09.04.2013
Ni hao, Guangdong/Greetings
friends and loved ones!
I hope you’re all doing well. A
big congrats to Clio on the birth of their little girl – Sephora.
Well, it’s that time again – you guessed
it…no, not the new series of Made in Chelsea, silly. I meant an update from
Kenn!
Time series analysis
Can you believe that it’s already
been more than six months since I arrived here? Since I last wrote, the
celebration of Easter (which was really nice in the capital – photos to follow)
also marked six months in Solomons and it got me thinking (you conclude
correctly, I think a lot) as to what have I achieved over the last six months.
I had a slight panic about my initial evidence-based conclusions but the last
couple of weeks have seen us complete our first central bank working paper on “Estimating
the money demand function of Solomon Islands” – woohoo! (Available in all
leading, non-bankrupt bookshops in the UK). Furthermore, I’ve been working with
different departments within the Bank to develop Cost-Benefit Analysis
techniques – hooray for knowledge transfer.
Degrees of freedom
I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom and opportunity over
the past few weeks.
I am often easily frustrated
about my options. Sometimes, just sometimes, I’d like to have some choice in my
diet without having to take a personal loan to enjoy it. One other wish is that
I have an internet connection that allows me to talk to the True Family without
a 10 hour delay in the last question that my mum asked. Finally, is it a big ask
to have just one cinema complex with a McCafe in it (curse you, Fiji). And now
I hear that Vanuatu has 6 supermarkets in Port Vila with a patisserie…yes…a
patisserie! Don’t even get me started on New Caledonia – Paris of the Pacific!
But on the days that I find
myself smiling, which are most days may I add, I am very grateful for the
opportunities and freedom that have been given to me. I love the fact that I
feel safe and secure in this country, both at home and around Honiara/Sol.
Also, the people here are extremely friendly and are always looking out for
you. Just the other day, I dropped my Ipod nano and a guy behind me shouted at me to come
and retrieve it. What’s more, I’m always in good spirits when I hear the bus
drivers calling out the stops in English – it’s the small things that count! Oh,
and the other day, I ran out of gas and my neighbour built me a fire to help me
cook my dinner – so much love in Sol.
I’ve also realised the joys of
living on my own – I can come and go as I please, I’m accountable only to
myself if the cash power is exhausted and I have to read in the dark with my
Cladam lamp and most importantly, I can listen and dance to 90’s classics on
Paoa FM all day long and not worry about the noise. Just yesterday, they played
Blue – All Rise, Eiffel 65 – Blue, All Saints – Never Ever…amazing!
One other observation is about
gender. Being a white male (I know, I know – I say Asian, they say white man)
means that I have significantly more freedom in what I wear, what I say, and my
role in the society I live in. As much as I hate to admit it, it is nice, on
occasion, to be given priority seating after waiting an eon for a bus home from
Sunday service. Many of my girlfriends have shared their encounters in this
very conservative, Melanesian culture, which tend to portray the very opposite experiences
that I have faced. This brings me to my next topic…
Animal spirits
Life in Solomons is very
interesting. I don’t know why but there seems to be an underlying absence of
entrepreneurship and drive in the society. Agreed that it is the Pacific but
never is there an urgency to get things done. Nor is there a sense of using
initiative. I think there are many factors at play but I attribute a lot of it
with the wantok system.
On Melanesian culture, one finds that
men are in control yet women are the true engines of growth. In my opinion, the
balance is not quite right. It frustrates me to see so many hardworking women
(of which many I work with) that then go home to cook for their families whilst
having to find the time to do laundry and care for their various wantoks. That’s
not to say that men don’t work hard too but in many cases, that money is spent
on Solbrew beer that sadly often leads to negative consequences that are rife
in the country, such as domestic violence and drink driving.
I see so many people loitering around
betlenut stands and sitting in leaf hauses for what seems to be most of the day. Even
when there are employment opportunities, many people seem to just want to get
by and go home. Now, please don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with
this. I’m just surprised to not experience at least a few cases of drive and
enthusiasm. Perhaps this is also down to the timid and non-confrontational nature
of the people that make it difficult for me to detect this.
I think “frustration” is a
descriptor that seems apt for many-a-situation here in Sol.
An engine of growth
I was recently asked by my boss
as to where should Solomons look to for further sources of growth. My conclusion
so far is that this country has the potential to provide a truly unique adventure
for all tourists but particularly for those who like the more raw experience
that nature has to offer. Solomons is naturally stunning yet quirky.
I recently organised a trip to
Visale Beach with about 15 other friends. The setup of the beach is very
interesting because the land actually belongs to the Catholic Church, and more specifically,
a nunnery. “Nuns?” I hear you say. Yes, that’s right. While the nuns go about their
duties and their daily prayers, their sea view is greeted with an array of
skimpy shorts and bikinis. How very naughty! For us, it was a really great
afternoon and much needed relief from the hustle and bustle of
Honi-freakin-ara! Lots of laughs, endless picnic treats (tried my first piece
of Lamington cake – thanks Ben!), and plenty
of water frisbee.
Last weekend, a friend of mine,
Ryan, organised a tour of GPPOL, Solomons’ palm oil plantation (I know – get me
for having been out twice in 2weeks – busssssssy). As I mentioned in the last
SIFF entry, palm oil is the fourth largest export of the Solomon Islands after
round logs, gold, and fish. The tour was pretty cool. We visited the
pre-nursery and nursery as well as a plantation. Roger, the GM, also showed us
how the palm fruit was harvested and prepared processing in the factory. We
didn’t go into the factory but we saw from the outside what happens, including
the treatment of bi-products – hard to believe but palm oil production in Sol is
actually environmentally sustainable and almost economically enhancing (what
with the bi-products used to generate electricity for the plant and both work
villages).
Two excellent examples of quirky
and beauty in Solomons. There are more impressive examples, don’t worry ;) I
guess that’s what floats my dug-out canoe.
Dengue drama
Watch out! Dengue’s about! Over
the past few months, the Dengue situation has been slowly creeping up on the
people of Solomons. Since Lukasz's visit in March when Dengue was a minor concern, the Ministry of Health has been
campaigning heavily whilst CBSI had a Dengue seminar taken by one of the
doctors here. Things culminated with a national day – Anti-Dengue Day where
everyone had a day off to clean their desks and offices in the morning and then
clean up their homes and communities in the afternoon. The Ministry has just
drafted in additional doctors to help deal with the increasing number of cases.
Unfortunately, the rise in cases
seems to have continued unabated. Last week has seen the fastest rise since the
first recording in January with cases now being confirmed in other provinces
outside of Honiara. Confirmed cases have now reached 2,200. To top things off,
there is no cure. Just panadol and lots of water and to fight the week long
fever – sucks to be Dengueified right?
I’ve actually just returned from seeing my favourite doctor –
all clear for both Malaria and Dengue and more likely to be a viral infection
Doc says. A relief to say the least!
SIFF
Before I go, here’s your SIFF fix
J
1. Food - Like many Pacific island nations,
the staple diet of Solomon Islanders consists mainly of yams, tarot, and panas.
This is eaten with fish and seashells. More recently, imported instant noodles
have become popular together with domestically produced canned tuna. There are
no set meal times such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We eat when there is
food available.
2. Custom - It is custom that girls are not
to show signs of friendliness to strangers, or even boyfriends, when they are
with their brothers or relatives. Boys are mutually required to do the same as
a sign of respect to their sisters and relatives. In summary – a very
conservative but quite emotionally oppressed country (in my opinion).
3. Land - Approximately 85 per cent of land
in Solomons is managed under customary tenure, meaning that local clans and
members of clan groups have control over it. From what I have heard and
experienced, the use/misuse of this power is quite a hindrance to economic growth
that land reform is a World Bank focus for this year.
Well, best go now as still a
little sick and need to sleep. Again, no pictures but I promise to put some up soon.
Have a great day all and don’t forget to send me your updates J
Much love,
Kennton x
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