Adventures in Paradise 63

Adventures in Paradise 63

Kia Orana, everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with thoughts on being replaced. While we are well aware that no one is indispensible, it is with an odd sense of invisibility that we face the fact that someone else is going to be living the life here that we have loved. Just before Christmas we received the first of a series of e-mails from our replacements, Elder and Sister Scott from Delta, Utah. These e-mails were accompanied by an undercurrent of déjà vu. I was left feeling like the teenager, who upon meeting the new girl in school, wonders if people will like the new girl better. Will this new girl be more popular, more creative, more fun and just simply better liked?  Will we be forgotten before we are even back on American soil? While I am certain that the new couple are wonderful people, I can’t help but feel that we are in competition with each other. How do we face the challenge of being replaced? How much or how little information do we share with the new couple? How can we possibly leave our little island?

As I think about it, relating some of the things that I have learned is easy. The Scotts will surely benefit from our shopping tips. We know where to find the freshest meat and produce. We can direct them to the tastiest food at Saturday market. We can tell them where to find the best take-away burger and chips on the island, and for dessert, we can suggest Wigmores for an ice cream cone. We can be helpful in hinting that when they notice the supply of staples like flour, sugar, eggs and mayonnaise dwindling, they should stock up. Once the shelves are laid bare, they will stay that way until the next boat appears. The Scotts will learn to ask shopkeepers if they know when the next ship will arrive. They will learn to visit the dock to see if any new cargo ships are in the harbor. They will learn to live and plan accordingly .These are things that they need to know. But should I tell them that the John family likes my chocolate cupcakes and Alvey Nichols calls these cupcakes blue muffins?

We could share with our replacements the fact that there are no addresses on this island. To locate Danny Mataroa’s house, you go past the corned beef sign, past the second yellows and turn up by the banana tree. We could share that Danny will always give his visitors a weeks supply of his fresh produce when they leave, but should we also  tell them that Danny’s first grandson just turned one and has been walking since he was eleven months old? Can we possibly relate how much Danny loves this little guy?

Perhaps the Scotts would benefit from our vast experience with island culture. We could speak about kisses on the cheek and the custom of removing shoes before entering a humble home. They might need to know that as honored guests, they will always be expected to be the first in line at the buffet table. People will watch to see that their plates are properly filled and no one else will begin eating until they do. The new couple will need to be aware that here it is considered good manners to eat with ones fingers and to wash hands by wiping them on an available leaf. They should also learn to eat what is offered without asking what it is! They will learn to appreciate different drum beats and they will learn to love the dancing. Should we tell them also, that Lindsey Graham, who is a mesmerizing dancer and an honor student is leaving home to attend BYU-Hawaii? Can we possibly describe how much Lindsey’s mother is going to miss her only daughter? 

Should we add, here, that many of the brightest young people leave Rarotonga to attend school and never return? This beautiful island is lacking in opportunities for its children. Can we adequately convey how much loving parents miss their children?

We could spend valuable e-mail time sharing  little lessons on Cook Island Maori. Kia Orana is the greeting, which literally translated means, “May you live long.” How nice is it to greet everyone with that sweet thought. Ka kite tells someone that you will see them later, and Metaki Maata is thank you very much. While we could spend a great deal of time instructing our replacements on the Maori language, will they also be able to relate to the islands sense of generosity? Hopefully, they will learn soon enough to appreciate the kind gestures of fresh fruit delivered anonymously to their doorstep. They will experience first-hand how a family will gladly share what little food they have with a guest. They will discover that Mama Numa makes her living by nightly picking flowers and fashioning them into the eis that will greet visitors arriving at the airport the next morning. How can we describe the simple dignity with which our friends lead their lives?

We wonder as we consider our last eleven weeks here, if our replacements can possibly appreciate and love the people as much as we do? Will they find the customs as quaint and charming as we have? Will the children seem as beautiful to the Scotts as they do to us? Is it truly possible that we can be replaced? In truth, we already know the answer to all of the above questions is simply, “Yes.”  We know that those who come after us will love the people as much as we do. How could they not? We know that people here will love them in return. We know that those who follow will find the island as welcoming and beautiful as we have. They will appreciate its customs and its quaintness. There will be no argument that the children are beautiful and they will seem all the more beautiful because our replacements will love them just as much as we have. And we know that it is almost time for someone else to experience the joy of working in paradise. Will the Scotts bring a different perspective with them? Of course they will. This is what we would wish for them. It will not diminish the work we have accomplished, nor will it be a competition. The Scotts will bring the best of who they are, just as we have tried to do. That is enough. We are assured by our dear friends here, that we will be missed and that we will not be forgotten. We have promised them that we will feel exactly the same way. We will remember. We are also buoyed up with the knowledge that many of our friends will visit us in Salt Lake City sometime in the future. Some, in typical Polynesian fashion, have not asked, but rather informed that they will be staying with us when they arrive in Utah! Ah yes, island directness! We will proudly introduce our new friends to our old ones and it will be wonderful.

So, as usual, we are happy and trying to work hard. We have less than three months to go and much we would still like to accomplish. To be honest, between reluctantly retiring from a teaching job that I loved and now thinking about our approaching release, I have had about all of the “Replacement Syndrome” that I can handle. My new perspective is that I am looking forward to being the new kid on the block in my old neighborhood for just a little while. Please be assured that I have no desire to be the most popular. I don’t need to be the most creative, most fun or best liked. I simply want to be part of what has always held a special place in my heart. I wish to be home and want you all to be there too.

Love, Ward and Susan                  Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in the Cooks

This weeks photos are dedicated to the new mission couple. There are things that we think that they should know about our home, this island and the people we love. Please enjoy the view from Blackrock at our New Years kai kai.

Luna is two and has a mind of her own. She was excited to come to the beach and only changed her clothes five times during the day.

  

These beautiful mats are plastic and totally washable. They are a staple as floor covers in the homes, then people just fold them up and bring them to the beach.

Please meet the Salimonis. They brought their three children and enjoyed the day with us. Dr. Salomni is a pediatritian and he can be found at the Rarotonga hospital.

There is no dress code for the beach and the water. Just wear what you want and plan to get wet!

Ward and two friends are chatting under a coconut tree.This is not the safest place to sit OR park your car. Trust me on this! (hint: beware of falling coconuts!)

But we can see that in a pinch, a coconut can make an impromptu, if uncomfortable seat. 

Our chef for the day cooks up a batch of the usual. Here we see steaks and sizzle sausages (hot dogs).

This family is enjoying the sunshine after a full week of rain.Actually this party was postponed one week due to hurricane force winds and rain.

This is our friend, Sam, who is meeting this grandchild for the first time. He is hinting that he may not give her back, but we are not telling anyone!

Sister Salimoni and her beautiful son are happy to be at the beach. Although this is an island, many people live inland and do not have easy access to a beach. The Salinonis live high on the hill, so this was a real treat for them. They were some of the first to arrive and the last to leave.

The white line in the ocean marks where the reef is located. I love the fact that the ocean is two colors; turquoise inside the reef and navy blue outside. This is a very soothing view, isn't it?

The dress code for the day was casual! No shirt, no shoes, no problem!

This was a very relaxed game of volleyball. No one works too hard on a holiday. 

Clifton allowed the children to bury him, so now he is trying to dig himself out. He wants to be ready when his mission call arrives, hopefully sometime this month.

The truck full of drummers says it all. Happy New Year to everyone.

See you next week!