Friday, August 19, 2011

Monday, August 15th: Malaita Day!


 As I enjoyed a restful night’s sleep Sunday night, there were big preparations being made throughout the night for the celebration of Maliata day on Monday. The youths of each of the local parishes were given the task to “divide and conquer” the preparations for the celebratory meals for the Prime Minister’s visit the following day. Starting at 10pm and working throughout the night, the students filled tables with puddings, potatoes, greens, chicken, fish, rice and even a full roasted pig! The Prime Minister, along with other local magistrates, arrived Monday morning to celebrate Maliata’s anniversary of declaring itself a province after the Solomon Island independence.

Besides the feasting, the Maliatans put on another beautiful show of traditional song, dress and dance during the parade to honor the Prime Minister. Various community groups, including the local marching band, police force, tribal groups and students from the community high school and Aligegeo (most of my Form 4 students!) marched valiantly onto the soccer field and stood at attention for 3 hours in the sweltering sun during the ceremony. I was grateful for my umbrella to block the sun as the Solomon Islanders kept with their custom of giving long, formal speeches and felt sympathy for the marching members who seemed to be baking out on the field!

Following the formalities, I watched as each of the cultural groups performed and I got another chance to enjoy the barrel drumming, panpipes, shell shakers that are tied to the dancers’ legs and the beautiful choreography that honored their tribal roots. The costumes, too, were amazingly intricate and dancers were draped with layers and layers of shell money and adorned with flowers and leaves. At one point, however, the crowd erupted into laughter when it was discovered that the leaf belts used as a covering for the dancers weren’t all that secure with all the jumping and stomping and a few of the dancers raced off the field mid-performance to cover themselves –oops!

Monday night was dubbed “the last supper” and I enjoyed my last night with Bishop Chris, Fr Moses, Agatha and Srs Loretta, Regina and Maria. Dinner was a time of reflection (and more speeches by all!). I was touched by the many heartfelt thanks but felt that they were the ones who should be celebrated for opening their hearts and homes to me, making me feel welcomed. Although I’ve appreciated the ceremonial announcements and attention that comes from introductions like “Bishop Chris’ wontalk,” I am especially thankful for the simple signs and small displays of community. I am grateful for the giant hugs I get from Denise each morning after mass, the way the sisters include me in meal preparations (at first they only allowed me to chop the greens, but I think I’ve graduated to more advanced levels after they let me husk, chop and scrape the coconut for making rice, ha!), the enthusiastic “Iu go lo wea, Annie?” from Chrisma as I pass her house for school each morning, the smiles and waves from the familiar faces of the students and teachers in the market, and young Waisu’s shy routine of inching closer and closer to me on the chapel bench, hoping I won’t notice. It’s moments like these that have made me truly happy while being here and the moments I will miss the most. 

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