Mary checks out the medical facilities

With only 3 weeks to go, we were both struck down with a nasty virus just over a week ago. I won't describe the symptoms but they were horrible and typically tropical. I started to get better after 4 days but Mary lingered on and two days ago was admitted into Woodland's Hospital for tests and treatment. She's doing well and will be out on Monday, hopefully a new woman. The treatment and friendliness of the staff were a very high standard. Nothing to worry about. just one of those things. She has responded well and hopefully we will both be back to work sometime next week.

That leaves only 2 weeks to go before we finish and it gives us some very tight deadlines to finish our work. But we are determined and are confident all will be done when we finish in NCERD on 6th February 2009 after 2 years in Guyana.

We will be flying out on 13th February for 10 days in New York followed by 6 nights in Las Vegas so that we can see the Grand Canyon which we missed last time we were there. We will be back in England on 2nd March 2009 ready to start the next stage of our lives!!

Celebrating 2009 at Nicolette and Martin's

Just after our return from Tobago, Nicolette and Martin invited all VSOs to their home for a New Year celebration of a Chinese takeaway. The photos speak for themselves.

Girls checking out their feet

Starting 2009 in Tobago

Tropical paradise

Continuing the tradition of going away for New Year, Mary and I flew to Tobago on 27th December for one week staying in the Hummingbird in Crown Point run by a Welsh man and his Trinidadian wife.

Mary relaxes in the shade

At the beginning of the holiday we went to Plymouth for a kite competion. Never been to one before and really interesting, especialy the one which took 20 men to pull up into the air.

The biggest kite

We met up with Richard and Nicola, relatively new VSOs from Edinburgh and Nicolette and Martin from Canada. We should have met up with Mira and her visiting family but, although she went to Tobago, she was ill and we never managed to meet.

Old Year's night together

We had a great time but the £ / $ made it very expensive - about 50% more so than when we were last in Trinidad in May. We had an excellent Old Year's Night - all inclusive package and well worth it! New Year was brought in in style.

We hired a car and toured the island which is one beautiful bay after another. The weather was relatively kind. We returned on 3rd January ready for the start of our last 5 weeks work in Guyana.

Steel Pans at the Sunday School

To see all of the picture, click on the link below......

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