My last week on Tanna was full of tearful goodbyes and many many presents. Seeing all my friends and family in tears as the airplane took off left me crying my eyes out the whole 35 minutes to Vila. It was bittersweet. Although I will miss my people I feel like I have good closure and am at peace about it all. I'm a little terrified about the next year of my life....
Thanks for following me over the past two years and for all of your kind words and prayers. The past two years have been pretty amazing and I'm glad I was able to share a piece of my Peace Corps service with you. Please keep me and my travel buddy in your thoughts and prayers as we visit NZ, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam before heading back to the U.S.
Ale!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
September 30, 2011
And the week gets worse. Early this morning I heard two of my teachers talking outside my window. When I heard the name of one of our students and the word hospital I decided to get up and join the gossip. Someone in the village behind the school had told my neighbor this morning that Maureen, a 4th grade student was in town at the prayer house. Some students also said that they saw Maureen headed to town with her aunty and she could barely walk. And then my neighbor started telling the story she heard last night. Maureen had been raped by her father and a 16 year old boy in the community. No one had taken her to the hospital but she was taken to the woman who prays over people. I just about lost my mind. As soon as the headmaster arrived I told him I was going to find her and take her to the hospital. The 4th grade teacher and I jumped on a truck and headed to town. We found her at the prayer house lying on a mat with her aunty. As we began talking to her we discovered that this all started last year. When she was in 3rd grade her father started sexually abusing her and threatened to stab her with a knife if she told anyone. Now her body couldn’t take it anymore and her aunty and grandma called the police and filed a report. Unfortunately her father ran away before the police caught him. Maureen is now completely terrified that he will find her. She was taken to the hospital that day. When I saw how helpless she was and how scared she was to talk about it I started crying. A ten year old abused by her own father and his friend…and other family member just letting it happen for over a year……
And the week gets worse. Early this morning I heard two of my teachers talking outside my window. When I heard the name of one of our students and the word hospital I decided to get up and join the gossip. Someone in the village behind the school had told my neighbor this morning that Maureen, a 4th grade student was in town at the prayer house. Some students also said that they saw Maureen headed to town with her aunty and she could barely walk. And then my neighbor started telling the story she heard last night. Maureen had been raped by her father and a 16 year old boy in the community. No one had taken her to the hospital but she was taken to the woman who prays over people. I just about lost my mind. As soon as the headmaster arrived I told him I was going to find her and take her to the hospital. The 4th grade teacher and I jumped on a truck and headed to town. We found her at the prayer house lying on a mat with her aunty. As we began talking to her we discovered that this all started last year. When she was in 3rd grade her father started sexually abusing her and threatened to stab her with a knife if she told anyone. Now her body couldn’t take it anymore and her aunty and grandma called the police and filed a report. Unfortunately her father ran away before the police caught him. Maureen is now completely terrified that he will find her. She was taken to the hospital that day. When I saw how helpless she was and how scared she was to talk about it I started crying. A ten year old abused by her own father and his friend…and other family member just letting it happen for over a year……
Eline
September 29th, 2011
Eline is one of my fifth grade students who comes to read with me every week to work on her reading skills. Today she came to school with her parents, which never happens in this culture. The word quickly spread that she was pregnant. She’s 11 years old. Back in May, she started her first period and then didn’t have another one. Her mom started to get worried and took her to the hospital in town. She is 3 months pregnant and brave enough to still show her face at school. But today was her last day at Lamkail Primary School. This morning the school council had a meeting to decided what to do about the situation. They kicked her out (even though she could have finished the school year off). It’s kastom here that once you start having kids your education is over. Even though the law says that all children are given the right to free education through 6th grade. After discussing what happened with several teachers and clost friends of mine in the community I realized there was nothing I could do. The school council justified their decision by saying that Eline would be a bad influence on the other students and that if she came everyone would want to have babies too….ridiculous. The part about this story that makes me most upset is that Eline and I were just starting to really work together on reading. She was finally putting sounds together in her head. All that’s left to do now is pray that her 11 year old body survives the pregnancy and that this boy is good to her.
Eline is one of my fifth grade students who comes to read with me every week to work on her reading skills. Today she came to school with her parents, which never happens in this culture. The word quickly spread that she was pregnant. She’s 11 years old. Back in May, she started her first period and then didn’t have another one. Her mom started to get worried and took her to the hospital in town. She is 3 months pregnant and brave enough to still show her face at school. But today was her last day at Lamkail Primary School. This morning the school council had a meeting to decided what to do about the situation. They kicked her out (even though she could have finished the school year off). It’s kastom here that once you start having kids your education is over. Even though the law says that all children are given the right to free education through 6th grade. After discussing what happened with several teachers and clost friends of mine in the community I realized there was nothing I could do. The school council justified their decision by saying that Eline would be a bad influence on the other students and that if she came everyone would want to have babies too….ridiculous. The part about this story that makes me most upset is that Eline and I were just starting to really work together on reading. She was finally putting sounds together in her head. All that’s left to do now is pray that her 11 year old body survives the pregnancy and that this boy is good to her.
Spelling Bee Finally!
September 29, 2011
After postponing it a few times due to deaths in the village, Lamkail Primary School’s first ever spelling bee finally happened! The students spent all term 2 learning how to spell their lists of words. More importantly though they learned that spelling matters and they learned how to study. The morning of the Spelling Bee I was so proud when I saw groups of kids practicing their words with each other. Parents slowly trickled over to the school as classes made last preparations and the stage was flassed out. A generator, sound system, DJ, and a decorator were all hired for this event. The students showed up in their best clothes which for some meant a clean uniform. And before coming on stage they combed their hair and oiled their faces. One class at a time, they took the stage and took turns spelling their words into a microphone. For most students it was their first time holding a microphone. Each class had a trophy for 1st prize and I made bags of goodies for 2nd prize winners. I was also able to give every student who participated a silly band thanks to my lovely nieces. The best part of the whole day was seeing how proud parents and teachers were. Some of the old men in the community really got into it and were on the edge of their seats the whole time. You would have thought they were watching a football match.
After postponing it a few times due to deaths in the village, Lamkail Primary School’s first ever spelling bee finally happened! The students spent all term 2 learning how to spell their lists of words. More importantly though they learned that spelling matters and they learned how to study. The morning of the Spelling Bee I was so proud when I saw groups of kids practicing their words with each other. Parents slowly trickled over to the school as classes made last preparations and the stage was flassed out. A generator, sound system, DJ, and a decorator were all hired for this event. The students showed up in their best clothes which for some meant a clean uniform. And before coming on stage they combed their hair and oiled their faces. One class at a time, they took the stage and took turns spelling their words into a microphone. For most students it was their first time holding a microphone. Each class had a trophy for 1st prize and I made bags of goodies for 2nd prize winners. I was also able to give every student who participated a silly band thanks to my lovely nieces. The best part of the whole day was seeing how proud parents and teachers were. Some of the old men in the community really got into it and were on the edge of their seats the whole time. You would have thought they were watching a football match.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Things I don’t want to forget
•Washing volcano ash off my vegetables (locals call it shitshit blong volcano : )
•The titi pawpaw next door
•Asked my Class 6 girls what time church started and they pointed to the sun and said “When the sun is just over that mango tree church will start”
•The sound of my neighbor walking on the coral back from kava and relieving himself just outside my window
•The roosters at 4 o’clock in the morning
•Nights with a full moon when you don’t need a torch
•The stars and the Milkyway
•My tippy tap to wash hands
•Fresh, organic, homegrown veggies
•Going on a walkabout and not taking snacks because there will be a mango or mandarin tree somewhere
•Besides my fat Uncle Jeffrey, every single Ni Van man, boy, toddler has a 6 pack and huge arm muscles
•The smell of laplap as it comes off the hot stones
•The sound of everyone scratching coconuts as the sun goes down
•Parakeets
•People taking plants and flowers from school, church, or a neighbor’s yard as a “memory” to go and plant in their own yard
•Ni-Vans shower before bed and before going to school/work in the morning
•Male-domination!
•Women, girls, men, and boys picking out each other’s lice constantly kind of like animals grooming each other all day
August 23, 2011
I woke up in the middle of the night last night because my eyes were on fire. Turns out I forgot to take my contacts out. I woke up and my eyes were basically sealed shut and red as the devil. The next morning I was talking to my neighbor and she told me she had a quick Kastom medicine that would clear my eyes right up. Then she grabbed her boob and said she just needed to squeeze some of her breast milk into my eyes and the red would go away instantly. All I could do was burst out laughing. She said people do it all the time to get rid of pink eye. I didn’t take her up on the offer.
July 27, 2011
After stuffing myself with yam chips for lunch I decided to start my running back up. Now that the sore on my foot is healed I have no excuse. I set off with Gertrude, my 6 year old neighbor who has been begging me to go “tren” with her (she got some fancy running shoes from some kid who outgrew them). We were quite the spectacle as you can imagine. She made it 2.5 miles with only one small break! When we got to the beach in front of our school, she stopped and started pointing out to the reef. At first all I could make out were the waves crashing on the reef. But as soon as the waves calmed a bit I saw a fin sticking out of the water. A shark was looking for something to eat just off the reef at high tide. We both got so excited we ran home really fast to tell everyone. Personally I was more terrified than excited because the shark was in one of the pools of water that the kids and I frequently swim in. It was pretty awesome though. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a shark that wasn’t in a zoo or aquarium. And if I hadn’t been running with Gertrude I would have never noticed it.
After our exciting news was shared we played a round of kickball with the other teachers’ kids and then washed off in the shallowest (and shark free) part of the ocean. I think I finally understand why the locals swim in the sea even when it’s cold…because after having swam in the ocean the ground water to rinse with is extremely warm. No need to boil water. And just as I was settling down to read my neighbors brought me a plate of taro and chicken. Then my little friend Lina brought me three custard apples. What a great day.
After our exciting news was shared we played a round of kickball with the other teachers’ kids and then washed off in the shallowest (and shark free) part of the ocean. I think I finally understand why the locals swim in the sea even when it’s cold…because after having swam in the ocean the ground water to rinse with is extremely warm. No need to boil water. And just as I was settling down to read my neighbors brought me a plate of taro and chicken. Then my little friend Lina brought me three custard apples. What a great day.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Photos from August!
Kastom Danis
Men talking in the Nakamal
Taro Garden
Sunset
Mama making simboro
Mama scratching coconut
Another Sunset
Girl Time
Charline, Gertrude, and my Namesake!
Men talking in the Nakamal
Taro Garden
Sunset
Mama making simboro
Mama scratching coconut
Another Sunset
Girl Time
Charline, Gertrude, and my Namesake!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Lololima Waterfall
Dad and I set out on an adventure today to find this waterfall someone had told us about. After the second bus driver turned us down, we decided to catch a ride outside of town and then jump on another bus. After about ten minutes an empty bus pulled up and asked where we were going. The bus driver was a friendly guy who wanted to know where we were from and all the usual stuff. He admitted he had never been to the waterfall and wasn’t quite sure where it was once we’d been riding along about fifteen minutes. We saw some guys on the road and a man in a truck and the bus driver asked nicely if we minded if he asked them for directions…of course we said okay. The local guy said to ask the white man in the truck because he was the owner of the land. He said we were indeed going the right way and then said “yea hope you don’t get lost…” This was a bit discouraging since we had no idea where we were going. The bus driver stopped at the gate and just after I paid him asked if dad and I would come to the window. He then proceeded to pray for us and our journey to the waterfall and asked God to keep us safe. Now at this point dad and I are a little bit worried. Not only was there a cemetery next to the dirt road but the bus driver felt like he needed to pray for us. Dad and I set out a little unsure of ourselves…after about an hour walk though we found the waterfall. We snapped some pics, had a snack and managed to make it back to the dirt road before sun down. A truck driver who was taking some kids home from school dropped us off in town and refused any money. The kids were in French school and seemed impressed when we jumped into their conversation. We got some cold drinks, showered (and the hot water was on!) and shared some vegetable soup before calling it a day.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Third grade field trip to a live volcano
Field Trip!
The third grade class at my school just started the unit on volcanoes.....so we all decided to take a trip to Mt. Yasur our local active volcano. 23 kids hanging off the back of a truck and two teachers....this would never be okay in the U.S....no consent forms....some of the parents probably didn't even know we were going. It was a blast! Most of the kids had never been to see Yasur and were terrified at the top. It's been extremely active lately and gave us quite a show. Then we ran up and down the ash plains and wrote our names on the side of it. Some ash boarders also showed up and made the day even more exciting!
The third grade class at my school just started the unit on volcanoes.....so we all decided to take a trip to Mt. Yasur our local active volcano. 23 kids hanging off the back of a truck and two teachers....this would never be okay in the U.S....no consent forms....some of the parents probably didn't even know we were going. It was a blast! Most of the kids had never been to see Yasur and were terrified at the top. It's been extremely active lately and gave us quite a show. Then we ran up and down the ash plains and wrote our names on the side of it. Some ash boarders also showed up and made the day even more exciting!
Class Pics and World Map
World Map Project complete! A bunch of Peace Corps Volunteers around the world have been doing these world maps in schools the past few years. My school built two new buildings last year thanks to a New Zealand grant and thought it would be great to put a mural on one of the walls. One of my teachers drew the Vanuatu map and the kids loved putting their handprints on the boarder.
I also introduced class pictures...because we all have fond memories of those. We all had a good time taking serious and funny pictures. I can't wait to get prints for all my students in Vila so they have a "memori" of their classmates.
I also introduced class pictures...because we all have fond memories of those. We all had a good time taking serious and funny pictures. I can't wait to get prints for all my students in Vila so they have a "memori" of their classmates.
June 24, 2011
Staff Meetings
Friday we had a two and a half hour staff meeting, probably one of the longest ones so far. Let me paint a picture of what a typical staff meeting looks like around here. The headmaster sits on a stool while the rest of us teachers sit on the floor on mats. A couple of dogs always seem to find their way inside the classroom as well. An opening prayer is said by the headmaster and sometimes a chorus is sung as well. Then we all clap, because in Vanuatu you always clap after a prayer. The headmaster then goes through the agenda as the teachers look totally uninterested . . . one is texting on her phone, another one is popping out her boob to feed her baby, one is coming in and out of the room trying to get the unsupervised students to shut up. The meeting goes on for hours because although no one looks interested, every person in the room will have to comment on everything that is said. When we finally finish up another prayer and closing chorus. Then everyone stands up and we shake hands. Man I love Vanuatu!
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