Aelan Laef!

Suomeksi alempana! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello there! I hope this blog post finds you well and happy, for that's how things are at this end! For the past few days Santo has really started to feel more like a home. Up until this point, it sort of felt like I was here on holiday. I'd walk the streets and think "Oooooh, I wonder what it would be like to live here" and then realizing how silly a thought it was. I DO live here! Life doesn't feel quite the same. I don't feel the same. And this is good. I've had many dreams of family and friends this week. I wouldn't say I'm homesick, but I do miss my dear ones at home - mainly, because I've now started to realize how little words can convey. There's so much I'd like to share with you, but words seem to fail me. I have some big thoughts that I need to chew on a little more before I can share ...

English after the pikja! --------------------------------------- Mun elämä muuttui, kun tein päätöksen omistaa yhden vuoden elämästäni suoraan ihmiskunnan palveluun. Päätin, että tarvitsen irtioton länsimaisesta kulttuurista, joten suuntasin nokkani kohti Tyyntä valtamerta. Sanomattakin lienee selvää, että elämäni muuttui kokonaan Vanuatulle saavuttuani, onhan tämä sentään kehitysmaa. Kaikki oli toisenlaista: elintaso, kulttuuri, ympäristö, asuminen, ruoka, ihmiset, kieli, puut, kasvit, ilmasto, ötökät…  Koulu alkoi tällä viikolla, ja sen myötä elämä mullistui ja muuttui taas. Koulu on nyt täynnä elämää ja viipellystä! Lapset saapuivat koululle koulupuvuissaan, olin toivottamassa heitä tervetulleiksi ja ohjasin uusia oppilaita kotiluokkiinsa. Koulun ensimmäinen viikko oli kokonaan omistettu henkiselle ja moraaliselle kasvatukselle. Niinpä yhteensä 13 ryhmää lapsia ja nuoria viettivät viikon oppien totuudellisuudesta, ykseydestä, rauhasta, parhaansa yrittämis...

Meet Ryan. Ryan is a 6-year-old Ni-Vanuatu kid and he lives in the bush. Ryan made my day yesterday when he gave me a high five.  Yesterday Ryan joined the youth for a youth gathering at the Bahá'í center. We always start with prayers to bring unity and harmony amongst us. He said a prayer by heart. And kept going. Kept going. Kept going. At some point I realized it wasn't one prayer, but he was saying ALL the prayers he knew by heart. And he kept going, even though someone kindly tried to hint that it was ok if he just said one. SUCH a sweetheart. Today we got to eat some cake. He'd sit next to me and said: "Yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum yum…. yum!" Ryan also hi-jacked a Skype call I was having with a friend. Thrice.  I also have video material of him performing his special string band number. No instruments, but who needs them when you can sing and dance. In o...