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HELLO EVERYONE!
I’ve realized that I forgot to start a mailing list of people who wish to know when I update this blog. If you want to get a really cool email from me every time I update, just email me at peaceofchai AT gmail.com or my personal email address if you have it and I’ll be sure to add you to the list. If I have your email already, I’ll probably just automatically add you to the list but please take the few seconds RIGHT NOW to email me!
I’m now coming into week 6ish of training. My training group is currently staying in a village about a 20-30 minute drive from Port Vila. How do I even begin to describe my last few weeks? One of the first few days I was in Vanuatu, a volunteer had warned me that “the days are slow but the weeks are a blur.” I can’t think of a more accurate description of my time thus far. It’s like I’m trapped in another dimension… time stands still but when I look back, it’s already been weeks since I’ve last written.
I’m a fairly random person so instead of pretending like I have organized thoughts, here are some things I have experienced so far:
1) When I first learned that I was going to Vanuatu, I remember thinking to myself, “what language will I be speaking?” Vanuatu is a very strange country in that there are over 140+ languages spoken throughout the islands. The language spoken in the village 5 minutes away might be different from the one that’s spoken in your village. As a result, most ni-Vanuatu speak Bislama, a pidgin language based on English/French. I figured that since a lot of the words were sort of English-y, it would be a breeze. Nope. Learning a new language is never easy, especially taking one that you already know and completely restructuring it in a way that makes absolutely no functional sense whatsoever. It’s been fun though and I’m really enjoying it… even though I’m slowly losing grammar rules and proper spelling that I had accumulated over the years.
2) My host family is really interesting. My mama is a real character and likes to joke around and laugh. My papa is a very wise man and although he speaks very good English, he humors me and talks to me in Bislama so that I can practice. I also have 3 host brothers and 2 host sisters. Everyone is really friendly in my host village and I’ve really learned a lot culturally in my time here.
3) I have done things here that I just can’t imagine doing in NYC or Boston. For example, one day… our training group killed some chickens, plucked, gutted and roasted them. I’ve hacked down some fairly substantial trees using just a bush knife (machete). I’ve helped my Papa plant some banana trees. We’re also helping our host village build a school so we’ve helped work on the foundation. I wish I had kept a running list of this stuff but what might have seemed unusual to me a month ago are just everyday events now.
4) Vanuatu is a developing country so it’s really interesting to see what some people consider to be “important”… For example, my host house has a generator with a TV and DVD player but I still use an outhouse and take bucket baths? Life is really funny sometimes.
5) Lastly, some things I had taken for granted are: air conditioning, hot water straight from the faucet, refrigeration, American standards of hygiene and WASHING MACHINES.
Just some randomness so y’all don’t forget about me already… Next week, I’ll find out my future site for the next two years I’ll be in Vanuatu. The week after that I go on a “wokabot” where I’ll walk around and get to visit my future site for a few days. Yikes! I’ll be sure to write more the next time I’m in Vila. Although I’m less than an hour’s drive from here, we’re only allowed to come into the capital every few weeks or so.
In the meantime, please write me emails at
pcvols@vu.peacecorps.gov
with my full name “EUGENE CHAI” in the subject line.
Peace, EC
P.S. Here’s a view from my village… ridiculous much?
Pacific Sunset
