Vanuatu: week 2

Vanuatu

                                                                                                                 Week 2

                                                               Infinity pool at Iririki Island

                                                                                                         
I was really thrown into teaching this week, taking the first hour block and often the next and then the next. As the grade fives were quite close to teen age, they were relatively shy and never wanted to answer a question incorrectly. Their understanding of simple English was fantastic, and all I had to do was simplify my language and cut out any unnecessary "the"'s and "and"s which became an easy habit. Breaking the ice in week 1 was a slow process and I was initially concerned with how well I was going to be able to build a relationship with them. They seemed almost intimidated by my presence as a white person, treating me like some kind of expert of all things international.

As my teaching lessons began to take off, and as I got a real feel for where the kid's learning was at, my half days of teaching turned into full days both supervised and unsupervised by my teacher. (If you don't know, when we study teaching at uni, all of our placements are supervised by the teacher of the classroom.  No classes are taught without a qualified teacher present, so this was a new experience! We also don't teach full days until fourth year). They began to really warm to me, often thanking me for the things I was teaching them through notes and cards and hugs.

Art class with Miss Deb

                                         Learning about Australia

My lovely cheeky boys

The teaching style in Vanuatu is very autocratic - teachers offering a lecture-style format where children take notes, complete intense text book work and take down dictation. Although my teacher/mentor what some what of an exception to this general style, the kids really appreciated any of my efforts to provide them with relevant, hands-on tasks. I paid attention to what interested them and what was culturally relevant to their lives, and made every effort to incorporate this into every lesson I planned. Trying to get the kids to participate in work that they completed without me telling them exactly how to do it was a challenge and a half!  Breaking away from the learning they had experienced all their school-aged lives of being instructed exactly what to do was just as difficult for them as it sounds. I often found myself making comments such as "it doesn't have to be perfect" and "It doesn't matter if you're right or wrong, just have a go!" These, funnily enough, became catch phrases in the classroom which I heard jokingly quoted by several students.

Brainstorming with the kids about Australia and what they knowAboriginal dot painting lesson

Science/art lesson rolled into one....don't mind if I do! 

Classroom management eventually became an easy process, as with time I was able to learn which techniques to use for different students to ensure that all members of the class were listening and learning to some extent. They grew to really like and respect me, which I don't say arrogantly, as I taught them completely new things about Australia and the world around them and they highly valued their opportunities to personally input into the lessons. 

I've grown close with Emily and Lauren especially at this stage, and love to hang out with them, cook and shop together. Emily is so reliable, mature and solid as a person. Lauren is a whirlwind of intensity, with a real sense of fun, always laughing and up for a chat about all the details of life!

                                          Em, L dawg and myself on our way to Hideaway Island

During the week we went to the Museum which was a fantastic experience and I learned so much about Melanesian culture and history that goes wayyy back. I heard about the Island lifestyle and about when women got engaged, they would get their bottom middle teeth ripped out in celebration.... I also got to do some traditional "sandroing" which was used in traditional culture to tell stories and convey messages, what beautiful pieces of art!

Today half the group went to Tanna Island to see an active volcano, which was very expensive unfortunately, and the remaining group which included me, drove around our Island for a longgggg time (which included a flat tire on the way) to a beach where we fed some massive turtles paw paw!

We also saw some sleeping bats, sharks, pigs and snakes. We swam at an awesomely blue beach with white sands. The salt in the sea in Vanuatu is intensely salty!! 

We also went to Iririki Island which was a paradise in itself, the fish seen whilst snorkeling were amazing and the infinity pool overlooking the vast sea was breathtaking. It was great to have some conversation time in the sun with the other girls, and I thoroughly enjoyed having a day where we just did whatever we wanted.

The fire dancers were so memorable at Beach Bar, which involved young native Vanuatu people (Ni Vans) doing crazy tricks and dancing with fire and music. The guys had the most amazingly toned bodies!

On Sunday I went to the international church after running into an Australian girl at the school I had been teaching at. The service was good and I approached some people after the service and was invited for coffee at the local tourist cafe and attended Bible study that night. I made connections with some Australian missionaries who had spent 30 years of their lives translating the Bible in PNG and were spending the latter years of their lives in Vanuatu, where they had lived on a remote Island training new Bible translators in how to survive on remote Islands, and now live in Port Vila doing some casual work. They were very inspiring, and I loved to hear stories about the dangers they experienced in PNG and the years and years they had dedicated to translating Bibles for the Lord. They opened their home up to me and took me under their wing, and had me for tea a number of times. I was truly blessed and felt right at home.

After church we went to the cascades which were AMAZING! Words cannot describe....

Me looking like a dork as usual ^^^

Bring on week 3!

Vanuatu: Week 1

Vanuatu

                                                                                                                 Week 1

It's definitely strange meeting people you're going to be travelling for the first time as you're about to set foot on the plane. Everyone is lovely, but such an occasion is bound to encounter awkward silences and poor attempts on my behalf of a brief life summary. Our first day primarily consisted of waiting around in airports as the flight connected from Melbourne to Sydney and from Sydney to Port Vila. When we finally arrived it was obvious that although the climate felt like one of my Queensland summer holidays, we weren't in Australia anymore. The smell was different, the people were different and from what I could see in the dark, the infrastructure was quite different. We drove towards our hotel passing many people walking along the roads, seemingly wandering aimlessly. I collapsed in my new bed for three weeks with my new roomie, wondering what the trip would bring.

Sunday was a strange day. I didn't know where I was, had no Vatu (money) and didn't know how to get anywhere. The main street was dusty and abandoned, with almost no shops open in the tourist area. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into! Looking back with the knowledge of the wonderful time I was to have meeting new and wonderful people, I very much wish I had have gone to church. But I was not bold when I should have been in a new country despite only having a few chances to experience church life in Vanuatu.

Julia, Emily and Myself on our first day

Monday brought a day of anticipation and excitement as the group got dropped off at each school we were allocated at. Nearly every school was unprepared for our arrival which resulted in surprised teachers and very confused looks! From being in Port Vila- the tourist/westernized capitol of Vanuatu, I could already see that the locals were incredibly kind and good-hearted. However, white was not the common skin colour, especially not in the outer areas. The local children melted my heart from the first moment I saw them at the schools: big dark eyes, beautiful fuzzy hair, gleaming white smiles and little bare feet. I met the Australian principle of the school I was allocated at with Emily and Julia and soaked up everything he had to say about Melanesian life, culture and travel advice.



I was placed in a grade five class, being the upper part of the primary school. I was initially daunted and wondered how my teaching experience would go. My first week consisted of slowly getting to know the students who were eager to learn but quiet when it came to giving their opinions and began to understand the level of learning they were at. I marked their yearly exam papers, helped with lessons, spelling tests, times tables and began a unit on Australia for General Studies. The standard of learning at the school was high as students' English levels were fantastic, despite it being their third or even fourth language!

Our first group adventure as tourists was at Hideaway Island which houses a resort with a number of beach activities available.

We went snorkeling. Despite being given zero instructions as to how we would go about snorkeling, most of us managed to figure things out. Beneath the bright blue waters I saw schools of fish in the hundreds and others which were striped and fluro coloured. I already had fallen in love with the tropical paradise that was Port Vila.

First day of school (wearing appropriate teaching clothes covering the shoulders and thighs- these areas require modesty in Melanesian culture)

Some of my beautiful grade five class

Beautiful Kirstie and myself

On the weekend we went to the Blue Lagoon- the most amazingly blue water I've ever seen!
We also went to the hot springs which had water that was naturally warm and we covered ourselves in mud. An amazing day! We then visited a village our at Mele where we met such hospitable people who showed us how they live day to day using the resources around them. Communication was difficult with Bislama being the primary language spoken in the villages, but this did not seem to matter in such a warm and friendly environment with such beautiful, happy children around us. 

Local village family grating coconut for food and coconut milk