Integritus Prime

I traveled to Vanuatu recently as part of some consulting work. It was a last-minute request, so I spent most of the time I had left preparing for fieldwork in remote settings. I acquired reef shoes, waterproof bags, dry food, and some appropriate clothing.

Nothing could prepare me, however, for the wonderful love and hospitality of my team members on the ground in Port Vila, and of the hosts I had in the outer islands. I felt protected, loved, nurtured, and supported. When I left, my heart was full. Despite the stresses of travel, delays, and long days, I felt my time in Vanuatu was entirely blessed.

My immersion in this new country, its food, culture, language, and people, allowed me to reflect on what really helped me as I explored all the newness while fulfilling my professional duties. Here are four of my reflections:

1. Nature is everywhere: I was aware of being surrounded by some familiar and some entirely new natural features. The islands I went to were beautiful like the Fiji Islands, with gorgeous reefs and azure waters. The Vanuatuans look similar to indigenous Fijians. And yet I encountered so much that was new: new flowers, trees, the formidable coconut crab, fire ants, delectable new dishes like nalot (breadfuit-coconut dessert) and simboro (cabbage-wrapped steamed cassava or banana or yam), new fruits and nuts, with the grapefruit becoming an instant favorite. I wore new clothes including traditional and colorful Vanuatuan dresses, with its couture puffed sleeves and what I thought was a wonderfully feminist design that does not allow the female form to be objectified. What a delight for my senses to be immersed in so much that the natural world offered to me!
2. Language is a lens: After my initial few days, I began to understand the Bislama language. Hearing locals speak, and hearing presentations and interviews run by colleagues, I started to understand not only what the words meant, but also learn about how the language functions. Bislama is a language that is easy and convenient to use. It is somewhat patriarchal, with no separate word for “female person” and it has a very limited number of words, so communicating technical things can be tricky. One way I heard climate change being explained was as a phenomenon that happened over a “big falla time” or long timeline. I immediately began to simplify technical terms to help build bridges to Bislama. For example, instead of asking “What are the mechanisms of communication?” we asked “How do you tok tok?”
3. Surrender is crucial: I was immersed in a whirlwind of newness: places, people, food, language, and more. Not much of what was going on was in my control, as I was part of a contingent of professionals traveling to the outer islands. I was not in charge of logistical arrangements or catering choices. I therefore fell into surrender mode, adapting to delays, limited vegan options and bottled water in some areas, and went with the flow of 18 hours days versus 6 hour days. I was in pain from insect bites, and reactions to stronger kava than I’d ever had, and some food that probably was cross-contaminated with meat, and surrendered to those processes to allow my body time to heal so I could carry on with my tasks.
4. Love is universal and the greatest power of all: Being thrown together into a pressure cooker builds bonds like nothing else. My team mate Annie and I became sisters on this journey, sharing long days of data collection, mutual learning, debriefs and discussions, taking breaks on the beach, eating our meals, and traveling together. At the end of the trip, when it was time to part ways, there were tears because we knew what we had experienced together was special, and we were not ready for it to end. At the same time, we knew our bond would remain. We were connected now in a sisterhood of love, a love that comes from wanting to empower and nurture all we can, and which this project allowed us to work toward. With a sense of intense gratitude, we parted. And yet, through the ether that connects all life, we are still together, in spirit and in solidarity. A universal love for life binds us unequivocally. And so it is.