Today we leave for our training village - Lelepa. A little island off the island where the capital is. We will actually be living just a twenty minute boat ride across from the island where Survivor was filmed (it was filmed on the same island that houses the capital - Efate). It might not seem that filming a show like that on the same island where the capital is is that remote, but here if you want a policeman you have to pay for the gas for them to come help you out and sometimes there is just not a cop available and they are the only service on the island. It's a different world here and so far so good.
This past week has been a blur of training and exploring the capital city of Port Vila. One of our first nights a couple of us went down to the 'Mama Market' for dinner. At the Mama Market you can buy more fruits, vegtables, and roots than you have ever dreamed of, and in the corner some of the Mamas cook lunch and dinner. So we decided to give our Bislama a go and see what happened. We found a Mama who would cook a vegetarian meal, so for 2.50 US we got a heaping plate of rice and vegtables. It was delicous - at one point a rat scurried under the table, but I sucked it up and finished my plate without even flinching. Then yesterday we got a lesson on Aelan (island) nutrition and how to prepare the food that we will have available to us for the next two years. I learned how to get to the Green Coconut milk - which is not at easy task and plant my own pineapple bushes. For dinner we cooked vegtables and tubars covered with coconut milk wrapped in banana leaves in an earth oven with volocano rocks.
Also in exciting news I purchased my own personal bush knife yesterday, aka machete. It reminds me a lot of my toli sticks, but just slightly shorter with about a two foot blade. I think I will enjoy it, I only hope I come home with 10 fingers and toes.
Well the computer is a hot commodity so I must run. I miss you all!!!
YOU can write me letters via e-mail and the peace corps will print them out and send them to me.
*** name in subject line ** and body to volunteer@vu.peacecorps.gov
posted by Katie Grace @ 3:43 PM
5 Comments:
Can't wait to hear more. :)
Can't wait to hear more. :)
Hi Katie -
Sounds exciting so far, the world keeps opening up for you - enjoy
oh kate. an earthen oven!! hOw tOas pueblO of yOU!! sOunds like sOme goOd eats [and i knOw hOw impOrtant foOd is fOr yOu] heh. keep up the vivid descriptiOns. things sOund wOnderful. on a side nOte. tOli weekend. wOw. stayed on tarver and gails amazing cOuntry farm land. stick were being built. rain thunder stOrm sleep out on the pOrch the size of yOUr life. mOre than 3o indians! three of them asked mid game if i was the girl that they almOst brOke her knee. i freaked out and tOld them, nO. i am nOt. yOU brOke her ankle but shes in a far away land right nOw and nOt thinking abOUt you!! they tOld me to stOp making htem feel guilty and i said. katie grace wOuld nOt have ratehred her ankle be brOken by anyone other than a huge cOnehatta sO there! tOli hellOs frOm every ivOry bill. but especially frOm me. this is the lOngest pOst on the glObe. xxXXxoOOo
kt grace...i'm so glad you are living your dream. we miss you here in the states, but wouldn't have you anywhere else! i know you are doing awesome work over there. keep us posted, mountain mama! :)
Post a Comment
<< Home