WOKBOAT LONG PAAMA (Walk-About to Paama)

PST (pre-service training) week 5 arrived and everybody was soooo excited – this is the week that each of us gets to fly off to another island to spend a few nights with a current volunteer. Yippppeeeee – we get to leave our training village for the “outside world”! The Peace Corps has about 90 volunteers scattered throughout Vanuatu – but not on all 83 or so islands. Some islands have multiple volunteers while others may have just one. In years past, trainees would be dispatched to their proposed assigned site so that they could check it out and get familiar with things. However, this year we were assigned to random sites – so I was off to Paama! Paama is a tiny little speck of an island north of Efate and situated just between the island of Epi (home of the dugongs – or sea cows) and Ambrym – home of twin volcanoes. Depending upon their destination island, volunteers were scheduled to leave on Saturday, October 15th, or Sunday, October 16th.



My big day was Saturday, October 16th. If I haven’t mentioned it before, I’ll tell you now that traditional alarm clocks are not needed in Vanuatu – nature also provides that in the form of “gangs” of crowing roosters. (I call them gangs because flock is just too soft and gentle for these roosters!!) Now, these birds start crowing sometimes as early as 1:30 am and continue until the wee hours – not to mention tearing around all day through the village strutting their stuff and crowing some more!! So, I was awake before sunup! Several other volunteers in the village were also leaving on Saturday – so we all headed out together at about 5:15 along with our host families and sleepy kids in tow for the short walk from our houses along a path to the paved road that circles Efate. It was pretty dark still and drizzling just a bit, so we were trying to juggle our bags, solar lanterns, umbrellas – and in my case, the requisite life preserver since my trip would involve a boat ride to the village on Paama.


I left Port Vila on a very teeny plane for a short 45-minute flight to Paama. However, as we approached the island I was foolishly looking for the runway. There was none in sight – but just about 10 seconds before landing I realized that we were heading for a mowed grassy strip that went UPHILL from the ocean towards the jungle. Yes, folks, that was the runway! Now I don’t know if you’ve ever landed on a runway that goes uphill – let’s just say that for a moment there I wished that I had a rosary with me!! At any rate, we bumped along, slowed down, and stopped just at the edge of the jungle. The airport building was just a small white open-air “house”. As I stepped out of the plane, I saw Amy Chan waving and heading towards me with a beautiful warm, welcoming smile. Amy has been on Paama as a volunteer for two years and has worked with the Mamas in her village to produce and sell handmade fabric “baskets” under the program aptly named “Baskets 4 Change”. Amy greeted me along with her sister from the village of Tahi, and then we were off.


Hauling everything, we walked about ¼ mile over quite a rocky terrain to a small boat that took us from the airport to Tahi. Tahi is a very small village located along the western side of Paama and sits in the hills just along and above a beautiful black sand beach. As we pulled up to the beach, we got everything out of the boat and started the short walk to Amy’s house when we heard something. Amy and I looked at each other and realized it was the sound of women wailing. From the time she had left Tahi to meet me at the airport and returned, one of the village Mamas had died. I had no idea what to expect…but did realize that I was about to experience and learn about a very important island ritual.


Amy’s house is literally “perched” on a ledge at the top of a fairly steep climb. The front of her house looks out over the Rural Training Center and the main path leading from the village to the church, school, and beach. The back is literally at the edge of very dense jungle. Her house has been existence for quite awhile and was the home of another Peace Corps volunteer before she arrived. It consists of a combination living room/kitchen – with counter top 3-burner gas stove – and a small separate bedroom. Just outside she has a small room that is her “bath house” where I took a bucket bath each evening. A bucket bath entails filling a bucket with water, pouring water over your head and body, soaping and shampooing up, then following up with pouring more water from the bucket over your head and body to rinse. The toilet was an outhouse located about 1/3 of the way back down the steep hill. Believe me, at 3 in the morning it is no small feat to maneuver safely down a steep, wet, slippery hill to the outhouse and back. The first night I danged near ended up on my head at the bottom of the hill – thankfully I was able to stop my slide by grabbing onto a banana tree and then carefully found my way to/from the outhouse.


Shortly after our arrival, we went on a walking tour of the village and stopped at the home of the woman who had recently died. Upon our arrival, many of the village women were gathered around the body and as we stood on the grassy lawn, more and more women joined the group to wail. The body was fully covered and wrapped in grass mats, but many of the women also brought an additional mat or blanket and wrapped it around as well. Meanwhile, the men in the village were at the church digging the grave for the burial that would take place later in the day. The wailing continued throughout the day.


About mid-afternoon, Amy and I joined the congregants of the Seventh Day Adventist church for a picnic on the grounds of the church. Everybody smiled and welcomed me to the group. All the Mamas had cooked and brought several kinds of lap-lap, rice, island cabbage and other things that I had never seen and dished up heaping plates for everybody. I was sitting with the group chatting and eating when suddenly out of nowhere we heard extremely loud roosters squawking – and within a split second one of the roosters was either flung or jumped onto my back – with one very large foot on my left forearm – and then sprung off across the food and into the bush. Yes, I was attacked by a wild rooster! There must have been 50-75 people there – but that rooster somehow ended up on me. I carried around a fairly large abrasion and claw marks for about two weeks – but no infection and no lasting scar.


Then around 4:30 or so, the villagers began gathering at the home of the deceased Mama. About 6 or 8 men took strips of fabric (kaliko) and placed it under and around the body. They were the pallbearers and led a procession from the house to the cemetery. Amy and I joined in the procession as it wound past the path to her house. Upon our arrival at the cemetery, the pastor said a few words, and then each person there – including me – walked to the grave site and tossed in a handful of dirt. The wailing got even louder and continued until the grave was fully covered. Then the men placed large palm fronds at each corner of the site while the women put flowers on top. At that point, the women were asked to walk to the beach and begin carrying rocks back to cover the grave. So we made a couple of trips to/from the ocean’s edge carrying rocks that were placed upon the grave. Family members then formed a receiving line while all attendees shook each person’s hand with great solemnity. Just as we were filing away from the grave site, the men in the immediate family began their wailing. The funeral was capped with a community dinner at the nakamael (community center). So, this was my first day on Paama and my introduction to one of the important rituals of island life.


Over the next two days, Amy and I had several meals with her wonderful host Mama, Papa, 2 sisters and brother – and spent some time at the beach. One of my most memorable, awe-inspiring moments since arriving in Vanuatu occurred just after sunset on the beach. As I looked to my left, I could see the shadow of Epi – and to my right the shadow of Ambrym. But oh my God – I could also see the fire and orange steam coming off one of the volcanoes. I am not kidding, it felt like I was in Jurassic Park. At that moment I was so grateful for being in Vanuatu – how many people ever in their lifetime have an opportunity to see a site like that?? I feel very blessed.


Amy was a wonderful hostess, and it was so great to stay up late just chatting away with somebody who could tell it like it is because she has “been there / done that”. Amy is a very special person, and I’ll never forget the time I spent with her. Amy has now completed her two years with the Peace Corps and is enjoying a well-deserved break before heading on to the next chapter in life.

Good Luck Amy!