Friday night Happy Hour drinkies at Deco Stop Lodge is the weekly wrap up for us Santo-based volunteers – becoming an institution. And we’re the ‘old hands’ already!

The evening of 3 December was spent down behind the beach on the veranda of Stephen and Wendy Turner’s super house. Delicious canapes, bubbles, beers, 11 people and plenty of ‘cheers’. Dinner of roast NZ lamb, facing the lagoon, the descent of fine food being assisted by a cascade of red wine. Then a gluten-free Sticky Date Pudding for celiacs to live for and the rest of us to die for. What a magnificently warm evening.

Friday 4 December was the Christmas ‘lafet’ in the lower village of the farm – the first social event here that we have been invited to. We were told that it started at 4 pm ‘Vanuatu-time’. So we wandered down just before 6 to find the beginnings of the gathering taking place with a circle

of people on the grass outside the Nakamal (meeting house) – see photo on left. Considerable effort had gone into the preparations for this bash, including masses of traditional kakae (food). The party was opened with a prayer, after which we were welcomed with a ‘sel’ of kava, the shell in question being a proper half coconut shell, more usually surplanted by plastic versons.

Reggae music was playing in the background and soon enough, two vast laplaps were unwrapped on mats on the floor when it was time to eat.

After the feasting came the dancing. The young had been coached and we all enjoyed their collective efforts.

It was a treat for us to be able to relax with our fellow residents and to share their kalja (culture) on this festive occasion. To say that Louise was in her lelement would be a

gross understatement – here she is on the left, just outside the nakamal facing out to the ‘show’.

When we left at around 10 pm, there were fewer pikininis (children) around and the adults were still enjoying themselves, albeit with groups of men outside sharing the contemplative quiet that seems to be the post-kava ritual.

Deep into the night, bursts of reggae wafted up to our house on the warm breeze, punctuated by excited whoops.