Friday Entertainment

If I thought I was coming to Port Vila to slow down the pace of teaching-life I was surely mistaken. It’s been a full-on week and that’s without students! Having been out of the ‘classroom’ for so long and getting to grips with the NSW syllabus has challenged me as I prepare to meet my new class on Tuesday.  Actually, I met half of them and their parents last night at the Beach Club, the Friday night hotspot for many expats, tourists and locals. The club is on a sheltered beach looking across to Hideaway Island. The drinks were expensive (Port Vila prices) the pizza’s delicious (blue vein cheese, apple and leek for me!) and the entertainment well.....very entertaining.

A group of about 20  local unemployed youth have created a fire dance routine which is a mix of modern and traditional styles including rope walking, fire breathing, dance and poi. It broke the mould of the usual tourist fire dances and it was hard not to be ‘touched’ by this group who obviously had worked hard pooling their own ideas with no professional help to create something special. They involved many younger expat children whom they were teaching their skill and even had a final dance (kind of a Port Vila Gangnam style) which everyone joined in. I thought I was going to put out their fire with the amount of sweat created when I danced on the sand, especially as I inadvertently stood right by the big flame thrower! This is a Friday night event which takes place after the Nippers and youth group programmes on the beach so who knows...I might even be a fire dancer yet. One thing for sure...I’ll watch where I stand!

Hmmmm...I'll have to learn how to take decent photos now!!!!!!!!

Welkum. Long taem lukim u.

Welkum. Long taem lukim u

My first week In Vanuatu is nearly over and It’s been a long time since I have done something which feels so right.

There are so many things I love: the gentle romantic lull of French language, the laughter and banter of Ni-Vanuatu on their way to and from work, their ability to pack far more passengers on the tray of their trucks than can possibly be legal, the way they drive on the right hand side of the road or even sometimes on both sides.

Then there is school....the staff are so interesting in themselves and so diverse as teachers. Each one bringing something new to the school from specialist training to Montessori. It appears that Faye selects many of her staff from a gut instinct....and it works.

The word is that my class of 31 Year Six students (Year 7 NZ) is quite an eclectic group ranging from  Aspergers to gifted and talented students  from 10 different countries. Looking at their work from last year it is hard not to be impressed by the standard and quality of work. Maybe a formal approach to teaching is a way to raise standards.   I’ve got a feeling that I will be learning every bit as much as my class this year.

All staff have their own Teacher Assistant. I have a wonderful woman just a bit younger than me called Naomi. She’s been working at the school for 18 years and will probably be able to run my class while I sit in a puddle of sweat wondering how to do the maths. I really like her, especially the way she keeps cleaning up my coffee cups and bringing me buckets of water to wash my hands in! My room is beside the road. The traffic noise isn’t bad but the dust is horrendous. Layer the dust on a coat of sweat and we all go home a dirty shade of brown. Not to worry though...the school is paying for me to stay at the Kaivite Motel for two months so I have room service and can get my washing done for  V1000 (about $10) if I don’t want to do it myself (which I don’t!)

The photo below is the view from my room.

Port Vila is OP-Shop Heaven! Faye, an Op-shop-aholic took Suzy (a new Australian teacher with whom I have become inseparable)  and I on an Op-shop tour after school today. The shops get bags of ‘seconds’ from Australian factories and further afield. I now have a very full wardrobe of labelled clothes including a couple of Laura Ashley dresses which look stunning.  Three dresses, four  blouses/tops and a pair of hippie trousers for  approximately $30. Now I just need to find someone to take me somewhere to wear them! The dresses that is, not the hippie pants!

School officially starts next Monday so all is very casual. The school board is taking all staff to Chantilly’s (very posh) for breakfast on Friday morning to ensure we get the best start possible. I guess after the weekend I’ll find less time to write. And really, it’s not easy to move forward if you keep looking back so....onward I go.

I feel so excited by the possibilities ahead. I couldn’t have done this without the fabulous support of friends and family. I've got a feeling I'm going to be here for much longer than planned!