Hi everyone!
Nic asked me to post the videos he has recorded since arriving in Vanuatu. He was unable to post them himself because the internet was too slow. He sent them to me on a jump drive and asked me to put them up on youtube. All of the videos are from his first few weeks of training.
Enjoy!
-Stephanie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RycLdx54qSw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCaiXzrXjjA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLlMiF3StkE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U20bIGZKMTY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT64hpb6k3k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuT8nSzc_kQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Iqsi9RVbVI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BujIIiGMenY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIepiUWaeOU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThgJpz0ckHM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6gGoBKpUds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99K3NmP3vS4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTYGf9YWTOI (just as a warning: this video shows another volunteer trying (unsuccessfully) to kill a chicken)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2HKXdvdFy8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJjl0rwpECE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKSTm1hkjvk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zjpk7j8ljk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXAN79RiQtQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwpBAVI4lcU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjbqPQeqtMw
November 16, 2010
November 6, 2010
Getting ready for site!
So its been a hectic past week in vila. They packed us 4 to a room thats half the size of the average american bedroom haha. Everyone has been trying to get their stuff as fast as they can because they're worried about being out at their sites for the next 3 months without any amenities! But, before i start on that story i've got some other stories to tell.
I had my volunteer visit which was fantastic. I got to go to south pentecost (the island of landdiving!) and visit 3 different volunteers there. Lauren Bowers, Katie Gobel, and Erica De Los Santos. They were great hosts and i went with 2 other guys from the teacher group. First we went to point cross which is the southern most vilij in all of Pentecost. The place is absolutely beautiful and packed into the hills that overlook a white sand beach bay. Needless to say the place is pretty stunning and the community there was great! After, point cross we next went to Pangi, which is a little farther north has some incredible water gardens. Its a river that is damned off to grow taro underwater. Also, there is a great place to do backflips into the swimming hole haha. And lastly we visited Ranwas which is way up ontop of the bush and we joked that it was the shire. Almost everyone there is under 5'7" and most of the women arent even over 5' plus its nestled into the steep upper hills of pentecost so the only way they can make the ground level is by digging into the hill side so the place looks as if its a bunch of houses set into the sides of the hills. And then we flew home. The trip there and back was in a little 2 prop plane. Fun ride the pilots were great!
Next matter of business was the last week in village training. The week went by very quickly cause we were all so excited to find out our site assignments. So finally friday rolled about and everyone found out where they'll be going. In case its news i will be in Sulua School, Central Maewo. I was the first person anounced which kinda suprised me but it was good to know quick! After that the entire weekend was dedicated to a big goodbye ceremony for all of us leaving. I dislike good byes in this country because i feel that they are super drawn out and take forever, but its also nice to know that you really meant something to the people even if it was just staying there for a month.
And finally the past week in Vila has been hectic because its hot, raining tons, and everyone needst o buy their stuff. Rather than deal with the headache that is rushing around to all the stores trying to buy everything i decided that i was going to take the approach of just not buying anything and everyone seems terrified by that prospect, but i already have 80 lbs of stuff to live in this country, and if i decide i need more th en ill just have to get it in a few months haha.
Anyways, i wont have any internet again until January, but im having a great time and i hope you can all see the pictures i've been putting up!
Also, my mailing address has been updated for all letters!
~Nic
I had my volunteer visit which was fantastic. I got to go to south pentecost (the island of landdiving!) and visit 3 different volunteers there. Lauren Bowers, Katie Gobel, and Erica De Los Santos. They were great hosts and i went with 2 other guys from the teacher group. First we went to point cross which is the southern most vilij in all of Pentecost. The place is absolutely beautiful and packed into the hills that overlook a white sand beach bay. Needless to say the place is pretty stunning and the community there was great! After, point cross we next went to Pangi, which is a little farther north has some incredible water gardens. Its a river that is damned off to grow taro underwater. Also, there is a great place to do backflips into the swimming hole haha. And lastly we visited Ranwas which is way up ontop of the bush and we joked that it was the shire. Almost everyone there is under 5'7" and most of the women arent even over 5' plus its nestled into the steep upper hills of pentecost so the only way they can make the ground level is by digging into the hill side so the place looks as if its a bunch of houses set into the sides of the hills. And then we flew home. The trip there and back was in a little 2 prop plane. Fun ride the pilots were great!
Next matter of business was the last week in village training. The week went by very quickly cause we were all so excited to find out our site assignments. So finally friday rolled about and everyone found out where they'll be going. In case its news i will be in Sulua School, Central Maewo. I was the first person anounced which kinda suprised me but it was good to know quick! After that the entire weekend was dedicated to a big goodbye ceremony for all of us leaving. I dislike good byes in this country because i feel that they are super drawn out and take forever, but its also nice to know that you really meant something to the people even if it was just staying there for a month.
And finally the past week in Vila has been hectic because its hot, raining tons, and everyone needst o buy their stuff. Rather than deal with the headache that is rushing around to all the stores trying to buy everything i decided that i was going to take the approach of just not buying anything and everyone seems terrified by that prospect, but i already have 80 lbs of stuff to live in this country, and if i decide i need more th en ill just have to get it in a few months haha.
Anyways, i wont have any internet again until January, but im having a great time and i hope you can all see the pictures i've been putting up!
Also, my mailing address has been updated for all letters!
~Nic
November 1, 2010
more pictures!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2668458&id=10100753&l=c596f25138
more pictures, stories to follow
more pictures, stories to follow
October 7, 2010
Photos!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2605451&id=10100753&l=58c6c88ee1
so i lied, this is a public link to all of my vanuatu photos so far!
so i lied, this is a public link to all of my vanuatu photos so far!
Mid training!
So im in Vila just briefly for their Constitution Day, and its hectic trying to make a post, upload photos and figure out where to go and what ill be wanting to pick up while im here in Vila. Unfortunately i think im not going to be posting up any photos to the blog today.
My time has been great so far, training is slower but my host family has been awesome and vanuatu has been good to me. My dad and i are building an island bow to go fishing with so hopefully i can post up some photos of them. Also, my dad and i built a pull up bar out infront of my house which was a huge hit with all the pikinini's (children in bislama) any time i workout at night all of my brothers and their friends come watch and then try to do all the stuff i do once i finish haha, its a great time watching them.
The highlight of the activities i've been doing with my host family is that the other night me and a few of my fellow trainees were invited by my dad to try making our own Kava. Kava is their drink here which consists of the juice contained in the root of a Kava plant. In order to make Kava island style you chew it up and spit the chewed root into a bowl and continue mashing it with a little water until you have a nice pulpy sligthly watery mixture and then you ring it through a t-shirt and proceed to drink it. 100% not sanitary, and the root tastes awful and makes your mouth numb, but it was fun doing it with the other volunteers and seeing everyone's reaction to making and drinking the kava haha.
Some trainees in my village have been having a little sickness and stuff but for the most part we're doing great as a group and in particular one of the guys in our village brought a bag of fun stuff with him, he's got kevlar on chains to fire dance, and climbing gear to set up a slack line, and he brought his snorkeling gear aswell so we've managed to go out a few times into the reef together. Before this post gets too long, moral of the story is i'm having a great time here!
My time has been great so far, training is slower but my host family has been awesome and vanuatu has been good to me. My dad and i are building an island bow to go fishing with so hopefully i can post up some photos of them. Also, my dad and i built a pull up bar out infront of my house which was a huge hit with all the pikinini's (children in bislama) any time i workout at night all of my brothers and their friends come watch and then try to do all the stuff i do once i finish haha, its a great time watching them.
The highlight of the activities i've been doing with my host family is that the other night me and a few of my fellow trainees were invited by my dad to try making our own Kava. Kava is their drink here which consists of the juice contained in the root of a Kava plant. In order to make Kava island style you chew it up and spit the chewed root into a bowl and continue mashing it with a little water until you have a nice pulpy sligthly watery mixture and then you ring it through a t-shirt and proceed to drink it. 100% not sanitary, and the root tastes awful and makes your mouth numb, but it was fun doing it with the other volunteers and seeing everyone's reaction to making and drinking the kava haha.
Some trainees in my village have been having a little sickness and stuff but for the most part we're doing great as a group and in particular one of the guys in our village brought a bag of fun stuff with him, he's got kevlar on chains to fire dance, and climbing gear to set up a slack line, and he brought his snorkeling gear aswell so we've managed to go out a few times into the reef together. Before this post gets too long, moral of the story is i'm having a great time here!
September 15, 2010
Training so far.
 |
| The view of the island from the plane |
 |
| The beach right where i am staying |
 |
| The sunset from the directors house |
 |
| our training group getting ready to drink kava |
 |
| Our Trainers, Kevin and Elinda |
So i've been keeping a journal but i feel like it is very wordy and i'll be trying to keep the updates to the important stuff. I've been here now since sunday and already been having some great adventures. I found out that the locals who are our language trainers like playing volleyball so we've gone down to the beach and played with them. Also my card tricks have been a huge hit with one of the older trainers named George and he's been teaching me the language a lot while trying to explain the card tricks. Also, the machete i brought was a big hit and everyone wanted me to get down a coconut and chop it up on the first day so i obliged and ended up getting stung by a hornet cause there was a nest in the tree haha. It stung quite bad but luckily i'm not allergic. Kava was a different experience, it tasted like mowed grass to me but the effect was quite unique. The area is beautiful but soon we'll be moving out of the orientation site and headed to the training village. Island life is definitely slower moving nothing is quite on time but as most people know me that works out quite well. Looking forward to whats to come and ill try to keep it updated.
September 10, 2010
The Start
This time it really is the start and its still hard to imagine being gone for two years. I dont feel as if i made any proper good byes because i couldnt imagine not talking to or seeing my friends in the next month or so. Now sitting in LA waiting for my busy day of orientation to start i cant help but think about all the people i just left because im finally going so i'm not just looking forward to my departure anymore. Today has certainly been a harder day for me than any day leading up to this point. So much emotion and so much anticipation.
I hope i can manage to fall asleep tonight!
I hope i can manage to fall asleep tonight!
September 8, 2010
Mailing address
I'm about to be going and couldn't be more excited!
My mailing address for the next 3 months is:
Nic Thiltges, PCV
Peace Corps
Private Mail Bag 9097
Port Vila, Vanuatu
Ph.# (678) 26-160
i'd love to get mail and i will certainly do my best to write everyone back! it will depend a lot on how busy i am and how available the resources to write the letters are :)
My mailing address for the next 3 months is:
Nic Thiltges, PCV
Peace Corps
Private Mail Bag 9097
Port Vila, Vanuatu
Ph.# (678) 26-160
i'd love to get mail and i will certainly do my best to write everyone back! it will depend a lot on how busy i am and how available the resources to write the letters are :)
August 25, 2010
The Start?
I leave a question mark because I feel that this really isn't the start to my adventure but simply the start to me finally making a blog for people to follow. The start to my Peace Corps experience began in august of 2009 and after what felt like hundreds of trips to the doctors office and a lot of back and for with the Peace Corps I was all set and waiting for my invitation to go to Africa as a secondary education science teacher. A month before my proposed leave date I got a phone call that my program had been cancelled and I was going to receive another nomination. As I received my nomination I was slightly disheartened as I anticipated another long segment of waiting before finding any new information out. To my pleasant surprise while camping in the Redwoods I received a voice mail from the Peace Corps Pacific desk notifying me that my invitation was in the mail. A full two months later and here I sit, finally starting my blog and beginning to realize that I will be leaving soon for a full 27 months. Sometimes I still feel as if it isn't really happening yet, so for now I'll leave the question mark on this post's title.
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