July 14.

Yesterday:

-Jess dropped a big pile of timber on my fingers.
-My island crush asked me my name.
-I heard a pig being slaughtered.
-I realized the irony of the fact that this whole island is a cocoa plantation but there is no chocolate anywhere.

Today I've been feeling a little hostile towards everything - I'm just getting frustrated with how much seems to be expected of us yet how little we're given to work with. Our diet doesn't give us enough energy, especially for the veggos - we're on the worksite 7-5, 4 days a week, leaving us one day to do our small teams projets (which isn't enough, and the free time we have is at lunch, when we're dead tired, and then after work, when we essentially wash, shower, eat , go to bed, maybe playing some guitar or some scrabble first) and then the weekend with our host families. On top of this we are supposed to run a workshop on the importance of education in 8 villages! We have 2 weeks left here, and I really want to want to be doing this, and I think I would, under different terms. Right now, I'm overwhelmed. Chocolate would probably help - I've started eating powdered Milo on its own...

I want chocolate. I really, really want chocolate.

July 12.

Yesterday we worked on the kindy project again. Mildly less frustrating than last week, mildly being the key word. We got to the kindy all pumped and ready to build some bush toys, and found out that the committee had not gotten us the materials that we had been under the impression that they would provide. Edline told us that the materials hadn't come, and so I asked her if they just hadn't come today, or if they weren't coming at all. They weren't coming at all.

So, being stubborn as we are, we went and got our own friggin materials. We got a ton of timber and actually had a really productive day. We made 7 trucks (I put on the wheels!), a seesaw, 2 tables, paddles for the canoe, shovels, and a little seating area made from tree stumps. We're hoping we'll get to paint everything next week and brighten this place up.

Morsen's soon-to-be Super Truck.

"Up and down!": Morsen, Stan, Malcolm and Peter

I found out yesterday that the knowledge of disabilities is something I take for granted in Canada, and it is not quite as commonplace here. Edline and Joanna pointed to Frencella at the kindy and asked me what we called people like her in Canada. Fren definately has down syndrome, but I guess they don't really understand what that means. Dave's sister is the same age as Fren and also has DS, so last night we went to their house to talk about it. Fren lives with Edline, because her mother didn't want to take care of her. In 1995 a couple from Australia came here and wanted to take Fren back with her and give her treatment, but her family loves her and wanted her to stay here, so instead the couple sent a wheelchair for her, which Edline says is really helpful. Edline is the most unbelievable woman, I'm so honored to have the chance to work with her. She asked us to stay for dinner last night, but we'd already eaten. Everyone is so generous here even though they have so little, at least compared to the abundance that I know at home. We promised we'd visit again.

Edline George.

We were told that we are expected to spend Sunday with our host families, even though we had asked for a day to ourselves. Wells told Liesa that they would be offended if we didn't go. It's not that I don't want to see my family, but I don't feel comfortable in their church, and I don't know how to explain that. I'm upset about the fact that I'm here working with a non-denominational organization and I'm supposed to go to church every week - I respect that I'm in a religious community, but it just seems very contradictive, and maybe YCI should have given more thought to the religious and cultural diversity of its volunteers before promising the community that we would go to church with them. I'm open to new experiences, but my experience at the Larevet church last week made me a little anxious and I'm a little weary of going back.

We also really need some down time, because the work hours are pretty grueling, although we did get this morning off. The workers had to finish the concrete floor last night, and they worked until late (we found out after the fact that some of them had worked all through the night). We brought them some fruit around 930 (after Liesa finished screaming about the giant bird eating spider on her bugnet) and there was music pumping, and lights shining on the work site. It kind of brought everyone from the community out and together, it was pretty cool.

Working hard...

Jess also told us last night that her island crush is her brother Tom, because "she likes the way he cuts fruit with his knife."

I've forgotten entirely about our cat. Liesa brought Mini home on Saturday and he is the most adorable thing EVER. He's been keeping the rats at bay, but has made Becs so sick that she's started sleeping in the creepy back room, and last night she said she stopped breathing and Liesa had to give her a ventilator, which is scary. It is time to get rid of Mini, which is devastating, because not only is he precious, but without him the rats eat all of our things. However, given the choice between a cat and Becca, we all (well, most of us at least) think keeping Becca around is the wiser choice!

Dave, Me and Mini

July 10

Two worst fears realized last night: 1) A boat apparently sank off Epi 2 nights ago, with 42 people on board; 2) Tara was so sick with all the symptoms of malaria, but she seems to be better today. All I want is to make it home alive...is this too much to ask??

July 9 - Weekend.

Yesterday we met our host families. The idea behind the host family is more for the community to be able to situate us within their environment - so we are so and so's daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, dog, etc.

My father, Lui, is the chief of Larevet. My mother's name is Tulsi, and I have 2 sisters, Meli and Melissa, and 4 brothers, Ben and Jack (in absentia) and Shilon and Moses. Ben is in Vila, working on Irikiki island resort, and Jack is a musician on Santo. They're really nice people, but they don't speak much English, so conversation thus far is a little hard. We've talked a lot about how Vanuatu is poor, and how Canada is cold and we have no fruit, and this morning I tried to explain Judaism to my father. He likes the idea of the sabbath being on Saturday instead of on Sunday.

Meli and Melissa.

Family blong mi.

Jess' mom is my dad's sister, and Jess' dad is my mom's brother. Tara's dad is also my mom's brother, so we are all cousins. One bigfalla Vanuatu family. Jess' grandfather (my great-uncle, I reckon) saw the last man be eaten on Malekula. Jess' mom, Kathy, is the funniest person I've ever met, but SHE thinks I'M the funniest thing to ever grace this earth. I speak, she laughs, I eat, she laughs...everything I do makes this woman laugh!

Auntie Kathy - the best part of this photo is the Tusker advert over their heads...

Last night there was a string band from Efate that set itself up in our backyard, and charged an entrance fee to see them play. They put up tarps over our window so that we couldn't see them unless we paid. Fair enough, I suppose. It was great fun - we danced with all the pikininis, we talked, we laughed, we danced and danced some more. I'm starting to get used to life here. It doesn't hurt that the men are very good looking - I have my first island crush.

July 6 - Birthday blong Becca

Today was a bit of a frustrating day. I'm tired and in need of some down time, some time alone without my group and without being watched at every given moment. It was mine, Nicole and Rose's small project day, so we met our counterparts and tried to get started, but I'm finding it very hard. The language barrier is an issue right now, and we don't seem to have much direction. We hiked up to the phone twice to ring Linda George from the preschool association but both times she wasn't there - so we didn't get very far todaym there are a lot of questions we really need answered. We did get to visit the kindy though, and Edline George, the kindy teacher, is an amazing woman. The kids are adorable but really, really shy. One of them cried when he saw us. There are 18 kids ages 4-5 that go to the kindy here, 12 boys and 6 girls.

Some of the kindy students...a little shy around us on our first day, but it didn't last long.

The kindergarten development small teams group - from left: Rose, me (white Joanna), Joanna, Lolo, Stan, Edline and Nicole.

This afternoon after I did my washing I sat around with the kids a bit - I'm determined to be better with children than I presently am. I don't know how to talk to kids, so here, it's good, because we have to find other ways of getting along until I get a better hold of the language. They seem to like it a lot when I dance - apparently I look like a chicken.

We've named our house the "Rat Hall", appropriately. Tonight Liesa asked our counterparts, "Hamas rat long wall?", which had everyone in hysterics. I also saw a chicken lay eggs today and had a run-in with the three and a half legged dog.

Chickens eating coconut. I took a lot of pictures of this because I thought it was beyond adorable. Little did these chickies know that soon they would become dinner too.

My World Cup soccer experience in Vanuatu is limited to me checking the results of the matches on a sheet posted outside the co-op - not ideal, but it will have to do. Everyone here seems really excited about it, but no one is cheering for the same teams, and I'm wondering how they actually find out what happened...**

**France and Italy played in the final, Italy winning to my dismay. It turns out that the men would travel to another village to listen to the game on the radio and come back and report the scores to everyone else.

July 5 - Toilet humor, Vanuatu style.

Today, we mixed 120 bags of cement with sand and coral to make concrete, and filled in the foundation of the building. The men at the worksite are incredible, as is the community. I learned today that at least for many of the smaller children, we are the first white people they've seen - maybe that explains why some of them scream and run away whenever they see us.

This evening we went to the United Church - the music is unbelievably beautiful, and despite the fact that I am in no way religious (and definately not Christian, a fact that I'm finding it hard to explain to people here) I look forward to going back. Some of the youth put on a play, but we didn't understand much other than that there was a family, a toilet, and the father got drunk on kava and pooped.

We have rats. Lots of them. They ate Becca's underwear. I am horrified.

July 4 - Happy Birthday Rose!

Yesterday we sat down with our Lambubu counterparts to talk about the project(s) for the first time. I think I'd always thought that being on a "development project" would be different than this: more organized, clear, efficient - I'm starting to realize that my expensive post-secondary education fostered a whole crapload of unrealistic ideas and expectations. I was a little worried and annoyed at first, but I figure with time things will sort themselves out.

I'm still getting used to a lot of things - the rats, for example, the mossies, the language, "island time", the lack of water. At Amelatin Station we only get water between 6 and 7 every day, because it's pumped from an underground water source. This makes showering, cleaning and cooking slightly more difficult, and the toilets are so rank that I don't think I'll ever get used to them.** We found the beach though, about a 45 minute trek through the plantation. It was glorious.

Today we started work. Only two girls from the community came today - hopefully more will come as time goes on. We moved 728 giant concrete blocks this morning, helped with the structure of the building this afternoon, and sifted sand and coral all day. We also had our first brief encounters with members from our host families - my sister's name is Meli, and I can't wait to meet everyone else on Saturday.

**Note from back in Canada: I got used to the toilets.

Toilet is my friend.

July 3 - In Lambubu!

Malekula, here we come.

The wharf dropped us off at the wharf in Litz Litz (I have no clue how that's spelled) around 4:30 - we unloaded, made sure we had each and every one of our boxes (wouldn't want to forget that rice or that rice!) and then three trucks took us in our gear over the mountain to Lambubu. Children waved to us from the side of the road, and the dust rapidly became encrusted in our hair; we had the most gigantic, goofy smiles plastered across our faces. When we arrived at Amelatin station it was dark and slightly chaotic, but when we got to our home we knew everything was going to be just perfect. There was a big house just for us. A bedroom, half side for girls, half for boys, an equipment room and a large room which we would use for our kitchen/dining room. There are chickens EVERYWHERE. The community had made dinner for us and the women welcomed us with beautiful strings of flowers and pandanas leaves that they placed around our necks. I was feeling really sick but so moved I nearly cried.

No more boat: Becs and Tara hop in the back of the truck with our gear.

In Lakatoro, the provincial capital of Malampa Province, Vanuatu, on Malekula: Rose, Becca and Jo.

OUR NEW HOME :)

We had a good sleep in our new home last night. Tomorrow we start work - the boys are building chairs right now, and most of the girls are anxiously waiting for some form of water to become available - it's been nearly four days since we've washed, and we stink!

July 2 - Hour 21 on boat

When we saw the boat that would take us to Ambrym and then to Malekula, I had a hard time coming to terms with the idea that we would a) fit on it and b) not sink and become shark bait. We've been on the boat a day now, cramped, seasick, but I think we might be almost there...the Lalinda group was dropped off two hours ago, so we can't be too far away now. Anne is no longer shitting her pants, Jess is no longer barfing over the side of the boat, and I am still constipated. We've been making friends with some American Peace Corps volunteers. One of them gave Jess and me ginger candy because he said it would make us feel less nauseous, but I think it was his way of telling us that our breath reeked of perfume au vomit. What they're doing is not all that different from what we're doing, except they are isolated and their placements are two years long. I admire their dedication, but I don't think I could be a lone volunteer in Vanuatu for that long quite yet.

The boat of doom.

Joel and Barenda see us off: they will be on solid ground for the next 27 hours. We will not be.

Volcano on Epi at dawn.

The Ambrym group heads to the island on another, smaller boat.

If you look at a map of Vanuatu, you will be able to track the path that our boat took. Boat went from Efate, to Epi, to Ambrym, to Malekula, back to Ambrym (where the Lalinda group was dropped off, a bag of rice fell victim to the sea but the crew dove for it, as well as MC's shoe) and finally, again now, to Malekula, our stop, at last. Mi happy tumas.

June 28, 2006

Every day is getting better and better. Yesterday we started our training, and also had our first taste of Vanuatu kava. It tastes kind of like a mix between peppery mud and a carrot that you pull out of the ground and eat without washing the dirt off first (not that I do that regularly) This island beverage makes your tongue and mouth very numb, which is strange; however, I believe there is more of it in our futures. Today we did our equipment and training workshops, and I got my hair braided island style.

The best learning takes place outdoors. In the South Pacific.

Curtis and Tim sample their first shell of kava.

We were told to go outside, find our own space, and close our eyes. We were each given an animal noise, and told to walk around, keeping eyes closed, making this noise until we had located everyone else making the same noise. When I opened my eyes I was standing with my new family: Becs, Dave, Jess, Nicole, Tara, Ivan, Samuel, and Rose, and our group leader Liesa. We will meet our other group leader Morsen when we get to MALEKULA! We will be doing a school construction project, and I will be working on the kindergarten development project with Rose and Nicole. I am so excited right now I just might pee myself.

Tonight we will have an early Canada Day celebration, because we will be in transit on the real Canada Day, and lord knows we could never miss that celebration. We've translated Oh Canada into Bislama so that everyone can enjoy it.

Bonfire, beer, and a bunch of new friends on an island - happy Canada Day!

June 26, 2006: VANUATU!

Welkam long Port Vila!

Vanuatu is beautiful. More beautiful than anything I could have ever imagined - I can't believe that I am on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I feel so small. After a short, friendly flight, we were greeted at the airport by Joel and Nik, and brought back to the Scout Hall (Scat Hole?) - not nearly as frightening as anticipated, but still quite rugged. Toilet doesn't flush, must pour buckets of water down hole to get rid of poop. The Ni-Vans in our group are awesome, and we are picking up some Bislama. Pineapples are not in season right now, and I'm mildly (fine, extremely) disappointed. Survivor Vanuatu was filmed on a fairly popular tourist beach called Summerpoint on the other side of Efate. It's so interesting that for so many people, this country is a resort vacation land, kind of like the Dominican Republic of the South Pacific, while for everyone else it is a home where they don't have much, but have more energy and spirit than anywhere else I've ever seen. Did you know that this summer, Vanuatu was ranked as the world's happiest country?

Down by the bay at dusk.

The Scout Hall, and my hair beginning to understand what it means to live in the tropics.

Proof that Vanuatu is happy: this Port Vila local is very happy to take a picture with Jacqui and me :)

The Scout Hall some more.

Irikiki Island, as seen from Parliament.