Random update

I realized that my blog entries are getting rather boring I guess because my life here has become some regular. Like the littlest things that I’m sure at the beginning I would rant and rave about have all become normal. I no longer am surprised by the 6 inch spider on the toilet “seat”. I don’t worry when the tap no longer has water. I just go and fill up my bucket and dump the cold water over my head. I still brush my teeth outside using only my water bottle as rinse water. I read by flashlight at night. I can’t sleep past 7 or 8 because of roosters (which I guess is an improvement from when I first got here and woke up at 5). I no longer view an island dress as a huge fashion faux pas and uncomfortable garbage bag type heat insulator. Instead I view it as a convenient article of clothing that dries quickly and I don’t care if it gets ruined. I think it’s completely normal for school to be cancelled due to rain (I mean how can you have class when it’s raining INSIDE the classroom). When I hear that there’s a staff meeting at 3:30, I automatically assume that it’ll start at the earliest at 4 pm (ISLAND TIME) and of course go for hours to make sure that everyone has stated their opinion multiple times and repeated the opinions of others. I don’t get offended when people call me “fat fat”. In fact that’s a compliment here. If they say you’re skinny, it sort of implies that you’re sick. I view a flying fox (ie bat) as a prime meal. I mean it’s a good alternative to the normal tin fish. I see eating rice as a sign of wealth. Having 8 people watching a video on my 2 inch ipod screen is completely reasonable. Sugar mixed with hot water is the best drink ever. I have nothing else to do on a Monday I might as well walk to the other side of the island to the airport just to see who gets off the plane or what mail might come. Washing my clothes in a bucket is not all that bad- it gives me something to do to pass the time. So a 2 year old can wield a 2 foot long machete and manage to open a coconut? That seems normal to me. “All kids must bring their knives to school tomorrow otherwise they will be punished.” Instead of class this afternoon, we’ll be going to the beach to carry coral and sand up the cliff to build the new classroom. Of course, I take off my shoes when I go in any building. And obviously I wear shorts under my skirt every day, who doesn’t know that? When kids scream or cry when they see me, it doesn’t phase me too much, however, being called “missus” still really annoys me. I got bread for breakfast this morning- just plain bread, no butter or anything, and I felt like the luckiest girl ever. I spend my entire days speaking a foreign language (Bislama) while trying to learn another one (Futunese). I find it totally normal for people to sit around, pick lice out of their hair, and then eat it. When people say they want to eat my cat, I know they are not joking around (the cat went in the kitchen at night and ate all the food). In fact I haven’t seen the cat in awhile, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s now in someone’s stomach. I’m sure there’s tons more things that I’ve just gotten used to being here, but it’s hard to think of them from this side. Maybe it’s weird that I would have to fly 30 minutes across the ocean just to go to the post office or the bank or to buy some cheese, who knows? And maybe it’s weird that although I have access to the internet, I have no access to a doctor of any sort on the island. Well, at least there’s webMD. But I guess in the end, it’s really just the same. We all have to work and eat and socialize. And most likely when I get back to the U.S. I’ll be looking back through my rose-colored glasses and dreaming about the tropical paradise that is Vanuatu.

Random update

I realized that my blog entries are getting rather boring I guess because my life here has become some regular. Like the littlest things that I’m sure at the beginning I would rant and rave about have all become normal. I no longer am surprised by the 6 inch spider on the toilet “seat”. I don’t worry when the tap no longer has water. I just go and fill up my bucket and dump the cold water over my head. I still brush my teeth outside using only my water bottle as rinse water. I read by flashlight at night. I can’t sleep past 7 or 8 because of roosters (which I guess is an improvement from when I first got here and woke up at 5). I no longer view an island dress as a huge fashion faux pas and uncomfortable garbage bag type heat insulator. Instead I view it as a convenient article of clothing that dries quickly and I don’t care if it gets ruined. I think it’s completely normal for school to be cancelled due to rain (I mean how can you have class when it’s raining INSIDE the classroom). When I hear that there’s a staff meeting at 3:30, I automatically assume that it’ll start at the earliest at 4 pm (ISLAND TIME) and of course go for hours to make sure that everyone has stated their opinion multiple times and repeated the opinions of others. I don’t get offended when people call me “fat fat”. In fact that’s a compliment here. If they say you’re skinny, it sort of implies that you’re sick. I view a flying fox (ie bat) as a prime meal. I mean it’s a good alternative to the normal tin fish. I see eating rice as a sign of wealth. Having 8 people watching a video on my 2 inch ipod screen is completely reasonable. Sugar mixed with hot water is the best drink ever. I have nothing else to do on a Monday I might as well walk to the other side of the island to the airport just to see who gets off the plane or what mail might come. Washing my clothes in a bucket is not all that bad- it gives me something to do to pass the time. So a 2 year old can wield a 2 foot long machete and manage to open a coconut? That seems normal to me. “All kids must bring their knives to school tomorrow otherwise they will be punished.” Instead of class this afternoon, we’ll be going to the beach to carry coral and sand up the cliff to build the new classroom. Of course, I take off my shoes when I go in any building. And obviously I wear shorts under my skirt every day, who doesn’t know that? When kids scream or cry when they see me, it doesn’t phase me too much, however, being called “missus” still really annoys me. I got bread for breakfast this morning- just plain bread, no butter or anything, and I felt like the luckiest girl ever. I spend my entire days speaking a foreign language (Bislama) while trying to learn another one (Futunese). I find it totally normal for people to sit around, pick lice out of their hair, and then eat it. When people say they want to eat my cat, I know they are not joking around (the cat went in the kitchen at night and ate all the food). In fact I haven’t seen the cat in awhile, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s now in someone’s stomach. I’m sure there’s tons more things that I’ve just gotten used to being here, but it’s hard to think of them from this side. Maybe it’s weird that I would have to fly 30 minutes across the ocean just to go to the post office or the bank or to buy some cheese, who knows? And maybe it’s weird that although I have access to the internet, I have no access to a doctor of any sort on the island. Well, at least there’s webMD. But I guess in the end, it’s really just the same. We all have to work and eat and socialize. And most likely when I get back to the U.S. I’ll be looking back through my rose-colored glasses and dreaming about the tropical paradise that is Vanuatu.

And the phones are fixed!

Well finally the people from the phone company decided they'd send someone out to fix our telephones. They fixed them and now I'm back online! Yah!

Be sure to check out my photos on my webshots:

http://community.webshots.com/user/alyssathielpcv

Since being back, I've been doing reading groups with the weak readers in grades 1-6. They're going well and it's a much needed area. There's no special ed here at all so all the kids are just in the same class, even though some of the 6th graders can't even recognize letters.

We only have 2 weeks left and then the end of term 1. We have a 2 week vacation before term 2 starts but I'll be staying on Futuna the whole time.

Lately we've been eating a lot of rice since the ship has come. (It came while I was in Vila). What else? Now that I have an ipod I am not so bored. I watch the same 5 episodes of The Office which one of the teachers here had on his computer. They never get old (well at least not yet).

We've had a couple of torrential downpours lately which have caused water to literally run into and through people's houses like rivers. I feel sorry for the people who have dirt floors, luckily I have cement. But now it's nice and sunny. We're moving into the cold season so it's still hot in the day but at night I use a blanket and sometimes I wear a jacket.

Well send me an email. I'll be checking my email occasionally. Or send me a letter/ package of goodies.

my address:

Alyssa
Peace Corps Volunteer
Ishia School
Futuna
Vanuatu, South Pacific

Any snack food or pop culture magazines would be appreciated, but also random surprises are nice! Nothing beats a good letter!