Pam: Two days ago the winds were still northerly, so we had a boat maintenance day. Nicky demonstrated skill at the fiddly task of replacing the flywire on all the portholes. We know that if we ever reach islands further north that there are malaria carrying mosquitoes and we want to be able to keep them out of the cabin. Mid morning there was a deluge and we all managed to wash and condition our hair on deck – great fun. There was still enough rainwater after that for Lee and Jim to fill our fresh water tanks.
Yesterday the winds were still northerly, so we decided to go to Port Vila by road. We are anchored just a few metres from the main road round Efate, but there is almost no traffic. Jim resorted to standing in the middle of the road and very assertively flagging down any passing traffic. We all made it into Vila and visited the internet cafe, had lunch at the market and Nicky had her hair rebraided.
Nicky: Today is Sunday and so we (Nicky, Lee and Jim) decided to take care of our spiritual needs and headed for the village in search of a Church service to attend. The Assemblies of God seemed attractive and proved to be a wise choice. As with everything here time is of no particular significance and so it had been difficult to ascertain the time services began. We arrived at 9 am for a 10 o’clock service! Immediately we were warmly welcomed and invited to a late breakfast of very sweet tea and peanut butter on crackers. Jim was given a printed cerise shirt to wear as it was Father’s Day and Nicky and Lee were taken aside by a beautiful lady, Jenny. Jenny spirited us away to her home where she gave us a selection of Mother Hubbard dresses to choose from and when we put them on we had to do the ‘see through’ test at the doorway, which we both failed. It was then suggested we put our own sarongs underneath, presumably to ensure our respectability at Church!! The service began with the children singing a number of choruses – some with interesting actions. The ladies sang a chorus in Bislama which Nicky had fun joining in. After the service we were treated to lunch which was a magnificent feast made by the ladies of the village. The children’s smiles were huge in photos taken by Nicky and they were delighted to see the digital images.
After lunch the men of the village were called up one at a time to be thanked by their children. This was a very emotional moment that often ended in tears and hugs. They were given presents and dusted with talc by children and grandchildren. Jim being a “Papa” also received his gifts: a sarong, two shirts, woven mat and a carved island pipe that resembled a small didgeridoo. As visitors, Nicky and Lee were then presented with sarongs. We walked down to the bay to see the small girls of the village washing the dishes and playing french skipping with a vine rope. We then left the village, wearing our island dresses which Jenny insisted we keep as a gift. We promised to return with a disc of the photos taken that day.
Pam: This morning it was a dead calm and we hoped that it preceded a switch back to the SE trade winds – but no such luck. This evening the northerlies are howling yet again. I decided to opt out of walking to the village for church and enjoyed a day on my own on Intention. As someone who lives on her own I really valued having the space all to myself for a few hours. I pottered around making cornbread and pinto bean stew. Late morning I went ashore to do some laundry in the fresh water stream. Yet again the NiVan’s overwhelming helpfulness was evident. A mama watched my desperate efforts to get the dirty marks off Cathy’s towel. She saw that I was failing miserably so she insisted on taking over and she scrubbed away energetically. Sorry Cathy – the towel is still stained.
Jim: Today was one of those very special days where people’s love, sharing of community and family was so impactful upon me. After being acknowledged as a father (papa as they say in their language of Bislama) by this loving community I stood with tears streaming down my face trying to somehow thank them for their loving open hearts and giving ways.
Jake told me his house was just a tin one but he had everything he needed. I told him he was a very rich man with a roof over his head in a warm climate, plenty of food to eat, surrounded by a very loving community of friends and family. He agreed as we stood up to have second helpings of any of the many dishes some of which consisted of pork, fish, chicken, taro, breadfruit, cassava, sweet potato, green spinach, coconut milk, including fresh fruit and cake for desert at the feast. How could anyone not be blessed with such love and abundance.
Jim, Nicky, Lee, & Pam