Round Island Relay

Well, it was an early start this morning in the support vechile for Wan Smolbag’s team in the Round Island Relay. This was stared when Vanuatu got Independence and 3 teams of 10 runners circled the island in a day, which until then, the villages had thought impossible, however, along the way they united all the villages in their journey. 27 years on its still going stong, with teams coming from New Caladonia, Australia and NZ. Our boys were in the lead (of the less competitive teams) for the first few legs but our girls in the team weren’t quite as strong so we ended coming in 3rd in the Mixed teams, and 10th overall which was pretty good! Overall time was 10hr, 15mins, I think the record is about 8.20 and there are still teams coming in now (several well over 13 hours now.) so they did really well…..especially considering most of them ran the gravel road in bare feet or jandals!!! It was amazing seeing the champion guys, doing 3 minute kms in bare feet along the gravel!!!!!!!!!!!! Crazy huh!!!

But a cool day – got a flattie, saw some good bush techniques of how to change a tire (!!!), the driver fell asleep at the wheel (it was a 4am start) and it was a super hot day so testing for all! Good to be involved though!

Festivities are well and truly underway now with all the stalls having big events during the days and nights (mamas running races, island dress competitions, hiphop comps, you name it, they got it!!) Tomorrow we’re having a hockey tournament out at work which will hopefully be fun and then Monday is actually Independence….no gat plan yet….

Then work on Tueday and sailing to the Maskelynes Islands on Wednesday to volunteer at a sailing school (wahoo!!) so am really looking forward to that! I love the fact im going on holiday from my tropical island to a tropical island……maybe this one will be a little bit closer to the paradise we all imagine…???

Will update more on the sailing soon, and more Independence stories!

Much love,

Miri

Opps, I meant they got Independance in 1980...this is the 27th celebration...

Independance

Well, its been a fairly quiet week here...Vanuatu celebrates Independance on July 30th. In 1989 they took charge, booted out the french and british and began forming their own identity. This is when the infamous String bands started as they wanted to foster a unique style of music to Vanuatu, the motto for the new coutry was "Long God yumi stanup" which pretty much means We believe in God, or we stand on God,which is why church and traditional regilious practises have been so well preserved! All schools teach RE, church is very well ingrained in the culture.

Each year though Independance celebrartions are HUGE and lots of bamboo stalls are being set up along the side of the roads where people will sell food to whoever is walking past....all the youth who usually come to the youth centre are busy constructing these stalls and im told for the next 2 weeks work will be dead as all the youth just walkabout in town, checking out everything thats happening! Ill put a photo in my next post when i get my camera back...

SO works quiet...otherwise life is good. Mum sent the dvd of my 21st so it was awesome to watch that and see everyones faces and be reminded of good times!!

I was meant to be biking around the island today for the next few days but last night we had a huge thunder and lightening storm and its raining again now so it was probably a good idea to put it off. But looking forward to when we do do it.

Still planning on the sailing school in the Maskelyne Islands sometime after next week (just gotta keep a lookout for the boat when it arrives int he harbour and then jump on board!!)

Hope all is well at home!
Much love and hugs, hope the Peak 2 Peak went great for everyone involved!!!

Here are a few more pics of the adventures with mum and dad....Mum crossed all cultural boundaries and joined the String Band for a song...it was awesome! Then some of the local boys hanging out at sunset, and me, with Mum and Dad last night for a nice tea out beside the boats...

Been back at work this week which has been good - Leina's away so it full-on!

On thursday I snuck away for the day and went round the island with and dad and some of the other vols who have work on the otherside...It was so cool to see the rest of the island!!! Some really nice beaches, nice bush...half of the island is covered in this creeper stuff which the americans brought in WW2 for camoflague....its works brilliantly, but doesn't let much else grow...

Saw turtles, a WW2 coke bottle museum (classic guy, speaking in an american accent, collecting glass bottles...), and sussed out some possible nap places for a circum-cycle-navigation next weekend!! If i make it through the first day, and then the first halfhour of the 2nd day Ill come back alive!! We're taking 3 days, me and 2 aussie vols so it should be cool!

Saw mum and dad off this morning, and then a big training ride....im starting to seize up...haha

The mighty Yasur Volcano

Facts about Tanna:
Home of the world's most accessible volcano
Home of local Vanuatu coffee (mum and dad saw a coffee tree....)
Over 20 languages throughout the island
Southern most port where yachties can clear customs (for vanuatu)
Has the best cultural tour in all the WORLD!!

Hey All!

Well, its been so fantastic having family here the last few weeks! My cuzzie Trina came for a week to do some filming for VSA which was awesome. She hung out at work with me and filmed what was happening, so that will go in a dvd to show schools, and unis about volunteering. Then Mum and Dad arrived and my much awaited week off work has been so much fun! Its been great showing mum and dad round, introducing them to my friends and workmates. I think they have enjoyed it too! I've managed to get to a few touristy places I hadn't been too so that was nice, some cool waterfalls and - most excitingly - Yasur Volcano on Tanna island!!!

Yasur Volcano -

We were met at the airport by a truck which took us to the other end of Tanna, lots of kids on the road, and small villages every so often. Eventually, we got to the ash fields at the base of the volcano which was such a different landscape. It was like being on the moon....or what the moon might look like....anyway, a quick stop at our jungle bungalows (thatch rooves, holey mossie nets, and damp dirty beds), then it was straight up the volcano for dusk. So we drove most of the way up and then walked the last wee bit right up to the crater rim. As the sun went down and it got darker the volcano became more and more impressive. We had a few really big explosions, which spat out huge bits of red hot rock into the air. It was the most impressive fireworks ever! And just unreal standing so close and hearing the thudding of the red hotr rocks as they hit the ground and you realised just how big they were! Any big explosion was followed by the sound a second or so later, along with a heat rush from the rocks. SO IMPRESSIVE!!! Good adrenalin rush!

The next morning we experienced the most scary/amusing.realistic cultural experience I've ever had, and probably will have. We were led through the bush and then left to make our own way, at which point several traditionally dressed men jumped out of the bushes and pretended we were the first white people they had seen. Complete with clubs, body paint and screaming, it was quite frightening! As we progressed through the bush they acted out how they caught pigs, made food, made fire (rubbing the sticks method), and how they made mats out of leaves....very impressive acting! They never slipped out of character, even as they were discussing which one of us would be the best option for eating...I think they were deciding on dad.....

The only regret is that we didnt stay longer! But a good taste of things to be experienced outside of Vila and the big city here.

My week off has gone far too quick but mum and dad are still here for another week which will be awesome.

More stories soon!

mi laekem...

Things I love....

1. Icecream
2. Cute island kids
3. Getting funding proposals approved
4. Having lunch with random people in Vanuatu (Malc's parents!!!!)
5. only 2 weeks til ma and pa come!

Well, other funding got approved so thats both my boys off to get formal qualifications!! Yes!!! It was awesome seeing how stoked they were to leanr they were ogingto uni! Very satisfying.

I met malcs gordons parents forthe first time int he weekend....in Vanuatu.....(is that wierd or what!!) So lovely to hang out with them, and get to know them, haha. Love it.

Gt another few weeks booked of being youth centre manager which is exciting! And am in the process of writing manuals for setting up the seasonal workers thing here. O and still trying to work something for computer class (but soon we'l have qualified tutors!!!)

Just a quick note today, but am alive! Just had another hockey session tonight which went well. And am really looking forward to seeing mum and dad!

Better go, but loving your emails and thoughts!

Right, blessings,
Miri

busi, busi

Pics - some pikininis from work (cute a!) and some of the kids at the completion of their opti sailing course.

Man,so much has happened in the last few weeks – its one of those phases where EVERYTHING seems to be happening at once…

The holiday camp idea has been down-sized to a morning programme due to the campsite not being available, which is cool. So we are going to do some games, and some health activities, and paint a big mural on one of the walls about youth issues! I’m excited! (hopefully it’l turn out somewhat like I’m imagining in my mind…)

I’ve managed to get funding for one youth to do some courses at uni here which is cool! So I’m going to sit with him sometime before I leave and try to remodel the computer classes. I’m hoping to integrate literacy and maths and pacidic studies etc into the computer syllabus so then the kids are learning two things once, instead of just playing games ALL day long. But that will take quite a bit of internet surfing finding resources and the like, so if anyone has secret websites that offer free resources – let me know!!

Am meeting with Rotary tomorrow to try and get some funding for our upcoming IT fixit man – hopefully that’s successful.

Then Thursday, its going to a meeting to present a proposal for a doco my cuz is hoping to come and make, all about Ni-Van values and culture, what its like to be a youth, how they express themselves through dance (we got a big hiphop comp comingup, and Vanuatus big music fest which they’ll be performing in…) and how volunteers are helping/learning from the whole process. So that’s interesting.

Leina has gone to Santo and left me with the keys for the centre (PARTY!!!) So its quite fun keeping things together, and trying to implement new systems (a registration system for each class, not as easy as it sounds).

Am making small progress on finding out info about the seasonal workers scheme, and what we need to do from this end to be a part of it. It will be very cool to set this up so fingers crossed we can get it al together.

An opportunity has come up to volunteer on an outer island at a sailing school for two weeks!!!!!!! This is the only place in Vanuatu they still sail their outrigger canoes to their gardens! Very isolated and supplies are dependant on ships which may or may not come. So they are running a month long sailing and boat building school. They are goingto build a 28ft Wharram Catamaran, and apparently I get to teach them sailing in Hobie Cats!! Man, so excited! So that’s very cool! Two weeks on village food will be interesting but hopefully i’ll cope!

Hockey is going well, Literacy is going well, Church is going great (have taught them another new Hillsong song for our Gospel mega-fest!!!)Oh yea.

But amping for this sailing school, and for seeing ma and pa soon, and for everything else that is going to come up.

SERIOUS SIDE - Have realised i may have done some things the hard way round...but thats good learning. The interesting thing with development is that people end up expecting hand-outs, or expecting someone to fund things for them. This isnt good. But then, coming to think of it, compared to them i had everything handed to me too as a kid. Hmmmm. Keeps me thinking anyway.(Point raised by the beautiful anna star, top effort i thought)

Development is also a bit like leading someone to know christ (sorry, if youre not into church you may laugh at this, if you are, youll know what I mean). You never know whether you are planting the seed, whether you are watering it, or whether you get to harvest it and see the results. Some of the things that seem to be coming together certainly havent come from me. I just get to take it the final steps. Likewise, I cant expect everything i start to be amazingly successful this year, but rather let it grow as time goes on....just some thoughts...

Well, will leave it there.

Ale olgeta,

Blessings,
Miri

Island Night

Well....country has made it to the pacific! We had an island fundraiser at church last night (good old sausage sizzle was awesome!) Heaps of different acts, some good choirs, some bad choirs, some string bands....one group did a dance to this hick country song. Haha it was awesome. They even had cowboy hats, and were doing line dancing type stuff. man i cracked up!

And saw my first group of pacific dancing girls - all shaking and swaying their hips which was pretty cute! (They were all little)But these guys really know how to have a lucrative fundraising night! so much food, and stuff. So cool to be involved and helping out!

Hopefully going to run a holiday camp for school kids in the next holidays which would be cool! Getting excited about possibilities!

Just wanted to post this picture up - arent they cute!!

More Pics

A few more pics - one of the dancers, and me with the young girls who I talked with.

"Naghol" - Land Diving

Hello!

Well had an exciting trip to Pentecost Island, home of the Land diving or "Naghol". This is true blue adrenelin junkie sport - think bungy without the bungy! Every year they build a huge vine tower and then all men hurl themselves off different levels with vines attached to their feet - why? To ensure a good yam harvest! Its also a coming of age thing for the boys so they have different levels, with the big man going from the very top. All the villagers stand around and chant and dance, the jumper reaches his hands heavenward (saying his prayers no doubt), claps a few times and then jumps! The vines are measured so their head touches the ground! Actually. They jump off and hit the ground! And if their vines isnt quite long enough then then get jolted backwards - looks sooo painful! And then then stand up, cut the vines off and limp away to join the dancers! Man, we're pansy in NZ!! (or sensible...)

They do it all in kastom dress - i've never been surrounded by so many practically naked men! Wow! The "nambas" is the kastom male dress - consists of a belt with a branch in the back to cover that side and a wee pouch for only one of the three on the front and everything else just hangs out! One poor guy lost his pouch as he landed so he got up and scampered off into the bushes to make a new one - arwkard!
And the females have just their grass skirts.

The dancing and chanting was a wee bit similar to Maori chants but pretty different too.

It was awesome getting to see another island - we hung out with another VSA who lives on Pentecost - its so isolated so he was stoked to see us all! aND just a grass runway so if it rains then you get stuck! And it rains about 90% of the time so we were real lucky! Wahoo!

It was handy being ableto speak some Bislama so I made a few friends with some of the young girls which was cool -so had a good chat about husbands and hobbies on the island...lol

So it was an awesome day - cool to see around, cool to see the naghol, and cool to meet more people! All the locals were sitting on the beach as we ate our lunch so we gave them some stuff - some ice from the bottles. It was unreal - i dont think they had ever seen ice before and they were holding it, andpassing it round, and sucking it, and looking at it....quite confused i think...and then we gave them some (precious) apple but they really weren't too impressed with that and just held it...but typical cute island kids! Loved having their photos taken and then looking at them. Lots of amazing coloured rocks on the beach too.

Yea - this place is cool! And been practising all night for performing a song at a scripture union combined schools service tomorrow morning so that should be fun! Me with 4 local friends from youth group so its fun.

Right, will email more later!
Love much, god bless,
Miri