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!
June 1, 2011
The Rat Chronicles
So it seems to be rat season (although they never really left)! I haven’t slept in a solid week and wake up most nights to the sound of a rat chewing though my wall or knocking stuff down off my shelves. I decided enough is enough. . . I mean I know I only have 5 more months left but I have to sleep. So I made a plan.
Step 1-Put my nasty old T-shirts in every rat hole I can find.
Step 2-Put screens (a cut up mosquito net) on all my windows because yes they can get in even with closed windows.
Step 3-Cover all remaining holes in the walls with screens (double thick).
Step 4-Buy a rat trap.
The first night after all of this was uneventful. The rat ate the bait but the trap didn’t budge. The second night I decided to roast some yummy corn for myself and the rat to enjoy. I also put a little rat poison around the trap just for kicks before going to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night to a loud SNAP! I tiptoed around the corner to the trap and what did I see? Well I even took a pic . . . the defeated rat looking half-conscious and stumbling around like a drunk. He wasn’t dead yet but I figured I’d let him die in peace and went back to bed. The next morning I found him barely alive in the corner of the room. The cat from next door got a nice big breakfast.
Unfortunately this isn’t the end of the story. Later on during the day I saw a rat running around the beams in the roof. That night I set the trap again and had to change the bait twice in the night. What did I find the next morning? A hell of a lot of rat poop and no sign of the rat. The next night I set the trap again and emptied the entire box of rat poison on the floor (by now I’m exhausted). I wake up in the night to the sound of plastic bags shuffling. I torch the house up with my light but see nothing so decide I’m hearing things. After the third time I think I’m either completely paranoid and crazy or blind without my contacts. Turns out I wasn’t crazy at all. The blessed rat had chewed its way through my food safe. I have been here almost two years and nothing has ever gotten in to that food safe. The next morning I patched up the hole with some wire and hoped for the best. The next night the rat found its way in there again and had a big meal of ziplock bags and rice. The next day I emptied my entire food safe into a plastic tub with a solid lid.
I thought I could defeat the rats and diminish their population around here. But I guess rats are incredibly smart. Not only did they spoil my food safe but they have managed to chew through all the holes in the walls again and the screens on the windows. Why do I have to be allergic to cats?
Random Highlights
1. There is a boy in class 5 who is extremely shy and soft-spoken and who never really shows much excitement or enjoyment while reading. He is one of the lowest readers and therefore shy about reading out loud. After we read together the book he took home last week and another easy reader I tell him thank you and to go get the next student. He doesn’t get up immediately but instead opens his empty reading folder and looks up at me with sad questioning eyes. I explained to him that because of the 2 weeks break I am not letting kids take books home (because that’s how we lost so many last year). He finally stands up, clearly disappointed and says “thank you very much” and then leaves. I had no idea this kid even liked reading these books. It’s moments like these that remind me why I’m here.
2. Lina left a custard apple on my window sill one morning.
3. Jeff, another quiet and shy student in class 4 read Sweet Dreams Maisy to me during reading groups. There’s a part in the book where Maisy says twinkle, twinkle little star and Jeff started singing the song. It was adorable.
4. Watching a 3 year old girl breatfeed…there is something seriously wrong with that.
5. I went to see the Canadian doctor up at the hospital to check the status of my ear (I’ve been half deaf for awhile). When I finally reached the top of the hill, drenched in sweat, I was relieved and looking forward to the easy walk down hill. I saw the doctor and was feeling great about my ear healing up and almost back to normal again. I started walking down, watching my step as the dusty road can be slick. I was almost to the bottom when my phone rang which I decided I could handle walking down and talking at the same time. About 2 seconds later, I literally bit the dust with the phone flying in the air. Never thought I would leave the hospital looking worse than when I went in. I was quite a sight walking through town with blood dripping down my leg and foot.
6. Making sangria with some sweet and fresh pineapple!
7. I was walking back from the store and passed a big group of yungfala boys on the sandbeach. They of course yelled the usual obscenities to try and look cool in front of their friends. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing though when I heard what they were jamming out to on their radio…My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion!
8. I was storying with a mama in the next village over when she saw the bandaids on my foot and asked what had happened. I told her the story and removed the bandaid to show her. Her response: “I have never seen a white woman with a sore like that. That is a black man sore.”
1. There is a boy in class 5 who is extremely shy and soft-spoken and who never really shows much excitement or enjoyment while reading. He is one of the lowest readers and therefore shy about reading out loud. After we read together the book he took home last week and another easy reader I tell him thank you and to go get the next student. He doesn’t get up immediately but instead opens his empty reading folder and looks up at me with sad questioning eyes. I explained to him that because of the 2 weeks break I am not letting kids take books home (because that’s how we lost so many last year). He finally stands up, clearly disappointed and says “thank you very much” and then leaves. I had no idea this kid even liked reading these books. It’s moments like these that remind me why I’m here.
2. Lina left a custard apple on my window sill one morning.
3. Jeff, another quiet and shy student in class 4 read Sweet Dreams Maisy to me during reading groups. There’s a part in the book where Maisy says twinkle, twinkle little star and Jeff started singing the song. It was adorable.
4. Watching a 3 year old girl breatfeed…there is something seriously wrong with that.
5. I went to see the Canadian doctor up at the hospital to check the status of my ear (I’ve been half deaf for awhile). When I finally reached the top of the hill, drenched in sweat, I was relieved and looking forward to the easy walk down hill. I saw the doctor and was feeling great about my ear healing up and almost back to normal again. I started walking down, watching my step as the dusty road can be slick. I was almost to the bottom when my phone rang which I decided I could handle walking down and talking at the same time. About 2 seconds later, I literally bit the dust with the phone flying in the air. Never thought I would leave the hospital looking worse than when I went in. I was quite a sight walking through town with blood dripping down my leg and foot.
6. Making sangria with some sweet and fresh pineapple!
7. I was walking back from the store and passed a big group of yungfala boys on the sandbeach. They of course yelled the usual obscenities to try and look cool in front of their friends. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing though when I heard what they were jamming out to on their radio…My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion!
8. I was storying with a mama in the next village over when she saw the bandaids on my foot and asked what had happened. I told her the story and removed the bandaid to show her. Her response: “I have never seen a white woman with a sore like that. That is a black man sore.”
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