The Yaws Epidemic

As part of my Peace Corps training in Port Vila, I attended a lecture on yaws—something none of us had previously heard of, and for good reason. Vanuatu is one of only thirteen countries still affected by yaws, a bacterial infection that causes bone structure to decay and the immune system to deteriorate. Yaws is spread through blood-to-blood contact, and while it was previously thought that the epicenter was the southern island of Tanna, it has spread all throughout the archipelago. Yaws is easily remedied by a dose of intravenous antibiotics and Azithromycin, a medication that would by prescription at any pharmacy in the developed world. The fact that Vanuatu is still affected by yaws is a sign of how abysmal and defective the health care system is here. Cultural taboos and financial constraints prevent people from seeking treatment. The main sign that someone is affected by yaws is a large open wound that often attracts insects. When we saw pictures of this symptom, we all agreed that yaws is ubiquitous—we saw it all the time in our respective sites. A new campaign is being launched in Vanuatu to eradicate yaws from the country. This will not be easily achieved. However, Peace Corps Volunteers here (including volunteers who have not been assigned to work on health issues) will be included in this campaign next year. More updates to come.

Wine, Cheese, and Kastom Dancing

Two weeks ago, while in Port Vila for a training, I received a last-minute invitation to an event commemorating the 20^th anniversary of Alliance Française, the French embassy in Port Vila. The event featured a gallery show of twenty modern ni-Vanuatu painters. I was quite impressed by the sublime quality of the painting. Some of them looked like photographs since they were so realistic. Others combined elements of indigenous art forms with more modern designs. It also featured a kastom dance, something I had been wanting to experience since I came to Vanuatu and thought I may not be able to since they do not happen in my village. (Seventh-Day Adventists are often adverse to nearly naked dancing.) There were various speeches, but they were all in French. I was one of the few people there who did not speak French fluently. Even the ni-Vanuatu attendees  The contrast  of wine, cheese, and mini quiches and nearly nude dancers shaking rattles, beating drums, and wearing body paint was quite striking. There were five male dancers and each of them chanted in vernacular languages. Afterward, they demonstrated their sand-drawings in a tray that had been filled with sand. Children tried to emulate the drawings after the dancers had finished. In other news, I recently booked my flights to Beijing and Tokyo. Beginning in December, I will be taking my vacation to travel around China and Japan. So look forward to entirely different stories and pictures on this blog.

Climbing Mount Marum

After teaching a workshop on art history, Allegra, Mi Lee, and I planned to climb Mount Marum, an active volcano on Ambrym. It was an intense daylong climb. We braved it with another volunteer's host father and a porter. The entire time I felt like I was on another planet, but particularly on the ash plain and at the top of the volcano. Because we were volunteers, he cut us a great bargain and carried our tents. When we arrived at the top of the volcano, we met an American filmmaker from New York and a New Zealander documentary film crew. The American was filming an online film called “The Deep Field.” Their crew had brought a generator and Internet and reserved helicopters to bring them food. Teetering at the edge to take pictures was a challenge. The lava pit was hypnotic. We pitched a tent at the base camp. We returned to it at night. The lava turned the sky red and gave our figures a ghostly effect which reminded me of the paintings of David Hockney and Marc Chagall,both painters I discussed with the children at my school and the school at Allegra's site. It was my first volcano, and hopefully not my last.

The Ambrym Reunion That Almost Wasn't

Life in Vanuatu is rarely consistent. Sometimes it drives you. Other times, it works ideally. Late last month, as I prepared for my trip to the neighboring island of Ambrym to visit Allegra, another volunteer, with my friend Mi Lee, I learned that Mi Lee's plans for walking to the other side of the island to join us had been usurped by her host family's fears of black magic, as she had planned to walk with her host brother. I also learned that there would be no trucks to the airport on the day of my flight since it was a public holiday. People warned me several times about black magic, but only warned me about the problems with the trucks after it was too late to make a contingency plan. I ended up having to charter a truck part of the way to the airport and pay a substantially higher fee. I also got a text from Mi Lee that she'd gotten a flight to the other side of the island to meet us at the last minute and planned to surprise Allegra. We both met on the same flight, which experienced fog and never landed at our destination. Instead, we landed in Port Vila, the economic and political capital. Of course, since it was the airline's mishap, the airline had to cover our accommodations. Two French tourists and one boy student were also meant to land in Ambrym and were held up. I used the time to purchase supplies, conduct research, and meet other volunteers. Mi Lee learned that a research paper she co-authered on fish societies and the influence of DNA is about to be published in a scientific journal. We ended up going to Ambrym two days later on a special plane that had been arranged just for us. It was also the smallest plane I have ever seen. I bought a baguette, Emmantelle cheese, and red wine to take back to Allegra's house, and we all celebrated together.

Music Night

Last month, the school in our village held a music night in which the kids of various classes sang, danced, and performed small children's plays. I was impressed by the costumes. I made a small cat mask for the Year 2's play about a cat. The kids also made arts and crafts out of coconut leaves for me, and I was equally impressed by their dexterity.

Voyage to Vao

A few weeks ago I visited a nearby island called Vao. I went for a day trip because I had heard it was resplendent. The landscapes, ocean views, Catholic churches, and tribal sculptures certainly were. I was sadly not allowed to take photographs. I was shown the site of the most recent case of cannibalism in Vanuatu, as well as a church where genital mutilation is still practiced on adolescent boys as a rite of passage during Christmas time. I didn't feel comfortable telling the people there I opposed this practice. However, I did enjoy the intricate tribal sculptures with sharks, dolphins, snakes, and Christ images.

Zen, Gender, and HIV Education

Last May, I attended a week-long conference on gender issues and sexual health on the island of Espiritu Santo. Many friends from the Peace Corps also attended, and most of us brought participants from our respective villages. The Ni-Vanuatu counterparts were quite excited to visit another island, as this is a rare opportunity for most of them. As an optional activity, I volunteered to lead Zen meditation every morning. The program entailed sitting meditation, walking meditation, and readings from the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh. I was uncertain how others would react to it, due to the religious fervor and right-wing Christian propaganda that plague the country. However it actually was quite successful, growing in number each day. One day, about thirty people participated. It was a stellar example of the Buddhist teaching that the most profound, valuable gift one can offer is one's authentic presence, to be there in body and spirit. However there were also some revelations that were ultimately disappointing. On an information session on HIV transmission, many Ni-Vanuatus revealed that they believed local and herbal remedies could cure HIV. Considering they came from the more educated echelons of the society, this was quite disturbing. Another disturbing revelation was that the women participants could not name any female leaders in their communities. Knowing how vital female empowerment is for human development, this revealed one of the most significant obstacles to development. We worked with the participants to show them the reasons why these myths need to be refuted and gender equality established. This is the mission of the Peace Corps.