I can’t believe I only have two weeks of training left!
Actually- yes, yes I can believe it because it feels like I have been here three MONTHS, not just over one month. This is in large part due to the enormous amount of information being jammed in to our brains every day, the shock of experiencing new things and living in new ways every day, and the overall pace of things on the island. Oh, island time. I’m sure I’ll grow to love you.
I am on book number 4, something pretty huge for a girl who never takes the time to read for pleasure. A care package idear might be a good book- especially since all the other volunteers share their books, so really it’d be a gift for all! Speaking of care packages, thank you to everyone who has sent mail! It’s so nice to receive and I keep it and hang it all on my thatch roof.
Pointers for future packages that will make them less likely to be searched or tampered with.:
-write something religious on the box like “God Bless this Package”
-for the contents you can write “educational materials”
So you might be wondering, what have I been doing these past few weeks?
The trainees have a lot of “Self Directed Time” because our staff feels that spending time in the community and with our family is one of the best ways to practice our Bislama skills while immersing ourselves in to the culture. I try to help my mama cook as much as possible and have been to the garden with her once to collect island cabbage. I also use a lot of my SDL time “spelling” (rest/nap) by the beach where there is a cool breeze. I’m not gonna lie, spells are good for sanity here. Training is trying because much of our independence is lost. But for at least a couple hours a day I try to make time for myself and write letters, journal, or read.
But I do lots of cultural stuff too! For starters I have-
-Gone to church every Sunday wearing my Mother Hubbard (I have two now, one with lace!) I’ve been to the Presbyterian Church, Church of Christ, and Bible Church, along with some nightly Seventh Day Adventist evangelical programs that went on for 3 WEEKS in our village.
-Learned to cook several island foods, including banana cake, which is baked using fire and hot stones on the ground.
-Ate the fruit of Cocoa during a walkabout to a garden.
-Observed and helped with a workshop called Camp GLOW for teenagers. It focused on drugs, self esteem, public speaking, etc.
-Cooked soup and “tuna noodle pasta” for my mama mo papa over a fire. Nose running, eyes tearing up and burning. I was constantly fanning and adjusting my sorry excuse for a fire.
- Walked up into the bush to see a coffee garden
-learned how to secure a roof on a custom and tin-roof house for a cyclone
-Help my mama plant spring onions behind my house
-Observed part of a year 1 and 2 class at the Primary school in our village. Watched the school children file out and sing 4 songs for a tourist bus- something they do every day, sometimes more than once per day.
-Swam in the lagoon in our village
-Tried to open a green coconut with my bush knife. I mutilated it, but got to the coconut water after 15 minutes or so.
-Learned to peel dried coconut, break them open with the blunt side of the bush knife, and “scratch them” on a piece of metal to get the coconut flakes out. I then learned how to “milk” the coconut flakes using either a calico or the husks of a coconut.
-Learned to paint pandamas leaves to be used for weaving mats. Also learned how to dry out the leaves and roll them up to smooth them out. I have ‘learning to weave a mat’ on my list of To-Dos (I think I have time).
-Just yesterday traveled by 2 planes to another island- Malekula. One was a 19-man puddle jumper.
-Swam in ocean on a black sand (volcanic) beach
-Tried Sorsor- A LapLap cuisine made in Malekula.
-Today I am going to help with a workshop that two current volunteers are giving to parents. They will be making games that the parents can use at home to help their kids learn.
These are the things I can think of off the top of my head.
Sometimes I forget to write new experience down in my journal because I am just overwhelmed with everything I see on a daily basis.
I see families of pigs, chickens, and dogs roaming around. Cows. Pussycats. Flying Foxes, rats, and geckos at night. Banana, grapefruit, coconut, and mango trees around every corner.
Even with my eyes closed it is still so apparent that I am living in a completely new place. Birds chirping all day, “man fowl” or roosters crowing ALL day, the sounds of dogs fighting or dogs being beaten and yelping, babies crying, children playing, people laughing, waves crashing. It’ll take a long time for me to get used to having these sites and noises as part of my life, but I already feel very lucky to have been placed here and despite sweating 19 hours a day, I am loving my experience so far!
