Before coming into Port Vila for Mid-Service Training and wisdom tooth removal I had been at my new site for a month. Maewo is a beautiful island and the next year and several months promises to be a busy, eventful time.

Getting to Maewo was a reminder to always be flexible and not get your hopes too high for getting somewhere until you are there. Peace Corps had decided that my first time going to my new site should be accompanied by a staff member. I was initially scheduled to arrive on Maewo on February 1st, 2018, but due to the plane being full we were delayed by another week. Initially Len, the Peace Corps staff member accompanying me, and I were on the wait-list for the flight to Maewo from Espiritu Santo. The night before the flight I was confirmed, but when we got to the airport he was still on the wait-list.

That morning, I checked in with the hopes that Len would be able to get on the flight. We spent the time before the flight talking to the four Maewo volunteers from the previous group who were headed back to the island after their Close-of-Service training. Right before boarding, Len checked with the attendant again. They informed him that the flight was fully booked and that everyone had successfully checked in for the flight.

The Peace Corps office made the decision that either both of us or neither of us were getting on the plane. As a result I had to go out to the plane and identify my suitcase for them to remove it from the plane. I spent another week in Santo waiting for the next flight to Maewo (flights are only once a week).

On February 8th, 2018 we had more success with the flight. Neither of us were on the waiting list and we were both able to get on the plane. At the Maewo airport we got a truck ride from the airport to the school.

The two community teachers and the principal of my new school were sitting outside at desks they had placed underneath the mango tree. They were not entirely sure if I would be showing up, but they were hopeful so they didn’t rush home after sending the students home for the day. We spent some time chatting and getting to know each other, then my new host mommy came with food (rice and cabbage) for us to eat.

The community was still working on fixing up my house when we arrived (some of the natangora leaves that make up the roof needed replacing and Peace Corps requested an upgraded kitchen) so my mommy informed me that I would be staying in the guest pastor house next to the village’s church. We carried my suitcase and bedding to the house and got set up for the night.

The following four weeks were me getting to know the school and the village. My school has around 100 students in grades 1-6, one government teacher, one principal (who doubles as a teacher), and two community teachers. At the moment the government teacher is on maternity leave, so I have focused a lot of my time with her 6th grade class. They are in the process of trying to get another community teacher and a teacher-helper.

The school recently had another Peace Corps Volunteer, and they are very excited to work with me. There are a lot of ideas of ways we can work together to improve the abilities of the teachers so they can be the best they can be for their students. We have had one team meeting, and have more planned for making our future plans.

Outside of the school I have had a great time getting to know my community members and the land. Maewo has the highest rainfall in the country, and my area is filled with beautiful rivers, streams, and the largest waterfall, Big Wota, in the country.

I have made a habit of going to the waterfall every weekend, weather permitted. The pool at the bottom of the waterfall is deep enough that you can jump from the top of the waterfall into the pool. I have yet to do the jump from the top (I am still gaining confidence in my swimming abilities), but I have managed to swim to the stones behind the waterfall and jump from that lower point! You can see a clip of some guys from my village diving into the pool on my instagram.

Along with the waterfall, I have gotten to try new food being on Maewo. My favorite, by far, is nalot. Nalot is a very sweet food made from either breadfruit or taro and coconut oil.

The process for making the two different kinds of nalot are very similar. The only real difference is that they roast the breadfruit before taking out its meat to mash it, while they boil the taro. There is a large wooden board that they place the taro or breadfruit on to mash it with large wooden spears.

While the breadfruit or taro is being mashed the coconut oil is usually being cooked by another person. To make the coconut oil they scratch a lot of coconuts (i.e. 21 or so), squeeze the coconut milk out of the shavings, and cook the milk on a fire until the oil separates. This leaves two items in the pot: the coconut oil and it’s makas, small candy-like pieces of cooked coconut.

Once the taro or breadfruit is properly smashed they poor oil around the food, as well as on top of it. They make sure that the everything is well covered in the coconut oil before spreading it out on the board. Generally they use the outside of a coconut husk, covered in coconut oil, to spread the food; but I have also seen them use a plate. It is all about what you have available. More coconut oil is better than less because you don’t want the nalot to come apart. Once the food is spread out (it looks a bit like a colorful pizza crust) they toss the makas from the coconut oil on top, say a prayer to bless the food, and cut it up for everyone to eat.

Aside from spending my free time at the waterfall and eating nalot, I have had a wonderful time getting to bond with others in the village. Especially the women. My village has a lot of women who like to drink kava and story, which has been a great way to get to know them. Even outside of drinking kava I have gotten to have a lot of conversations with various women about what it is like being a woman, and what things are similar or different between Ni-Vanuatu and American women.

In honor of International Women’s Day (which was March 8th) I want to end this post with one of the most memorable conversations I have had with my host mommy, Cathy, and my best friend in the village, Lala, since arriving. The three of us were talking about traditional taboos surrounding women’s menstrual cycles and my mommy said, “yumi mekem world. Yumi bonem olgeta everiwan. Be olgeta i fraet long sikmun blo yumi from wanem? Spos i no gat bae oli no stap.” (We [women] made the world. We birth everyone. But they are afraid of our periods. Why? If it wasn’t for our bodies they wouldn’t exist.)