Posts tagged vanuatu
Life is calling. How far will you go?
Palm Sunday on Paama: after service, the kids pillaged the branches cut to decorate the church. We made palm pinwheels, watches, bows, rings, crowns and swords. A hundred biodegradable playthings.
A week of food in Vanuatu, part two
i) pounded roasted breadfruit with cream of coconut
ii) oatmeal and bananas
iii) breakfast cracks for life
iv) boiled crabs
v) watermelon
vi) crabs with taro, sweet potato and coconut milk
vii) breadfruit, roasted
viii) laplap - grated taro baked in banana leaves and topped with island cabbage and tin fish
ix) the worst thing i’ve ever eaten in Vanuatu: a heaping plate of rice topped with a stew of chicken flavored noodles, onions, peppers, tin tuna and flying fox (bat)
x) the cucumbers are huge here
Bislama Word of the Week: Tabu
Tabu adj. forbidden, prohibited 2. holy 3. n restriction, prohibition
I hear “tabu” when:
Sitting on mats under the mango trees when my niece Marinette tries to eat a leaf or a pencil or my brother’s toe. “Tabu” can be used to mean “No”.
I hear “tabu” in church- Papa God, Jesus Son, mo Tabu Spirit. “Tabu” can also mean “Holy”.
I see the “Tabu Tri” the Namele on the Vanuatu national flag- it is a sign of peace, or when seen wrapped on poles and stuck in the water as a sign of “this is a fish sanctuary, keep out”
I hear it when referred to Mr. Ora, the man who drives a truck to the airport. He is my “Tabu Abu” which means that I am not allowed to joke around him, refer to him by his name, or touch him.
I see “tabu” written on the wall of the school’s workshop, I suppose either it is either a holy workshop or forbidden.
Members of Peace Corps Volunteer Stephanie Bergado’s small island community pull the boat used to access their local health center boat to shore.
Stephanie is currently raising funds with her community in Vanuatu to install solar panels in the local community health center that will allow patients to be effectively treated after dark. The health center serves all 126 members of Bergado’s small island community and currently operates by flashlight or kerosene lamp during night hours.
“The community relies heavily on the health center for all of its services, day and night, but many community members are reluctant to seek medical care when it’s dark,” said Bergado, a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University who has been living and working in Vanuatu since October 2011. “This can cause serious health complications and in some cases long term problems. The island is very isolated, and it can be extremely hard to receive batteries for flashlights or kerosene for lamps. This kind of patient care can be very difficult at times and can seriously affect the treatment given to a patient.”
Funds raised by Bergado’s project will go toward purchasing a solar panel package with all the necessary equipment and materials. The community has agreed to contribute the cost of transporting the materials and labor needed to install the panels. In order to receive funding through the PCPP, a community must make a 25 percent contribution to the total project and outline success indicators for the individual projects. This helps ensure community ownership and a greater chance of long-term sustainability.
“The health center building itself is strong and impressive, but without adequate lighting, it is crippled and it cannot have the positive effect it was intended to,” continued Bergado. “With a constant, renewable source of light from the solar panels, the health center can really make a difference for the health and well-being of my community.”
(Source: donate.peacecorps.gov)
Volunteer Homes, a set on Flickr.
By popular demand, we’ve updated our Volunteer homes Flickr set. Check out these PCV cribs from around the world!
