Nius blong Mitufala

A beautiful day in Vanuatu

May/June is the most beautiful time of year in Vanuatu.  Nights are blanket and footy-pajama cool and days are generally sunny and dry.    Last weekend, Fred, Simon and I spent a couple of hours working in the garden and enjoying the weather.  The light was really lovely and so I took advantage of it to same some update photos of our home which we love.

Front View standing at gate

Side/back view standing under carport

New nakamal / play centre (there's a swing and a sand pit in there!)

A cool view of the nakamal from the property behind our house.  It looks like it's been cut in half but really it's been built around the tree right to the edge of our property!

Mobility...

There is a new addition to the Gates-Derousseau household.  Simon and I were buying some wine for a dinner one evening at a shop next to the local motorcycle shop.  I just happened to pass in front of the display window and I just happened to notice that there was a 50cc scooter for sale at only USD250.  I just couldn't resist.  It's provided savings in gas, been a huge hit with Simon and most importantly, whoopee it's so fun to ride!!!!

She was a second-hand scooter which had been part of the store's original rental fleet.  She's definitely seen some action, but runs just fine.  I've had a lot of fun going to work on it during sunny days, and it's fun to weave and dodge between potholes.   I bought Simon a little helmet and we go at a snail's pace around our block with him standing at the front, holding on to the inside of the handle bars.  He's in heaven. 

In other news, Fred and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary this past week.  It was a public holiday here in Vanuatu, so we organised for Josephine to stay with Simon for the day and we headed to the north of the island to a four-star resort that doesn't allow kids.  We had a few glasses of wine and a lovely lunch.  It was a perfect day sandwiched in between rainy stretches - an omen of good things to come.  It was nice to spend a full day just focussing on ourselves.

The weather in Vanuatu has been changing - one of the things that I've always loved about this country.  Despite being relatively close to the Equator, there are two clear seasons.  April generally brings cooling rains that have us putting sweaters on in the evening and turning down the fans.  This year has been no exception, with wild winds whipping the island.  We've been lucky once again to miss being hit by a major cyclone and our gardens have survived in tact.  The following photo was taken at The Summit, a new-ish garden/restaurant in the heights behind Mele village that has a wonderful view of the town.

Both Fred and I have been uber-busy at work lately - so much so that it's about all either of us can do to spend some quality time with Simon.  Speaking of Simon, he has hit his verbal stride and repeats everything we say in every language.  Both French and English seem to be on a par with each other now and developing at an equal rate.  He's been a lot of fun, but we can definitely see the terrible twos coming on with his sudden  behavioural swings and penchant for hitting.  A big breakthrough from this weekend is that he's suddenly started telling us when he needs to use the potty and uses it about once out of every three times.  Slowly slowy, but we definitely see a light at the end of the diaper tunnel!

We're looking forward to a vist from Fred's sister, Charlotte, towards the middle of this month!  We can't wait for Simon to spend some time with ChaCha (and we're looking forward to it too!).

In lieu of a proper post...

Things have been very busy here for the past month - between work, travel and social engagements, there hasn't been much time for... well, anything really.  So, I thought I'd share a few photos from the last couple of weeks to show that we're still alive and aside from some stomach troubles (Kendra) and colds (Simon), we're alive and very well.

 

 Greek Easter at Tamanu.  So much fun even though the photo isn't fabulous.  It's hard to get Simon's fingers out of his nose when he has a cold.  I had also had a recent haircut which  made me look rather butch, if I do say so myself.

 Simon laughing it up with Mila.

The following set of photos were taken over Easter on Epi.  I still need to get the full-sized versions from Christelle, but they were too cute not to share right away!

Easter on Epi - a sneak preview

I am working on a longer post for publication this weekend about our adventures on the island of Epi during the long Easter weekend.  Suffice it to say that it was lovely though wet, sticky and we got stranded for an extra day and finally had to call (and pay!) for an airtaxi to pick us up.  Simon lived out his fantasies of flying in planes, taking boat trips and riding in large trucks almost everyday! 

Boat Boy

The Eye of the Fisherman

A Photographic Update

Before the storm:

A night out with the ladies... and a long recovery the day after.

 

A cool cucumber

 

Coffee with friends

After the storm:

 

 

Photos of downtown Port Vila 14/2/12

Scenes from the Windy City

 Vanuatu has been unusually cool lately, mostly due to the gusty conditions that La Nina has been provoking.  This past weekend, all the yachts abandoned Vila Harbour as the west winds picked up (cue theme for Wicked Witch from Wizard of Oz...) and the waves started whipping around.  A couple of days later, we now see why: 

Cyclone Jasmine coming to get us

The Australian High Commission is giving us the afternoon off to go home and secure everything.  As the proud daughter of an insurance broker, I went out yesterday afternoon and procured drinking water, matches, candles, a full tank of gas, credit for my mobile phone and 5 bottle of wine (once the danger has passed but you still have to stay inside due to flying objects, it can get a bit boring...).

If you'd like to stay up to date on whether or not we get hit, check out this link:  Vanuatu Cyclone Track Map.  Jasmine still might pass to the south and hit New Caledonia instead of us...

 

Blown About in Mele

Fred, Simon and I went out to Mele beach to look at the waves and get blown about by the gales a bit.  It was so windy that Simon could hardly stand unassisted!  After the third consecutive rainy weekend, however, we were desperate to get out of the house!!!

 Bato, Bato, Bato

And some cute photos from last week to end before I run home to batten down the hatches...

 Simon, wanna take a bath?!  

 Simon and Ennio swimming in the rain

 

Bruised and Battered

Poor Simon.  He's going through a particularly bruised and battered period.  He can't seem to cut a break... or to be more precise, we've had plenty of cuts but thankfully no breaks yet.  Simon yearns to jump, run and skip like a little boy but he still has the coordination of a baby.  He doesn't watch where he's putting his feet and ends up tripping over seemingly small obstacles in his path (stones, leaves, dust bunnies...).

Right now, he's sporting his first serious cut over his left eye (almost stitch-worthy but not quite... just required a bit of glue) as a result of falling on a sidewalk paver while at the park with Jojo.  He also has various bruises on his forehead from a less serious fall over a lamp cord and two (!) scraped knees from tripping while playing in puddles during these past two wet weeks.  Couple all that with some teething diaper rash and a raging case of mouth-thrush and you have one sorry looking little boy!

 Yo, Adrian!

My mother always said that children should all wear helmets until they're 5 years of age... and ain't that the truth?  It's so hard to see my baby's perfect little body marred by reality.  His lovely, soft baby skin already has two little moles on it from sun exposure (and we're really good about hats, rash guards and sun screen, I swear!) and teething mouth rash seems to be a permanent fixture these days.

 Smiling through the pain

Simon and I amused ourselves by taking photos this morning and then looking at them and laughing.  I particularly like this one (sorry for my scary morning face all up in the camera)!

 Don't worry about me, Mom.  I'll kiss you and make it better.

That Which Only Peripherally Concerns Simon

I often use cute photos of Simon to spur a blog post, but Marissa's comment on my last post got me thinking.  While I don't particularly feel that my personal identity has been subsumed by my son, it would appear that way from this blog, wouldn't it?  (I know you didn't mean it that way, Marissa, don't worry!)

So, I thought I would innovate a bit and actually write a post without cute Simon photos or anecdotes - is that half of my readership I hear clicking off the blog?

 I have been giving a lot of thought to next steps in life.  (insert 15 minutes of Googling "evaluation development degree" and then a trip to the kitchen for another coffee)  As I mentioned in my previous post, AusAID offers to reimburse studies undertaken that directly relate to one's field of work.  I'm keen to remain in development for as long as possible.  I've given a lot of thought as to whether I want to remain in the health sector which would mean completing a public health certificate in the very least in order to obtain formal qualifications.  And the answer that I've come up with is... no.  I'm not so devoted to health development that I want to specialise.  I would be happy to remain in the health sector for the foreseable future, but definitely have specific interests in other areas (gender, law and justice, education). 

Back to the mental drawing board I went.  AusAID is excellent at providing career development opportunities for its staff and one such seminar offered to our office was on monitoring and evaluation (M& E) for development projects.  The speaker was frank - almost brutally so - and took us each through one of our programs to demonstrate just how flawed the M & E component was.   It didn't take a genius to see that it would be impossible to demonstrate better health outcomes for the people of Vanuatu using the current evaluation systems... and if you cannot demonstrate positive change in black and white, what is the point of aid?

And so...  I am in the process of searching for post-graduate qualifications in M&E.  I will most likely be doing this degree online at a certificate level initially and, if I successfully complete that without too much pain, might move on to a Masters.  I am giving serious thought to either Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra or Melbourne University.  I was also thrilled to be chosen as one of AusAID Vanuatu's M&E trainees which will mean specialised AusAID M&E courses throughout the year and most likely a trip or two to Jakarata, Indonesia to get a first-hand look at the AusAID program evaluation going on there.

This brings me back to the fact that Fred isn't particularly thrilled with his job right now.  He craves a larger working environment with formalised feedback systems.  Construction has been in a major slump here, only really sustained by overseas aid to the infrastructure sector.  Indeed, Fred's in the process of tendering for a large, rural solar project through the Ministry of Health (funded by AusAID - don't get me started about how we've managed to avoid a conflict of interest in this small town).  We're both still very happy living in Vanuatu and don't really have a clear idea of where we would move if we did leave.  However, I don't know how long Fred will be able to sustain enthusiasm for his current working situation... and we all know what happens when you begin to dread having to go to work.

So in the meantime, we physically busy ourselves with Simon-wrangling and new nakamal building.  Our old nakamal was beginning to rot, and so we've built a much more permanent structure.  It will be half-jungle gym for the boy and half jungle juice for us.  I have it on good authority that the roofing has arrived at our house today from its island origins, so pictures should follow soon!

 Alright, and if you made it this far, you deserve a rewards so...

  

 

2012 in thoughts

Simon helped Fred and I ring in the New Year with style.  We spend New Year's Eve at my Peace Corps Veteran and good friend Carla's house.  She had invited a handful of families and everyone came with at least one, but more like two, children.  It was the type of wonderful melee and noisy joy that would have made childless-Fred-and-Kendra cringe.  But Simon's parents loved it and dove into the scrum with vigor.  There was Wii dancing, spaghetti bolonaise throwing, statues-playing, truck races, ball-throwing and kava drinking all mixed up with occaisonal firework displays.  It was a sight to be seen.  Simon conked out at about 8pm but woke up raring and ready to go at 9.  He danced the New Year in with all of us as evidenced by his prominent place in the dance circle below:

 Simon Breaks It Down

The early days of 2012 have been filled with sun, friends and much thought by Fred and I.  We came home from our USA/France trip wondering just how long we would stay in Vanuatu.  We haven't stopped talking about it since.  The dilemma is that while we want to be closers to our friends and family, we have some pretty good friends here, stable employment, a great house and fabulous care for Simon.  Not to mention the kava.  In short, life is pretty darn good right here.  We're busy hatching contingency plans, though, but at this point it looks like at least two more years here.  AusAID, my place of work, will reimburse any studies I undertake related to my current job and I'm EXTREMELY interested in taking advantage of this opportunity before Fred and I start getting clucky for another baby.

 Simon and Ellie love Sesame Street

Having Simon in our lives has pushed Fred and I to try new activities and get out of the house on the weekends (which is doubly hard now that we have a kick-ass internet connection!).  The newest restaurant crze here is the Wahoo Bar which is located about a 30 minute drive outside of town.  The newly paved road around the island has opened up tourism and development opportunities on the northern side of the island ... and provided us with a sunny afternoon of good food and entertainment as we watched Simon walk his "baby." 

 Simon pushed his stroller

    Simon and Moma eat fish and chips at the Wahoo

The weather lately has been very strange, alternately sweaty-hot and get-the-blanket-out-chilly.  During one of the hot days, we gave Simon his first ice cream bar.   Needless to say, he has a tendency for dairy-love coming from both sides of his family.

  Do I have some ice-cream on my chin?

Simon has been developing in leaps and bounds... literally.  He knows how to jump now and isn't afraid to launch himself unaided into a swimming pool.  (This can be heart-stopping if you aren't paying close attention.)  He's also become aware of "boo-boos" that he both gets and gives.  He still has a bit of biting problem, but this seems to be limited to me and when he's tired.  He can use a fork and a spoon, make lots of different animal noises and name most body parts.  He's obsessed with my breasts right now in a way that he never was when he was breast-feeding.  Is this where men's obsession with mammaries begins?!  We're trying to teach him words for bodily functions in preparation for potty-training.  Today, he said pee-pee and then did it (in his diaper).  Great start!  He loves to give kisses full on the mouth and growls when he gives you a bear hug.  Did I tell you that we love him to bits?!

 Simon - 18 Months

 

Christmas Vanuatu-Style

Twas two days before Christmas and all through the house, all the creatures were stirring, even the mouse...

that lives behind the refridgerator after Woody brought it inside for a snack and forgot about it.

Fred, Simon, Josephine and I planned to do our little family Christmas on the 23rd.  I cooked up a 'special' lunch that included hamburgers and cheesy fries and the adults exchanged gifts while Simon napped.  Josephine was the proud recipient of a rotary fan and an electric kettle for her new apartment along with various and sundry items (including but not limited to aspirin, toothpaste, condoms and coconut oil) in a stocking.  When Simon woke up, Josephine gave him his gift which at first he didn't understand...

...and then wholeheartedly enjoyed.

Josephine had one last evening on-duty looking after Simon while Fred and I enjoyed a Christmas cocktail with friends.   My Peace Corps friend, Sara, inherited a beautiful piece of property overlooking the Vila Bay.  However, the house, the empty swimming pool and particularly the deck are not child-proofed.  It would either be a very stressful evening making sure Simon did not plunge to his death or a relaxing evening while Jojo babysat.  We chose to go with option two.  I brought a couple plates of Christmas cookies and both Fred and I drank kava with gusto.

For Christmas Eve day, I spend most of my time running around preparing for the meal that we were to host that evening for three friends.  By about 11am, I had finished all of my shopping and Fred, Simon and I went to wish Lucy (my ni-Vanuatu housemate while I was a volunteer) and her family a Merry Christmas.  I had planned with Bergmans, Lucy's husband, to purchase two five-year kava plants that Fred could leave in the garden until he was ready to use them in 2012.  Bergmans doesn't plant kava, but he told us that he has a friend who does.  So everyone, four adults and four children, piled into our little Bongo Van and off we went into the bush.  We could only go so far in the van but we were told that the garden was 'close by' so we decided to walk.  One hour later, we finally arrived (true island time!).  Despite the unexpected bush hike, we enjoyed the walk and Fred was super happy with his plant.  (the ni-Vanuatu man is standing next to it - this plant will provide enough kava for 20 people to drink happily.... we have some party planning to do!)

For Christmas Eve, our friends Elodie, Olivier and Yohann came to celebrate at our house.  Simon was absolutely exhausted from the bush walk and so everyone decided to go to the beach to watch the sun set (and to occupy Simon until 7pm when it was time to go to bed).  We, of course, took some kava with us and celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ with a shell (What?!  Isn't that how it's done?!).  Simon fell asleep shortly after we started up the van to head back to home and snuggled contentedly into his bed until morning while we celebrated Christmas in the dining room.  We started with fois gras and moved on to smoked-salmon eggs benedict coupled with (too many) bottles of white wine and champagne.  Morning comes early with a 1 yr old and Fred and I regretted the last two or three glasses that we drank before sliding into bed around 12:30am.

Santa even visits small island nations and so when we woke up on the 25th, our stockings were full and there were even some presents under our little tree.  We were a bit sad that our boxes from the US and from France did not make it for the big day, but this will give us another reason to celebrate when they actually do come!

Amidst the various balls, books, trucks and other gadgets that Simon received, his very favorite present was a doll stroller (he - I wonder who got him that in an effort not to perpetuate gender stereotypes?!).  It's so funny to watch him with the stroller, though.  I showed him how to tenderly strap a stuffed animal into the stroller to push around... but he was having none of it.  He loves the stroller because it is something that he can easily race around corners, lift onto our coffee table and roll over the cat with.  He loves it because it means he can transport three balls and four trucks all at once.  He loves it because he can fully control it... a total, stereotypical boy through and through.

Santa was also good to Fred...

And to Kendra...

And he even remembered to fill a stocking for Simon!

I don't have any photos from our fabulous Christmas Day meal with our newest friends, Dominique and Anna Gibert and their sons Theo and Matthieu.  However, we had a wonderful traditional French dinner with them (duck confit... mmmmm!), went swimming and finished with a rousing game of Pictionary.  Simon was in seventh heaven getting to play with all new toys and spent most of the day happily vroomvrooming little cars around a mat on their lawn.

Fred and I are both off of work until after the New Year (except for a short stint at the office for me today... you can see I'm working hard!), and so we enjoyed Monday and Tuesday after Christmas en famille.  We spent a lot of time playing at the house in the least amount of clothing possible...

Swimming at a local swimming pool where we've bought a membership...

Visiting gardens that we had never seen before...

And watching Simon push his stroller around the nakamal while we have our evening shells of kava.

One of Fred's Christmas presents was a 3 day trip to sea with his friend Olivier while I watch Simon.  So he's gone and I'm alone with this guy.  Oh, poor me.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas with your families and the 2012 will be a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year for all!