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"Naviso's Beach"
Pristine is an understatementhello readers. the next few blogs are ones sher has saved on here for me to post-- watch the dates as so not to get to confused. i hope you are having a fabulous summer. i'm still holding down the fort in pitt, working, and enjoying a little sunshine when i can. take care - b
27 March 2010
After our mini vacation with Jamie, we found out that two members of Peace Corps staff would be coming to do some site development on Maewo. Peace Corps Vanuatu is already prepping sites for the next round of volunteers slated to arrive in Vanuatu this September. Maewo, as part of the PENAMA Province (also including Pentecost and Ambae) is targeted as an area for increasing the number of health volunteers.
One of the sites to be developed is Naviso; the only village on the east coast of Maewo. Naviso is known for its’ remoteness. The only way to get there is by walking across the island, via narrow trails in the dense bush. Because of the recent rains, the bush trail is super slippery; something to be dually regarded when coming from the Ni-Vanuatu, who trek fearlessly, not to
"Bring in the Boat"
Our welcome crew lends a helping hand mention barefoot, over sharp stones, rushing water, and the like. Out of concern for the staff members who were coming to visit, we volunteers on Maewo decided on what seemed to be a safer, surer mode of transportation. We had heard whisperings of the possibility of taking a boat around the southern tip of Maewo and back north up the eastern coast to Naviso. A trip rarely made, but most of the locals seemed to think it possible. Though none of us could get straight answers about the price and duration of the trip (no MapQuest on this island), the two volunteers in central Maewo managed to book a boat and driver for the venture.
Naviso was to be the final village on our tour with the late ZCA last school year. Since the trip was never made, school supplies like chalk, exercise books, and pencils for the 2009 school year sat in our office for the remainder of 2009 and the first few months of 2010. We hear news of people making the trek to Naviso every once in a while, but, as that journey is usually on foot, asking the travelers to bear the heavy burden of
Shake Hands
An attempt to capture the impromptu receiving line school supplies would be a loaded request. Now that there was a boat, motorized transportation, going to Naviso, Justin and I took advantage of it to get the supplies to the school.
Despite the PC staff member’s insistence that the Naviso trip be completed in less than a day’s time, we packed for the opposite. In Justin and I’s mind, there was no way that a village as remote as Naviso would understand us rushing in, hastily whipping through paperwork, and rushing out without sharing at least a meal and kava. Being all about business and intimidating paperwork sure isn’t the first impression Peace Corps should be making at a future site. So, along with the school supplies, we packed our therma-rest camping mats, sheets, two changes of clothes, and shower items. At 7:00 am on a Friday morning, we slathered ourselves up with sunscreen and loaded into the boat with the two other Maewo volunteers, Sandy and Justine, the two staff members, and our boat driver and his copilot.
The boat ride took five hours to get to Naviso. We went from the west coast of central Maewo all the way to the southernmost village of Asanvari,
Swimming Hole
What a way to bathe; check out that backdrop! rounded Maewo’s southern point, and headed back north up the eastern coast. At first, the waters were smooth as glass and the ride was a cinch. We saw a small clan of dolphins hanging out in the calm waters. But, as we rounded the southern tip and faced the open sea, the water conditions worsened.
Maewo creates part of the eastern border of Vanuatu. The next closest body of land to Maewo on the east is one of the islands of Fiji, out of sight to the naked eye. While our boat trips from Maewo to Ambae are rarely pleasant, at least the ocean’s swells are calmed by land on both sides. Here off the east coast of Maewo, there was nothing to temper the chaotic and powerful waves. Our less sea worthy passengers deposited their breakfasts over the side of the boat and into the salt water.
In addition to rough waters, it was really hot. Skies were clear and the sun had no shame in pounding down on us the entire five hours of the trip. My sunscreen did a good job protecting my vulnerable white-man-ness, but a few days a later, I would notice my
Alternate Vista
The view on the other side of the swimming hole. Coconut palms and pantanas trees. lips peeling. Ouch.
As far as sights go, the east coast of Maewo is beautifully tropical but repetitive. Dense green bush bordered with jagged black coastlines and the occasional twinkle of a waterfall. As we made our way back north, the driver and his copilot pointed out locations of gardens and bush trails to us, but it was nothing variant of what we had already seen. Eventually, we were running parallel with the beach that would lead us to Naviso, with the village’s point in the fuzzy distance. The driver claimed he was certain someone in Naviso had already spotted us and was spreading the news of our arrival. A boat arriving to the village was a novelty indeed.
Our course drifted towards the coast and into Naviso’s bay. While the boatmen manipulated the best pathway through the reef to shore, we were distracted by the throng of excited people anticipating our arrival. Old, young, and every age in between, everyone showed up for the spectacle of a boat loaded with “white man” coming for a visit.
The people of Vanuatu are the most selflessly hospitable people I have known, and those of Naviso were no exception.
After helping us unload our boat and drag it on to shore, the entire group lined up to shake our hands and welcome us to their village (with the exception of a few wailing children who were scared of us foreigners). A couple young men took Justin to the men’s swimming hole while the rest of us were taken to the women’s swimming hole. Naviso doesn’t have water pipes running to individual houses or buildings, so everyone uses a communal, fresh water spring for all their water needs. Drinking, bathing, washing clothes. In we went to refresh our skin after frying in the sun. A few kids ran off to refill our water bottles with the icy cold water closer to the source, and it was about that time that I realized I hadn’t gone to the bathroom in over six waking hours.
A woman who had taken it upon herself to be our caretaker came to round us up from the pool. Dripping wet, we retrieved our bags from the pile under a coconut tree and filed after her to a house. As Justin and I predicted, the people in Naviso didn’t even ask, but expected that we’d
Garden Trip
Justin didn’t get to relax the whole time: a buddy came to take him to the garden. The fruits of their labor: taro and bananas. be staying a night or two (or three…). In the few minutes that we had spent refreshing in the pool, a house with bedding and mosquito nets for six was spontaneously procured. We had no sooner dropped our bags and changed into dry clothes (a change was provided for those who hadn’t brought one) than our gracious caretaker and her daughter appeared with plates of food. It was 2:00, well past lunch time, and very well past time for me to go to the bathroom.
Before I sat down to eat, I asked to be pointed in the direction of the nearest toilet. Tucking a ration of TP into the elastic of my skirt, I headed up the short but slippery slope to the outhouse. There was a waterfall rushing in the background, which reminded me just how badly I needed to go and just how long it had been. Holding it in the icy cold swimming pool was one thing, now scrambling up a muddy slope with the acoustics of rushing water in the background was about to do me in. But, in the end, I made it.
After eating, at our hostess’ insistence, we all took
Fine Dining
The spread on our last night in Naviso naps. By this point, the staff members had accepted the fact that we’d be sleeping over for the night. With only four more hours of daylight left, the meetings hadn’t even started and there was no way we’d make it back at a decent time. Plus, the men of the village were in the garden for community work day. We’d have to wait until the evening for them to get back. Not a big deal to the volunteers who are used to functioning on island time, but it may have been a bit of an adjustment to those used to the faster pace of life in Vila.
The house we were staying in had woven bamboo walls and no windows. Only pinpricks of light are randomly let in those walls, making for a pleasantly dark resting space. The sun had zapped our energy and I was grateful for a shady place to rest for a few hours.
Later that afternoon, we ventured to the school and then to the dispensary. Naviso is requesting two volunteers: one as an education volunteer to work with the school and the other a health volunteer to work with the dispensary. Given the
Farewell
Even in the wee morning hours, a crowd showed up to see us off. remoteness of the location, I feel better knowing there will be two PCVs together there. Naviso has no cell phone reception, no landline telephones, and in our 15 months of being at site, a cargo ship has been there only once. Although the natives there are thriving and fine without many modern conveniences, life as a volunteer is much smoother with a few of those conveniences to keep you sane. There is plenty of foot traffic to the east side of the island, though, and the villagers will be good stewards to the volunteers who are with them.
“Storying” with the community about their future Peace Corps volunteer was invigorating. I found myself wishing I had seen my own community in this light, brimming with excitement and plans for the volunteer to help out with. Since Justin and I are fourth generation volunteers at our site, the novelty of Peace Corps has definitely lost its luster with our community. Though we are well taken care of, I do wish there was more involvement on the behalf of the community in regards to our project work. Granted, it will initially be overwhelming to cope with, the volunteers in Naviso will probably feel more “wanted” and maybe even “ needed” by the community. In our situation, a pointless meeting, a hot, uneventful afternoon, or just a reflective trip to the toilet has one of us asking the other “What are we doing here again?” almost weekly.
So taken with Naviso were Justin and I that during the afternoon’s “wokaboat” Justin asked me, “So, we’re going to extend for a year and move over here, right?” I couldn’t spoil that moment and say no, so I didn’t say anything at all.
That evening there was a community meeting with the entire village. The six representatives of Peace Corps set on a bench drug out of the church and the rest of the villagers scattered around us, sitting under trees, on rocks, mats, or coconut scratchers. The two staff members from Vila gave short “toktoks” on the goals, infrastructure, and projects of Peace Corps. They talked with the community about getting a house built for the volunteer, the types of project work they may expect the volunteer to do, and took questions from the group. It was an interesting process to watch and, again, I found myself wondering what that first meeting with Peace Corps must have looked like in our village.
That night, some women, including the future volunteer’s host mother, welcomed us the traditional way, with kava. While Justin was at the nakamol grinding kava with the men, we sat around outside our sleeping house and enjoyed the moonlight. Something about the silvery sheen that moonlight creates on banana leaves, and that the effect would evade a photograph, gets me every time.
It was about this time that we received some typically Vanuatu, dare I say, typically Maewo news. The boat guy, who had made himself comfy visiting relatives in the village, decided he did not want to go back tomorrow. We’d leave bright and early Sunday morning, but “spel festaem” (rest first) the next day. While I could feel our Vila counterparts tense a bit at the news, they seemed to roll with it very well. Arguing with the messenger would have been confusing and complicated, and, at the heart of the matter, what else did we really have to do anyway? The next day would be a nice break. With all the meetings and such taken care of, we could use the time to practice waiting and doing nothing, skills I have honed to an impeccable degree during my Peace Corps life.
And so we did. Saturday I slept in later than I have in, I believe, my entire life in Vanuatu. The darkness allowed by the bamboo was such that the sunrise, which usually wakes me by 6 am, was hidden and I slept until around 8. We at fresh water prawns (similar to shrimp and a delicacy Naviso has gobs of) and roamed around the village all day. I had my first bathing in a stream experience; something that Sandy is a resident expert of as she bathes in a stream at her site. It is pretty likely that we are some of the first white people to bath in the public pool in Naviso. Because of this, we attracted a crowd. Women slowed their laundry washing to linger while we bathed. Little boys tried to help us out by plugging up the streams outlet to make the pool deeper. It was a nice gesture but made for an awkward situation. They stared and stared as we shampooed and rinsed our hair; hair that, instead of strongly holding its’ shape in little afros, hung limp when wet. Since it was a public pool, we kept our clothes on and attempted to soap up underneath them. When attempting to suds up body parts underwater, grasping soap bubbles in a closed fist and plunging it underwater to scrub was ridiculously pointless. I’m still not sure how Sandy manages.
It was a good time to catch up with Justine and Sandy and enjoy another village on Maewo. It was on this day that I realized (and found out that Justin did too) that if we did extend for another year, few things would be different from our life on the west coast. Once the initial transition phase was over, we’d be right back to where we started. We would meet some new people and make some new friends, but the same snags and issues would be at the gut of our work. Those are issues that were enchanting and notable at first, but we’re ready to move on. (Don’t worry Mom, we’re coming home this year!)
That second evening, as with every meal during our impromptu visit, every house seemed to give us a bit of whatever they were having for dinner. We ate the best of the best “aelan kakae,” local food. Taro, bananas, prawns, laplap, island cabbage, sugar cane, kava; it just kept coming.
As promised, first thing Sunday morning we were loading up in the boat and headed back to the west side. There was a goodbye gathering of equal size to our welcome, despite the early hour. The seas on the trip back were just as rough, but at least we got the rough part over with at the beginning of the journey. Rounding the southern tip of Maewo to head up the west coast, we were greeted with calmer waters and the familiar site of Ambae helping still the otherwise open sea. There were a few more villages to stop in along the way back, but none as remote or remarkable as Naviso. After a long day traveling, Sunday night was spent in our own bed at Gambule School. There’s no place like home.
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Mark Boe Adin
non-member comment
Telling the world about Some unique place in Vanuatu
Thanks for you guys who have playing the part of telling the world about this unique place Naviso which located and hiden athe the east coast of Maewo island. We were not aable to do so, therefpre i would like to say thanks for that. nice pictures you have put up. Thanks. thank yu tumas