The volunteer newspaper, The Van-American (or Van Am for short) was last led by Jess Geraci who was a volunteer on Santo. She passed the torch to my favorite gal Laura, the new editor-in-chief! Woo! This is Laura’s cup of tea. She’s a great writer and an even better organizer, idea maker, and delegator. She asked me to be the illustrator after watching me doodle (…I mean listen attentively and thoroughly, Mom!) throughout pretty much every session of training. It’s just how I pass my time. And now I’m making a paid career out of it! Minus the paid and career part, but it is pretty cool! I get to design the cover and make doodles throughout the newspaper based on what people write. So lots of stick figures and other fancy things, obviously. I think Anastasia is going to help with the real drawings because she enjoys creating more proper art than notebook nonsense. Works for me!
I’ve mentioned that Laura and I write the Failure Report, which consists of entries from different volunteers’ cultural mishaps and f-ups. It’s pretty amusing and is a good reminder that we’re all figuring it out as we go! I decided to write an article about house projects because I enjoy them. The next Van Am comes out when the new biddies arrive, so the article is meant mainly for them. I’m sharing it here because, why not?
Tile and Error
The joys of arts and crafts at site
Crafting. Not to be confused with Krafting, the delicate art of testing the limits of the long term Kraft cheese. Which, by the way, you should look for when buying stuff for site. A long distance relationship with this diverse and glorious specimen of dairy goodness can be challenging, but this alternative sure does make the wait a little bit cheesier. Go ahead and buy a grater while you’re in town, too - the cheese melts when it’s shredded and it stretches out its use!
So back to crafting! I wouldn’t put myself into the category of humans who need fancy things and a flas’d out house, I just like projects. And I’m one of those people who like to feel at home, really at home, while I’m here – wherever “here” happens to be. It makes me feel good to look around and see a place I’ve created. My home is my sanctuary and, amidst this kranke ride we’re all buckled into, is the one place I can retreat to… where the only one asking the questions is me. No, I’m not sick. No, it’s not the flu. Yes, I’m sure.
Anyways. I usually find myself in a tangle of ongoing projects of various lengths and intricacies. Some projects are one and done – the bedside table, the bookcase, the stool. Other projects take a while, such as painting the interior and exterior of the house. Most of my ventures are on the practical and life-easing side of the spectrum, serving some sort of useful purpose: the chalkboard calendar, a vegetable holding/dish drying /hand washing station extravaganza, the everyday clothesline. But plenty are oozing with non-necessity. Like the women’s restroom sign I painted on my pit toilet or the “don’t postpone joy” sign I nailed to my wall. Or the fun fund piggy bank, though this is arguably necessary.
These silly projects do serve a purpose: they make me happy. They are soul-filling activities that make my days more amusing and gratifying. They make my home a little cozier for those days when the brooding clouds seem to sit right above me, refusing to let the sun shine through. Those days do happen here. For me, arts and crafts make their passing a little more graceful.
My current project is mosaic-ing my walls. I came upon a bunch of free broken tile and thought that it would be an excellent idea to tile my floor. After a few months of letting this idea marinate, Jessie Rae came over to help and we realized it was impossible – unless I never wanted to open any of my doors ever again. Dodged a bullet on that one! So a little creative tinktink led us to today’s project. It’s pretty messy and time consuming, but why not? Why not fill my island time with the sweet melodies of String Cheese Incident and the chaotic attempts of an ancient craft? Sounds like my kinda afternoon.
I feel like this one is gonna be a lingerer. Wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t finish it before my service is up. I’m already envisioning its extensions – the crafts within a craft – murals and quotes and borders. Oh my! I recently broke my big mirror when falling out of a headstand. 7 years bad luck? Or 7 years mosaic-ing broken glass into my little cottage? Shell half full! Or whole full… drink up!
What I’ve come to find is that it doesn’t matter if there are a couple (a lot) of paint driblets on my floor. Or if I had to flatten some nails on my bench because I overlooked the cause and effect of nailing the wood upside down. Every time I notice these things, I smile and remember the various messes I’ve found myself in while in Vanuatu. And how much I’ve grown from them and how damn happy I am! This place works wonders. Its magical, but don’t say that to a local. Learn from my mistakes!
In case you’ve never heard anyone say it before, our sites and lives are vastly different from one another’s. Hemi depen, all that jazz. And this couldn’t be truer about our homes and our attitudes towards them. Find a project that works for your space. If you’re feeling the itch to build or paint or hammer or burn or jump around in circles to your favorite tune, by all means, do yourself a favor and scratch!
Engage in some tile and error and enjoy it.
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| my mama weaving a mat, her favorite handicraft |
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