I worked on poems again

I wrote about mass games. That was an experience. I don't remember everything but it is good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today

 I feel good today. I am making progress with my book. 

I saw an interesting post on Psalm 143 in Facebook. I saw from the included Bible picture that the psalmist used the term "land of uprightness" to refer to what I believe is a straight path. "Land of uprightness" made me think of Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree which is a story of a magical tree that provides access to different lands (the lands are accessed from the top of the tree; one land settles at the top, and the lands move from one to the next sort of like a rotating banner). What a memory! I connect things easily.

Book

 My little poembook focused on a section of my life. I did not include anything about President's College. I want to continue the story in another book. I wrote a little poem for the beginning:

It was quite an experience
My marks were superior enough for Queen’s College
And I qualified for President’s College too
I was one of a group of students from Watooka Day School that made Linden significant and proud
The small town Linden had significant passes for President’s College
My parents were thrilled and beyond excited
People were supportive

I have to say it was the school and piano lessons that made it possible. I have to say it was the school and piano lessons that made it possible. I am happy that I got into PC. I remember there were even stool and urine tests.

A lot more work to do.

Personal School Project

 One of my prized possessions is an embroidery/croquet/needlepoint project I completed in grade 6. See below. It had a lot of my personal information (reminds me of an ID card). It was my first needlepoint project. I used only chain stitch and selected colors I liked. 

I verified the day of my birth (using an online calendar for my birth year). It was a Friday. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Incident

 Photos from the emergency room are included in the Facebook blog.

This FlashbackFriday, I remember an incident at Watooka Day School that resulted in an emergency visit to the hospital. I was playing with swings (in the playground on the school grounds) when one of the swings hit my head. There was blood. I believe the cut required stitches.

When driving around Linden a few years ago, we stopped at the school for a short time. Everything looked different. I didn't see the swings.

 

Flutophone

 My post yesterday mentioned a red and white flutophone. A red and white flutophone is shown in my blog for the Research Methods course (https://fmooresignatureassignment3.blogspot.com/2016/08/work-continues_17.html and https://fmooresignatureassignment3.blogspot.com/2016/08/taking-break.html). The blog shows a lot of my background (There is a lot of ME. Some would say it stinks of Fahmeena Odetta Moore). There is a photo of the dorm at UG (https://fmooresignatureassignment3.blogspot.com/2016/08/rewrite.html), a photo of the presentation on Guyana for my church's International Day (https://fmooresignatureassignment3.blogspot.com/2016/08/working-despite-issues.html), and so on. Incidentally, my Research Methods course includes a lot of economics and IT. I used knowledge gained at UG. That was a good course!! I enjoyed it.

Note: UG refers to the University of Guyana rather than the University of Georgia in the US.

Throwback

 I was young, but I remember quite a lot about Watooka Day School. A post in Facebook made me think of pony combs I wanted when I was a student there. My friend Claudia wore them all the time. I liked her fat ponytails. I remember we wore brown and cream on regular days and white on Fridays. Looking back, I am proud that I qualified for the flutophone band. The school issued a red and white flutophone that I loved. I remember that there were swimming classes. I didn't like swimming very much.

Driving around

 We had a good time driving around Linden today. We drove to Watooka and passed by my old primary school Watooka Day School. Oh my! A lot has changed.

Limes vs Lemons

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana! I went out for a short walk today. It appears that it would be a good day.

Back in the U.S., I used a lot of lemons. (Do you recall my post on lemons? See it here: https://fahmeenaodetta.blogspot.com/2023/07/lemons.html). Recently, I wanted lemons but got limes instead. I don't mind using limes as a substitute for lemons. Limes are smaller than lemons but more sour/acidic. The lime drink is as good as lemonade.

I grew up with a lot of limes around. We even used them at school sports. I recall there was a lime spoon race at Watooka Day School sports.

(Photo looks different because I resized/edited the image captured by the camera rather than take a regular screenshot of it)

Memories

 

All Me

There is so much of me in my work. Even the course blogs I created for personal tracking of my PhD course activities say a lot about me. For example, the blog I created for the Research Methods course (http://fmooresignatureassignment3.blogspot.com/?m=0) includes images that say a lot about my background, such as the UG dorm, a red and white flute phone, and a photo of a presentation on Guyana. I stayed at the UG dorm during my first year at the university. I was given a red and white flute phone at Watooka Day School so I could play in the school band.

Fun Things

It is Monday morning in Georgetown, Guyana! (Yes, I am away from the US - I am in Guyana, South America, the country of my birth). Guyana is a good place for a vacation. There is nice weather and lots to do. It is good place to “play.”

I had fun times in Guyana. I remember enjoying “fun days” and fairs (the Linden fair) and kite flying and so on. Even mass games was fun (but a lot of work too). I participated in mass games twice. I was about 7 years old when I participated in mass games for the first time. I was a student at Watooka Day. I remember our chapter was called Chapter Welcome. I trained for the mass games using a tin cover.

Hands

Hands are important. People accomplish a lot using their hands. This reminds me of a croquet project I completed at Watooka Day School. I learned to use my hands for creating pieces such as a colorful “stitch” display. I should have included prints of my hands (similar to footsteps / foot prints in the sand). That would have taken it up a notch!

I haven’t worked on a croquet project or art project in a while. It would be nice to work on something for the art competition by the University of Guyana, but I don’t believe I can do my best work in just a few. I learned of the competition only yesterday. 

Special Trip For A Performance While At Watooka Day School

I recall that I was a part of something special when I was a student at Watooka Day School (then a top primary school in my hometown Linden, Guyana). I played the flutophone with other members of the school flutophone band in the capital city Georgetown (I think that was our only performance outside of Linden). The trip to Georgetown was a long one (as usual). We stayed at the Pegasus Hotel, the best hotel in Georgetown, for a short while to rest before performing.

Spare Time

For a long time, the Lessons Project was my hobby, i.e. what I did in my spare time. For some, sewing or croqueting is an enjoyable thing to do in their spare time. These people produce excellent work. Here is a croqueting project I completed while I was a student at Watooka Day School (an old post from my food blog).

Christmas

It is Christmas Day! Merry Christmas to one and all!

As I mentioned, this year things are a little different. It does not look a lot like Christmas around me, but I will reminisce about things I enjoy about the Christmas season. I enjoy the decorations, I enjoy the food, I enjoy exchanging presents (gifts), and so on. I have enjoyed Christmas since I was a child. I recall performing at school concerts at Christmas. At Watooka Day School, I sang 'O Holy Night' with a group of students in a white dress holding a lighted white candle. At President's College, I was a part of a choir that performed Mele Kalikimaka (the Hawaiian Christmas song). Those were fun times.

Down Memory Lane Dec17

A black marble composition book….reminds me of Watooka Day School. Students at Watooka Day used these books instead of the standard Guyanese exercise book. There were other special things.

Watooka Day was created by the bauxite company (called Guymine when I was there; called Demba originally, which was owned by Alcan Aluminum). The Chinese took over bauxite mining operations in Linden. The company is called Bonsai Minerals Group Guyana Inc.

Music Band

At both Watooka Day School and President's College, I was a member of the band. At Watooka Day, joining the band was restricted to high performers.

At President's College, I became aware of the school band after a performance at an open floor talent show. The talent shows were open to any student. One night, I volunteered to play my flutophone (from Watooka Day School). It was after a performance by Dion who sang Animal Crackers In My Soup.

 

Music

"Music moves me to laugh or sing or cry,
Music moves me to reach right to the sky.
Music can do what you want it to,
No matter who you are,
So keep on moving, moving, moving along,
And someday soon you'll be a star."

When I was a child, I had very good music teachers. Mr. Wyatt and Rosemary Henry taught me music during high school (at President's College). At Watooka Day School, Mr. Smart taught me music.

I also had private piano lessons with Mr. Smart in Linden. He prepared me for the first level of an English music theory exam (available from the UK). I achieved a high passing grade. Because of those results, he was not surprised that I performed well at the Common Entrance exam (or Secondary School Entrance Exam) a few years later.  

Where Are You From

From time to time people ask me where I am from. My accent is a dead giveaway that I am a foreigner. I am not sure which country others associate with my accent. I hope it is Guyana (there are other Guyanese who speak like me especially students from Watooka Day).

I do have a foreign degree on my resume (and LinkedIn profile) - my degree from the University of Guyana. That is a dead giveaway that I am from Guyana. My parents are also from Guyana.

I did learn a whole lot about Guyana from my schooling there (and from living there). Many many years ago, I came close to representing Guyana in sports (field events shotput and discus). If I remember correctly, I got to the national level.

I am from Guyana, South America not Ghana or Grenada or New York or Texas, USA.