Life is Different Here

A list of some things that are normal here that are maybe not normal at home:

-Using only rainwater for all water needs- drinking, washing, cooking, etc
-Having no light pollution and being able to clearly see the night sky
-Charging everything by solar power
-Wearing skirts and flip flops everyday
- Having to go outside to use the toilet and bathe
-Eating all local and organic produce
-Walking over 2 hours (each way) through the bush to see a friend
-Stocking up on dried foods, coffee, spices, and hot sauce while in one of the two towns since they're not available on Ambae
-Taking small planes to leave the island
-Never looking at a mirror bigger than my head
-Walking 1 hour and 40 minutes (each way) to pay to use the internet
-Spending a lot of time at church and at church related activities
-Hiking in flip flops
-Watching how bananas grow
-People showing up at your house at 6 am and they're surprised that you were still in bed
-Classes being dismissed early because their teacher didn't show up
-Kids running around with big knifes
-Being really excited when apples show up in the store in town
-Waiting for the bell (an empty gas canister) to ring to know that events are starting
-Sitting and waiting hours for a truck that may or may not come

Transportation

Getting around Vanuatu can be a hassle and expensive. Consisting of 60 odd inhabited islands with a land mass the size of  but spread out over the length of California, it's pretty safe to say that many ni-Vans don't get a chance to see most of their own country. So far I've been to 5 islands- Efate (where Port Vila is and one training village), Moso (an offshore island of Efate where we had training), Ambae (where I'm living), Santo (where I went during a school break for a week), and Aore (an offshore island of Santo with a resort)- which is more than many ni-Vans from Ambae who I've spoken with. I'm hoping to go to a few more while I'm in Vanuatu, as every island is different. Even villages within the same island are very different! Anyways, back to transportation. These are the methods that I've used to get around the country since arriving in Vanuatu.

-Plane
Obviously this is how I first arrived in Vanuatu, but since then I've boarded a plane 12 times (often when going to or from Vila, there is a transfer in Santo). From Vila to Santo there is a big plane, but the planes to the outer islands seat only 18 or 20. One time I flew on a chartered flight, which only sat 5! There are flights to Ambae four days every week.

-Boat
At the second training village on Moso, we often took small boats to get around. It's the only way to get off the small island (other than swimming across). On Ambae, small boats are used to go to the Western part of the island, as the roads on either side don't connect. Small boats are also used to go across to Maewo, a nearby island that only gets flights once a week.

-Truck
The most common form of transportation around Ambae! A lot of people and things can pile into the back of truck. There are a few trucks that run at regular times into Saratamata,  the provencial capital,  but most of the time a truck has to be chartered. It can get expensive to charter a truck and I've only done it a few times.

 -Bus
The buses here are more like big vans, the same as the marshutkas in Georgia and daladalas in Tanzania. I've only taken them in Port Vila, where they are a convenient way to get around. There aren't any set schedules- you just tell the driver where you want to go and he'll tell you if he can take you or not. There are buses that go to the villages around Efate,  but I don't know anything about those as I haven't taken them.

-Taxi
I've only taken taxis in Luganville, where they are plentiful and cheap!

-Ships
I haven't yet taken a ship, but there are cargo and passenger ships that go around the islands.

-Walking
It's a tie between this and taking trucks for how I get around the most on Ambae. Often when walking on the road, if a truck passes it will pick me up. At home I would balk at walking over 2 hours to get home, but here it seems normal. Trucks don't often run on the weekends, so if I go to another volunteer's site on a weekend walking is the only way to get back on Sunday without paying a lot of money to charter a truck.

September in Numbers

I like keeping track of things, so here is a snapshot of a normal (as normal as things can be) month in numbers.

In September, the number of...

...days I wore a skirt:  30
...meals I ate a root vegetable:  31
...books I read:  6
...meals I ate peanut butter:  28
...days I taught at the school: 17
...days I saw another Peace Corps Volunteer: 6
...Vatu spent: 20,280 (about $186)
...vegetables harvested from my garden: 24 capsicum, 38 tomatoes, 50 green beans
...hours spent at church or church related activities: about 18

Letters From Students, Part 3

The schools in Vanuatu recently started their third and last term of the school year. Thanks mom for the postcard! The students love seeing pictures of Niagara Falls. Some things from the postcard that I had to explain were what "pepperoni pizza" is (although hard when most don't know what cheese is) and what is an "animal shelter".

Here is a transcript from the student's letter:

"Hello!

My name is Eddie. I am from East Ambae in Vanuatu. My teacher is Miss Elizabeth. I like to learn things from school, because when I will get old I already know everything. I like to eat laplap taro. Laplap is a food that is grated and baked with coconut milk.

I like to go to the garden to plant taro, cabbage, and banana.

 During my free time I like to read and play soccer with my friends at school.

Thank you for sending a postcard.

 Eddie"

Letters From Students, Part 2

Thanks Kate for the second letter to students! They were especially interested to learn about the Kiwi bird. I didn't include the travel brochures that were also sent- I'll use those for a lesson next term instead, since we were coming to the end of the second term. Much appreciated! Here is a picture of the student who responded and a transcript of his letter: 

"Hi teacher :)
My name is Jayden Garae. I am from Vanuatu. It's nice to meet you.

Miss Elizabeth is teaching us in English,  and I like her because she is kind to us and helps us in our work.

I live in Ambae. Our capital city of Vanuatu is Port Vila. I am a student. I'm in year 6 and my favorite subject that I love most is English and maths.

I like to play soccer and volleyball. 

My favorite sport is soccer. But I also like to watch movies and listen to music.

I have two younger brothers and one younger sister. And we all live with our parents on Ambae. 

Yours fairhfully, 
Jayden Garae"

A Trip to Santo

During the current school break, a friend and I took a trip to Santo, a nearby island, to visit some friends, do touristy things, and go shopping. Luganville, the second largest town in Vanuatu with about 16,000 people, is in Santo and where we stayed. It's a smaller and more laid-back version of Port Vila. From East Ambae it is a quick 25 minute plane ride, but the $145 plane ticket will prevent me from coming often!

Luganville, being a town, has many tourists seeking out attractions and foreigners working for aid organizations. I was in Luganville for only a week, but during that time I met people from New Zealand and Japan working for aid organizations and two Australian cruise ships docked. It was interesting to see so many foreigners walking around and to have ni-Vans assume that I am a tourist, since on Ambae people either know who I am or they assume that I am in Peace Corps and speak Bislama.

 Luganville has many stores so I went overboard on shopping,  stocking up on things that are either unavailable or more expensive on Ambae, such as lentils, spices, and school supplies. It's hard to balance buying all the things I want with the 10 kg baggage limit of the small planes! Also, with the lack of availability of many items on Ambae, when going to places such as Port Vila or Luganville there are requests from people in the village to bring things back (requests have ranged from chocolate to printer ink to a dog collar).

My friend and I were fortunate to stay the week with a Peace Corps couple who work at a large school in Luganville. Their house is similar to a small American house so it was nice to spend the week cooking meals such as pizza and pasta in a real kitchen with a fridge, to sleep without a mosquito net, and to use the internet. It is interesting to compare our sites, and to reaffirm that no two sites are the same! I'm reminded that each site has their own challenges- while the access to stores and modern amenities is enviable, they don't have a village community which has been a highlight of my time here.

It's amazing how within such a small country, each island is so different. While Ambae is very dry, Santo is filled with rivers. There are many blue holes- fresh water that is such a bright shade of blue and gets quite deep in the middle. We went to Riri blue hole, a beautiful place to picnic and swim and dive and jump off a rope swing. 

Another day we went to Palekula Point, a long land area with white sand and a very old ship. We spent the day snorkeling and picnicking. Whenever I swim in the crystal clear water here in Vanuatu, I wonder how I am ever going to swim in Lake Erie again!

A third day we went to Aore, a small offshore island with a resort. We spent the day eating western food, relaxing at the beach, and snorkeling with lots of fish. The rest of the time we helped out with a big sports tournament occuring at the school, wandered around town shopping, and ate delicious food. A perfect week during the school holiday! 

Letters From Students, Part 1

A few months ago I asked if friends and family would send letters to my students. Thanks to those that did! If you haven't but still want to, more letters is better! I'll be posting students with their responses. Here is the first one. Thank you Katie for the card! Transcript of letter:

"Hello! My name is Rowayn and I am from Ambae Island in Vanuatu. I am a student in class 6. At my house I have a fish pond. And I also have a cat named Tommy. I live with my parents and my older sister. During school break I am going to Port Vila and I can't wait. In my free time I like to play soccer and I like to go swimming in the sea. I enjoy playing with my friends. Thanks for sending a card to me.
Rowayn"