I just wanted to take a minute and say thanks to everyone who donated to the stadium project. I will be heading back to the island shortly with all of the materials for the project. I'll be sure to post photos once it's complete. Until then, here are a few pictures of us cutting the grass for the field at the stadium site.

and here are a few shots of the people that will benefit from the stadium:

This year, we've had a lot of movement in the sports initiative. We've slowly been upgrading our facilities and we've been more regularly playing volleyball, soccer, and even a little island basketball. In April we started a Healthy Kids' Club, which has been probably my favorite project to date. Here are a few pictures of life in sports on West Ambrym.

below: hanging the hoop for island bball

below: Kids' club!

Since May of 2010, we've been working on completing the RTC's permanent classroom. We experienced a few delays along the way, namely water shortages and the two deaths that I just wrote about. But the community bounced back and I'm proud to say that on April 21, 2011, we finally celebrated the official opening of Hor Hor RTC's classroom. It was a long road but is a great improvement to the school's infrastructure. Below are some photos, start to finish...

Below: Olfala Chief sporting his deflated soccer ball hatBelow: the funeral of Olfala ChiefBelow: the burial of Olfala ChiefBelow: Olfala Chief's graveBelow: with Uncle Terry at the volcano

Below: Uncle Terry is Tuff TumasBelow: Uncle Terry 3 days before his death

Below: Uncle Terry's funeral processionBelow: Uncle Terry's funeral procession (cont'd)

Below: burying Uncle TerryBelow: Uncle Terry's two little ones at his grave

It seems like I've been breezing through this 2+ years in a dream land where not much changes from day to day, there is little stress and no one close to you dies. My little dream land became very real on March 7th, 2011 when the olfala chief in my village died. A death itself completely changes the dynamic of the village for the week of mourning. The population multiplies as the village becomes inundated with grieving family and friends. Small, intimate meals become mass produced feasts and privacy is nowhere to be found. I once again find myself explaining myself to complete strangers: who I am, where I come from, what I'm doing, and how many siblings I have.

Not only did this completely change the dynamic of my day to day life but I found myself missing my friend. This was a man who was my first hello and my last good night every day. We shared stories and plates of food. He wasn't strong enough to leave the house so I was his eyes and ears and following every event outside the village we'd review the pictures on my camera. Through him, I learned of life in Vanuatu "before, before, before..." and even some village gossip that no one else was brave enough to share. In his last years, I was his care taker. I nursed his wounds, I cut his hair, I occasionally washed his clothes and I even once cleaned his ears. He was a staple in my life and I felt safe in his presence. Though I was sadly anticipating his death, I didn't realize how much I would miss him.

I struggled to find a private place to mourn my friend as the fishbowl effect multiplied. When I wasn't sobbing, I was moping and I began to hear people whispering about how upset I was. People who knew me then whispered back to the visitors and explained how close I was to the olfala chief. As they promised it would, each day got a little more bearable. The population in the village thinned out, my eyes stopped "leaking" and I started feeling as though I could move on through the days.

On March 12th, 2011, in the wake of recovering from the chief's death, my uncle in the village passed. He had been sick but on that day I did not expect him to pass a he was only 44 years old, a father of two small children. He had woken up in pain and a small group of us sat with him in the bush kitchen that morning as he lay by the fire. His wife and sister massaged his stomach and we all quietly shared storied from the previous night's fundraiser and talked about our plans for the upcoming week. Uncle Terry listened, occasionally grunted in pain and shifted in an effort to get comfortable. Without any last words, he took his last breath and we watched as his body went slack. Panic ensued as his wife tried to shake him back to life and everyone else began praying and sobbing. I stared blankly in shock as an all too familiar routine began...making calls to family, preparing the body, constructing the house of mourning, cooking for the masses. Once I was able to blink away some of the shock, my immediate impulse was to get on a plane and go far far away. Instead, I sobbed and simultaneously tried to help and stay out of the way.

I couldn't believe that it was happening to this community AGAIN. I was close with my Uncle. We had taught at the school together and he had taken part in a tour guide training that I had facilitated. We sat together on both the tourism and RTC committees. We had been to the volcano together 7 times and he had guided me around the island on a 7 day camping trip. He loved learning about life outside of Vanuatu and was always game for trying something new. It's hard to explain, but we just shared a bond.

If it's possible, I handled this death better. I knew what to expect in the coming days and I was able to brace myself for the coming of the masses and an emotionally exhausting week of mourning. I think I even embraced this death better...and began to see both deaths as a blessing, an end to suffering. I was appreciative of the intimate look at the Ni-Vanuatu custom and eventually even grew thankful for the opportunity to grieve.

Rest in Peace, Chief Ranleng Wilson and Uncle Terry Bong Rowor. Thank you both for touching my life. I'm thankful for you both and I'm grateful for the opportunity to have mourned your death.

i have blogged briefly about my work in vanuatu with youth soccer. i have found it extremely rewarding and more importantly, i've found it extremely effective in terms of connecting and positively influencing the youth of ambrym.

all the positivity aside, our soccer program faces many challenges. we lack many things (coaching, refs, equipment), but one of our biggest challenges is that we don't have a playing field. our practice space is small...barely enough for 7v7 matches so we are constantly commuting to play. in july, we walked 2 hours each way for a tournament. it was a week long tournament and most of the girls made the walk back home every day because they had housework that they couldn't ignore.

we had the idea to build our own field so that next july we could host the tournament. the field would also give us a better practice space. we've included bleachers, wells, and storage space in the plan so that this field can live on and continue to host events for the community in the future.

through peace corps, we applied for a partnership grant and i'm proud to announce that it has been approved! this is how it works: the community contributes local materials (labor, sand, coral, water, timber) and i locate the donors for the rest of the materials (cement, copper roofing, iron, etc). the community will end up contributing 44% of the total project cost and the rest will be funded by my family and friends. many people have been asking how they can contribute to my work in vanuatu and this is how.

if you are interested in donating, please visit:

www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=461-041

instructions to donate are on the page.

thank you in advance for your support. not only on this project but throughout the past two years. i appreciate all of the packages, letters, and kind thoughts. it's been great to be home for the past month but i truly am looking forward to getting back to vanuatu and completing what i started. i look forward to connecting with you all at this time again next year. i hope i have many more successes to share!

below: benbow from the ground below: at the top with beck (australian volunteer)

below: amazing landscape

below: frolicking on the rim

below: about as close as you can get below: benbow below: lava! below: marum

below: volcano on ambae island below: the volcano on tanna island

i have a LOT to report since more than a year has passed since my last post.

first and foremost, i've decided to extend my contract with the peace corps for one more year to wrap up a few projects. it was a hard decision but learned that i am the last volunteer that will be coming to my site and i knew that i wouldn't feel comfortable leaving everything half finished. so, i made a case for myself and was granted a one year extension. i know some people think i'm crazy but two years flew by and i have a feeling that this next year will be gone in the blink of an eye...

so what has kept me so happy since my last post and what will keep me "busy" for the next year?

school: i continue to work with the rural training center (RTC) in the village. in 2010 we were awarded a grant to build our first permanent classroom! progress is slow but we hope to complete construction in february of 2011. in 2011 we'll be sending our carpentry and home care teachers to the provincial capital for training. (we've been trying to do this for 2 years so this is huge!) next year, we also hope to add a sports cirriculum which should draw more students to the school.

volcanoes: i've become OBSESSED with the volcanoes on ambrym. i've been to see them 15 times now. it's such an amazing place and i find myself in a state of perpetual grin at the volcano. i'm humbled by mother nature and so grateful for the chance to have such a close up view of the earth's core. it sounds cheesy and it is but i just don't know how else to describe what a wonderful place it is. i'll post some of my favorite photos so that you too can be in awe.

i've become so passionate about the volcano, that it seemed like a natural step to begin working with the tourism association on the island. in 2011 we're looking to upgrade the volcano camp, map all of the volcano routes, and put together some updated marketing materials. in 2010 i did some training for the volcano tour guides (thanks largely to the help of beck, australian volunteer and fellow volcano enthusiast) but this seems to be an ongoing need so we hope to provide continued training in 2011.

soccer: some of you may know that i've been playing a bit of soccer with the girls on the island. in 2009 we held the first women's tournament on the island and had 7 teams participate! it was the start of something beautiful and we've played about 4 tournaments since. in october we traveled to pentecost (an island just north of ambrym) for a week long soccer camp with some other volunteers and their teams. it was such a great experience for the girls...for some it was the first time that they'd ever left the island! at our first practice, the girls were too shy to run a warm-up lap around the field because they thought someone would see them. now they are willing to travel to another island, take the field, and compete in front of complete strangers. it's so amazing. i'm so proud to be a part of that and i hope there is much more soccer to be played in 2011.

Q: what's the first thing one should do upon returning to a previously banned island because of an "overly active" volcano?

A: duh, visit said volcano.

after a month stay in port vila, i returned to ambrym re-energized and grateful for the opportunity to get back to my village, my house, and even my "amenities". this lasted about 2 weeks, at which time i realized that 1.) the water in my bucket shower was even colder now that we were moving into "winter" and 2.) cheese still does not (and never will) grow in the garden. these discoveries had me feeling a little down on my luck but then i was fortunate enough to have a visitor! enter justine from germany, a friend of a friend who was passing through after her 4 month trek through southeast asia. so it's early may and we decide to take a trek to the volcano. after much debate, we decided on our route and headed out to bathe in a lake of lava (this illustrates how little i know about volcanoes).

we take a truck to Lalinda, the base of the "road to the volcano" and meet our guide, joses. we talk through the plan...the road is essentially a dry creek that we'll follow to the ash plain. about 2 hours, joses estimates. the ash plain is where we'll camp so we'll drop our packs and continue on to the volcano (1.5 hr hike). we're stoked and justine is running around singing "we're going to the volc-ah-no" and she speaks like 4 languages so i'm not even sure what kind of accent that is but it's funny. so we sleep at Lalinda, rise bright and early, and set out with smiles on our faces. a half hour into this smiley adventure rain starts pouring. pouring to the point that the dry creek is now a regular creek, like one that you can't walk in. joses begins to clear a bush road for us (i guess normal people would call this a trail) and 5 HOURS LATER, we arrive at the ash plain. it's still pouring and you can't even see the alleged volcano. we set up tents, start a fire and try to dry ourselves. the rain continues into the night and we go to sleep crossing our fingers for sunny skies in the morning. at sunrise the sky is clear enough to see the volcano! we quickly pack our tents and within 30 minutes are on our way to the volcano. it seems perfect and i'm taking my sweet time, taking pictures of everything i see because it's truly gorgeous and breathtaking and awesome and inspirational...whatever you want to call it. as we reach the top of the volcano clouds move in and cover the mouth. arg. we literally can't see anything and i'm regretting all the time i wasted taking pictures and admiring the view. we wait for an hour, hoping the clouds will clear. no gat. the volcano itself is cruel because we can hear the lava churning inside but no matter how much we stare, we can't see a thing. double arg.

after one hour, we give in and head back to camp. we're defeated but the trip back to the ash plain goes by quickly. we grab our packs, take one last look at the volcano which has disappeared behind clouds, and start the descent. going down should be the easy part, right? wrong. it's steep and slick and we can't keep our footing. it takes four hours to return to Lalinda (again, not the promised 2 hours) and i have blood soaking my socks thanks to several blisters. i'm frustrated and feeling a little competitive when i ask joses "who actually hikes this road in 2 hours?" "men", he answers. fair enough but i'd like to see it. anyway, i'm still frustrated that the trip took us a total of 12 hours when, in an effort to make me feel better, he tells me " i no wan samting, yu yu bigwan be yu wokabaot strong we". translation: you hiked well for a fat person. no matter how often i hear it, i will never get used to people casually telling me that i'm fat. seriously, it happens several times a day but i still don't have to pretend like it's normal. the worst is when they call you "fat fat" it's like they put the second word on there for emphasis. so rude!

we meet the truck, say good bye to joses and head to another village to meet up with daisy, our volcanologist friend. we eat and regale her with the tales of rain and clouds. then we sleep what should be a deep, restful, you-just-hiked-for-12-hours, sleep. wrong. shortly after closing my eyes i have a fever. my head and my eyeballs hurt so badly that i can't see straight and i'm sure that i'm going blind. my whole body hurts to the point that i can hear myself moaning in pain but i can't do anything to stop it. i have to pee but can barely get out of bed because i'm so weak. once i manage to get myself upright, i can barely walk because a tiny cut on my ankle has caused it to swell to twice it's size. this continues throughout the night but with bouts of chills and sweats where i find myself covering up with anything i can find (trash bags, backpacks, and even my waterbottle at one point) to stay warm and then ripping everything off a minute later as i soak the sheets in sweat.

it takes a truck to get me back to my village where i swallow some antibiotics for my swollen leg and stumble to my bed where i prefer not to be touched until i feel better. unfortunately, my village wouldn't have it. they don't believe that i can sleep it off so they put me in a tub of boiling water and cover me with blankets and try to sweat the sickness out of me. then they take all the blankets off (brrr) and try to rub the sickness out of me. i was too weak to protest anything they were doing to me, including when they told me to take my shirt off. i'm outside of my house now getting an unsolicited rubdown in just a bra and shorts. the whole village is watching so i can hear everyone snickering and making jokes about my belly and how much simboro i can eat. i want to tell them that their comments are very poorly timed but i don't have the energy to talk.

fast forward 3 days when i finally can get out of bed on my own and i determine that i've been suffering from dengue fever. i'm not a doctor but i like to think of dengue as malaria's cousin. better yet, a combination of malaria and mono...a flu-like sickness transferred by mosquitoes (that's the malaria part) with extreme exhaustion (that's the mono part) and depression (that's dengue's own little twist). anyway, i don't know how it works but i know that it was awful and that i'm supposed to be "exhausted and depressed" for weeks to follow. luckily, the depression never caught on but i certainly was exhausted (or lazy?) for a few weeks. the swelling in my ankle went down within a few days but the tiny cut turned into a sore that lasted 2 months, thanks to this tropical climate.

looking back, it wasn't that bad. i never thought that i was going to die, i just wanted to. and now that i'm feeling better, i've got my eye on that pesky volcano again.

Life has been quite the rollercoaster since my last post. I should start by explaining that Ambrym has 2 volcanoes that make life difficult for the community. When active, the ash spoils drinking water and gardens. My village relies on rain water as there are no lakes or streams in the vicinity. When the wells are dry or the water is contaminated, they must walk 45 minutes to the coast to wash in the ocean and draw water for cooking and drinking from the hot springs. When the gardens are spoiled, they are really in trouble as no one can afford to eat store bought food for every meal.

According to locals, this is the time of the year for the volcano. According to some professionals, the volcanoes have become more active than usual. Several agencies are now involved in testing the pH of the water, monitoring the gardens, and measuring the volcanic activity. As a result, there was question as to whether or not it was safe for me to return to Ambrym. While Peace Corps did their part to get more information and assess the situation, I tried to wrap my head around what it would be like to be evacuated from the island. I tried to picture abruptly packing my things and saying goodbye. Then I tried to figure out how I would come to terms with leaving the village behind during crisis. Why wasn’t everyone being evacuated if I was? Furthermore, the thought of moving to a new island made me feel like I was abandoning my community and made me question whether I had the energy to adjust again. I tried to remain positive but couldn't help but feel completely discouraged at the thought of leaving Ambrym.

After more than a week of back and forth, I am ELATED to report that I’m allowed to return to Ambrym...with a few conditions. However, if all goes well I will be back on the island Saturday after almost a month of sitting in Vila. I have to say that a few days in the city is a nice break from the island but a month is too much time away from home. I miss the food, the people, the animals, my house, my routine, and my bed. And yes, I'm aware of how strange this all sounds.

So, please keep your fingers crossed for a calm volcano. If she keeps her end of the bargain, I'll be away from this computer until July! It was great to catch up with everyone these past few weeks. Please keep writing, I love and miss you all!

below: custom dance celebration as the boys come out of hiding

below: happy christmas to you!

below: one of my favorite church tunes "mi mi glad tumas"

below: an island marriage

below: a bride price payment

below: the boys celebrating coming out of hiding one month after their circumcision

below: christmas morning in vanuatu

below: the church youth choir at christmas

below: dancing bonani at my front door

below: my little sister, anna

below: sam carrying out the skin of a roasted bredfruit

below: celebrating massing's 1st birthday

below: the kids making DELICIOUS wu wu

below: the camp G.L.O.W (girls leading our world) crew

below: yoga at camp G.L.O.W (with some other PCVs: marie, kristin, and amy)

below: heading to ambrym!

below: the airport on west ambrym

below: the road leading to the village (and a sister carrying a pineapple)

below: my house

below: my toilet

below: my swim house

below: the olfala chief monitoring the rain well (a daily ritual)

Hello friends! The last four months have been so interesting. I’ve felt such a range of emotions and there have been ups and downs but many more ups than downs. I’ve learned and experienced a ton already and reflecting on the past 4 months makes me realize how fortunate I am to be here.

First, my village is awesome. Amazing people with amazing senses of humor. I regularly have people laughing along with me, which is very comforting. None of my corny jokes have transcended the cultural barrier, but I'm finding my own way to make people laugh. Usually it just involves me being confused (sometimes baffled) by things that are second nature to the Ni-Vanuatu (clearing/planting gardens, cooking over fire, lighting a fire, using a bush knife, etc). Everyone has been very patient with me...speaking slowly and taking the time to explain everything about the village, community, and island. My host mama, in particular, is a very strong person and has been great about bringing me up to speed on some of the more sensitive cultural differences.

I've witnessed several custom ceremonies including marriages, brideprice payment ceremonies, circumcisions (ok, not the ACTUAL circumcision but all of the celebrations surrounding it), and several holidays. All have been very interesting and I get a little closer to the community and gain a better understanding of this culture with each one. Christmas was a difficult day but still an amazing experience. I literally got chills as we sat in the colorfully decorated church and the youth choir performed “Happy Christmas to You” (which is strikingly similar to Happy Birthday). The sun was shining, it was a gorgeous day, and I felt very loved and welcome in my community. Regardless, it just felt strange to not wake up with family on Christmas morning (for the first time in 30 years) and therefore, impossible to not feel a pang of homesickness. Alas, I survived and came away with a really unique experience. New Year's was probably my favorite holiday on the island so far. West Ambrym (and many other places in Vanuatu) has a tradition of dancing “bonani” to wish each other good luck in the upcoming year. Basically, the people of the village go to neighboring villages dancing, singing, giving gifts and showering each other in baby powder. After about a week of this, the village has a party to close the old year and welcome the new. There is a big feast and then everyone “dances daylight” which means that they literally dance until the sun rises. Aside from a touch of homesickness, the personal side of this experience has been great. I'm learning a ton about myself and becoming healthier, physically and mentally (I think). I'm very happy with my decision to join Peace Corps and excited about what the next 20 months hold. The only real frustration about being here has been the work. People warned me that it would take time to get integrated and get to know who was who and that the pace would be slow, but I didn't realize it would be THIS slow. Meetings starting 2 hours late, long lunches, and inevitable distractions (weather, death in the family, etc) are the norm. It's quite an adjustment to come from a culture where starting on time is “late” and you practically define yourself by the progress on your to-do list. Culturally, there is just a huge difference in priorities. All things “business” take a backseat to all things family. Granted, this is how it should be but when everyone on the island is “family” there are a lot more distractions to hinder “business”. The strange part of all this is that the Ni-Vanuatu are very hard working people. I've been to the garden and seen them busting tail in the heat (while I took a break in the shade after 5 minutes...it's HOT here!). I've seen them working the coconut plantations, hauling firewood, and carrying laundry 45 minutes to wash in the ocean. It's definitely a hard life and I don't hear anyone complaining.

One thing I’ve seen here is the lack of value placed on education in Vanuatu. Resources are limited across the board but especially at secondary schools and as a result, the kids are required to test into them. (Not many pass those tests.) Furthermore, many secondary schools are boarding schools, which are expensive. On West Ambrym, you have to board past year 6 (there’s not much within a 4 hour radius) and leave the island to school past year 10. It’s really frustrating to see how many hoops one would have to jump through just to get an education. Business on the island is very basic. The only real source of income on the island is through shelling copra. Copra is the meat of a dry coconut cooked over a fire. It is exported for coconut oil production. It is very labor intensive and the price of copra is feeling the effects of the world economy and has gone down. For the most part, the people in the village don’t use much cash. In most custom ceremonies gifts of pigs, fowl, bananas, woven goods, or carvings are given. School fees are really the only cash necessity. As mentioned, secondary school fees can be expensive, but elementary school fees are minimal (the equivalent of $5 a term). However, people are becoming more interested in making money with the increased desire for certain goods (store bought food, fuel for generators, cell phones, clothing, etc).

I am helping to run an RTC (rural training center). An RTC is similar to a vocational school and we currently have carpentry and homecare classes. We hold monthly workshops on various things (crochet, cooking, business, tourism, etc). Because revenue sources are so limited, we try to encourage a custom economy. Basically, you can pay school fees with things other than cash (pigs, fowl, bananas, woven goods, carvings, etc).

I hope this gives you all a better idea of my life here. I definitely miss everyone and want to say thank you for all the support. Please keep the letters coming, it's great to hear from you!

below: just a glimpse of a gorgeous sky

below: did you know there were that many shades of blue?

below: the world through the eyes of mariel street...

below: custom canoe and hat island

below: a smiley face in the sky (steffi, is that you?)

below: the flags at swearing in

Well, a lot has happened since my last post...

In November, I spent a week at my new site in Ambrym and I’m extremely happy to report that it was amazing. The people in my new village are all super nice and it’s a safe area. Basically, I’m really excited about where I’ll be living for the next 2 years. (Everyone should celebrate here because I was nervous about this part). I was welcomed with a custom ceremony where the chief and village committee made a presentation (complete with a custom dance and gifts) and I was given my new name, Lilonpen (Lee – lon – pen). Then we feasted, which I’m learning is pretty standard in Vanuatu. The village itself is great. It's literally in the bush and everything is at least an hour hike (saltwater, neighboring villages, commercial center, airport, etc). Because of the proximity to the volcano, the community is all volcanic ash. Basically, I am covered in black soot with every step I take. So, a dirty girl I'll be. I’m now the proud owner of a pig and a chicken, thanks to my host mama and papa. We’ve named them Chicago and Ohio, respectively. I’m told that we’ll be eating them in 2 years for my last meal, so it would be in my best interest to feed them but I shouldn’t get too attached. The funniest moment of walkabout was when I was preparing to board the plane to return to the training village. Picture this: On my back, a backpack. In my left hand, a rice bag with 20 live crab inside. In my right hand, another rice bag containing a LIVE CHICKEN. Yes, they allow live animals as cargo on planes here. How else are you supposed to get gifts back to your training village? Duh.

After walkabout week, we came back to the training village for technical training and the swearing in ceremony. Now I am officially a volunteer and no longer a trainee! woo hoo! After swearing in, it was time to say goodbye to the training village and our families. It was very sad to say goodbye to all we've known for the past 2 months. Speaking of, I’ve been meaning to report that I had a dog at the training village. For those of you that know me, I'm not really a "dog person". I'm not scared of them and it's not that I don't like them, I just don't really know what to do with them. I'm convinced that dogs know this about me because as soon as I stepped foot in the training village, my dog "Pepsi" followed me everywhere (toilet, saltwater, class, EVERYWHERE). She even slept outside my house at night. Having a dog pal is not an entirely bad thing except that we'd be walking along and she'd stop right in front of me on the path, tripping me. I got pretty good at dodging her dog-tripwire efforts except at night...she had a knack for getting out of the line of my flashlight and I'd next thing you know, I'm flailing about to keep my balance. I have to admit that I'm going to miss that annoying dog...

So this week has been filled with shopping for supplies (barf) and hanging out in the city before heading to our sites. It's a bittersweet time because I'm excited to move on to the next phase of this adventure but really sad to leave the training group. The next time we'll all be together (and speaking English) is at the end of March, which seems like a really long time. Alas, let the true test begin!

Speaking of my new site, I have a new address:

Lindsay McNamara - Lilonpen

Le Le Village

Craig Cove Post

West Ambrym Island

Republic of Vanuatu

I think you can still email me at the volunteer address and they'll send it to me every week or so. Please keep up the communication. I miss everyone so much and wish you were all here to share this experience! Merry Christmas to all, I'll be sure to write more when I come back in March! Talk to you in 2009!

below: josua and pepsi

below: my host sister (anne, 8, on the left) and brother (josua, 12)

below: papa and josua on the piano

below: my host mama making laplap

below: some of the group with Chief MurMur (from left: lauren b., amy, chief, norman, me, katie, marie, and lauren s.)

below: my adorable neighbor dennis (with some mamas in the background)

below: do i even need to comment on how cute edna is? you should see her twin, fina.

below: some of the girls from 21B (clockwise from left: mariel, sandy, marie, alice, katie, amy, and lauren b.)

below: my house in the training village (outside)

below: my house in the training village (inside)

below: my stuff

below: my "smolhaos and swimhaos" (toilet and shower)

below: the kitchen

below: an earth oven for baking laplap

below: making kava

Hello all! My apologies for the lapse in communication. Although I haven't been necessarily busy in the past few weeks, internet access isn't exactly at my fingertips. On top of that, my camera went for a swim in the "solwota" on a recent boatride/torrential downpour so I don't have any pictures to share either. Never fear! Mom and Dad have my back and a new camera is on it's way. I promise pictures in the next entry!

So training is every bit as boring as the Peace Corps promised it would be. We're slowly getting used to "island time" -- basically nothing starts on time. We once went to a wedding promising to start at 8am. At 12:30pm, the music started. That's probably the most extreme example but it's pretty common to wait 30-45 minutes for anything to start. Basically, I read a lot.

A few weeks ago, we (trainees) made a bit of a cultural blunder... It was a Sunday and we had already been to church, eaten our fill, and been swimming. We decided to play a game of volleyball. Turns out that it's taboo to play an organized game on Sunday and we offended a lot of people. Other taboo items are work (no laundry or going to the garden) and exercise. Basically, you can only rest, read, go to church, and hang out with your family. On Monday morning, we apologized to all the mamas and the village chairman and assured them that we were ignorant and meant no disrespect. After the apology, the matter was dropped and we moved on. As we apologized, I had to reflect on how different my life has become. I've done several things to offend people in the US but none nearly as simple as a (scandalous) volleyball game. On the other hand, I've apologized for several things in the US and never was the matter dropped immediately. I think I'm going to like that aspect of life in Vanuatu. Grudges are for the birds.

The biggest news, of course, was our site announcements last week. I've learned that I'll be heading to Ambrym, an island known for black magic and great volcano hiking! I leave on Tuesday for walkabout, a week long visit to my site to meet the counterparts and get a glimpse at what the next two years of my life will look like. I'm very excited and should have much more to discuss after my visit.

Until then, take care wherever you are. Happy Halloween!

things in the training village are completely different than life in vila. 2 weeks into training and so far i've learned to shower with a bucket, helped kill and cook a chicken, have started to speak bislama (sort of) and in the process have completely lost the ability to spell. oh, and i crave chocolate like mad.

and this is only the "baby step" into life in vanuatu. at any rate, the people of the training village are great. they've been extremely welcoming and have already invited us to take part in several of their rituals. so far, we have been invited to mourn with the widow of the deceased, were invited to the ceremony naming the new small chief and were even invited to a wedding ceremony on a neighboring island.

my host family is great. mama (38) and papa (36) are very proud of their culture and take the host parent role very seriously. both were very concerned when i developed a small cough. so concerned that i wasn't allowed to eat mangos for about a week (not sure what the mangos have to do with a cold but i wasn't about to ask...) they were both very proud when the cough cleared up, because obviously my abstinence from mangos cured me. at any rate, they are very sweet although it feels odd to be scolded by a woman 8 years my elder for not eating enough breakfast...

i have 3 host siblings, an 18 year old sister, a 12 year old brother and an 8 year old sister. the younger kids are hilarious and they have been my best language teachers (although i swear sometimes they are speaking french just to mess with me). my 18 year old sister is pretty busy as she gave birth to a baby girl 5 days after i arrived. it's been fun to have a fresh little nugget around the house...

i live in a house made of local materials (basically wood and coconut leaves) and yesterday i came back from the "shower" to find a chicken in my house. sometimes you have to laugh at your life...

that's about it for now but i will write more once i'm back in town. until then, please continue to write. it's been great to hear from everyone! miss you all!

Well, this will be my last post for awhile. Tomorrow we leave Port Vila for the training village. Once there, we'll have no email access and only one phone for emergencies. You can still email me at:

volunteer@vu.peacecorps.gov

and they will print it and bring it to me. I'll be able to respond but only by way of traditional mail.

Before leaving, I thought I'd catch you up on the past week of events...

The trip to Vanuatu was a bit tricky and we almost had to leave 4 of our group in New Zealand. Two minutes before takeoff, there was a miracle and all of us were able to fit on the plane. Whew...

Upon arrival, we were met by a group of staff and current volunteers. The wrapped us in Vanuatu lava lavas (sarongs) and handed us coconuts. We then took a tour of Port Vila and landed at our hotel (with the warning that accommodations would be diminishing as we move on). At the hotel, we had a brief conversation about safety and promptly left for our first kava experience. We were briefed on the rules of a Nakamal (kava bar)...basically, don't take pictures and shhhh! Kava was good but also gross if that makes any sense. I think you actually have to drink it to understand but picture drinking really disgusting, dirty, murky water and then going numb. That's basically kava.

The morning following our first night of kava, we met a current volunteer for the Cubs game. After the game, we walked around Port Vila a bit more and then met a group of trainees and headed to Hideaway Island. We spent the afternoon at the beach wondering if this was all real... After Hideaway, we went for kava again. You know, just to confirm that it was good/gross.

The rest of the week has been spent in training and getting to know the staff and PC policies. It's all pretty dry but necessary. We started on our malaria meds earlier this week and my dream last night is a subject for a separate post. I'm still shaking my head...

Well, I hope everyone is doing fantastic! I wish you all could see what I'm seeing. Yes, I will post some pictures eventually. This computer isn't exactly fast...

MISS YOU!

Wow, things are much more modern here than I expected. I'm in a cyber cafe right now and you can find just about anything at the grocery store across the street. On Sunday morning, we were able to watch the Cubs clinch (LIVE) and later that day I even found a GOLF COURSE! This place really is paradise...

Later this week we leave the modern comforts to head out to our training village. I have a feeling that things there will look much more like we expected. We'll meet our host families and start to truly learn about Ni-Vanuatu culture. Until then, I will enjoy the baby steps, continue to explore, and keep bugging the current Volunteers with strange questions.

Speaking of strange, I am wearing a skirt right now. This is going to take some getting used to...

Hello from LA! After a day and a half of staging, we are ready to depart for Vanuatu. The sessions have been great so far...a lot of getting to know you with the other trainees. We have a great group and have had a ton of laughs already. I have to admit that it is really amazing to meet 20 other strangers who are experiencing the same range of emotions.

Well, I'm off to the airport with my 80+ lbs of luggage (oops). First stop New Zealand and then on to Port Vila, Vanuatu. My phone is officially hibernating but I wanted to let you know that throughout the next 3 months of training emails can be sent to me by way of the following address:

volunteer@vu.peacecorps.gov

Just put my name in the subject line and the email will be printed and delivered to me. Please write! For all of you funny kids out there, please keep in mind that these could be read by other eyes before they actually get to me.

Hope all is well where you are. Miss you!

Hi again, friends!

Well, this is becoming more and more real. As I sit home and pack weird stuff (headlamps, handcrank flashlights, a solar battery charger, skirts, etc), I get more and more excited about the adventure that awaits me.

Regardless of the amazing experience that is ahead, I can't help but think how much I'm going to miss home. I know that I'll have to put the phone away soon and that itself will be quite the adjustment. I'm hoping that everyone will write as they've promised. I'm eager to share my experiences so I'll be sure to put the quill to the parchment often!

Below is how you will be able to reach me for the first 3 months (mid-Sept to mid-Dec). They say that small envelopes and parcels sent airmail from the United States generally arrive in Port Vila in one or two weeks. Surface mail takes around three months.

Lindsay McNamara

Peace Corps/Vanuatu

PMB 9097

Port Vila

Republic of Vanuatu

Looking forward to corresponding the old fashioned way!

If you're reading this blog you are probably aware that I'm about to make a huge change in my life. In a few short weeks, I'll be leaving all I know to head halfway across the world with the Peace Corps.

For the next 27 months, I'll be serving as a Business Development Volunteer in a country in the South Pacific called Vanuatu. There will likely be no electricity and minimal phone/internet. It's safe to say that I can forget about the rest of the amenities that we're all used to.

There wasn't a particular catalyst that drove me to this decision. I only know that if I don't do this now, I probably never will. Peace Corps is something I've always wanted to do and the current Peace Corps recruitment tagline "Never start a sentence with 'I should've...' " hits the nail on the head.

Please stay with me through my adventures! I plan to share the good, the bad, and the ugly as often as possible...