Welkam bak kakae

One thing my family does well is welcoming family members back home after a long time spent away. My counterpart Chris spent 2 months in Japan, at the beginning of this year, for a math teacher's training. He was awarded with a scholarship and was the one representative from Vanuatu to go. While there he was taught the Japanese approach to teaching math and even got to observe teachers in the field. On his return home we celebrated this great experience and welcomed him back to Ambae.

The family all got together to bake lap lap and pig a pig. My Mama, Mama Vira (Chris' wife) and Bubu Marium prepared the banana lap lap. Timothy was helping "ras ras" the manioc.












Papa prepared the fire. The key is to make a huge fire so that it gets the stones scorching hot. They the stones alone cook the food.






Here Mama is heating the leaves to make them soft so that they wrap around the lap lap easily.

Then she spread coconut milk on the leaves first so that the banana and manioc do not stick to the them while they cook.






Papa and Timothy killed the pig, cleaned it out and then burned off the hair. No gruesome pictures sorry! But here are my siblings and cousins watching this messy task!

Once the pig was prepared it was seasoned with salt. A hot stone was placed inside it to make sure it cooked all the way through. Then bush cabbage was put with it took. Papa used coconut leaves to weave/braid around the pig so that it would not burn while baking in the hot stones.

The lap lap and pig were placed over hot stone and then covered up with even more. They are left there to bake for many hours. We use pieces of bamboo to pick up the hot stones and put them on top.










That afternoon we enjoyed manioc lap lap, banana lap lap, baked pig, and delicious bush cabbage. It was a great meal and welcoming for Chris to come home too. Not only did we have this good food but my cousin brother Michael was even playing with the pig bladder like a balloon! I guess you get crafty with your toys when there isn't a Toys-R-Us nearby!!

Vermont Maple Syrup finds its way to Vanuatu

Being born and raised in Vermont I have a slight addiction to real pure maple syrup. Whether it is maple candy, sugar on snow, drizzled (ok dumped!) over vanilla ice cream, baked into salmon, mixed with pepper on shrimp, or made into maple butter I love it. For example, I am more than willing to pay more for the real syrup at restaurants that usually serve "Aunt Jemima" and have been known to ask the server to show us the bottle to make sure it is pure!

My host family had seen pictures of maple trees and sugar houses that my parents sent on post cards and they always ask about what we eat in America. I told them about maple syrup and they wanted to try. So, Mom and Dad sent me a bottle along with some pancake mix. One sunday morning I cooked up a bunch and we ate them with some fresh fruit from the trees around our house, avoka (avocado), nangai nuts, and tea. It was a success!















This is one of our neighbors that came to go to my Mama's store and was there when I arrived with the food. Talk about good timing! He took some back to his house to share with his family too.








Here's Mama and my baby sister Jenny. Jenny has even got some crumbs on her face!

Then I brought a plateful down to my Bubu's kitchen and counterpart's family's house. They shared them equally between all the kids and I think almost everyone loved them! Here is Mama Vira splitting them in half for the kids to taste. Charlotte looks happy!

My family make pancakes sometimes but they don't use eggs or baking soda to make them fluffy. Their pancakes usually end up greasy and flat like crepes. In Bislama they actually call them grease!! So, they loved the fluffy ones that I made.

They all agree...Vermont maple syrup is "namba wan!"

The original bungee jumping!

Part of being a Peace Corps Volunteer is travelling around Vanuatu to experience some of its unique and powerful cultural customs and traditions. Last week I went to the island of Pentecost with some fellow PCVs to see the island version of bungee jumping. It is called "land diving" or "Nangol."

It is believed that bungee jumping actually originated from this idea. Every year between April and June the men in the southern part of Pentecost island wrap vines around their ankles and jump off of handmade tall wooden towers (around 20 to 30 meters).

The N'gol ceremony began centuries ago when a beaten woman ran away from her husband Tamale. He found her hiding in a tall tree and called to her saying if she came down he might beat her...but only a little. However, if he had to get her she would be sorry. She refused. He climbed the tree and as he made his final grab, she leaped. In anguish at her death (or anger that he had missed her) Tamale jumped after her, not realising his wife had tied vines around her ankles and survived the fall.

Now, this ritual is meant to ensure a good yam harvest. It is also used as a rite of passage ceremony for young boys into manhood.

The vines are tied around their ankles usually by an older man who I assume has done many jumps over the years.

As the vines are prepared, another group of men and children sing in their local language. Women also sing and dance at some ceremonies but the one I saw was only men. Women are not allowed to come close to the tower or touch the vines.

The men are wearing "nambas" which are made from leaves to cover their "tabu" parts. And, in these current modern days they like baseball caps too to keep the sun off their heads :)
After the vines are tied the boys and men prepare to jump one by one. The singing continues and the men on the tower sway along. They throw the end pieces of their vines on the ground. Then, they open their hands wide and balance on the ledge. Before they dive they join their hands together and arch their backs while their faces point up to the sky.

Then they jump!

The ground in front of the tower has been dug up a bit so that it is softer. They actually do hit the ground but the key is for the vines to be just long enough so that they barely hit the ground.

There have been very few deaths related to land diving. However, in 1974 Queen Elizabeth II, from the United Kingdom, visited Pentecost. It is said that she had them perform this ceremony on a day they normally wouldn't have jumped. It was too early in the year and the vines were not ready because they were not as elastic as needed. On this unfortunate day one of the islanders died from his jump.

Now tourists come from all over to witness this unique ceremony. The price can range from 5000 vatu up to 10,000 vatu (about $50-$100 American). As Peace Corps Volunteers we got a special rate because there were so many of us coming at one time.

Here is a link to some You Tube videos that show land diving. I took clips as well but those will have to be posted when I get back to America. The internet here is good but not that good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8-4wMoLaIU&feature=related

Haos blong mi!

Here is my cozy house on West Ambae island. It has a cement floor. The front half of the house has wood and tin walls. The back half and inside walls are made from woven bamboo.

The roof is made from natangura that has been woven and sewn onto the wooden beams. Spiders and geckos just love to hang out up there! It is a hexagon shape and has 6 windows. On a hot sunny day it actually stays resonably cool (you know like 85 degrees)!

West Ambae makes a special style of mats made from pandana leaves that they paint or dye red. I have never seen one made but I have heard that they carve the design into a banana tree trunk then press it onto the mat before they paint it red.

This is where I wash my dishes! The blue bowl is for washing and the pink bowl is for rinsing. The green bowl in the middle is where I put fruit to keep the critters out of my house (well or at least attempt to!)

And THIS is my "swim haos." We actually call it the bathroom on West Ambae. I carry a bucket of water from the water tank and use a cup to bathe. It works for what it is meant for and just that alone. Sometimes it even is used as a way for my siblings to start climbing up the guava and orange trees nearby!

The line I use to hang my clothes to dry is right next to my house. If it rains I hang them underneath a tin covered veranda at my counterpart's house. Saturday mornings is laundry day! It is so much easier to wash a little each week instead of letting it build up. I just fill a big basin with water and use a wooden plank to prop the clothes up on while I wash. I actually enjoy it. While here in Vila this week I paid to have a load washed and dried at the laundromat. $12 later I was LOVING the smell of the cleanest clothes I've had since September of 2009!

The front half of my house is a living room/dining room/pantry/kitchen! Here on the left side, as you walk into the house, I have this table that I use for doing work and eating. The chair is my favorite reading spot. My Bubu man Fred made both of these!

This is my wall of letters and cards! After I read them and write back I hang them on the wall. My host family loves to look at the pictures and sometimes tries to read them.

Here's my cousin sister Charlotte. She is in Kindy and starting first grade next term. She is 6 and loves to talk talk talk. One of her favorite things to look at in my house is my wall of letters! Her favorite is the one with baby Jesus (thanks Mom!). She also likes the singing cards (thanks Andrea and Mom & Dad!!).

Sometimes the kids come over and like to look at books, do puzzles, or color in my house. I also taught them how to play concentration (or memory) and they love that!

This is the right side of the front room and you can see my food safe and cooking area. The barrel is where I keep my water that I carry from the water tank. I only boil water to drink tea or eat oatmeal. I am eating lunch and dinner with my host family so as of now I don't cook actual meals in here.

Here is my food safe where I keep everything except for fresh fruit. The rats can chew through it if they really want to but if I block the top with things they tend not to be able to jump from the wall onto the top. Little by little I am learning how to outwit the critters!

On the door connecting the two rooms I have lots of pictures that people have mailed me and my calendar. Every day I write what I did that day on the calendar to help me remember in years to come.

Ok this is the second half of my house. It is seperated from the front half by a woven bamboo wall and the door above. This is the right side where my bed is and my clothing wardrobe (which Bubu Fred also made!).

Inside the wardrobe I can hide (oops I mean hang) my island dresses. Now that the rainy season is ending I am realizing I may need to reorganize. The rainy season did bring a large amount of mold that grew inside the wardrobe so I need to find a new place to keep my clothes!

On the left side of my bedroom I have a table and bench along the wall. I have a clothesline strung in here too to hang sweaty workout clothes or clothes that I may not hung outside for everyone to see (if you know what I mean) ;)

Here is my current collection of books to read. Well actually I've read half of these now...

The bamboo walls are covered with calico to make it more homey feeling. My counterpart decorated it for me so unfortunately I wasn't able to choose my design but that's ok! I get to have Christmas every day :)

This is my toilet! It is also called a "smol haos" on some islands. It is about a 1 minute walk from my house. It has a concrete floor which is over a long hole. The walls are made with cement brushed over burlap bags.

This is "the box." You can sit on it or hover but I keep it as clean as possible. Keeping the lid on helps to keep the smell down along with some bleach every week or so.

So there you have it! I glimpse into my everyday life. I like my house and am so grateful to have some space just for me.

How you can help!

If you are interested in sending things my way here are some ideas for things we can definately use! If you use flat rate boxes from the post office they seem to be the best deal. Send used items as well because even second hand to them here is much better than what we have access to!!

• books, books, books (esp. easy readers, picture books, and reference books)
• file folders
• notecards
• clear contact paper
• clear packing tape
• jigsaw puzzles
  
• games
• construction paper or colored paper of any kind
• stickers
• old magazines to cut up
• dollar store prizes
• silica gel packs to absorb moisture

Also here is my most up to date address if you are sending small packages or letters. For bigger packages still use the Peace Corps office address.

PO Box 33 Volovuhu School
Ndui-Ndui Post
West Ambae
Republic of Vanuatu

Thank you so much for all of your support and help so far! If you are unable to send items my way letters are always appreciated!

Meet the Natives

I heard about a TV show called "Meet the Natives" that is on the Travel Channel that features men from Tanna Island in Vanuatu while they visit places in the US. Check it out!! I know how much many of you hate reality TV but this one might be interesting. Enjoy!

Bae mi wok longsaed blo wanem? (What will I be working on?)

Well my "vacation" in Vila is almost coming to an end! I have enjoyed the luxuries of hot showers, clean clothes, cold beverages and delicious food! Training was informative and fun. I loved hanging out with other PCVs and talking with family and friends back home! Now back to the real Peace Corps experience of dirty feet, hairy legs, killing cockroachs, outsmarting rats, eating rice, and talking in Bislama!

I will be coming to Port Vila again in May for in-service training with all of the teacher trainers around Vanuatu. Until then for the next 4 months I will be working on a variety of things.



School starts on February 15th so I will be:

• teaching in the Volovuhu Centre School library with each class coming once a week and time for the community to come as well
• working with individual classrooms on literacy pre and post assessments
• doing workshops on formative assessment
• classroom observations and model teaching
• making tippy taps for hand washing (see picture on the right)
• teaching computer skills and typing to the staff

Here are some of the other ideas I have discussed with my counterpart but do not have immediate plans for yet:

• Ways to dispose of garbage and batteries (we currently burn everything! eek)
• English Club
• Working with students in small groups that need more assistance in literacy
• Help find grants for getting our solar panels up and running again
• Re-opening the library in Ndui-Ndui that has not been used in a year due to a political issue
• Creating manipulatives and classroom resources out of local materials
• Vision and Hearing Screenings and finding ways of getting glasses for children
• Making bread with manioc flour instead of white flour
• Workshops on anything and everything

I am excited to go back to site and actually start doing what I came here to do! When I was on the truck headed to the airport 2 weeks ago to come to Vila a few of the villagers asked me "Where are you going?" I joked with them "Oh, I'm going back to America now!" They said "But you haven't done anything yet!" haha

I guess I better get back there and start making a difference!