In this interview, we hear from Abi Hogan. Abi is a Peace Corps volunteer working as a Education volunteer in Guyana. What Abi shares gives us a better understanding of the work volunteers do. We learn about the challenges, rewards, and personal growth that happens from volunteering in a new place. Abi talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Abi’s journey and see how volunteering with Peace Corps can change lives.
Table of Contents
- Volunteer Experience and Motivation
- Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
- Surprises and Challenges
- Advice and Support
- Practical Tips and Language Learning
- Final Thoughts
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Can you tell us more about serving as an Education volunteer in Guyana?
I teach literacy at a primary school in a rural farming area of Guyana. The children that I work with need remedial classes for various reasons from inconsistency of coming to school to learning disabilities. Each term I start by doing a very basic assessment to see where exactly children are literacy-wise. Seeing if they know the alphabet song, can they identify letters when not in alphabetical order, do they know the sounds each letter makes, and so on. Once that is done, I put the children into groups based on their needs and create a timetable.
I do about 2 classes a day along with 1-2 library times. I teach my classes in our school’s library, so I also took on the role of the librarian and created a library schedule that allows all students from nursery to Grade 6 the opportunity to go to the library once a week and check out books. The library was pre-established and then books were donated by the previous volunteer.
As my time has continued here, I also have been able to use my photography skills and take pictures of events and daily activities that happen at the school and post them to our school’s page. Overall, I get to do a lot of things I enjoy throughout my work weeks.
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose Guyana?
Early Inspiration and Academic Journey
I first heard about the Peace Crops when I was in high school. A friend of mine had a family member who had joined, and I thought it was so cool and looked into it. After reading the requirements I knew it’d be some time before I’d even be able to join and I kind of forgot about it.
As a sophomore in college trying to really settle on a major, I decided on Social Work and then narrowed it to international social work. That is when the Peace Corps was brought back up and I realized I was getting closer to being able to go. My reasoning for wanting to go became stronger and I was very eager to get the opportunity as it would be an opportunity to solidify that I truly want to do international social work and would also give me a wonderful opportunity abroad.
Application Process and Overcoming Challenges
As someone who applied during the pandemic, the application pool was open, and I was not able to apply to a specific area. I was in the first semester of my senior year, going through the Peace Corps website when I came across Morocco. I was reading through the different opportunities there when I decided to click apply. I applied, and sometime later, I was talking with a representative and was told I had applied, but not for Morocco—it was a general application.
After speaking with him and explaining my interest in the Peace Corps and the kind of work I want to do after, he said he’d look around for a good placement for me. Months later, I received an email about serving in Eswatini. I was excited and started doing all that I needed to do for clearance. I even started buying things I thought I’d need for Eswatini, only for a few weeks before departure to be told I was not medically cleared. It was a very defeating feeling.
I was asked if I’d like to put in a request for a second invitation, and of course, I said yes. Two weeks later, I received an invitation to serve in Guyana. At that point, I started researching about Guyana and was very excited to be a part of the Guyana crew. I was probably the last person in that cohort and had to do all the online work very quickly as I was leaving in a few weeks and only got cleared to go three days prior to departure. Looking back, it was a crazy time, but somehow, I made it through.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your home situation
As the first cohort back post-pandemic, my cohort was not given host families but instead community coaches—people within our communities who helped us settle in. So, we all lived alone but had people in our communities we could rely on for help if needed.
I was shocked to find out I would be staying in a four-bedroom house. The infrastructure is older but still a beautiful home. I also live in a more rural area with many farmers. There are constantly dogs, cats, mongooses, maricoos (possums), goats, sheep, donkeys, pigs, and horses wandering around. Fields for animals to graze in. And everyone has some kind of fruit or vegetable in their yard. I myself have bananas, mangoes, saijin, coconuts, golden apples, limes, and pomegranates.
I got very lucky in my placement, as not much happens out here. The noisiest part is the animals and the loud cars that drive by, as I live right on the main road. Very early into my service, I got a dog, as there are many here, and she is my family now. We do just about everything together. Everyone in the village knows her and pets her. We go on walks daily, sometimes through the back dams, and she swims and plays with goats.
It’s a very beautiful place to live.
4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had with community members?
I’m very social and integrated very quickly because of it. I’m open to just about anything I get invited to as long as it’s safe. I go to everything happening in my village, from funerals and weddings to birthday parties and BBQs. Another big thing in my area is horse racing. I go to almost every race, and I am good friends with people who have horses in the races. One of my most memorable moments would be going to a race where both of my friends’ horses won, and I was in the pictures celebrating with them.
Another thing that I’ve grown to appreciate during my service is the fact that I have a mango tree. I am allergic to mangoes, sadly, so I give them out to people in the village. I bring them to the library to give to the children who attend my summer library sessions. After a while, people started giving things back to me, such as milk, eggs, souse, and other fruits. Everyone has their specific level of ripeness for the mangoes, and I make sure to give them exactly what they like. It is so nice.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about Education challenges in Guyana?
Cultural and Structural Differences in Education
Being in a school, there was a big culture shock in how things are done here. Firstly, every school has uniforms. I have never had to wear a school uniform, but I have never been against them either. My school has a few different uniforms. The general uniform is worn Monday-Thursday, the sports uniform is worn on Friday and during sports, and the nursery children have their own uniforms.
Secondly, the school bell: the school I teach at has an actual handheld bell that teachers ring for beginning, recess, lunch, and early dismissal. The time can vary and is not exact like it was for me in the States.
There are a lot of national holidays in Guyana and events that are celebrated, leading to many days where no schoolwork is being done. Along with this, the rainy season can affect school and attendance as well. And none of those days are required to be made up.
Classroom Environment and Curriculum Challenges
Also, my school here has a small population; each grade has one class, and each grade is separated by a blackboard. This makes lessons sometimes difficult, as the next class can be noisy and distracting. The curriculum is very different here as well. I did not teach in the States, but while in school, I was under the impression that all students of a specific grade were being taught the same thing around the same time. That is not the case here; the teachers focus on what their students need more work on and will stay on that topic for a while. Sometimes they won’t even get to everything on the curriculum in the first term.
Pandemic Impact and Attendance Issues
Along with this, I think it is important to remember that these children are in school during the pandemic, and that affected their education tremendously. A lot of the students had to learn foundational lessons from home, such as phonics and phonemic awareness. Without those two skills, it is very hard to read and learn. Here in Guyana, they have a “no child left behind” act, meaning children are not held back if they do not pass. So many children in the country do not know how to read, write, or spell and are in secondary school. The children who will soon leave primary school were highly impacted by the pandemic, and a lot of them need more work at the foundational level.
As I stated previously, teachers may try their best to stay on specific topics, but as the children get older, the things they should know are harder, and they do have to take exams and assessments on their curriculum. Even more than that, attendance at my school is recognized and appreciated, but a lack of attendance has no repercussions among the ministry. Learning all this was stressful but also pushed me to be as helpful as possible.
6. What challenges did you face while working on Education projects?
I want to be as helpful as possible. But I am none for overexerting myself and ending up exhausted. I eventually had to start saying no and setting boundaries about what I would and would not do.
It was also defeating sometimes teaching children something and seeing them grasp the concept and then not showing up to school for days and weeks. When they finally came back, they had forgotten what they had learned.
7. Could you share some of the secondary projects you have been involved?
Other activities I have been involved in in my two years would be being very active in my school’s library promoting literacy. I do book clubs, library times, summer library hours, and camps. Furthermore, I have helped with other centers’ literacy/reading corners. I also am extending and will be working on a resource center in another village.
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Education volunteer in Guyana?
One of the most basic answers but true answers I can give is to be open to learning about the culture. Eagerness to learn and experience the culture goes a long way. And as for education trainees/volunteers remember why you are here to serve and focus on that. Focus on your framework and do those objectives, once you are comfortable with those then you can decide to branch out and help in other ways. Burning out is common and although you may be very eager to go and be of service it is important to know your limit and respect it. Also, seek support from your program manager and other volunteers, you are all in this together so lean on each other for support.
9. What skills or qualities do you think are most important for a Education volunteer?
Patience is a very important skill to have as children can have a hard time learning even when you are doing your absolute best to teach. Optimism is another because staying positive and believing there is a solution to help the students learn.
10. How has the Peace Corps training helped you during your service?
The trainings are always informative and give me the opportunity to talk with staff face to face which is very beneficial for me. Here in Guyana, each sector program manager has check-ins with their volunteers and it is a great time to share whatever is on your mind and how you are feeling.
When I am at site, I am very focused on being part of my community that I honestly sometimes forget that I am in the Peace Corps and have people that I can talk to and get help from outside of my community. One way that training has helped me is bringing me back to reality that while I currently live in a village, I am a volunteer with an organization and I have other organization responsibilities such as VRG. The training also allowed me the opportunity to share things that have been going on at my school and my village. Some of these are things that help staff with future volunteers. Furthermore, the trainings are one of the few times all volunteers are able to all get together, so it is always nice to enjoy time with them outside of training hours.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
11. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future Guyana volunteers?
Guyana has been developing quickly and a lot of things that in the past might not have been available are now available. One thing I am grateful I brought from the States is my Bluetooth speaker. They have speakers here, but technology can be expensive here and mine is very good quality. I use it for personal use and to teach lessons.
Something I wish I had brought is my pillow from back home. They have pillows here and some are pricey, especially the memory foam one. I’d also like to add to bring comfy clothes for when you’re lounging around. I think a lot of us get focused on professional wear but make sure to bring house clothes. The clothes here can be cute but not always the best quality so ensure you bring things of good quality that can last you during service.
12. How has learning the language been?
Here in Guyana, they speak Creolese. The regions have different dialects as well. But overall, it’s just broken English with British influence. Over time I’ve begun saying things differently. For example, when getting transportation I used to say “I’m trying to get a car” whereas Guyanese will “ “Me haf e catch cyar” or “ me try fa catch cyar” so I now say “ I’m catching a car now” and then when I’m arriving somewhere I use to say “ I’ll be there in a few” and I now say “ I’ll reach just now”. “Just now” is a big thing in Guyana. It means anything from “in a few minutes” to “never”. I did not try to learn the language much before coming because I love to learn from locals. Most of the locals understand English I’m just a fast talker which makes it hard to follow.
So, speak slowly and someone will understand and can translate it for anyone who doesn’t get what you’re trying to say. A lot of Guyanese have family in the States or have been to the States themselves, so the American accent is not foreign to all of them.
Final Thoughts
13. Any last comments or observations you’d like to pass on to future Guyana volunteers?
In the most positive and respectful way… please know that Guyanese can pry and be very curious about you. Some people are simply curious about other cultural norms and others want to have the inside scoop on your personal matters to share with others. This can be annoying as some people can also twist what you say. It is not a fun situation to be in and can be disheartening so trust your intuition on when to be reserved and when it is okay to be open. My integration trainings did inform me about this, but I would like to emphasize the importance of it. Guyanese love people who are curious about the culture and willing to learn their ways so enjoy the culture and learn while you are here. There’s a lot of beauty here.
What are you waiting for? Opportunities like this don’t come often. If you have a passion for service and an adventurous spirit like <first name>’s, apply to the Peace Corps today. Expand your horizons, push your limits, and create positive impact as a volunteer. You never know how serving as a Peace Corps volunteer could change your life.
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Guyana Government.
