Kava Rant and a Surreal Christmas Party

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Kava is annoying. Thus begins my rant. Straight off the bat it tastes and smells foul. So you definitely aren't drinking it for the taste. Now on to the effects. It just deflates you. You just accept life. But it is a false acceptance because you get a feeling that nothing matters. And that is so far from the truth. And also kava serves to put an end to the night. The only thing you want to do is sit absolutely still and then go to sleep shortly after. So going out for kava is sort of an oxymoron. It makes you not care about anything, but you should care about things. But, with alcohol on the other hand, sometimes you care more strongly than when you are sober. That is if you haven't gone overboard. And also for someone who is sober at the time drunk people can be fun to be around sometimes, whereas Kava Heads are dull as dishwater.

Now that the rant has run its course, onto the Matevulu School Christmas Party. I tried to skip it and take a nap instead, but then my friend came back and said that he was told that as a visitor I was culturally compelled to attend. So I went. And in the opening speech the principal introduced me and I stood to accept what was a hearty round of applause. Afterwards we sang Christmas carols like "Joy to the World" and "Silent Night". It was surreal singing carols in a hot steamy meeting hall in Melanesia. I then listened to around two hours worth of speeches in Bislama. Definitely a cultural experience.




Note: My Vanuatu trip directly follows The Aussie Diaries. These entries come directly unabridged from the journal I carried around with me on my first post-university adventure to the southern hemisphere. They are a bit on the rough side. Also, I will reorganize and add more photos when I finished putting in all the other Vanuatu entries.


added march 9, 2006

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Photos

Hiding out
This is the place where I composed my rant and tried to avoid over two hours worth of speeches.