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Halo ol yufela blong Australia!
Firstly, sorry about the photos on the last blog entry. We were trying something different and it obviously didn’t work.
School started 2 weeks ago and although it has taken 2 weeks for them to get used to me, most of the kids are attending now. So the time Deb’s had to just sit around under our verandah has been greatly reduced (but I’m still managing - Deb). Since the last photo of the house, the verandah has been renovated again. It now has low woven walls and open lattice windows all made of bamboo. The theory behind this was to reduce the risk of spectator injury during the regular afternoon soccer matches (our verandah is directly behind one set of goals so it’s a good viewing position but a bit risky!) Nic helped John (the principal’s husband), Milla (their son) and Robert (the school handy man) create the structure. Robert finds Nic constantly amusing and he laughs at EVERYTHING Nic says (even “hello”)!
We really have been welcomed with open arms here and the past week has been testament to that. Last Friday a group of people came from the village to do weeding and tidying up around the school (all with bush knives, even the small children!) Leipakoa (the principal) explained that they came because they were all from her and John’s tribe, Matonglai, and asked us to be part of their tribe as well. The men all call each other “brother” and the women are all “sisters”. But they are also all fathers and mothers to all the children of the tribe. So now we have pikininis and yesterday was Mother’s Day in Nikaura!
The day began with John and Milla making Leipakoa and Deb a breakfast of fresh bread, avocado and fried egg. Next came James (another of Leipakoa and John’s sons who also lives in the village) and his family with kato (type of dohnut), a salu-salu (lei) and an island dress for Deb. His family also cooked us lunch. In the afternoon we went into town for speeches honouring all the “mamas” from the chief, the fathers and the youth. Deb got more gifts from the head elder of the village and then we had a handshaking ceremony where all the mamas lined up and the rest of the village lined up opposite and the filed along shaking all our hands. And then, of course there was more food! Every kind of laplap you can image, rice, soup, symboro (grated manioc wrapped in island cabbage) and plates of it just kept arriving at our mat. There was no way we could have finished even half of it! (but it was fun trying – Nic).
We continue to be given gifts of food. Wednesday we were given a pawpaw that we might actually be able to eat. The one before that was literally 50cm long! No way 2 people can eat that in one day, and they just don’t keep. We were given a bunch of bananas too. Not a hand – a bunch. About 40 bananas for us to eat in probably a week (they are delicious though, better than in Melbourne.) Sometimes we do have to buy vegies though. We bought a bag of kumala (sweet potato) for 40vt (50cents). It had 16 kumala in it! Enough for 6 meals.
So, we’re living well and having a great time. Nic has even met Mike, the local Peace Corp, and is working on developing a project that will work in with what Mike is already doing at the bungalow. Things are working out.
Thank you SO much to all the people who have emailed, posted letters or posted a message on the blog. We love hearing from you, coz then you don’t feel so far away!
Lukum yu!
Deb trying her hand at local cooking - grating yam to make laplap!