by Mike

This blog blong mike, fatha blong ryan mo bryson blong khulula blong south pacific wantaem has been a long time coming – just so many things to do on a sailboat, don’t you know, like watching the horizon for obstacles, preparing and particularly eating food, snorkeling, occasional diving, shopping in the little towns, talking to the amazingly friendly locals, siestas, sundowners (like vodka and pamplemousse juice – pamplemousse as big as footballs incidentally), etc, etc – but I am now on it. Wife blong mi, Didee, will be writing a separate contribution on our actual activities, no doubt in her inimitable style, while I am going to share some thoughts on bislama with you (using italics for the bislama words). My bislama may or may not be correct (I do not have a copy of the official dictionary with me, presently anchored as I am in the Reef or Rowa Islands in the Banks Group in the north of Vanuatu, with only 0,6m below the keel in a huge lagoon behind the classical South Pacific atoll reef, but I am told one does exist). And bislama spelcheka no blong microsoft.

Bislama is the wonderful expressive “Pidgin English” that is one of the three official languages of the Vanuatu Islands, together with (regular) English and French. I find it hard to follow when it is spoken but one can make out much of the written word. However, Lonely Planet warns that the language is not as simple as it looks and can easily be misinterpreted. The most characteristic and most used word it seems is blong, which has the expected possessive meaning “belong” but is used to string large numbers of nouns together, as I have tried to do at the start of this blog. blong is not to be confused with long which is a general purpose preposition that is used for “in”, “on”, “from” etc. We also find it interesting that the Ni-Vanuatu people (or Ni-Vans as they are colloquially known ) call their children “pikinini” exactly as do the Ndebele people of Southern Zimbabwe in Africa.

Apart from Lonely Planet, my main source for this blog is some of the signs we have come across during our island travels, reproduced as far as possible verbatim below. But I confess to doing some guesswork at times. I am herewith asking readers to send in their translations – reply to “Contact Us”. Hints are provided in the form of where I found the signs. Another hint is to have somebody else read them to you – make more sense heard than read. Failing all that, on the advice of the rest of the Khulula Crew, I am also giving you our best translations at the bottom of this blog – lest you become discouraged! The Sold Out Youth Leadership Crew who were with us in Asanvari Village on Maewo Island should be able to make particularly useful contributions and corrections if they ever visit this Oceangybe’s webpage and read this blog. There may be prizes for the best entries – or maybe not. And we may post the correct translations later – or not.

1. In the village nearest the Land Diving (see separate Stori long blog blong didee) two separate notices: a) Ol pikinini i gat raet blong fil sef oltaem from vaelens, and b) Marijuana i save spoilem fiuja blong yu. talem “no” long marijuana!! lukaotem gud helt mo laef blong famili, komuniti, aelan mo neisan blong yumi.

2. On the top of the icecream freezer in the same village (did not take a photo of this one so this is our consensus best guess/memory): Anyfela no gotem raet lukim insaed long isbox. anyfela wantem sumting insaed long isbox hemi mas toktok stokeepa.

3. Outside a toilet: Vu usem toilet pepa yu pem 30vt; bisbis no mo yu pem 20vt (There are ~100 Vatu or VT in a Canadian dollar)

4. Referring to the surgical ward in the hospital: Rum blong katem man

5. Vanair Notice: Vu no mas raet long eni samting long plen from em properti blong vanair. sapos yu no respecktim law ia, bae mifala i putum long hand blong of polis.

6. Bislama radio describing the feathered hat the British High Commissioner wore to an official colonial function: Wetem grass blong ass blong cockeral

7. Outside a kids playground in Luganville, Espiritu Santo Island: Notis hemi ko long ol bigfella man nomo. play-ground ia i blong ol pikinini nomo. plis keep away long ol plei plei blong olgeta.

8. Also in a public area in Luganville: No smok. tobako i ridiusum fisikel fitness.

9. At the border of a conservation area near Asanvari Village, Maewo Island: Hemi tabu blong spoilem eni laef samting long eria ia, long aelan mo solwata.

10. Outside the kitchen of the Asanvari Yacht Club: Any man mo woman mo al pikinini ol nogat raet blong go inside.

11. Contraceptive: Mericin blong blokem pikinin.

That’s just a selection of a language that is so expressive I would really love to learn it better and practice it with the Ni-Vanuatu people. The language and the people make Vanuatu a truly lovely place, along with the fantastic scenery, history, island culture, etc. And to think that just a few weeks ago I had no idea even where Vanuatu is!

Truly, as the title of this blog says – Very happy in Vanuatu! And just so lucky to have our boys, Ryan and Bryson, and long-suffering friend Hugh, making this round-the-world trip and letting us join them for this short time.

Tank yu tumas, boys (can’t call you pikininis no mo!)

Mike Robertson

Translations:

First para: “Blog written by Mike, the father of Ryan and Bryson who live on Khulula which is presently in the South Pacific. “My wife”. “Microsoft has no Bislama spell-checker”.

1. “The story of Didee’s blog”. a) “All children have the right to always feel safe from violence”, and b) “Marijauna will spoil your future. Say (tell them) “no” to marijuana!! Look out for your good health and the life of the family, community, island and nation that belongs to you and me”.

2. “Nobody has the right to look inside this icebox. Anybody who wants something from this inside this icebox must talk to the store-keeper”

3. “If you use toilet paper you pay 30 vatu; to pee you pay no more than 20 vatu.

4. “The room where they cut people”.

5. “You have no right to anything from a plane that is the property of Vanair. If you do not respect the law here you will be subject to the long hand of the law” (some of this is probably not quite right).

6. “with grass (feathers) from a cockerel’s backside”.

7. “Notice only for all big fellows. This playground is only for children. Please keep away so that they can all play together” (some of this is probably also not quite right).

8. “Don’t smoke. Tobacco reduces physical fitness”.

9. “It is prohibited to disturb any living thing in this area, either on land or in the sea”.

10. “No man, woman or child has the right to go inside”.

11. “Medicine to block the production of children”.

Final para: “Thank you very much, boys (can’t call you children any more!)”.