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!