| Last month we sent out a survey asking you to help us improve our newsletters. Over 30 of you responded–thank you so much! We loved reading your responses and learning about what we can do to make our newsletters more informative, fun, and interesting for you. One overwhelming response was that you want to know more about our day to day lives. Well, since VISTA is not in session right now, this seems like a good month to tell you a little bit about “a day in the life” of the Bennetts in Vanuatu.
Our day starts around 5:30 am when the sun and the children get up. We try to have family Bible time and then let the kids watch a cartoon on Netflix since we have unlimited internet before 7am. After that we head downstairs for breakfast (usually cereal, granola bars, or toast) and then one of us walks Elijah to school at 7:30 while the other person feeds our 2 dogs. We also try to wash clothes first thing in the morning so that we can get them hung out on the clothes line to dry. If VISTA is in session then Craig heads out to class; if not he heads upstairs to his office to work on planning his curriculum or some of his responsibilities as VISTA director and advisor for the Apma and Hano languages.
From there our morning schedule varies a bit day to day. 2 or 3 days a week I (Katy) go next door to pick up fresh milk from our neighbor and bring it home and pasteurize it. On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday our teammates’ daughter Lauren comes and does homeschool with me. On Wednesdays we have a time of team prayer and on Thursdays we have ladies’ bible study followed by ladies’ morning tea.
At around 11:30 we pick up Elijah from school and make lunch, which is usually our bigger meal of the day. While there are many different foods here (and many American foods that aren’t available) we still eat pretty similarly to what we did in America. You’ll often find slightly altered versions of tacos, spaghetti, cheeseburgers, pizza, and other American favorites alternating with curries, stews, and rice dishes.
After lunch we have family chore time to get dishes washed, laundry brought in and put away and sometimes we will process beef or vegetables in our pressure canner. After chores are complete its time for a rest!
At around 4 we choose a family activity to do together like outdoor games, a board game, a video game, or watching a tv show together. When family time is done we have a small supper and get the kids bathed and put to bed.
All this is interrupted by grocery shopping and errands, visits from locals for everything from computer help to impromptu Hebrew lessons, extra bits and pieces of work and requests. Over the last two and a half years we have learned that everything takes longer here! Since there’s no Wal-mart or any other one-stop-shop, grocery shopping often entails visits to 4 or 5 stores plus the market. A simple trip to the bank to make a withdrawal or deposit can take an hour or even more because of long lines. Combine that with the fact that we have to walk or take public transportation everywhere we go and a few simple errands can take hours! We jokingly call this general slow-down “island time.”
Please pray with us that we would have wisdom to use our time wisely and that we would be able to make the most of our work time as well as our time with our boys. If you’d like to know more about what its like to live in Vanuatu, feel free to send us your questions. We’ll try to write back and/or include your questions in a future newsletter.
Below is a bit of our daily life. Top: Josiah is “helping” Elijah rinse the dishes. Left center: Elijah showing some attitude at his school Christmas concert. Right Center: Elijah’s teacher Mrs. Tafau is showing some samples of his work at an early celebration of his birthday (which will fall next month during school holidays). Bottom Left: Craig and Josiah playing outside before Elijah’s school Christmas concert. Bottom Right: Me with the homemade crescent rolls I made for Thanksgiving dinner. |
