Well, I’ve seen more expensive prices
Today, as I was walking purposefully down the “public road”, after finishing my run at the school, I saw that the Nurses had put a new notice on the Dispensary notice board. Previously, this board was used primarily for my public health posters, promoting the benefits of cutting your fingernails and using a toilet, but, more recently, the board has been adopted for its actual purpose of announcing Dispensary, work-related news (olsem the Nurse’s schedule and hours). Today I saw that they had put up a fee notice. The notice was basically a menu of different services offered and their respective prices: out-patient fee 150 VT, in-patient fee 300 VT, etc. – nothing special… right? Well, I thought so too until I got to the bottom and read: circumcisions 1000 VT or you can pay with two fowl or one piglet. Maybe the chickens, but I’m not giving up a pig to cut the top of my child’s penis off, no sir; I don’t care anything nothing about possible hygienic possibilities.
I wouldn’t go to that extreme
The other day, Jennifer and I sat “storian-ing” with our neighbors in Tanbwalu, outside the nakamal. Jennifer had to go to the store and since I was at her house and the store is on the way back to my house we ended up passing the nakamal together. This led to us both sitting down for a toktok. After a barrage of comments about Jennifer’s recent trip to Pentecost – leading to the realization that as PCVs, we travel around Vanuatu a lot more than the locals – the Mamas we were talking with got into the usual groove of commenting on how ‘fatfat’ aelan laef has made Jennifer – ‘fatfat’ being a compliment here. Finally, Jennifer had to go and, with a final ‘fatfat’ comment thrown at Jennifer as she walked away, the comments were then directed at me: this is when and how the arguments developed. Two Mamas, Marian and Hanson, could not agree if Kava or running was preventing me from becoming ‘fatfat’ because, of course, trips to Port Vila make me ‘fatfat’, but I lose all my weight in Naviso and become ‘bunbun’ – I would say the difference overall is negligible, but maybe the mass Taro consumption is making an impact.That would be cool… possibly…
Since Peace Corps has changed its focus to goal three: returned PCVs sharing the culture of their host country with fellow Americans, I’ve begun to think about the possibility of Peace Corps paying for one person in every volunteer’s site to return with the PCV to the US for a small trip, olsem wan wik. This payment would include round trip fare and medical expenses and would be up to the PCVs discretion (if they want to do it and who to choose). After these thoughts, I have continually thought about whom I would take back, presupposing this was possible. I’ve thought about my Host Papa or maybe a good friend. Lately, I have thought that I would ask my host papa samting olsem: What would you say if I told you I could pay your road to come stay with me in America for a week? After this question I would let him make the decision. He might go “Hell yes!!” or he might recommend one of my brothers – who would have a longer time to tell stories to the following generations (not to sound morbid regarding my Papa’s life expectancy). Then I came to the realization that this might be a scary possibility for any of the people I took, similar to my transition in Vanuatu. It’s hard to think of it that way because the US is home to me, but not to them. Granted they wouldn’t being staying for two year, leaving home and going so far can be a, simply, shocking experience. I think an older candidate or an adventurous youth would be best… if this was possible.
Nik,
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a really good idea. I think it is good to show the differences in culture and to educate people on the outside world. Especially those that live on island nations that would not otherwise get around that much off of there homelands.