by Anonymous Ambrym Volunteer

A couple of girls from the village and I decided to go shopping. Which is misleading in and of itself because spread out all over North Ambrym there is probably only 10 small stores. And you have to go to the select ones that sell more than canned fish, oil and rice. So, that leaves about three. We hit all three that afternoon in the true "girls day out" fashion. Of course, we were only heading to one store originally. But they were sold out of one of the things the girls were looking for. We arrive at this first store, The Willy Sac Sac Store. This store is probably as big as a minivan. We spend 40 minutes in this small store. You can only standup in a space about 3 by 6 feet and they have a counter with all the goods crammed in behind it. Sugar, flour, rice, canned goods, kaliko (because of the weddings they have some extra nice ones), pots, pans and buckets. After seeing how many plastic buckets each couple gets at their weddings, it makes you appreciate registries. While buckets are useful for many things, there are only so many you can use or need (pee, water, laundry). So, we are crammed in there with four other women. The seven of us all squished in at the counter discussing prices and quality, mostly prices. Then it is a matter of deciding who gets to buy the nicer kaliko. Kaliko is a popular gift. People just wrap a piece of kaliko around themselves when they are cold or they are used to carry children in on their backs. This then frees up your hands to keep working, with the kid tied on your back. No need for fancy baby backpacks here. Of course, the kaliko is used to make clothes as well or as a sheet, very useful gift. Kaliko, buckets and trays are the biggies! One woman splurged and bought a teakettle. Well, actually their family has a little more (extra) money (former MP), so if they did not buy something a little nicer, there would be gossip. The other women are ready to buy so they discretely pull out there money, being careful not to show how much is still in their pouches, most people use exact change. After the two ladies I am with decide that it is necessary to go to another store, they finally decide on purchases and promptly put them on an account, because they can. They both had money with them, but any store that still allows accounts is a new store or is asking to go broke. In Ambrym custom, you are not allowed to demand any thing or really to say "no." So, storekeepers are put in a bad position. Most stores just flat out post a sign that says "accounts are not allowed." One guy told us that a common joke is that vatu has wings. It cannot stay in one place long. So, we finally head out to another store about 30 minutes away further down the coast. We arrive at the second store, before we enter the fenced in area we see the storekeeper outside bent over something and looking very amused. Loud enough for the storekeeper to hear, one of the ladies I am with comments on how "fat fat" she is. I am not going to miss this aspect of Vanuatu; you could weigh 60 or 100 kilos but still be "fat fat." I still feel bad for those who are overweight and get "fat fated." The storekeeper seems unfettered in her concentration on whatever it is at her feet. As we approach, we see a little mouse with a wire stuck through its ear. Not that I have any affinity for mice but it was sad to see it being tortured. It had cuts all over and bleeding out of its ear. There really is not sympathy for animals. Mice or kittens or dogs - alive one day, dead the next, no big deal. If our animal is left unattached or found far enough away from our house, the kids will kill it for fun. I do not say that to shed a negative light. Death and care for animals is a curious thing here. A dead dog would spark about as much emotion as losing a penny. Although here, losing vatu would cause real distress.

This storeroom was a lot bigger and you get to roam around the shelves that line the three walls, the counter is by the fourth wall. Probably about 150 sq. ft., with fewer things than the first store. However, we were here for one particular thing. We had heard that there was some kaliko here, not already sold out, that the other stores did not have. After about four laps, four slow laps around the store, one of the women decided to start a conversation with the storekeeper, which in turn prompted her to ask if there was anything in particular they needed. She said this in a tone of impatience, almost as if she was annoyed to have to be doing her job and keeping her from the mouse. A store like that probably only sees about 10 customers a day, you would think the action of serving someone might be exciting to her, but no. Finally Janet said that yes we had wanted something. Then the pause, then the storekeeper asked, "what thing." And so goes conversations in North Ambrym. Prying for information. You can never be too direct (or too quick), there are some prerequisites. Every conversation has to have a greeting, a comment about the weather, a question about where you are going/or coming back from, shaking of hands (2 times-hello and goodbye), why you are going where you are going and some unrelated filler material such as what ship just passed or didn't pass the island. So by the time we lay our hands on the kaliko we are 12 minutes into our visit and half way through the pleasantries. Mae, the other friend decides, in relief, to sit down on a stack of bags of rice to look over the kaliko. 5 yards of it, much flashier than the other places kaliko. You cannot show up at the wedding giving the same kaliko as a friend of yours. I am wondering why she is sitting down. I am getting a bit antsy by this point. We still have a 2-hour walk home, mainly up hill, so my thought is, "we have the goods, lets go." When Janet starts on the 11th or 30th lap (???) I decide to walk outside and re-visit our little squeaker. He looked so pathetic and close to dead, I could not help myself. I quickly glanced around and pulled the wire from his ear. He seemed shocked by this sudden yank of his ear that he curled up. I kind of swung the wire near him and sent him hobbling off to die in peace. (Quick drop the wire, look innocent) We are rounding 20 minutes now and I go back to find the girls back inside near the biscuits. The girls realize that their time to be out and free (not cooking or watching kids) and spending money is coming to an end, so they buy some biscuits. Then some onions. For this shopping, they have to get on the ground and inspect each one at close range.

One at a time, they bring their purchases up. This woman has a look on her face that warns against asking for an account. The girls pull out their money and buy the stuff. She does not have enough change for either of them so that sends them back to the onions to choose enough to cover their change. We made it back to the road in under the 40 minutes it took us at the other store. No comment about the mouse, home free! On the way home the girls mention that they do need to check one more store before we head home, a friend asked about an axe they say. Luckily, this one is on the way home. As we near the store, in typical American fashion, I speed ahead and go directly to the counter of the store, shake hands and ask if they have axes. They do not, so I leave and meet the girls on the road as they approach and save them (me) the time. For them it would be fun and they looked disappointed that they would not get to roam around yet another store with the same products as the last two. But, I was worried about getting home after dark, about my laundry being rained on and I was missing Tim. Another concept that is hard to explain (I don't try) to woman in arranged marriages. So, our shopping saga ends.