A long week to… open a new Guyana Deaf club

Celebrating the New Year in Georgetown, Guyana!

Jermanine the daughter of Deaf mother burned by a boiled-water pan, she was brave girl at the hospital!

We were so proud of our new club, Deaf power!

Gloria (70's yellow hat) was so eager to see the Deaf facilitators' speech

Deaf facilitators Steven Wynne and Ashton gave some emotional speeches


How are you all? Still fed up with cold weather eh? Actually I love the winter, I’m thinking of becoming a coalman when I get back, still hot here!! You can survive through beautiful weather in the UK! Worried about felling sleep while reading? Put up with English language as your second? I will do my best to entertain you all briefly! I wish I could use my first language beautiful BSL and ASL on blog with my thoughts and expression… because my ESL (English as a second language) word is not really expressive.

A week before the opening of a new Guyana Deaf club, well it was 8 days…. On the 20th January 2006, there was a welcome party at Celina bar for 4 new volunteers from Ireland and England. I wore a beautiful new black t-shirt with VSO logo on the sleeve and VSO in finger-spelling ASL with VSO, that logo I designed from my Dutch friend Marco’s vee idea. Most Very Sexy Organisation (VSO) volunteers wore different colour of their new t-shirts, especially some of Dutch volunteers chosen orange ones; further especially Marco bought 2 SAME white t-shirt and orange t-shirt!

Stevo and I rode our ‘impaired’ bike on the way to Celina’s bar, I saw a new volunteer walked (actually I first saw the back of her head at VSO office, haven’t got a chance to meet her as she walked around like me when I first arrived), so I hand- braked so hard as this brake is impaired too. Unfortunately, as a non-white man myself, she thought I was Guyanese man gave her a bit uncomfortable. I noticed her body language, I pointed VSO on my sleeve t-shirt to show her I am not scary! We arrived at Celina, this bar look like the resort but without beds, mosquito net, bed & breakfast, yeah lovely beach too but fantastic fountain. I met all new volunteers, they are very lovely and sweet. One of them are Irish called Amber who can sign ISL! All drinks and bufflets for free, of course I ordered loads of lagers in Yorkshirean way! It was quite good night! After that, we went to my American friend Mike’s house party, it was really good!! We played ‘throwing balls into glasses of lager’ table-tennis!

As a Yorkshireian guy, I had bit lovely hangover next day, I watched comedy cartoon made it worse as I wasn’t ready to laugh with my dying body. Some of you think I might be sad but I counted hours from Sunday till opening of new Guyana Deaf Club although I even wasn’t very excited.

I was quite nervous but didn’t feel very excited about the grand opening which I should feel, (unlike I was very very very….very excited about Yorkshire Pudding Gang gatherings in Leeds in 2003 which was successful!) I just was looking forward to seeing Deaf people’s happiness rather than only me. Although Steven was very excited! I was supposed to design the flyers but the decision of the time has been changed sometime made it delay, so I thought the flyer would be not needed at the short time! Infamous Deaf rumour spread will do! So I told most of Deaf people about a new Deaf club soon, they are quite interested in coming. They asked me if it’s new Deaf church as there is very strong religion in Guyana! I told them that Deaf club mean Deaf people gatherings, socialising, playing games, enjoy themselves and gain strong Deaf community in the future! Some of them said God gave us a gift. I bet God loves Deaf people then!

Sunday… Monday… Tuesday… Wednesday…

Most hearing schools opened since after New Year but unlike other some Deaf schools. David Rose Deaf school was closed till a few weeks due to redecoration which was wrong time. ‘Lovely redecoration’ wasted all Deaf pupils’ learning times; especially not many parents with second language (or never use sign language) encouraged Deaf children to learn something at home. Finally I visited David Rose for working alongside with teachers. Their teaching, communication AND motivation is still poor; déjà vu!

I worked at Diamond and New Amsterdam and Corentyne on 8-10th Feb, I was looking forward to seeing all New Amsterdam pupils despite couple of cancellation last month and December. I was quite busy with my planning of bilingual education workshop in March and practicing to be proficient ASL user.

I emailed most of my British, Irish, European mates to support our new GDC for games like American cards, West Indian dominoes, English scrabble or some fund, we would be very grateful to receiving these because you would make the difference happily!

Just one day before the opening, Steven and I received the grants from Community Based Rehabilitation for food and drinks to providing for Deaf people for grand opening party. We chosen and bought food and drinks at Bounty supermarket where a Deaf man James worked at. I still wasn’t excited even it was tomorrow, what a Deafist man I was! I decided that I would pretend to be Deaf Black Ainsley Harriet; cooked pasta with sweet-corn, tomato, basil and mayo.

I woke up on the 28th of January 2006, yeah it was big day for the Guyanese Deaf community! I was getting bit excited every minute, one minute I was 68% excited, next minute I was 69% excited! I was cooking foods as well as helping Donetta with her cooking style, kept looking at the clock like organised geek boy (!) This food was completed; mission: possible! Yay! Whoa! Very interesting(!)

We arrived at the Guyana Deaf Club… urmm well it’s the Flex GYM. So we set up the table, chair, ‘Grand opening of the Guyana Deaf Club’ banner, food, drinks and games.

Just remember it was supposed to open about 4.30pm but it was just about 10 people turned up after 4.30pm! So we leave it bit late as waiting for more people to turn up. There was about roughly 20-25 people, we kicked them out for opening a new club! There was a nice red tape on sides of the door, mmm!! Stevo and I gave some emotional (I think!) speech then Deafies got very excited as we counted down to open in beautiful ASL. Luckily, a Deaf man rushed to get in just before Stevo cut off the red tape as who would be first person to get in! Actually it was Gary who worked at the Flex GYM, what a cheeky bugger! But it was very special for him though.

We were signing away, eating, drinking (not very Yorkshireian) playing games and dominoes! It was about total 40 which was really successful for the Deaf community and even the world! I want more Deafies to come; this new club definitely gain their Deaf pride, Guyanese/American Sign Language skills, confidence and self-esteem. You can be welcome to come!



There is MASH (Carnival street on the Guyana’s Republic Day) on 23rd February but in Deaf world, the GDC will be having Deaf MASH at GDC on the 25th, we raised GUY$7,000 (about £20, would be 8 pints of lager!) from own Guyanese Deaf people’s little pocket money or hard cash for food, drink and decoration. I even spent my own money when I was skint that time! In the UK, I wish I never spend £20 on needlessly drinks or clothes to make me feel good temporally.

Stevo and I gave big thanks to my good friends Oliver Jamin and Claire Pemoardo for donating the GDC with money and games, we appreciated it very much! We will mention their names to Guyanese Deafies this Saturday! We still need more, more and more!! You can miss your last pint!!!

There are still more coming ups this year; I will set up a new Diamond’s Deaf Youth Club, Bilingual Education workshop, new Deaf drama group, more new ASL classes, introducing Deaf studies at Deaf schools, work alongside with Deaf role models for school and Deaf Awareness Week in May!! Wicked!

My best recent moment in 2006, one of teachers at the David Rose Deaf school (the worst), she said she wanted own Guyanese Sign Language rather than ASL so I need any Guyanese-rooted Deaf people create new GSL for the future.

I think that’s it! Yeah pheeeew!

Missing you all!

Take care of yourself

Ash xXx

Check out my photography (From Aug 2005 till Feb)!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/89381656@N00/show/