"...and jam, if I can afford it."

$17.00 a box but on sale today!

     We have discovered that the economy is different when you live on an island.  Cargo ships are constantly channelling into the wharf of Port Vila loaded with goodies from New Zealand, Australia, and China.  Not only do they deliver pots and pans, souvenirs, fabric, and clothing, but also consumable goods:  food!   But before the food meets the wharf, food items will have doubled, tripled, and even quadrupled in price. These items are not headed to the local open market but to the local supermarket chain, Bon Marche, where expats find their familiar favorites.  They find it difficult to manage their suspense and, like children on Christmas morning, make their way to the supermarket to discover cargo surprises.

 Items not manufactured or grown here become a treat.  We know.       We like lettuce, too, even if it is $30.00 a pound. Floored?  Then we have something in common.  Want a tomato with that lettuce?  Add $9.00 a pound.  Of course, we can buy in ounces, and we do!  While pasta is affordable, grapes are $9.00 pd, pepperoni, $15.00 pd, cheddar cheese is $10.00 pd, broccoli is $10.00 pd, and if you want zucchini or squash, you will have to borrow from the bank. 
The cattle industry here provides affordable beef, and as long as the cargo ships float in salsa and chips, we can mix our Taco seasoning, play a Spanish album and be grateful.  Bags of  chicken feed reveal proof that chickens exist here; however, they are expensive critters at the supermarket weighing in at $10.00 pd for parts!

...but where are the chickens

Our affordable source of food comes from the fresh local markets:  bananas, pineapple, avocados, white and sweet potatoes, egg plant and the best carrots in the world are in abundant supply there.
As a result, our typical meals-- breakfast: coffee, affordable in our expat world but enjoyed sparingly, a banana, scrambled eggs and fabulous french bread/toast.   Dinner:  roasted potatoes and carrots, a stuffed bell pepper and a toasted real French baguette make for much merriment in our kitchen.
The economy is certainly distinguishable when you live on an island.  The cargo ships supply the demand and demand determines the cost of items.  Waste.  There is very little wastefulness and an abundance of resourcefulness here. 

Recently, we asked one of our students if he eats a snack when he goes home after our 6-9pm class.
"Yes," he replied. "Bread with butter, and jam if I can afford it."

Soon, on the last night of this 3-week session, we will have a victory party celebration. We will provide the snacks this time as the students provided such at the end of the first 3-week session in February.  It will be our pleasure to serve peanut/butter with jam sandwiches and cheddar cheese baguette sandwiches with juice.  We will play gospel Spanish music, and we will all beam when we sit down to this feast.

Travel wakes up our complacencies and shows us how others manage to live.

Thank you for reading our blog!  Travel.
God bless,
J:m and L:nda