IT is a bittersweet time for Udell Fredericks, a native of Whyaka Village, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), who resides overseas but has returned home for a vacation.

The 69-year-old left the village when she was 16 years old, and it accelerated her teaching career in other villages along the Essequibo Coast and Pomeroon.

Reminiscing on her younger days, growing up in Whyaka Village, it was good. The village had many children and they played outside every day since they had a lot of wide-open spaces.

Fredericks added that back then, the village had a lot more people and the houses were closer to Lake Tapacuma because they had no roads, and it was a landing area for boats.

She stated that growing up in Whyaka was a happy time for her because things were simple back then, and upon her return now, there have been a lot of changes, but more importantly, she can fit in the community.

Fredericks told the Pepperpot Magazine that after she completed her training at Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) she began going places to teach and taught at several schools before she migrated to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in 1990.

She spent about 55 years in the teaching profession and enjoyed teaching at the primary level, especially Grade Six.

“I like teaching that age group because watching them grow and develop academically is fulfilling as an educator. Years after, they would come to me, although I do not recognise some of them. They would say, ‘Miss, don’t you remember me? I am a doctor now, thanks to you.’ And that by itself is very rewarding, knowing I had something to do with that,” she said.

Fredericks told the Pepperpot Magazine that making sure one has a positive impact on the lives of children at an early age is essential for their upbringing and where they stand in education because moulding minds is quite a job to master.

She added that Whyaka will always be home for her no matter where she goes, and it is the reason she would keep coming back to enjoy the tranquility of the place.

Fredericks stated that Whyaka is a farming community, mainly pineapples and most women are also involved in farming, and they would leave the village to sell their produce.

“There is a lot to eat in Whyaka, and it is always good to be here. The fruits are the best part of being there. Being here, I get to enjoy the ‘fat of the land’ so to speak,” she said.

She has been living in BVI for the past 32 years and will return home shortly after her vacation in Guyana. She is staying at her sister’s place in Whyaka.

At the time the team met Fredericks, she was doing some outdoor yard work of raking up the dead leaves, a chore she doesn’t mind doing at all.

Her sibling is a pineapple farmer, who wasn’t at home. She had gone to sell pineapples at the Anna Regina Market.

On Sundays, the locals would put out stalls to sell pineapples, and the rest of the days, they would have to commute outside the village to sell their produce of pineapples.

Fredericks reported that a lot of people have left the village, and today, only a fraction still resides in Whyaka Village.