27 Apr 2016

Sewa School Tours

An early morning breakfast at 5:45 am fuelled us for a drizzly Zodiac cruise across Sewa Bay, a three-mile inlet on Normanby Island’s western coast. We puttered along the quiet shoreline occasionally passing clusters of sago palm-constructed homes. Everyone we encountered greeted us with smiles and curiosity, often calling out “hello’s” and waving. The children were particularly excited by our arrival, some of whom followed our route on foot along the beach. Shortly after the heavier showers set in, we spotted two Curl-crested manucode—a bird of paradise—and another new species for our bird expert, Mr. Collins!

For a second morning excursion at 10 am, we donned our snorkel gear to explore marine life off a tiny island near Normanby. Despite the rain, this was definitely the best underwater adventure yet. Just a few meters from shore we found a most impressive array of fish and corals—bat fish, angel and clown fish, enormous yellow fan coral, gigantic sea cucumber, royal blue starfish the size of tires, Christmas tree worms, parrot fish, and countless small fish darting in and out amongst the coral.

Following lunch, we were hosted by the Sewa Bay Primary School (one of two primary schools in the bay, each over 100 students). Dozens of dugout canoes hugged the water line—a personal mode of transport for many of the students. As we disembarked our Zodiacs, over 200 pairs of eyes watched in fascination. A crowd of adults and children stood to the left of a hand-drawn “Welcome” sign, and snaking up the hillside single-file awaited the students dressed in yellow uniforms. The moment we reached the sign, the performers suddenly came alive, drumming, jumping and dancing about. We followed the line of children up to the Catholic Church, stopping often to shake hands, exchange introductions and receive a hand-made paper “lei” around our necks. Within the church, the students performed two songs, accompanied by their teacher on guitar. Their pitch-perfect harmonies and beautiful, projecting voices seemed to fill every corner of the building. So much energy in one room! We were then led back out to the school’s expansive main field for a series of traditional dance performances. One depicted the fishing season, one was about courtship, one about mourning a loved one’s death, and as well as a few others.

Afterwards, we were enveloped by groups of school children who wanted to take us on tours of the school, play basketball, butterfly or rugby, or simply ask us loads of questions about where we’re from and what we’re doing. Absolutely delightful kids and so well spoken! We all had a ball visiting and playing with them… The genuinely enthusiastic welcome we received was overwhelmingly moving; it’s safe to say that these children kept a piece of our hearts today.