Okay, more new experiences! I wrote up the last post and then didn’t have connectivity for a while, so it just sat there on my computer. By the time I finally got to posting it, I had more things to add, but I thought I’d make them in a second edition instead.
First up is yet another new geologic experience! I had not anticipated that there were so many to be had. But here I am, with another neighborhood volcanic event to relate. From the beach down the road, it’s actually possible to see three other islands, two of which have active volcanoes. The northern island, Ambae, is home of Manaro Voui, the one I heard rumbling a while back ago. It’s still doing its thing, though I haven’t had any other noticeable experiences from my viewpoint. It’s still listed as a minor eruption. I cannot see Ambae from my house. I can however see the island to the south of us, Ambrym, and specifically I can see its twin volcanic peaks from my kitchen window. When I first moved here and someone pointed out that those were the volcanoes, they told me that sometimes when they’re acting up, you can see a red glow at night in that direction. They said it happens maybe once every year or two.
Thinking that sounded pretty cool, I added it to my Vanuatu wish list (this list also includes things like seeing a dugong or a sea turtle). Well, as I think you guess by my intro- I have crossed it off the list! Just this past weekend, I saw a big ash cloud over Ambrym and I wondered if that might mean it was acting up a bit. That night, hanging out with my neighbors, someone spotted the volcanoes in the distance and called us over to a break in the trees. It was spectacular!! I have never seen anything like it. It’s now on my list of “coolest things I’ve ever seen”, right next to the aurora borealis. Apparently, this was one of the best shows it’s put on in years! When they said a red glow, I was picturing a red smudge in the darkness. This was a bright orange and red glow, showing off the bottoms of the clouds and reflecting down again brightly enough to see the shape of the mountains about thirty miles away in the dark. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. I was just standing there, spellbound. I wanted to cry. I’ll never have an experience like that again. What a totally fascinating place to live!
I’ve also given spearfishing another stab (get it?). I’m getting better at the diving technique, and I think I can hold my breath longer now that I’ve been practicing. Maybe one day, I’ll actually catch something. I’m not that motivated. My papa is plenty good at it, and I just enjoy the excuse to swim around the reef. My mama and siblings also come down, armed with food and smiles. A spearfishing Sunday means a nice swim, a cook fire under the banyan tree, and a picnic on the beach with family. It’s lovely all the way around.
This past Sunday we supplemented the meal of fresh (still in the sea twenty minutes ago fresh) fish, capsicum, and rice with a new food for me. I have now eaten flying fox (one of our local bat species). It’s considered something of a delicacy here. My fifteen-year-old brother managed to shoot one down with his slingshot Saturday night, gave it to his mother, who then cooked it up and brought it to our beach feast. Texturally it looked and felt kind of like beef, but the taste was much gamier. A bit too much for me actually. Also, the slightly furry skin was studiously avoided since I didn’t feel like gagging in front of my entire host family. My rule for food is that I will try anything once. I tried it. I didn’t particularly enjoy it, but I didn’t spit it out either. Mama laughed, satisfied that I’d tried, took it back, and gave it to the three-year-old who devoured it with glee. The fish, on the other hand, was delicious and I gladly polished that off to get the bat taste out of my mouth.
In less fun news, there is now a teacher’s strike. All the teachers who are members of the teacher union have gone on strike in protest against Ministry of Education. There are still some teachers here who are allowed to teach, myself included, but things have had ot change a lot this week. We couldn’t keep all the students around with only 8 teachers working. So we sent home all the students in grades that don’t have government standardized end of year exams (Years 7, 8, 9, and 11). We redistributed the remaining Year 10, 12, and 13 classes between the remaining teachers. I lost three classes and gained a new this week, which has been a stressful exercise in lesson planning for a whole new curriculum. At least it’s Year 10 maths, which is definitely one of the subjects I am most comfortable with. I can teach geometry. I got this. Still, this week has seen a lot of adjustments and we’re all tired.
I can’t help but remember last time I was a teacher; the teachers in Lesotho went on strike too, trying to combat severe corruption in their Ministry of Education. In that instance, there was no union/non-union teachers. All the teachers went on strike and my whole school closed for a few months. As stressful as this is, I’m glad we’re still open, even if it’s only for some of the students. Conversations with the teachers here are the same as they were before- all they want is to help the next generation and yet they cannot do their jobs without support. Teaching is challenging enough without being stifled by the very agencies set up to help teachers. No one likes a strike. The teachers want to be teaching. The government wants schools to stay open. While a strike drags on, it is the students who suffer most. But sometimes, enough is enough. The teacher’s union has put their foot down. Now we’ll all have to wait and see if it is enough to prompt a positive change in the bureaucracy. I have no idea what to expect for the length of this strike or what changes might come about. I’ll keep you posted.
Anyway, that’s the update. It’s been a busy week with some really big ups and downs. Peace Corps Volunteers always say that serving is an emotional rollercoaster. Sometimes you’re on top of the world and sometimes you’re swooping down so fast, you can only hang on for dear life and wait for the ride back up. This week has certainly been a rollercoaster. But I’m still having fun. So everyone, put your hands up with me. Let’s go for a ride!
