PAD Part 16

Sunset over Wellington, as seen from Mount Victoria

PAD Part 15

Spent much of this day updating two computers from Windows XP to Windows 7, and making sure everything was re-setup as per government requirements

Kava: That Most Magical Drink

My friend Jay's nakamal (kava bar)

Standing in the shadowy outskirts of the nakamal, facing the sea, I sniff quickly and hold my breath. Slowly bringing the cup held in my right hand to my lips, I tilt it backwards and drink, taking long gulping draughts. I feel my throat tighten and relax, as it does every time I take a shell of kava. On its tightening, I wonder if this will be the shell that makes me traut (throw up), but when it relaxes, I know the danger has passed. When the cup is empty, I drop my hand and shake it, just slightly, to dislodge any last dregs that remain. The aftertaste is strong, earthy, and a little spicy; it feels as though I just drank some peppery, muddy water. With practiced ease, I spit on the ground, expelling as much excess saliva as I can to get rid of the taste. My lips and tongue tingle a little bit as I go replace my shell on the counter, to be rinsed and reused by the next customer.

PAD Part 14

About 150 cows were loaded up on the ship in Santo, and ferried 7 hours to Ambae. They were not super excited about the boat ride, and some pushing happened. (Video here)

You speak what language?

One common question I got asked before coming to Vanuatu was, "What language do they speak there?" Vanuatu has three official languages: French, English, and Bislama, a pidgin language with basis in French, English, and various local languages. Once you get outside the official languages however, the people of Vanuatu speak over 100 languages across the roughly 65 inhabited islands, making it the most linguistically diverse country in the world.

PAD Part 13

Spent this day crawling around in the rafters of buildings rewiring ethernet cables in some of the offices

Fatfat

One of the cultural differences in Vanuatu that I don't think I'm going to be able to get used to is the lack of body consciousness, or at least the lack of stigma in talking about it. Let me play out a scene for you:

Hands clasped on top of my head, elbows splayed to the outside, I breathe heavily. I've just finished a sprint workout on the soccer field near my house, and look over with a smile at two friends as they walk by.
"Yu stap ronron fram se yu fatfat bitim before?" ("You're running because you've been getting fatter?") Surprised, and rather taken back by the comment, with a smile that's now a little forced, I get defensive.
"No, mi stap ron fram se bae mi plei lo wan tournament." ("No, I'm running because I'm getting in shape for a tournament.")
"Ah, mi ting se bae yu mas ronron lo moning tu so bae bel blo yu i go daon." ("Oh, well, you should probably go running in the mornings too, so you get skinnier.") Keeping on the fake smile, I joke with them about how I don't like waking up that early in the morning.

In Vanuatu, if people can joke with you about your weight, it means they feel comfortable around you. Calling people fat here is not a bad thing. There's none of the inherent fat-shaming that exists in the US; just good natured ribbing among friends. While I intellectually understand that this shows I'm integrating well into my community, I still cringe a little every time. Just one of those American things that are hard to let go of, eh?