These wise words of Father Jim, an Irish Dominican who I met in Honiara seem to perfectly describe my experiences here in the Solomon Islands. Gearing up for this trip over a month and a half ago, I couldn’t even begin to anticipate both the challenges and anxieties and the successes and accomplishments I have felt during my time in Auki. “Nothing happens until it has happened” was Fr Jim’s way of saying you couldn’t plan on everything, but rather you had to learn to simply live by experiencing moment by moment. Coming from a completely different culture where often it seems as if every minute is scheduled and ‘time is of the essence,’ it was a transition not to have the pressures (though sometimes also the security) of following a strict timetable. Even the teachers at Aligegeo showed me that things operate on “Solomon Island time” and spent an 15 extra minutes deep in conversation with me about American and Solomon Island history while their class waited for them across campus or left early to care for a sick neighbor. Things operate moment by moment, giving me more insight on what their –and my –priorities are. Living in the Solomons for over 20 years, Father Jim has had plenty of experience with this way of life and joked that he has been stood up at funerals, weddings, and even waited to celebrate the midnight Christmas vigil mass until 4:00 the next afternoon! It’s patience, flexibility and understanding what people need, he said, and I’ve been reminded time and again to “take time to smell the flowers” over the past few weeks.
Before I departed on Tuesday for my boat ride back to Honiara (jokingly I said I would have to stay if I “happened” to miss the boat and I think Sr Regina was looking for a chance to hide my ticket!) I said my goodbyes to the families at Fanualama and the pikininis at kindy. After missing them last week from being sick, I looked forward to seeing the young students once again before I left. They put on a show for me, performing a handful of songs both in English and Pijin, including, of course, “The Wheels on the Bus” and “Five Little Monkeys.” They sent me off with a farewell of “lukim iu behind!” and I soon said goodbyes to Srs Regina and Maria on the wharf as well. Sr Loretta and I traveled by boat back to Honiara and I felt a drastic difference this time around after having a traveling companion and being used to the culture. We were greeted by more Dominican sisters, Teresa and Hilda (who has an infectious laugh that can put anyone in a good mood!) and went back with them to shower and settle in.
I got to see the sights and sounds of Honiara –even within the islands there are huge culture differences and I witnessed much more of a hustle-bustle city feel in Honiara than in Auki. Again entering into a new neighborhood made me miss the community at Fanualama I had just left and the familiar and friendly faces I had come to know and love. At the same time, this new place offered new experiences and I joined the sisters for a farewell celebration for Teresa’s niece traveling to Australia and got to enjoy the festivities of Kirabati culture as they sang and prayed in their native language. I was not the only one entertained, however. The youngest kids immediately threw themselves at me, fascinated with my pale skin and one of Teresa’s nieces rubbed my leg and said with a smile, “iufala white…mifala black!” This realization was such a novelty for them just as it was a special moment for me to witness the celebrations of their own culture.
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