short to be bitter. Yes I have many lessons to still learn about this and people in my life who I still need to forgive, but I do feel like life here is teaching me a lesson in this. Always repeating to myself: "One day at a time".

I hope you all have a good week :)

Ashley Ann

Getting Lost, Being Lost, and Letting Go

Dear Friends and Family,

Hello! I hope that you all have had a very splendid week. I feel like this blog post will be long as I currently have a lot of thoughts running through my head. I might as well get started.

Last weekend on friday afternoon we left for camp!! The camp that we went to was up the linden highway and is called camp Kayouka. When we arrived at camp we discussed the basic ground rules and then had "tea". (Tea + snacks) That night was a low key night for us to get settled in and just mingle with each other. At first I have to admit I was kind of intimidated by the fact that I didn't know very many people. I didn't want to spend all of my time talking with Sarah and Audrey but I also wasn't the one to go out and just start talking to new people. My friend and co-worker Niall was on the trip so he helped to introduce me to a number of people.

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to pray the Angelus and then begin the day with a morning exercise. We took a long walk to the sand pits near the camp, on the way we got a little bit lost. Audrey also got lost with one other person for about fifteen minutes, I guess there was one perk to standing out in the crowd everyone noticed when the "third white girl" went missing. :) Leave it up to Audrey to get lost. The day consisted of learning how to dance, learning about music and its impact on our life, lunch, prayer, and FUN! The evening continued with dinner, games, and some adoration. After adoration we closed of the night with a Bon Fire. There were some fun skits put on by different people including a "Miss World Contest". This competition consisted of only males!! HAHA

Sunday we got up for prayer, had a session on nutrition and then had Mass with Bishop. After Mass we had some free time and then we were on our way back home. My mind was conflicted throughout the entire camp because I was expecting to go into camp and be encourage to grow in my faith. I don't want to say that we didn't take time to pray because we did, however, very few of our sessions were actually on anything faith related. It made it seem more like a camp that prays rather than a camp that is meant to be specifically for Catholic youth.


I met a lot of interesting people at camp which was good. I sometimes get so trapped in the same old routine doing the same thing. It was a very short period of time but I hope that I am able to continue some of the friendship that I made over camp. I have seen someone from camp almost every day since we left just randomly on the street. It made me realize how Georgetown can actually have a small town feel. And well I know if you went to camp your question is: "Who's your camp crush?!" Because well of course when you were little and you went to camp you always had to find a boy to be a camp crush right?! When I was little I remember one of my best friends was CONVINCED she was going to marry her camp crush. Maybe i've grown up a little bit because yes there were cute boys at camp, and I may have had a small crush - but I didn't walk away thinking any of them were going to be my future husband... sigh... maybe next camp :)

Coming back from camp the week quickly became stressful. One of the mini buses that I regularly take was in an accident. Now the accident was because of a blown tire and could happen anywhere in the world, but the bad part about it was that one of my good friends was on the bus. I got a message from a friend saying there was a bus accident and I knew my friend could possibly have been on that bus. The minute I got the message I called my friend from my house and could hear chaos going on, they then told me how they were at the public hospital in a lot of pain and they weren't sure what was going to happen them. Their phone then cut off and I was left stress, confused and upset. Audrey and I called another mutual friend who took us to the hospital. After much waiting we found out our friend had been cleared by the doctors and was put in the ward for monitoring but was going to make it. I didn't sleep well that night, or the next but after a while the stress started to dissipate. I feel like sometimes it takes moments like these in our lives to make us really appreciate people, or even the fact that we are alive. Five people died in the bus accident and many were injured. I thought for a long time whether to write this in my blog or not - but I realized that this was one of the most real experiences I have had since being here. No matter where you are in the world accidents are going to happen, lives are going to be lost because of something that in an ideal world could have been prevent, and we have to remember that we never know when it will be our time to leave this world. Life is precious and fragile - - I read a quote this week that said: “You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” -- This experience has reminded me that I need to tell those that I love how much they really mean to me. :)

I noticed that one person who I regularly see keep saying to me: "Miss you look lost". I realized how observant other people can be and how sometimes we just can't hide how we feel. It was a little bit of sunshine in the few days of frustration when I was reminded that there always people who care. :) Sometimes all it takes is for someone to notice that we are lost - to be found again. I still feel a little lost but things are coming back into place. :) 

Anyway - Graduation was on Wednesday. It was a really good ceremony. I hope to put up pictures on my next blog post. I would like to share about one student who really impressed me. Her name is Naameshwari and when she first came into this school she could barley do her alphabet. When they announced the number one student in her section, child care, it was HER! I was so impressed by her. She would spend all of her time trying to become a better person by really diving into her education. I never once heard her complain about the fact that she had an unfair life, that she wasn't good enough, or that she couldn't do it. She always had a smile on her face and she faced anything we threw at her with a perseverance that helped her accomplish every task. I will miss her dearly - not only for the passion she brought into the classroom but for all the life lessons she taught me. She reminded me weekly to be humble and speak softly. I pray she is able to continue bettering herself in the future - I will truly miss her. I have to let go and just watch now...

Wednesday night after graduation we had the schools prom. It was fun to see everyone dressed up and looking beautiful. I will make sure to put up pictures so that you are able to see. There was plenty of dancing and fun had by all. I was really glad that I was able to share that night with my students as an ending to the year.

The past two days have been laid back at work - finishing reports and setting up lesson plans and such for next year. I have a lot of work to get done this summer in preparation for next year but at least I won't have a class to teach at the same time. I haven't been to the hospital at all really this week because of how busy we have been at school. Next week I will get back into a regular routine - MWF teaching a summer computer course in Sophia (at the training centre) and T Th at the hosiptal doing my typical counseling.

Have a good week - Take one day at a time - Every day is a good day, just some are better than other.

Love,

Ashley Ann

Learning patience and crazy dreams! :)

Hello Everybody!

Well, its been two weeks since I have last written but it feels like only days ago. I realize how quickly my time here in Guyana is going by and it makes me a little sad to think about it. It has been hot here lately - and as I look at the weather it looks like it is hot everywhere!! I could really use some rain right now! :)

Mercy Wings, the school, comes to a close next Wednesday and the past two weeks have been giving exams, grading exams and having free time with the students. It has been really laid back, once exams finished, and I have enjoyed spending time talking with the students. It is crazy to think that in just one month I will have an entirely different set of students. I have learned so much from these students. They came into Mercy Wings at the same time I came to Guyana. Crazy to think about.

The reality is we did have some craziness go on. We had one student throw hot water into the face of another student which started a huge fight that ended up expelling both of them. Both students have always had major anger issues and I wasn't surprised when it happened. A couple days later we had a boy hit another boy in the face for looking at him in the wrong way. It ended up with another fight which one of them got expelled. The boy who got expelled also always had anger issues. It was difficult for me to see three students get expelled so close to graduation. Sometimes that how life is - if you go to college but then mess up right before your last set of finals you don't get your diploma either. Life is made up of the choices we make - right?

I've learned a lot about patience teaching at the school. I've also learned that if you have a lot of patience other people will notice when you lose your patience. There is someone who was constantly pushing my buttons and making my life difficult but I have been able to keep my temper for the entire year. Last friday my last piece of patience was ripped from me and I made one angry comment back at the person. The students who were around immediately said: "FINALLY, we've been waiting for you to be mean all year". It made me think for a long time - we are suppose to be helping to shape these students to be non-violent people... yet the only thing this year that has gotten a good response from them is when I do what I am teaching them not to. For me this created a large mix of emotions in myself. I one felt regret for losing my temper, and felt bad that I was a bad example for my students. Teachers are always teachers- whether in the classroom or outside in public and if I want to teach my students to be the best of themselves I must be the best of myself. Lesson learned.

Life at the hospital has been good. The other day I was wondering if anything that I do at the hospital makes a difference. Sometimes I just feel lost - then wednesday I started talking with a patient and we ended up talking for a very long time. At the end of the session he was walking outside and talking with his girlfriend and he goes "That white girl, shes legit, she makes me feel good" - and it reminded me that sometimes even though I feel like a failure as long as you put a lot of love into what you do - something good will come of it. Sometimes I focus too much on myself and how I are doing, I need to remind myself that if I give the best of what I have I shouldn't wonder - because I've already given all of me. 

One of my old roommates sent me the lyrics to a song the other day that really hit me: "If everything is Yours
I'm letting it go - No, it was never mine to hold". These lyrics reflect upon my spirituality right now. I try so badly to hold onto everything like its mine. I want to have everything under control and really - nothing here is mine anyway. The students at Mercy Wings, the patients at Mercy Hospital, my roommates and my friends. God has given me these people and places - He has put them into my life. I need to remind myself not to focus so much on me. Let go of control. Lesson in process. :) 


The other morning I had a dream where I was being chased by a ton of people. I was in an old blue truck that my family used to own and the people started pushing the truck and I was going to fall down a cliff. When I was falling down the cliff I realized that I was going to die. I started to freak out in the dream and then the impact happened and I woke suddenly on my bed. I immediately calmed down realizing that I was at home. I then thought to myself: "If that is what death is like - it won't be so bad... there will be fear and suddenness but then we end up somewhere comfortable, we end up home". This thought was kind of strange but later in the day while thinking about it, it made a lot of sense to me. If heaven really exists - and God is all that is love - maybe death really would be like a bad dream and when it ends we know where we are from the fact that we are finally in our eternal home. 


Anyway - This weekend we are going to "church camp" ... I know crazy. Its for people 18-30. One of my co-workers talked me into it. I guess that I am glad to be going - I will let you know all about it. Until then you have my love and prayers! Also - please write to me. I've been having a very severe drought of letters!! 


Remember: Every Saint has a past, and every sinner a future :)


Ashley Ann

Happy Birthday Gma and Uncle Matt

Hello Everyone,

It feels like this week went by in a blink of an eye. Last weekend ended up being a really laid back weekend in which we all did a whole lot of nothing. On Sunday night we ended up going out with a friend who helps to teach the boys at the orphanage music. It was alright. I ended up talking with a good friend for a long time Sunday night. I find it really good to talk with people who are very objective and don't let emotions cloud their thinking. Sometimes this can lead to the harsh truth when maybe you want something sugar coated but for me that is exactly what I need. If I go to someone who is going to try and make me feel better rather than showing me how ridiculous I am being then I don't start to think rationally. I am glad that I even have friends here who will help put me back in place. :)

This week at work was fine. I spent a lot of time giving tests and observing the students as the term is coming to the end. It is crazy to think that at the end of July I will be done with these students. They came into the school the same time I came into Guyana and I feel like together we have both done a lot of growing and changing. Hopefully for the better! :)

Work at the hospital was fine this week. I ended up having a conversation for a long time with someone about God and HIV. Although I believe miracles could happen, I had to convince the person how important it is for them to rely on medicine vs. the fact that God will cure them from HIV. We should not have faith without reason - but also people are taught that God can do anything. I think that can be a fine line in peoples minds and sometimes it can end up being dangerous for people with conditions that are slowly killing them. If you are stranded out in the middle of the ocean trying to get to safety and you keep asking God to help without trying to row the boat yourself you are never going to get anywhere. We always have to have faith but we have to row our own boats too.

I did forget to mention that last weekend my family ended up calling me! I was laying in bed about to fall asleep when my phone rang. My family was together for my Grandmothers birthday party. It was really good to hear from them all as they all sounded like they were having a really good time! I was sad to miss my grandmothers birthday. I have lived with my Gma Theresa since I was eight years old! There are so many things that I have learned from my grandma that if I took the time to write them all out I would far surpass my time on the internet. She always taught me to iron my clothes, sit up straight, and have the proper manners. She also always lead by example in teaching me compassion. My grandmother always goes above and beyond to do things for other people. She forgives easily and always helps other whenever they ask. My grandmother took care of my great grandmother for years and year and never did I ever hear her complain. If I live life to be half the person she is I will be a great person.

It was my Uncle Matt's birthday yesterday! My uncle Matt was the man who taught me how to ride my bike without training wheels. I still remember we were having a conversation at lunch at my Gma's and he couldn't believe that I still had training wheels. He told me after lunch I was going to go learn to ride without them. I remember going out there and him running beside me telling me he had the bike - but really I was riding on my own. This memory reminds me of how sometimes we just need to have someone believe in us in order to have the faith in ourselves. My uncle Matt has always had great support for me in my time here in Guyana and I am very thankful for that! (And for everything he teaches me about cooking!)

Well, I have also had a very quiet weekend this weekend. Friday night I ended up reading for most of the night. It was a really good time just to escape from life for a bit and enjoy things. Yesterday I spent the day doing errands and then ended up traveling out of town 22 km for a BBQ. It was fine although in true Guyanese fashion we ended up waiting like three hours for food. By the time we got our food we ended up leaving and going home. It was good food so at least it was somewhat worth the wait. Monday is a holiday here as well so I am excited for a long weekend. The holiday is CARICOM day and I am not sure exactly what it is about. CARICOM is the Caribbean community thing - I should probably be more specific but I am unsure myself. Anyway - I hope you all have a good week.

I will leave you with a quote that my good friend ZPR left on my facebook wall:

No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth. ~Robert Southey

Have a blessed and happy 4th of July! Wishing I could be in the states to celebrate! Happy Birthday America!

 

Love and prayers, 

Ashley Ann

Creek, Egg Bake, and Chicken Pot Pie!

Family and Friends,

Well once again another week of life has gone by. I can't believe that it is almost the end of June already. Last weekend was Sarah's birthday and we had a wonderful weekend. Sarah had to work on Saturday all day but when she got home she was really tired. She decided we would just have a couple people over and then go to bed. We had some people over for cake - and half way through eating Sarah changed her mind and decided that she wanted to go out. We ended up going out of town just a few miles and hanging out at a bar near the national stadium. It was a really fun place with not too many and not too little people. We had a great night! :) The next morning we got up and went to the creek with a friend of ours. We ended up seeing a ton of people that we knew there and hung out all day. We didn't get back to Georgetown until about 8pm. The creek is one of my favorite places because you can swim, relax, and enjoy the day with no stress. The creek is made up of "black water" and looks like coca cola. The water is this color because of the sediments from the leaves the fall into the water. They saw if you drink black water and eat laba (wild meat..wild rat) you will come back to Guyana. I have yet to drink black water or eat wild meat from the fear of getting sick. I guess if you count all the water that got up my nose then maybe I have drank some black water! :)

This week was fine and normal until Friday when my school decided to take a trip to the New Amsterdam Prison. The trip to the prison was about a two hour drive. We had to reach "town" (Bus park) for 7:00 am and we ended up leaving town around 7:45. When we reached the prison they were having a meeting so we had to wait about 15 minutes before we were brought inside. Once we were inside we had a brief info session and then we were able to eat our lunch. After lunch we packed all our stuff back into the bus and entered the prison. Once inside the prison they explained to us the different things about the prison. They are allowed 2 phone calls, 2 letters, and one visitor per month. They have different uniforms depending on if they are in for capital offense (murder) than if they are a normal committed prisoner. The remand prisoners get to wear their own clothes from home unless they are on remand for capital offense.

After the briefing we were able to go and sit and talk with the prisoners. I went into the lunch room for a while and talk to a few different women for just a brief period of time. They are a few inmates from the US there and hearing them talk made me realize most of them were from New York. (Which they then confirmed) After a few minutes I went back outside to a different sitting area and sat down next to a girl about my age. We started talking for about a half an hour about random stuff. One thing that we talked about was how so many different church groups come in and she doesn't like it because they all preach a different thing. She made a comment on how even though they are all Christian they all answer questions differently and she doesn't like the fact that its never the same.

After some more random conversation we were talking about tattoos and somehow tattoos lead into her telling me the story of what had happened. She is being charged with a capital offense for killing her lover. The details of the story all become blurry to me now but I just remember what she kept saying to me: "in one second of your life everything can change forever because of one small event". She kept saying how one moment can change someones entire life. She never in her life had intentions to hurt anyone. She then proceeded to tell me how she had hoped to continue her education and if she is found innocent.

As we continued to talk we ended up talking about how much we both like to write. Both of us record everything we do for the day and it is our way to clear our minds. As we were having this conversation I realized how much we have in common. We are both young women with hopes for the future. My heart went out to her as I could sense her true remorse for everything that had happened.

After our conversation we ended up going back over to the meeting area where seven different prisoners talked with us about their experience. They all explained their circumstances of what they had done and how long they were in jail for. Something that really stuck out to me was: "Nothing that comes easy in life lasts long". They kept repeating to the students: "If something seems to good to be true, than it is". I was amazed at their ability to talk about their mistakes and share so much insight to those of us on the outside. They all emphasized how important it is that the students live good lives so they won't have their freedom stripped of them. Having someone tell you what to do 24 hours a day can make you feel and think like a robot.

The students all responded well to the prison trip although, it was emotional for them. I think that I was reminded of the compassion that we all need to have in life. It is much easier for me to have compassion on someone who I don't know, and who never hurt me. For me to talk with the girl who had murdered someone it was easy to see the good and beautiful things inside of her without having judgment on what she had did. Had I known this girl and seen the altercation my opinion may have changed and it would be much easier for me to judge with a harsh eye. Sometimes we need to be reminded of the compassion that comes when we have no emotions tied to the situation. Its easier to be mad at someone you know because it affects your own life. It would be impossible for us to remove emotions and personal ties to incidents in which people have hurt us and therefore I know it would be impossible to have the same ease of compassion but, experiencing this type of compassion has helped me to see areas of my life where I know I lack compassion. None of us are perfect, everyone makes mistakes, and yet forgiveness and compassion can be a very difficult road.

On a lighter note our house has been full of many different foods this week! My aunt and uncle sent me a WONDERFUL cook book and it has added spice to our lives. My roommate Audrey made an egg bake and my roommate Sarah made chicken pot pie. This week I cooked a pasta with eggplant, tomato, and pesto sauce my family bought me while they were here. It has been a really huge blessing in our lives because we all got into the routine of cooking the same things over and over again. Its amazing how the simple things in life can be an adventure when you are trying something new.

Anyway - I hope and pray that you all have a blessed week. "Peace begins with a smile" - M. Teresa

Ashley Ann

Sea Turtle?!?

Hello All,

I haven't written since my family left about life here so I guess I have two weeks to catch up on. My family left on the 5th of June and that day was filled with a large nap and then I went to hang out with some of my friends on the sea wall. I really enjoy spending time just sitting on the sea wall - there is always a really great breeze and its a very relaxing spot. I had to stay up that night until 12 am + because I was going to the airport with Sarah and our friend Alex to pick up Sarah's friend Jonathon. It was a nice trip because there was very little traffic and I forget how much I miss riding in cars. Yes, I do get to ride in buses and taxis but I miss taking long drives. I never thought I would miss that long drive from Morris to Ely. :)

Work at the hospital for the past two weeks has been really rewarding. I had a man come in the other day who just loved to talk. We weren't really talking about anything in particular but he just wanted to talk. I ended up spending close to two hours with him in an educational session that would have normally taken a half hour. I guess the great thing about it is that I have learned just to let people talk and enjoy the time. It was a slow day and I didn't have anything else pressing to get done so I kept reminding myself to be present at the moment. Also I have realized how glad I am to have such wonderful co-workers at Mercy. They always have interesting stories and make me laugh. They keep telling me how Guyanese I am becoming and it is quite amusing. They laugh because I like hot pepper sauce and when I first came I couldn't take any heat.

Jonathon Sarah's friend was here for the first week and we had a really good time. On last wednesday we went out to the coffee shop together and it was really fun. It was good to see one of Sarah's friends and see a little bit more of what her past life was like. You can hear so much about a person but until you meet them it is hard to put everything together.

Last friday there were some short term volunteers here and another friend invited them over to their house so we went as well. It was good to answer questions about Guyana. One of the young men was interested in doing overseas service and he asked me a whole bunch of questions about it. One of his greatest fears was the people were going to forget him. I told him that yes some people do forget you, but in the end the people who don't forget you are the ones who really matter. It shows you who is important in your life and who it is time to move on from. Although at times this can be really painful it can also be like a good cleaning of your social life. It can also help you to remember to focus on who is really important in your life.

On Saturday night before Jonathon flew out a bunch of us went to the seawall to chill. My friend and I were standing out by the ocean and we ended up seeing a SEA TURTLE!!! It was quite crazy. We called our friends over and they all saw it. The turtle was being confused by the lights of the city and couldn't find the ocean. We picked up the turtle and carried him back to the ocean. He really shouldn't have been trying to lay eggs by GT anyway - I hope that he found a nice beach somewhere down the coast.

Sunday I did some cooking and brought some food over by a friend. It was a lot of fun to do and Audrey and I ended up spending the whole day over there. We really didn't do anything. I think that is the thing I enjoy most about being here is the fact that some days we can really just do nothing but just enjoy the simple things of life. I have learned to slow down and become relaxed. Life really can be simple sometimes.

After all of this took place and this week approached I realized how Chaotic my room had become. I spent some good time listening to my favorite band, the fray, and organized everything in my room. My family brought me a bunch of stuff and when I looked at it all I realized I had enough deodorant to last me until the apocalypse. The funny thing is Sarah came and told me that she just went and bought some - we all laughed at the irony! I told her she should have come to the "Ashley deodorant store".

We had a farewell mass this tuesday for two Jesuit priest who are leaving the country. It was beautiful to think of all the wonderful things they have done for the country of Guyana. It made me realize how quickly 2 years can go and made me a little bit sad that someday I too will have to leave this place. I really am blessed to have the opportunity to live here.

Last night we ended up going out to say goodbye to the volunteers. Many of the sisters and boys from the boys home were there. It was good to talk with them all. In the end the volunteers gave us a bunch of shampoo which was really appreciated!! They were all really sweet people and it was beautiful to see the love they had for the boys.

The last thing that I really didn't talk about was the fact that Drew and Seth were ordained deacons last friday. This was really difficult for me to miss as both of them are so close to my heart. I know that they will do beautiful things for the Church throughout their lives. Drew and Seth both encourage me to be a better person. They help me to remember that no matter what I am struggling with back home someone really cares for me and loves me. Often times when I find letters from Drew and Seth in my mail box I don't even want to open them because I want to save it for a really special time. Of course I can't wait for that but I do enjoy every word they write - its like receiving love in an envelope.

"Teach us to give and not to count the cost" - St. Ignatius of Loyola.

This quote is one that reminds me of their unfailing friendship - I could never repay them for their dedication and love that they have shown me. They truly show me the face of Christ.

I pray that you will all have a blessed and great week. Until next week!

Much Love,

Ashley Ann

Family, Family, Family

Hello All,

It has been two weeks since I have last written and the last two weeks have been busy, crazy, and AMAZING. On the 24th of May my sister flew into GT, and on the 29th my Mother, Grandmother, and Aunt flew in. I have so much to recap about :)

I was super anxious for my sister to arrive that the night before she flew in I had a hard time sleeping. I felt like I woke up every hour thinking that I had overslept. By the time the taxi came I had been ready for quite some time. The ride to the airport is about 45 minutes. The taxi driver that I had was real nice. His name was Giddel. One interesting thing that he asked me on the drive was: "Are you religious, and if so are you devout?" He then began to tell me how he thought one of the largest problems with the world today is that many people have beliefs but they are not devout enough in their beliefs. We say one thing but our actions do not follow through. I was pretty impressed by his desire to share this with me in the early hours of the day. He really was an inspiration to me. 

When I arrived at the airport I was so excited to see my sister I could hardly wait. She came out quickly and when I saw her I thought she looked like a lost duck... and when she found me it was like everything was okay. It was a pretty cute moment. This was followed by a car ride that had her gripping my arm! I sometimes forget how crazy people here can drive - I guess I've gotten used to this by now. I didn't let my sister off on an easy day.. right away I brought her to the school because it was one of the only chances she would have to be with my girls. We sat in the computer room and they asked her all kinds of questions. It helped me to remember what it was like when I first got to Guyana. It is hard to understand how people talk when you first arrive and I felt like I was doing quite a bit of translating :) The rest of the day we just walk around, I fed her, put her for a nap, and had a lot of good talks. 

Wednesday(5/25) I ended up going to work at the hospital and she ended up going up to work with Audrey at the orphanage. I know that she really enjoyed her day up there. She ended up reading some books to the first grade boys. The boys were all asking her tons of questions. At three Audrey brought her up to the hospital so I was able to show her some of the things that we do. I then walked home with her and Audrey. We rested for a while and then went to dinner with my two friends Wai Wai and Andrew. It was good for her to meet some of my friends because I had described her to them for so long. After dinner we ended up going out dancing. It was really fun - the first drink I bought my sister was rum and coke, there was such little coke she seemed really apprehensive but after one sip she said "Rum here doesn't even need coke!!". 

Thursday was a public holiday so we didn't have anything to do. Since we had this free day we ended up going to the pool and laying around for the day. It was a wonderful day just laying around and enjoying the sun. Thursday reminded me how to enjoy the little things in life. We got home from the pool, I cooked a little bit and then we ended up going to bed.

Friday we woke up to a rainstorm. We ended up catching a bus to go to work and made it to work on time despite the rain! When we got to school there was only six students and not all of the teachers had made it either. I feel like this was the point in which my sister experienced some of the really true laid back culture of Guyana. We were to go on a field trip that day at 10:00 am. We ended up not doing anything until ten but sitting around, and then when ten came it took the bus at least another forty minutes to show up. Brittany did get some good quality time with my students and one of them put "platts" (braids) in her hair. :) When we finally went to the museum it was alright but nothing worth bragging about. The only exciting part was there was a giant sloth replica in one room. The Sloth literally stood about 20 feet, it was pretty cool. My students kept touching it even though there was a very large "DO NOT TOUCH" sign. After the museum we went grabbed some food and then spent the afternoon shopping. Now this was an experience for my sister since  things here are crazy, hot, and confusing. At first she got frustrated and we both got frustrated at each other but after a few minutes things settled down and in the end we ended up having a good time. When we were buying our last piece of clothing we had only exactly enough money to take the bus back home... successful day!!! Friday night we ended up going out with my friends for my birthday. We started out at a bar and then ended up going dancing after. It was one of the highlights of the weekend!

Saturday we ended up running around, doing errands, Brittany got her nails done and I cleaned the house. Saturday was just kind of a day for us to relax. That night we went to the Mercy Hospital fundraiser. The food was good but none of us are really into "old time music" which it was a "Old time BBQ and Dance" so we only ended up staying for a short amount of time.

Sunday morning I woke up early once again to make the 40 minute trek to the airport. I was less nervous going to pick up the rest of my family than picking up my sister. When I got to the airport I only had to wait around 1/2 hour for everyone to show up through the line. It was crazy to see my Mother, Aunt and Grandmother walking through the gate. When I hugged them all and talked with them I was AMAZED by their strong Minnesota accents. It was the first thing that I really remember and it made me feel like there was home with me already. We took the crazy drive into GT and went straight up to the Grand Coastal. I chilled with my family as they showered and got ready for the day. It was great just to sit with them but it almost felt surreal to me. It was different that I expected but way better than I could have ever hoped. Eventually we went back to our house where we had a small lunch and get together for my birthday. We ate really good food that one of my friends had made and sat around and talked all day. It was crazy for me because it was like a collision of two worlds. I was with some people who have been close to me for months now, and my family who has known me forever and it was weird for me to see them meet. Although it was different it was a great experience looking back at it. Grandma and I then went to church and then met up with the rest of the group when we were to go to dinner with the Sister. Dinner at the Sisters was good. I was glad they got to see the house I lived in for a very short period of time when I first arrived and met the women who are so influential in my life. They are all older women but still full of much wisdom and strength in their ministries and lives.

Monday was my actual birthday so I woke up and ate breakfast with my family! :) We took our time getting ready and then went to Mercy Wings the school that I teach at. It was really good to show them the school because I now hope they are able to connect my stories with pictures. The students were all really excited to meet them and they still ask me when my family is coming back. My co-workers all commented on how everyone in my family all looks similar. Everyone kept getting confused on who was who and it was pretty comical. After the school we ran up to the hospital and took a small quick tour. We got to see some of my co-workers which was really good. We quick grabbed something to eat in the canteen and then headed up to St. John Bosco orphanage. It was good for my family to see the school, and shortly after school was over they were able to play with the boys a little bit. The boys are one of my favorite parts about Guyana so I felt blessed to be able to share that with them. After Britt and Grandma went up to the hotel and my mom, aunt and I went running errands around town. This is when they met their to be favorite taxi driver "Wesson". My aunt kept calling him "Russel" until he said "Wesson, you know like the oil". It was all really funny and cute. That night we went for a really good dinner at the Pegasus for my birthday. Audrey and Sarah were able to join us for dinner which was really cool for me because they are like my family here.

Tuesday we woke up and our plans had been changed a little bit because it was raining. We ended up going to the City Mall and shopping. Not only did we shop but everyone ended up getting their nails painted, except Britt and I who ended up getting our toes painted. It was a fun adventure. We got some cute shoes too! (which my family ended up taking mine to the states :( ) After the mall we ended up going back to the hotel to eat some lunch. We all then hung out around the pool until we had to go to the sisters. We first went to Sister Noel and Celine Marie's house. It was a really good visit as they are so sweet to us. After our visit with them we had to head over to Pere Street convent to visit with the sisters. This was also a very good visit as these are the sisters that we live the closest to! After all the visiting we ended up just going home and chilling.

Wednesday was one of my Favorite days! We woke up and went to the El Dorado Rum tour. This is a tour in which you get to see the process by which the rum is made! After the rum making tour and seeing the warehouse where the store it all we were able to have a rum sampling tour. This was a really fun part. You get to test each rum 3 year, 5 year, 8 year, and 12 year. They then mixed the rum with different things to try it with and talked about things like "bruising the rum". It was pretty exciting. After the rum tour we had a very quick change around and got on the bus to go to Arrowpoint Resort. We had about a 45 minute bus ride and then an hour boat ride to the resort. The Resort was beautiful when we first arrived. It was so absolutely quiet I was shocked. I hadn't been somewhere that quiet since I arrived in Guyana. It was a huge relief to be somewhere peaceful and quiet.

Arrowpoint resort was AMAZING. It is a resort that is full of activity and peace. We went on a walk through the jungle, and then we kayaked our way back to the resort down the river. Even my grandmother got herself in and out of the kayak! The kayak was one of my favorite memories because the water looked like a mirror and everything was green and beautiful. I was in a kayak with my mother and well... its been a while since she has steered any motor craft manually - but we ended up having a great time. After that we had a beautiful dinner around a bon fire on the beach. The night ended with a night walk through the woods where we saw a GIANT spider eat a grasshopper! The guide on the night walk was great and he even told scary stories! My family may have freaked out a little bit... my mother and my aunt may be brave people in character - but not in the jungle at night! When we finished the walk we went Cayman (small alligator) spotting. That was a lot of fun and we saw quite a few. I also saw a big snake hanging from a tree :) Yay for wildlife. We all went back to our rooms and I tucked everyone into their mosquito nets. Once everyone was tucked in we passed out until it was 5:30 am when we got up to go see the birds.

The morning was beautiful! We went to go see the largest species of hummingbirds in the world! We saw them and they were very beautiful. We were also able to see a tucan! After our bird watching adventure we went back and I took a nap in the hammock. After that we ate breakfast and had a break until we were to go visit the Ameridian village called Santa Mission. The visit to the village was good. There was a 300+ year old tree, a craft shop, and lots of interesting trees. It rained a little bit, and although I complained, rain never killed anyone. After that we had some break until lunch. After lunch we just hung out by the water until our epic bike ride through the jungle. My mom, aunt, and I went biking and I was the only one to run into a tree. (I may still have a huge bruise to prove this) The bike ride was pretty awesome. I wish that I could go biking through the jungle everyday! After that it was sad but the truth was it was time to go. We took one last jump in the creek, got our stuff together, and hopped on the boat to go back to Georgetown. Once we reached GT my family went to the hotel and I went home to clean up. We all ended up meeting together that night and ate dinner. We all ended up going to bed early.

Friday I woke up and I did not feel well at all. I don't know what was wrong but I was defiantly sick. We all went into town to take a walk around my neighborhood. It was an interesting walk and I think my family got a little taste of the CRAZINESS of my daily life. Sometimes I forget how crazy things can be around here until I have someone from back home experience them. By the time we got to the grocery store and bought some food a few family members opted to take a taxi home and avoid the craziness.   I ended up running around town with my mom and aunt while my sister and grandmother went back to the hotel. We saw all of the typical Georgetown sights and also ate some "green mangos". When we finished they dropped me back at the house where I passed out for three hours because I felt so sick. We ended up meeting up for dinner at a very good Brazilian restaurant and then going back to the hotel for bed. I was really sad that I had to sleep but there was just nothing I could do, if you are sick you are sick. Life goes that way and you can't dwell on it I guess.

The next day we went to Kaieteur Falls. Website... click here!  <-- Really click there its legit and then I don't have to explain so much myself. haha :) If you clicked on the website then I don't really need to expalin how amazing our day was. The flight was good and beautiful, the weather was good, (just a little mist) and the company was the best.

Once we got back from the waterfall we all went back to the hotel. I had to collect some things from my house and then went out. The last night we ate together and hung out with a couple of my friends. It was a very relaxing last night. I was really glad to just sit around and talk.

Sunday morning I woke up at 4am and said goodbye to family near five. Although surreal because it was so early in the morning it was really sad to see them go. It was a wonderful experience having my family here. I think that it really changed my view on my mission here. At one point to me my sister said: "You just don't understand you've changed and we haven't and sometimes you forget that". It was difficult at first to be hit with reminder of life back home but after a short time I was able to adjust and remember my life and what exactly it was. It reminded me that my transition back home will be difficult but not impossible and that although people change and this can lead to some difficulties really in the end it will just enrich your relationships. Once I was able to get over the small reverse culture shock I encountered, I was able to remember the things that were important in life which is those that we love. I can't say how much it meant to me to just sit down and talk with people that knew me so well. Even if we weren't talking about something important there was something powerful about being with those who have known you for your entire life.

You don't choose your family.  They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.  ~Desmond Tutu

I find this quote to really describe what I was reminded while my family was here. You don't choose who you are related to - but the point is that you are with these people for a reason. I believe there is a reason for everything and each person in my family came to Guyana for a certain reason. Each of them reminded me of how much love God has for me and how much love I have back home. If it wasn't for my family I wouldn't be able to do all of this work here and feel so supported. Even my family back home that was unable to visit was a huge support to me during the week that my family was here. I am blessed to have such a giving and loving family. 

Well I am trying to get my family to give me some stories to share with you! But until then I feel like this is enough for now. I will try and get some pictures up soon!

Love and Prayers, 

Ashley Ann