Introduce yourself, how did you come to serve in the Peace Corps?
My name is Branden and I am originally from Michigan, Detroit area. I came to serve in the Peace Corps because initially I was at University and I was interested in going straight to medical school afterwards. However, the closer I got towards graduating, I became a little bit more interested in a gap year. One of my professors was a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho, South Africa and I learned about it from him. I then looked more into it and thought it would be a really good program to apply to.
What was your first impression of Vanuatu training program and your most enjoyable and most difficult moment?
So, for the training my first impression was that it was really interesting. My training village was Epau on Efate. Initially, I was a little bit curious on how I could learn the language in such a short amount of time. But it ended up being really good. I think my favorite part during that two-month training was my host family and the connections I made with them in the training village. It was super, super cool. As far as the hardest part of the training, integrating especially after the first initial kind of culture shock and the things that are different that you recognize before you get used to it. That was probably the hardest part.
Tell us about your Vanuatu project, how it came to fruition and where it left after 2 years of service?
I got to do a lot of really cool projects, but the main one was the secondary project, which was an extension of our clinic, specifically for a maternity admission room. The project kind of came into fruition after doing a priority analysis and what the village kind of felt like their main needs were. Then kind of what I had seen after being there a while, it had been over a year after I had started the secondary project. So, the main priority that kept coming up was, for the clinic specifically, essentially a room. Since there was the only one room for admission, sometimes sick patients would share a room with a newborn, or sometimes there would not be enough room for everybody.
We decided to build an extension for the clinic, and we ended up completing the whole room, plastered it, painted, putting up the posts, windows, and doors. They are currently just waiting on beds from the hospital. It was pretty much complete when I left it. I did the majority of the work alongside clinic team.
Please explain the thought process or motive for returning a third year to serve in Vanuatu. What is your plan for your third year?
My motivation for the third year is because I really love Vanuatu. I loved the people and the work I got to do. Initially, I was a little apprehensive because I was not sure how much of an impact I could make with my service, but it ended up being way better than I thought. And so, I was truly fortunate for that. That motivated me to want to do a third year. The second thing is that I get to do what I was interested in. Initially I was going to go back to start studying to take the MCAT and apply for medical school. But for this third year I get to work with a really cool ophthalmologist in Port Vila, and I will be at the hospital half the time with the NGO Fred Hollows. And then I also get to work at the office half the time as well.
Tell us about your favorite Kava moment.
My favorite Kava moment was bittersweet because it was a going away celebration my host family made. One of my papas, who lives on top of the hill from our village, marked a specific kava plant he was going to pull when it was time for me to leave. He pulled that and we all prepared it. Then my papas and some clinic staff had all drank kava together that last night. That was probably my favorite experience.
Tell us about the current Vanuatu post staff members, your favorite?
Post staff, they are super, super dope. We have a really skilled staff, and it was helpful because it was a difficult experience due to being the first group back since COVID. There were some new people and there were some people who might need refreshers on what to do and how to do everything. All the staff were super patient and helpful, so I really appreciated the staff that we were with. I do not have a favorite; they are all really super cool.
Please explain how current volunteers travel around the country.
Yes, so currently in terms of ships, the only ones you are allowed to take is the Vanuatu Ferry. Safety and security goes through a process of screening vessels that we are allowed to take. So, it is mainly those larger ships like the Vanuatu Ferry. Other than that, we fly Air Vanuatu.
Now that you are experienced with the culture, what is the most important item you will pack with you this third year?
Silica gel packets to protect my electronics. Then the second item are quick dry microfiber towels for swimming and all that. Those are the two most important things I am taking.
What is your favorite island food and favorite restaurant in Port Vila and Santo?
Okay, so my favorite island food is called Nalot. On Santo we made a lot of it. It is the taro that we would boil and pound into a wooden kind of container for it. When it was super elastic and soft, you would squeeze coconut milk on top and then you would put chicken on it. That was my favorite food, and we would have on occasion. My favorite restaurant in Port Vila is Stone Grill and on Santo I really like eating at the mama’s stalls near the market.
What did you do on your own time? How did you spend the time you had off?
During my free time I spent a lot of time with my family, my community, and my counterpart and all of their kids. Usually in the afternoons, I would probably be somewhere by the water with like a bunch of kids. We would always be swimming, diving, fishing, or doing something. Sometimes in the afternoons I would help out at the school. I would also read on my free time. During a large portion of my final year, I was carving my canoe. So that was a large project I did with my free time. I made a canoe from a breadfruit tree that was one of my apu’s trees. Initially, I used a chainsaw to form a rough shape. Then every day after the clinic, I would go in the canoe with u-shaped trowels to start digging it out. It took me around 5-6 months before I completed it. Then you cut the small section outrigger for it and then a paddle. I used it all the time for diving and fishing.
Tell us about your craziest moment in Vanuatu?
Craziest moment. Okay, the one that sticks out to me is when I had the chance to visit Tanna. In Tanna, I got to see the special ceremonies for circumcision. After the ceremony, they held a custom dance where the woman wore the grass skirts, and the men wore the traditional attire wrapped in lava lava. They performed their dances jumping up and down. It was such a crazy, cool thing to see because it was so different than anything I had even seen culturally. I also hiked to the top of the Volcano.
What did you learn most about your experience in Vanuatu?
I learned the most about community. I like having community there to support you and be with you. To support you in struggles and in good times and it definitely added an element of connectedness. It was super easy for me to integrate into the community I was a part of. It made me realize how special of a bond and system that kind of is. I also realized how resourceful I can be, which I probably would not have realized unless I was in a place that kind of required it.