Home Sweet Home!!!


(Pie - the brown puppy and Ruth - the black one)




Hello friends, family, and all!I have been a terrible blogger SORRY mainly because I am just not technologically inclined and was just frustrated with this site. Also, sometimes it is hard to just put into words what is going on in Vanuatu. But I am going to give it a go back again to post pictures and keep in touch. BUT please if you read this -- especially family please send me an e-mail ktgrace@gmail.com - because I realize I am missing a lot of T e-mail addresses.

It has been a very busy last few weeks. Really settling into site, learning the hard way what approaches work and don't work, and just learning more about the culture.

Most exciting I have moved into what will be my house for the next two-ish years. As much as I love my family here it is great to have a house of my own and a stove of my own. I live in a half custom, half modern house. The main room of my house is tin on the outside with a Natangora thatch roof. At first I really wasn't too excited about the tin because it is ugly and during the hot season it acts as an oven making the house more unbearable in already unberable temperatures (so I am told - we have yet to hit the hot season, but I heard that when it comes it is rough). But when my Papa couldn't finish the house my favorite Pabu (some family title - a grandpa of sorts) came in and bought the rest of the tin to complete my house for me. This was a pretty big investment so I felt very lucky to have a family that made that investment in me staying on the island. Too once I hung the calico on the walls I think the main room kind of looks like a log cabin tropical retreat. The thatch roof is supposedly to keep the house at a really pleasant temperature year round - cool in the hot season and warm in the cold season. The only drawback to the thatch according to my Mama is that you cannot hear when the black magic man lands on your roof at night. The floor of my house is pieces of dead coral which is our kind of gravel. On top of that we put big pieces of cardboard on the floor and than on top of that pandanas mats. Each of the Mama groups 0n Lelepa got together and wove a mat for me to put into my house. The extension of my house (which you can see behind my puppies) is a bunch of bamboo posts. On the outside the Mamas wove coconut leaves and than nailed them on the outside to cover up the holes. This extension will serve as my kitchen and eating area. The community also built a toilet/swim house for me up by the main road (one of two roads on Lelepa). The toilet is wonderful! It is an actual toilet that the community stole from French Survivor. It doesn't flush but we manually flush it with a bucket. The only drawback to my toilet is that a hand sized spider has decided to take up residence inside the bowl. Really, it seems like a less than ideal spot for a home, but I can't seem to get ride of him. We've reached an understanding though so he'll stick around for a while. So this is my home sweet home for the next two years.

Well I am going to run, but keep in touch everyone! Miss you!!!!