Omahan Joan Howard, 56, has spent a month in Vanuatu. She traveled to the country in 2002 to visit her daughter, Sarah Howard, who was working there as a Peace Corps volunteer
New 'Survivor' spot impressed Omahan
BY KIM ROBERTS-GUDEMAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
On Thursday, 18 contestants begin their quest for $1 million on CBS's "Survivor: Vanuatu - Islands of Fire."
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The cast of CBS's "Survivor: Vanuatu - Islands of Fire."
Vanu-what?
Most people have never heard of the chain of 83 South Pacific islands, much less been to it.
But Omahan Joan Howard, 56, has spent a month in Vanuatu, pronounced Van-oo-wah-too. She traveled to the country in 2002 to visit her daughter, Sarah Howard, who was working there as a Peace Corps volunteer.
"I have a very high respect and regard for the people," said Howard, who called the country's indigenous people "wise" and "hospitable."
While the "Survivor" contestants likely had little interaction with the residents, Howard was able to immerse herself in Vanuatu's culture.
She stayed on Santo island, sleeping on a mattress on the floor of a concrete building, though many villagers live in thatched huts.
She also learned to communicate with the inhabitants of the islands, who speak Bislama, a form of pidgin English, among other languages.
Getting used to the food was one of the more difficult challenges.
She ate island vegetables, which include a lot of starchy and tuberous plants such as yams, though different from American sweet potatoes.
During the day, she helped her daughter in local schools, collected water from a cistern, cooked, tended the garden and hand-washed clothes.
"It takes all day to live," she said, noting that few people had electricity or running water. "It's very soul-searching to be in a place where you don't have any conveniences."
Not that there was no time for fun.
Howard said she went snorkeling and scuba diving, hiked through jungles and visited bat caves.
Vanuatu is west of Fiji and northeast of Australia. To get there, Howard flew to Los Angeles, then boarded a plane for an 18-hour flight to New Zealand. She then flew another three or four hours to Vanuatu.
Howard, who has never watched "Survivor," said she may tune in this season, though she'd rather the show had never gone there.
She doesn't want outside influences to change the tranquil island.
"Our country has a lot to give other countries," she said. "I don't think that ("Survivor") represents the best that we can share."
