Peace Corps' PEACE Project Shelved

In an earlier Blog, I wrote about the 3 Peace Corps projects currently in place here in Vanuatu: Health, Education, and Business…also known as the PEACE (Provincial Economic and Community Empowerment) Project. This is the project to which I’ve been assigned. We PEACE volunteers work in any number of areas ranging from working with existing organizations to increase capacity; or conducting workshops on basic business concepts; to working with the National Bank of Vanuatu to promote their micro finance program – and everything else in between that might apply to “business”.

The Peace Corps has assessed the needs of the country and after careful deliberation has decided to discontinue its PEACE Project and instead focus its future efforts on basic literacy within their Education program, and continue its focus on community health efforts. Although some Peace Corps Volunteers reacted with alarm and dismay at this announcement, I and several other Volunteers in Group 23 (my group of volunteers) actually wholeheartedly support this approach. What you say…you want to see the program you’re participating in come to an end? In short, yes…I think it is the right approach on so many different levels.

I have only been in Vanuatu for six short months and during that time have visited just two of its 83 islands – so I am far from being an expert on the intricacies of either its short-term or long-term needs to work towards economic independence. However, I can say that simply from my short time “in country”, I have grave misgivings about pushing too hard towards business development, generation of cash flow, and modernization of Vanuatu’s culture and lifestyle.

The Ni-Vanuatu people have a wonderfully intact village lifestyle that seems to operate pretty well with local chiefs and economies. Oh no, almost none of the villages outside of Port Vila on Efate and Luganville on Santo have modern day conveniences like 24-hour electricity, indoor plumbing or even gas stoves…and at first glance when we go into a village we are somewhat shocked at the primitive lifestyle. But on the other hand, they have absolutely everything they need and seem to be quite relaxed, contented, and happy with the way things are. They don’t have to worry about having money to pay the utility bill, buying a flat screen TV, getting their kids IPods, or what kind of hardwoods they’re going to put in their homes. They have land free and clear, homes with no mortgages, and all the fresh, organic food they need to feed their families from their gardens. They don’t have to worry about their children being abducted…they don’t have to worry about how much petrol is going to cost to fill their gas tanks…they don’t have to keep up with Facebook or Twitter…and they really don’t give a damn or even know about American Idol or Dancing With the Stars!!

So, even though by our standards, they have a much lower standard of living…I’m here to tell you that in many ways they have an enviable lifestyle, culture, and sense of being that most of us would give anything to have. So yes…I’m supportive of pulling out Business volunteers…and instead focusing on providing basic literacy assistance and basic health education and support to ensure that they have future generations who can read, write, and know the basics of safeguarding their health…and their culture.

We current Business volunteers will be supported in our efforts and if our project merits additional effort, we can apply for an extension of our two-year service to complete our work here. I’m proud to continue what I’m working on, but also support the decision that future efforts here in this beautiful country will focus on basic needs to ensure that the people have what they need to prosper within their culture and have the literacy skills they need to record their history and pass it down to future generations.

Earthquakes...Tsunamis...What Else??

Since arriving here in September 2010, we’ve experienced countless earthquakes – some just a short “jiggle”…some short but yet intense….some like a roller coaster…and some that were downright scary. Friday evening, March 11, we had a tsunami warning as a result of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Peace Corps staff members were alerting everybody to get to higher ground. Many volunteers were in Port Vila for training and were staying at a hotel very close to the sea front. As a result, they were evacuated to higher ground. In fact, two of my friends came and spent the night with me. The tsunami warning was in effect from Friday evening at about 9 pm until about 4:30 Saturday morning.

Since then we’ve experienced two earthquakes in one day…the second of which prompted this text message from a fellow volunteer on a neighboring island: “Holy Shit!!. Although we’ve had some measuring in excess of 7.0 on the Richter scale, both of the most recent ones were in the 6.5 or 6.3 range…kind of blasé in the grand scheme of things. But on the heels of the horrific earthquake and tsunami in Japan, it was a bit unnerving to say the least. Although no Volunteers have television service here, some of us do have periodic access to the internet and are able to see the devastation. I think we’ve begun to realize just how serious this could become and thank our lucky stars that so far we haven’t seen anything to equate to the tragic results of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Most of you who know me also realize that I am a proponent of nuclear energy. I’ve been keeping a close watch on that situation as well and have been watching in disbelief with the issues that they are grappling with at the nuclear facilities there. Despite the fact that they had safety redundancies in place, Mother Nature seemed to have crafted the “perfect storm” which even negated some of those safety nets that should have been adequate. I am hoping and praying that the worldwide experts who are converging on Japan can work together to get things under control and minimize any effects to the environment and human health. Unfortunately, I believe this could seriously jeopardize the future of nuclear power throughout the world…particularly the United States. All of this just when the “N” (nuclear) word was actually said out loud by our President.

So, the rest of the story is still unwritten. I can only say with the deepest respect and sorrow that I hope God is with the people of Japan…I hope that the effects from the nuclear situation is minimal…and I pray that their families and nation will recover from this unthinkable event. It will likely have ramifications for generations to come…in so many ways.

KEEP THOSE CARDS AND LETTERS COMING!

There’s just a few little everyday things that remind me that I’m in a “third world” country…like no fresh milk…little or no police protection…the government being overturned about as frequently as the weather changes…and things we take for granted like mail delivery. Oh yes, I know, the USPS is anything but efficient – but it does provide home delivery 6 days a week – and, you can drop letters into those wonderful blue mailboxes stationed on corners throughout America.



In Vanuatu there is NO mail delivery and NO mailboxes in which to deposit your letters. If you want to mail something, you must take it to the post office here in town – no branches, just one main post office situated in downtown Port Vila. That’s not so bad for people in Port Vila, but if you are anywhere else on the island of Efate, it means that you have to send your mail with somebody who is coming into town and hope that they don’t forget to take it to the post office for you. In my case, I do get “home delivery” so to speak because I pick up my mail in the Volunteer’s Resource Room located at the Peace Corps office in Port Vila – just one block away from my office. But that’s only because a Peace Corps staff member goes to the Post Office and collects everything from the PMB 9097 mail pouch. Sounds easy, huh? In reality, it can be an arduous process. Regular mail is pretty easy – the staffer goes to the Post Office and brings the letters and cards back and distributes them. But if the Volunteer is located on an island other than Efate, the mail must either be sent by ship or plane to that island – and that can take weeks, months, or it may never reach its destination. Even in my case, I recently received a first class envelope that was postmarked November 12 – so it was 3.5 months in transit!! On the other hand, I’ve received some letters or cards within 14 days. So, there’s no way to figure out the transit time.


Packages are something else entirely. Upon receipt of a package at the Post Office, the postal clerk hand writes a notice of package delivery with the addressee’s name on it and places it in the Peace Corps mail bag. The staffer picks up mail twice weekly – Tuesday and Thursday – and upon receipt of notification of a package, the staffer then makes another trip to Customs. Sometimes the package has been cleared, and sometimes it hasn’t. So, they must often make a second trip. If the package has been opened and import duty is applied, the staffer pays the import fees and then deducts that amount from the Volunteer’s living allowance the following month. At long last the package is brought to the Peace Corps office and either placed in a mail cubicle if the volunteer is local or set aside for eventual shipment to an outer island. And whooeee, you’d better be ready to ransom your first child when paying the postage on a package. Typically a priority mail package will set you back at least $50-60, and in my case the most recent package cost almost $200 to get to me. However, it contains some things that I cannot get here, so I decided it was worth it. However….I’m still waiting and hoping that it arrives. Sometimes it never actually reaches the intended person…go figure!!


But after all that, I don’t want you to be discouraged – if you haven’t written lately, I’m anxiously checking my mail cube every day just in case one slim envelope from you has found its way across the Pacific to me. So, keep those cards and letters coming – it’s amazing how exciting it is to open a letter and read about what’s happening in your world. I got a letter recently from my sister, Ruby, describing how she was baking some snickerdoodles and I felt like I was in her kitchen talking to her.

So, in closing, my email is: csandatravels@gmail.com and my "snail mail" address is: 

Carla Sanda, PCV

Peace Corps

PMB 9097

Port Vila

Republic of Vanuatu

And - I promise to write back!

Mother Nature...Island Style

It’s been awhile since I’ve been on-line to update my blog. Things have been going along pretty well here – although since we’ve “talked” last, Mother Nature has been rearing her wild head quite a bit. There have been several major earthquakes…as well as a few little “teaser wannabes”. One of the earthquakes measured about 7.3 on the Richter scale and was quite sustained – since it came on the heels of one measuring nearly 7.0, I immediately timed it at 45 seconds or so. Now 45 seconds may seem pretty danged fast – but when the earth is literally rocking and rolling under your feet and things are going crash-bang in your house, it can feel like a pretty long time! At any rate, there was no serious damage from any of the quakes – and I’m getting quite accustomed to the periodic tremors that seem to roll through my part of the world.



We’ve also had 3 cyclones – the first one was Cyclone Vania and she was a real ripper. My apartment is up in the hills thankfully well above the ocean floor, so I didn’t have to worry about flooding from the torrential rains. But the gale-force winds were really something. A tree fell onto my patio roof and the yard around the house looked like a madman had raced through with a machete in each hand. Several banana trees were toppled, hundreds of unripe pamplemousse (grapefruit) were flung around the yard, and papayas were ripped from their trees as well. There were also several large pieces of sheet metal ripped from the roofs of nearby houses…or shacks. We are now in the midst of Cyclone Atu. But I think the worst of it is past Port Vila and the island of Efate. So far it has been nothing like Vania – but it is due to make landfall later today on the tiny island of Fatuna and perhaps even parts of Tanna. So, Atu hasn’t wheezed his last breath quite yet. One good thing is that for the first time in months there was a lovely cool wind through the night – so it was heavenly to not be sweating and looking for a dry spot in my bed!


Such is life in the rip-roaring, unpredictable south Pacific – and I haven’t even been here for six months yet!! Stay tuned!

Along the Lazy Tagabe

I’ve spent the last two weeks back in the classroom for follow-on training with my fellow business volunteers. The absolute best part of it all was reconnecting with everybody in Group 23 who had left in November for assignments throughout the archipelago – and the next best part was the opportunity to meet the business volunteers form Group 22 who came in for the final two days of training. It’s amazing how quickly one can bond with others when everybody is far away from home in some unfamiliar place, learning a new language, and trying to adjust to unexpected cultural idiosyncrasies. But the exciting thing is we’ve all made it nearly to the 6-month mark. We did lose 3 business volunteers within the first two months who returned to the states due to medical issues – but we’re still a tight little group of 8 who were excited to spend some time together. Each of us was asked to prepare a presentation of our project, the agency we’ve been working with, and the locale in which we’re serving. Clearly those of us based in Port Vila are very fortunate with creature comforts like electricity, indoor plumbing, and refrigeration – but after listening to our friends based in the islands, it’s also clear that we’re missing out on a unique village experience quite unlike anything else in the world.



Much of the two weeks was spent in the classroom, but one day we all headed out on a community cleanup project at the Tagabe River – the source of drinking water for Port Vila. Basically we donned shoes for the water – typically flip-flops or Chacos – and then waded into the river with trash bag and sticks in hand to pull all kinds of rubbish from the river. As we walked downstream filling up the bags, we encountered many local families along the river along with lots of kids or “pickininnies” out for a day of fun jumping into the river to cool off. It sure reminded me that we are in a place where time seems to stand still, where kids can run out of the house to explore and play and not return until dark, and where families have the freedom to just go to the river for a day of lazy enjoyment.


It’s days like this that make me question just how much development and “progress” should really be put into place in Vanuatu…progress can sometimes be anything but!

AELAN KRISMAS

MI WANTEM WISHEM YUFALA WAN BIGFALA MERI KRISMAS!!

(I want to wish you a big Merry Christmas!)

There are many wonderful things about an “aelan Krismas” (island Christmas)…there’s no snow to shovel…avocados are buttery and ripe…sweet, juicy pineapples are in season…and I can sit on my patio in the midst of huge, colorful ginger flowers and butterflies. Notice that I didn’t mention the huge mosquitoes, African snails, or flying ants – that’s because I’m trying not to notice those **!@@ things and instead count my blessings!!

ACTIV Association – the organization that I’m working for – has been holding its annual Krismas Eksibison in downtown Port Vila at the Alliance de Francais (a facility next to the French Embassy that features the work of local artisans). I’ve been working with a colleague to set up the displays of hand-woven baskets, bags, backpacks and mats – and other locally-grown or made things like honey, vanilla, soaps, nuts, and jewelry. So, it’s been kind of fun meeting lots of people – not just locals, but tourists primarily from Australia and New Zealand as they shop for Christmas gifts or souvenirs to take home. An Australian cruise line regularly comes to Vanuatu, so it’s been interesting meeting and talking with the folks from “down under”. Given the fact that Vanuatu is an international tax haven, there are a surprising number of business people from all corners of the world, so you really never know who you might bump into. The Eksibison (exhibition) continues through New Year’s Eve – and then it’s back to business as usual (whatever that might be!).

Christmas Eve was declared a national holiday by the government earlier this week, so yesterday was an incredible day in downtown Port Vila. There were so many vehicles on the main street that it looked and sounded like an island version of New York City. At one point, the driver of a van simply laid on his horn and careened up onto the sidewalk scattering people in all directions. So, no matter where you are, there are crazy drivers.

There was also a big parade down the main street yesterday morning comprised primarily of several hundred young people who have converged on Efate for an annual Evangelical camporee. Youth are here from Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. I find it interesting that the event is planned over the Christmas holiday – it just seems odd to me that these kids aren’t home with their families. But, in talking to them, they seemed really excited to be here and weren’t dismayed at all at being away from home for the holidays.

Port Vila is known for its party atmosphere over Christmas and New Year’s. In fact, the Peace Corps really emphasizes that fact with a caution to all volunteers to be wary of going out at night. Tusker, the locally-brewed beer, pretty much takes over, and I guess it can get pretty crazy. The other thing I’ve noticed here is the prevalence of fireworks. In fact, there was a full-page spread in yesterday’s paper reminding everybody that fireworks are legal and inviting one and all to have a great time with them. Although I’ve seen a few pretty fireworks, I think the ones that are really popular aren’t things like fountains – instead, it’s the big cherry bomb-type that boom really loud. Last night my neighbors just down the hill had quite a round – it sounded like a small war was breaking out!!

I’ve seen very, very few Christmas decorations around. In fact, I think I’ve only seen one house with lights – and just a few small things on some of the lamp posts in downtown Port Vila. There are some decorations for sale in the stores – but nothing like you’d see in the states. In many ways, I kind of like it because it feels more like people are enjoying the spirit of Christmas and not getting so danged caught up in all the things that really don’t last anyway.

I’ll be house sitting from Christmas Day through New Year’s Day, so Jane – one of my Peace Corps colleagues – is joining me there for dinner on Christmas Day. The house I’m staying at actually has an oven, so we’re taking advantage of that by roasting a chicken with stuffing, baking a lemon cake for dessert, and making mashed potatoes and fresh green beans to round out the meal. And of course, you can count on the fact that we’ll be popping the cork on at least one bottle of French red wine somewhere along the way…it certainly makes cooking more fun!!

So, as I sit here on a balmy Christmas Eve afternoon, I’m reflecting on many of the Christmas joys that I’ve been blessed with throughout the years – and learning to savor and enjoy an island Christmas. Yes, in many ways it looks and feels different – but when Silent Night is played, it really reminds us that we’re all going to be looking at the same moon on Christmas Eve and that we’re really not that far apart in many ways.

MERRY CHRISTMAS…WITH LOVE…FROM ME TO YOU!!

GROCERY SHOPPING

Grocery shopping can be quite an adventure here in Port Vila. Now you have to understand that I was realllllly spoiled when I lived in Denver. All I had to do was walk out my front door, make a right – and walk about a block to a wonderful, full-service Albertson’s store – not to mention Lowry Liquors just down the street – as well as the Savory Spice Shop just across the street from Lowry Liquors. Oh, and let’s not forget the phenomenal purchasing power I had at COSTCO!! Well, things are a little different here – not necessarily better or worse…just different!



First of all, my shopping habits have drastically changed. Since I have no car and I’m about a 40-minute walk from the grocery store, I shop several times each week – usually after work just before heading home. Several times a week I walk down to the “Mama’s Market” along the Port Vila seafront. The Mama’s Market is open round-the-clock from 6 am Monday through noon on Saturday. It’s called the “Mama’s Market” because it is a huge open-air market comprised of tables laden with fresh produce grown in the rural villages of Vanuatu. Families harvest only their finest produce – and only the produce that is in excess of what they need to feed their families – and then the Mamas bring it into “Vila” to sell. I love to go to the market because I have a chance of seeing some of the Mamas from my village of Ekipe. The villages take turns to provide an equal opportunity for everybody – so Ekipe is only there about every third week. At the Mama’s Market you can find just about everything that grows in the islands: bunches of bananas for about $1, island cabbage, manioc, tomatoes, cucumbers, pineapple, mangoes, papaya (popo), taro, grapefruit (pamplemousse), kumala (kind of like a sweet potato), and sometimes regular potatoes. The prices are typically much better than you can find in the regular supermarket here – plus you’re assured of a big smile and “tankieu tumas” from one of the Mamas. When the Mamas come to town for the market they stay there round the clock – sleeping in shifts, babies in tow. So, it really is quite a commitment – and it seems to be something they really look forward to. Of course, the big bonus is you get fresh, reasonably-priced produce – and everything is organic. You can also buy an island breakfast (bread, egg, coffee) for about $3 – or the ever-present lap-lap for lunch or dinner. Sometimes they have large, whole fried fish for about $3 too. So, it’s quite a sight to behold.


For other things I head to the AuBon Marche. There are several around town – two very close to my office, and another one -- known as AuBon Marche #2 -- about a 20-minute walk away. Of course, the one that’s a little further away is the best, so I usually hike up there. I’ve never seen a grocery ad or flyer in the paper, nor have I ever seen ANYTHING listed as being on SALE in the store! AuBon Marche #2 (AuBon Numbatwo) is kind of like a mini super-Target. It has everything from bolts of fabric to fresh meats to clothing to French wines. I bought nearly everything I needed for my apartment at the AuBon #2. However, I stopped short when it came to any kind of appliance. As an example, crock pots are $140.00, toasters anywhere from $85-100, and a small Teflon frying pan was $35. So, I have a small frying pan, a saucepan, and one slightly larger pot to cook in. But, they do me just fine!


I was just there yesterday evening to do some shopping, and on my walk up there I thought I’d look to see if they had cranberry juice. It’s been so hot here that I thought a glass of cold cranberry juice in the morning would be great. Well, the good news is they had the Ocean Spray cranberry juice – but the bad news is that it was nearly $12.50 per bottle. No, not $2.50 – but $12.50!! Suffice it to say, that I settled instead for an Australian brand of tomato juice! But on the other hand, I can buy fresh croissants (REAL croissants) for 40 cents each, as well as French Au Pain Chocolat for about 70 cents each. Not to mention the fact that I can get a package of 12 mosquito coils to burn in my apartment for just 70 cents!! On my first visit, I decided to buy some sliced ham in the deli – but I had to pull out my cell phone to do a quick conversion from kilograms to pounds so that I knew how much to ask for. The other surprising thing is that eggs are not refrigerated here. They are simply on the grocery shelf – and if you plan to use them within a week or so, you don’t have to refrigerate them when you get them home. Go figure!! There are no dairies in Vanuatu, so all milk is the boxed milk on the grocery shelf – but it tastes like regular milk once it’s chilled. Good canned tuna is about $7.00 per can – but organic beef and veal is comparably priced to what’s available in the states. That’s because the beef is produced within the islands. So, the import taxes really are a killer on most grocery items. I’m beginning to understand the value of lap-lap in the villages – no need to shop, just go to the garden and you have dinner!!