The English Translation to the Speech: (thanks Catherine for requesting it)

Good Afternoon. Good Afternoon (in local North Efate Island Language)

Welcome chief, Kevin George (Peace Corps Vanuatu's Country Director), all trainers and their families, all the mothers and families of the Peace Corps volunteers, men that have come a long way to be with us today, honorable men from the government, and all the trainees that are here today... sorry all new volunteers. (my speech followed Kevin George's speech in which he had us take the oath of Peace Corps to uphold the integrity of our country and uphold the cultural values of vanuatu and officially swore us in as Peace Corps volunteers after the last 3 months of training)

Thank you for your time and for giving me the chance to talk on behalf of all the Peace Corps volunteers of group 15B.

Vanuatu has one custom story about a boy that is a child of one snake. It is one story in which men from another village come and kill his mother dead because they are afraid of her. The boy is sad but, as his mother told him, he buried her head in the ground and plants it. In the exact place where the small boy planted her head, a beautiful tree has grown. It was a coconut tree - the same tree that you and I now use every day. It is a tree that can give everything something to you and I. Our lives have improved because one small boy planted a seed - his mother's head - as though he was planting all the thoughts of his mother.

It is one sad story because one man lost his mother, but it is a happy story only. The life of his mother exists yet, it has grown, it has gone ontop and it has given to you and I again and again every day.

Every time I think about Paunangisu village, I think about this story. I think that you all have thought plenty things to us all Peace Corps volunteers. Every lesson that you have taught us is like a coconut seed. It is something that can grow. When we go to our islands, we will carry every lesson, every story, every good thought of yours to every island on which we then live. When we go, we will be able to plant all the good thoughts of you and make your good fashions spread.

We will work as teachesr. We will live on 11 islands, in 18 villages and be at 15 schools. We will work to teach plenty things to other children of Vanuatu. We will teach all the good fashions of Paunangisu to plenty children. There after all love that you have given to us will grow. We can give it to all other men.

A coconut tree can give plenty something. You don't need to be hungry because you can eat its' coconut meat. You don't need to be too cold or too hot because you can stay safe inside a custom house. Coconut leaves can make up the walls of the house and the wood of the coconut tree can hold the coconut leaves up as walls. You don't need to be unhappy because you are never alone - when you weave a mat with coconut leaves - when you are sitting down ontop one mat talking with all your friends and family.

Every something that you have given to us is just like this. We do not need to be hungry because you have taught us how to make a garden and cook island food. We can stay safe because you have taught all your good fashions to us. Even more, we can stay happy because you have taught us all your good fashions of storying and your good fashions of giving.

Every island of vanuatu has coconut trees. This is why the small boy couldn't stay sad - becasue every place that we went - his mama was there. You and I none other than this. Every place that you and I stay - you and i stay there together from the seed of you and your love are inside here (point to head). And the seed of us (all peace corps volunteers) and our love is inside you. We will go, but it will be a time of happy because you and i can plant our lives again.

I want to say "thank you (in local language" to every mother, father and family of the Peace Corps volunteers. You have looked out well after us, you have made us happy the whole time we have been with you and you have taught us every something you could. You have taught us how to cook, broom, wash and talk Bislama. Every night you storied with us so that our Bislama would improve. But more important beatnig all other somethings, is that you gave us family. Every day you looked out good of us as though were were straight family of yours. I want that all men everyone to give a clap to say thank you to all the peace corps volunteers' families.

But it was not just the mamas and papas that looked out after us and teaching us. It was everyman of Paunangisu that have looked out after us. We have learned to sing in local language, learned how to "straighten back" (relax) when the sun went down, and how to dance with the woman from Pentecost (drink kava). You talked with us all the time. I would like that everyone give a large clap to say thank you to every one of Paunangisu village. We have made a card that I would like to give to the cheif. Chief if you wouldn't mind coming up here - I would like to give it to you.

More. It was not just Paunangisu that gave plenty something to us. We want to say thank you to Koran and all the trainers. you have been good too much to us. Thank you for all your time, heart and wisdom. I would like to give a hand to all the trainers. There is a card for Koran. Koran if you wouldn't mind coming forward.

Now you and i can shake hands (a custom of greeting and departure), you and i can cry but you must think about the boy of the snake - it is a time of happiness only. We will come back to see you. And when you and I come together backagain to talk - you and i can talk about the trees of us that are growing on every island - all the good fashions that are growing. Thank you too much Paunangisu and Peace Corps. Good night (in local language).

My "Swearing In" Speech in Bislama on behalf of the Group 15b Volunteers in the host village in North Efate, Paunangisu:

Gud Aftenun. Raonmelwia.

Welkam jif, Kevin George, ol trener mo ol famili blong olgeta, ol mama mo famili blong ol Pis Ko Volentia, ol man we oli bin kam longwe blong stap wetem yumi, ol onorabal man blong kavman, mo ol treni we oli stap long ples ia tede... sorry ol niufala volentia.

Tankiu blong taem blong yufala mo blong givim janis long mi blong toktok long behalf long olgeta volentia blong Pis Kos 15B.

Vanuatu i gat wan kastom stori long saed blong wan boi we emi bin wan pikinini blong wan snek. Em i wan stori se oli man blong narafala vilaj i kilim mama blong em i ded from se oli bin fright long em. Boi i bin stap sore, be olsem mama i bin telem em - em i berem hed blong em long graon mo planem. Long stret ples wea smol boi i bin planem hed blong mama - wan nicefala tri i bin grow. Wan tri blong kokonas we yumi save usum evri dei. Em i wan tri we i save givim evri samting long yumi. Laef blong yumi i bin go antap from se wan smol boi i bin planem wan sid - hed blong mama - emi olsem em i bin planem ol tinting blong mama.

Em i wan stori blong sad from se wan man i bin lusum mama blong em. Be em i wan stori blong glad nomo. Laef blong mama i stap yet, i grow, i go antap, i giv long yumi bak bakegen evri dei.

Evri taem mi ting long saed blong Paunangisu mi stap ting long saed blong stori ia. Mi tingse yufala evriwan i bin lanem fulup samting long mifala. Evri lesen we yufala i bin lanem long mifala em i olsem wan sid blong kokonas. Em i wan samting we i save grow. Taem mifala i go long evri aelan we mifala i stap long em bambae mifala i karem evri lesen, evri storian, evri gudfala tingting blong yufala kasem evri aelan. Taem mifala i go, bambae mifala i save planem ol tingting blong yufala - mekem ol gudfala fasin i spred.

Bambae mifala i wok olsem ol tija. Bambae mifala i stap long leven aelan, 18 vilaj mo 15 skul. Mifala i wok blong lanem fulup samting long narafala pikinini blogn Vanuatu. Bambae mifala i save lanem ol gudgudfala fasin blong Paunangisu long fulup pikinini. Bambae ol lav we yufala i bin givim long mifala is ave grow. Mifala i save giv em long ol narafala man.

Wan tri blong kokonas i give fulup samting. Yu no save stap hangre from se yu save kaikai mit blong em. Yu no save stap kolkol o hot tumas from se yu save stap sef insaed wan kastom haos. Lif blong kokonas i stap olsem ol wol blong kastom haos mo ol wud blong kokonas i holem antap olgeta wol. Yu no save stap sad from se yu no save stap wan nomo - taem yu wivim wan mat wetem ol lif blong kokonas - taem yu satp sitdaon long em mo storian wetem ol fren mo famili blong yu.

Evri samting yufala i bin givim long mifala hem i olsem nomo. Mifala i no save stap hangre from se yufala i bin lanem long mifala olsem wanem yu mekem wan gadem mo cuk aelan kaikai. Mifala i save stap sef from se yufala i bein lanem ol gudfala fasin long mifala. Moa mifala i save stap glad nomo from se yufala i bin lanem long mifala gudfala fasin blong storian mo fasin blong giv.

Evri aelan blong Vanuatu i gat kokonas tri. Taswe smol boi i no save stap sore - from se evri ples wea smol boi i go, mama i stap. Yumi hemi olsem ia nomo. Evri ples yumi stap yumi stap togeta from se sid blong yufala mo lav blong yufala i stap long ples ia. Sid blong mifala mo lav blogn mifala i stap insaed long yufala. Bambae mifala i go be emi wan taem blong glad from se yumi save planem laef blong yumi bakegen.

Mi wantem singaot "Tangkio barua" long evri mama mo papa mo famili blong ol Pis Ko Volentia. Yufala i bin lukaot gud long mifala, mo mekem mifala i stap glad ol taem nomo mo yufala i bin lanem evri samting long mifala. Yufala i bein lanem mifala blong cuk, brum, was mo toktok Bislama. Evri naet yufala i bin stap storian wetem mifala blong mekem Bislama blong mifala i go antap. Be moa impoten bitim evri narafala samting, yufala i bin givim mifala famili. Evri dei yufala i bin lukatoem gud long mifala olsem mifala i stret famili blong yufala. Mi wantem se olgeta man evriwan i klapem han blong giv tankiu long ol famili blong Pis Ko volentia.

Be emi no jes stret mama mo papa we i bin lukatoem gud long mifala mo lanem fulup samting long mifala. Evri man blong Paunangisu i bin lukaotem gud mifala. Mifala i bin lanem singsing long languis, olsem wanem yu stratem bak taem sun i go daon mo danis wetem woman Pentecost. Yufala i bin storian wetem mifala ol taem. Mi wantem se yumi klapem han blong singaot tan kiu long evri man blong Paunangisu. Mifala i bin mekem wan kad we mifala i wantem giv long jif. Jif sipos yu save kam long ples ia - mi wantem givem em long yu.

Mo. Em i no jes Paunangisu we i bin givim fulup samting long mifala. Mifala i wantem singaot tankiu long Koran mo ol trener. Yufala i bin gud tumas long mifala. Tankiu tumas long taem, hat mo waes blong yufala. Mi wantem se yufala i klapem han long ol trener. I gat wan kad blong Koran. Koran yu save kam long fored.

Naoia yumi save stap sek han, yumi save stap krae be yu mas tingbout boi blong snek - emi wan taem blong gald nomo. Bambae mifala i kambak blong luk yufala. Taem yumi stap storian bak bakegen bambae yumi save storian long saed blong ol tri blong yumi we i stap grow long evri aelan - ol gudfala fasin we oli grow. Tankiu tumas Paunangisu mo Pis Ko. Pongweo.

Morning All.

It’s your long lost krangki woman friend. I’m back in town, “literally”. Happy New Year, Merry Christmas and Happy (insert holiday of choice here). J

So the exciting news. I’m a “sworn in” Peace Corps volunteer now. We had the ceremony in the village on Friday – and I got to give the speech on behalf of all the volunteers. It was really moving. I retold a local custom story about the origin of the cocunut – in which there was a small boy who’s mother was a snake, the neighboring village men killed here, after which the boy planted his mother’s head and where he planted it, a tree grew – and now coconuts are known for being the source of everything for everyone. Its leaves can be used to weave mats for sitting on or for the walls of your house, baskets, fans. Coconuts can be drunk, eaten, used a bowls, used as fire wood. The wood of the tree can be used for houses, chairs, tables, just about anything. In my speech the drew the comparison about how everything the village taught us in the past 12 weeks is like a seed, like the head of the snek. We, their children, will plant their thoughts, teachings and good fashions on our individual islands to which we are heading and there their love and good will will grow and spread as we teach it to others. I ended the speech by saying that now was a time of happiness not a time of sadness because we, the volunteers, will come back and we can story-on about the trees (of our good teachings, thoughts and love) that have grown. Its was really sweet – as I was leaving the village yesterday (of which I will get to later… it was a production), one old man pulled me in for a hug and said “Take Care. When you come back, I look forward to hearing how our trees have grown”.

That’s right the three months of training are over. If you’re wondering what “training” was – we had about 78 hours of language training and lived with host families in a village where we spoke only Bislama for 2 and ½ months. We worked on understanding local culture and figuring out how this place and its education system works.

TAKE HOME MESSAGES:

1. There is a huge imbalance of money in the world. And to tell the truth – I’m kinda embarrassed that I come from so much money when I’m around the people here. There is no sense in which I would call them poor. They live in their tin or custom (coconut leaves woven and thatched roofs) houses, they work their garden, eat from their gardens and the rest of the day (if your not a woman – in which case you then are washing the family’s clothes, sweeping and cooking) is spent just “storian”ing… aka. sitting on a leaf mat and talking or napping. The money they do need to buy medicine and rice (which has just recently become a huge part of the diet) comes from the women of the village going into town and selling their fruits, vegetables, lap lap and tuluk at the town outdoor market. Just out of convenience children at the boarding secondary schools have almost 3 meals of rice a day just because island food takes so long to make.

2. Our (America’s) definition of family is narrow. Where we consider family in terms of mother and father – here a whole village (which can get as big as 500 people) is family. When a mother goes into town to market – her kids get passed on to the next closest of kin for the day or two. Their labels of family are much wider which helps give the bigger sense of every one just being one big family. You have your straight mama, papa, brota, sista but then you have smol mama and smol papa. Basically in the village, my grandfather’s mother is sisters with another volunteer’s father’s mother, so Anne is a smol mama of me. Krangke. (one of my favorite words: krangke – literally meaning stupid, unreasonable, infatuated with, crazy AND halfmad). So while living in Paunangisu the host village in North Efate, everyone was some sort of family relation

Hmm. I got a request for a description of a typical day in the village.

Hmm.

A TYPICAL DAY IN VANUATU

Wake up to the roosters crowing. Roosters, dogs, cats roam freely – and make often appearances in your house if you’re not careful. Ha. Chickens roaming in my house crack me up. Ooo. On the topic of chickens – chickens here sleep… o.k. let’s I’m sorry we really do need to just move this into….

Anecdotes to lighten your day:

The daily humoring of Vanuatu:

Chickens sleep in trees.

Public humiliation is condoned or rather just blatantly laughing at someone else

My mom = “Mama blo mi” … blong means is a word of possession like belong, but

in common talk it gets shortened from blong to blo.

Pee buckets: many volunteers prefer not go to the outhouse in the middle of the night… thus the “in the house” pee bucket has become commonplace

Hermit crabs crawling on the floor of your house.

Especially good at night when you only have the light of the lantern and their claws make a really loud scrapping noise crawling across the woven leaf mats

“Bucket swim” = showers – one bucket with water, one scupper (

“Efate is not an island because its too big”

- what one of the host mamas told one of the volunteers

“What dinosaurs live in America?”

- what one of the host papas asked one of the volunteers. Then after a 30 minute discussion on how dinosaurs existed a long time ago, he then asked, “but dinosaurs eat man though, right?”

“Cyclone Zoe won’t come to Paunangisu, because cyclones only come here on the 8th, 18th and 28th” - the villages reasoning for why the cyclone didn’t hit us

THE GROWLING! They growl, hiss at each other. Whenever someone does something they don’t want them to – like when a small kid touches my hair and a mama’s afraid their hands are dirting my hair (the funny thing of which is probably the other way around anyway) a mama or an older brother or sister will growl as in deep gutteral throat noise while they talk in the local village venacular. This is also the same voice they use to shoo away dogs, cats or roosters also usually accompanied by trying to smack the animal and or stone it with any object within reach – flip flop, coral piece, stone. They also like to do the same to each other – but it’s not considered taboo and its not violent so much as it is just directive.

Back to the daily routine…

A TYPICAL DAY IN VANUATU.. CONTINUED

You learn to strongly dislike chickens of the male variety. They start crowing even before the sun comes up. Something I don’t understand – can’t they just wait… very impatient animals - which makes me feel just a “little” bit better about their frequent stoning (eek I’m turning Ni-Van).

The sun comes up ‘round 5am (note that the mamas are often up even before the sun comes up – they are the last to go to sleep – because they have to wait up for their husbands to feed them when they come from drinking kava.. and then they are the first to wake up to rake, cook, sweep and wash the dishes from the night before). I roll outta bed somewhere between 5:30-7am… depending on how lazy I am or how much I want to not be told “ooh… leiwia I bin silip bigwan” (beth slept a bigwan) – of which the next assumption is that the “late sleeper” drank kava the night before.

Oooh. On the topic of ASSUMPTIONS:

1. they are made about everything, everyone, all the time

2. an assumption is considered true until proven untrue at which it’s still probably considered true

3. people like to make up things and tell other people

Assumptions on what:

1. if you talk with a man – obviously you’re “with” him

2. you slept a lot – you drank kava the night before

hmmm. i will edit this list more later.

So now you're away - you can help mama rake or cook, drink tea and eat bread, then proceed to walk to the nearby island (yes the water is that shallow), just rest by the sandbeach, go to the garden, cut firewood or just play with the kids. Eat lunch - usually rice with some sort of soup topping with island cabbage (my favourite), and you get to sleep on a mat and talk with family and friends or play cards, or have your aunti maria check your head for lice - which is just a really nice head massage, nap, do more odd end things and then dinner - tea and bread and sleep by the time it's 8:30 or so. so it's not that hard of a schedule. the hardest part is just being "on" all the time, being surrounded by people all the time and being expected to report to people all the time. Every time you go somewhere people ask you where you are going or where you came from... and then the polite fashion is to stand and talk - so it takes a really long time to get everyplace... the epitomy of island time. and it's hard not to have personal time in the lifestyle and culture. But I'm working on striking a balance so that i can avoid those days when you just bottom out from being "socially" exhausted.

MY SCHEDULE

I'm in town until january 30th... so i have more computer access on a daily basis - about an hour a day but i won't know when until the day begins because we, the volunteers, sign up for computer time so it changes every day. but keep an eye out for me. i'll be around. i'm here for a workshop and then i ship off to my isolated island, out in black magic land, where people can apparently have sex with you without you knowing if you leave your underwear on the clothes line, where people can drink the juice of leaves and become invisible and or change into animals like birds and dogs, where there are 2 volcanoes, where the next closest american will be and hour and a half hike during which i'll have to take a child or someone everytime i walk around, where i will have to learn the local language (of which there are 115 separate languages that are spoken on a more daily basis than bislama) and will start being a working woman out in the "real" world. It's sometimes funny to find out what "real" really is in a place like this. crazy. love you all. will write soon. thanks for all the e-mails, cards and luvin.

THE NIGHT LIFE SCENE equals dancing!

Hi everyone.

I FINALLY LEARN OF MY SITE!

Long time no talk. It’s here on Monday morning (Nov. 18th) here on the other side of the world. Tomorrow I will board a plane to see my actual site where I will live from January 2003-2005 for the first time. I will fly to Ambrym and then take a 2 hr boat ride to North Ambrym. Because of the two volcanoes in the center of Ambrym, its soil is volcanic ash in origin. It’s waters will be black and supposedly, I will be able to see smoke periodically from my house. I’m will be living a few minutes walk from one of these black beaches.

NORTH AMBRYM

North Ambrym is known for its black magic or ‘Nakaemus’. So when I mention my new home, I’m often confronted with fear from the locals of surrounding islands. I will learn as much as I can in the next week and keep you updated on the black magic. It is also known for being rich in culture, pretty far out in the bush and like some other volunteers in the area have said – I’ll probably be the first white person the people at my site will have seen.

I will be working at a “top up” school, which is a primary school (grades 1-6) which has tacked on years 7&8 only since last year. After grade 6 the ni-Vanuatu children take an exam which determines if they continue onto 7th grade or not. Since there are limited spaces and there are school fees – for many children 6th grade will be the end of their education. “Top up” schools are opportunities for the kids that failed the 6th grade exam to try to go to 7th and 8th grade anyway – retake the 6th grade exam in two years and try to enter back into the education system.

I will learn a LOT more after I return in a week from my site “walkabout”, but I believe I will primarily be a math teacher and probably teach science, English and social sciences, as well. I will be living in a permanent house on the campus, which hopefully will be very community based.

So I’ve been here in Vanuatu for over a month now. And it feels great to be finally seeing what and where my new home will be like. Since I’m still in training I’ve been living with a host village family on the capital island, and I will return to their home in a week and stay with them until January 3rd.

MY TRAINING VILLAGE HOME:

O.k. so my village here is a beachside village about an hour away from Vanuatu’s capital. I live in a custom house that my village pappa built for me. The walls are woven coconut and banana leaves that my mamma made. The roof is leaf stems woven/thatched together. My floor consists of woven leaf mats over a dirt floor. The tree branch beams of my house are actually “sprouting” green leaves. My house is ALIVE! J

I go to bed around 7:30pm or 8pm every night since it becomes dark at 6pm. I retreat to my house after a long “storian” with my parents. As I sit in my house I hear hermit crabs crawling on my floors, geckos screeching in my ceiling, chickens pecking at my house, dogs playing outside and the neighbors in their tin roof houses spreading the village news.

There’s something here we call the “cocunut wireless”. Basically the coconut trees have ears – small children “pikinini” ears – and everything and anything is known throughout the village. I hear from my parents and children when the other Peace Corps volunteers in the village are eating, swimming (bathing) and everything else they do. And vice versa. I hear my custom name everywhere.

“Leiwia” – or good girl – (pronounced Lay-wee-uh) is what I’ve been donned. And sometimes I forget what my real name is. The children yell it whenever they see me, come running up to hold my hand (which is a big sign of respect here) and to walk with me even if I’m just walking down the street or going down to the “solwota” (beach). My first weeks in the village – I would lay my head on the pillow and hear whispers of my name being talked about all throughout the houses around mine. “Leiwia em i got wan brota long Amerika. Leiwia em i got 22 yia. Em i neva kaikai hed blong fis befo., etc.” (Leiwia has one brother in America. She’s 22 years old. She’s never eating a fish head before, etc) Everything gets broadcasted.

I wash my clothes on a wooden board in a large metal pan with a bar of washing soap and a thick brustled brush. I bathe by carrying my large red bucket to the local water pipe, filling up my bucket, taking it to the “smol haus” (bathroom – which is a room with a hole in the center of the floor for the shower and another elevated hole for the toilet) and then proceeding to pour it over myself with the bottom of a 2-Liter coke container. It’s actually a lot of fun and what a way to conserve water. After you’re done bathing in the water – any left over water you pour into your clothes washing pan.

BEING ON BROADWAY

Everywhere I go or everything I do, the “pikinini” watch or join. I will be doing as little as my laundry and I will get a crowd of 3 children sitting around and watching. It’s really funny. At first I felt like a movie star but now it’s a blazing example of how different our 2 cultures are. The Vanuatu culture does not understand alone time. They are so people based that if they were to see someone sitting on the beach looking out in the distance – they would not interpret it that that person was taking some personal time to watch the surf – they would instead think “oh that person must be lonely”. So here you’re never really alone unless you’re in your house and sleeping.

SEA COW – MANATEE – DUDONG

I sat down for morning tea and bread with my mamma and 4 smol brota and our little neighbor Ruta came running over. “Shark. Shark.” Apparently there was a shark in the water. So sure enough everyone picked up from the table to look outside to find that there was a mass exodus from the bedrooms, kitchens and breakfast tables. Small children, mammas in their island dresses and dogs all went running out of the houses, past the futbol field, past my beachside classroom to the waterfront – where there they all stood whispering loudly and pointing. I looked to my mamma so as to ask permission and she says “go go”. So I pick up my skirt and run with a harem of “pikinini” to the water’s edge – where we found that it was indeed not a shark but 4 or 5 manatee playing at the water’s edge. They weren’t close up enough to see their bodies through the water – but you could see their fins break the surface of the water every 30 seconds or so. I love “shark” mornings! :)

Back from the Boonies! Yep kids - I've just spent the past 3 weeks living with a host family in a small village here on the main island here in Vanuatu. I will return in a little under two weeks so spend another 2 months there, but for right now I'm in the capital city living the high life. Kinda weird to see cars and not be surrounded by chickens (though there are quite a few even in the capital city :) ).

Too much to say - too little typing time!

O.k. so I live in a thatched banana and coconut leaf custom house that my village pappa built me out of the mats my momma wove. I have a thatched leaf mat floor over dirt - on which it's really easy to hear the hermit crabs crawling on at night :). My house is literally alive. Besides the fact that I have land crabs crawling up the walls, mamma and baby chicks running all around my house - I've got ants, and flying things, and fun large Vanuatu spiders as my house guests. ha. I love it. I wake up in the morning to the roosters crowing at 4:30 or 5 (and sometimes these alarm systems must get wired funny - the roosters must have bad sun-rise-vision - cuz I swear they get confused a couple times a week and start crowing at 2am). I know it sounds mighty early - but heck it's not that bad when you go to bed at 7:30pm or 8 everynight cuz the sun goes down at 6pm.

I have a village mamma and poppa with 4 small brothers - Jimi, Tomas, Noa and Jemes (ages 10, 8, 3 & 2). The littlest one is so cute. He doesn't speak much Bislama, which is the national language that I'm trying to learn over training but instead he speaks the native village tongue so our conversations are limited. It's basically at a "halo" basis. But somehow - now - according to Jemes - "halo" is now the equivalent of my name to him. Early in the morning before I wake up, I can hear him approach my 1-room house and ask mamma in language " where's 'halo'"

They are as sweet as can be. Last week they dug a channel for a NEW water line connected to the local water pipe so that there could be a water pipe closer to my bathroom so that I would not have to haul my bucket full of water as far to take it to the bathroom for my bucket shower. Yep! I take showers out of a bucket. You get a little plastic container - like the bottom of a 2 liter pepsi container and then a big red bucket. You fill up your red bucket from the water pipe, take it to the "smol haus" = bathroom, and then use the small container to dish it out and pour it over yourself. It's actually really fun and what a wonderful way to conserve water. I totally recommend a bucket shower for anyone who's having a rough day! Yep! I also pee in a glorified hole and except for experiencing the initial pains of developing thigh muscles - that's pretty manageable too!

STORIES:

in bislama? ha.

o.k. so my momma is pretty religious - so she's given me a prayer to read to myself before I go to bed (though I think she really would love it if I memorized it - so here goes if any of you want to be super cool with and have a bedtime prayer in bislama - here goes: and see if you can understand) :) :

Papa blong mi long ehaven bifo mi go long bed

Mi wantem talem 'tank yu' long yu

From we yu bin lukaotem gut mi

Tek care long life blong mi tru aot long dei ko kosem son i go daon

Tank yu Papa long bigfala lav blong yu mo letem blud blong Jisas i olweis ilim me mo protektem mi tru long ol dangerous ol wokabaot blong mi

Tank yu Papa askem ol security angles blong yu kam daon blong securim rum o haos we mi silip long hem moa porem doan blad blong yu ova flo long haos blong mi evri taem.

Tank yu Papa mo olta pres, glori mo ona i ko bak long yu long nem blong Jisas we yu king long life blong mi.

so... obviously my village momma's worried about me! :) But I think we're doing pretty well. I've already earned a village language name of "Leiwia" which translates as "Good/Nice Girl". How fitting. ha. I get to wash my clothes out of a large pan using a wooden plank, a bar of soap and a whole lotta scrubbin.

I gotta ship off the computer to give it to the next lucky volunteer. But just wanted to give you a small dose of Vanuatu lovin! :) love and miss y'all. You are thought of often. Feel free to e-mail me at volunteer@vu.peacecorps.gov and put my name in the subject line.... and it'll get to me no matter where I am. Peace!

My goodness. I live in a tropical paradise. People here live simply but happily for the most part. Some of the biggest, most genuine smiles I've seen are by the lovely Vanuatu people.

To top it off, today the Peace Corps trainees and I went to Hideaway Island where we got water safety training and then went snorkeling with beautiful tropical rainbow colored fish. I can't believe this is the Peace Corps! This would never have been what I would have imagined.

We went to the out door market today where they sell a local dish called "lap lap", pinneaple, raspberries, taro, eggplant, tomatoes, "tuluk" and peanuts. Here we practiced our bislama... like "how much is that" = "hamas long..." Good morning = moning "Do you sell" = Yu salem... ? The women that work in the market caught on quickly that we were Peace Corps volunteers and very soon after talked amongst themselves and then were eager to have us meet our "Mamas" or the mothers that we will be living with starting next Wednesday for 11 weeks. My mama wasn't at the market today as was decided but many of the other volunteer's mamas were - and were so happy, warm and excited to meet us.

This is unreal. I takes me awhile to get adjusted to new situations and I think is usually kinda emotional. But right now I couldn't be happier.

I'm actually currently babysitting for the medical director's 3 children - who are hilarious with thick australian accents, irish dancing and love for dogs. Ha. They have the largest doberman i've ever seen - will send pictures. They are lovely people.

I can't believe I snorkelled today - becoming scuba diving certified is definitely next on the list. Wish you could see how beautiful the scenery is and how interesting/warm the people are. I can't wait to move into the villages. Much love.

Hi all. So I'm here in Los Angeles recovering from a night at the Karoake Bar with the 19 other peace corps volunteers, which is apparently the reason I woke up this morning with "Manic Monday" stuck in my head. ha. In just a matter of hours we will be heading on a plane to Auckland and then a puddle-jumper to Vanuatu. During our layover in New Zealand we have a chance to get out and explore during our lay-over. So put images of new zealand mountains in your head. I can't wait. Though it's wonderful to know that I'm here with a bunch of people that obviously have great connections with our family. It feels like camp so far. Kids (22-50y.o. kids) who can share their fears, hopes, what they've left behind and where they think they are going with each other. I'm in good hands - but I miss yours as well. And if you want to help me out - do so by helping my parents. I think it would be great if they could get some support from y'all - they are both half the reason I am who I am. Jumping off that plane today I'll be thinking of you all. There's nothing like being taken out of context for some good ol' reflecting. Much love.