Mele Beach Fire Show

After another big day of Bislama classes.. and lots of questions to the expats, it was decided that drinks/kava on the edge of the lagoon followed by a trip out to Mele Beach to the Fire Show were the best way to spend a Friday night in Port Vila.

So tonight, was my first local Tusker beer after a round of kava sitting on the edge of the water. It was so peaceful. The perfect serene place to hang out after a busy week.

The Fire Show was good. It included some aerial silk and trapeze acts as well.

First Kava experience

Tonight my new friends Jimmy and Ian took me to a nakamal close by where I am staying. The nakamal is a traditional meeting place. Women traditionally are not allowed at the nakamal or to drink kava.

We paid for our kava then drank it straight down like a shot. 1,2,3… it had a very organic leafy earthiness to it and tasted less muddy then I remembered trying in Fiji. It was a bit bitter tasting, but overall ok.

The next part of the experience was sitting together under the thatched roof talking and sharing some coconut yam and sausage. Ian and Jimmy both have strong backgrounds in Community Development, Environmental Sustainability and Tourism. It was humbling to hear of their careers and passion for Vanuatu.

It was very relaxing sitting in the coolness of the evening. Not sure if that was the effect of the kava or the good company. Both! I declined a second cup, but am sure I will have more opportunities to build up to another half next time!

Learning Bislama

Halo! Olsem Wanem? I gud? And so, begins or awesome Bislama classes by Franke. Did you know that Bislama was coined by the French phrase for sea cucumber ‘bech de mer’?

By the end of Day 1 we were making basic sentences such as my first sentence: Andrew i hukum fis. Andrew catches fish. Then we learnt how to change that to past, future and present (ing) form!! All in lesson 1!

It was raining this morning, which made it much cooler 19-25c today. We all caught the bus to the lesson for 150 Vatu. It was good as we had to take some detours as roads were being resurfaced and saw more of the town.

This afternoon was exciting as we all got to meet our partner organisations and do site visits. I had the opportunity to meet everyone at the Department of Tourism, Vanuatu Tourism Office and Skills Partnership.

To finish the day I attended the release of the Dugong Interactions Guideline and had yummy canapés and cake.

Orientation in Port Vila

This morning is all about getting settled. So a few of us new volunteers set off to explore the Main Street and market area. Stopped off for a coffee on the way too. I have a local mobile now! But you can still use WhatsApp. Time to head to the office and learn about utilities and all things practical!