Day 5 - Tjibaou

Bonjour
What a lovely surprise to be greeted by the sun this morning!  Noumea as it should be!

The kids were all bright and chirpy also and glad that the rain had gone.  They had the morning in classes and then ate their lunch at school before we headed off in the bus to the Tjibaou Cultural Centre.  Baz and I were just saying last night that the group as a whole has been so good at mixing with the french kids, not just  with their billets, and seem to have become relaxed more quickly than groups in the past.

Baz enjoying his early morning expresso - with a croissant, of course!

The Tjibaou Cultural Centre is a Melanesian Museum in honour of a respected local politician and leader of the Kanak Independence movement in New Caledonia, Jean-Marie Tjibaou, who had forged a peace deal between New Caledonia and France. He was tragically shot by one of his own people in 1989. The architecture of the buildings is symbolic of the traditional kanak dwellings called Cases.

                                                           Below is an actual case.

                Each of the three shapes represents a different  area of New Caledonia.  We walked around the grounds outside with the guide and learnt about the different plants that are important and of cultural significance to the kanaks.Also on the walk we came across a huge centipede. I was wondering why the french kids were trying to kill it. The guide finished it's demise and explained that they are dangerous and a bite from them is extremely painful and puts you in hospital!  It had crawled over Sam's camera on the ground and he was very dubious about even touching his camera again!

 Listening to our guide

                                                    A scenic spot with the sea behind us.

We got back to school at 4.30pm and the kids went off home with their billets.

Here are some arriving at school this morning.

Teneya and Emily peering through the bars that surround the school grounds.

A view inside the school gates.

Our kids waiting for the bus this morning.

For the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down, many schools throughout France erected a small replica wall with slogans all over it stating how negative and harmful the Wall was.  Jean Mariotti College has its own version of one. Some of the slogans on this one are:  Bring down walls of Violence, of Malevolence, of Intolerance, of Sufferance, of Injustice.  Just a constant reminder for french school students of the effects of that wall.

We sure hope that our second attempt at getting out to Phare Amedee will be successful tomorrow!  The forecast looks good.......

Until tomorrow evening, au revoir from the TIS crew in Noumea!