Hello again from this lovely island country! I think I am looking around now with wider eyes and increased appreciation for the beauty as my time to leave comes closer: I have decided to return on December 7, a little later than I had originally planned, a decision made so that I am not rushed or distracted with end-of-service work when Amy visits and so that I can stay until the finish of the school term and participate in all the end of the year activities and festivities. My PC group of 17 just completed our "Close of Service" conference, a busy few days of trying not to be overwhelmed with the amount of paper work and information we were receiving. The U.S. government has plenty for us to do before leaving the country and I will have ample time to do it all with my later departure date, as opposed to some in my group who are choosing to leave in early November.

Josh finished his wonderful 4 weeks here on August 14 when we flew off to Fiji together for the promised week of vacation, promised because he worked daily and very dilligently with me during his latest visit. I asked him to play a major part in the World Map Project (see photo), helping me organize it, accompanying me to purchase the materials needed, and leading the students in the painting of it. What an amazing activity; the process was incredible, with each child at the school, class 2-10, painting one country and in the process, not only learning the name of "their" country but also learning names of its close neighbors and also its continent. They all did a very careful job painting, taking pride and great enjoyment in contributing to this all-school endeavor. The staff also participated, each choosing a country to paint. The map is on one wall of the library, measuring 6' X 12' and is a beautiful addition to this room! We all, students and adults, learned a great deal about the geography of the world and anticipate that this wonderful map will serve as a teaching tool for many years to come.

I am very excited that Amy is coming for a ten day visit, arriving on October 2 and staying long enough to celebrate my birthday with me on October 11! I am thrilled that each of my kids will have had the opportunity to experience with me my life in Vanuatu, my life in the Peace Corps. She will meet my host family in my training village, participate in the life on Ifira Island and at Ifira School, and see many sights in the area...including a night or two at our local little resort, Hideaway Island, with its incredible swimming and snorkeling and fish curry served in a coconut shelll!! And speaking of swimming and snorkeling, Josh and I had a wonderful time in Fiji; our three day sailing adventure on a 100 foot schooner was amazing; we traveled with nine other people to a small island in the Yasawa group and stayed in small thatched huts called bures on a little island owned by the sailing company. We also spent three days on the Coral Coast at a small, low-key resort where one of the main events, not unlike vacations when my kids were small, was finding a local doctor to treat Josh's strep throat!! I look forward to my return for many reasons, one being living in the same town as these two of my kids!! And the other one? Rachel is settling back into life in Homer, Alaska; her new home there, a little cabin in the woods, has no furniture yet but she reports life is good, including two classes she is taking and the return to part-time work at the local women's shelter.

The library project has begun!! We now have a 9' X 25' covered veranda on the front of the library room, (see photo...and me in an island dress!) ten new windows have been installed along with four new lights and a ceiling fan is going strong! The walls have been painted and the tile floor will go in, hopefully, next week. The school recently hired a handyman who has been able, when he feels like it, to do a lot of the work; the problem is the concept of "island time," meaning there is a very relaxed attitude about promptness, about length and frequency of breaks, and about the appropriate quitting time...and this is not to mention the quality of the work...I have stayed ahead of his painting, for example, by taping and covering areas with plastic to keep the mess at a minimum!! It is going to be such a wonderful space and there is a great deal of excitement about it...and questions from the students about when we can move back!! They don't like being without the library but luckily we are just completing a two week term break so during part of the closure time they weren't in school anyway.

Speaking of the library, again, as I have completed thank-you notes to the all of the names on the donor list that PC Washington DC sent me, I would love to hear from those of you who donated but did not receive a recent note from me...it means that you didn't check the "permission to release name of donor" box when you donated and therefore I cannot properly thank you! So let me hear from you!!

I am off to great the new group of Peace Corps volunteers who are arriving today; it doesn't seem possible that I myself arrived just about exactly two years ago!! I will leave with very mixed emotions, for sure, but part of my excitement in leaving is knowing that I will see many of you in the days and months soon after my return. So, until then, I send love and hugs and my best...and expect one more blog before my return!

What good news I had last week, news that the Peace Corps Partnership Grant that I had written to renovate the library at my site is now fully funded, meaning that donations totaling $4000 from many of you had been received and a check will soon be sent to me from PC Headquarters in Washington DC. We celebrated at a school staff meeting; I brought fresh pineapple and shortbread cookies and a sign that said “Wonderful news!” I am now working on a timeline so I can get started!! I can’t believe this is really going to happen; when finally finished writing the grant, I had no idea that the needed $4000 was within reach. What a difference it will make!! I do have one favor to ask: I just received a donor list from PC so I can begin to write notes of thanks to many of you but I can tell by reading the list that some of you did not check the box when sending your donation that said "permission given reveal your name" so I don't have a complete list to thank. Please, if you don't think or are unsure if you gave your permission and you want me to know that you donated (they don't tell me amounts, names only) please email me so I can send a proper and huge "thank you." And be patient...the notes will come!!

It is also hard to believe that I am in my last five months here. I have no doubt that I will be ready to come home in mid-November but that doesn’t mean that it will be easy to leave. I especially cannot imagine saying "good-by" to all the wonderful kids who I have come to adore, even the secondary boys who give me a hard time sometimes!! So much will be happening during the time I have left. Josh arrives in seven days. He will stay for four weeks, helping the secondary students with the painting of a huge, 5’X8’ world map mural on one wall of the library as part of what is known as the World Map Project which, if you are inclined, you can google and find the website. I decided to do this project when I discovered how little these kids know about the rest of the world; they know so much about their islands, their customs, their family histories but don’t know much about the world, even about their Pacific Island neighbors. And they are very interested…our library atlases are favorites, especially the ones that contain all of the countries’ flags. I would love to include, maybe around the perimeter, a small flag of each country; yes, the students could make them but I already have too much on my “plate” so if any of you have an idea of a source of small flags (2"x3"?), please let me know.

Also during Josh’s time here, after the map is finished, the library renovation will begin. We will first need to move everything out fo the library; needless to say, it concerns me, closing it for an extended time but I know no other way to make this work. The ten new windows will be installed and then the painting and the tile floor. Cement will be poured to make our new covered front porch which will be about 8’ X 25’, length of the library; I am especially excited about this as it will serve as a place for students to “hang out,” to come in out of the rain, to sit and read on the benches I intend to put there, and serve as an overflow area during my library sessions with each class; the library is only the size of a classroom and the bookcases take up alot of space. We will have two ceiling fans and four overhead lights installed and also a new door...and, to finish it off, twelve new chairs for the tables I received from a Kiwanis New Zealand donation. I promise photos soon of the before and after!! I plan to have an opening celebration sometime during the ten days that Amy is here visiting in early October.

June and July are the months of weddings on Ifira Island, coinciding with the yam harvest, a long-time tradition around which marriages are celebrated. And I do mean celebrated!! Basically a week-long party occurs, complete with endless island food like the traditional laplap, manioc, yam, bananas, taro and always a lot of rice on the side. During the week, the volumne of the music accompanying the meals increases each evening, culminating with an all-night celebration on the eve of the wedding. The ceremonies are usually held on Fridays with a church wedding followed by a custom ceremony at the Chief’s Nakamal or meeting house where the “bride’s price” is paid in the form of pigs, both alive and dead, woven mats, fabric, yams, manioc, banana and some cash. Two weeks ago I went to the wedding of the Chief’s two sons and one daughter and what an event that was! There were 30 bridesmaids, all young girls and all dressed in lovely satin, very colorful dresses. It was a not-to-be-missed occasion!!

As I wrote in my last blog, because of an increase in rent for my room at the Chief’s compound, I moved into a house just a few minutes from the school that had just come available. What a great decision!! I had forgotten what privacy is!! I have been there now for over two months and love the "neighborhood," which is in the middle of a lot of village activity; students shout out, "Hello, Ms. Julie," everytime they pass by and some stop in for a little one-on-one reading time with me...I am never without books just in case!! It will be great to have room for Josh and Amy when they visit and hopefully the next Peace Corps volunteer will get to live in the house; I am the second volunteer at the site and we have requested that a third replace me, often PC's practice and certainly needed to insure the continuation of the library when I leave; during the following two years, the new volunteer will need to begin training a community member to take over running the program when he/she leaves. Josh will be working, helping me, most of the time he is here and therefore we have decided to have a bit of "vacation" together as he leaves; since his flight takes him through Fiji on its way to Los Angeles, I am going to fly to Fiji with him, where we will spend a week; then he will continue on his way. Since we both love sailboats, I have just booked a three day sailing adventure around some of the outer islands, where we will swim, snorkel, and stay on a remote island in a grass hut...and take cold bucket showers, nothing new for me!! I must get this off; I promise a new slide show, with Josh's help, within the month!! It wil include "before" and "after" pictures of the library! I did manage to include two photos in this blog: the first photo was taken when the U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu visited my site last year; the second is me in the middle of a class of second graders!!Take care and keep me posted on your lives at home by email...I love hearing from you and hope that all is well and that you are having a wonderful summer!! Love, Julie

Our first school term has just ended and it made me realize how long it has been since my last blog entry. What a busy time! I want to share in this update a bit more about my day to day life here, about my life on Ifira Island. I have told of many of my wonderful experiences, including my visits from and my travel with my kids, and also my travels to Australia and to several of Vanuatu’s outer islands. Now I will tell a bit about a typical day in my life but first about my new house….

A month ago, I found out that my rent was being raised substantially. The school was already paying too much for the little bedroom I had in a house I was sharing with the owner. I had no sitting room or dining area so if I couldn’t eat outside due to weather, my only option was sitting on my bed! So, at the same time we found out about the increase, the headmaster had just heard about a little house near the school that available for rent. I moved in 2 weeks ago and I am thrilled to finally have my own space!! It is in the middle of a neighborhood with people passing by and stopping to chat or kids dropping in to, you guessed it, read books with me! So now on to “a day in the life…”

I have always been an early riser but this has gotten a bit out of hand here! Days here seem to begin by 5am for me; if it is not roosters outside my house waking me u, it is one of the many dogs starting a chain reaction of barking, with the whole neighborhood of dogs soon joining in! So, as it is impossible for me to go back to sleep at that hour, I am soon up and enjoying a cup of delicious Tanna island coffee and listening to the BBC or Radio Australia news. Being a creature of habit, coffee is followed by my usual bowl of oatmeal (yes, our market, Au Bon Marche, carries oatmeal and many other products that I did not expect to find here….but at a price. The store caters to the large ex-pat population here, with many imports from Australia and New Zealand.) Then off I go at 6:30 on my 3 minute walk to school where I usually head to our small staff room to use the computer to check my email. We have had internet at school this term which I am very thrilled about; my trips into town, Pt. Vila, are usually only once a week now, to shop and meet with my New Zealand friends on Friday nights for a local "Happy Hour."

Since there are always kids at school at this early hour and many waiting patiently at the library door, I open up at 7:00 to begin checking books in and out. I have many students who come every day at this time and I try to listen to each read a little from one of their books. By 7;30, when school officially starts, always have to kick kids out, encouraging them to head to class quickly to avoid being tardy. If it is Monday, I head out with them as the week begins with an all-school assembly in front of our primary building; the Vanuatu flag is raised and the national anthem sung, two events that have only been occurring here for what will be just 30 years on July 30, Independence Day. Then the headmaster usually has several announcements and I often remind the group, in Bislama of course, about reading at home and bringing back books to exchange (even though I use English in the library, except with the Francophone students, we use Bislama at the assemblies so that the French students understand; it works suprisingly well, this bilingual education. And I even get the chance to speak French and listen to the Franco-

phone students read!

I am teaching reading the first two hours of the day to two groups of sixth graders, kids who did not get what they should have in the primary grades and are still struggling readers; I work with six in each group and fortunately we have sets of books to use for guided reading; I incorporate phonics into every lesson and also have the students write every day. Progress is slow but steady and these groups are delightful to work with, so enthusiastic and funny and eager to learn. I also meet with each class every week for their ‘library hour’ where I introduce authors, discuss choosing ‘just right’ books, try to get students to share a good book that they have read (not easy as these kids are very reluctant both to answer questions or contribute orally in a large group) and share poetry. Then, using my rather primitive system of checking in and out (a notebooks for each class) they bring their books to me to return then go off to choose new ones…..

Besides having the library open before school, it is also open during our morning break, during lunch (I go home and eat at 11:00 so I can open back u at 12:00) and after school. The addition of this library has changed the school in so many ways; besides having the opportunity to take books home on a daily basis to read and share with their families, the students also use the library as a place to just come and read or look at books, to study, to catch up on homework, to draw when I get out art supplies and even to do a jigsaw puzzle or reading game…it has become a place where the kids love to be and this makes me very, very happy!! What a thrill to see all of these students loving books! And developing their own tastes in stories, like telling me how many of the Magic Treehouse books they have now read or wondering if we can get additional Gary Paulsen or Roald Dahl books!! And this is not to mention the improvement in reading skills which I have certainly observed in the last year! My greatest joy, though, is how the students of Ifira School have become lovers of reading!

A few items that I don’t want to forget….in reading my last blog again, I realize that I never mentioned that I had Dengue Fever in February, just a few weeks after getting back from New Zealand and right after the start of the new term. It was not a pleasant expereince, to say the least. I woke up one morning with a rash on my chest and arms and a horrible headache and headed straight to our Peace Corps doctor who confirmed the diagnosis with bloodwork. I went to bed for a week, aching everywhere and generally feeling rotten; after a week, I felt well enough to return to work but continued to suffer after fatigue for several more weeks. We are required to take medication to prevent Malaria but there is nothing to take for Dengue...

just somehow avoid the mosquitos!!

Lastly, I want to say a big thank you to those of you who have donated to grant to renovate the library. It has gotten off to a very slow start but I am hoping the donations will keep coming in so that the renovation can start in August; when my goal is reached, the Peace Corps will send me a check for the amount raised and we can begin; you may already understand that the Peace Corps provides none of the money, just the website and their non-profit status; a reminder to donate, go to the Peace Corps site, then click on Donate, then on Donate to Volunteer projects then type in Vanuatu or my name (and the info is there if you don’t want send in a check instead) Some of you continue to ask about sending books and other care packages but my re-

quest at the moment is that you use the money for a grant donation instead!!

I am very excited that Josh is ending his New Zealand adventure in mid July and returning to Vanuatu for another month on his way home; I am planning on using his wonderful artisitic abilities to have him direct the students in painting a 8' X 15' mural on one of the library walls, our first (and most colorful) step in the renovation process. Besides being a fantastic teaching tool, it will be visually beautiful...and, best of all, made by the kids! (you can find this project, started many years ago by a PC volunteer, by Googling WorldMap Project) Happy Spring to you all and bye for now from Vanuatu! Julie

After 15 months in the Peace Corps, 3 months of training and 1 year of work at my site, I left December 16 for my well-earned annual leave. Josh, who had been traveling and working on a farm since arriving in NZ the end of October, met me in Auckland where we enjoyed a few days with my NZ volunteer friend. Then off we went in our rental car, actually a small van, beginning what would be a month of traveling together. We camped at the top of the Coromandel Peninsula which we reached by driving 25 miles on a gravel road; I was reminded of Highway 1 in Northern California as we hung very precariously over the sea! After almost a week of exploring, we headed to our last stop on the North Island, Wellington, where we thoroughly enjoyed spending the Christmas holidays with friends that I had made in Vanuatu. They served as great tour guides in their beautiful city then pointed us in the direction of the InterIslander Ferry which, after a three hour crossing, landed us on the South Island. We drove immediately 3 hours south to start the Kaikoura Coastal Walk, 40km in three days with nightly stops on sheep farms along the way. This was meant to be my “practice run” for our later hike as we walked on private land and had our bags and cooler full of food transported by the trip organizers. What an experience, walking 13km a day through beautiful farms, along creeks, over fences, up ridges, and three hours one day along the shore where we met up with a sea lion sunning himself on the beach. Our next stop was Nelson for New Years’ Eve in a wonderful hostel, or “backpacker” as they are known in NZ,  then on to Golden Bay and the Abel Tasman National Park and our only night of camping in the rain. We next headed down the west coast, stopping at Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers before heading over the Haast Pass to what turned out to be one of our favorite towns, Wanaka, where we met Rachel and her friend, Rachel, who landed in near-by Queenstown. We retraced a few of my steps from my Active New Zealand trip a few years back, horseback riding in the Dart Valley where some of Lord of the Rings was filmed and, later, kayaking in the beautiful Milford Sound. Then we continued on to the southernmost tip of NZ, Bluff, where we caught a ferry to Stewart Island; many  New Zealanders do not even get to this beautiful island known for its bird sanctuary and rare Kiwi bird spottings. It was here that we did our most challenging tramp, the Rakikura Track, on the list of NZ’s Ten Great Walks. It was another 40km trip with two overnights in huts along the way; I found it a bit challenging with a great deal of up and down and lots mud but managed not to hold the group up…and it helped that I was allowed a little less to carry in my backpack!! The worst part for me were the swing bridges which, for someone not liking heights, were  more than a little terrifying!! But what an incredible experience to share with my kids; it was truly an incredible month which ended with the girls coming back with me to Vanuatu for 10 days. Needless to say, I was a bit sad and lonely when everyone left as my visits had begun with Josh arriving in late September and then I was with either him or Rachel, or both, off and on for 4 months!! This time together a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share such adventures with two of my adult children; I am very happy that they wanted to be with me…and hope that Amy is able to also visit!!   I arrived back the end of January to the news that the opening of school had been delayed for three weeks!! I couldn’t even explain to you exactly why except that “island time” is what we go by here and it loosely means that everything runs late! We have five new teachers which is exactly how we started off last year; the education ministry transfers teachers regularly and often for no apparent reason other than they have been at a school for a few years…and they are often sent to totally different islands and without much notice, meaning the uprooting of whole families., The week before school was starting, we got the horrible news that our headmaster was suddenly being transferred; luckily the community protested and somehow got the decision reversed…and three days later the 2010 school year began then two days after that the headmaster’s wife had their first child!! These last two months, February and March, have continued to be just as crazy and just as busy, and that is my excuse for such a long time between blogs!! My work continues in the library; I have a total of six hour-long sessions a week, one with each of our Anglophone classes and have started checking out books to the Francophone students though we have a very small selection of books for them to choose from…hint, hint, any sources, any French children’s book for ages 5-12 would be more than appreciated! I also am continuing to teach eight students in Grade 6 every morning for an hour, trying hard to help them learn to read which just didn’t happen for them in the earlier grades. Speaking of reading and books, it is impossible to tell you how the library is being loved and used thanks to so many book donations from so many of you; our collection has grown to very respectable numbers and with a great selection of titles and genre. I have the library open before school, during morning break, during lunch and after school and the kids flock in, not just to exchanges books but also just to sit and read, share books and just “hang out.” Sometimes I will put out a jigsaw puzzle, sometimes drawing paper and markers, sometimes reading games. The library has truly become a very important place at the school and I am very pleased with how the children love to be there! Oh, over the weekend  I was very surprised to discover another being who likes to be the; our school cat, one I used to feed before moving off campus, decided that in one of my boxes in the library was a good place to give birth so we now have mama and her two week-old babies temporarily living inside! Everyone is welcome!!   The biggest news of all is that the Peace Corps Partnership Grant that I have been mentioning since summer and that has had so many delays is now FINISHED!! It was sent off Friday to the PC Headquarters in Washington D.C. to be finally approved and posted on their website. This was a major accomplishment for me as I do not consider myself a grant-writer, do not enjoy any sort of paper work and especially don’t do well with getting bids and writing budgets. So, many of you have asked about further book donations and my request is you wait “smol” as they say in Bislama; it would be wonderful if instead of more books or care packages, you save your money and donate to the grant which will fund the renovation of the library space. It will pay for ten new louvered windows, a tile floor, paint, 2 ceiling fans, light fixtures, a door and cement to make an entry. If the grant is funded, the library will finally be free of the rain and dampness that comes in through our broken windows and leaky floors, it will be be able to be kept clean with real floors, a functioning door, and a new entry where muddy shoes will be left upon coming inside. Finally, the library will be well-lit and cooler with new lighting and ceiling fans and will become an even more inviting place with fresh and colorful paint and murals on the walls. So, you are asking yourself, “How can I help with this project?” As soon as I find out that the grant information has been posted on the PC site, I will send an email explaining just how to find it and then you can read how to make tax-deductable donations online. Some of you might be hearing directly from the PC directly as I sent some referrels but don’t know how that works. So, many thanks ahead of time for your support and, as we move into fall here, happy spring to you all in the Northern Hemisphere!!  Love and hugs to all!! Julie  P.S. Next on my list is new photographs! I promise!!

It has been a very busy month and things are not going to slow down for a while so I better get this new blog entry off! Since I last wrote, Josh finished his wonderful visit here; what a month we had! To have spent that much time with one’s twenty five year old child was such a treat and a rare occasion for a mom! We had many great times and fun adventures and only one cross word…when I was trying a little too hard to wake him up to come to school with me one morning!! As promised in my last blog, I want to mention the BIG excitement of Josh’s first week here, Vanuatu’s tsunami warning!! (and thanks for the phone calls and emails asking if we were OK!!) It all started with feeling just another small earthquake while we were in the PC office checking emails…or at least what we thought was a small earthquake; it had actually registered 8 or so on the Richter scale off one of the northern islands and triggered a tsunami warning which, believe it or not, I first heard about with Amy’s call saying, “Mama, are you and Josh OK?” She had heard the news on NPR before we heard it here in Vanuatu! And so had my friend, Marilyn, in San Diego, who called shortly thereafter. We were soon advised to head up the hill behind the town, joining most of the folks who minutes before had been walking along the seafront, including hundreds of tourists who had come in earlier on a cruise ship and all local school children who had been dismissed from school. We stood on the hillside and watched the sea below for any indication of the big wave; we also watched a very large number of pleasure and local fishing boats quickly head out to sea, attempting to get out of harm’s way in case the tsunami arrived. As you all know by now, the warning was cancelled after 2 hours but not before a total of five earthquakes had occurred, all registering from 7 to 8 in intensity. The people of Samoa and Tonga were especially concerned with this warning after the tragedy of just the week before on their islands. So we were relieved to have this experience behind us and now face the upcoming cyclone season!!! (and as I am proofing this and about to post it, Radio Australia tells me that hundreds are being evacuated from one of Vanuatu’s most northern islands, Gaua, due to volcanic activity!!) Speaking of natural disasters, Josh and I traveled to another of Vanuatu’s islands, Tanna, on October 19; we spent a week there with the highlight being a visit “up close and personal” to Mt. Yasur, one of many active volcanos on these islands and the only one ( in the world?!!) that allows and even arranges for people to stand at the rim and watch and hear the activity from a rather dangerous and precarious vantage point!! I found it rather terrifying, not only because we were watching red hot lava spewing out of the crater hundreds of feet into the air, but also because Josh, ever the photographer, might get a little too close to the edge while concen-trating on getting the “perfect photo”; it took me back to his childhood when, with all his energy, he would not always “think before he acted;” luckily he retained his sense of humor as I held on to his arm most of the time lest he fall into the crater! While in Tanna, we stayed in two different local oceanfront bungalows, ate only island food, and enjoyed several hikes and a trip to the local hot springs; I even climbed up a thirty foot ladder, a shortcut from the beach up to a cliff-top spot for a picinic…me, with my fear of heights!! Yes, I continue to do things in this new life of mine that I never imagined possible!! As I mentioned in my last blog, our time was filled with a lot of fun activities. One of the highlights was a visit to my host family in my training village of Mangalilui where Josh got to experience a few days in my old home. Not surprisingly, my mama presented him with an island shirt she had made him and, as always with every visit, she made me a new island dress. Josh has his first taste of laplap, the staple of this part of the world, and got a taste of my very basic life for two months a year ago without electricity and with the “small house” or “long drop toilet” way out at the back of the property. We had a great time and he has promised the family to return for another visit on his way home next year…another month in Vanuatu! School is will be over soon; the end of the year will be highlighted with Speech Day, where all of the students (we have 235) and parents gather under our huge mango tree to celebrate the closing. We will especially honor the graduating 10th graders who, depending on their exam scores, will be assigned a secondary school, most likely on another island, where they will board and only visit their families during the summer break (and during the two week term breaks if they can afford the boat or airfares home). Having attended Speech Day last year, which happened to be the day I first arrived on Ifira, I also know that prizes and awards are given to the two top students in each class; this year, I will start a new tradition of giving effort awards for library participation. The staff recently decided to have “uniforms” made for the occasion, which means matching island dresses and island shirts for all! And I almost forgot to mention…guess who has been asked to be Masters of Ceremonies for this event!! Yes, yours truly!! I am not sure in what language I am to speak, Bislama, English or French!! I can’t begin to tell you what a wonderful library that so many of you have helped me create; when I ever finish the grant that I am writing, delayed because of the headmaster and school committee’s changes, I am hopeful that not only will we have this incredible selection of great books, but we will also have an airtight room with windows that close, new flooring, and adequate lighting. It is called a Peace Corps Partnership Grant; they do no funding but put the grant information on a website for potential donors, like you, my friends, to see!! I am determined to finish this and send it off to Washington before I leave for New Zealand on December 16 and then upon my return, will be able to tell you how to access the site so you can give make deductable contributions should you chose do so to support this project! We have an abundance of wonderful library books now so save your book and shipping money for a grant donation in February!! It won’t be long until Josh and I are camping and “tramping” in New Zealand! We will spend Christmas with friends we made here who are now back living in Well-ington and after will ferry with our rental car to the South Island for more outdoors adventures, including kayaking in the Queen Charlotte Sound and a three day coastal “tramp.” By January 5 we will be in Queenstown to meet Rachel and her friend, Rachel; our plan is to then head south to Stewart Island for a five day backpacking trip, through an area known for its beauty as well as for its wildlife viewing…including, hopefully, the reclusive kiwi. The girls will come back to Vanuatu with me January 17 and spend ten days seeing the sights in here before heading home which for Rachel right now is Port Townsend, Washington. Amy, by the way, was hired as a social worker at the VA Hospital in Portland, her “dream job” after her wonderful internship year there. I hope for a visit from her after she has earned some vacation time. I am so sorry that this entry is SO very long but hopefully my accounts of life here in the Peace Corps still holds your interest!! Since I will be away, you won’t hear from me again until the beginning of February so I will end wishing you all a happy and safe holiday season and good wishes for 2010! Next year, I will be home to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with some of you in person! P.S. My Santa wish list remains the same, DVDs of any sort, including TV series!

I arrived here exactly one year and a month ago today I don’t know what is harder to believe, that it has really been a whole year, not just a few months or, maybe, sometimes it seems like part of a lifetime! This is typical of life here in general, full of confusing, contradicting feelings. As I have mentioned before, there are the highs and less often, fortunately, the lows. Sometimes I feel like I could stay here forever and then I have moments doubting my ability to last another 14 months!! The loneliness gets to me sometimes; for those of you asking what to send, I will say

"DVDs , please, please." Watching films, any films, on my laptop, really has been wonderful...

and I just borrowed the first two seasons of Madmen...I hope some will eventually send the new season!!

I spent a wonderful week in and around Brisbane, Australia, during our term break in early September. I visited three generations of a great family that had brought very generous book and supply donations in May. The first two days I spent exploring the city on my own, visiting a fantastic American/Australian Impressionist exhibit at the art gallery and also discovering the weekly Sunday market where several vendors that I chatted with kindly gave me some donations for the school. And I ate a few meals at Lonely Planet-recommended restaurants, both times sampling wonderful Australian wines. I then took a train, an hour’s ride, to the Gold Coast and two spent nights with the Bancroft family which included a great day at a wildlife park; the highlight, petting kangaroos and watching a joey climb in and out of its mother’s pouch. And then there were the dingos, the wombats, the koalas, the Tasmanian devils and the ichnidas! Then another train ride took me to the Sunshine Coast where my friends and Libby Bancroft’s parents, the Fowles, also entertained me and played tour guide; we visited the rain forest and the magnificent coastline all in a day’s trip then ended the evening by attending a local Rotary meeting where I spoke briefly about my life in Vanuatu and also thanked them for their organization providing my two daughters such enriching experiences in their Rotary Inter-national Exchanges. I left with a generous Ifira School library donation from members of $150 which I plan to use to buy at least part of the wooden table and chairs that is badly needed for our secondary students; they come to the library now for studying and research and must sit at desks and a small table meant for the primary children.

Our forty new Peace Corps trainees received a wonderful welcome on September 13 upon their arrival at Port Vila’s airport; it was very reminiscent of my group’s welcome with leis, lava lavas (sarongs) and coconuts cut open and ready for milk-drinking. A string band played island music, adding to the festivities which were attended by almost twenty volunteers plus ten staff members. Some of us had a chance to meet with them again the next week when our Country Director and his wife invited us all over to their beautiful bayfront home for a barbeque which also included an introduction to and advice about drinking kava, the drink of choice here for, especially, the Ni-Van men but also for many Peace Corps volunteers; me, I stick to Tusker, Vanuatu’s beer or, of course, red wine, as most will agree that kava both looks and tastes a bit like mud!!

Speaking of our new arrivals, I have been involved in several training sessions, traveling an hour and a half to the north of our island, Efate, to present literacy workshops with my friend, Karen. There are thirteen new teacher trainers in this group and we had fun presenting them with lots of ideas and answering lots of questions…about working in the schools, for sure, but also about life in general in the Peace Corps in Vanuatu! It reminded us of our days of training and all the wondering if the weeks of training would ever end the anxiety about our up-coming site assignments. It will be fun to attend this group’s swearing in on November 4. Ours was on Thanksgiving Day last year; this year I will celebrate the holiday with Karen and other volunteers on their island of Malekula. Then Rachel, who arrives December 2, and I will celebrate the Christmas holidays with Josh in New Zealand!!

My biggest news, Joshua arrived on September 29 for a one-month stay. What a gift to have him here…I was really ready for a visit from home!! He has been staying with me, of course, and is the hit of the neighborhood!! The local boys and men think he is amazing and he is smothered with attention by all. Of course, it helps that he drinks a few “shells” of kava with them most every night. And it also helps that he, with his fluency in French, can speak like a native to all of the Francophones…and there are many, including the Chief and his family where I live. He has been a great help at school, from teaching drawing to assisting with my Charlotte’s Web eighth grade class to reading to the younger children and leading soccer and Frisbee activities with the new equipment that he brought. We have been snorkeling, swimming, and sailing, all of which have provided some relief from the hot and humid weather that has been arriving! Today we are leaving to spend a long weekend with my host family in my training village where I lived for ten weeks last fall; then we will hop on a tiny plane and head for the island of Tanna and, among other things, visit the very active volcano, Mt.Yassir.

Since I am late with this September blog, I will write more about Josh’s visit soon and also tell a bit about our tsunami warning experience!! Untii then, happy October from Vanuatu!!

I am starting to write this blog entry on the sixth day of August, exactly two weeks since we have had a regular day of school; with this statistic, it is not hard to under- stand why Vanuatu has such a low literacy rate; there are just not enough days where the children are in school and therefore learning to read as well as teaching to read are very challenging undertakings. It started on July 24 with the national holiday of Children’s Day which then led into the week-long celebration of Vanuatu’s independence, the 29th anniversary of the end condominium government which England and France oversaw. So then my thought was, school would start back up on Monday of this week…but, no, another day was needed to recover so Tuesday I was back again, wondering where everyone was as the school was deserted except for the few of us who hadn’t heard the news…another Ifira Island resident had died during the night and school, as usual, had been canceled out of respect for the family. This is the sixth death we have had on the island since the February start of school and therefore the sixth day off for this reason. But also, we have had a day off for Chief’s Day, for Efate Island Day, for Shefa Province Day, for Ascension, Good Friday and Easter Monday, Labor Day, Father Lini, Day (a local hero) and upcoming, we will have no school on Constitution Day, Unity Day, Culture Day and, of course, Christmas and Boxing Day!! Oh, I must not forget today, Election Day!!! I, needless to say, get frustrated trying to run consistent reading and library programs; it seems like just when we get going again, we have a day or two off and then, afterwards, a day or two to recover.

Speaking of days off from school, soon our second term ends and we have two weeks of holidays. In May, I had a visit from a wonderful Australian family, three generations, who brought a large number of books for the library plus pencils and many other school supplies. We spent a day together, swimming and having lunch in the library. They mentioned that they would welcome a visit…and so I decided that I would take them up on it!! I am flying to Brisbane on August 29 for a week, I am sure the only time I will ever spend in Australia. I am determined not to leave there with- out seeing three animals, a kangaroo, a wombat, and a koala. I will speak at a Rotary Club on the Sunshine Coast and visit a school and receive more books on the Sun-shine Coast. And I will have a few days to explore Brisbane on my own. I also look forward to spending some break time here in Vila with my friend, Karen, and meeting her sister who will be visiting from her home in Mexico.

I would like to tell you about a typical school day for me: I am up by 5:30 and quietly make my coffee, careful to not wake my housemates though they are soon rising as well. I am at school, a three minute walk, by 7:00 to open the library. School starts at 7:-30. By 8:00, I am working with my first of two second grade reading groups; I get them from their classroom and work with them in the library for 45 minutes and then walk them back and get the next group;; I love this short walk that we take together since usually I have to remind the children to watch their steps as they have their library books open and are reading while they walk!! The classroom teacher works with the other two groups, hopefully using some of the methods for guided reading and phonics that I have modeled for her. We have a 15 minute break at 9;30, when I have just dismissed my last readers. The library is typically packed during this time, with often 20 or more kids coming to exchange their books; I let, in fact, I encourage, them to come in as often as they want to get new books…and many come every day! The large amount of wonderful books that so many of you have sent have made a huge difference in the interest level and in the reading level of these students and they are certainly meeting one of my goals, to have them love to read. Since these children have never before checked books out of a library and most never even having books at home, I am especially thrilled with the enthusiasm and thrilled with observing so many getting ‘hooked on reading.’

I am very excited about my travel plans to Australia but even more exciting will be Josh’s arrival on September 29. He plans to stay three weeks; there are many sights to see in this southern Efate Island area, daytrips that we will take, and a one night stay in my training village, Mangalilui, with my host family. In Vila, we will join some of the younger volunteers who will happily instruct Josh in the drinking of kava and an afternoon of fishing is also planned. We will leave this island to fly south to spend one of the weeks having many interesting adventures, like walking around Mt. Yassir, one of our active volcanoes on the island of Tanna, swimming and snorkeling off of Mystery Island off the the southern-most Vanuatu island of Anneityem, horsebackriding to the world’s largest Banyon tree and visiting the John From Cargo Cult site from World War II days. Josh will then fly to Auckland; he has applied for and received a “work/holiday” visa which is available to young people between the ages of 20 and 30, and is good for one year; this visa will enable him to find seasonal jobs during this period. Some opportunities will include working on organic farms, working in ski resorts, picking fruit, or general handy-man work. Rachel arrives in Pt. Vila December 2 and will spend 2 weeks with me here before we head together to New Zealand on December 16; we will find Josh, wherever he happens to be working, and have Christmas together; if he is between jobs, we have been invited to spend the holiday with friends that I have made here who live in Welllington. Rachel and I will then continuing traveling, probably in a rental car and staying in hostels, until I fly back to Vanuatu in mid-January. She plans to extend her stay and spend the next 6 weeks also doing seasonal work before returning to Homer, Alaska.

My next blog will mark my one year anniversary here; I left Portland on September 16 and flew out of Los Angeles on September 18, arriving in Vanuatu, because of crossing the International Dateline, two days later. It is impossible to believe that almost a year has passed. I have one piece of sad news for those of you who knew her…our beloved 14 year old Golden Retriever, Zoe, died last week. Her 11 year old ‘sister’ remains in great health and has found a great pal in her housemate, Amy’s dog, Levi. To my teacher friends, have a good reentry back into school and to all of you, enjoy the last days of summer as fall is upon you…while we here in Vanuatu prepare for the warmer days of spring!!

My Fourth of July this year was certainly not the Ashland parade and the fireworks over Lake of the Woods…and did I miss those things!! But instead I made deviled eggs, bought chips and a jar of Pace salsa that our market her sells for $6.00 and headed to a friend’s house, a friend of the Peace Corps, a volcanist who, by the way, has lots of work on these island! (and there are other potential disasters…in fact, I was awoken this morning by a small earthquake which we have plenty of here!) About 20 of us tried hard to make it seem like the Fourth, hot dogs on the grill and all; when a very small amount of fireworks went off over the bay, I’m sure set by some Americans like us trying to make it “real,” we all felt more at home!

Speaking of home, I am loving my new home, which I seem to be sharing fulltime now with our Chief’s son, his girlfriend, and her five year old son who I was told upon moving in only came to stay once in a while. But they are very quiet and we seem to be making it work quite nicely and I love the location and the view so much that I would do most anything to make it work. Getting up in the morning and drinking my coffee at sunrise overlooking Port Vila’s harbor starts my day very nicely as does ending it at sunset. And when I am cooking, I have the window open and am looking directly at the sea, the same view I have when I am washing my dishes in my plastic tub. As we say in Bislama, we have “fulap dawgs,” five at last count, not including faithful Dusty from my other house who thinks that I am his mom and therefore rarely leaves my side…unlike all other dogs on the island, and certainly in Vanuatu in general, he has “indoor privileges,” sleeping all day in the library, totally making himself at home under my reading groups’ table. Yes, I miss my dogs at home and hear they are doing well, especially after their summer birthdays with Zoe turning fourteen and Isabel eleven, advanced ages for Golden Retrievers.

My work at school is going well; children are learning to read in my second and fifth grade groups and many, many books are coming and going out of the library on a daily basis. The children are thrilled with the new ones from the US and sometimes have trouble choosing the books they are taking home that night…they want them all! I let them take home several and am amazed how many kids come every day to bring back their books so they can get new ones. Teacher friends, I am developing a collection of Reader’s Theater so I would love copies of any you have; these children are typically very shy to speak out and also some are self-conscious about their English so I have decided that this will be another good approach to my teaching. During my 25 years in a primary classroom, I taught reading to hundreds and hundreds of kids and never got over the thrill. But, speaking of thrill, I must say that the change that I have seen in my students here since school started in February is phenomenal and I am so proud of them! I can hardly stop some of them from reading as they are carrying their books walking to and from the library for book checkout and reading groups with me. Many are really “hooked,” really becoming lovers of reading and on their way to fluency, both in reading and in English.

One of the biggest events at Ifira School has been the recent visit from the American Ambassador, Leslie Rowe and did the school go all out!! We had several meetings to discuss and plan the morning and all the protocol involved. From the class 10 boys dressed in custom dance outfits, grass skirts and traditional make-up, meeting the boat in the traditional manner, to the string band music playing as she entered the school grounds, to the school porch that was decorated with palm fronds and colorful flowers, to the wonderful carving of a outrigger canoe that was presented to her, it was a wonderful welcome. This was a huge event to have her visit and everyone at the school and in the village knew it and respected it. We had a flag-raising and singing of the national anthem and a few speeches after which I took her to the second grade classroom where she read the children a favorite book of mine, Mem Fox’s Where in the World?. We then did a tour of the campus and ended in the library where several of my girls read her the Ugly Duckling, all in an hour and a half, after which we walked her back to the boat so she wouldn’t be late for her appointment with Vanuatu’s President!! I felt honored to be asked by our Peace Corps Director to host this event and I was very proud and touched by the school’s effort to host this special visit.

Many of you ask in emails for a “wish list” for care packages so here are some ideas:: DVDs (I am not picky so anything you enjoyed!), small zip lock baggies, manila folders (used ones are fine as I make envelopes out of them for library books to go home in),, loose and longish tunic-type cotton knit shirts size large as I am really getting sick of my clothes and since I always have to wear skirts, I love the look of a long shirt over them, anything from Trader Joes, like walnuts and cashews, pesto and Alfredo mixes, Ultra Fine point Sharpies for drawing with the kids and regular Fine Point Sharpies, too, all black, anything to do with President O’Bama as everyone is fascinated with him here, like kids’ books that have come out, some great ideas for a gift for the Chief…O’Bama baseball cap would be great and/or an XL T-shirt…I didn’t know, of course, that I would be living on his “compound” and therefore don’t have a gift for him, a good crossword puzzle book and, always M & Ms and Hot Tamales!! I appreciate hearing from you, love getting emails and letters, so keep it up and continue to have a wonderful summer!

I promised myself that I would do a blog entry every month which has proven to be difficult; either I have gotten very lazy or the months pass too fast and I lose track of time or ? So here it is, June and the end of the school year for all of you as we are approaching winter here. But don’t imagine cold or even brisk weather! Instead think of me no longer suffering from the intense heat and humidity, no longer running my life-saving fan every waking moment, no longer feeling I have just climbed out of the shower. The weather, to me, is delightful but I have noticed that NiVans are donning sweaters and socks and asking me if I’m not cold!

The latest and best news is that I have moved!! Finally both the Peace Corps and the Ifira School Committee realized that something needed to happen; the “straw” was the mean man, in yet another rage, threatened the headmaster. I have fortunately experienced very few people in my life with anger issues like this man seems to have; I am very glad that I no longer have to listen to him yell at his family, fear his next outburst or drunken rage, experience his total disrespect and rudeness as he talks to me or plays extremely loud music, or hear him through our common wall as he coughs and chokes and bangs his body as a result of his inability to handle drinking his beloved kava that he is so addicted to. And sixteen people, including nine teenagers, was just way too many people for the small area we were all sharing.

So, my new home!! In Vanuatu, probably true of all Pacific Island countries, every village has a Chief, a position handed down through families usually to the eldest son and very much part of the life and culture of the area. Ifira Island’s Chief Mantoi Kalsakau comes from a long time of members of this family who have held not only this title but also have been very important and influential government figures over the years. The many family members who live on this island own much of the prime seafront property; needless to say, the Chief’s property is amazing and that is where I am living in a small house next to his, a house belonging to one of his sons who now lives in Vila with his girlfriend and her four year old. The arrangement we have, the School Committee is paying the rent, about $130 US dollars, with the agreement that the the son will come stay from time to time, meaning sometimes on weekends I will be sharing the house which so far has proven fine. It has very small three bedrooms, one of which is mine, a living room and a kitchen; like most places here, the toilet and shower building is just outside as is the faucet and table with my tubs for dishwashing. The best and most amazing part of this is the location; my dishwashing table is by the retaining wall that keeps us from falling 30 feet into the sea; the view is incredible! I have put my small table and chair here and sit with my morning coffee watching the sunrise and in the early evening if I stretch my neck, I can see the sunset, too. There are trees everywhere and views of the water through every one! Though this is somewhat of a family compound, with several of the Chief’s grown kids here and with Lily, the Chief’s wife often watching various grandchildren, it is very quiet; everyone is in bed early, keeping the hours I have learned work best here, asleep by 9:00, up with the roosters by 5:00!! The family has asked me to eat with them on Sundays which is very nice though creates a small problem with my host family, the Presbyterian pastor’s, who has been having me to Sunday lunch after church. So I will alternate where I go each week. Oh, to be so popular!

My school library project is going very well; students are in the library constantly checking out books; well over one thousand books have gone in and out, with some children coming almost every day to get new books with this, their first-ever experience of taking books home. The wonderful new books that many of you have sent are in constant in demand; I tried not to laugh out loud when I recently witnessed two boys fighting over a book, each holding onto an end and pulling!! It is so amazing to experieence the excitement and enthusiasm as children from grade 2 through grade 10 are discovering the wonder of stories and what a difference it is making to have new-to-them books; believe me, they are well aware of the appeal of the colorful, interesting, current, good-smelling, clean books, well-written books. I have the library open for check-out before school, during our morning break, at lunch and after school; there are always kids inside. If it is not too busy, I will sit a child down next to me to have him/her read to me; comprehension is a problem and therefore I like to “check-in” as often as possible. The second graders who all come to me for daily reading class bring their books every day; they each read to the group then exchange their books; my top readers, who are REALLY reading now, are loving the very easy readers that I have received…we had none before so thank you, thank you,again!!! If anyone wants specific ideas, by the way, we have only one Dr. Seuss book and more Magic Tree House would be appreciated as I am getting some Class 5 kids “hooked.” And Box Car Children (just started some Class 5 on them and we only have 2…send the first one if you have it around and others) And if you know of another easy series like these....Also we don’t have copies of two of my favorites, Hatchet or Charlotte’s Web. And easy non-fiction!!!

Although grant-writing is not my favorite thing, I have just completed one to the Cascade Returned Peace Corps group in Portland, applying for funding for the last of my own classroom books to be sent; as some of you have discovered, shipping is very expensive so I am hoping to receive the requested monies. Next week I will start writing a much more complicated grant, a Peace Corps Partnership Grant which I will be asking any of you who can and want to support. Though no money comes from the PC, they must approve the grant and then will put the information on their website and will personally inform friends, family and anyone that I request of it’s existence; the advantage, of course, is the donations are tax-deductable so if you are looking for a good cause this year, save a little to donate to this!! This grant will be for $4000-j$5000 to renovate the library room; it will fund 7 new windows to replace the ones that badly leak, requiring me to move bookcases away from the walls every evening in the likely case of rain; it will provide a tile floor to cover the existing cement, paint for the walls and, hopefully some bookcases. You might be thinking all of this won’t happen for that amount of money….I will start getting bids soon and will see! One of the conditions of the grant is that the school commit to one-quarter of the requested monies; fortunately, that amount was included in this year’s budget but due to the sad state of financial affairs here at the school, it may need to come in the form of donated labor, painting and making bookcases. I am hoping that I can really make this happen and will keep you posted!!

I still often have my moments of utter amazement that I am really here doing this!! A year and a half ago, when I was filling out my PC application and checking the box requesting placement in a Pacific Island country due to my Cook Island experience and my love of sun and water, I had never even heard of Vanuatu! I didn’t even know how to pronounce it! Less than nine months later, I was there! And here I still am, sometimes feeling very much a part of my island, my community, my school, and sometimes feeling the opposite, very much on the outside, not understanding many things going on due to my mediocre Bislama or my lack cultural knowledge. I often have frustrating experiences at gatherings, like after church yesterday, when an entire story was being related by the grandfather in the local island language which most people speak in their homes and of which I understand not one word. By the way, all villages in Vanuatu have their own language, in addition to Bislama, which is the national language; this means there are over a hundred different languages spoken on these islands in addition to Bislama, English and French. So, as I have said before, it’s no wonder learning to read is not easy.

I am happy to share the news that Amy is receiving her Masters of Social Work from Portland State University this week, on Saturday, June 13; I am very sad to miss the occasion but so proud that she has completed this program, including this year’s internship at the VA Hospital. She has completed her application for several of the positions that are opening there, very much hoping to be hired on and continue her work with PTSD in their Mood Disorder Clinic. Rachel is back from her month-long Spanish immersion program in Mexico and enjoying her summer job in the little town of McCarthy in Alaska in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, traveling there with both her dog and cat and settling into her new tent-style home surrounded by an electric bear fence! She is working in an organic garden and offering general assistance in a family-run business. She is coming here in December to spend time with me and then we will travel to New Zealand together to spend Christmas with Josh, whereever he is!! He is finishing up his year in Sun Valley working two jobs to save money for this next adventure, coming here in mid-September to spend several weeks seeing Vanuatu and then on to New Zealand for a year of working seasonal jobs and traveling the country. Needless to say, I dearly miss these kids of mine!!

Sorry for the length...next time, I will try for sooner and shorter!! Stay in touch...Peace Corps, PMB 9097, Port Vila, Republic of Vanuatu and julieromberg @gmail.com. Happy summer!!

At last another blog entry! I have been very busy since I last wrote wishing you all “Happy Valentine’s Day” and now it is almost Easter!! I am just ending a week of Peace Corps conferences in Vila so have been having fun catching up with my group who have all been on their outer islands since we left for our sites in early December. In listening to them talk, I realize how lucky I am to be where I am, with electricity and close to town for internet access and shopping. Many have only sporadic communication, some with cell phone access, some with “iffy” landline coverage, and some with only a satellite phone and almost all without electricity. A few carry their water from a near-by creek or spring. They are also all between 23 and 34 years of age and probably better-equipped, both mentally and physically, for these hardships! I also have come to appreciate my school, my headmaster, and my twenty-five years of teaching experience as I was able to jump right in with my library project and my reading teacher duties; some in my group are still waiting for the OK on projects or don’t feel they can use their own initiative and get just started on what they or the teachers see as a need.

I am enrolled in a weekly French class at the Alliance Francaise which I am enjoying though now, instead of English when a French word doesn’t come, I find myself using Bislama words!! Since my school is bilingual, we had a huge, all-day, all-community Francophone Day celebration recently. It is truly amazing to live in a culture where there is the possibility of four languages being spoken: individual village language which most all speak in their homes (there are 120 of these across Vanuatu’s 80 islands), Bislama, which became the national language when independence was declared in 1980, and then French and English, which, I have mentioned before, are the two languages of the schools. Since I am surrounded by French speakers, I am looking for someone to have conversations with on a regular basis on the Ifira.

I can’t believe that I have now been here for 6 months! Our school year is divided into three terms with a two-week break between each one. We are more than halfway through our first term at the Ifira Bilingual Primary and Junior Secondary School and what a few months it has been. I will tell you about what I have been doing: I have continued with the same teaching that I have been doing since the school year began, teaching all thirty-one of the second graders reading every morning for two hours; I have grouped them, as well as I can, homogeneously into four groups and take two groups at a time for an hour each. I bring the students to the library, my “second home,” where I immerse them in phonics and general word-study skills; fortunately a wonderful set of guided reading books was donated from New Zealand several years ago so I do not lack reading group materials…but I do lack library reading materials as I mentioned in my last blog entry. Many thanks to those of you who have been able to send envelopes or small boxes of books; the children are loving the wonderful new books coming; I wish you could see their faces! In fact, you WILL see their faces opening up some new books when my next photos are organized!! I am even more excited now about the library; books are being checked in and out constantly, with some children bringing their books back daily to get out another one! I have the library open before school, during our morning break, during lunch and after school so kids are always around…or waiting outside the door if I happen to be late! Classes two and five (we do not have classes three or four due to gaps in enrollment) are taking their books back and forth in small manila envelopes to protect them and each time must have a parent sign their name next to the book read, indicating that the book has been read to them. I am thrilled with both the enthusiasm and the participation!! I never imagined this would get started with such a “bang” nor did I expect to be receiving the wonderful donations from you all at home!!

I am just beginning my other big project, writing a $4000 Peace Corps Partnership Grant which I will let you all know about when I am finished. It is a way for me to raise money for the library renovation. I am requesting funding for new windows so we can keep the rain out and allow me to lock the library, flooring so badly needed to cover the very dirty and cracked cement and a bit of repair and then a new coat of paint for the walls,. I am also including bookcases and a large table and chairs where the kids can sit quietly and read or do research. The labor for thes items and for the other mentioned work will be provided by Ifira Island workers, giving the local economy a boost. It requires the school to commit to one fourth of the expenses involved, about $1000, some of which is already in the school budget for this year; the other $3000 will be raised, hopefully, from friends like you and organizations in the U.S.. Though the Peace Corps does not contribute money, it organizes a website, notifies suggested donors and handles the tax-deductable donations and then sends me the money so we can start the project. This is a big undertaking for me as I don’t consider myself a grant-writer but I can do it and will keep you posted on my progress and on the results. If you could see the condition of the library room, you would understand why I have gone from asking for books to now wanting to have a safe, clean and inviting place in which to keep them and where the children can enjoy them.

A few rather big changes are happening in my life here, besides the usual day-to-day constant changes since I never know what to expect!! I will most likely be moving off campus since my housing situation is not great; you have seen photos of my little place, basically a room and a little entry for a kitchen. Though very small, that part has been OK, though last week, in comparing notes with others in my group, I am clearly the only volunteer living in such a tiny space and without the privacy of a free-standing house. The problem is my next-door neighbor, a man who moved in in early February with his wife and 5 teenagers; his walls, which are extremely thin, adjoin mine, so the noise from his stereo is constant and his loud, bellowing voice is ever-present. But the real problem is he has huge anger-management issues and has blown up at me in a rage on two occasions; he doesn’t feel the Peace Corps has a right to have my house nor that I have a right to have my own private toilet in our outside toilet/shower building; he has twice ripped off the Peace Corps’ lock in anger. I have now involved our Security/Safety Officer who has decided I should not live near this man and the school committee is looking for a new house for me. I welcome this decision; the island is small so wherever I live, I will be close to the school; I will be glad to have a little privacy and, hopefully, a little more space.

The other change, sadly, is that my friend, Deb, has decided to leave the PC a year early and return to the U.S. next week. She has a lot of reasons, personal, financial, and professional and feels that she must leave to deal with these situations at home. I am worried she is making a hasty decision which she may soon regret; she has a great job here and, like I described in my last email, a wonderful apartment. But she needs to do what she feels she needs to do and I, of course, wish her the best. Selfishly, I am so sorry to lose her companionship; we have become good friends and I, of course, will miss her tremendously. But, speaking of friends, I have a trip planned during our May break to visit my friend, David, on the island of Santo and then spend the rest of the week with Karen, my good buddy from my group, on her island of Malecula.

Every day is full of new and amazing things! Whether I spend my almost-daily swim surrounded by several adoring children from the school, or listen to the French five/six class next door to the library practicing their beautiful songs for “Francophone Day,” or feel a reading group student stroking my arm amazed by my blond hair, or have a child bring me lemons or grapefruit from his/her tree, or have at least ten people yell, ‘Hello, Miss Julie,” as I walk to the boat or to the beach, it is an incredible experience. It is all emotions for me: I can be very happy, quite sad, overwhelmingly lonely, challenged, wanting to give up on understanding the cultural difference or somewhere inbetween. This is a very friendly culture; people are open, to say the least, not timid about asking questions, the first ones always being, in this order, “Are you married?” (they are very concerned that I am here alone!) “Where are your children?” (like since they are not married, who is taking care of them?) and “How old are you?” (upon hearing, they are amazed that I am still alive, let alone here working so hard!!) I have never wondered why I made the decision to join the PC…and most of the time realize that it is one of the more amazing things I have ever done or ever will do!! Keep the communications coming as I LOVE hearing from you!!!

Summer vacation has ended in the South Pacific and school has finally started. I am officially a teacher trainer! But wait, don’t picture anything like what you would expect in the U.S. like I did!! In the first place, only the new headmaster and I, no other teachers, started to work the week before the kids were supposed to come and only six of fourteen teachers showed up for our first staff meeting that Friday. We were missing five teachers on January 26, opening day, not counting two more who are needed but not yet assigned by the Education Ministry. So, things got off to a slow start; this is the end of our third week and kids are still arriving. One of the problems is the school fees that families are required to pay which average about $30/term; many families owe from last year so have some catching up to do before their children can return; the school tries to be tough and says no one can come until they pay but this is not consistently enforced.

My unexpected job the first week was to teach the combined first/second grade class since we were facing two problems: one, the first grade teacher stayed on vacation an extra week, which apparently is quite common, so was a “no-show” and, second, no second grade teacher was ever assigned to come to the school this year, which is still a mystery to me. So I had 37 students to deal with, no materials, not enough desks, and unlimited energy from about half of the class, sorry, but mostly the boys.! Though the kids are very reluctant to speak out to answer questions or participate in oral discussions, they are NOT shy about being extremely noisy during group or work times. In fact, they YELL! Another form of communication for Ni-Van children seems to be hitting one another constantly. I tried all of my tricks and only sometimes was able to calm things down! But, even with this behavior, the kids are wonderul, beautiiful and love having me around!! This is an English/French bilingual school and I work with the English section but keep in mind, these kids only began learning English in kindergarten so the island language and then Bislama are their first and second languages….a lot is being expected of them and it is no wonder that they get off to a slow academic start. My Bislama isn’t bad; I use it a lot and can certainly make myself understood but don’t be too impressed as, remember, it is a form of “pidgin” English so is fairly easy to learn. The “real” first grade teacher finally came back but, to be nice, I offered to take the 27 second graders every afternoon the second week. I had been doing reading assessments in the mornings so this week I started working with small groups of first and second graders; this help is badly needed as the reading levels are low, with five of the second graders unable to name even one letter of the alphabet, let alone knowing any sounds. My other big project will be the library; it is even hard to call it that but it is a free room with some books and shelves; it is already my “headquarters” and has potential, with paint, new windows and a few hundred appealing books, to be an inviting place. More later on that...

I have been staying on the island during the school week since school has started and then spending the weekends with my new PC friend, Deb, who has recently moved in from her site on a very remote island; she decided she had had enough mosquitoes, enough taro and yam, enough time with no form of communication with the outer world. She now is working at the Chamber of Commerce and is living in an apartment under a very nice house belonging to New Zealanders, on the edge of town…swimming pool privileges and a 5 minute walk to the beach. I might have mentioned before…the last boat for my island leaves at 9pm, 8pm if it’s raining or whenever they feel like quitting; it doesn’t make for much night life, even early night life so I can stay at her house if I want to stay out, like last night when we went to a local “happy hour” and then to dinner. It is great to have a friend my age; I had Karen during training and we still talk on our cell phones but she is on another island; our whole group will get together in Vila for a week in March so that will be a good reunion. Speaking of cell phones, my PC group is lucky; Vanuatu has a new cell phone company and they just have put up towers on many of the islands which means many PC volunteers, even on outer islands, get service, where before they might have had a satellite phone or short-wave radio as their only form of communication. Peace Corps now has a “team plan” so we can talk free to any other volunteer or PC staffer. (to reach me, get of the country with ? then 678 5483745...the connections are great...I am 19 hours ahead of PDT)

So, with my small refrig, my fan, my cell phone and my 15 minute boat trip then 5 minute bus ride to the PC Office for internet, I know you are all thinking that I don’t have it too rough!! But just because I have a few modern conveniences doesn’t mean I have all the comforts of home, especially emotionally. It gets very lonely at night in my little room (now you can see it in my photos!!) Luckily I like reading and writing in my journal and movies on my laptop (hint, hint, my new request for care packages!, DVDS that you want to pass on) and, of course, I am back to making things for teaching reading, games, flashcards and assessment tools. I also bought a radio on the advice of our Safety/Security Officer; when a cyclone is approaching, it is important to know about it and follow its course. We would have several days notice as there is a good tracking system for the South Pacific; I will go to the mainland, to Vila, to stay with friends as I really don’t think I want to experience my first cyclone alone!! Of course, I will have to go before the boats stop running!! Anyhow, we have had only one cyclone mentioned and it quickly was reclassified as a tropical storm. The main weather issue in this area has been the intense heat in Australia and the tragic fires which dominate the news I hear from Radio Australia.

So the third week of school is over…whew!! My new routine: work with all of the second graders in guided reading groups the first two hours of the day, taking them, two groups at a time, to our “library,” which is my domain. Then I do the same with 5th graders; after lunch I am trying to reserve time for the library but now the Francophones want me to help with reading...I am not sure about teaching reading in French!! Miracle of miracles, New Zealand had a few years ago donated a wonderful collection of guided reading sets, not the vast amount that we had a Helman School, but plenty and that makes it possible for me to teach reading…otherwise there would be nothing!! Luckily they were hidden away until my predecessor found them so the sets are still mostly intact and I am guarding them with my life; I plan to do a teacher workshop on how to use them in classrooms. I am also going to do a workshop on classroom management!

I have started sorting “library” books and get more depressed the more I go through the shelves; I threw out any that were as old as I am….actually found a bunch from the fifties!! Most of the books are dirty, smelly, and very unappealing as they are so old, lacking color and interesting stories. They are all discards from Australian and New Zealand schools. And there are virtually NO books for early readers, none like we would have in abundance in our classrooms, leveled early readers like we order from Scholastic or Tree House Books or ? So, I tell you all of this in case you want to help!! Please, those of you who have been asking what to send, send simple readers (don't forget my favorites,Henry and Mudge!), the easier the better, like the ones that say K-1, 1-2, or 2-3 on the back. And some lovely, colorful, simple-concept picture books would also great. It is amazing how much English they understand already and love and need to be read to; I brought my beloved copies of the Harry books, for example, and they love them. Besides needing books for my teaching, my BIG project is, as I mentioned before, this “library.“ I am going to give my island’s school committee a proposal soon, asking for money to replace the window glass (louvered windows) and some frames, to put in more lights, paint and a few shelves; I have no idea if they will give me any money but supposedly my island has some trust money that should go into the school.

A nice thing happened yesterday at our Friday morning assembly uner the mango tree... the principal said “Miss Julie is our reading expert. She is going to make us a fine library. She wants you reading at home, too. I want you to ask your parents to go to town and buy you one book this weekend.” This is a new concept….they have NO personal books, no reading models in their parents at home. After the assembly, during morning break, I had 15 kids stop by and ask to check out a book...so the library has informally started!! I don't want to appear to be begging, but any help with books or ideas about book donations from you will be more than welcome!!! Maybe you know a class or a group that wants a fundraising project…garage sales, Goodwill, just keep your eyes open! Shipping will be the expense. You can get quite a lot of books in the Post Office’s flat rate boxes; they have no weight limit but cost between $40 and $50 to send…use these flat rate boxes for anything that you send unless it will fit into a padded envelope; and be sure to always write "educational materials" and claim it's all used and valued at less than $100 for customs. (Peace Corps, PMB 9097, Port Vila, Repbulic of Vanuatu)

I can’t believe that I am approaching the five month mark of being here; sometimes I think “what in the world am I doing here?” missing family, friends, my cabin, my to-be new life in Portland and think one year will be enough and other times I am overwhelmed with having this incredible opportunity living among these wonderful people and in this beautiful place and can’t imagine ever leaving!! Thanks to your wonderful communications from home, I am feeling connected and not as homesick; I love my weekly trips to the PC office to check my mailbox for letters and care packages and then to the internet to enjoy your emails…thank you all SO much, it has been SO important to me!! Happy Valentine’s Day from Vanuatu!! P.S. Look at the "links" on this page...and see my photos soon, maybe today!!! Many, I know, but you can zip through them...I think it works better without using the slide show!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Ifira Island, Vanuatu! I am feeling somewhat settled in my little house on my little island. It has been a busy time since our swearing-in on Thanksgiving Day. I spent most of the following week in the “Peace Corps Motel” in Vila with the other 18 in my group, all of whom were using most every minute to shop for “evri samting” they’ll need or think they’ll need until the end of March when we all come back here for a week-long conference. As I have mentioned before, everyone else in my group is going to live and work an outer island and mostly to quite remote places where supplies are limited so shopping here in Vila is important. Most will have only access to “island food,” which means local crops such as taro, maniok, kumela (a bit like sweet potato), yams, island cabbage, banana and other fruit when in season…pineapple at the moment and papaya all year. I am still missing mango and also just had a taste of watermelon before the short season ended. I can buy all of these foods at Vila’s “Mama’s Market,” the foods I ate almost exclusively in Mangalilui during training, though I must admit that shopping at our local Bon Marche reminds me of home and, yes, they even have M&M’s and an occasional jar of semi-decent salsa. My best finds yet have been flour tortillas and a can of refried beans!

But back to Mama’s Market, one of the gems of Vila. It is located in a very large open-air building in the center of town. It is a place where women from all over Efate, Vila’s island, come to sell their garden products. Some spend the entire week here, sleeping on the floor beside their wares; it is open 24 hours a day, from Monday morning until Saturday afternoon. The small profit that results from this time-consuming endeavor is often a family’s only income. Besides endless stalls of tropical fruits and vegetables, there are flowers galore, flowers whose colors and shapes are beyond description. And always, too, wonderful woven baskets and mats that cover all Vanuatu floors, including those in my house. It is hard to write an adequate description of this place, Vila’s amazing center of activity with the island music blaring amidst the loud Bislama voices. I never go to town without taking a few minutes to pass though, even if I am not buying food. Today I just stopped by for a 100 vatu sack of limes (about $1.00) and a 50 vatu slice of pineapple to eat on my way to the PC office.

It hardly seems like the Christmas season around here, with the intense summer heat and humidity, though I must say commercialism has not escaped the South Pacific; even these people, most of whom have very, very little money, are being surrounded by the “buy this, buy that” pressures when they come into Vila. It is an odd little town, this capital, with shops along the main street running through town which hugs the waterfront; it reminds me very much of Avarura, the capital of the Cook Islands, where I was volunteering this time 2 years ago, only much bigger, with many shops full of a great deal of outdated, behind-the-times merchandise and a few shops with the latest and expensive items, like cameras and DVD players. There are plenty of nice seafront bars and very good restaurants that cater to the tourists when they pour off one of the immense cruise ships that arrive every week or two for a day. We have a post office, several banks including the always-crowded one where the PC deposits our $500 living allowance every month (we do not get paid for our work), a library; there are many blocks of “fulap samting” as we say in Bislama, meaning lots of stores!! Buses the size and shape of VW vans run through town; they will stop with a wave of the hand and take you to the door of where you want to go…which sometimes means you go exactly where you want to go but it may take a little longer as you wait to drop someone else off at their destination…*bus stops* do not exist. My little boat landing is in the center of town which makes it very convenient; usually the first thing I do after “disembarking” and paying the driver 100 vatu ($1.00) is walk the 15 minutes to the PC office, lugging my laptop in my backpack. We have several community computers at our big resource center (next door to of main offices of all the PC staff of which there are many) with a few old couches, a refrig and sink, bathrooms, a long row of our mailboxes, and a separate computer room and extensive resource library. I now have a wireless connection so no longer have to wait to use the Internet. The first stop is always my mailbox…and I do thank so many of you for mail and care packages!! And emails!!

I just got back from my training village for a few days to spend the New Year’s holiday with my host family; they had my mosquito-netted bed ready and I my host mama was ready to heat water for my morning bucket shower. My fan and trays of ice cubes, my best friends right now, were left behind with my electricity! I took a bus to get there and enjoyed sharing some of their traditions; New Year's Eve was especially nice, starting with the village gathering at the beach to sing and then at the exact moment the sun dropped behind the sea, we threw flowers in the water, signaling the end of the last day of 2008. Speaking of holidays, needless to say, this last month, starting with Thanksgiving, then Amy and Josh’s birthdays, Christmas and the 2 year anniversary of my mother’s death has not been easy for me, especially being alone and so far from family and close friends. But it is all part of this thing they call the Peace Corps challenge and I definitely am being challenged. I will be happy when school starts up again on January 26; those of us who are teacher trainers have a long wait between the end of training and the beginning of our work. I do find lots to do, including a swim almost every day. Each day is full of surprises and new adventures. About ten of us gathered for Christmas Eve at one PC couple’s house and we each brought a favorite traditional dish from home; I, of course, for those of you familiar with Romberg traditions, brought Aunt Peggy’s sweet potatoes, complete with butter, brown sugar and cream/coconut milk…and topped with a $8 very small sack of pecans. I used kumula instead of sweet potatoes, a less sweet but tasty and similar local root crop. What a hit they were, as usual!

I often I have to pinch myself and say “Is this really my life right now? Am I really in this beautiful island country in the middle of the South Pacific? Am I really having a conversation with these amazing people in their language, Bislama?” So, as I go into my fourth month of being here, I think often of all of you at home and have plenty of lonely times but also try to relish and appreciate each moment. I know that it will go by quickly and soon I will be settling into my beautiful new, 109 year told home in Portland, visiting friends in Ashland and once again enjoying our wonderful cabin at Lake of the Woods. Amy, who is living in the house, reports that my “girls,” Golden Retrievers Zoe (13) and Isabella (10) have adapted well to their new home, their new “brother,” Amy’s dog, Levi, and their new mama, Amy. May you be surrounded in 2009 by loved ones, happiness, good health and peace…and maybe a visit to Vanuatu??

Hello again from Vanuatu where I was officially sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on Thanksgiving Day. For about eight of you who will be reading this who are former PC volunteers yourselves, I don’t have to say much about what a wonderful celebration this was. I only teared up once, when our director said, “I realize that many of you are spending your first Thanksgiving away from loved ones.” Our whole village was there along with Vila dignitaries like the Minister of Education. Also, many PC volunteers who were anywhere near the area came. Our host mamas had made new island dresses (basically mumus) and island shirts for us in matching calico, the Bislama word for any fabric. So there we were, all nineteen of us, dressed exactly alike, matching like I used to dress Amy and Rachel!! We had to repeat an oath to solemnly swear to defend the Constitution and our country with our raised right hands…and were told our oath is similar to the one Barak Obama will repeat as he is sworn in January. A huge feast was prepared, island food like laplap, manioc, yam, taro, bananas and pumpkin cooked in a variety of ways. This was followed by a string band playing island music and lots of dancing and drinking of kava, a rather disgusting-tasting, muddy-looking island favorite…non-alcoholic but offering some of the same effects. A fun time was had by all…and we are trainees no more!!

We were up bright and early the following day for an extremely long, drawn-out and teary good-bye with our host families and other members of the village. In fact, they formed a very, very long line and the nineteen of us walked along shaking each person’s hand and/or kissing them on both checks, French style. Then all of our belongings were loaded on the PC vehicles and we climbed into small buses for the 30 minute trip into Vila where we have been staying in a motel for the last week. Peace Corps gives this time to the volunteers to shop for the many things needed to be purchased to live in the various sites to which we have been assigned…many are going to remote places and need things like bush knives, kerosene lanterns, and containers for storing water. Since I have electricity, I have just located a bar-sized secondhand refrigerator though I am not talking about it much in front of the others for obvious reasons!! Most of our purchases can be bought with a “settling in” allowance of $300 that we each receive. Today, Friday here, only three of the volunteers are yet to leave for their islands…all will be gone by tomorrow. And then there’s me! And the other ten or so volunteers from previous groups that are either in or near-by Vila; I already know a few of them but they are all so YOUNG!! I have met several New Zealand volunteers my age and am meeting them for “happy hour” tonight at a waterfront bar, so don’t feel too sorry for me yet! I WILL find friends!

I had help moving my various bags, backpacks and sacks along with a futon, fan and a bookcase over to my island. Luckily the bench seats on the little boats can be removed so for $10 I had the whole boat…these boats normally hold from 5-15 people, depending on how many people are waiting for a ride. For instance, to get a ride from my island, Ifira, over to Vila, I take a 5 minute walk to the water and sit under a huge mango tree with others waiting to go…when a driver sees enough people waiting to make the trip worthwhile, usually at least 5, he will pull his tied up boat close to shore, then we take a few steps in the water and climb in…and off we go. Did I say that this trip costs $1.00 each way? Tonight will be my first official night in my little house…I am just guessing but I’d say my main room, with the bed, futon and bookshelves is about 12’ X 15’ and my kitchen is less than half that size. My toilet and shower are both outside, not far from my door, as is the water faucet. I have a table under my little covered, shaded area where I wash dishes…and where I just put a plastic chair, another purchase, for outside reading, such a necessity for me! By next week, I will have a cell phone…Vanuatu just in the last few months has inexpensive service and PC has a plan where we can talk to any staff or other volunteers for free.

I am very glad that I decided to bring my laptop for many obvious reasons, one being it provides my music (I uploaded a great deal of CDs before leaving and have been thrilled to receive some more from a few friends in “care packages”!) I also the possibility of watching movies so hint, hint, I would love to be sent some!! Other “care package” ideas for those who have been asking: sacks of walnuts or cashews, anything spicy like Hot Tamales (the candy though would I love the real things!!) or Cinnamon Gummy Bears or envelopes for adding flavors (like curry, spagetti, etc,) interesting newspaper articles, great new books that you have loved, surprises of any sort…and mostly letters, photos and emails to this gmail account!!! Just stay in touch…we are now beginning a very long and lonely period until school starts up again the end of January (it is summer vacation here) so any communication will be SO welcomed!! If you do ever send a padded envelope or a PO flat rate box or ?, be sure and mark it “educational materials” and keep the custom declaration low. And I promise that photos will be coming along soon!! Have a wonderful holiday season. I will be thinking of you all!!

Great news! Obama!! I am SO proud of us!! All the Ni-Vanuatu here are both thrilled and amazed that we have a Presisdent of their color!! And more great news…we received our site assignments this week, which means we found out the location of where we will be spending our next two years as, for most of us, teacher trainers. Though there is a full range of islands where my group is going, I am not going far from the capital. I am very happy as it is a site that has been mentioned to me as a possibility since I got here because of my interest in and desire to do some of my work in French. I am going to a small island, Efira, a 15 minute boat ride from town. It is a village of about 500 people; as with all villages here, there is a chief and a local “custom” language is spoken besides Bislama. I will be living on the school campus. Different from most schools in Vanuatu that offer instruction in either English or French, my school is bilingual, with families having a choice of languages; then at grade five, all Vanuatu students begin another language so if they have begun in English, then they begin to study French as well…and visa versa. You might be asking my question…why isn’t school taught in the national language of Bislama? Politics is the answer; when Vanuatu became an independent nation in 1980, the French/English Condominuim government was dissolved and it was decided to avoid a politically divisive choice between the two languages, it would be better to compromise and choose Bislama, a form of pidgin that was developed in the mid-1800s with the onset of the sandalwood trade in the South Pacific.

A little about my house…I have been temporarily staying in it this week and will permanently move into it around December 1 after we are finished with training and our official swearing in on Thanksgiving Day. It is at the back of the school grounds, attached to the headmaster’s house with another teaacher’s house across a small courtyard; it is small, with a main room with a bed and a futon couch, bookcase and desk and big, woven mats on the floor as all houses here have. It also has a ‘kitchen” which means another room that has a propane 2 burner stove, a small table and a food cupboard; I will soon splurge and buy a little bar refrig since I have ELECTRICITY. I have a flush toilet and cold water shower just outside…no more outhouses and bucket showers for me. I think this form of “roughing it” is plenty for me, especially since I had to officially deny Medicare for my two Peace Corps years on my birthday this year!! A bonus: I asked a passing student to get the near-by ladder to reach a ripe papaya for me this morning from the tree by my door; “good-bye,” mangos, “hello,” papayas (popo here) and avocados…the avocado tree

is just across the courtyard!! Once I have moved, I will figure out how to send my pictures of these first 2+ months!!

I spent the first morning this week visiting the five primary school classrooms, K-6; after that, I “jumped” right in, doing running records (teacher jargon!) for the fourth grade teacher to assess her students in reading…all I can say is, I have my work cut out for me as TEN of her students are non-readers. I also spent time in the first grade teaching songs, poems, and, of course, doing a drawing project!! Art they will get!! There is also a “junior secondary”school attached which covers grades 6-10. Since I am in the Southern Hemisphere, we start summer vacation about the time I move back so the month of December and at least half of January will be a very slow time…and I am sure it will also be a bit lonely for me without my family!! So it will be a great time to hear from you all! And don’t forget to get back to my regular email on Thanksgiving Day, julieromberg@gmail.com when I will have bi-weekly internet access again…my mailing address will never change. I hope my blog entries aren’t too long!! Wish you were here! And have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Another two weeks has raced by…we are finishing our fifth week of training, more than half way through. We have our swearing-in ceremony on Thanksgiving Day; it will be a VERY big deal for us and for the village…it will be a ceremony attended by some higher-ups in the Vanuatu government as well as the entire village and many current volunteers who will come from their sites for the event.

These weeks have, as usual, been packed with lessons and trainings. We have been assigned several projects to work on. In my last blog, I forgot to mention another natural disaster here, tsunamis, which is the topic of a group report I am working on. Not to alarm you, but the “Ring of Fire” that we are sitting on is not the safest place in the world to be!! We will soon present our report plus reports on cyclones, volcanos, and earthquakes to the community in hopes of helping them with disaster preparedness…if nothing has occurred in a long time, then the Ni-Vanuatu tend to forget about the possibility. We are required to develop an “Emergency Action Plan” as soon as we get to our site and will each have a communication device…yes, it won’t be long until I have a mobile phone, thanks to a new company here that has built towers all over these islands. When I leave here for my site in early December, I will have a phone with me and a number to give you! I can’t wait!!

Speaking of my site…that has been the topic of all conversation for two weeks now and is a heavily-guarded secret, where we are all going to spend the next two years of our lives. Our Country Director and trainers have been interviewing us and getting to know us better in order to match us the best they can with a good site, give us the best placement according to our stated desires, our skills, and our personalities. I most likely will be at a Provincial Center on one of several of the larger islands as they want me working with the educational advisor for several schools (while some of the less-experienced teachers will just be assigned to one school) I have said I do not want to be out in the bush so I expect to have some amenities…possibly, only maybe, electricity (in the evenings from a generator) a flush toilet, a shower (cold), good drinking water, a little store not too far away with cold beer and M&M’s…dream on!! We will see, or as Peace Corps is famous for saying, “It depends.” It’s funny how wonderful just a few simple things sound right now, with my “long-drop” outhouse and kerosene lantern!!

We have been visiting schools in the area and especially enjoyed the visits we made to two schools by boat (of course toting our required life jackets…you can see Peace Corps volunteers coming a mile away because of their bright red life jackets, grounds for termination if you don’t have them with you on any boat!!) When you hear the world “school” think very small, very rustic, probably crowded but with very irregular attendance, very little, if any, children’s work on the walls, very few materials and mostly teacher-centered though they are working to make some changes with Peace Corps's help. Each village has its own school which is why a school, like one I went to last week, might only have 2 classrooms, one with grades K-2 and another with grades 3-6. We all know how hard that would be even with wonderful resources and US well-trained teachers.

My entire village is very involved with the upcoming wedding of one of its girls; the term “It takes a village” has new meaning to me now! It’s wonderful to see how everyone comes together to help and participate. I have been involved every night at the bride’s house, mostly eating the incredible island food that the mamas spend each day making to feed the big crowds. The big occasion is tomorrow when the “bride’s price” is going to be paid; the whole community will come to her parent’s house to watch huge amounts of food (taro, maniok, yam, bananas, and, probably, a dead cow), firewood, fabric, woven mats and I’m not sure what else be delivered. And now I am off to class under the mango tree…though sadly we are about at the end of the season though we have plenty of papaya still and watermelons will be harvested soon. Afta skol, they say in Bislama, I will go swimming as I do every day for about an hour, a little snorkeling, a lot of swimming and cooling off…yes, it is hot and humid but we have not reached the HOT season yet!!

Thanks to my friend, Nick, you can email me now from this blog site…and regular mail is: PMB 9097, Peace Corps, Port Vila, Republic of Vanuatu. Hope all is well!!

Wow! That’s all I can say!! The two weeks since I last wrote have gone by so fast…I wasn’t sure how long it would before getting back into Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila to have internet access. What a treat that we got to come today…we are only about 30 minutes away but are not allowed to come in on our own and have no time anyway as our days are packed. We arrived here in our training village, Mangalilui, ten days ago to an incredible welcome. I think that the whole village of 264 people came out to greet us! We were given leis as we were greeted by each of the “mamas,” as all the women are called, and then we were called up one at a time to meet our host parents (who of course are way younger than I am even though I am to call them Mama and Papa!!). Then we moved into our homes…my family lives at the top of the village with nothing behind our house but the rain forest so my “sistas” Rositta, 18, Laurel, 9, and Meriam, 7, and my “brotha” John, 12, and several neighbor children helped push and pull ny huge duffle bag up the hill.

My house has a cement foundation and metal sides and roof. The kitchen, with an open fire for cooking,, is a thatched hut outside; the “swim haos” which is the shower, and the “smal haos,” which is the outhouse, are other little structures. The house itself has a main room with only a cupboard, a table and a bench but with beautiful hand-woven mats covering the floor, which is used for sitting. There are four small bedrooms….my room, as required by the Peace Corps, has a bed covered with a mosquito net and small table and stool; I also have a kerosene lantern as we have no electricity. We have a water faucet outside; water comes to the whole village from a nearby stream and from rain. Mama heats water for my bucket shower every morning; then I have tea or some kind of coffee drink? and bread with either butter or peanut butter on it. After that, I am off down the little hill, a 5 minute walk to where we gather at 8am every morning .

We begin our long day of classes under a huge mango tree that drops mangos all day long!! We start with 2 hours of Bislama, the national language (even though school here is taught in either English or French, a result of a joint English/French government from 1900 until 1980 when Vanuatu became independent). Bislama is basically Pidgin English and not difficult to learn…though somehow my French keeps creeping out! Our days are packed; we have had hours and hours of both medical and safety/security training, in preparation for being on our own when we go in early December to our sites which may very well be in the bush! Today we learned all about the natural disasters that we may experience, like cyclones, earthquakes, and volcanos…yes, volcanos! There are several active ones on several of the inhabited islands.. We will be VERY prepared to handle most anything!! A few other things we have been doing in our classes: making mango and coconut jams, leaning to make fires for and killing a chicken to cook on it (we all didn’t participate in the latter!) learning about all the local trees and plants and how to cook with them, and learning about education in Vanuatu, the area in which most of us will be working. We have a lunch break…all the Mamas are involved as each are assigned a local dish to make and bring each day. All the food is laid out, potluck style…which we dive into after we are handed a plate, fork, and cup by our own Mama! More classes in the afternoon then, by about 4:30, we are free to swim or snorkel in the “solwata” or play volleyball or sit and read.

We eat with our families and are usually in bed by 8:30; I try to read a little by headlamp but, as the day usually starts, thanks to the roosters, by about 5am, I am often asleep by 9:00. Our group started with 21 but we have already lost two, one for medical issues and one, a fifty year old, decided it was too rough for her. So we are 19; a few in their 30;s, most in 20’s, and then Karen 62, and me! She is from PA and was a counselor before she recently retired. We have been meeting every morning at 5:45 to walk to a near-by beach and back for about 45 minutes to try to help with maintaining our weight…this is a very carb-heavy diet. So, I must wind this up and say “good-bye” for another 2 weeks when we have another field trip to Port Vila and another few hours of free time for phoning,, internet and shopping. You can’t imagine how wonderful it has been getting your emails printed out and delivered to us from the Peace Corps office in the capital…it is like Christmas and we all wait to see who gets mail or emails or care packages!! Don’t forget, volunteer@vu.peacecorps.gov and make sure that Julie Romberg in the subject spot. I miss you all...this isn't always easy but it IS always incredible!!!

It is amazing that only a week has passed since we arrived in Vanuatu. It has been a very, very busy time, with classes all day every day; we have had about 10 hours of health training so far with our wonderful medical officer. We all started on our required malaria medication which we take once a week: mefloquine. We have learned how to test ourselves for the disease, including pricking our fingers and making a slide to send in to the PC office for testing. We have learned how to handle most everything for ourselves, including drinking green coconut milk for many digestive problems. We have been lectured and lectured on how to avoid assault. We have been given 2 packed medical kits...in other words, we are being very well-prepared for eventually being out on our own...whereever that might be, something we will find out about in about 6 or 7 weeks. Meanwhile, we leave tomorrow (my computer date is a day behind still...it is Saturday morning here) for our training village, Mangalilui, where we will live with host families for 9 weeks. About 200+ people live there; we will continue having classes all day; our language trainig will be a major part and then, of course, we are expected to return to our families for dinner and speak Bislama!! We are all very nervous about that part!! One more thing about the village, though I hate to even mention it...apparently Survivor was filmed there, which brought some nice extra income to the people there...so you can see Mangalilui up close if you Google those episodes!! I am enjoying the pace, all the information, our group...but certainly have had many moments of "What am I doing here?" "Where are my friends and family when I need them?" But I know that this is an adventure of a lifetime...so on I go to the next step tomorrow, away from email and the phone at the cybercafe, away from electricity and running water and indoor plumbing!! Please don't forget...real mail would be absolutely wonderful and care packages, books, music, Hot Tamales, spices, anything but especially just newsy letters....and also don't forget that email will be printed out and delivered to us if sent to: volunteer@vu.peacecorps.gov and be sure my name is included in the subject line. Bye for now...we are off to our medical officer's house for cooking lessons and later out on a catamaran for our water safety lessons and some swimming and snorkeling...well-deserved fun after a tiring week!! Lukim yu! Later...probably not for many weeks!!

Today is Monday, probably Sunday still for you as we crossed the International Dateline on our trip here Friday and suddenly it was Saturday!! We first landed in Auckland after flying 13 hours; after a short layover, we left on our 3 hour flight to Vanuatu. Landing was incredibly beautiful; we fly over many of the 60+ island making up this country. We were first met by the airport ukelales (sp?) playing island music and then, as we cleared customs, at least 25 Peace Corps folks...both staff and present volunteers. They greeted us with loud cheers and then leis and beautiful island wraps. We had a tour of Port Vila and then settled in our motel home for the next week. Yesterday, Sunday, the Country Director has us to his home overlooking a lagoon for tea; later many of us joined some volunteers (we are known as trainees) for an outdoor movie, pizza and beer at a waterfront cafe. Today was our first "real" day...the training has begun. We met the staff of 20 at the office and began hearing about procedures, expectations, and a little of the culture. We had shots, the number depending on what shots we had already had; I only needed three, my second hepatitis, meningicocal, and yellow fever. Wednesday we begin taking our absolutely-required malaria medication. Sunday we will move into our training village which is about 45 minutes away; we will live with host families for the remaining 9 weeks of our training. Wow!! Such a lot to absorb as everything is so new...which is why this is such an incredibly exciting adventure!! My new home in Portland, finally is official...Amy and Rachel finished the moving in and say it feels and looks wonderful!! Let me hear from you this week...I have unlimited email access until Sunday afternoon, my time!

I left Portland, my new city of residence with my house almost a done-deal, late Tuesday with teary good-byes with Amy and Rachel...Josh had headed back to Ketchum a few days earlier after driving the moving truck. I could never, ever have done all this without my three incredible children. I spent the night with my oldest (7th grade) friends, Elena and Bill Hermanson in Pasadena. Then Wednesday morning Elena left me at the Airport Sheraton and it all began!! My Peace Corps group of 21 met for the entire day with two facilitators who shared many policies, procedures and rules and led us in "getting to know you" activities. It seems like an interesting, diverse and very friendly group...and, although most are in the 25-30 range as expected, there are three of us women who are around my age. The evening ended with a small group of us sharing wine and stories before retiring for our last sleep on American soil for a very long time. We meet again today then board our United  13 hour flight to Auckland at 9pm; we land on Saturday morning after crossing the International Dateline and soon fly on to Port Vila, Vanuatu where it all really begins!! I will have internet access all next week before leaving for our training village on Sunday, Sept. 28, so it will be a good time to receive your emails!!

Well, actually two and a half weeks and do I need every one of those days! Some complications with the closing on my house so hopefully we will have good news that it is going to happen at the end of next week. Meanwhile, I pack and pack; my house is unrecognizable, with boxes and furniture pilled everywhere, including my front porch. Amy has been here to help for two weekends and Josh is coming next week and we are trying to find Rachel a reasonable-priced ticket to come to Portland before I leave. Jody and Gail gave me a wonderful going-in-the-Peace Corps party. Friends arrived with art supplies for me to use in Vanuatu. My feelings range from absolute panic to total excitement to disbelief that I am really doing this! When I want a break, I have fun arranging and rearranging what I am going to include in my mere 80 pounds that I am allowed to bring. Clothes, shoes, books, gifts, art and teaching supplies...I am most likely way over my limit but afraid to get out the scales!!

The serious countdown has begun...since I last wrote, major events have continued to take place. As I last wrote, on July 31, I accepted an offer from a wonderful local family who love my house as much as I do. My brother, Cam, arrived the next day for what he thought was an Ashland visit...instead we drove to Portland and on Monday, August 4, I made an offer on a house that Amy and Beth, my realtor, had seen and knew, rightly so, that I would love. It is 100 years old, charming, 2 blocks from beautiful Laurelhurst Park and, though not intentional, only a half mile from Amy's house. She will rent her house and live in mine, with my dogs, her dog, and a roommate, when I am gone. Both houses have had inspections and are still in escrow; my house will close Friday, August 29 and the new house, September 2. I am packing most of every waking hour and have arranged for a mover and also for Josh to arrive from Idaho to help. Amy and I had a HUGE yard sale ten days ago and she is coming down again this weekend to help me. What would I do without her? And my friend Gail...we spent another 3 days at the cabin during the 105' heat we were having and increased our swimming time to 45 minutes in the lake. It was hard to leave, especially knowing this was our last time here together for a long time. I am experiencing waves of many emotions...panic, fear, overwhelming joy and excitement...Vanuatu, here I come!

It has been a very eventful and exciting week. After spending a few days at our cabin at Lake of the Woods, I returned to Ashland to receive an offer on my house...which I accepted with only a counter of an earlier closing date. This gave me the go-ahead to go to Portland Saturday; since brother Cam had arrived from SF for a visit, he agreed to drive there with me. Amy joined us in revisiting a house on Main St. that I had previously considered and then seeing a house that she and my realtor Beth had already seen; I feel in love with it, as they predicted, and proceeded to make an offer on it. After driving back to Ashland the next day, I learned that my offer had been accepted! So now I await the closing on August 29 of my house in Ashland and the September 2 closing of my new Portland house!! The timing has been amazing...I may really be able to pull this off!! Only two house inspections to get through...and the huge garage sale that Amy and I are getting ready for this week; Saturday will be the "clean-out" day!!

Today my weekly French group played a game called "Julie is going to Vanuatu" patterned after the childhood favorite "I am going on a trip and I am taking...." In French, of course, we started with "Julie is lying in her hammock (I had just shared that I had bought a travel hammock) by the sea in Vanuatu" then "eating mangos and bananas" then "with a monkey" then...it was very funny and I so much appreciate the support and interest of this group. We have been together every Tuesday for over two years now.

Seven weeks from tomorrow and I will be off to Los Angeles for two days of staging, which means orientation and, I think, many shots. Then we will board our long flight to Auckland and, after a layover, on to Port Vila, Vanuatu. I have so many things to deal with that it is painful to look at my many lists...to name only a few, my house, my cabin, my boat, my car, my dogs!! The fun part is thinking about what this experience will be, life-changing, I am sure, and absolutely incredible. Today I bought a wonderful travel hammock, guaranteed to be strong, as its made of parachute material, and guaranteed to be comfortable hung between two palm trees!! What more should I need!! I am going to try it out when I escape to my cabin for a day or two tomorrow!

I just returned home from a wonderful trip with my kids, Amy (32) and Joshua (24) to visit Rachel (29) in Homer, Alaska, to find an large Peace Corps packet waiting for me...with the long-anticipated news of my assignment! I am thrilled to know that I am going to Vanuatu! Although I had been told that I would be going to the Pacific Islands working in primary teacher training, I am especially excited to know that my country is Vanuatu; until 1980 it was a French/English protectorate and therefore there is a strong French influence remaining. French, along with English, is taught in the schools and many people speak both languages in addition to Bislama, the official national language. Now the countdown can begin...I am leaving on September 17!!