Tom's third letter

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HAPPY CHRISTMAS !

Thank you for the pictures, my wall is getting pretty full already! We have got our tinsel up in the house but we cannot find anywhere to buy a tree…
The shops have now stopped playing Brazilian music constantly. They now throw in some edited Christmas tunes with a big bass line, strange. Dan and I are still patiently waiting for snow ! Our “search” will take us to Trinidad at Christmas where we plan to do lots of diving and sunbathing. Then at New Years, I’m staying in Georgetown (Guyana’s capital). One of the teachers at Wauna is going to show me how to celebrate New Years in Guyana!
More recently, I have been getting much more involved in community life. I have just taken up a Saturday job, it’s voluntary! There’s a big store of sand about an hour into the jungle. You stand on the tractors trailer for the journey, load the trailer with a spade, then drive to Mabaruma to sell your load for G$6000 (£15). There’s three diggers on each tractor, they get paid £3.75 per day but I’m doing it for free because they already pay me too much to teach!
We recently got paid G$151,000 in G$1000 notes! That is more than all the other teachers except the headmaster. For that reason, I decided to take my 3 friends (Kezia, Devina and Javon) to a town down the river called Port Kaituma. They are teachers as well so I thought they were the right people to share my wages with. We had an amazing time, going out, shopping and eating foods that we don’t get in Wauna. I even brought back beef and mangoes and papaya. The night I got back, Dan and I cooked an amazing beef curry. Ever since I was paid, I have been cooking some great meals - curries, stews and stir frys!
On a low note, the weather isn’t that great right now. It rains quite a lot but I’m still managing to maintain my tan!
Teaching is very hectic right now. I have just had to make a lot of exams for all my classes, then make an exam timetable because the other teachers have slacked a lot since the head teacher has gone to hospital. This week is exam week, then next week are the festivities like the Christmas party, concert and meal.
The last weekend before I fly to Georgetown for Christmas, I am doing an expedition with a group of friends. The expedition is for the Presidents Youth Award which is the same as the Duke Of Edinburgh Award.
On a final note, I would like to thank all the people who helped me fundraise. All the hard work back then has definitely been worth it for the amazing time I am having and all the experiences I’ve had so far.
I hope next year is as good as this year has been!

Tom

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