Category

Beach

Category

Maybe living in Samoa as a young girl prepared me for this, but for sure the rest of the family wasn’t quite expecting some of the changes in every day living they would find here in Vanuatu.

Take for instance … shopping.

As a little girl I always saw the signs on the front of stores that said “No shirt, No shoes, No service.” but here on the island it’s more like “No shirt, No shoes, No problem!”As long as you have Vatu (Vanuatu money) you can shop for whatever you need….not that you’ll find whatever you need, but for sure you’re welcome to try. You never know what you might find instead.

Groceries range from local things at the market that are super cheap, to things that are imported from New Zealand and Australia that are often super expensive.

Besides the local grocery store chain “Au Bon Marche” and some smaller locally owned grocery stores,Β  the island is teeming with cheap Chinese stores. I don’t say chinese grocery stores because they are more like Chinese “everything stores”. They carry the oddest assortment of things and you never know which store will have that amazing gem.

Sometimes the things they sell are used or broken but that doesn’t seem to faze them. Like this basket of shoes for $1 a pair.

The brands range from Chinese knock-offs, to authentic brands that we would recognize, to Island brands that we have never seen before.

 

 

 

Of course sometimes the product names or advertisements are made more interesting by the crossover from english to Bislama or when the sign is attempted with Bislama spellings of the English words. (FYI: as I’ve been told there is no standardization of spelling in Bislama. You just spell the words for however you think they are said phonetically.)

 

 

I know at first this next photo can trick your brain, but what it is actually advertising is beach slippers for kids.

If you happen to spot a pair of Nike shoes for five dollars you know they probably are not the real deal! In fact Vanuatu has no reverse engineering, or patenting laws that prevent copying other brands and selling them here….like the $120 brand new Iphone 6S that looked on the outside EXACTLY like the real deal…all the way until you turn it on πŸ˜‰

Well at the end of the day when you empty your bags you’re never quite sure if what you got will work for the job- take these dolls for example. When I showed them to Micah he started screaming instead of laughing. Oh well, shopping certainly is entertaining and a fun way to spend a few hours πŸ™‚

Hey guys, this is Laea here. I’m 17, just graduated from high school and looking forward to going to university. I love to sing, play the piano, play rugby, write and read. My mom pretty much forced my sisters and I to join her on this crazy trip and I have to confess that I wasn’t too eager to come. But now that I’m here I have to admit, I’ll miss home, but this is paradise! Our first hours in Vanuatu:

Friday, April 21, 2017. 12:08pm

Image may contain: 1 person, standing, tree, grass, sky, plant, outdoor and nature

Well, we’ve only been here a short time, but I already know I’m going to love it! Vanuatu, as far as I can see has very few rules regarding driving/road safety. On our way from the airport to uncle Dustin’s house 11 of us were crammed in the cab of a truck we were told that we were being “ultra safe” because we were inside the truck rather then outside of it! Needless to say, for the rest of the day everyone rode in the back of truck-that is the norm. Also, we saw no stop signs…I guess they don’t use them much. Same with speed limits. There aren’t any-or maybe there are, but none are posted πŸ™‚ Oh yeah, we stopped at the store to buy bread on the way home but they didn’t have any. It wasn’t tragic though cause uncle Dustin says it’s all mouldy. Like all of it, all the time. We drove by the water bottle factory too (well that’s what I was told it is). it looks like it would be better suited manufacturing toilets. Yup, it’s safe to say this will be the adventure of a lifetime! Everything is unique, but beautifuly charming. By the way, this is the most beautiful place I’ve ever even heard of!
Well, I’m tired and better go! Night
-laea

Image may contain: plant, tree, grass, sky, outdoor and nature

Saturday, April 22, 2017
This morning I decided to take a bath. I didn’t realize the tub would take half an hour to full up about three inches. I also got to bathe with some bugs. I’m sure they just wanted to be clean like me πŸ˜€ I was told that cockroaches can be a frequent addition to my showers. Actually, they can be a visitor at any time-one even visited my mom last night while she was in bed…. yeah, I slept with most my face covered by my sheet. All you could see of me was my eyes and nose. I’m pretty sure I looked like a nun.

Image may contain: ocean, sky, plant, outdoor, nature and water

I can tell meals will be fun here. Breakfast was kind of like those places in movies where everyone lined up with their plate to receive one scoop of food. We had eight loaves of bread, but the babies got to them first and the eight turned into one. The food tasted great though because uncle Dustin picked some fresh passion fruit before breakfast to make syrup with.

Image may contain: tree, sky, grass, plant, outdoor and nature

Thank you uncle Dustin! I couldn’t ask for anything better- especially with all 16 of us living in the house.
-laea