Don't Ask Yourself Why, Ask Yourself Why Not?

Hello All! My name is Jenni (or Jennay) and I will be embarking on a 27 month long journey with the Peace Corps starting January 22nd, 2016! My home to be, the South Pacific Island of Paama, Vanuatu. These are personal accounts of my adventures and do not coincide with any other affiliation.

[exploringandgrowing]

Check those FEET

It is 5:30am one Wednesday and my alarm clock today is my nieces crying (not the roosters). Half asleep, I roll out of bed to see who died this morning as her crying has reached a new pitch record. I open the door to my kastom house and proceed to ask:

Me, “Krista, from wanem yu krae olsem?” Krista, “Apu i ko sam ples mo i no kat man long haus.” Me, “Oraet yu kam, bei yumi silip bakaken from emi earli tumas.”

She decides the idea of coming back to bed beats sitting outside and crying. Jumping into bed we both fall back asleep. Roughly 45 minutes later we wake back up and Krista has proceeded to roll all over the bed and now resides on top of me(feet on my stomach).

It was here that I realized I f***** up…

See the thing with Krista is she hates wearing sandals and thus proceeds to walk barefoot everywhere, which is fine… except we also have roaming chickens. Catching my drift? If not I’ll tell you…

Chickens shit anywhere they’d like and Krista always finds and proceeds to step in their shit and now it was everywhere: the bed sheets, blankets, my body, and my clothes! How it managed to get everywhere in such a short time will forever baffle me, but short story shorter… make sure you check those feet of little ones, because you never know what they may have stepped in!

Stay Classy Everyone 💜

[exploringandgrowing]

I was able to ring in the first week of 2017 by assisting two fellow Peace Corps Volunteers at their "Laef mo Ledership" workshop! My portion of the workshop included the education of forms of Family Planning found on Paama and within Vanuatu. The girls were quiet at first but as soon as we went to the demonstration of how to properly use male and female condoms the questions came flowing.

[exploringandgrowing]

Last Year Was a Year of Many Firsts

01 January 2017

     Happy New Years to all my friends and family, wherever you may be! Hopefully everyone was able to say goodbye to 2016 safely and welcome in the New Year in an equally safe manner. For myself I spent the last few hours of 2016 eating a wonderful meal, watching The Amazing Spiderman with my family, and trying to not fall asleep; it worked as I was awake for the commotion that ensued at 12:01.

     As I sit at my table and drink tea for the first time in 2017 I cannot help but reflect on the triumphs and pitfalls of last year... but most of all, how it was a Year of Many Firsts! By checking off the top item on my bucket list I have opened my life and soul to new experiences, self realizations, people, cultures, and so much more! So here it goes, a short list of some firsts that I got to experience last year...

-Flying 11 hours... backwards in time (I was in The Twilight Zone)

-Never seeing the 23rd of January 2016

-Traveling to two new countries (New Zealand I will be back)

-Learning there are more than 3 types of bananas in this world and two kinds of papaya

-Tasting my way through the first few months of Vanuatu (most tastes of which I have come to love)

-Adding millpods to my list of bugs I do not enjoy being around

-Embracing the awkwardness of living in a culture that is furthest from Western Culture I have experienced thus far in life

-Laughing in those times of pitfalls, awkwardness, triumphs, and anytime really

-Drinking Kava (which I have come to love)

-Swimming through a cave that I could not see either end (where bats were flying above my head)

-Extended and permanent cooking over a fire (when I use gas and electric stovetops I get really nervous and tend to overcook everything!)

-Assisting in the delivery of 3 babies

-Walking and looking into the mouth of an active volcano(Marum) and visiting another (Lopevi)

-Becoming very creative with the same 6 ingredients

-Meeting 36 wonderful new people

-Reading 38 books (Next years goal is 45)

-Becoming increasingly attached to a BEAUTIFUL country, culture, and people

-Being apart of a group that I believe will bring good change to volunteers and Vanuatu

-Stopping to just breath and listen to the life around me

-Loving hot tea in the morning (even when it is already 95 degrees outside)

-Watching the killing, butchering, and dividing of fresh meat and eating then cooking and eating it the same day

and

-Relying and realizing I am so much stronger than I ever thought!

 Love you guys and see you soon :) and remember to keep living your dreams, because we only get this one life!

Jennay

[exploringandgrowing]

These trees only bear flowers and leaves at Christmas time. During the rest of the year the trees remain barren. Before phones, watches, and clocks the locals used these trees to signify the welcoming of the New Year. Culture from all over the world <3

[exploringandgrowing]

[exploringandgrowing]

16th December 2016

I had the honor of being a witness in my sisters wedding here on Paama. Not only did the festivities include buttering up over 100 slices of bread... but I was dressed up in white and had my eyebrows darkened (I removed a lot of the makeup). The wedding was 45 minutes to an hour long and afterwords the family ate and indulged in HOURS of dancing! It was an amazing experience and brought me closer to my family here in Vanuatu.

[exploringandgrowing]

[exploringandgrowing]

inclusion Group

"Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!" - Dr. Seuss Today marks the end of a three day workshop with the new PCVan inclusion Group members! It was a time of firsts, many laughs, and an excitement for what the future of this group will bring. During our three days on the beautiful island of Santo, we were able to finalize our vision, mission, and goals, establish proactive diversity activities, and create a work plan for 2017 . Even though the days were packed... we were able to establish deeper understandings of how each of us personally envisions the progression of this group, and mold these visions into a common ground. It is times like these, when there is so much hatred and negativity, that we MUST come together. We must begin to open our eyes to those challenges that separate us and Bring. Them. Down. The time has never been better to form groups like these that proactively seek to increase intercultural competence and respect that we are not all the same. That diversity is good. Because without DIVERSITY the world would be a boring and redundant place.

[exploringandgrowing]

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[exploringandgrowing]

Nine Months Already?

Hello Friends and Family,

I have internet for the week and am planning on bombarding all the social media so you can see what is new... sorry about it! I have been at site since the 10th of July and I am still lovin’ every minute, no matter how slooowww some minutes can go. Paama has opened its heart to me in so many ways that I can’t fully describe how happy I am to be placed there.

These past few months have been filled with lots of laughter, learning, and one BIG breakdown. It was bound to happen eventually but thank goodness I could call and text everyone back home. Thank you for your encouraging words when I need them! But I bet you are wondering what I have been up to... so here are some things I have been doing the past 3ish month:

-Marine Reach(Medical Mission Ship based out of New Zealand) stopped by Paama and was able to help service 300+ patients over 4 days. They did amazing work helping dental and medical patients alike and it was quite the week!

-Started writing weekly health tips based on the health topic of the month. I was unsure how people would perceive these little tips, but I have had more than a dozen people comment on how they love when they see me changing them at the notice board! It’s these little things that are going to make the difference in the long run.

-Continued gathering health survey information on my community. It is a slow process as people are busy building new toilets and going to their gardens but do NOT fear... I will get them done before the new year!

-My garden is putting out so much lettuce, bok choy, tomatoes, and cabbage that we can’t eat it fast enough! I love my Saturdays for the simple reason of going to my garden. I forgot how relaxing it is, even if I have to hike the hill!

-September was filled with ADVENTURE! First, I ventured over to Ambrym to see Aaron, Rob, and Helen and hike to the active volcano Maurum (post about the hike to follow), and second, Paama had their second annual Sand Drawing Art Festival (that was a fun filled day of culture and custom), and third, I wrote up and presented a Health Awareness on High Blood Pressure and what causes it and how to prevent it. Busiest month here in Vanuatu for sure!

-Showed the locals the Macarena at a music night along with my fellow Australian volunteers.... lets just say they loved it!

So yea, these are just a few things that I have been up too! I have also been keeping up on reading anything and everything, watching Superman grow up too fast, caring for my three chickens, and becoming a PRO at fire starting! Again, I tend to run out of things to say so I am going to put up some pictures now! Enjoy!

[exploringandgrowing]

Where Am I?

                                        Or better yet… where are we? A common phrase I find myself spewing out throughout the days here in Vanuatu. A phrase that captures an experience that does not have words for it as is. A phrase, I have found, that has helped me through the times of doubt, set-backs, and silence. From learning a third language, to hiking through dense foliage to arrive at one of the most astounding and daunting caves I have ever seen, to walking with friends (in search of kava) below a crystal clear and star filled night sky, to the little moments that each of us experience on a day-to-day basis that have us like… “Where am I?”.

                       For myself, today was another one of those days that had me repeating those three simple words. After eight days of rain the sun finally decided to show its’ face(and to say I was thrilled would be an understatement)! As I swam with my sisters and basked in the glorious vitamin D, I re-realized just how lucky I am to be here, in Vanuatu, living a life most people in modern culture will never be able to. Yea, I miss my family, friends, and home pretty much every day… but I did hear through the grapevine (or Coconut Wireless) that Peace Corps is “The Toughest Job You Will Ever Love”, and I will proudly second that statement! Some days I just want to throw in the tea towel and be done, but then there are those “Where Am I?” moments that bring me back to loving what I am doing…

v Like being told “Good Morning” by everyone you pass on your way to work;

v To watching the sunset almost every day;

v To making fun of the papas, and laughing uncontrollably with the mamas, because they had to stop cooking to watch a ship pass by (because they have NEEVVEER seen a ship before);

v To making a H-U-G-E scene at a Thanksgiving celebration because a spider was crawling on me (a big spider I might add!);

v To running a workshop where people ASKED questions;

v And to literally waking up when the roosters crow.

           Now, these are just a few from my personal list of “Where Am I” moments. So feel free to take em’, leave em’, add em’, or better yet, start your own list; but remember to enjoy the roller coaster ride of being a Peace Corps Volunteer… because we only get two short years.

 Stay Classy Everyone,

 Jennay

[localrehabs]

You rule your life

[exploringandgrowing]

[americasgreatoutdoors]

Happy Independence Day from all of us at Interior! 🎆  We hope you have a happy and safe holiday. Photo of the 4th of July fireworks display over the National Mall in Washington, DC, by Tom Hamilton (www.sharetheexperience.org). 🇺🇸

[exploringandgrowing]

Happy Fourth of July to my family and friends stateside. Yesterday, a group of Peace Corps Vanuatu volunteers and myself were asked by Ni-Vanuatuan’s to share our history of Independence Day with them. Many older generation Ni-Vanuatuan’s remember when the United States occupied parts of Vanuatu in order to set up a military supply and support base for those fighting in World War II and they wanted to learn more. It was a morning full of cultural exchange, as the military band performed American themed music,historic facts were shared, local Ni-Vanuatuan’s performed a custom dance, and volunteers even broke out American themed tattoos for the kids! It is not easy being away from home during holidays such as these, but this gesture from local Ni-Vanuatuan’s shows me how blessed I am to serve in Vanuatu. Stay safe everyone and enjoy the day off! :)