Pacific Climate Justice TREK

Today is Wednesday, June 17th, our second day in Funafuti! After finally settling into our rooms here at the Esfam Hotel in Funafuti, we had an early breakfast to get our day started. I tried Vegemite for the first time on my toast, and it wasn’t too bad (but not my first choice for a spread). After having some instant coffee and French toast, Tala picked us up at 9:00 am to drive us up and down the island. Our first stop was to the south side of the island. The drive was roughly 10 minutes to the edge of the island, which puts it into perspective how small this country is. We got out to explore the coastline, which is dividing the lagoon from the ocean.

Each of us went off to enjoy the scenery in different ways. Some people like Basil found all sorts of animals like crabs and eels, others went far out into the water. Personally, I enjoyed finding a coconut, breaking it open, and drinking the delicious water. This was the best coconut water I’ve ever tasted, and that is coming from someone who has had a lot of coconuts.

Then, Tala took us up to the north side, where we passed by Tuvalu’s one landfill. As we passed by this heap, Brian explained how easily this trash can escape via wind or flooding. In the pacific, landfills like this cause a lot of trash to find its way into the ocean. But, where else can this trash go? There is not enough land to create a more secure landfill.

Next, we had a lunch break at one of the few restaurants in Funafuti, next to the airstrip. After this, we all got back in the van because we were going to go swimming! We headed back to the northern part of the island and jumped into the lagoon. We brought snorkels to explore the coral, which was mostly dead, but there was still plenty of cool fish. My favorite from today were these cool fish called the Moorish Idol fish. This is the same one as Gill, the scarred fish from Finding Nemo. The beach was incredibly serene, as it was a beautiful day.

After the beach, we headed back to clean up and get some dinner at the hotel. After a great fish dinner, we had our youth groups with EKT. Tala took us over to the chapel and dropped Sofia and I off. We were given no instructions, so we had no idea what we were getting into. We ended up hanging out with Julie and her son, Pastor Fenua Sofivalu, and 5-7 youth members for about an hour and a half. I gave out some pop-rocks, and you should have seen their hilarious reactions! After getting to know each other (with the occasional language misunderstandings), we went out for a night ride across the island. Once again, we travelled to the edge of the island, only this time, it was at night. Sofia and I both agreed that we had never seen so many stars in one sky.

This picture doesn’t do the reality justice. On the way back from the view, I had a great conversation with Pastor Fenua. We spoke about all sorts of things, from ways of life in Tuvalu to his future plans. One thing he mentioned was Australia’s 280 visas per year deal with Tuvalu. He plans to leave for New Zealand with his family whenever he is able to get a chance, and he needs to get a visa for this. He plans to continue working in missions and being a pastor in his future. Fenua loves to spend mornings on his farm to feed his pigs, and then after he writes his sermons and prepares his church service.

After tonight, Sofia and I were fully blown away. We had never had an experience even close to what we experienced tonight. The way life is lived here is nothing short of magical.

Written and Edited by:

Michael Graban ‘29