Welcome back to my blog. I have been out of action since September due to work commitment in Bali and now the Solomon Islands.
Over the past two months, I have been spending time with family and friends in the island of Bellona, Rennell and Bellona Province, Solomon Islands.
The island has a population of about 3,000 residents. There are no running water, electricity, landline telephone and of course the internet. But people are relying on brackish and rain water, solar power and mobile phones to communicate nationally and internationally.
About 99 percent of the total population lives on subsistence life style. People plant gardens and fishing for their daily livelihood. During my time in the island, I enjoyed following my uncles, aunties and cousins to work in their vegetable gardens and fish. The reward for helping out in the garden is what people called "Oso hekau". Food that is prepared by the host for those who are helping out in the garden.
Life is basic but affluent in many ways than one. Though my time in the island was enjoyable, I also missed some of the basic stuff in life, which were not available in the island. I wasn't able to access the internet, landline telephone and the social media. The island of Bellona has no access to the internet except for mobile phone, but it is very expensive.
My access to the internet in the national capital of the country, Honiara, is some what constraint by the cost and availability of internet cafee. This is one of the challenges of relying on the internet to communicate regionally and internationally if you are residing in the Solomon Islands and especially the rural areas of the country. My staying in the country has some ups and downs. But what interesting is after over 20 years of residing overseas, it is saddening to come back home and see our people still facing many challenges and hardships in their living standard.
Be my guest for the next couple days. Wish you all God's blessings during this coming year 2015.
Aue kiate koutou katoa. Te ma'ine mai Mungiki (Bellona). The island is a paradise.
Over the past two months, I have been spending time with family and friends in the island of Bellona, Rennell and Bellona Province, Solomon Islands.
The island has a population of about 3,000 residents. There are no running water, electricity, landline telephone and of course the internet. But people are relying on brackish and rain water, solar power and mobile phones to communicate nationally and internationally.
About 99 percent of the total population lives on subsistence life style. People plant gardens and fishing for their daily livelihood. During my time in the island, I enjoyed following my uncles, aunties and cousins to work in their vegetable gardens and fish. The reward for helping out in the garden is what people called "Oso hekau". Food that is prepared by the host for those who are helping out in the garden.
Life is basic but affluent in many ways than one. Though my time in the island was enjoyable, I also missed some of the basic stuff in life, which were not available in the island. I wasn't able to access the internet, landline telephone and the social media. The island of Bellona has no access to the internet except for mobile phone, but it is very expensive.
My access to the internet in the national capital of the country, Honiara, is some what constraint by the cost and availability of internet cafee. This is one of the challenges of relying on the internet to communicate regionally and internationally if you are residing in the Solomon Islands and especially the rural areas of the country. My staying in the country has some ups and downs. But what interesting is after over 20 years of residing overseas, it is saddening to come back home and see our people still facing many challenges and hardships in their living standard.
Be my guest for the next couple days. Wish you all God's blessings during this coming year 2015.
Aue kiate koutou katoa. Te ma'ine mai Mungiki (Bellona). The island is a paradise.
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