We've been adopted!

Oh, wow, where do I begin!!! Upon our arrival in Asanvari bay, Vanuatu, we were adopted by a local family. We were unprepared by the family generosity we would receive. Each year, when the ICA travel to Asanvari, they dedicate a family to each boat. Wednesday was the formal adoption. When we arrived in the open air hut we were greeted by the village chief, Nelson. He then called each boat in the bay and dedicated us to a family. He choose his son Jim and his family of 8 to be our adopted family. They came up to us with each our own home made bag, a beautiful woven rug for me and fresh fruits and veggies. Since the emotional adoption, we have had a blast with our family. We spent one afternoon with all of them having lunch on the boat, another day hiking the hills while our older sisters carried Seanna and daily visits. We shared Laplap with another village...more on the laplap later! Oh, and we drank Vanuatu kava. Mom and Genevieve, this is nothing like the kava in Fiji. The root is raw and grounded to a paste. It is then squeezed through a coconut strainer and diluted with some water. It is then strained again using the brown part of the coconut tree. I had a SMALL shell and felt like I just downed 3 shots of tequila...I was trashed! Paul, on the other hand, decided to do two LARGE shells and let's just say it was a really funny night after that. We spent the rest of the evening watching some cruisers stumble to their dingy's. Thanks to the missionary's who wanted to cover up the women back in the days, they make these huge (Moo) dresses for special occasions. Some of the women where given one as an adoption gift. During the pig roast and traditional dance night they all wore them. Before the night started my mom, Rachael, brought me to her hut and presented me with a dress. We all wore our dresses proudly!! There is just so much to say about the last few incredible days we've had here. I think I will do the rest in pictures when I get online.

A quick Laplap story:

Years ago, when cannibalism was common, there lived a ruthless cannibal in the next village up on the hill. When we visited his grave, we were told of the story which ended his life. A son was hiking up the hill to visit the village when we was captured by the chief and eaten. Laplap is taro root grounded into a slimy paste and baked in an underground oven in leaves. It is then topped with coconut milk and eaten. It resembles a firm smooth polenta. When the father and another son went in search for their missing sibling, they were greeted by the village and invited to lunch. While eating the laplap they noticed a piece of finger in it. They quickly realized it was their sibling. The following day,they had their chief and his village killed. He was the last cannibal on the island. So, when I was presented laplap the next day....it was hard to stomach.