Open Day at Volovuhu School

 In America we have Open Houses...in Vanuatu the school boundaries are off limits for anyone other than students.  I helped my school try something new!  We had an open day where the students invited their parents to come see what they have been working on.  Here are some proud parents taking a tour of the classrooms with their children!

After a picnic lunch the classes did performances for the families.  They were a mix of poetry, dramas, skits, readers theater, report presentations, and songs.  The students were so creative and of course cute :)

The finalle was a skit done by the eight grade students about high blood pressure and how to get healthy to keep it down.  Graham stuffed a pillow under his jacket to make him look overweight and after he followed the doctor's orders to eat lots of fresh fruit and exercise he was instantly slimmer (without the pillow for those that aren't following along).  This day was a big success and I look forward to making next year bigger and better.

Play time in Maewo

During the week we had lots of time to hang out and play too!  Here are our hosts making french toast with fresh coconut on top! 

We even made pizza!!  We used Vermont smoked cheddar cheese, home grown basil, and a few local tomatoes.  Yummy.

At Gambule School there is a statue that represents Vanuatu's motto "Long God Yumi Standap" which means "In God We Stand."  It is a fund place for a photo op!  My host Mama thought so too.

 

At one of the talent nights Justin decided to do a "magic" trick with the help of one of the men in his village.  They made a very very small amount of coconut turn into a huge amount of coconut.  The locals were scared and now think Justin knows black magic.  I know the secret if anyone wants to know :)

Maewo was beautiful and the sunsets stunning (even though they are everywhere in Vanuatu).

Kava blong Maewo i strong we i strong

When visiting other islands I always make sure I taste their kava...for culture learning only of course ;)  So when I was in Maewo Justin made us Kava blong Maewo with the help of his host brother and papa.  Earlier in the day the kava was pulled out of the ground.  When it was starting to get dark Justin got to work. 

First step:  rinse off the dirt.

Then cut the roots up into smaller pieces.

A piece of coral is then used to grind the kava roots into smaller pieces.

The kava is then squeezed and strained through a part of the coconut husk.

Next up...drinking!  Individual shells are made and then directly passed to the drinker by the man that made kava.  Your hands need to first be cleaned with water then you are ready to drink.

Usually men in Maewo face South and squat down while drinking but it is no longer customary.

The taste of Kava is definitely unique...but the result is pleasant.  Sometimes the initial "kick" can be a little intense!  But, it is an experience worth trying!

Culture Night

 During the Kindy Conference all the participants got together at night to showcase their individual cultures and activities they do with their students.  This was a wonderful opportunity to learn about different islands because even though we are all within the same province, many Ni-Vanuatu people do not travel much outside of their villages.

Every evening began with singing praise and worship songs.



We get brownie points for being able to sing along!





Arleen is a VSA volunteer from New Zealand and she lives on the island of Santo.  She has lots of suggestions to share and loves to jump right in!  She danced with the one other woman from Santo to show a dance from there.

Then Arleen found two men to help her dance a traditional Maori dance that usually only men can do.  One was our Kindy Coordinator for Penama Province, Fred (white shirt) and the other a Kindy teacher from North Pentecost island.

North Pentecost was full of energy!  They did a mix of custom dances and some games they play with their students.

Next up...American culture.  We don't really have "custom" dances for the US so the girls and I showed them a few things we do for fun to make people laugh.  We lip sang the song "Shout" by the Temptations.  Rachel lip-synced the lead and Sheridan and I were the backup singers.  I think it was a bit too out there for the locals to appreciate.  We might have even made a few small children cry (just kidding).

Next on our part was the Cupid Shuffle.  This one was a fantastic hit and we even got a few other women to join us a few days later for an encore!

South Pentecost Kindy teachers showed us some of their rhymes and poems in local language.

Maewo Kindy teachers entertained us with rhyming songs and air band guitars made from stems of coconut leaves!

West and North Ambae Kindy teachers joined together for some custom dances.

It was such a memorable night for everyone with lots of laughing!