FIELD TRIP!!

Yes, folks, I am how many years away from high school now (?) and I went on a field trip to the New Amsterdam prisons in Berbice. Berbice refers to a region around the Berbice river, which is a jaunt up the road from the Suriname border. The trip is designed to educate students about the consequences of delinquent behavior. We toured the prison facility after a discussion with 5 inmates about choices, consequences of their choices and their experience of prison. Their stories were moving and I was grateful that the students had such articulate and sincere presentations to learn from.

The rest of the day was spent in transit. That's quite a bit of time on the bus, time waiting for the ferry, then time on the ferry across the river, and then the whole routine in reverse. But we were able to drive our bus onto the ferry along with other transport vehicles. One was bringing tomatoes to town.

The students were well-behaved, respectful, and they asked good questions. I hope that the experience was as educational for them as it was for me! (I WISH I had driven the bus, but, sadly, this was just a photo op.)