Kamp GLOW

So I have been horribly delinquent with both blogging and correspondence for the last little while, but for once in my Peace Corps working life I have been busy as hell...with actual work. Go figure. People always say it takes a year to get started, I just never believed them.

Tomorrow we open a one-week leadership camp for teenage girls - 9 of us volunteers are bringing two girls from each of our sites, most of whom rarely if ever get the chance to leave their island.

Except for because my Tongoa girls cancelled on me at the last minute (yet another smol drama I probably could have prevented had I actually been on the island instead of having fun in the sun in Fiji), I've called upon three fabulous young women from Emua, my training village, to be my all-star pinch-hitters.

It is 2 a.m., I haven't slept in about a month, and I'm about to be ON for twenty-four hours a day for the next 7.5 days. Now this is what I signed up for.

I just wrote this letter as part of their welcome packet. I am going to post an English version, though I'll warn you it's going to sound really stupid and awkward (a thought: remember when things used to sound stupid and awkward when they weren't in English? Oh, how times have changed...)

Actually just for fun I'll post it inside of the Bislama version, so those of you studying to come visit me can check up on your Bislama skills. Ready?

Welcome to Camp GLOW: Girls Leading Our World - Camp Leader Training

Kamp GLOW hemi wan lidasip kamp blong ol yangfala gel. Kamp ia i trenem ol gel long saed blong ol laef skil olsem komunikesen, helt, ol gol mo timwok.

Camp GLOW is a leadership camp for teenage girls. This camp trains girls in life skills like communication, health, goal-setting and teamwork.

Sam long yufala oli bin go long wan Kamp GLOW bifo long ples blong yu, sam long yufala bin harem storian nomo long ol kamp blong Tongoa, Epi, Emae, Malekula, Santo, Ambrym mo Efate. Most long yufala bae hemi fas taem blong yu blong luk wan Kamp GLOW. Yumi evriwan i kam tugeta blong lan long yumi evriwan.

Some of you have attended a Camp GLOW before, some of you have heard about those that took place on Tongoa, Epi, Emae, Malekula, Santo, Ambrym and Efate. For most of you, this is the first time you will see a Camp GLOW. We are all together to learn from each other.

Kamp GLOW hemi wan program blong Pis Ko long planti kantri long wol finis, long South America, Europe, Asia, mo Africa tu. Afta wik ia, yu tu bae yu wan sista blong GLOW famli.

Camp GLOW is a Peace Corps program already in many different countries of the world, in South America, Europe, Asia and also Africa. After this week, you too will be a sister in the GLOW family.

Purpose blong Kamp GLOW hemi blong givim ol skil mo save we i save leftemap laef blong ol yangfala woman, blong sapotem mo inkarajem paoa blong wan-wan we i stap insaed long hem finis, from...

Ol Gel i Lidim Wol blong Yumi!

The purpose of Camp GLOW is to give skills and knowledge that improves the lives of young women, to support and encourage the power that each of them already has inside, because..

Girls Lead Our World!
Trening blong Kamp Lida

Mifala ol Pis Ko i wantem karem Kamp GLOW long nekis level long Vanuatu. Mifala i redi blong putum program ia long stret ples blong hem, long han blong yufala ol woman Vanuatu. Hemia nao tingting i kam blong mekem wan nasenal trening we ol yangfala lida i save kam tugeta blong lanem mo praktisem samting ia. Afta bae yu go bak long ples blong yu mo mekem own kamp blong yu wan.

We at Peace Corps want to take Camp GLOW to the next level in Vanuatu. We are ready to put this program where it belongs, in the hands of Vanuatu's women. This is why we created a national training for young leaders to come together to learn and practice all this. Soon you will go back home and run your own camp.

Mifala i silektem yufala wan-wan from mifala i luksave se yu holem ol lidasip skils finis. Purpose blong wik ia hemi blong pasem kandel blong GLOW long yufala ol woman ples. Mifala i hop nomo se bae yu karem kandel ia bak long ples blong yu mo laetem laet long ol sista we oli stap wet blong GLOW...

We selected each of you because we see that you already possess these leadership skills. The purpose of this week is to pass the GLOW candle on to you, the native women. We hope you will carry this candle back to your homes and light the lights of our sistas who are waiting to GLOW...

Amanda, Arthur, Christa, Janet, Jasmine, Krissy, Liz, Mary, Sandra

Cultural Note - it's not actually as cheesy as it sounds in a culture where the literal lighting of a sista's light is a completely regular, essential, every day experience in the village.

But, in any case, feel free to shed a tear...