the final update....

Well for the first half of the year, updates on my blog were fairly regular...not so this last half. I could blame it on my sick laptop which has only just been fixed to a workable standard; or the intermittent internet that we get here; or the telecommunications company which doesn't manage to get much (or any) praise from long-time residents; i could blame it on many things but i guess in reality i have just been a bit slack!!

But we're back now. Since Ben left I have just mainly been working (have kind of felt like all i do is work and sleep...) but its going well and things are happening whih is encouraging.

I have joined with youth group all year and last week we launched our album, all original songs such by us - it was good fun and a great honour to be a part of it (im known as "the only white girl...")We even made a dvd clip to promote the launch which went on the local tv station and after that people started recognising me in shops and stuff. Fine, except that the clip was REALLY bad! Think boyzone/westlife styles swaying and clicking and slowly walking towards the camera dancing.....yah.....

I am part way through cataloguing the library at work so i will hopefully have that all up and running by the time i leave. Fingers crossed. Only 2 more full weeks at work, then a few days in Santo checking it out, and then the last few days packing!! Its crazy - time is running out!

But i feel as though ive made the most of it - certainly got a lot planned for the last three weeks as well.

Simon left yesterday so now "mi wan nomo" (im alone). Ive got a collection of people staying the nights with me until a med student is moving in on wednesday. So thats exciting.

I spend time thinking now what i would do differently if i were to come again - things like learning how to play string band style guitar, learn one of the village languages, etc etc and what im going to do first when i get home - wim at the beach, lie on the grass for more than 30 secs and not get mauled by bitting ants, eat ice-cream, drink real milk, have real dairy products, buy lots of nuts, wash my clothes in a washing machine....its going to be exciting!

I fly into Invercargill Airport at 5.20pm or something like that on the 19th december so if you are round feel free to come say hi at home after that. I would love to see you!

I feel like theres so much to say but ill tell you in person and give you a real slide show when im back. Looking forward to it.

Ale, lukim yu

ben :)

man how cool was it havingben over?!? It was such a novelty waking up with family for 7 days in a row! It was such a special time :)

We went up to Sakao Island which was great to see again - we did some more sailing, paddled round in an outrigger, talked to a crazy french man (had been sailing solo for 3 years!), hung out in the village and then sailed home 30hours on board a friends yacht. It was awesome. Then we spent thew next few days at work and aaround some places close by. It was just so good to chat and laugh and hang out! Ill post pics when im at home (at work now so no gat photos). Ben did real good learning some language too!

2 months today till i come home! WOW!! Thats a bit scary. Work is going alright - busy which is good.

Thinking of everyone heaps and looking forward to summer with y'all.

Photos coming soon

Wan truk hemi capsidem! Wan truk hemi capsidem! That was the cry this morning at wortk when a cow truck rolled at a roundabout next to work! Immediately all offices were suddenly deserted as everyone twent to check out the stampeeding cows who were trying to get away (and did). I was left standing thinking about the picture i had in my head - a capsized truck (thinking more like a capsized dinghy) but eventually went to check it out when everyone else came back. And then several hours later - truk hemi stan-up bakagen! The truck is standing again, no cows inside.

Ive spent most of the week decorating the new library at work (ever since i was like 11 ive had idyllic ideas of being allowed to decorate a classroom....so finally ive got my chance - am loving it. We are having an official opening in a few weeks.

Have been thinking and discussing lots what development actually is. Or what good development is. Looking at how much money is wasted on aid programms, I sometimes think it would be far better to spend all that money, scrap all programs and then just send a coupple of kids to school in NZ, who can then come back as proper builders, doctors or whatever. Then at least you take a big step forward for a few kids, instead of offering the majority a watered down effort at stuff. Like there are so many agencies working for youth here that lots of youth get lifeskills workshops, (we breeded a generation of young people who understand workshop to mean free lunch and a certificate to be more important than actually applying skills) and now we have a huge number of kids, still unemployed with no real hope of a good job. Maybe it would be better if we just sent a few kids to university who could then get a steady income and job?? Dont know.

Very excited about benjamin coming in a few days. it wil lbe great. Will post some pics of goings-on soon.

Me

doogongs, dog bites, ballet and bagpipes.....

Here are some more pics from up at sakao, and at work. Sakao Island was the last place i expected to watch a fully kitted up scotsman strut his bagpipes amongst the coconut palms. It was a very funny sight. The locals were more than confused - asking "why cant i understand that whiteman??" (because he has a VERY strong scottish accent!) I had to explain the kilt was the island dress of scotland. I think they got the picture....

Theres a pic of a big mural i got the youth to do last week - they all did some pretty awesome squares. Very fun doing it. And some more general shots of around the place.

Work has been pretty busy which has been good. Im almost ready for the new library at work to be opened and used - im getting so excited about kids getting into reading!! The sad thing about coming home soon is ive just started to get really passionate about some new projects and i'll have to pass them on to whoever comes next...ah well. Thats life i guess. I'm organising some of our youth to get trained in ESOL type stuff to teach kids how to read which is pretty exciting as its something we have huge potential for but are not being particularly effective yet. Exciting times!

Fest Napuan is this weekend with 26 string bands, blackseeds, a number of hiphop groups, about 30 church choirs and numerous other acts to entertain us all weekend. So im hoping the rain stops (its been going for 3 days now, i guess the rainy season is here!!!). It should be a good weekend though.

Otherwise.....o i went diving with a doogong and gave him a bg pat - totally unreal interacting with something like that int he wild! Very cool. Lots have people have asked what a doogong is....like a dolphin crossed with a sealion with a really huge nose. Very cool. Very inquisitive.

And i got bitten by a dog the other night which was pretty exciting. It wasnt too bad but i did go to hospital just to be on the safe side. Its healing up well!

We also entered a short film int he inagural Vila Film Fest which won first place and me as best female actress!!! Haha, very fuin making and i surprised even myself with my stunning ballet ability...(not!)

Benjamin comes in 2 weeks!! Wow, so excited. Thinking of ya all - not long to go now :) God bless

Life has been getting increasingly busier this last week....some things ive been working on are starting to come together which is exciting and will hopefully be in place sometme soon.

Igot sick breifly but am better now so thats good. Am part way through my dive ticket too which is exciting. Am giong in a duathalon this weeknd just for fun - hopefully ill survive!

And i got given a small sailing dinghy which i have had out in the harbour a few times which has been good fun!

Otherwise, im just cruising along, still involved with everything and starting to feel like i dont have much time left. Its going very fast :(

Thinking of you all and starting to get alittle excited about seeing everyone again! I fly into NZ december 19th!

Another week...

Ha - i love youth work! Here are some pics of this week - A field trip on a boat sailing round the harbour (a 63ft lightweight catamaran that we sailed at 16 kts, speed record is 22 kts!!! The hull is 1.5 mm thick fibreglass with 25mm foam and then another 1.5 mm fibreglass - SOLID!!!)Hockey under the lunar ecclipse, the big mural ive got them all working on...and i think thats all....

Flip time is going so quick at the moment. I seem to be flying from one thing to the next.There seems much to say but ill leave it there for fear of rambling....email me if yuo want details!

Sakau Sailing School

South-west Malekula and the Maskelyne Islands is so remote! Its thick bush, and big swell coastlines, tiny islands surrounded by reefs and sandy beaches…..the villages are different to any close to Vila, or on the main islands. The people seem different too – much more gentle and sofly spoken than town kids, real chilled out and happy. All the mamas in the village woul,d sit under cocnut trees and weave mats most afternoons, the men were helping with the boat building and the young guys were with me learning about sailing and navigation….but so many politics in small villages! And the women were like the long lost forgotten tribe – they never got a mention, never got to eat with everyone else, and did all the work, including cooking for heaps of people without much thanks. Telling people about the setting sounds so idyllic, and it was, but the politics and relationships meant this tiny remote village in the Maskelynes was remarkably similar to other places, despite being so removed in materialistic terms.

The boys I had for sailing school were awesome. Always laughing, really cheeky but good fun. And so studious! They would copy down the notes on scrap paper and then write them up neatly at night in their books, and remembered everything we talked about! So we ended up going through the course material quite quickly because they seemed to hve such a good grasp on it all. They loved it though. So we’d do lessons in the morning and then sail all afternoon – it is a good life! Had a few high speed capsizes in the hobie-cat which was fun. It was awesome seeing their enjoyment when they realized the hobie was just a FAST sail canoe!

All the chiefs from a couple of villages around the place sat me down one afternoon on the beach and seriously tried talking me into ‘taking’ and Vanuatu man for a husband as it would increase the wisom and knowledge of their local community….after telling them I thought the white guys would learn just as much as them and them telling me in their culture they view their women as products which they try to ‘export’, I reconfirmed my decision NOT to get married this year (tough really….NOT). But they were actually trying to convince me to do it.

We ate lots of lobster, fish, coconuts, yam…..one night a HUGE killer avock mudcrab with pincers the size of my hand tried to eat me while I was innocently asleep on the deck…luckily I woke up and then had a fight with it trying to get it back in the bucket….

I had a few days overlap with Ross (he took over from me with the sailing school) so we successfully became the first white people to circumnavigate Sakau Island in a hobie cat! IT WAS FLIPPIN COOL!!! Had a good breeze, maybe 20 knots, and a few metres of swell and we sailed out the channel in the reef, INTO THE PACIFIC OCEAN, and round, and then back in the next gap in the reef. Talk about a good adrenalin rush! If we’d capsized we would have been on the reef in no time, but of course that was the beauty of it all…..adventure a! (We had a VHF and people knew where we were….so don’t worry dad!!!)

Then last night we had all the boys out on the boat for tea, and we cooked them lamb fillets and chocolate cake, and they gave me a mat with my name woven in it and a cool bag, and made me feel special! It was such an awesome priveledge to be hanging with them for a few weeks!

Sleep is calling, but will update this again in the next few days for installment two on remote village life! Project MARC (who i was there with) stands for Medical Aid to Remote Communities. Its a cool set up.

Look forward to sharing more, and hearing about all YOUR adventures! Flick me an email :)

Hugs and blessings,
Miri

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!!!