First things first- I’ve been on the island of Pentecost for about a month now and the most important thing I’ve learned is that the view doesn’t get old. I can see the ocean from pretty much everywhere. I can hear the waves crash as I go to sleep. Flowers of every color and shape bloom everywhere I look. A short walk away is the prettiest postcard-perfect white sand and palm trees beach you’ve ever seen, and I’m frequently the only person there. Magnificent waterfalls cascade down from the jungle and out to the sea. Bright shiny colorful fish swim so close to shore I can see some of them without even putting on my mask. The people here adore color too, no surprise why. Floral patterns in every bright shade are the standard for dress here, men and women. I already have two new dresses to match my island. Like I said- the view doesn’t get old. I don’t think it ever will.
Of course, not everything is beautiful. I suddenly remembered that I have deep seated and well-founded hatred of rats. I have them in my house. My food is all in boxes so it’s safe, but I could do without the sound of them chewing the wall under my bed every night. Noisy buggers. Not as noisy as the red jungle fowl (read: chickens). That whole thing about the rooster cock-a-doodle-dooing at dawn… rubbish. They do at every hour of every day. This includes dawn, every five seconds in the middle of the afternoon, and also 3:00 in the morning! They’re like wolves; when one howls, it sets off the rest of them. Their only redeeming feature is that they are also very colorful and quite pretty.
I’m finally getting a hang of the food. I’m figuring out where to buy what I need and when. On Tuesdays, all the mamas from the surrounding villages bring their produce to the school grounds and set up a market. Definitely the best time to get fresh stuff. What I can get ahold of isn’t predictable but there’s always something. I’m working my way through my first basket full of island yams right now. I also managed to get some Chinese cabbage and an onion. There’s almost always fruit to be too, which is great. Finding a shop that sells things like soy sauce and chili powder was a big win. I’m still figuring out the technique for cracking open a coconut, but I’ve managed it a few times. Fresh coconut water is a whole different thing than the stuff that comes from the store back home; it’s so much better fresh! I’m learning all sorts of useful skills in the kitchen. I cut my first pineapple the other day and have been working my way through a variety of local vegetables, most of which I still don’t know the name of. Most of my protein is in the form of peanut butter or canned tuna, both of which are readily available. Hooray!
I’m also getting the hang of my job. I’m teaching statistics and physics to Year 13 and maths to Year 11. I also have a free science period with Years 8 and 9, where I can pretty much teach whatever science fun thing I feel like teaching for one period a week. I’ll be honest- I’m rusty. I’ve never taught stats before; I actually haven’t taken stats for over 10 years. It’s also been a minute since I’ve done physics, despite the fact that’s what I got a degree in. Before I can teach this stuff, I have to relearn it. I’ve spent as much time studying for the classes I teach as I have actually teaching them. But I’m getting there. Term break is almost here, and I’ll have a few weeks to get ahead of things instead of learning and teaching as I go. Next term, I’ll be all set.
Let’s talk Pentecost. I have been lucky enough to attend two cultural events since I got here. The first was the one that makes Pentecost one of the more famous islands in Vanuatu. Land diving. While not required for men of the island, for those who do choose to jump, it is the ultimate way to express courage. Going back hundreds of years, this terrifying rite of passage is the origin of bungee jumping. Non-Ni-Van spectators have been attending the annual event for decades, including such honored spectators as Queen Elizabeth of England, back when this country was still under the rule of the British/French cooperative. These days, it’s the island’s biggest tourist draw, pulling in hundreds of spectators a year. It runs every Saturday from late April to early June. I arrived on the island just in time to catch the last one of the year. It was truly something to behold. A unique experience in many, many ways. I have to say though- watching the extremely varied audience was almost as interesting as watching the land diving itself.
The other event was much more personal and less publicized. My school hosted a cultural event for the students, teachers, and surrounding villages. The students and teachers who come to stay at the boarding school come from all over Pentecost as well as from other islands. Though this island isn’t very big, it does have some very distinct cultural differences between different areas on the island, even going as far as completely different languages. Actually, Vanuatu has one of the highest languages per capita in the world. Between 67 inhabited islands, over 140 languages are spoken here. There are at least 3 on Pentecost alone. The cultural event for the school split the students and teachers into groups depending on where they were from. They practiced after school all week long, and then on Saturday took over the sports field for the event. Hours of dances and songs performed by the different groups were complimented by a food sale with different styles of food from the different regions. It was a spectacular afternoon and evening, with perfect weather and full of dancing and song. I got to see traditional outfits from all over the island, learn what kinds of songs people love to dance to, and even join in on a couple. Student families and villagers from all over the community came out to support and hang out. Everyone had a great time. Unlike the land diving which has cultural significance but has really turned into a tourist event, this dance day was just for us. It was put on by the community for the community. I feel so honored to have been included in that. I may not have been here for very long, but the community of both my village and my school have been very welcoming and I’m looking forward to strengthening those relationships in the coming months.
Mountain Tales 