Life on Maewo... FML

During a visit to Baitora, South Maewo in June. Fellow PCV Lindsay Templin and I started making jokes about Maewo - focusing on the adage FML (or F@!k my Life)... We then decided to write these down and what started as a funny discussion became a list and that list became in article in the Volunteer newsletter: The VanAmerican. Below is the finished product. While some of these are contextual and probably only funny to those of us on Maewo Island (or maybe just Lindsay and me), I believe some of these FMLs are universal. Enjoy!

Life on Maewo… FML

From the world-weary minds of your favorite Maewo Vols: Lindsay Templin, Nik Karr, and Jennifer Blount

1)      Cow shit!? I… I thought it was a stone! FML.

2)      That looks slippery. That is slippery. There goes my Chinese bag… FML.

3)      Did I just see the sky through my roof? FML.

4)      Why is my white headband yellow? Rats… FML.

5)      Where’s the top of this hill… FML.

6)      Prickly heat… FML.

7)      How’d you lose your boat…? FML.

8)      Plane hasn’t landed in 5 weeks… FML.

9)      Where’s the bottom of this hill… FML.

10)  Crème Biscuits? Those are like Oreos right? FML.

11)  The wind just blew open my toilet door when I was wiping… FML.

12)  Kava… FML.

13)  I know they’re talking about me… What are they saying? FML.

14)  No, the last Volunteer did not speak local language NOMO… FML.

15)  Of course I’m fluent in local language… Stop speaking to me in local language… FML.

16)  Stringband? I’m actually enjoying this… FML.

17)  Why don’t any stores sell toilet paper? FML.

18)  You have a custom leaf for every health problem huh? Why did you want a Health Vol? FML.

19)  Drink tea? Sure! Wait. Where’s the tea? FML.

20)  Can’t leave my house today, trying to charge my solars… FML.

21)   It costs how much to get off Maewo!? FML.

22)  Why is it raining in my house? FML.

23)  Why does this toilet only have one wall? FML.

24)  I’m not so sure about this toilet… I hope these coconut tree stumps don’t fall down… FML.

25)  Why are there bones in my tin fish? FML.

26)  Wan Devil ia… FML.

27)  Why is my house at slant? Is this a joke? There rolls all my stuff… FML.

28)  I have to walk through that to my toilet!? Is it worth it…? FML.

29)  I have to pee sooooo bad… Why does no else ever have to pee? FML.

30)  I got kicked off ‘Team Talk’? No one sells top-up… FML.

31)  I ran out of hot sauce… FML.

32)  When did 72° become cold…? FML.

33)  Was that supposed to be funny? I missed the joke… FML.

34)  What’s that crawling in my roof? FML.

35)  How’d that spider get IN my net? FML.

36)  No, for the last time, I do not have Blue Video… FML.

37)  It’s 3 PM… I don’t think the Morning Community Meeting is happening… FML.

38)  I just walked an hour to get phone reception and my credit expired… FML.

39)  Why are there more babies than adults at my Community Meeting? FML.

40)  My cigarettes, vitamins, sports bras, t-shirts (among other things…) are all moldy… FML.

41)  Pretty sure sitting over this mosquito coil 24/7 is giving me a brain tumor… FML.

42)  Wake up, put on mosquito spray. Swim, put on mosquito spray. Just got bit between the toes… FML.

43)  Roach shit on my toothbrush. Rat shit on my dishes. FML.

44)  I check my mail every 3 – 4 months… FML.

45)  My village compares my “Wokbaot Skills” and “Fit-ness” to Nik – a marathon runner… FML.

46)  Another mosquito bit me on the ass while using the toilet… FML.

47)  It has rained every single day of “dry season”… FML.

48)  Why…? FML.

49)  Just spent a day writing FMLs… FML.

And from the more refined mind of Mister Man Bush Himself Nic Thiltges

50)  God I have to listen to people complain about Maewo, again… FML

I do exist... and I am awesome

I'm still alive. I really need to post a blog. I will just busy. I'm extending my service. I'll be working at the SHEFA Provincial Health Office in Port Vila next year. Home for the holidays and then back to Vanuatu in January. I'll try and get on this...

To America, From Vanuatu, With Love

So, I was going through one of my numerous ‘thoughtful’ moments as I walked back from the school in the evening and I just couldn’t help but start compiling a list of “Things I Miss in America” and, in contrast, “Things I Love About Vanuatu” and I decided, at that moment, that I needed to write these thoughts down (and, of course, share them with everyone). I continued to ponder these questions in a kava-induced stupor later that night and once I found the time I wrote them down. This blog is the finished product of those efforts.

      To America with Love (Things I Miss – in no particular order)

20-mile long runs at Nike HQ with Troy immediately followed by breakfast at Hometown Buffet (and don’t forget the coupons).

Long runs with Braxton following nights of copious amounts of drinking.

Politically incorrect, socially inappropriate, and morally reprehensible conversations with Justin.

Completely pointless, heated arguments with Crawford over arbitrary topics.

Dunkin’ Donuts (this one will probably have to wait awhile unless DD expands to the West Coast or I happen to end up in the Northeast again and following DD is probably a rather unimportant factor in choosing a career and place to settle down, but worse decisions have been made).

Regular access to Fast-Food establishments.

The McGriddle™.

Lack of Kava.

Cold weather.

Running on a team – finally feeling the longing again.

Running on something, anything, that is not a 200m round soccer field.

Regular access to Milk

Refrigeration, Microwaves, and Bacon.

From Vanuatu with Love (Things I Love – in no particular order)

Kava (like most things in my life, it’s a love/hate relationship)

PCVs – I’m not sure if it’s because PCVs are just totally awesome people or because after being on an island for so long any American would make me all warm and tingly.

Port Vila – some might disagree, but considering that our Peace Corps office is in the middle of a tourist hotspot, I think we are pretty lucky. Once again, it might just be my desperation for Western World Creature Comforts, but I’ve noticed that some PCVs don’t get as much satisfaction as I get from the destination.

Work. I’m a work-aholic. A lazy one, but a work-aholic nonetheless. Work can be slow, but I really do enjoy not being in a classroom finally.

Voodoo – Late-night Port Vila hotspot. Some PCVs will definitely disagree with me, but I am quite fond of the night club.

The Women – ‘nuf said.

Nambawan Bitter – micro-brewed in Vanautu.

Bananas or Taro and Coconut Milk.

Nalot Breadfruit (Blackman Cake) – they roast breadfruit over a open fire, then on a big piece of wood they pound the fruit into a pulp until it looks like a giant pancake, after which they pour boiling coconut milk all over it.

Fresh fruit – especially mangoes and pineapple.

Access to fresh fish, shellfish, pork, beef, and chicken on a fairly regular basis.

The breath-taking beauty that constantly surrounds me – especially awesome while stoned on kava.

Kenny. As soon as he asked me if I had “Blue Video” – pornography – his place on this list was assured.

Being able to walk around shirtless in athletic shorts all the time and still considered a professional – being judged on my knowledge and character, not what I wear or look like.

Island Hopping.

Bislama Gems

When I first got to Vanuatu, I remember Bislama sounding like an awesome foreign language; later I learned that was because I was hearing a Puerto Rican speaking it and that added an extra flair. Bislama is basically mispronouncing the English language. Once you learn Bislama it loses all of its grandeur. The one good thing is that Ni-Vanuatu really appreciate the ability to speak in Bislama and that makes the language endearing, but the best part of the language is trying to discover how to explain things with limited word choice (i.e. the immune system, HIV/AIDS, family planning). In 2000, Bislama had approximately 3,500 words opposed to English, which had approximately 35,000. Following is a list of my favorite Bislama words and phrases with their appropriate pronunciations and translations – some of these, in my opinion, are very creative. Remember, I have a very juvenile sense of humor – and spent most of Pre-service Training laughing at these – so don’t be overly serious as you read. In that same vein, some of these aren’t very appropriate (or are slang).

Bislama (Pronunciation) – Translation

Gat Hed (Got Head) – to be intelligent

Blong Mi (Blow Me) – mine

Woman Blong Mi (Woman Blow Me) – my wife

Naoia ia Nao (Now ya ya Now) – the time is now

Dikim Hol (Dick-mm Hole) – dig a hole

Givim Titi (Give-mm Titty) – to breastfeed

Titi Botl (Titty Bottle) – baby bottle

Faetem Kok (Fight-mm Cock) – masturbate

Rod Blong Sitsit (Road Blow Sit Sit) – colon

Rod Blong Pikinini (Road Blow Pick i nin i) – vagina

Plen i Foldaon (Plane e Fall Down) – the plane landed

Ek i Foldaon (Egg e Fall Down) – a woman is fertile 

Observations: Women

Now to begin, this is not psychoanalysis of the female mind. I am far from qualified to perform such a task both academically and socially. Hell, I don’t even have a basic understanding of the female mind. I am far, far, far under qualified to tell you “what women want”. I don’t mean to be overly self-deprecating, but it should be stated beforehand that I am lousy at understanding women. Even my closest relationships with women commonly contain heated arguments and unfathomable misunderstandings. Seriously, I’m bad; so, going into this, just remember: I’m just making an observation.

Back in the States, women were confusing, but they at least made sense. I knew when they were angry, sad, happy, you know, general emotions, but here in Vanuatu, the land of passive-aggression and backwards emotions (if emotions are shown at all) I do not have a chance. In Port Vila it is many times easier. Port Vila has the heavy Western influence though – not so much on the outer islands. This brings me to my main point: Yangfala Gel (Young Girls) – girls ranging from mid-teens to my age and older (if they are still not married). You would think I would connect better with girls my own age opposed to being good friends with all the Mamas, who are 30 – 50+ with multiple children, but no, the opposite is true. I also fall into a different age bracket. While my age and single status qualifies me as a Yangfala, my education and position in the village push me up to Olfala – so I am like an Old Guy in a Young Guys body with the mentality of a Young Guy (somewhat). But to get back to the point: the women of my general age in the village. Generally, I am met with curious stares and nervous giggles. While at any of their houses with their parents (Young Women don’t move out of home until they are married) I am constantly pampered like I am unable to function on my own. Recently, during a health talk I made on Sexual Reproductive Health with the village in which I split the Talks into four groups – Young Girls, Mamas, Young Boys, and Papas –, I was confronted with the full range of emotions. While waiting for answers, which were extracted like pulling teeth (if at all), I was met with intense nervous giggles and eyes refusing to make any form of eye contact. While talking, I was met with random burst of nervous giggles and stares that immediately shied if I even glanced that direction.

Normally when I am met with laughter while making a speech, I presume that I said something wrong or stupid. So I’m standing there wondering if my fly is down – not the case – so WTF!? with the random bursts of giggles (it’s like they have hysterical hiccups). I just can’t grasp it; all the different emotions I can think of just don’t seem to fit. I believe they are just incredibly nervous around me, but that answer I just can’t understand. I believe they would go out of their way to avoid even hinting at a disparaging remark or action, so that would eliminate laughing at me. Maybe the subject matter, but no I’ve made groups of them explode into nervous giggles and quick, under-the-breath, local language conversations just by looking and saying ‘Hello’. This is a normal and common reaction that leaves me bewildered. How would I ever court (yes I used the word ‘court’ and I will damn well use it again) a woman in Naviso? If I ever tried talking to her, the conversation would be one-sided and she would be attacked by random fits of giggles. Besides the fact that courting would involve me coming in the night and knocking at her house until she came outside (this act is very appropriately called ‘creeping’). But if she is going to burst into giggles the moment I talk to her that will probably wake up the rest of the house – so much for being inconspicuous (defeating the purpose of creeping in the first place). Hell, I can even make some of the Mamas burst with giggles with a timed and concentrated look.

One time as I was walking to the other side, myself and two of my brothers passed a group of the Yangfala Gel on their way back over; we were going down a hill, them up the hill. As we reached the bottom and started climbing the other side out of the small valley, I glanced behind to find each and everyone looking at me and my brothers. At a prompting from my brother I asked, in local language, “What are you looking at?” The answer I received? “You.” – a clear and definitive “You.” Well, I don’t have the beginning of a clue. I’m not even sure you can call this an observation: I can’t even hypothesize based on this.

Observations: Hurricane Holy-SHIT-Fuck – Epic Tropical Low

Epic Tropical Low!? Gnarly Depression!? Yeah those don’t sound nearly as cool as Epic Hurricane and Gnarly Cyclone, but who uses the word Gnarly anymore anyway??

On Monday, January 30^th, after a nice rainstorm overnight and into the morning and after my second to last ‘Healthy Woman, Healthy Children, Health Family’ Talk, Nurse Nicholas informs me that the radio has reported a hurricane (‘cyclone’ in this part of the world) over Efate heading South. Over the next day and a half I hear the same thing as we get pounded mercilessly by winds and rain – I mean coconut trees were bending practically in half before snapping up straight when the winds died down a little bit. People were strapping down for a hurricane: preparing houses, repairing old and new damage – Hurricane Holy-SHIT-Fuck is on the way and we’re ready. Well, the Peace Corps Office finally gets back to me on that wonderful gadget they gave us: the Satellite Phone. I can’t begin to decry the SAT Phone now, it would take an entire blog, but I can at least say that, you would think – you would think – setting up a network of satellites for the use of advanced phone networks would mean that the same ingenuity would go into designing the actual phone and its functions, but, unfortunately, no. They could take some pointers from the Cell Phone companies. In an actual emergency, I think I would walk the hour up the hill to use my cell phone instead of waiting on the SAT Phone. Now, to get back to the point, the Peace Corps Office gets back to me and tells me that Hurricane Holy-SHIT-Fuck is actually a Tropical Low – Tropical Low Holy-SHIT-Fuck?? – and is, in fact, not over Efate, but next to us. The Epic Tropical Low was, at that time, hovering over Santo – much closer to Maewo, which would explain the shit storm that hit us. I have never seen this amount of rain or wind. People who had gone to the gardens came back to find the river a raging torrent and were unable to get across. The following day the river had torn apart the surrounding land and practically doubled in width. The ocean had destroyed the beach and scattered coral and coconut trees all over. Worst of all, I found that my toilet had flooded. This was discovered as I realized the toilet paper wasn’t going very far down. With a handy flashlight, I found that my toilet’s pit – not even half full the day before – was filled with water mixed with excrement and almost to the top – Holy-SHIT-Fuck! In my estimation, that qualifies as a natural disaster, but that’s just my observation.

Observations: A Problem of Perspective

Besides the obvious frustration of failing to get my Parents to Maewo – I mean we could SEE the island! SEE IT!!! – after getting them all the way to Vanuatu, I have also had to tell the sad story to every person on Maewo (word spreads fast). Retelling the tale over and over again has resulted in me reliving the frustration constantly. While this is, at times, trying, the real problem arises in the Ni-Vanuatu lacking a sense of time. Americans fear time. We constantly live in time’s shadow, procrastinating and loathing the passage of time as we near deadlines. From the time we’re born we start counting the days until the end. Some even choose to spend their lives counting down to the end of the world (December 20, 2012. Duh!). Ni-Vanuatu do not share this dread of time’s passage. I believe they actually appreciate the passage of time – time passes very slowly out here. The island life, day to day living, never hurrying is at complete odds with the American life of planning months and years in advance, always rushing to meet deadlines, and sticking to stringent schedules. Nic Thiltges later recollected to me that his host family was completely shocked and could not understand my hurry as I rushed out of the village on my way to Naviso and eventually back to my Parents on Ambae.

Many times, Ni-Vanuatu will travel between the islands because of work or family. Transportation in this country, to use a cliché, will cost you an arm and a leg – it’s severely expensive. This, obviously, is a disadvantage for a nation filled with 83 small islands. Luckily, following the various cargo ships from port to port is cheap. Unfortunately, riding on a cargo ship might be the single most unpleasant experience ever. Cargo ships here are not glorious modern marvels, but usually a decommissioned Chinese-owned ship used in the Solomon Islands that was shipped down here and fixed up-to-grade for cargo. This is not to say all the cargo ships are like this, some are newer ships and all are locally-owned, but these are not ships that exude comfort and relaxation on the open sea; more often these ships exude bad smells, hunger, and vomiting. Almost every Peace Corps in Vanuatu has a horror story of ship travel. Everyone tries at least once, if not multiple times because it is significantly cheaper than all other forms of travel (Plane, Boat, Truck, etc.). But we must remember that the cheap costs are because the owners of the ships don’t care about you – they care about their cargo and profit. This is not to say they are inhuman, but they have a profit-motive and your schedule or rumbling belly doesn’t mean much in comparison. Thus, your ride will never be pleasant. You might have to sleep on a bag of kava; your trip might go from an expected 4 days to 2 weeks and with a lack of food your husband might have to call his friend, who happens to be the chef on the boat, so that you and your 1-year old don’t starve to death; you may spend 30-hours continuously rocked by the South Seas just wanting to vomit; you may find that, after going Number-2, the ship does not stock their toilets with toilet paper; you may find that running water in the faucets of the toilets was not thought important enough; you may find that comfort is much more important than saving money; you may find that being a badass riding a cargo ship in the South Pacific is a passing feeling. Ultimately, riding a ship is a majestic feeling, but is short-lived when confronted with living on a boat for more than a day. To get back the point, cargo ships can take excessive amounts of time to get places: Schedules are flexible, break downs happen frequently, and it takes a long time to traverse Vanuatu in these ships. Thus, when Ni-Vanuatu travel from the outer islands they rarely have a set schedule and never know when they will come back. In one instance I met a man from my village at a Maewo Kava Bar in Port Vila in August – I had no idea he had left Naviso, the last time I saw him was in March on his way to Lolowai Hospital on Ambae and he apparently jumped a ship to Port Vila – and he told me he would be back by September; upon taking my Dad to his first kava at the same kava bar, in later October, the same man hands me my kava – he eventually got back to Maewo in late November. Basically, very frequently, Ni-Vanuatu leave for unknown extended periods and just come back whenever.

Well this kind of leisure is not afforded by Travel Agents and thus my Parents were stuck in a Don’t you dare try changing me or the fell agents of the Travel Industry will fall open you like locusts and the rivers will run red with blood  Travel Schedule. Just trying to shift the entire package ahead a day, months in advance, risked incurring the wrath of the Galactic Empire known as Azumano Travel and the Collective Airline Agencies, but fees were the least of the problem: everything had to fall into place exactly as the Travel Agency had planned it – this can be problematic in the developing world, especially in an island nation with less than satisfactory transportation and unpredictable weather (we’re on the Ring of Fire people!! Check a map – we’re a disaster zone). Vice versa, the Ni-Vanuatu do not grasp this kind of stringent, no excuses, no tardiness schedule. Thus my biggest problem with telling everyone that my Parents couldn’t make it is the constant questions of when will they try again and why couldn’t they wait on Ambae until the weather was better. Well, the exorbitant prices and my Mom would kill me, to answer those respectively. Unfortunately, those don’t really sate their questions. I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but the idea that they only had a small window of time to get to Naviso and that the window passed and they missed it has been nearly impossible to convey. I believe some people understand that it was a one-shot deal and wasn’t possible, but the majority cannot grasp why they could get to Vanuatu, but not to Maewo – the Peace Corps Volunteer got there, why not his parents? I’ve found that this is one of the biggest cultural barriers I’ve confronted while trying to reach understanding. After being here for a year, I too do not understand why travel schedules are so stringent and inflexible. While the cost in Vanuatu for transportation is highway robbery, at least they don’t make you pay fees every time you need to change your schedule – at least you can change your schedule. I think flexibility is something America could benefit from – just an observation. 

Wok i Kik: A Work Update

I follow a number of different blogs: friends of mine from before Peace Corps and PCVs I am currently serving with. Everyone I follow is a friend or past acquaintance of mine working internationally, in some shape or form, as an Aid/Development worker and I’ve started to notice a trend: I feel like the only ‘blogger’ – yeah, that is a horrible word – that never starts a blog with “Today at the office…” This is made impossible by my situation; when I wake up for work, it is completely up to me and my own independent thoughts to decide what work I will do – sounds great, huh? I can’t tell you how much I want a 9 – 5 job right now with a set of objectives, goals, and deadlines (we do have these in our project framework, but deadlines are non-existent). That way if I finish my work and slack off, I will still feel accomplished. Now I can’t slack off or I feel the looming shadow of guilt. Bah! Thus, I spend my days and weeks working on everything I can and eventually realizing that I have burnt out all possibilities of additional work way too early and thus the cycle begins again: work frenzy, work, rest, guilt, work frenzy, work, rest, guilt, etc. etc. Never thought I would be demanding a 9 – 5, but any structure would be nice – I really appreciate structure (it’s an OCD-perfectionist thing). Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the freedom and trust Peace Corps gives us (some might say ‘has to give us’ – considering the island set-up). I am allowed to make my own professional decisions regarding my development projects and nothing could be more empowering. I just want some structure every now and then. Whatever, complaining isn’t going to get me anywhere, so I continue working to the best of my ability and creativity. Now, to waste no further time (because you probably have a 9 – 5 and loath me now): today at the office…

Everybody Poops: Thanks Australia High Commission

Well it’s true. Australian High Commission and thus the Government of Australia and the good people of Australia have funded the construction of 83 Ventilation-Improved (VIP) Toilets thus making sure the people of Naviso have some really nice holes to poop in. The Australian High Commission Direct Aid Programme used approximately 350,000 VT (4,000 USD) to buy all of the cement, PVC pipes, nails, black paint, vent cowls, and freight costs to ship the materials to Naviso. Now we are waiting on one of the two ships (Aurora or Huvutu) to make a Copra-run and thus bring all cargo to Naviso. This was always going to be the problem – I even stated in the application – without consistent ship travel it’s hard to determine what time a ship will come to Naviso. With an April 30^th Deadline this becomes more pertinent (though I believe they will be lenient on this one). During my time in Port Vila, I’m going to have to try and figure out the time the ship will be coming via Reynold (Maewo’s Copra Mill Agent) and the Copra Mill; additionally, I will have to communicate this information to Norman at Santo Hardware to try and set-up a time to get the materials on a ship coming to Naviso. Moreover, I’m not quite sure how Australian High Commission plans to freight. I will be tidying these things up during February and hopefully work can start late February or March.

During early January, I trained the Village Toilet Committee (charged with leading this project) in the exact specifications for the VIP Toilets with the available materials. I have no illusions this project will be easy, but I think in the end it will be an accomplishment of note for the community; because of the significance of the project for the community, I want to make sure everything goes well and we finish all 83 toilets, but I know that development projects don’t always work out perfectly and in Vanuatu many things can interfere with progress, so I’m not raising expectation to much… Hah! Yeah right! My expectations are sky high and I’m really just constantly worried about everything involved with the project. The hardest part will be getting the materials to Naviso. As soon as that happens I think I will be able to breathe again. Once the materials get here I believe the construction will fall into place; like any kind of work in Vanuatu: it won’t be conventional, but it will get done.  

Laying Pipe in Vanuatu: Water for Life

The PCPP for a new gravity-fed water system in Naviso officially started raising money in November and as of now we’ve raised 200,000 VT (approx. 2,000 USD). We need to raise approximately 1,060,000 VT (approx. 11,500 USD) so we definitely have some time to wait, but in the end we will be able to build the new water system and that’s the important part. Unfortunately, at the rate we are raising money I might be extending, in Naviso, for a few years. Once the money is raised we can approach Rural Water Supply (RWS) and start a program for constructing the new pipeline.

During November I used the GPS Lindsay borrowed from RWS to conduct the water supply survey for RWS. I went to the old water source and three new water sources. Additionally, I marked the main areas of the village on the GPS. The survey required me to mark the GPS location, elevation of source, elevation to main village, measure the flow rate (liters/second), and mark any other observation about the source. Additionally, I conducted a H₂S Test – testing the water for bacterial contamination (unfortunately the test does not tell you what kind of bacteria) – and I kept a photographic record of the water sources. Lindsay was able to take the survey into RWS in Port Vila when she went back to America for Christmas. During February, I will be following up, for the both of us, with RWS. Hopefully, the survey will allow for a more accurate design and budget for the proposed water supply. Now we can only wait.   

S-E-X Spells: A Mighty Fine Time Educational Time

During late January, a few weeks before I was set to fly into Port Vila, I planned two talks – one for men and one for women – about Women’s Sexual Reproductive Health and Maternal and Child Health. Specifically, the topics were ‘what is menstruation and what does it mean for a woman’, ‘family planning’ (introducing the female condom and explaining the options of family planning available to them in Naviso), ‘spacing children’, ‘exclusive-breastfeeding and healthy foods for the first two years’, and finally ‘vaccination’.

The day after I announce the talks – entitled ‘Healthy Woman, Healthy Children, Healthy Family’ – the Nurse Aid approaches me and tells me that when he did these talks in West Maewo he separated young girls from the Mamas and young boys from the Papas or they will be afraid to ask questions if they feel ashamed. Well, duh! Why didn’t I think of that!? At that point my health talks just doubled to four, but when am I going to announce this? You see, in Naviso you can only really make announcements on Sundays (after Church – kind of a trap, huh?) and I’ve learned that is not good to announce an event the day before – the next Sunday being a day before the first planned talk on January 23^rd. In the end, I decide to change the program thus, January 23^rd and 24^th for young girls and Mamas, respectively, and January 30^th and January 31^st for young boys and fathers, respectively. I decide I will announce this the day before and hope it works out. Of course, in the tradition of giving me advice based on nothing and usually proving unfounded, Hamlison, upon hearing about the change, voices dissent and tells me to just keep the old schedule. I persuade him that the new program is better and he is now game.

I think if anything, the schedule change actually brought more attention to the talks and raised interest. Moreover, each group now had to represent or risk insulting the Peace Corps. While I joke about this I have come to believe that the people of Naviso actually like to talk about sex and reproductive health. During the HIV/AIDS workshop, which covered some reproductive health topics and STIs too, I believed the turnout was because of the free pig and rice and the arrival of other PCVs, but now I believe that the subject matter holds the greatest influence.

During the first two talks I had 25 young girls and then approximately 50 mothers crammed into a classroom. Turns out the young girls would have benefitted from either, 1) being with the mothers or 2) me being a female, they were just too nervous around me to ask questions. The Mamas though stopped me in my tracks. I was barely able to move from one activity to the next because of the onslaught of questions. Next, I had 24 young boys and they let me down, but in the expected ways. When I was their age I laughed at this stuff and I definitely understand the belief: “that’s true, but it won’t happen to me”. These are typical thoughts of teenage boys. I had hoped they would ask more questions, but they proved as nervous, if not more so, than the young girls. To their benefit a few of the older boys asked a number of questions – which did not happen with the young girls. And last but not least: the Papas. 26 came to the talk in the middle of a supposed Hurricane (actual Tropical Low) – not that that’s an excuse for the numbers to be so much lower than the Mamas, but the weather was pretty ridiculous; on the other hand we had rainstorms on both the women’s days too. Actually, it poured rain every time there was a talk (God must be trying to tell us something about Family Planning). The Papas also managed to stall the progress of the talk with numerous questions, which was greatly appreciated. Of course, the guys questions jumped all over the place until they started asking about genetic deformities (babies that have faces like stingrays) and how this might come from having sex in the jungle opposed to their house and whether or not anal sex is safe (not anywhere close to the planned information). But the guys did prove to have real interest in learning more and I greatly appreciated their participation.

Luckily, throughout this all, Nurse Nicholas was there (not the one from Pentecost – he is currently at the Kerembei Health Center on West Maewo filling in for the Nurse there who abandoned his post after some sort of incident with a woman. He apparently won’t be coming back – but the Man Naviso himself who has been living in Gaiofo on West Maewo) for every talk. This man has been a godsend and now I finally understand the ‘counterpart’. Up until now, I haven’t worked much with a counterpart. I pretty much scavenge counterparts throughout the village depending on the project. Nicholas showed up unprompted and thanks to the medical encyclopedia in his head and his ability to speak the local language he brought these talks to the next level.

In the end, I have to say that the talks probably could have stayed as Women and Men, but I understand Nicholas’ reason behind splitting them up. I actually believe there was greater turnout because of the various splits – 125 all together – even if the splits did not result in more questions from the youngsters. Moreover, I feel that the community really appreciated the talks and it always feels great when the appreciation feels tangible. If had to end my service today – knock on wood – I would feel that these talks were worth it. I definitely feel that I can be more effective in my second year and these talks, though small, have proven to be my favorite memory, regarding my work, and are sure to be one of my greatest successes in Naviso.

GAD: Gender and Development

Way back in March 2011, the GAD committee had a second round of applications, they were looking for an additional committee member. Back during PST-I (Sept. – Nov. 2010), I had thought about applying, but I was more concerned with the transition to site. Thus, the application constantly slipped my mind and I never sat down to fill it out. So when March came around and there was another chance I eagerly filled out an application. After this I went back to site and did not hear about GAD until I went to their Training of Trainers (ToT) in Ambae. There I learned that I had not been chosen for GAD.

Didn't think the story would go that way? Did ya? Well it did and I went on and forgot about GAD (no harm no foul). Of course, I still worked with GAD regularly and helped them in any way I could: creating programs and introducing GAD concepts to other PCVs. I just was not an official member (no benefits). Then, in August, I was asked by the GAD committee if I would like to join – on the possibility that they can acquire additional funding for another member – and I gladly accept the appointment. The funding is secured and I become a permanent member to the GAD committee. The fit works as I had included GAD components in every workshop that I had conducted  at site; thus, I had a good working knowledge of GAD theory and was ready and eager to participate in the work effort to promote GAD principles in PCV work and throughout Vanuatu.

All this work started with one of the trimester GAD meetings – which conveniently landed on the three days I was supposed to spend with my Parents in Port Vila (shocker!). Well, it worked out. I spent the days with the GAD committee and every break and evening rushing around finding my Parents and getting ready for Australia. Though it was rather stressful, I did get the perk of sleeping at the Grand Casino/Resort Hotel in the Maewo Suite opposed to the normal accommodations allotted to Peace Corps (not that those are bad, just not air-conditioned). The result of the GAD meetings was a change in the mission statement and new goals and objectives for the year. The changes were to emphasize GAD related activities and lessen the importance of Youth Initiatives while still retaining a once yearly ToT. In that vein, I was tasked with revising a PACA guide for education volunteers to use with teachers and school committees. Additionally, I created three sections of a 6-part Gender-based Violence (GBV) program. Nancy and Mac created the other three parts. Nancy and I will be presenting the PACA guide to G-24 during their PST-II and Nancy, Mac, and I will be presenting the GBV program to G-23 during their MST-II. These also being the reasons I am coming into Port Vila in February (staying until March to work and because it’s too expensive to send me back to the island and then bring me back in during late February).

I and most of GAD (can’t speak for all of them) are very excited about these programs – Nancy recently told me that me might be able to find funding through USAID for the GBV program. We’re going to stress waiting to implement the GBV program for your 2^nd year as you understand the community better and their more comfortable with you – it is a touchy subject. But the PACA guide can be used very early – and it should for the best benefit, but I have also discovered that your work can be much more effective in the 2^nd year. It’s kind of a conundrum: you have less time, but the quality is better. Unfortunately, quality can’t buy you time for long-term projects. Of course, you could always extend or make the project so sustainable and independent of yourself that the community will carry on in your absence – we can all dream.

And in conclusion…

Well that wraps it up for the work update. Many things have happened, much more than I have recapped here, but I hope this small summary gives you an idea of what I am doing in the South Seas: drinking kava and eating pig.