Hello world! I’ve been in the bush for a few months but have been keeping up a pretty regular journal while at site, so here is my long-overdue update. Just want everyone to know that I am alive and well, and very much enjoying myself here! Miss everyone and keep the letters coming :)
12-20-07
Hmmm… it’s been awhile. Well, the last few weeks (months?) of training flew by- I barely had time in the afternoons/evenings to hang out with everyone in my group, let alone read or write letters home. So, I had expected that we would make history and be the only PC Vanuatu group to have everyone make it through training, but… no gat. Sam was the first to go (she didn’t like her site and there were no other options for her) followed by Dale, who had some sort of skin infections but was pretty unhappy before that anyway. Over the 10 weeks of training, our group managed to span a huge range of freakish ailments, which I will list (not in any order): scabies, giardia, ring worm, round worm, head lice, boils, skin infections, blood poisoning, centipede bites, mosquito bites, malaria, and cat scratch fever. Somehow I managed to avoid everything except the mosquito bites.
Our last week together in Vila (actually only like 5 days) went by even faster. Starting from a few days before swearing-in, everything is kind of hazy. At least half of my “settling-in allowance”, as well as everyone else’s, was consumed in the form of Tuskers (Vanuatu’s national beer), Iriki cocktails, and/or South Pacific Comfort. Luckily, Kenzie and I managed to locate the only store on our island that sells our beloved SoPaCo! And just 100 vatu mark-up from the Vila price. So speaking of our island, everything is going pretty great. It was a pretty hectic weekend because me, Elin, Bill, and Amanda were all in town, Caryn was preparing to COS (Close of Service), and Kenzie still hadn’t moved into her house. Other than housing issues, we had a lot of fun. We already got a tok-tok from K.G. (country director) about how we should have informed the PC Office that we left our sites. I can see our island is getting a nice reputation already.
Part of the reason I was back in Lakatoro so soon anyway was that I arrived at my site and my house wasn’t finished. (Well, they wanted to call it “finished” even though I had no walls). To make matters worse, the 7 boxes I had loaded onto the Northern Star ship from Vila the day before didn’t come. The ship came, but the Super Cargo just shrugged and said Sorry, but the ship was too full of men to take all the cargo. But after I came back from Lakatoro yesterday, 6 of 7 boxes had arrived! I think the trick is that you have to expect the worst, so you can be pleasantly surprised when things work out like they’re supposed to. My house should be ready tomorrow, which would be super because Elin is coming tomorrow afternoon to Christmas with me and my family. It’s amazing how homesick I got for my village towards the long weekend in Lakatoro! (Afterall, there’s only so many days in a row you can eat pumpkin pie!) I was waking up in the mornings craving boiled bananas with coconut milk- a breakfast I used to despise. Last night we had the best dinner ever: Taro Simboro (taro mashed with coconut milk, wrapped in island cabbage, and boiled), corn-on-the-cob, and watermelon!
Also, 2 of my brothers from Lakatoro came last weekend, 15 and 16, so I’m excited for the extra company at dinner. I love my host parents, but if I have to storian (best Bislama word ever) one more night with them alone I will die. I have so many siblings/cousins/in-laws close to my age that I can see us becoming close after 2 years. It’s harder and more awkward to form relationships (than with little kids) but I think it will be more rewarding when it does happen. My 2 sisters will be the hardest. When they get together they just whisper and giggle, but I hope when Elin comes we can all bond. Between my awesome Matanvat family and the amazing group of PCVs on my island, my life here is looking pretty sweet. Now all I need is my house to be finished and for my radio to come.
12-25-07
Merry Christmas! Although the only indication for me that its even Christmas is the silver artificial tree (complete with mini-ornaments) sent by my mom (thanks mom!) We didn’t have to go to church- to my complete shock and relief- and I just hung out with the fam. Lele and Ratu (my brothers) are still in town so the days have been a lot more entertaining. I’m going to be sad when they have to go back to school! Apparently, here in this village, Christmas gifts are not exchanged at Christmas, but at New Years. For a country to have little or no regard for this holiday, it’s kind of funny that the word Christmas is widely used in verb-form. (As in “Bae yu Christmas long ples hea?”)
Today, I had a nice morning run, made papaya jam, went swimming, and I’m about to finish my 8th book. I’m laying on a in the middle of my NEW HOUSE staring at all the books I’ve brought/borrowed, and I’m pretty excited that I actually have time now to relax and read. With my own place, I feel less like a tourist in my village (although I still haven’t adjusted to the title “white man”). So now, I can lounge in my hammock or laze around the sol wota (“salt water”) guilt-free. My rationalization is that school is starting in a few weeks, so I’m on summer vacation. At some point, though, I need to branch out and storian with the greater Matanvat community. Its just so hard to do when the sol wota is so sparkly and blue and it feels like its 100 degrees outside!
1-6-08
Happy New Years! I celebrated the New Year “antap” (in Lakatoro) with the whole 20B (my training group) Malekula crew, and some extras. Altogether, it was me, Elin, McKenzie, Dan, Jack, Bill, Amanda, Chris, and Erin from Gaua. Our party was fun pretty quiet. It’s exciting that this marks not just the new year but the start of our 2 years of service!
Elin finally made it to my site! We can to the sad realization last week that the process of catching a truck to return home from Lakatoro costs almost an entire day. And because we failed to find a truck last Thursday, we had to sacrifice two days to the cause. I was actually really disappointed that we had to stay in town an extra day- I’m becoming more and more attached to my family and home here! My parents drive me a little crazy (they mean well, but still…) but I’m in love with all my siblings (and cousins, and nieces and nephews)! I don’t know how I’m going to leave in 2 years. But it will be cool to come back and visit 5, 10, 15 years from now.
So my house I slowly becoming a home, slowly but surely. My smol haos/swim haos (bathroom) is finally done (complete with a shelf!) Afta… I’m just waiting on my bed, kitchen counter, table, chairs, shelves, etc… I keep telling them if they just give me the wood, I’ll make it myself, but they just laugh and tell me “tomorrow…” or “next week…” and I’m sure I’ll have furniture in a month.
The great thing about my situation here is that there’s something to look forward to. Currently it’s: 1. Furniture 2. Radio (still “on the ship”) 3. housewarming party 4. homebrew party in Lakatoro (when the beer is ready) and 5. our Santo trip. The Santo trip should be cool because we’re meeting some other people from 20B up there. Currently we’re trying to figure out not only how to get there, but how to get back. We’ll probably end up stuck in Luganville for 2 weeks! But it should be a fun adventure.
1-8-08
I saw the most beautiful sunset tonight. “Beautiful” doesn’t even do it justice. It was so amazing I wanted to cry. (Well, I am also experiencing a bout of homesickness, and having pasta for dinner just made it worse). Having lived in the South Pacific for almost 4 months now, I consider myself something of an expert on sunsets- specifically, over-the-ocean ones. There has to be just the right amount of clouds- a clear sky sounds nice but then there is nothing to reflect all the glorious pinks, purples, and deep blues. Also, too many clouds block out the sun and then it’s just a dark purple mess. Tonight, there were layer-upon-layer of clouds with the perfect opening for sky and sun. As the sun disappeared (or as they say here, “drowned”) clumps of cotton-candy pink floated past, on top of huge violet pillows, on top of the sky which was this cool mixture of electric blue and fiery orange. In the meantime, huge waves crash against the coral and the crest of each was unnaturally clear and blue, like a swimming pool. Even as the sky darkens, the water remains clear and icy-blue. There was also the most perfect breeze coming over the water. Like the temperature of the ocean, the air is neither “warm” nor “cool” but simply… “tropical” and nothing can feel more natural and unnatural at the same time as a perfect tropical breeze. And there’s no better way to enjoy it than perched on a coral rock, watching the sun sink down into the ocean!
1-15-08
It’s strange how after 4 months, 27 months starts to sound like nothing. It really is true what they say- that the days pass slowly, then all of a sudden weeks and months go by. Even though there are still several hours of boredom each day, I’ve become very productive. Since Elin left a week ago, the days have flown by. I can’t imagine what it will be like when school starts- I’m actually worried I won’t have time for all the things I’ve made routine. After settling-in to my awesome new house, this is my day: wake up at 6 or 7, go running (sometimes), eat breakfast of cereal and milk, clean, make my bed, coffee + crossword puzzle (by far one of my favorite parts of the day), fetch water from the pump, then that’s about it with the established routine. The rest of the day consists of finding small tasks to pass the time until lunch then swim-time then dinner.
This week has been especially productive: I built a fence for my garden, planted island cabbage and beans, and the best- me and my Papa built my kitchen counter!! It’s perfect! Plus, today Ratu and Lency broke the nightstand I build last week (it was pretty crappy) while trying to improve it, so they built me a new, better one! It was actually really cute, the two of them spent the whole morning on it. I think next week I’ll build myself a shelf, but I am more than happy with my table, nightstand, bench, and place for washing dishes (outside). I like how everything happens spaced-out… it makes everything super exciting. Likewise, only being able to check mail once a month is going to make it feel like Christmas. I’m currently expecting 3 packages and god knows how many letters- I can’t wait for Elin/Kenzie/Dan/Ryan/Alyssa to come with my mail on Friday. PLUS my brother told me that my radio/solar panel came and everything got sent to Elin’s village, so that should all come too. Whew, it’s going to be a crazy weekend.
The other day I had a few “only in Vanuatu” moments. I was talking with some men from another village (I was at a circumcision kakae/feast) and they were talking about Molly, a PCV in South-West Bay, who is marrying a ni-Van from her village. They asked me if I thought it was Black Magic or if she really liked him. I replied that I didn’t believe in Black Magic, and she probably just loves him. No, they insisted, its Black Magic. They proceeded to try to convince me that I’ll have to become a Vanuatu citizen in 2 years because a man-Vanuatu is going to cast a spell on me (it doesn’t matter that I don’t believe, apparently if the guy does it will still work). That same day, I realized I had eaten guava, papaya, watermelon, grapefruit, coconut, and banana all in one day! Days like this remind me that I really am on the other side of the world.
1-17-08
I just polished off a fresh, green coconut and I’m lounging in my hammock (safely indoors) awaiting the oncoming cyclone. This explains why it has been raining for the past week! If I had my radio, I would have known. Not that it would make a difference- Peace Corps doesn’t evacuate for cyclones and my house is brand new, so there’s no preparation necessary except for taking maps and pictures from the walls. Last night the winds were so strong I was afraid a roof would fly off or a giant tree would come crashing down on my bed. After a few hours, I finally fell asleep, only to dream that I was lying in bed, unable to sleep, and the wind was blowing my bed across the room! I woke up relieve to discover my bed in its normal position. The only good thing about this weather is that it has been breezy and cool for the past 2 nights. I really miss winter. Last night I enjoyed being able to curl up in a sweatshirt and read a book (in reality it probably hasn’t dropped below 75 F). I really, really hope everyone can still come to my party, but I’ve accepted that I’ll probably have to wait…
1-18-08
I survived my first cyclone! Actually by the time it hit Malekula, it may have degraded to a tropical depression, but I’ll never know. I felt a little bit like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, running around with my hair in pigtails, the wind gusting while coconuts and giant frauns (dried coconut leaves) fall all around me. Well, it wasn’t all that dramatic. The ironic part was that before all the rain, I’ve never felt more dry here in Matanvat. Its like the raging winds air-dried my house and it almost felt crisp like autumn. And I was able to wear my long pants and fleece zip-up at night!
As expected, Elin and company never showed up. In their defense, I didn’t hear a single truck pass on the road, so I’m sure they tried. (When the rain is bad, the rivers are too high for trucks to run). Monday, maybe? To console myself, I ate another one of the freeze-dried backpacking melas my dad sent (they’re surprisingly delicious) and listened to Regina Spektor while watching the sun go down. It was another spectatularly un-real sunset! Every color is a superlative of itself: the warmest pink, the fieriest orange, the saddest purple, and a blue so dazzling that I can’t put it into words. I always want to stay at the sol wota until every color has faded, and even as I’m walking away I have to turn around and sneak glances, just to be sure I’m not missing anything. Because of the recent cyclone, there was a really odd, warm breeze blowing from the water all the way to my house. For the first time, it made me NOT miss the current U.S. weather of ice, snow, and sleet and I was glad to be in the tropics instead. However, I continue to miss chocolate, hamburgers, movies, coffee shops (the other night I had a dream I tried to to to Starbucks but it was closed- even in my dreams it is out of reach!) On a positive note, though, I cleaned my house from top-to-bottom and it’s feeling like my home and not like I’m just borrowing somebody else’s. The beautiful pink fabric, PACE flag, bright lava-lavas, US and World maps, calendar, and framed photos on the walls add the perfect touch.
1-22-08
I made the best guacamole ever today! I think the fact that it was so good had more to do with the effort put into it, and less with the actual taste. First, I had to make tortillas from scratch- flour, baking soda, salt, oil, water. Its amazing how simple. Afta, using the fresh avocados from my family’s trees, I mixed in chopped onion, cilantro, salt, peppers from a nearby bush, and freshly-squeezed lime (from my lime tree, of course). Delicious! The only things missing were Bev, a lifetime original movie, and tequila.
Actually it’s been a week of great culinary adventures. It’s surprising how much you can do with limited ingredients and infinite time. Sometimes I feel like I’m on “Iron Chef” and the ingredient you have to use in everything is banana. I’ve now perfected island tortillas and use them for everything from burritos to peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Last night for dinner I made chocolate-chip banana pancakes. What a treat! That will be my substitute for chocolate-chip cookies. And the night before last, I had Kraft Mac’n’cheese, courtesy of Marissa and Maggie! Tonight… guacamole back-again with beans, peppers, and onion!
2-4-08
Elin and McKenzie finally came to my site! My family and I were planning on just having a housewarming party by ourselves, and when I was in town to buy cake, juice, and alcohol for the “lafette”, McKenzie said she had been planning on coming up to my village that day! So after an afternoon of running around looking for cake, SoPaCo (no gat), homebrew, and trucks blong North West, then no phone service in Lakatoro, and a flat tire, we picked up Elin and ended up in Matanvat. They stayed until Tuesday morning and the weekend flew by. We ate chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast every morning (picnicking on a mat outside with coffee), visited my caves, swam in the sol wota, trekked into the bush for avocados, oranges, custard apples, and grapefruit, made guacamole, stalked people on the radio, and drank homebrew with my family! Unfortunatly, Dan couldn’t make it, but that just means all three will have to come back next month!
I think I received a record amount of mail this past week! A package from Dee (rainbow twizzlers, granola bars, stickers), a package from Bev (underwear, Larabars, dried blueberries, lip balm, pictures), like 8 Christmas cards, photos and a letter from Sam, 2 letters from Bev, and a letter from my mom that says a package is on the way!
There was finally a teachers meeting at the school yesterday (only…2 weeks overdue). 2 out of 7 teachers were missing! I thought I was going to be overloaded with classes, but it turns out I’m not actually teaching anything. I was really disappointed at first, but after thinking about it for awhile I think maybe its better this way because 1. I can work 1-on-1 with every teacher 2. I’ll meet every student 3. I have afternoons free for secondary projects (or laundry, swimming, reading) and 4. I don’t have to worry about missing school when I go to Lakatoro, Santo, Tanna, etc… Basically every day from 8-10 I co-teach a class with a different teacher each day. Supposedly, school is starting next Monday, so we shall see how everything works out. It looks like my long afternoons of boredom aren’t over yet, but at least I can look forward to mornings.
Ok thats my most recent post! I'm in Lakatoro now, sitting outside a random store with my friend's laptop plugged into the phone line here, on dial-up. Miss everyone tons and tons!!!
Love, Laura
