Another long update on our lives here in the South Pacific! :)
KAMP GLOW/BILD
On Friday, August 21st we flew from Santo to the
island of Ambae to attend a week long kamp (camp, there are no C's in Bislama) put on by Peace Corps Vanuatu’s
Gender and Development Committee. Since we arrived on Friday and the kamp did
not officially start until Monday we had a chance to spend the day on Saturday
going on a “small walk”, which turned into a long hike down the beach, over
lots of giant rocks, up a HUGE mountain like hill, down the other side of the huge
mountain like hill, down another beach, and then back to the kamp site. We
spent the day Sunday resting and getting ready for the week ahead! Each Peace
Corps Volunteer brought a Ni Vanuatu counterpart to the kamp and we spent the
week attending and leading sessions on topics such as: team building,
self-respect, choosing a good partner, healthy relationships, sex, sexually
transmitted infections, etc. There was also time built in for fun kamp
activities like capture the flag, ultimate frisbee, tye dye, kamp fires, etc.
We slept in dorms on bunk beds with our fellow PCV’s and counterparts and ate
breakfast, lunch and dinner together. We all learned a lot, stayed busy and had
fun! It took me back to my Girl Scout camp days! The point of the kamp is to
teach us PCV’s and our counterparts how to run the sessions and the kamp so
that we can go back and run the same kamp, or small portions of it, with our
communities. It was a great learning experience, it was great to get to know
some of the high school age students that attended the kamp and the counterparts
of other PCV’s, and it was great to get to see another island and spend time
with our friends. Here are a few pictures from KAMP GLOW/BILD
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| Sophie and Alfred about to board their first flight ever! |
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| Some of the Vols and counterparts on the first day of kamp |
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| Capture the flag opponents! Go team BLUE! |
On the Thursday of the kamp my very good friend, Shannon,
got a phone call letting her know that her brother, CJ, had passed away in a
car accident. She dropped to her knees in the middle of the grass when she
heard our country director tell her the news and within seconds was surrounded
by a group of her fellow PCV’s doing our best to comfort her, make her laugh,
and do anything we could to make her feel better. She talked with her family
and decided to fly home on the following Monday to spend time with her family and
attend CJ’s memorial service. I know from experience that it is so hard to be
here, across the world, when something like this happens and my heart breaks
for her and her family. Our group has been hit hard with family tragedies which
have not only reminded us all of how precious our lives are but have also
brought us closer together, which is something to be thankful for. Shannon is
coming back to Vanuatu on Saturday and I cannot wait for her to be back! Safe
travels, Shannon!!! I love you!
MANARO
After the glow/bild workshop, a large group of us – 10
volunteers and 11 counterparts - decided to hike the nearby dormant Manaro
volcano. It's a popular Peace Corps tradition whenever volunteers are on Ambae.
We set out on our adventure on Saturday afternoon. Our first stop: Quataneala
Primary School (Our friend Alison’s site) where we sat on a bench outside of
the school library and got custom tattoos. The tattoos were given to us with an
orange tree thorn needle, ash from a red wood tree, and the juice from a healing
leaf squeezed into the ash. The tattoo is two lines that represent the customs
and beliefs surrounding the volcano. After we all had our new ink, we awaited a
truck that I had arranged to pick the 21 of us up at 5pm. 5:30pm rolled around
and no truck yet. Cole went off with Kinsey, the tattoo artist, to drink kava
at his house and came back around 6:15…still no truck. 6:30 came and went and
still no truck. At this point it was pitch black dark and we couldn’t get in
touch with the man I had arranged the transports with, Paul. By 7pm we resorted
to just waiting in the road more or less for a ride. Finally we found two
trucks who agreed to charge us the same amount as our previously arranged
trucks! They drove us the 30 minutes to the bungalows we had reserved for the
night with Paul, the same guy I arranged the transports with. We arrived at
around 9:45pm. We thought we had the whole bungalow rented, but it turns out
Paul assumed since we didn't arrive at 5pm that we weren't coming and he gave
out the bungalow to a French man who was asleep in what was meant to be our
home for the night. All the men just ended up sleeping in the small church on
the ground and the girls slept on mattresses on the floor in the bungalow with
the sleeping French man. Inconvenient but whatevs! We all got settled in and
then waited for them to prepare food for us. Paul had said dinner would be
provided when we got there, but since he assumed we weren’t coming anymore he
gave our food away and had to wake up some mamas in the village to cook for us.
At 11pm we ate and then went to bed! It was cold and raining and we were tired
and frustrated and needed some sleep before our big hike the next morning. We
woke up around 4:30, ate some homemade doughnut like bread called gato, packed
our small bookbags for the hike, and then…waited. We wanted to leave at 5am but
the guide Paul had arranged did not show up. At 5:30 they went to find a new
guide and came back a little before 6:00 with a barefoot lady guide carrying nothing
but a bush knife. It was pouring rain and very cold when we set off at around
6:05. We were in good spirits, despite all the road blocks along the way so far
and started the hike singing songs and chatting happily. At around 9am, 3 hours
in, we were told that we were about halfway up. By this time our group of 22
had divided into 3 smaller groups based on speed and we were passing messages
through groups and communicating through little yelps in order to make sure the
next group wasn’t too far behind. We would stop every once in a while and all
catch up with each other and make sure everyone was safe and accounted for. We
were soaking wet and very cold, but things were going fine. At around 11am,
word traveled back from the guide that we can longer speak to each other. It is
believed that when people pass away their souls go to rest on top of the volcano.
It's custom on top of the volcano to be silent in respect of the souls resting there.
At 12pm, six hours in, we were still climbing with no end in sight. Most of the
way up we had been following something of a path. That path was no longer in
sight and our guide was now cutting her own path with her bush knife. We start
thinking, this barefoot crazy lady is lost. Then it's released that she's only
climbed the mountain three times in her life, AND the last time was TEN years
ago. We talked amongst the small group we were with (having to break custom by
talking, which we regret, but it was a necessity at this point in order to
determine our next course of action) and we decided that we needed to turn back
because we had been hiking for 6 hours, meaning we had at least another 6 hours
back down and we needed to get back in time to catch our truck back to our
camp. Cole ran ahead to tell the guide and the front group that we have to
consider turning around. Everyone agreed and we turned back with the whole
group, except for the guide who had now disappeared (all throughout the hike
she had been randomly running off ahead of us to find the path or cut the
path). We hadn’t seen the two lakes on either side of the dormant volcano and
we were upset about that, but glad to be turning back at a decent hour. We are
10 minutes hiking down the mountain, and the guide catches up telling us she
found the trail and the water is so close. Half of us climb down this nearly
straight down mud wall for 10min only to arrive at this tiny creek...and the
ghost guide disappeared again. After this most recent frustration, we finally
give up. Cole and a few others stood waiting for 45min for her and two friends
who had gone with her to return near the creek. Finally we called it once and
for all. It was 7 hours into the hike now, and we HAD to start heading down. So we climb up the cliff side, then start down
the mud trail again, leaving some cookies and a solar lantern for the guide and
our friends. Immediately when we start
descending, my chronic knee problem that I first got on our first Vanuatu
volcano hike in Nguna and was never appropriately treated starts killing me. We
have to move at a snail's pace, and Cole has to help me down every large step.
One hour in, our small group runs into another group that turned around early. Some
of the group, including me, was having a hard time both physically and
mentally. It was still drizzling, we were still wet and cold, we were hurting
from the 7+ hours already hiked, and we knew we still had a looooong way to go.
Oh and at that point our guide was gone and we were just following the path in
the middle of nowhere the best we could. It got dark at 6pm and we had one
flashlight between 10 people. My knee pain was at like a 9/10 and Cole was
literally pulling me down the mountain. The guide had caught up with us at this
point, but was walking behind us and not saying anything. We think she was
upset that we didn’t see the lakes and that we had all, including her, broken
custom and talked at the top, and that the trip had not gone as planned…to say
the least! We continued to choose our own path, second guessing ourselves the
whole time. One hour with with complete darkness and all of a sudden, this
guardian angel, named Mckinney, shows up with a new light, bread and tea. He
said they were all worried about us and that he had come to find us and bring
us food. We told him he had to help get our friend down the mountain, so he
stuck around helping Shannon down and helping us find the right path since our
guide was walking behind us and not saying much, except “sori” when I sang out
in pain due to my knee or when another volunteer sang out in pain.. Another
incredibly long hour later we could hear the voices of the group that had made
it back before us. Of course I was crying, because I was in pain and because I
was happy that it was almost over and proud that we had freaking made it! Cole
let go of me and made me walk the final steps down the trail by myself. We all
hugged and celebrated, and surveyed the damage to our feet and then we grabbed
our bags, paid for the bungalow and for the guide (kindof reluctantly based on
her services) and walked down to the nearest truck road. Thank god the trucks
braved the awful muddy road to come up to the bungalow, because hiking down to
flat ground would have been another 2-3hours. We joyously rode in the rain in
the back of the truck to the school where we had been staying for the week of
the camp, took cold showers, popped pain killers, ate a late meal that the
mamas has graciously made for us and stayed up to wait for us even though it
was nearly 10 when we got back, and went to bed. The next day we were crippled
and sore and had one heck of a story to tell. There is very little exaggeration
in my words, and I don't think this can explain how long of a day our Manaro
hike actually was. In nicer conditions, it would have probably been an 8 hour
hike, maybe 4/10 in difficulty. But with all the hardships faced it doubled in
difficulty, took us 14+ hours and was a 10/10 in difficulty!! Looking back it
was an experience that I will never forget, full of road blocks, frustrations,
a few regrets, a little bit of fun, and a lot of will power! I can say with
total confidence that I earned this tiny little tattoo on my wrist and that I
will never forget our Manaro hike! Cole says that if he is ever in Ambae again,
and the weather is good, he will give Manaro another shot. I can say with
absolute certainty, that I will never ever be giving the Manaro hike another
shot!
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| All tatted up |
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| The whole crew! Glad to be back at camp! |
MAEWO
With our recent hiking journey barely behind us, we set
off the next morning to head to Maewo for a few days to visit our friend Lea’s
site, Naone. We left at around 11:00 and went to the “wharf”, aka a portion of
the beach where the boats come and go, in Ambae. There we caught a boat over to
Maewo. The weather and water conditions were great and we enjoyed an hour long
boat ride from Ambae to Maewo. When we arrived we hopped in a truck and rode
the 30 or 45 minutes or so to Lea’s site. We limped inside Lea’s cute little
hut, put our things down and then limped about 10 minutes down the road to see
a couple of small waterfalls. We thought they were beautiful and were very
impressed by them, little did we know the beauty we were in store for the next
day! We hung out at the small waterfalls for a bit, Lucas jumped in the water,
we chatted with some peeps from Lea’s village, and then we headed to her host
family’s house where we enjoyed a delicious corn and lap lap snack! That night
we went for kava and then enjoyed more delicious lap lap from Lea’s mom.
Apparently we had consumed a little too much lap lap because as Hannah, Cynthia
and I sat on a bench merrily stuffing our faces the bench broke in half and our
big butts went crashing onto the ground. Totally embarrassing. We decided then
that it was time to call it a night. We hobbled back to Lea’s where the 7 of us
slept on mattresses spread out on the floor in her hut. The next morning we
decided to start our day doing something productive, so we walked down to the
beach and did our laundry in a fresh water stream that flows into the ocean.
Laundry with a view. A few of us also took the opportunity to wash our hair and
our bodies in the stream. Bath with a view. Once our laundry was finished and
hanging on lines outside of Lea’s hut, we decided it was time for a little
adventure. Lea’s beautiful site also happens to be the home of the biggest
waterfall in Vanuatu, rightfully named Big Water. Big water is about a 15
minute walk from Lea’s house. After lunch we headed that way, still limping and
sore, but excited to be going to the waterfall! We were accompanied by several
people from Lea’s village who showed us the way and then showed us where to
safely jump off the waterfall. The waterfall is one of the most beautiful
things I have ever seen in my life. It is BIG, LOUD, HIGH, SCARY, and simply
GORGEOUS. Most of us jumped from the highest part, which was terrifying and
exciting and took me about an hour to actually do! We spent the afternoon
swimming, jumping, taking pictures and having a grand ole time. That evening
Lea’s counterpart from GLOW/BILD, Vero, came over and we planned some sessions
from the kamp to do at Lea’s school and in her community the next day. We
planned and then ate a delicious meal made over the fire in Lea’s tiny little
bush kitchen! Once planning and dinner was finished we sat in a circle on the
mattresses on the floor in the hut, passed around a jug of wine, talked, and
laughed. It was a good day. On Wednesday we did a GLOW/BILD session with all of
the pikinini at Lea’s school called Trust and Team Building. It want well and I
think the kids loved it! After the session we went and hung out at the beach
for a bit and then all of us except Cole went back to Big Water for a few
hours. Cole stayed home and slept because he had taken some Benadryl to stop
the itching from a really gnarley rash that he had had for nearly two weeks at
that point. Once we got to Vila a few days later and he went and saw the PC
docs, he found out that it was maybe a bacterial infection or an allergic
reaction. Either way, they gave him antibiotics and now the rash is nearly
gone. That afternoon we did a GLOW/BILD session with Lea’s village on Public
Speaking. It was fun and also went well! Afterwards we were invited to the
nakamal to try Gwasisi, a kind of kava they make in her village. The making of
this kava is a really neat custom and ended up, even for me – a non-lover of
kava – being a really cool experience.
Normally women are not allowed at the nakamal at all.
They made an exception for us and let us sit in the outside area of the
nakamal, we just couldn’t go inside. Jeffery, Cole and Lucas were allowed
inside because they are males. A super nice man, Jerry, started to tell us all
about the Gwasisi custom and even encouraged me to take pictures of each part
of the process. Gwasisi kava is different because you grind the kava with a
stone, instead of in a meat grinder or by chewing and spitting it like in other
parts of Vanuatu. Nowadays, it is mostly ground in a meat grinder. Only a lucky
few get to experience chewed kava. Anyway, like I said Gwasisi kava is ground
using a stone, which makes it special. Here is how the whole process goes…
Step 1: Go to the garden and get the kava
Step 2: Cut the kava
Step 3: Wash the kava
Step 4: Grind the kava with a stone
Step 5: Squeeze (milk) the kava
Step 6: Sift the kava
Step 7: Sift the kava again
Step 8: Have your hands washed by the person who ground
the kava for you
Step 9: Turn and face the east so that you will have a
long life
Step 10: Drink the kava!
The Gwasisi kava was really strong and after one shell of
it and one shell of regular kava, I felt the effects of kava for the first time
since I have been in Vanuatu. Sure, I’ve gotten the numb lips before, but that
is really all. This time, I really felt it. It was nice. It does not, however,
make me want to drink kava any more that I do now…rarely! Still, like I said, it
was a great experience and maybe one of my favorite Vanuatu customs so far!
When we got home Jeffery made us a little meal over the
fire, we went to sleep, and the next day we said our goodbyes to Maewo and to
Cynthia, Lucas, Jeffery, Hannah, and Lucas. I love those guys so much and had
so much fun with all them, among others, in Ambae and in Maewo! I feel so lucky
to have made such good friends here! Here are a few more pics from our Maewo trip...
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| Boat from Ambae to Maewo |
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| Truck to Lea's site, Naone |
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| Hanging with some peeps from Lea's village |
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| Clothes washing with a view! |
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| An intense staring contest during our session on Public Speaking (when discussing the importance of eye contact) |
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| Hanging out in Lea's hut before we left |
After Maewo we went to Vila for one week. I had VAC
(Volunteer Advisory Council) meetings, Cole saw the PCMO’s (Peace Corps Medical
Officers) about his gross rash, and we attended The Solar Digital Library
training (which some of you generously funded for Cole! Pictures of that to come...)
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| The rash! It got worse before it got better #gross |
The BIG MOVE (NARANGO TO EBENEZER)
When we got back to Santo from Vila we spent one night in
Luganville where we bought a few groceries and geared up for a crazy next
couple of days. We went back to Narango on Friday afternoon. We spent the
weekend packing up our little hut and spending time with our family. We also
went and had a shell of kava on Saturday night and went to church on Sunday
morning where I gave a smol toktok (small talk) saying thank you for taking
good care of us, that we would miss them and that we would be back to visit. On
Sunday afternoon Cole and I, along with our host family (mom, dad, Johnny and
Junior) took a truck the 20 minutes down the road to our new home. Our family
helped us get our things into our house and then we said our sad goodbyes. We
were welcomed by several of the teachers here at our new school, Ebenezer, who
live on school grounds with us. Our house is really nice (indoor kitchen and
bathroom, running water, solar electricity) and everyone is super friendly and
seems very excited that we are here. Best of all, it seems like the teachers
and the students attend school on a regular basis, which is wonderful! Since
Sunday we have spent some time unpacking and getting settled, we did a TON of
laundry (which was much easier with running water), we walked the 20 minutes or
so to the sand beach (which is amazing and beautiful), we introduced ourselves
at Monday morning assembly, and we started our first project here, which we are
really excited about (more about Bottle Bricks below!) Here are a few last pics from Narango...
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| Pepper and I taking a break from packing up the hut and thinking about our big move |
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| Our sweet family |
BOTTLE BRICKS!
When we were in Vila a few months ago for reconnect
training the volunteers from the group before us (G26) gave presentations on
projects they are working on, have completed, or plan to start at their sites.
One of the G26ers, Alison, presented a project that she is working on at her
school in Ambae called Bottle Bricks. When she presented it we thought it was
really awesome and since then we have talked with her more about it, done a
little more research on it, and decided to do it at Ebenezer. Rubbish (trash)
is a big issue here in Vanuatu. You very rarely see trash cans, there aren’t
really any organized places to dump your rubbish, and recycling has only
recently been introduced and is not a well know concept at all. In most
villages people burn their rubbish, bury their rubbish or just throw it either
into a giant rubbish pile, onto the road, into the bush or into the ocean and
rivers. It is not a good situation. Bottle Bricks to the rescue! Bottle bricks
are basically plastic water bottles (or cooking oil bottles or any large
plastic bottle really) packed FULL with rubbish and then used, as bricks, to
build something. On Tuesday we went to each class (1-8) at our school and talked
to them about recycling, reusing and rubbish! We talked to them about what
recycling is and why it is so good for our world. We talked to them about rubbish
that is okay to burn (paper, wood, food) and rubbish that is not okay to burn
(plastic, tin, batteries, styrofoam) and why. Then we introduced the bottle
bricks. We showed then how to use a stick to stuff the bottles full and how to
cut up things that are too big in order to make them fit into the bottle. We
encouraged them to fill the bottle bricks with rubbish that is not okay to
burn, really focusing on plastic and batteries. Then we told them about the
bottle brick competition that we came up with. Each class will act as a team.
Each team has until November 1st to make as many bottle bricks and
collect as many points as possible. Each bottle brick is worth 10 points. Each
battery is worth 1 bonus point. The class with the most points at the end of
the competition gets a party…with CAKE! They are all about it! There have
constantly been kids lined up at our door giving us full bottle, excitedly
telling us how many batteries are inside and anxiously waiting to hear how many
points they have! By the end of day 1 we had collected about 40 bottle bricks
(class 6 and class 8 are currently neck and neck for the lead). When the
competition is over, all of the cake has been eaten and all of the bottle have
been counted, we will have a big meeting and decide what to build with all of
our bottle bricks! Maybe some benches or tables for the library we are working
to organize? Maybe a little bottle brick hut to sit under and spel (rest) or
read? Who knows! What we do know is that the kids are loving it, the school is
way cleaner than it was a few days ago, and that now they know that it is not
good to burn certain types of rubbish or to litter and why! All good things! We
will keep you all updated!
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| Cole teaching the pikinini how to make a bottle brick! |
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| Class 4 girls, a bag of rubbish and a bag of batteries! |
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| Bottles collected after about 36 hours! Almost 50! |
