TISTravellers 2019

Tuesday August 27th

Classes and some Maritime History

The morning started off with the kids being in English classes and then doing weaving crafts with coconut palm. They enjoyed their classes and wove some great objects. They were disappointed to fine they couldn't bring them home.

They certainly found today that school is very different from their norm at TIS! Arrival at school at 7.15am, work in class till break at 9.30 when everyone comes out and just congregates in one of the large concrete areas - no food at all - and they just hang out talking for the break. There are no fields of grass to play on and no equipment at all to play with. They were staggered to think they last from breakfast at about 6.30 or 7am till lunch time with no snacks at all! The classrooms are very sterile as well with nothing on the walls or hanging anywhere and the style of teaching is so different from ours. The teacher spends most of the time just talking to the kids whereas our style involves so much more interaction between kids and teacher and also between the kids themselves. It was very noticeable at our visit to the Maritime Museum after lunch too. There were English subtitles on all the exhibits so I could have taken the kids through and talked about so many interesting facts and got them to discover a lot themselves about NC's maritime history, but instead, there was a guide who spent an hour taking at them in faltering English! There were so many interesting talking points there though, so Baz and I will make the most of them when we are next in a classroom by ourselves with them.

Here are some pics of the school

" Think before acting!"

"To learn is to grow!"

"Trust in Yourself!"

One of the set many stairs in the school

Handwashing facility outside a block of toilets

After the Berlin Wall came down, schools in Europe (and here), erected mini walls with expressions to signify what that meant to everyone - the end of disputes, injustice, insults, intolerance etc.

A covered area to congregate or line up for lunch at the Canteen

Handwashing area before entering the Canteen for lunch

I went for a walk this morning and took a few photos of the scenery for you. This place is so incongruous in many ways. There is such a natural beauty here, as in many other Pacific Islands but the mix of the privileged, the homeless, the ordinary citizens like us, the swanky designer shops next to basic supply shops, the mix of the french culture with the rich Melanesian culture make New Caledonia a special place.

Beautiful Anse Vata beach

A little could be spent on footpath and roading upgrades!

Parking up on the footpath is the norm. A couple of homeless Kanaks in the background

After our visit to the Maritime Museum finished, the Tchou Tchou train picked us up and we did our tour of the city. It gives the kids a great perspective of Noumea as we go up to the top of Ouen Toro, a large hill and reserve rising up in the middle of the city. From here the view is beautiful as you look down onto the city.