So the volunteer journey begins ...... we had to identify goals for the month ..... mine, no surprise here for anyone who knows me well ....."live, laugh and love", and "live simply so others may simply live" ...... Randy the Rooster (well actually, I know there are more than one of them) wake us up every morning, starting right at three am or so and continue on throughout the day ....... consistently getting louder with each cookadooddle doo) I have a theory there.....all these roosters are merely communicating with each other...."heh, bud, how many hens have you had today??" As is the case in island nations, the cluckers run free, picking their feed wherever and eating whatever!! Needless to say, we have plenty of organic eggs for breakfast..... :)
Vake 115 (the 115th volunteer troops to land in Raro) include Merideth, Sue Ellen, and Jody from the US, Cara from Australia, Debi our host from New Zealand originally, married to a Cook Islands Polynesian, James who together run the show here.....James however, is currently in a hospital in Auckland and has been for the past month.....he was in a very serious motor bike accident here last month.....did I mention no one wears a helmet on this whole island!!@! ..... including James, who now perhaps wishes he had ..... he is having reconstructive surgery on his face and is lucky to be alive......(Debi was in Auckland until a few days ago but left him there with his mother to tend to our group) ...... I found out this bit of misfortune for our hosts, AFTER I had been offered a lift one rainy day, last week, before meeting up with the group...by a lovely lady on a motor bike.....it was pouring out and I was miles from my hotel, missed the bus which only comes around hourly, hence, happily accepted her offer but my oh my, was I terrified.....many things on this island are in a just a slight state of disrepair and this bike was no exception....no footholds for me, so I worked my thigh muscles keeping them up for the five miles, worrying about slipping in the rain at any moment....the tires were worn thin!! Happily I arrived at the hotel, drenched but all in one piece.....the locals are beyond helpful, kind and thoughtful on this island but think I may pass on a motor bike lift next time!! Met the ladies on Saturday afternoon and they seemed a jovial enough group ...... the weekend was a relaxing one and the only things we managed to work in was a church service, lunch tea and visit to a sailboat......at church, we met a sweet young Danish couple, Palle and Margrethe, who were on a six month sailing journey with a Danish captain from Columbia and his Columbian girlfriend ..... they had sailed through to the Galapagos, Hawaii, Marquesas, Tahiti, Fiji, and on to the Cooks where they decided to spend a few days ..... we were invited aboard ...... brought back awesome memories of my sail trip in Greece with Brian, Sarah & Rob a few years ago ...... for a brief moment in time , I was sure tempted to join them, as they made their way back to Columbia......loved being on a boat again! Took a little video of the church singing (Cook Islanders make going to church a delight with all the Maori singing!!) but not quite sure how to post....will try in any event.
Started volunteering yesterday at Takitumu Primary School, with Cara, my Australian mate......love love love the kids.......English is not taught until midway through Grade 3.....there has been a revival of the Maori culture for children in recent history.....not that many years ago, the Polynesians of the Cook Islands were not allowed to teach children in their own language, pretty much like our native situation in Canada thirty or so years ago :( Our assignment is helping with English from grades 3 to 6 ...... no pictures allowed until the second week, so the children do not view us as tourists to amuse!!! They are charming and funny beyond belief ...... and I keep them in stitches with my mispronunciations of their names! Look for some great pictures next week..........miss everyone.....Brian, Sarah & Tim, how about some emails??!! I can access a computer a few times a week when we go into town......none at the school except a laptop that some of the teachers use ...... love to everyone, Kia Orana (hello, welcome, may you live long ... any of these translations) and Ka Kite (Goodbye for now), Seija xxxooo
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Riding on the back of a motorbike in the rain......and to think you got mad at me for simply hitch hiking in Ireland!!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful adventure, and did you get my email from the other day? All well at home, I head out to Kelowna tomorrow night!
love Sarah
Hi Sarah....still at the internet cafe trying to post some pictures....could not manage the church singing video....have to find a computer dude to help me! Have not had time today to do email but will get to that later this week....it is very very slow to post pictures .... I have been here for over an hour and the shop is ready to close down....unfortunately, the five other pictures I had thought I could post, did not turn out.....next time :) Miss you lots, love mom xxxooo Have a great time in Kelowna ...... love to everyone there ..... yes, your mother takes risks sometimes too!! But the motor bike in the rain was perhaps a tad over the edge :)
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