Ringing in a New Year

Last year I created a list of 100 things I was thankful for or looking forward to. This year I have decided to make a list of 100 things I am thankful for. On Saturday I leave for Guyana, so expect the next blog post to happen in country!!!

1. Family
2. Health
3. Going back to Guyana!
4. Finally finished my undergrad!!!
5. Music
6. My job at Mosaic
7. My awesome co-workers from Mosaic
8. Sheltered Reality
9. FCCLA
10. The faculty/staff of North Iowa Community School District
11. The one and only Emily Bell!
12. My car, Misty
13. My Insta Fit Fam :)
14. Facebook
15. Internet
16. Social Media
17. Warmth
18. Clothing
19. Awesome cousins!
20. Many friends who are like family
21. Supervisors who appreciate what we do at my job
22. The simple joys of watching my clients see Santa for Christmas
23. Smartphones
24. My Guyana family
25. The Guyana Lutheran Music Academy
26. Airplanes (I don't want to drive to Guyana and back!)
27. Having not seen a goat or cow up close and personal in six months...(they don't play nice with cars...)
28. iMessage
29. FaceTime/Skype
30. Cameras to capture memories and share them with others
31. My wonderful professors
32. Dr. Taylor, you kept me mostly sane!
33. Love
34. A home to live in
35. Mosquito nets
36. Hammocks
37. My guitar/ukulele
38. My clients
39. My church
40. The super cool Jon Overy!
41. DCI events where I get to see Dan Sailer
42. Random road trips
43. Marching band
44. Playing in an ensemble
45. Celebration holidays
46. The Lair Clan
47. The fact that the Lairs have their own song
48. The missionaries I have met over the past two years
49. Friends who live all over the world, yay culture!
50. Experiences of a lifetime!
51. Memories
52. Acceptance of others
53. Books
54. The Mills Theatre (yay cheap movies!)
55. Having emotions, it means I am human
56. My recent lack of sleep which means I have been able to work, a ton.
57. Notebooks/post its
58. My computer
59. My cooperating teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Cook
60. The Galaxy Girls!
61. The postal service/shipping companies
62. Travel opportunities
63. The Grotewold/Lair traditional Christmas Eve
64. Soup night at the Grand, yum!
65. My past
66. My present
67. My future
68. My education
69. Wartburg College, U Rah Rah Rah!
70. Waldorf College
71. Simple joys in life
72. The space heater at the foot of my bed
73. My parents
74. People who have too much time on their hands, they provide some great mindless videos for me to wind down with after work
75. Showers
76. Clean water
77. Food to eat
78. Selfie sticks, I have some great pictures because of mine
79. Snapchat
80. Board games
81. Arts and crafts
82. People who believe in me no matter what I do
83. Receiving my Patriarchal Blessing
84. Nerf guns
85. Coloring books
86. Dogs
87. A comfy bed
88. Aloe Vera
89. Sunscreen
90. Cabin Coffee runs
91. Those who work customer service jobs
92. Spending time with friends and family
93. Being my own person
94. My life
95. Snowplow drivers
96. Locks on bathroom doors
97. Multiple modes of transportation out there
98. Overnight shipping
99. People who act as DD during nights out. Arrive alive everyone!
100. A new chapter in life

Student Teaching and Guyana

As any of you who have followed this blog or really know me at all would know I have been student teaching this semester at North Iowa Community School in the band and choir programs. Fun fact about this school, it is the first consolidated school west of the Mississippi. I have just finished my first placement on the choral side of things and I am now back in my comfort zone of the band world. We have our high school choir breakfast concert this Thursday and the middle school musical next Thursday, but other than that I am band.

 It’s amazing to me how much I have learned about myself in this short period of time.  While in Guyana I was super uncomfortable with the general music portion (academy class), but now that I have spent eight weeks with a k-4 elementary general music program I feel better about it. I would even consider taking a job that required some general music. I’m not saying I will be applying for general music positions left and right, but if I found a band job that also had maybe a few hours of elementary general music I would consider that. However, I have learned that I really don’t want to teach choir. I can do it if I have to, but I won’t be applying for any full time choir jobs at schools any time soon.

I am counting down the days until I leave for Guyana. As of October 20, 2015 at 8:10 am I have 74 days, 9 hours, 20 minutes, and 45 seconds until my scheduled departure from MSP airport to New York. In New York I will meet up with Claire to fly to Georgetown. That will be a good thing. I have been having nightmares about getting stranded in New York for a few days because of a massive snowstorm. Let’s be real. I fly out on January 2. That is a real possibility. At least I’m not having nightmares about basketball playing elephants, or giant guest eating anacondas in our lower apartment (right Claire). J If you want to know those stories you will have to ask Claire.

It’s amazing the memories that come to mind throughout my student teaching. Students will say or do something and it reminds me of something one of my Guyanese students has done, or some inside joke that Claire, Dan, or all three of us have. My current students get really confused sometimes when I laugh to myself. I have really enjoyed being able to catch up on what is happening with the academy through Claire and Twyla’s blogs as well as Skyping with them every once in a while. Twyla and I are able to text since we both have iPhones and Claire and I message through WhatsApp. I am excited to hear about our second year students’ progress and hearing stories about new first year students. I am looking forward to returning to Guyana. I left a part of my heart there, and I bet it will be there for the rest of my life. The story says if you eat Labba and drink the coffee water you will always return to Guyana. I did both of those things, so I guess I will always return. Yay!

Fundraising is in the works for my next trip. I am working on getting a concert/recital set up in Mid-November. This concert will be a little different than the one I put together in 2014. This time there will be more Guyanese music and some stories about the first year at GLMA. I hope to have a large turnout for the occasion. Maybe I will be able to put together a reception at the end again. I will give you all more information as the time gets closer. I hope many of you will be able to come, and I hope to get some of it videotaped and put on YouTube for those of you who are unable to make it.

Big News!

I am excited to announce that I will be returning to Guyana in January 2016! I will be teaching percussion and brass second semester at the Guyana Lutheran Music Academy. I will finish student teaching December 2015.

Adjusting Back to Iowa

Wow! I can’t believe it has been over a month since I moved back to Iowa from Guyana. The transition has been an interesting one to say the least. Everywhere I turn I have been asked lots of questions (as have my parents which they struggle to answer some). I thought it would be good to write all of you wonderful and interested people a blog talking about readjusting back to the United States.

To be all honest with you I have really been struggling with moving back to Iowa. It has been a lot of things that are strange, upsetting, different, and the same and it is hard to put into words what exactly I am feeling. I knew as we were debriefing in Guyana that I potentially was going to struggle, but I wasn’t sure how much. In the words of the Waldorf Music Lounge, “the struggle is real.”

The very first thing I noticed when I got home was how cold I was. Eric and I were walking through the Minneapolis airport and I was visibly shaking I was so cold. Almost every day since then I have been chilly and everyone thinks I’m crazy for that. I am slowly starting to get used to the weather, but I still make sure to bring at minimum a light jacket with me. I have rather appreciated the days that everyone else around me has hated and called “hot and muggy.” Those days I have felt like I am back in Guyana doing my thing, and it is wonderful!

So many things are different for me know. I spent about three weeks without a job, so I did not have a whole lot to do. I traveled a bit for Sheltered Reality, and helped out with painting a rental house. I even started cleaning my bedroom at my parent’s house I got so bored. I sometimes have felt like a sitting duck. I also have felt strange being back in Lake Mills. I know I call it home, but at the same time it does not feel like home any more. I have spent so much time away that I put my roots somewhere else, and it makes it hard to say I am home again. A good friend of mine who also taught in a different country sent me an article one night called “What It’s Like When Your Hometown No Longer Feels Like It’s Your Home,” and it really hit the nail on the head. It’s hard to believe that I was only gone for ten months. To me, I feel like I have been gone for years. Most of my friends no longer live in the area, or are working all the time so those connections to Lake Mills are basically gone. It is a really interesting article, and I encourage you all to read it.

Something else that has really thrown me for a loop since returning to the U.S. is the dependency on driving that we have here. In New Amsterdam I walked everywhere. The only time I took a car was if I had a lot to carry or I had to go over the bridge to Canje. I loved being able to walk everywhere. That is a lot harder to do here. I have really enjoyed taking evening walks on the bike trails around town, but for me to do most anything I have to drive places. Going shopping, you drive to Mason City. Going to church, I drive to Mason City. Going to work, I drive to Forest City. I am pretty sure I have spent more time in the car over the month and a half that I have been home than I did the entire time I was out of the country. That’s pretty crazy. I suppose that is also part of living in small town rural Iowa.

There have been things that have also been assisting me in my adjustment period. Almost immediately after getting home I took a road trip with Sheltered Reality for six days. That helped me not sit at home for a little bit not knowing what to do with my life. I was able to be in the States for a week or two before that set in. During that road trip I went to Sioux Falls where I got to see Dan and the rest of the Sailer family. It was fun to see Dan again as I hadn’t seen him for about two weeks and we were able to talk about transitioning home and what we were doing this summer. I also got to see Dan when I attended DCI Minnesota. I was able to pick him up from the Boston Crusader’s rehearsal to get some lunch and then visit with Eric before the show. That was a really fun day. I also was able to attend the GLMA Summer Lime. For those of you that do not know what that it, it is a fundraising night where we get together, have some food, talk about GLMA, celebrate our first year of school, and showcase our students. I was able to attend and tell a little bit of my GLMA story. That was a wonderful night of memories, stories, and meeting new people. I have also started my job at Mosaic again. I have switched what home I am working at, but all of the clients I had prior to Guyana I have again. I missed those kids so much, and I am happy to be working with them once again! Finally the thing that has been helping me transition back the most is the fact that I am doing it with Dan, Claire, and Emily Bell. All four of us spent a year teaching music in another country away from our family and friends. We grew and have new experiences. I have really appreciated the fact that if I am struggling or need to freak out about something I can turn to them.

Transitioning back to the States has been a struggle. People ask me all the time if I am happy to be home, and I never know if I should say yes or no. Yes, I am happy to see so many friends again. No, I am freezing and miss many, many people in Guyana. So, if you ask me that question I am probably going to give you the so-so sign and make some strange noise. No matter what my transition is like, however, it is time to get prepared for the next chapter of my life. This fall I will be student teaching K-12 grade vocal and instrumental music at North Iowa Community School District, attending Waldorf, and working for Mosaic on the weekends. Hopefully I will have a few Sheltered Reality shows sprinkled throughout there, but I don’t know for sure. All I know is that I am ready to get my student teaching done so that I can get back out into the world and continue my passion of sharing music education with others!

All Good Things Must End

Wow. What a crazy week it has been for us. This week we held our last normal classes, ran a dress rehearsal, put on a final concert, held an awards ceremony, and put together one big party. I struggled with remembering what day it was many times throughout the week, and now all three teachers are in to the single digits of days until we get to our homes. Where have the past ten months gone?!

Monday and Tuesday were our last class sessions for every student. We busily did last minute preparations for the concert and got to thank each of our classes for spending the year with us. My Tuesday/Thursday guitar class was in the singing mood that night. We would sing and play one of our concert songs and then they would start singing a new song. At one point they were singing the cup song from Pitch Perfect but they changed the words to “When you’re gone, when you’re gone. We’re gonna miss you when you’re gone.” They made me start to tear up that night. I think they were doing it on purpose too.

We decided that because of how different the concert was going to be that we needed to hold a dress rehearsal, so on Wednesday we had it. Most of our students have never heard of a dress rehearsal, so they kept asking me why we were having a fashion show. That was funny to me every time someone said it. The entire event took about two hours, but a good portion of our students came, and said it helped them a lot. We recently held a design contest for a t-shirt for the academy. Last week I went and picked up all the t-shirts so we asked our students to wear them to the dress rehearsal. We wanted to take a group picture. It is quite a production to get over 100 people together and looking good for a picture, let me tell you! I think they turned out nice though, and those pictures will serve as a great memory for me!

Thursday night was our final concert. We had over 300 people in attendance and our students did wonderfully! They certainly made the teachers all very proud of what they did this year. We started off in the academy where keyboard, percussion, and Lovely Lass performed. It was a tight fit, and we had several people out on the veranda watching through the windows. Our Lovely Lass students received their completion certificates due to the fact that they come from over the river and it would be really hard for them to travel multiple times back to back. The concert then migrated to the church which is where all the rest of the students performed. COFONA, violin, guitar, percussion, and brass all performed different pieces. The percussion class did an arrangement of “All Star” for boom whackers that Dan did. It was great! Daniel, my lone trumpet student, played a solo. I was so proud of him. I was picking up my instrument to get ready to play the duets with him and my heart just swelled as I listened to him. I know I did not play a trumpet solo in front of 300 people after playing trumpet for only 9 months. I have been able to watch him grow in his trumpet abilities, but also his self-confidence this year. Daniel and I also played two duet pieces and then Dan joined us playing trombone for a trio. I am so proud of all of my students. They all played wonderful and I am super excited about them starting their life long journeys in music.

Friday we had our awards night and end of the year party. Our students who completed year one received their certificates. At the end of the ceremony our students did appreciation. It actually lasted about an hour and a half and was very emotional for us. There were lots of pictures taken. After the whole thing was over we headed up to the academy for the party. It was crazy! Almost everyone who was at the awards ceremony went up to the academy. It was something else to see that many people in the academy at once. Once again we had lots of pictures taken as well as students giving us gifts. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to say goodbye to our students and congratulate them on all the work they have done this year.

Dan’s parents were with us the week of the concert and were a great assistance to us as we moved everything. They also helped during the party so that our students could talk and take pictures with us. Eric arrived on Sunday to start the end of the year wrap up stuff. It has been a crazy week for sure. Today I say goodbye to Claire and Dan who fly out early tomorrow morning. I really don’t know what I am feeling right now, but I know it is going to be a weird experience to walk into an empty house tonight when Eric and I return from Georgetown. Actually, waking up tomorrow morning will be super weird. That is more the part that I am dreading. It will probably hit me hard tomorrow morning. Also, tomorrow morning Eric and I will take off bright and early for Suriname. We are going to be getting a bunch of instruments repaired over there before we make one last trip into Guyana before I fly out early Tuesday morning. I can’t believe this year is coming to an end already. It feels like just a month or two ago I was walking into South High School in Minneapolis, MN meeting Claire, Dan, and Erv for the first time at orientation, and now Claire and Dan are packed and ready to move home.

My world is about to change drastically. Here goes nothing!

The Beginning of the End

Things are winding down. It’s crazy. We just held our last academy class for the 2014-2015 school year. I am coming up on the end of my first year of teaching. How can this be? I have really enjoyed getting to know all of my students, learning about a new and very diverse culture, and making music with over 120 awesome people. We have one regular class meeting left for each group, then it is dress rehearsal, concert, awards ceremony, party, and saying goodbye. There is still so much to do between now and then it is crazy!

Dan’s parents will be joining us tomorrow night for a week. They will get the chance to see the very end of the school year, plus they will help move things around and do recording stuff for the concert. We have been very blessed to have both Claire and Dan’s families be around during concert time. Claire’s family was around for our December concert and were a great help. Dan’s parents will be just as helpful I am sure. I feel like I have learned a lot about both of their families this year.    

I am really not looking forward to Saturday when we won’t have students showing up for academy class and open practice time. It will all become too real that we are closing down the school for the summer and preparing to leave the country. I’m sure we will have many students stopping by to hang out and help us with cleaning and packing. I can’t get over just how much our students come out to help us move, set up, and tear down throughout the entire year. They are all rock stars in my book!

Anyways, this is just a short blog to prepare you for the craziness of my week. I think the next ten days are going to be somewhat of a marathon until Claire and Dan head back to the U.S. and Eric and I head to Suriname!                     

Starting to Say Goodbye

Goodbyes really stink. I have entered into the time of starting to say goodbye to people that I have come to know well over my time in Guyana, and I will miss them greatly. Today was my last Sunday at the church I have been attending while in New Amsterdam. I have been their organist for seven of the past nine months. I was asked to give a talk again today as a farewell. I was really afraid I would not be able to get through my whole talk, but I basically did. I didn’t choke up until my last sentence where it really hit me that this was the last thing that this congregation of my brothers and sisters in Christ were going to hear from me. Their friendship and faith has helped me to grow in my own testimony and faith this year.

Tomorrow we have a different kind of goodbye. One that I am really not looking forward to. One of the students in the academy passed away last week from cancer. We have cancelled all classes tomorrow so that we, as the GLMA teachers, and any students who want to can attend the funeral. I know tragedy happens. Shoot, Lake Mills Class of 2010 knows a lot about that with all the death, sickness, and injuries that plagued our class during our younger years. I never thought about the fact that those things happen to teachers as well. Waldorf had the death of a senior student this year and I saw many of my mentors and professors grieving in their own way. As a first year teacher I didn’t think it would happen to me. This was an older student who had perfect attendance in the academy until he got sick. He always had a smile and made sure to greet each teacher whenever he arrived to the academy. The teachers will be offering a special musical offering at the funeral tomorrow to honor him and to share with the family.

I have 23 days left in Guyana. The goodbyes have started, but I can see the days on the calendar of goodbyes we have left. Saying goodbye to friends I have made, my students, personal relationships, the people who have treated us so well, and saying goodbye to my fellow teachers is going to be really hard. I can only imagine what I will be like when Dan and Claire leave. They fly out on June 11 while Eric and I head to Suriname for instrument repairs. I have come to know both of them so well.  All of these relationships I will cherish forever. I know I will see Dan at least once this summer and Claire and I will Skype I’m sure, but that is nothing like living and working with the same two people for ten months. We have had experiences that no one else will understand.

Goodbyes are always hard. I have come to realize that when I said goodbye to people back home before I left for Guyana was hard, but I knew I would be seeing them all again in a little over ten months. It is different here. I don’t know when I will see all these wonderful people again. I know I will someday, but not knowing when is what is making it so hard. For now, I will distract myself with my to do list of things to get done before concert week. I will take the goodbyes as they come and look forward to the exciting things ahead in the next 23 days.

These two lovely ladies are great young women and I have been blessed to get to know them this year. It was tough to say goodbye.

A Letter to Mom

To all the moms in my life, happy Mother’s Day! Thank you for everything you have done for me. And now a letter to my mom…

Dear Mom,

Today is a day that celebrates you. I haven’t really spent time with you on Mother’s Day for many years. I am usually up in Minnesota drumming at a show. So this year isn’t all that different, is it? Just because I am in a different time zone, country, and continent does not mean that I can’t still celebrate you.

You have watched and helped me to become the woman I am today. You sat through so many concerts, sporting events, Girl Scout meetings, and so much more. I have drug you around the country for Sheltered Reality, FCCLA, Girl Scouts, and life in general. Your time and energy has not gone unnoticed. Everything you do for me I take note of and thank God for.

You are a blessing in my life. You gave me life and taught me how to go for my dreams. You also accepted the fact that I was going to go for those dreams, no matter what it takes, from a young age. You let me be my own person. You let other moms watch out for me in your absence. You knew that I would travel far and wide all over the country doing what I loved, and you let me go. Without that I certainly would not be in Guyana today. You did your best to be active in my life. You became my Girl Scout troop leader, you became a Sheltered Reality site coordinator AND board member, you traveled far and wide to support me in my performances for music, speech, and athletics. You send me packages all the way to Guyana when I need things and just to know that you are thinking of me. You have given me so much.

I never thank you as much as I should. If anything you only know when I am mad or upset with you, and that is not right at all.  I hope you know that I love you very much and appreciate everything you do for me. I look forward to being able to take crazy selfies, traveling to SSDB and other drum events, and just being able to turn to you for advice and help in this crazy thing called my life.

I love you so much, and I hope you can feel it from 3,000 miles away. I come home in 37 days. Then I will be able to give you your Mother’s Day hug in person. For now, this virtual hug will have to do.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<HUG>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thank you for being you. I love you!

Love,

Kelli Jo

Easter 2014

Prom 2010

High School Graduation 2010

Steve's birthday 2011

High school graduation 2010

West Des Moines SR show

West Des Moines SR show

Indiana SSDB

Thanksgiving

Iowa State Fair

ToI SR practice

Shopping

Indiana SSDB

Texas Roadhouse on your birthday???

SR show in Austin, MN

Relay for Life, Forest City, IA

Thanksgiving 2009

Chanhassen Dinner Theatre Speech trip 2010

Jaci and Michael's Wedding

Senior recital 2014

Easter 2014

College Graduation 2014

College Graduation 2014

Thank you for everything you do for me Mom! <3

A Crazy, Hectic, All Around Insane, but Rewarding Week

Holy crazy week Batman! This week has been hectic, busy, and all around crappy, but at the same time is was very rewarding. The worst part? It’s only Wednesday! Classes were cancelled on Friday because of Labor Day. So on Friday we had some students come help us early in the morning to move the entire academy. We were preparing for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Guyana (ELCG) national convention. We had to find places to put everything and consolidate so that the academy could be transformed into the room they needed it to be for the convention meeting space. I was very happy that we had those six guys who showed up. Lord only knows how long of a day it would have been had it just been the three teachers! Davy came down to practice music for the church service that would be happening. It was nice to see Davy and Lavini (his wife who we haven’t seen for a very long time). They spent about three hours in New Amsterdam with us while we got ready for the week ahead.

Saturday was fairly low key, but still crazy. Dan and I went with our student Valini to the Berbice Indian Cultural Committee shed at Highbury. We went in order to practice for a play that we were going to be participating in for Arrival Day. Saturday also brought more setup for convention. People who were in charge of convention started to arrive so that they could set up their chairs and tables how they wanted it. Finally our friends from Suriname arrived on Saturday night with Canadians and Americans. We were not aware that there were going to be others with them, but we invited them all to dinner. It was a very hectic little bit of time as Claire and I made more food just to make sure we would have enough. We were excited to see the Kross family and Reza again, and to make some new friends. It turned out to be a wonderful evening. We were able to share about GLMA and ourselves, made new friends, ate good food (mostly prepared by Claire, but I helped), and had many laughs. We were exhausted by the end of the night. We had 13 people eating dinner. Go figure it was the end of my week to do the dishes, so I was there for quite a while.

Sunday we took off running. Sunday was the first day on the ELCG convention. It started with an opening worship service where Lutheran members from all over Guyana, Suriname, Florida, Canada, and an ELCA representative worshiped together. We had the choir and some violin students perform special pieces during the church service. The music teachers also provided all of the music for the service. We all played choruses, Dan played hymns, and I joined in on a few hymns on trumpet. During the worship service I was not feeling well. I have been saying how lucky I have been to not be sick while in Guyana. Well, it was my turn to be sick. I think I had food poisoning, but I am not 100% sure. I am better now and I never did have to go to the doctor. As soon as the service was over I was sent home to go to sleep. I did, and I woke up about half an hour before our call time for the concert. Dan and Claire were rock stars and finished everything we had to do to prepare for the concert without me. They decided I was not going to do any of the speaking parts other than introducing my own students and their music, which was probably for the best. We had a migrating concert and interactive session with the participants of the convention. They started up in the academy with the piano and percussion classes and moved down to the church for COFONA, guitar, brass, violin, and choir. During this concert we also taught a few hymns, and changed up how they did some. Many people praised us for how wonderful the concert was and how organized it was. All three of us really had to hold in our laughter, because at the end of the concert we all went crazy and felt like we had run a marathon. (Don’t get me wrong, I have never run a marathon, so I don’t know if that is actually how we would feel after that, but I can only imagine.) To us it had felt like the least organized event we had ever put on. All in all I am proud of my students. They did well. They performed the best I had ever heard them, and they deserve all the praise. At the end of the night the teachers went crazy and slept pretty dang well. We can all easily say that Sunday was in the top 5 craziest days of our musical lives.

Monday was a day of convention for Claire. Dan and I stayed around the house not doing a whole lot (Monday and Tuesday classes were cancelled because of convention). After lunch Miriam and Krystel Kross came over to watch Frozen. About 20 minutes into the movie Dan and I both looked up from our computers when Miriam said, “Hey! What happened?” Our projector lamp has finally bit the dust. It had done so well all year! I am going to try to see if we can find a replacement bulb, but I can’t get the dang cover off the projector to get to the bulb. I did some quick thinking and the girls finished the movie on my computer while Dan took a nap in his hammock. After the movie the girls discovered the various percussion instruments that had found their way onto our dining room table. I taught them how to use them, and I thought Dan was going to have a rude awaking via triangle and Miriam. I then decided to print off some coloring pages for the girls. We all laid on the floor and colored for a while before Claire came home. Miriam proceeded to tell us some wonderfully imaginative stories with the different stuffed animals that they brought and we had around the house before dinner. That evening we went out with some of the overseas participants and the Roberts to the Buccaneer for drinks, food, and fellowship. It was a wonderful end to a very relaxing day.

Tuesday was another holiday here in Guyana. May 5 celebrates Arrival Day. Arrival Day celebrates the arrival of all ethnic groups who came to Guyana. On May 5, 1828 the first East Indian indentured laborers arrived in Guyana on the Whitby (the name of the ship they came in on). They were “welcomed” by Massa Davidson (Plantation Highbury) and Massa James Blaire (Plantation Waterloo). Dan and I went with Valini to the Berbice celebration where we played Mr. Davidson (Dan) and James Blaire (me) in a 20 minute production recounting the events of that day. It was fun. We also sang “How Can I Keep from Singing” which he arranged at the event. We saw many people, multiple Indian dances, as well as heard lots of Indian songs sung by different youths and adults. Dan and I both commented on how much we like seeing the different Indian outfits. It has been a wonderful experience learning about so many different cultures.  Claire spent the day at convention. She was the GLMA representative throughout the whole convention. Dan and I returned just in time to see her come out of the academy after having put away all the tables and chairs from the convention. We decided that we were going to wait to put the academy back together which was probably a good idea. We spent the night over at the Roberts on their veranda gaffing and liming.

Today (Wednesday) we started early. We were up to say goodbye to our Surinamese friends as they left to catch the ferry back to Suriname. We then went over to the academy and started to put everything back together. We worked from about 8:30-12:00 putting things back together so that we would be ready to hold classes this evening. During that time I looked at my phone to see I had multiple emails as well as a missed call from Davy. I called him back and he asked me for my autograph. I asked him why and he said that I was on the front page of Kaieteur News. Kaieteur News is one of the national newspapers in Guyana and is “Guyana’s largest selling daily” according to their header. Later I went online to see the Mu Phi Epsilon’s (my music fraternity) Triangle has been published online. I am the feature in the international corner. It’s pretty cool to see the things you have done for a year highlighted in a magazine that is published internationally to musicians in all walk of life. I was going to go out to get fruit and try to get a copy of the paper when Liz called me over to the office. I had two priority mail envelopes. I went back to the house and opened them to find a bunch of cards for me from the Top of Iowa Sheltered Reality site. They decided to have a mission project called “Cards for Kelli.” They made me cry. After how stressful this week has been receiving that little love from home was really lovely.  We (the teachers) always laugh and say everything happens at once in Guyana when things get crazy. It is true for good things too though.

This week has been rough, stressful, and any other descriptors I could ever think of. However, it has also been a very rewarding week. My students make me very proud, and I do not want to leave them. I can’t believe we have less than a month left with them. We only have one week left where we will have a full week of class because of elections and another holiday. It’s crazy! I still have to decide what my guitar students will play for the final concert. Ahhhh! So much to do, so little time!

Claire showing off just how much space we have in the academy when everything goes to one corner. It looks like the biginning of the year again almost!

I got to drive an ATV in Guyana! I do have my Guyanese driver's license so I am allowed to do this kind of stuff!

Dan got to drive as well! We had a lot of fun with this and would love to do it again!

Me as Massa James Blaire Esq. at Tuesday's performance

Dan and I on the front page of the news paper!

A shot of everyone (except our narrator) in the play.

Your Quesions Answered

Many people, when I first told them I was coming to Guyana, had a lot of questions for me. I could answer some, but not all of them. I decided that writing a blog post dedicated to all of your questions would be a great idea. I collected questions from social media. All of them that I could find I have answered in this post. I hope this makes the picture of my life in Guyana here a little clearer for all of you.

What is the average temperature?

The average temperature seems to land somewhere between 24-32 degrees Celsius (75-89.6 degrees Fahrenheit). It has been really hot lately and seems to stick close to 30 degrees. It has been as hot at 36 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit). It is also at 90-100% humidity every day which makes thing feel super-hot and sticky. When we are in Georgetown there is usually a pretty good breeze since it is right on the coast. New Amsterdam is about 5 km from the coast so we don’t get the breeze quite as well.

Is there a rainy season?

Yes, technically there are two. December-January and May-June. However there has been lots of rain this past week, so I am wondering if the May-June rains have come early. Everyone says that those rainy seasons are shifting a lot lately and you really don’t know when the rainy season is going to get it.

What are the most popular foods related to Guyana?

The national dishes seem to be pepper pot and cook-up rice. Pepper pot is a food that is beef and peppers and spices in an au jus of sorts. Cook-up is rice with meat and other spices and veggies in there. Besides those fried rice, chow mein, curried anything, and roti are very popular.

What is the native language?

Guyana is the only English speaking country in South America. Several people speak Creole English which was a little confusing at first. Now I am much more able to understand things people are saying to me, and I have picked up a few Creole phrases that have worked their way into my everyday language.

Is it dangerous there like in other parts?

I don’t feel like it is dangerous. I am very comfortable traveling all over Guyana. I mean, we still need to be smart. I’m not going to go walking around downtown Georgetown last at night by myself as a white female. There are a few times that the teachers have been warned to stay away from certain places at specific times in the year because of the likelihood of riots or something happening. (Election times gets rather heated here).

What are living conditions like there for the average person?

It’s kind of hard to say. It seems to be that most people live fairly similar to each other. Many homes are made of tropical hardwood with opening where the walls and ceilings meet in order to have ventilation in the houses. Many of the homes that are made of this wood look like they are run down, but they aren’t. The wood does not take kindly to paint. Living conditions for many seem comfortable. Most Americans probably do not consider it comfortable, but I have realized just how much I have taken for granted back home. There are also house made of concrete. Our house is one of these. Several of the concrete houses are huge and sealed with air conditioning. Ours does not have air conditioning, but we have mesh on our windows so we have way less bugs (I don’t sleep under a mosquito net anymore at our house). It is also really interesting to me because in the states you usually see really nice parts of towns and the really sketchy parts of town. That really doesn’t happen in Guyana.  You could have a really nice house surrounded by run down homes next to businesses.  It’s crazy!

What kinds of jobs do people have?

There are all sorts of jobs. People work at schools, banks, and stores. There are a lot of people that work at the estates working with sugar cane and rice. There are a lot of people who work by having stands in the market or out on the street. They sell anything and everything. There are some places that I can pick up fruit and a canoe if I wanted!

Would you live there again? Why/Why not?

Yes, I would live in Guyana. I really like it here. The people are friendly, and I really enjoy the environment. It is really hot, but there are ways to cool down. Also, I feel like I have been much healthier here because of all of the access to really fresh fruit as well as walking all over the place. I haven’t been sick here other than a couple 24 little bugs (knock on wood). I have friends here, and anywhere I have friends I feel like I could live. I also think that I could live here on my own though. I have been really happy in Guyana, and the longer I am here I think I could live comfortably.

What is the most common animal you see?

Stray dogs. They are everywhere. Besides that you see a lot of cows roaming around. Driving between New Amsterdam to Georgetown you never fail to see horses, goats, cows, dogs, chickens, donkeys, and sometimes pigs just out walking wherever they please. That happens a lot.

What is the most dangerous animal there?

Guyana is a country that is mostly covered in rainforest. As far as the most dangerous, I don’t really know. I do know that there are anacondas, Parana, jaguars, and many other rainforest creatures out there.

Are there gunrunners at every corner?

No.

Is there a lot of snow?

New Amsterdam is roughly 6.25 degrees north of the Equator. It is rather hot, so no. There is no snow. I would actually be a little concerned if I came across snow while in Guyana.

What is your favorite kind of animal that you have seen?

My favorite animal that I have seen here are some of our friends’ puppies. Most of the dogs you see in Guyana you can’t pet because you don’t know them or if they are okay. Many of our friends have dogs and all of us enjoy being able to hold and pet them. There are lots of cool birds here too. I like the Kiskadee, the Yellow Plantain, Parrots, and Macaws. There are many birds that I can’t identify and wish I could get some good pictures of them in order to send to Steve to identify for me.

Is the pay good?

I don’t get paid, I have a living stipend which allows me to live comfortably as an American, but still living modestly like most Guyanese would.

What kind of restaurants are there?

There are a lot of Chinese and Creole restaurants. Especially in New Amsterdam. Georgetown also has Mario’s Pizza, Popeye’s, DQ, Church’s Chicken, Royal Castle, Quiznos, among many others. It is fun to go to town every once in a while and branch out our food options. Right outside of the Lutheran compound is Sue Brother’s which a Chinese restaurant is. Our neighbors run that one. We also have a student who owns a restaurant that we like to go to every once in a while.

Are you having fun?

Yes! This was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have learned a lot, grown in my teach abilities, and discovered more about myself.

Have you met anyone as cool or attractive as your awesome friend Jordan?

Haha. Jordan you set the bar pretty high. J I have met quite a few awesome people here in Guyana. Guyanese people are very friendly, so that is pretty cool.

What kinds of fruit are there?

Everything! There are the normal fruits like mangos, pineapple. There are some other ones that are new to me from here, but I don’t have pictures of them right now I will try and get pictures of them and tell you more about them in another post.

Do you swim every day?

I wish. We have actually only swam three times since we came to Guyana. The first time we swam we went to a family fun center. It was okay. The pool was tiny and there was a lot of loud music. The second time we swam was in the ocean at 63 Beech. Finally we also swam in Suriname in the Suriname River which feeds out of the Amazon River. That was pretty fun.

Will you teach there next year?

I will not be teaching with GLMA for the 2015-2016 school year. I have to return to Waldorf for one more semester so that I can student teach and be a licensed teacher in the state of Iowa. I would really like to be back next year, but my schooling is important to me, and I need to get it taken care of.

Have you done any sightseeing?

We have done a little sightseeing in Guyana. I wrote a blog about our trip to Kaietur Falls. I have been able to explore Georgetown, and can get around there on my own pretty well. Claire and I were able to go up to 63 Beach which was fun.

How many holidays do they celebrate?

I don’t really know the answer to this. There are three main religions in Guyana; Christian, Hindu, and Muslim. Many holidays celebrated by these different groups are national holidays where people do not work or have school. Many of them we find out about just a few days before hand. So, I guess I can’t really answer this question fully. I just know there are lots!

What is your favorite meal?

I think my favorite meal is bologna choca. This is roasted eggplant with garlic. You eat it with roti. It’s pretty good and super easy to cook!

Do you have any pets?

We do not have any pets. At one point there was a dog that kind of adopted us. We named him Mango. He was pretty cool, but he wasn’t a pet. We haven’t seen him for a few months. We aren’t really sure what happened to him, but we have our own hypotheses about what happened.

What do you miss most from home?

I don’t exactly know what I miss per say. I guess I miss the choices. When we were in Suriname we went to a grocery store and I went down the drink isle and it was crazy! I forgot how many different choices there are. When shopping in Guyana you take what you get and there are very few choices. So I look forward to being able to have a variety again.

What does a typical day look like?

It depends on the day. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we have classes from 3-8 pm. Tuesdays and Thursdays have classes from 4:20-8:20 pm. Saturdays we have classes 9-11 am and 1-5 pm. We have a weekly Skype meeting with Eric, planning meetings, and tennis lessons each week. Sundays are usually a day for us. We all go to different church services most of the time. Sunday is our one day off, so we try not to schedule anything to happen, but that usually doesn’t work well. During the day we have time to plan classes, practice different things for performances, write/arrange music, make copies, go shopping, and all of that stuff. Basically, the things you do on regular days after work are what we do during what most people consider a normal working day, and then we go to work.

How did I do? Did I answer all of your questions? If you think of any other questions you are dying to have answered just ask! I would love to continue to share my experiences with everyone.

**Update on April 30, 2015**

What will you miss the most when you leave (besides the people)?
I will miss how fresh the fruit is. I mean, in Iowa we have some fresh fruit, yes. But pinapples, mangos, and the sorts have to be shipped in whereas here I can go outside and pick a mango off my tree or go to the market and pick up a pineapple that was harvested that morning.

Would you go back after you obtain your license to teach in Iowa?
Yes! I would really like to come back after I have my license. Granted, I now have the teaching abroad bug, so I would really like to try other countries as well.

What are the children you teach like?
I don't have all children. My students range in age from 13-72 (yes, I have the oldest student in the academy). The kids are all like any students you would find in the U.S. Some days they are crazy, and other days there are very chill. It depends on what has been going on with schools and what holidays are coming up.

How many students do you have?
In the academy we have 140 students. In my specific classes I have a total of 34.

**Update on May 06, 2015**

A while ago you mentioned ice cream and jello. What is that about?
It is a typical dessert in Guyana. You get a scoop or two of ice cream and then a scoop of jello on top. It is pretty good, but don't put it back in the freezer and forget about it! Frozen jello is really hard to eat!

Drempel.....Suriname!!!!

De afgelopen week zijn we naar Suriname. Het was een geweldige ervaring, en een leuke kleine pauze van onze normale schema in Guyana. Je hebt waarschijnlijk geen idee wat ik zeg. Ik denk dat ik moet stoppen met het typen van Nederlandse en eigenlijk spreken Engels, zodat je niet klikt u gewoon van mijn blog en niet lezen over mijn geweldige week in Suriname. Laten we het nog eens proberen dit ...

This past week the four of us (Eric was here) headed East to Suriname. For those of you who don’t know, Suriname is the country directly to the East, looks very similar to Guyana, and the official language is Dutch. Also, in case you didn’t know, none of us speak Dutch. We were taking a week off as a Spring Break of sorts and also would be doing a few days of music workshops with kids and adults who are members of the Lutheran church (known as ELKS, kerk is Dutch for church).

In the mornings we have about 12 kids ranging in age from 6-16 which was rather interesting. That is a pretty large age group for a music class. We ended up pulling out people for different instrument lessons based on their age. We only had students interested in percussion, keyboard, and general music. Claire would take out the older students who wanted to do keyboard at the same time Dan would take out the students who wanted to do keyboard which left me with 7 kids all under the age of 9 for general music. Those of you who know me and where I prefer to teach may have already figured out I was slightly terrified. General music is not my strong suite at all. It made for a great learning environment for me, plus it felt like I was back at Camp Tanglefoot as a counselor in TW with all the Chick-a-dees! Boom Chick-a Boom was even done during these workshops! These kids were all wonderful and I really enjoyed getting to know them all and playing games with them. It was hard for me to say good bye even though we had only spent three days together.

During the evening hours we had about 14 adults come to work with us. We started with a situation very similar to academy class at GLMA and then broke up into different instrument groups. Claire would go with the keyboards, I took guitar, and Dan worked with the singers. After about a half hour we would all come back together and Dan would take the percussionists while Claire and I did other things with the rest of the group. We decided to work on “Sanctuary” for one of our songs while I accompanied on guitar. We decided to do the refrain, first verse, refrain, and end with the refrain in Dutch. Thursday night I asked if we could record it to send back to Eric and they agreed. That was the best I had heard them sing. I got goose bumps as I played and sang with them. It was a very cool experience to hear them sing and praise the Lord together. Yes, I even sang in Dutch!

We were in Suriname for Easter. Having three musicians arrive just in time for Easter made it pretty obvious that we would be playing at Easter services. There were two. One was at 6:00 am about an hour away from where we were staying and one at 9:00 at Martin Luther Church which was our main stomping grounds. Martin Luther is a beautiful church with great acoustics, so if anyone is looking to do an international tour somewhere this would be a great place! It was fun to hear real pipe organs, viola, trumpet, and voices echoing through the sanctuary.

This trip was not all about teaching or playing music, however. We got to do quite a bit to allow us to feel like we had a little bit of a vacation. We went to a river resort where we got to swim in a river that feeds out of the Amazon and into the ocean. Claire and I went to an art gallery. We went to Nieuw Amsterdam, Suriname which is a former fort that was at the mouth of the river heading towards Paramaribo. We toured a museum with lots of history of Suriname and was another old for. We spent time in the oldest part of the city. We found the I <3 SU sign and took the obligatory pictures. We watched NCAA March Madness games (sadly the team we were going for lost the championships). We listened to baseball. We went to a choir concert for a choir from a college in Trinidad. We took naps. We broke into laughter at a supermarket. Celebrated birthdays. Most importantly we played with puppies! Okay, so that isn’t the most important but you would sure think it was had you read the conversations Dan and I were having about a specific puppy.

Yes, I said we broke into a fit of laughter at a supermarket. The first night in the city a friend took us to a supermarket to buy some things. Now, this was no Walmart or CostCo, but it was about the size of Bill’s in Forest City. The first isle we walked into was the beverage isle. That is where the laughter happened. There was nothing unusual for Americans to see in that isle at all, but having lived in Guyana for eight months we were extremely surprised. We have become acostumed to not having many options when shopping and if we found something we wanted we would buy them all. The first thing I noticed about this isle is that there were about 5 different types of Coke. Woah! The supermarket was also much bigger and had brighter lights than we have been used to. A little culture shock for us.

In a way in makes me really bad that I am going to be back in Suriname for a few days prior to leaving to return home to the States, compared to Claire and Dan. It will be a good transition set for me. Plus, I really enjoy the people there so it will be fun to return to visit with friends one more time before heading home. There is a whole album on Facebook with pictures from our Suriname trip, so make sure to check it out.

My next blog I would like to answer your questions, so please ask away! Ask as many as you would like!

I <3 SU

Four White Horses with the childrens class

Those that got out while we played musical chairs helped me to turn off and on the music

Most or our kids class. We are missing the older girls.

Leading Sanctuary

In Nieuw Amsterdam, Suriname

Cute little puppy I got to play with every day!

The kids were really excited about what you could do when you took the drum head off.

The Cross family (except their oldest daughter). Claire and I stayed at their house the entire trip.