Thursday, September 2, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Holiday to Tanna
Almost as soon as term 1 finished I was straight on the plane to Vila. My Dad and step Mum were arriving from Brisbane and I was going to meet them. Port Vila is a nice town but it could be any town, in any country in the world. There is nothing special about it. We were just using is as a base to see other island and it is where international flights land. Planes do not fly to Pentecost every day. So after a day or so in Vila we flew to my island. This wasn't a holiday for me. I just tried to show off my school and local villages to my family to try and give them an idea of where I live and work. They stayed at the guest house in the local village of Waterfall. There host, Silas, is the former principal at the school. I knew they would be looked after fantastically well, as all of Silas' guests are. Unfortunately they didn't get to see any land-diving due to the timing of their visit. I gave them tours of the Waterfall, from which the village is named, the school and the next village Melsisi. Unfortunately my Step-Mum had a bad reaction to her antimalarial tablets which hopefully didn't ruin it too much for her. They also got to see one of the cargo ships land on the beach and the chaos of loading and unloading people and cargo tat ensues. After these few days we back on the plane to Vila for an overnight stop before going to Tanna.
Despite being organiser, translator and guide I tried to enjoy Tanna as much as I could. After all it was also my first visit. We stayed at a perfectly nice guest house on the west for the first night and during the day wandered down the beach as long as we could before cutting threw the bush to the road and continuing on into town. Lenekal (black man town) is one of only 4 towns in Vanuatu with 24 hour electricity and was all done by ni-vans. That said there is not much to see. It was full of the same type of stores as in Vila or Santo but instead of having a Asian behind counter they were all run by Ni-Vans, which I guess is something. On the second day after going to visit the market, we were supposed to be picked up by truck and taken over to our bungalow on the east. I got a call to say that the truck had picked people up from the airport and was full. But we could stand on the back, in the rain, for 90mins if we wanted. We didn't. So we didn't go that night. This was a shame as we missed the chance to see the John Frum movement. The next morning the truck did come and took us to the east. When we arrived the bungalows told us they were full! Why did you send the truck then! or mention this on the phone! Anyway, we moved to another bungalows very close to the volcano. S o close you could hear(and feel) it rubble every few minutes. I thought it was cool. The best time to see the Volcano is just before dark and watch until it goes dark. We got settled and then got a truck to the Volcano car park. A short walk from here is the viewing platform. We got a good show! A few people who were watching for their second or third night said this was the best they had seen. So it seems we had some luck at last. We were at the top for a good 2 hours before we went down for dinner. Followed by some singing from local children. The next day we went Hot spring in the morning. This is the beach next to the John Frum village. It is a black sand beach which has a hot river feeding it. The river itself wasn't too great in my opinion. So we had a wander down the beach, we had a few surprises waiting for us. Due to the volcano at various random point the sand/ash got really HOT. So much so that the water could be seen steaming on it. So we providing lots of amusement for the local as we occasionally had to run up the beach away from heat now and again. It made for an interesting walk. After that is back to the airport and off to Vila. the plane did a loop of the Volcano on the way back and you could just about see into the crater which was really cool. Back in Vila there wasn't much to do apart from say our good-byes and have dinner.
The next day my parents left for Australia and I was left to enjoy the delights of Vila. It was good to see them and I hope they had a good time. I know I did.
Despite being organiser, translator and guide I tried to enjoy Tanna as much as I could. After all it was also my first visit. We stayed at a perfectly nice guest house on the west for the first night and during the day wandered down the beach as long as we could before cutting threw the bush to the road and continuing on into town. Lenekal (black man town) is one of only 4 towns in Vanuatu with 24 hour electricity and was all done by ni-vans. That said there is not much to see. It was full of the same type of stores as in Vila or Santo but instead of having a Asian behind counter they were all run by Ni-Vans, which I guess is something. On the second day after going to visit the market, we were supposed to be picked up by truck and taken over to our bungalow on the east. I got a call to say that the truck had picked people up from the airport and was full. But we could stand on the back, in the rain, for 90mins if we wanted. We didn't. So we didn't go that night. This was a shame as we missed the chance to see the John Frum movement. The next morning the truck did come and took us to the east. When we arrived the bungalows told us they were full! Why did you send the truck then! or mention this on the phone! Anyway, we moved to another bungalows very close to the volcano. S o close you could hear(and feel) it rubble every few minutes. I thought it was cool. The best time to see the Volcano is just before dark and watch until it goes dark. We got settled and then got a truck to the Volcano car park. A short walk from here is the viewing platform. We got a good show! A few people who were watching for their second or third night said this was the best they had seen. So it seems we had some luck at last. We were at the top for a good 2 hours before we went down for dinner. Followed by some singing from local children. The next day we went Hot spring in the morning. This is the beach next to the John Frum village. It is a black sand beach which has a hot river feeding it. The river itself wasn't too great in my opinion. So we had a wander down the beach, we had a few surprises waiting for us. Due to the volcano at various random point the sand/ash got really HOT. So much so that the water could be seen steaming on it. So we providing lots of amusement for the local as we occasionally had to run up the beach away from heat now and again. It made for an interesting walk. After that is back to the airport and off to Vila. the plane did a loop of the Volcano on the way back and you could just about see into the crater which was really cool. Back in Vila there wasn't much to do apart from say our good-byes and have dinner.
The next day my parents left for Australia and I was left to enjoy the delights of Vila. It was good to see them and I hope they had a good time. I know I did.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
End of term 1
Its been a while hasn't it. I am now four months in to my year in Vanuatu. It seems to have flown by. Mainly because I am having a great time! I will try to write down my feeling about the last four month, although it will not be easy.
After a difficult start to life here, with the term starting late and the expected culture differences (shock, i think, is a little strong),things have really been going well of late. Work is good and I live with good people. What more could I ask for. I think not having TV, internet, contact with friends and family etc is easier when it is all taken away. I always feel worse just after talking to my family or finding out a football result. It is the brief snippets of life away from Pentecost that make it most difficult. It may difficult to believe but being here everything else doesn't matter. Don't get me wrong if I don't get to watch the world cup (looks about 50-50 at the moment) it will be difficult, because I know it is going on and will get updates on the world service. You don't yearn for what you don't know is happening, if you don't know about it you don't miss it. I take comfort in the fact I don't yearn for too much information and news, this tells me and I am happy with where I am and who I am with. However feeling bad after hearing news is, in a slightly masochistic way, is quite nice. I can't deny that I miss people, and things, despite any contentment I feel with my present situation.
I am a creature of habit and routine. I think that's why I took to rowing with such relish. Once I got into a routine with my lesson planning, teaching, exploring and adventure I was set. I have almost total job security. I don't have money worries. I have no mortgage or rent to pay. My commute takes the best part of a minute and best of all the same is true for my colleagues (which means I don't have to listen to them moan about it to me).
Initially I had no computers, which makes teaching computing hard. I don't actually teach Maths anymore, i teach Physics now. Although given how much the timetable has changed already this term, and the upcoming changes in staff, I may teach more Maths before the year is out. I think I have started to hit my stride as a teacher. Which is good for me and also for my students!
Despite the ni-van influence I am still early for everything, maybe 7 more months here will change that. Although hopefully I will still turn up for lesson, at all and on time! Which is more than can be said for some of my colleagues. On a similar note I also hope I won't leave for three weeks in the middle of term for holiday and not tell anyone when I am coming back. The heat is not an issue anymore. It is hot, all the time, but as long as I don't run to melsisi (and I don't do this too much) it's ok. The one thing I have not taken to is laplap, for the majority who don't know what this is, I envy you! If it's hot and of the taro variety, fine; if not forget it!
The term was 12 weeks long, which is long let me tell you. In England you get half term breaks, not here. I was definitely ready for a holiday.
News on my holiday to come. My computer is having a paddy so the blog I had prepared before has been lost. Hence this is brief and hastily written in an internet cafe.
After a difficult start to life here, with the term starting late and the expected culture differences (shock, i think, is a little strong),things have really been going well of late. Work is good and I live with good people. What more could I ask for. I think not having TV, internet, contact with friends and family etc is easier when it is all taken away. I always feel worse just after talking to my family or finding out a football result. It is the brief snippets of life away from Pentecost that make it most difficult. It may difficult to believe but being here everything else doesn't matter. Don't get me wrong if I don't get to watch the world cup (looks about 50-50 at the moment) it will be difficult, because I know it is going on and will get updates on the world service. You don't yearn for what you don't know is happening, if you don't know about it you don't miss it. I take comfort in the fact I don't yearn for too much information and news, this tells me and I am happy with where I am and who I am with. However feeling bad after hearing news is, in a slightly masochistic way, is quite nice. I can't deny that I miss people, and things, despite any contentment I feel with my present situation.
I am a creature of habit and routine. I think that's why I took to rowing with such relish. Once I got into a routine with my lesson planning, teaching, exploring and adventure I was set. I have almost total job security. I don't have money worries. I have no mortgage or rent to pay. My commute takes the best part of a minute and best of all the same is true for my colleagues (which means I don't have to listen to them moan about it to me).
Initially I had no computers, which makes teaching computing hard. I don't actually teach Maths anymore, i teach Physics now. Although given how much the timetable has changed already this term, and the upcoming changes in staff, I may teach more Maths before the year is out. I think I have started to hit my stride as a teacher. Which is good for me and also for my students!
Despite the ni-van influence I am still early for everything, maybe 7 more months here will change that. Although hopefully I will still turn up for lesson, at all and on time! Which is more than can be said for some of my colleagues. On a similar note I also hope I won't leave for three weeks in the middle of term for holiday and not tell anyone when I am coming back. The heat is not an issue anymore. It is hot, all the time, but as long as I don't run to melsisi (and I don't do this too much) it's ok. The one thing I have not taken to is laplap, for the majority who don't know what this is, I envy you! If it's hot and of the taro variety, fine; if not forget it!
The term was 12 weeks long, which is long let me tell you. In England you get half term breaks, not here. I was definitely ready for a holiday.
News on my holiday to come. My computer is having a paddy so the blog I had prepared before has been lost. Hence this is brief and hastily written in an internet cafe.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Back to Pentecost
In a few hours I leave for Pentecost again. From which point I will no longer have internet access and my blog posts will stop until may. This week in Santo has been really fun I have visited almost all of santo best beaches and saw amazing coral and fishes, I have met millionaires and rode on speed boats and I have also enjoy the last bits of western food I will get for three months. Unfortunately I have not left myself enough time to detail this week in full. I suppose that shows how much I have been doing and also that I spent this morning watching the super bowl. Dave, if you read this, sorry about the colts hope red bull have a better season. I also managed to watch the Australian open final and was odly disappointed to see murray lose in the end despite being a big federer fan. As you can probably tell I have not done much island stuff this week so can't expand on what I have learned about vanuatu and its culture. Although I meet a man who has four wives and 32 children. I am looking forward to getting back to the school and begining the job that I came out here for. I have been endulging with frequent internet use and western meals and going back to Pentecost might be harder than when I went the first time. Hoefully the arrival the students will distract me from any problems I have adjusting or missing home until I no longer have them. Wish me well and I hope everyone in England is well. To those from Agecroft I will be checking the HORR results when I get back to vila, impress me. By the time I go back to vila the premiership season wil be over (almost) and maybe city have made the top four, we will see. Please feel free to update me on sports results and major news it will be much appreciated, text +6785627580 and my skype name is thomasabuckley (although this is for when I am in Vila)
Speak to you all again soon.
Speak to you all again soon.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Few quick photos
Just a few quick photos of my house at Ranwadi and one from Champagne beach on Santo. Santo post this weekend, probably.
First week at Ranwadi and getting to Santo
Good morning from Espirito Santo.
My last blog post was a good few weeks ago and quite a lot has happened since then so I have lots to fill you in on.
One of many small hurdles to over come recently was the issue of the domestic weight limit. Air Vanuatu only lets you check in 10kg of free luggage. My international flight let me have 30kg and I know some of the other guys had this and still had to pay excess baggage. So we were quite worried about a huge charge. We had been told it would be fine if we just explained what we were doing. Despite this we came up with various plans and methods of deceiving the staff at check-in. This included getting one of our ex-pat friends to write up a script in bislama explaining what we are doing and how ‘poor’ we all are. As is usually the case with these things it was not that bad at all. The guy at the desk gave us an extra 5kg each and gave us a reduced charge per kilo of excess, so we only paid about £15 each. Which considering we were each carrying about three times the allowed limit is not too bad at all. Particularly for James, whose check-in and hand luggage combined were about 60kg in total. It was quite a novel experience to be weighted myself along with my hand luggage. The plane we went on was a little small and a bit noisy but I guess it could have been worse. I was disappointed that they have put tarmac on the runway on Pentecost, I was looking forward to a grass landing but you can’t have it all.
We were met by the principal of Melsisi college, Eric, who seemed like a nice man although he doesn’t speak English so I have no idea really. I am the only one in the group who doesn’t understand French. The two girls at melsisi obviously can speak it very well, James’s grandparents live in France so he is also able to understand a good amount and have conversations in French. I haven’t heard Katie and Rhiannon talk much French but they seem to understand a lot of what is said.
We all loaded on to the back of Eric’s pickup and set off for Ranwadi. The ‘road’ that runs along the west coast of Pentecost is northing more than a dirty track. In some places it is quite good, but these places are few and far between. Speeds never exceed more than 10 or 15 km/h. After a very bumpy thirty-minute drive, having forded a few rivers along the way, we reached Ranwadi. Due to what I except will be come a typical break down in communication no message had been passed on to Silas Tabi, the principal of Ranwadi, regarding our arrival and as such he was a little surprised to see us.
We were shown to our homes for the next 12 months and we all a little taken aback. I had been expecting basic accommodation, which is exactly what it is, but I was still left slightly speechless. That is not to the say that the house is unliveable, far from it, I think the reality of the situation and the year ahead hit home at that point. James and I are living together in a nice little bungalow with two good sized bedrooms, a lounge/living area, good sized kitchen and a bathroom with a shower. We have a concrete floor but the rest of the house is made from mdf boards so it should stay quite cool but because we have mosquito netting on the windows, which we are grateful for, the air doesn’t circulate very well and it can become quite sticky inside. The whole place was a mess when we got there. The animal life in the jungle had started to take over again, which I think will be a constant battle through out the year, and there was also quite a lot of rubbish in the house too. I took us about two days to get the house to a position where we are reasonably happy living in it and I’m sure we will do more as time goes by. We have a camping stove of sorts to cook on, there is an oven but it is broken. Apparently the water out the tap, which comes from a well, is drinkable but it just tastes horrible. For this reason we have a rainwater tank behind the house which we use for drinking water. The school site consists of a number of dorms where the children stay, canteen, church, offices, library, staff houses and classrooms. While the staff houses are wooden then majority of the school building are concrete but just as basic.
I spent the next week just adjusting to life on Pentecost and exploring the school, particularly the computing room. I have seven computer in my room but five of them don’t work so my first job was to get them sent to Vila to be fixed, hopefully for the start of the term but I doubt they will be back by then.
There has been nothing to do at the school really. When the kids are not there everything shuts down, not that there is much going on anyway. Apart from the principal there were only two teachers there and in the few days we were there they both left to go back to their island for a bit until term starts. We spent some time visiting the other girls at Melsisi and going down to Waterfall, the local village. The old principal Silas Buli lives in Waterfall and he showed us round and introduced us to his family and took us the nakamal (where kava is drunk). He also fed us a few times and officially welcomed us to the village. He introduced us to the church and also in the nakamal, in ni-vanuatu culture to offer someone kava is to offer friendship. Although I was not overly thrilled about drinking kava, I usually abstain from alcohol, I realised if I was ever to be accepted by people it would be necessary to drink, at least at first. The best way I can describe the taste of kava is pepper water, sorry that should be described as dirty pepper water. It is served in a coconut shell and although you don’t have to it is usually downed. Thankfully this makes it easier to drink as you don’t have to taste it and ideally you try to not let it touch your lips. The immediate effect is to make your mouth and tongue numb. Drinking kava is usually followed by some food. This is a good idea. The effect on the rest of the body is noticeable after about 20 mins, depending on how many shells you have. Kava is narcotic and acts as a muscle relaxant. You generally feel quite relaxed, your eyes and limbs feel heavy, and your eyes become sensitive to light and your ears to noise. If you don’t over do it it is actually quite a nice feeling, although we have been warned that if we want to come and drink a few shells we should arrange to sleep in the guesthouse at waterfall, as we won’t be able to walk home!
The consensus was that while exploring Pentecost would be very nice it would be very difficult and potentially troublesome until our bislama is a little better. So we decided to head for Santo instead. Luganvile on Santo is the second city of Vanuatu, while Santo is the biggest island. Initially we thought there was going to be a boat going to Santo in a few days but the schedule has changed and we would have to wait a week to 10 days. Life on Pentecost was little dull but we soon got into a routine. James and I would get up go over the girls for breakfast, always breakfast crackers. We would busy our selves for the morning; I would usually play on the computers seeing what Simon had left me interspersed by minesweeper or FreeCell. I did have some vague ideas about making lessons plans and I did start a scheme of work but nothing too serious. Then back to the girls for lunch. In the afternoon I would maybe read a book or carry on with what ever I was doing in the morning. I could go on but it was not very interesting to do so I doubt it will be interesting to read about.
All in all we were all pretty keen to leave Pentecost and get away for a bit until term starts. We all got packed up on Tuesday and waited for the boat which we were told would be coming in the late afternoon to early evening. We went down to the beach to meet it and only then did the principal tell us that we needed to buy tickets in advance! He said he would talk to captain and see if we could get around it. We couldn’t. The mood was somewhat deflated and we didn’t really know what to do next. The next morning at breakfast we were still a little stunned and wondering how we where going to get to Santo if at all. I was just looking out into the distance and happened to see a boat on the horizon, when the principal told us it was going to Santo we quickly grabbed our bags, still packed from the night before, and ran for the boat. We had to take a small speedboat out to get to it and climbed aboard. Tourists or westerners do not normally visit these cargo boats so we got a few funny looks when we hopped aboard. There were a good number of ni-van as passengers and fair few crew too but the majority of the ship was set aside for cargo. Only once we got on board, on Wednesday morning, were we told we weren’t due into Luganville until Friday morning! Conditions on board are what you would expect really, there was a bench running around the bridge where you could sit during the day (and sleep during the night), food was provided three times a day. Breakfast crackers and tea (black of course) in the morning and the same rice, noodles and tuna meal the other two times. The boat took so long because it stopped at every village on route. Apparently all you need to do at night is light a fire on the beach and the boat will stop. After covering the rest of north Pentecost we then went up the west coast of Maewo and then across via Ambae to Santo. During the day I didn’t find it too bad, there were lots of nice things to see and it was always interesting to see what was unloaded and loaded at the stops; be it just cement and barrels or people with their furniture and bedding to livestock and rain water tanks. Sleeping was a different matter though; floor space became a premium as it got dark, the sides of the boat where a little low so there was always a concern that you might roll off in the night, therefore positioning was crucial. I found it difficult to get any proper sleep but got a good number of hours both nights. I even tried sleeping on the roof of the bridge on the second night as it was empty and reasonably safe but the rain put an end to that idea. I saw so many wonderful things on the boat it made it so worthwhile and made up for any bad sleeping conditions. During the crossing from Pentecost to Maewo we had a small pod of dolphins swim along side for a few minutes, this was certainly a high light. Just getting to experience what life for the vast majority of ni-van was a priceless experience. Less than 50% of ni-vans go to high school, a lot because they can’t afford it, even though it only cost £100 a term. The plane from Vila to Pentecost cost £75, the islands most the children come from will not have direct flight to Pentecost and would have to go through Vila, therefore most of the children at Ranwadi will have got there by boat. By chatting to fellow passenger and seeing many villages and many islands I feel I have a better understanding of ni-van culture and the ni-vans themselves than I ever could have got from an hour flight.
Now I am here in Santo and I plan to enjoy it. I wasn’t as bored in Ranwadi as some people and I found the food much more palatable than others. That being said I will be glad to have some western style food and be able to eat something that hasn’t come straight from a can. Will try and give an update of what I got up to in Santo before I go to Pentecost on the 08/02.
My last blog post was a good few weeks ago and quite a lot has happened since then so I have lots to fill you in on.
One of many small hurdles to over come recently was the issue of the domestic weight limit. Air Vanuatu only lets you check in 10kg of free luggage. My international flight let me have 30kg and I know some of the other guys had this and still had to pay excess baggage. So we were quite worried about a huge charge. We had been told it would be fine if we just explained what we were doing. Despite this we came up with various plans and methods of deceiving the staff at check-in. This included getting one of our ex-pat friends to write up a script in bislama explaining what we are doing and how ‘poor’ we all are. As is usually the case with these things it was not that bad at all. The guy at the desk gave us an extra 5kg each and gave us a reduced charge per kilo of excess, so we only paid about £15 each. Which considering we were each carrying about three times the allowed limit is not too bad at all. Particularly for James, whose check-in and hand luggage combined were about 60kg in total. It was quite a novel experience to be weighted myself along with my hand luggage. The plane we went on was a little small and a bit noisy but I guess it could have been worse. I was disappointed that they have put tarmac on the runway on Pentecost, I was looking forward to a grass landing but you can’t have it all.
We were met by the principal of Melsisi college, Eric, who seemed like a nice man although he doesn’t speak English so I have no idea really. I am the only one in the group who doesn’t understand French. The two girls at melsisi obviously can speak it very well, James’s grandparents live in France so he is also able to understand a good amount and have conversations in French. I haven’t heard Katie and Rhiannon talk much French but they seem to understand a lot of what is said.
We all loaded on to the back of Eric’s pickup and set off for Ranwadi. The ‘road’ that runs along the west coast of Pentecost is northing more than a dirty track. In some places it is quite good, but these places are few and far between. Speeds never exceed more than 10 or 15 km/h. After a very bumpy thirty-minute drive, having forded a few rivers along the way, we reached Ranwadi. Due to what I except will be come a typical break down in communication no message had been passed on to Silas Tabi, the principal of Ranwadi, regarding our arrival and as such he was a little surprised to see us.
We were shown to our homes for the next 12 months and we all a little taken aback. I had been expecting basic accommodation, which is exactly what it is, but I was still left slightly speechless. That is not to the say that the house is unliveable, far from it, I think the reality of the situation and the year ahead hit home at that point. James and I are living together in a nice little bungalow with two good sized bedrooms, a lounge/living area, good sized kitchen and a bathroom with a shower. We have a concrete floor but the rest of the house is made from mdf boards so it should stay quite cool but because we have mosquito netting on the windows, which we are grateful for, the air doesn’t circulate very well and it can become quite sticky inside. The whole place was a mess when we got there. The animal life in the jungle had started to take over again, which I think will be a constant battle through out the year, and there was also quite a lot of rubbish in the house too. I took us about two days to get the house to a position where we are reasonably happy living in it and I’m sure we will do more as time goes by. We have a camping stove of sorts to cook on, there is an oven but it is broken. Apparently the water out the tap, which comes from a well, is drinkable but it just tastes horrible. For this reason we have a rainwater tank behind the house which we use for drinking water. The school site consists of a number of dorms where the children stay, canteen, church, offices, library, staff houses and classrooms. While the staff houses are wooden then majority of the school building are concrete but just as basic.
I spent the next week just adjusting to life on Pentecost and exploring the school, particularly the computing room. I have seven computer in my room but five of them don’t work so my first job was to get them sent to Vila to be fixed, hopefully for the start of the term but I doubt they will be back by then.
There has been nothing to do at the school really. When the kids are not there everything shuts down, not that there is much going on anyway. Apart from the principal there were only two teachers there and in the few days we were there they both left to go back to their island for a bit until term starts. We spent some time visiting the other girls at Melsisi and going down to Waterfall, the local village. The old principal Silas Buli lives in Waterfall and he showed us round and introduced us to his family and took us the nakamal (where kava is drunk). He also fed us a few times and officially welcomed us to the village. He introduced us to the church and also in the nakamal, in ni-vanuatu culture to offer someone kava is to offer friendship. Although I was not overly thrilled about drinking kava, I usually abstain from alcohol, I realised if I was ever to be accepted by people it would be necessary to drink, at least at first. The best way I can describe the taste of kava is pepper water, sorry that should be described as dirty pepper water. It is served in a coconut shell and although you don’t have to it is usually downed. Thankfully this makes it easier to drink as you don’t have to taste it and ideally you try to not let it touch your lips. The immediate effect is to make your mouth and tongue numb. Drinking kava is usually followed by some food. This is a good idea. The effect on the rest of the body is noticeable after about 20 mins, depending on how many shells you have. Kava is narcotic and acts as a muscle relaxant. You generally feel quite relaxed, your eyes and limbs feel heavy, and your eyes become sensitive to light and your ears to noise. If you don’t over do it it is actually quite a nice feeling, although we have been warned that if we want to come and drink a few shells we should arrange to sleep in the guesthouse at waterfall, as we won’t be able to walk home!
The consensus was that while exploring Pentecost would be very nice it would be very difficult and potentially troublesome until our bislama is a little better. So we decided to head for Santo instead. Luganvile on Santo is the second city of Vanuatu, while Santo is the biggest island. Initially we thought there was going to be a boat going to Santo in a few days but the schedule has changed and we would have to wait a week to 10 days. Life on Pentecost was little dull but we soon got into a routine. James and I would get up go over the girls for breakfast, always breakfast crackers. We would busy our selves for the morning; I would usually play on the computers seeing what Simon had left me interspersed by minesweeper or FreeCell. I did have some vague ideas about making lessons plans and I did start a scheme of work but nothing too serious. Then back to the girls for lunch. In the afternoon I would maybe read a book or carry on with what ever I was doing in the morning. I could go on but it was not very interesting to do so I doubt it will be interesting to read about.
All in all we were all pretty keen to leave Pentecost and get away for a bit until term starts. We all got packed up on Tuesday and waited for the boat which we were told would be coming in the late afternoon to early evening. We went down to the beach to meet it and only then did the principal tell us that we needed to buy tickets in advance! He said he would talk to captain and see if we could get around it. We couldn’t. The mood was somewhat deflated and we didn’t really know what to do next. The next morning at breakfast we were still a little stunned and wondering how we where going to get to Santo if at all. I was just looking out into the distance and happened to see a boat on the horizon, when the principal told us it was going to Santo we quickly grabbed our bags, still packed from the night before, and ran for the boat. We had to take a small speedboat out to get to it and climbed aboard. Tourists or westerners do not normally visit these cargo boats so we got a few funny looks when we hopped aboard. There were a good number of ni-van as passengers and fair few crew too but the majority of the ship was set aside for cargo. Only once we got on board, on Wednesday morning, were we told we weren’t due into Luganville until Friday morning! Conditions on board are what you would expect really, there was a bench running around the bridge where you could sit during the day (and sleep during the night), food was provided three times a day. Breakfast crackers and tea (black of course) in the morning and the same rice, noodles and tuna meal the other two times. The boat took so long because it stopped at every village on route. Apparently all you need to do at night is light a fire on the beach and the boat will stop. After covering the rest of north Pentecost we then went up the west coast of Maewo and then across via Ambae to Santo. During the day I didn’t find it too bad, there were lots of nice things to see and it was always interesting to see what was unloaded and loaded at the stops; be it just cement and barrels or people with their furniture and bedding to livestock and rain water tanks. Sleeping was a different matter though; floor space became a premium as it got dark, the sides of the boat where a little low so there was always a concern that you might roll off in the night, therefore positioning was crucial. I found it difficult to get any proper sleep but got a good number of hours both nights. I even tried sleeping on the roof of the bridge on the second night as it was empty and reasonably safe but the rain put an end to that idea. I saw so many wonderful things on the boat it made it so worthwhile and made up for any bad sleeping conditions. During the crossing from Pentecost to Maewo we had a small pod of dolphins swim along side for a few minutes, this was certainly a high light. Just getting to experience what life for the vast majority of ni-van was a priceless experience. Less than 50% of ni-vans go to high school, a lot because they can’t afford it, even though it only cost £100 a term. The plane from Vila to Pentecost cost £75, the islands most the children come from will not have direct flight to Pentecost and would have to go through Vila, therefore most of the children at Ranwadi will have got there by boat. By chatting to fellow passenger and seeing many villages and many islands I feel I have a better understanding of ni-van culture and the ni-vans themselves than I ever could have got from an hour flight.
Now I am here in Santo and I plan to enjoy it. I wasn’t as bored in Ranwadi as some people and I found the food much more palatable than others. That being said I will be glad to have some western style food and be able to eat something that hasn’t come straight from a can. Will try and give an update of what I got up to in Santo before I go to Pentecost on the 08/02.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
off to pentecost tomorrow
Welcome to another beautiful morning in Vanuatu, this is my seventh day in port vila and we are set to leave tomorrow morning for Penetcost when the adventure really being I suppose. After a relatively smooth start to the week there have been some ups and downs in the last few days that have caused a few differences of opinions in the group. On Thursday we got our letters from the ministry to take to the visa office. This all went really well and before we knew it we have residency permits stamped in our passports; apparently we are government officers.
On Thursday afternoon Katie and I went to the airport to pick up a box she had had delivered from the UK containing teaching supplies and stationary for the school. This venture turned into a bit of a calamity, we ended up running from one government building to another in an attempt to get tax exemption on the box on the basis that it was for educational purposes. This caused no end of problem and worries as it looked as if we would not be able to retrieve the box before we departed for Pentecost. Fortunately we were able to use one of our contacts in Vila to help us out on Friday. In the end we decided just to pay the tax on the box and try and claim it back later. When asked what the cost of the items in the 26kg box was apparently AUS$3 was an acceptable answer so tax plus handling charges came to about AUS$2 which was a good results.
I have been a little under the weather the last day or so. It is a reaction to the anti-malaria pills I am taking. It happened in the first week when I took them as a trial in the September and then wore off in the next few weeks even though I continued to take them. It is just my body getting used to the drugs and I anticipated it and am not worried by it. I feel fine now just wasn’t nice for a day or so. For this reason Friday was spend in front of the TV and playing poker on James blackberry.
On Saturday morning we ran around town trying to pick up the last few bit we needed in town before our flight. Shops close here at twelve midday on Saturday and all of Sunday. In the afternoon we went Barry’s for lunch. Barry is an old retired ex-pat (with an MBE) who lives here in the most amazing location. His house is quite basic but his balcony over looks the whole of Vila and the bay it is possibly the best view in the whole of Vila. We had a nice lunch and he had many guests who were good to talk to as most had spend a good amount of time in vila and had good stories about what Vila used to be like. We also met a lady called Sarah who is deputy head of the peace corps in Vanuatu and used to be based in Melsisi on Pentecost. She was able to give us lots of advice and some first hand accounts of melsisi who those teaching there. In the evening we went to the Nakamal with the deputy head of melsisi and the minister of education for Vanuatu. After having been ill I decided to opt out of kava on this occasion while the other with some hesitance dived in. The girls had a shell each while James had three! He had two of these with the Minister of education who decided not to sit with the group, I assume because we are mostly girls and I was not drinking. The VP of melsisi only speaks French so as does three of group and two other understand a fair amount. I was the only one there who understood absolutely nothing!
The differences of opinion we have been having surround the decision of the government to delay the start of the school year until the 15th Feb because of exam problems. Discussion has been about delaying our arrival on Pentecost and the option going somewhere else before term starts ranging from another island to another country. As it stands we are going to Pentecost on Monday for a few days and then possibly off to Santo in the west of maybe even the Banks Islands further north. Another option, which I am more for, is to spend the time exploring Pentecost. We will at some point get island fever and want to get off Pentecost at these time a trip to Santo, the Banks Island or Tanna would be a great holiday. However exploring Pentecost will probably be the last think we want to do and so now I feel is the best time to do it. We are all packing at the moment and will discuss it later I assume.
On Thursday afternoon Katie and I went to the airport to pick up a box she had had delivered from the UK containing teaching supplies and stationary for the school. This venture turned into a bit of a calamity, we ended up running from one government building to another in an attempt to get tax exemption on the box on the basis that it was for educational purposes. This caused no end of problem and worries as it looked as if we would not be able to retrieve the box before we departed for Pentecost. Fortunately we were able to use one of our contacts in Vila to help us out on Friday. In the end we decided just to pay the tax on the box and try and claim it back later. When asked what the cost of the items in the 26kg box was apparently AUS$3 was an acceptable answer so tax plus handling charges came to about AUS$2 which was a good results.
I have been a little under the weather the last day or so. It is a reaction to the anti-malaria pills I am taking. It happened in the first week when I took them as a trial in the September and then wore off in the next few weeks even though I continued to take them. It is just my body getting used to the drugs and I anticipated it and am not worried by it. I feel fine now just wasn’t nice for a day or so. For this reason Friday was spend in front of the TV and playing poker on James blackberry.
On Saturday morning we ran around town trying to pick up the last few bit we needed in town before our flight. Shops close here at twelve midday on Saturday and all of Sunday. In the afternoon we went Barry’s for lunch. Barry is an old retired ex-pat (with an MBE) who lives here in the most amazing location. His house is quite basic but his balcony over looks the whole of Vila and the bay it is possibly the best view in the whole of Vila. We had a nice lunch and he had many guests who were good to talk to as most had spend a good amount of time in vila and had good stories about what Vila used to be like. We also met a lady called Sarah who is deputy head of the peace corps in Vanuatu and used to be based in Melsisi on Pentecost. She was able to give us lots of advice and some first hand accounts of melsisi who those teaching there. In the evening we went to the Nakamal with the deputy head of melsisi and the minister of education for Vanuatu. After having been ill I decided to opt out of kava on this occasion while the other with some hesitance dived in. The girls had a shell each while James had three! He had two of these with the Minister of education who decided not to sit with the group, I assume because we are mostly girls and I was not drinking. The VP of melsisi only speaks French so as does three of group and two other understand a fair amount. I was the only one there who understood absolutely nothing!
The differences of opinion we have been having surround the decision of the government to delay the start of the school year until the 15th Feb because of exam problems. Discussion has been about delaying our arrival on Pentecost and the option going somewhere else before term starts ranging from another island to another country. As it stands we are going to Pentecost on Monday for a few days and then possibly off to Santo in the west of maybe even the Banks Islands further north. Another option, which I am more for, is to spend the time exploring Pentecost. We will at some point get island fever and want to get off Pentecost at these time a trip to Santo, the Banks Island or Tanna would be a great holiday. However exploring Pentecost will probably be the last think we want to do and so now I feel is the best time to do it. We are all packing at the moment and will discuss it later I assume.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Day 2
Last night we went back to the market to get more food from the lady who made us lunch yesterday because it was so nice and cheap. When we got there the market was still open but the restaurants appeared to be closed. However when we confirmed this with the lady and her husband they insisted that they cook us something even if it required them going to the local supermarket to get what we wanted and then cooking it. We couldn’t dissuade her from this and started to feel even worse when they got out their kitchen equipment, which had already been washed up, to cook our food. The food was again fantastic and we had a nice chat with the husband. Amazingly he told us that he had spent 15 years living in Alaska. How somebody from Vanuatu ever got to Alaska escapes me. The wife has a daughter at ranwadi, we offered to look out for her and report back if she was naughty: ).
This morning’s main activity was watching Katie cut Rhiannon’s hair. This was the source of many jokes at both of them and resulted in many worrying looks and wry laughter from Rhiannon. One successful hair cut later and we where ready to go to town. We where supposed to pick up a few things but we have been getting into the swing of things here and decided to put it off for another day. We got some snorkel gear and browsed some shops and an indoor market that sells island dresses, shirts and sarongs. We didn’t buy anything because there was a cruise ship in town so prices were slightly inflated for the tourists. We had arranged to go back to the outdoor market for lunch again, having made our order the night before, which again was very nice; hopefully we will be able to reproduce food of this quality when we are on Pentecost.
After lunch we caught a bus to Mele, otherwise known as Hideaway Island the home of the worlds only under water post office. Buses here don’t work as they do back home. Lots of the larger cars such as minibuses, people carriers and 4x4 trucks have a B on their number plate indicating they are a bus. You flag them down and simply tell the driver where you want to go and he will take you there. They differ from the taxis, which have a T on their plate, because the bus can stop half way through your route and pick up more passengers. For a single person it is quite cheap but they charge per person so if there are a number of you it adds up to about the cost of a taxi back home.
Mele Island was very small it took maybe 10 mins to walk around it and only because it was difficult due to most of the coast line consisting of large coral rocks which we had to traverse in flip-flops. The island is the result of the coral reef that surrounds it. The beach is not great and consists mainly of broken pieces of dead coral and shells that are painful to walk on without shoes. Shoes are a must as it is very easy to cut your feet on the coral reef and the cuts get infected very easily in the humidity here. Despite the snorkel we bought being rubbish and my inability to breath out of my mouth the coral reef was amazing. I have never been in such clear water and with so many beautiful fish swimming around me. There were warning that blue bottle jellyfish had been seen recently but no one in our group was stung but an Australian man we met got a nasty sing on his arm. He rushed off to the bar and after an application of vinegar he was fine with a nice war wound for a few days. We all took the opportunity to post some letters in the world’s only underwater post office. Which was a very nice and novel experience and capped a wonderful day exploring the coral in the warm sea, a nice change from the Irish Sea.
We had told the bus driver an approximate time that we thought we might be finished by, by no conscious effort we actually were only 15 minutes late. We were unsure that he would actually be there and if he did turn up he might just pick up the first tourists he came across but when we got there 15 mins after we had said he was there waiting and drove us back to our hostel.
Last night we went to a tourist bar for a meal, to get a bit of steak and chips. We thought that although it is good to eat local food we should get our fill of meat while we can.
Although not everything I have been told to expect is true the friendliness and openness of the Ni-Vans certainly was. Everyone one you meet is so friendly and smiley. People are so genuine, which is such a nice change to living in the west. I thin I’m really going to enjoy living with these people.
At the moment we are using the wireless at the hostel so that is why updates are so regular. Next week on pentecost I suspect they will decrease in regularity and probably just as Detailed. Once I get into a routine I suspect daily life will be less to write home about but lots more time in which to write. I suspect my posts will start to be more about my thought on life here rather than actual events.
Tom
This morning’s main activity was watching Katie cut Rhiannon’s hair. This was the source of many jokes at both of them and resulted in many worrying looks and wry laughter from Rhiannon. One successful hair cut later and we where ready to go to town. We where supposed to pick up a few things but we have been getting into the swing of things here and decided to put it off for another day. We got some snorkel gear and browsed some shops and an indoor market that sells island dresses, shirts and sarongs. We didn’t buy anything because there was a cruise ship in town so prices were slightly inflated for the tourists. We had arranged to go back to the outdoor market for lunch again, having made our order the night before, which again was very nice; hopefully we will be able to reproduce food of this quality when we are on Pentecost.
After lunch we caught a bus to Mele, otherwise known as Hideaway Island the home of the worlds only under water post office. Buses here don’t work as they do back home. Lots of the larger cars such as minibuses, people carriers and 4x4 trucks have a B on their number plate indicating they are a bus. You flag them down and simply tell the driver where you want to go and he will take you there. They differ from the taxis, which have a T on their plate, because the bus can stop half way through your route and pick up more passengers. For a single person it is quite cheap but they charge per person so if there are a number of you it adds up to about the cost of a taxi back home.
Mele Island was very small it took maybe 10 mins to walk around it and only because it was difficult due to most of the coast line consisting of large coral rocks which we had to traverse in flip-flops. The island is the result of the coral reef that surrounds it. The beach is not great and consists mainly of broken pieces of dead coral and shells that are painful to walk on without shoes. Shoes are a must as it is very easy to cut your feet on the coral reef and the cuts get infected very easily in the humidity here. Despite the snorkel we bought being rubbish and my inability to breath out of my mouth the coral reef was amazing. I have never been in such clear water and with so many beautiful fish swimming around me. There were warning that blue bottle jellyfish had been seen recently but no one in our group was stung but an Australian man we met got a nasty sing on his arm. He rushed off to the bar and after an application of vinegar he was fine with a nice war wound for a few days. We all took the opportunity to post some letters in the world’s only underwater post office. Which was a very nice and novel experience and capped a wonderful day exploring the coral in the warm sea, a nice change from the Irish Sea.
We had told the bus driver an approximate time that we thought we might be finished by, by no conscious effort we actually were only 15 minutes late. We were unsure that he would actually be there and if he did turn up he might just pick up the first tourists he came across but when we got there 15 mins after we had said he was there waiting and drove us back to our hostel.
Last night we went to a tourist bar for a meal, to get a bit of steak and chips. We thought that although it is good to eat local food we should get our fill of meat while we can.
Although not everything I have been told to expect is true the friendliness and openness of the Ni-Vans certainly was. Everyone one you meet is so friendly and smiley. People are so genuine, which is such a nice change to living in the west. I thin I’m really going to enjoy living with these people.
At the moment we are using the wireless at the hostel so that is why updates are so regular. Next week on pentecost I suspect they will decrease in regularity and probably just as Detailed. Once I get into a routine I suspect daily life will be less to write home about but lots more time in which to write. I suspect my posts will start to be more about my thought on life here rather than actual events.
Tom
Monday, January 11, 2010
Arrival in Port Vila
Hello from Port Vila. I arrived yesterday after a short flight from Brisbane. Despite Brisbane's subtropical climate the heat but mostly the humidity are quite different here. It is difficult to do anything without ending up a sweaty mess. Everyone is the same and we have decided just not to worry about it as we are all in the same boat and there is no way to avoid it. I flew out with a girl called Susie who was also staying in Brisbane where we were met by an ex-pat lady called Pat and a guy called Barry (who has invited us round for tea on Saturday) Magali, who will teaching English at Melsisi, arrived the day before and was also there to meet us. We waited around the airport waiting for the James, Rhianon and Katie who were all arriving on a later flight from Sydney. We all get on really well so far with a good mix of personalities and I am confident that we will continue to get on through out the year.
Our motel is basic but has everything that we need. It has 6 beds in 3 rooms, kitchen, shower, toilet and large communal room with large dinning table. We have a balcony that looks out onto a football pitch. Today we saw a man mow it using the kind of mower you use for a family home; it took a while! Aside from a smattering of homes and some bad roads the rest of the view is made up of trees and grass including a coconut tree just outside the window.
The roads here are interesting to say the least. The quality of the roads is bad by western standards. At the most they two lanes wide and occasionally there is a pavement on one side of the road; only in the town centre is their one on each side. I have yet to see a traffic light and there is an attempt at a one-way system in the centre of town. To call it the centre of town is a misnomer; it really consists of two parallel streets near the coast with shops. I think they drive on the right given the position of the steering wheel but I have seen people drive all over the place so I think anything goes.
We waited until the evening, when the heat had died down and we had put up our mosquito nets, to venture out into town and have a little look around. We had dinner at a nice air-conditioned place with a Canadian girl that the other guys met on their flight from Sydney. Her luggage was lost by the airline and I think she was glad for the company.
This morning we were taken by Fredric, the technical adviser for the education secretary, to the education department to meet the guy in charge of secondary education and we also met the minister of education for Vanuatu and were given a tour of the buildings. The government has changed the head teachers at the two schools so we needed to get new employment forms to get our visas. Fredric took us to the education services ministry to sort out our visas and it sound like this will be fine we just need to go back on Friday to get our passports stamped. So this sounds like it will all be fine. Also the school term is not going to start until the 15th Feb which is good and bad I am quite sure how I feel about that.
After leaving the ministry we went into town to explore in the daylight for the first time. We went to the big market in town where they sell the most and weird and wonderful fruit and veg. All local produce and cheap when in season. The highlight was the live craps in packs of 10. We picked up some pineapple and melons that we have just had and were fantastic. Also in the market there are little ‘restaurants.’ Women cook food on what is best described as camping/barbeque equipment. The food is fantastic and really cheap. For about £2 I got a plateful of rice and veg and half a fish; it was fantastic. We have decided to return most days and try a different woman’s cooking.
We took a trip to local phone shop to get phones. We bought 3 new phones and two sim cards, I am sure they were pleased to get so much business. Then, like children, we sat around swapping numbers and comparing phones. Also we got messages off our network, Digicell, which are in bislama; so we spent time trying to translate the messages.
When we got back to the motel we all hooked up to the wireless from the nearby owner. Amazingly despite the quality of the rest of the infrastructure there were four wireless networks to choose from. So for an hour or so we have all been antisocial but given the fact it is very easy to feel very far away from home here it is completely understandable. Everyone has been able to make contact back home and feels much better for it.
We have plans to much more tourists stuff for the next few days and try and see the most of vila and maybe go to the north of the island for a look at what proper Vanuatu life is like.
Hope everyone is well and not too cold at home. I hope those of you still off work remain so for a few more days.
Tom
Our motel is basic but has everything that we need. It has 6 beds in 3 rooms, kitchen, shower, toilet and large communal room with large dinning table. We have a balcony that looks out onto a football pitch. Today we saw a man mow it using the kind of mower you use for a family home; it took a while! Aside from a smattering of homes and some bad roads the rest of the view is made up of trees and grass including a coconut tree just outside the window.
The roads here are interesting to say the least. The quality of the roads is bad by western standards. At the most they two lanes wide and occasionally there is a pavement on one side of the road; only in the town centre is their one on each side. I have yet to see a traffic light and there is an attempt at a one-way system in the centre of town. To call it the centre of town is a misnomer; it really consists of two parallel streets near the coast with shops. I think they drive on the right given the position of the steering wheel but I have seen people drive all over the place so I think anything goes.
We waited until the evening, when the heat had died down and we had put up our mosquito nets, to venture out into town and have a little look around. We had dinner at a nice air-conditioned place with a Canadian girl that the other guys met on their flight from Sydney. Her luggage was lost by the airline and I think she was glad for the company.
This morning we were taken by Fredric, the technical adviser for the education secretary, to the education department to meet the guy in charge of secondary education and we also met the minister of education for Vanuatu and were given a tour of the buildings. The government has changed the head teachers at the two schools so we needed to get new employment forms to get our visas. Fredric took us to the education services ministry to sort out our visas and it sound like this will be fine we just need to go back on Friday to get our passports stamped. So this sounds like it will all be fine. Also the school term is not going to start until the 15th Feb which is good and bad I am quite sure how I feel about that.
After leaving the ministry we went into town to explore in the daylight for the first time. We went to the big market in town where they sell the most and weird and wonderful fruit and veg. All local produce and cheap when in season. The highlight was the live craps in packs of 10. We picked up some pineapple and melons that we have just had and were fantastic. Also in the market there are little ‘restaurants.’ Women cook food on what is best described as camping/barbeque equipment. The food is fantastic and really cheap. For about £2 I got a plateful of rice and veg and half a fish; it was fantastic. We have decided to return most days and try a different woman’s cooking.
We took a trip to local phone shop to get phones. We bought 3 new phones and two sim cards, I am sure they were pleased to get so much business. Then, like children, we sat around swapping numbers and comparing phones. Also we got messages off our network, Digicell, which are in bislama; so we spent time trying to translate the messages.
When we got back to the motel we all hooked up to the wireless from the nearby owner. Amazingly despite the quality of the rest of the infrastructure there were four wireless networks to choose from. So for an hour or so we have all been antisocial but given the fact it is very easy to feel very far away from home here it is completely understandable. Everyone has been able to make contact back home and feels much better for it.
We have plans to much more tourists stuff for the next few days and try and see the most of vila and maybe go to the north of the island for a look at what proper Vanuatu life is like.
Hope everyone is well and not too cold at home. I hope those of you still off work remain so for a few more days.
Tom
Saturday, January 2, 2010
T-minus 1 day
Finally on the morning of the day of departure I have found time to write a pre-departure blog post.
I am just about packed and read to go, as much as is possible. At the moment I am just excited and full of adrenaline but with a large amount of apprehension. I really am going into the unknown, because of which I am struggling to really mentality prepare myself for where I am going. Over the summer cycling through Europe on my own I got a good taste of being alone in a foreign country and away from my friends and family, although I will hopefully become good friends with my fellow ex-pat teachers. So the isolation I have some idea of but the standard of the living, the people and the static isolation are things I have no real knowledge of or idea how to prepare for. I have been told and researched into all of the above but I don't really think you can get a proper idea 2nd hand. So I go into it with an open mind ready to throw myself into village fully and really get the most out this year.
I have a few weeks to wait until I get to see my life for the next year. I fly out this evening to Brisbane, stopping in Dubai. Where I am staying with Aunt Beryl and Uncle Roger. I don't know them at all, the last time we met I was very young, them living in Australia really hasn't helped. I have a week in Oz to explore and have a proper holiday. I then fly to Port Vila the capital of Vanuatu. I am here for a week too but rather than I holiday I have a number of official/important things to do including extending my visa, currency exchange and buying phone card and stamps etc. I am also supposed to go to the north of the Island for a few day to get an idea of the real 'island life' away for the commercialisation for vila. So although I fly out this evening, although don't arrive in Oz till Monday, I still have two weeks before I actually get to Pentecost and my home for the next year.
I am told that the internet at the school on Pentecost is working for the moment. The last time it broke it remained so for 8 months. I should therefore be able to update my blog with so regularity, although if I suddenly go quiet you will understand why.
I hope that I can make this blog interesting to read and that you are interesting in what I am doing. I will try to update regularly when it is possible and I am not running on 'island time'.
Speak to you all soon.
I am just about packed and read to go, as much as is possible. At the moment I am just excited and full of adrenaline but with a large amount of apprehension. I really am going into the unknown, because of which I am struggling to really mentality prepare myself for where I am going. Over the summer cycling through Europe on my own I got a good taste of being alone in a foreign country and away from my friends and family, although I will hopefully become good friends with my fellow ex-pat teachers. So the isolation I have some idea of but the standard of the living, the people and the static isolation are things I have no real knowledge of or idea how to prepare for. I have been told and researched into all of the above but I don't really think you can get a proper idea 2nd hand. So I go into it with an open mind ready to throw myself into village fully and really get the most out this year.
I have a few weeks to wait until I get to see my life for the next year. I fly out this evening to Brisbane, stopping in Dubai. Where I am staying with Aunt Beryl and Uncle Roger. I don't know them at all, the last time we met I was very young, them living in Australia really hasn't helped. I have a week in Oz to explore and have a proper holiday. I then fly to Port Vila the capital of Vanuatu. I am here for a week too but rather than I holiday I have a number of official/important things to do including extending my visa, currency exchange and buying phone card and stamps etc. I am also supposed to go to the north of the Island for a few day to get an idea of the real 'island life' away for the commercialisation for vila. So although I fly out this evening, although don't arrive in Oz till Monday, I still have two weeks before I actually get to Pentecost and my home for the next year.
I am told that the internet at the school on Pentecost is working for the moment. The last time it broke it remained so for 8 months. I should therefore be able to update my blog with so regularity, although if I suddenly go quiet you will understand why.
I hope that I can make this blog interesting to read and that you are interesting in what I am doing. I will try to update regularly when it is possible and I am not running on 'island time'.
Speak to you all soon.
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