Organiser Girl

Everything is going well. I have been in Vanuatu for almost 2 months now.

I also have been putting some photos online . I received some mail just the other week, and it had taken almost a month to get to me. I have a mobile number that works when I am in Port Vila..The number is: +67847226. I think I can receive texts from Australia, but I’m not sure that it works from all the phone networks.

It has been very hard to communicate with people back in Australia as I have not had any Internet access out in Lamen Bay on Epi Island. I have been in Port Vila since Saturday the 1st of September. The week before was school holidays and our generator ran out of fuel so we were in the dark at night time. Cooking by head torch etc. Pretty exciting.

I was hoping to fly back to Lamen Bay this coming Saturday, but the flights are full. There are only two flights a week to Lamen Bay from Port Vila. It’s pretty frustrating. I have a booking on the flight that goes out on Tuesday the 18th of September. I am hoping that I might be able to get a cargo boat to Lamen Bay. That’s the next thing that I need to find out about tomorrow.

I have put some photos up on flickr, and I will hopefully put some more up tomorrow.

I’m definitely flying out to Lamen Bay, Epi Island tomorrow.

I have a mobile number now, +67847226. I will be able to receive text messages until tomorrow morning. I believe that the mobile network does not reach out to Epi Island.

I’ll try and take a stack of photos of Port Vila today and put them online tonight.

My flight to Epi is supposed to leave at 12:30 and I’ll need to be at the airport by 11:30 am.

If anyone wants to get in touch before I go, please send a text message or an email, it would be lovely to hear from you!

I am looking forward to writing to and receiving letters from you.

If anyone sends me a package, please make sure that you write that it’s school books or stationary on the customs label, otherwise it might get confiscated.

I do hope that some of you may be able to come and visit.

Yesterday our AYAD group got back in to Port Vila after a week on Epi Island in a village called Nikaura. I’ve just been uploading some photos to flickr. Most of my thoughts have been written into a Journal as this is only the second time that I have used the Internet since I left Australia.

A week in Nikaura certainly was a challenging thing. Island food is very carb and starch heavy. White rice, yam, kumala, manioc, taro, island cabbage (look the rest of them up on wikipedia if you don’t know what they are). The islanders made traditional food called Laplap and Tuluk, it’s pretty heavy stuff. Lots of wheat based food and very high fat content foods. I’ve spent the past week feeling very bloated with shocking IBS. Today, detox starts.

On Saturday I should be flying back out to Epi Island and moving into my little house at the school. It desperately needs a good clean as an entire extended family of spiders and ants has moved in. I’ve got a couple of days in Port Vila to shop up big time on food, stamps, aerogrammes and some kitchen bits and pieces.

I will only have dialup Internet on Epi Island, so please, if you send me emails, make sure they are text only, no attachments etc. I will try and get back to Port Vila when I can, so that I can upload photos and write some blog posts.

If you feel inclined, care packages of food (in sealed packages) can be sent to me care of the school. It’s very hard to get things such as wheat free muesli, brown rice etc. Basically, anything healthy that’s low GI and good for someone who is wheat intolerant would be fantastic.

I will have no refrigerator or washing machine on Epi Island so I will be doing my own hand washing. Not sure if I can get earth friendly soap free clothes washing detergent here, but if anyone wants to send me something, or a box of goodies I will love you forever.

Over and out for now, love to everyone!

Just to let you know, I’m safe and sound. Heading off to Epi Island for a week of homestay in a village.

My contact details are the school are:

Epi High School
PMB 9028
Port Vila, Vanuatu

Phone number at the school is: +67828243

I’ll get a mobile phone number when I get back to Port Vila. However, my mobile won’t work in Epi.

Flight was late on Friday so we got into Port Vila late, but that’s ok. I’m catching up on sleep and feeling a lot better.

It was the annual Kiwani Charity Race Day on Saturday in Port Vila and lots of food and drink was to be had at the Australian High Commission tent.

We’ve been attending Bislama language lessons, pretty intense, but necessary.

The first lot of photos are up on flickr!

I received my e-ticket on Friday, the last day of pre-departure training.

I’m heading off to Vanuatu for 6 months to work as a School Librarian at Epi High School, Lamen Bay, Epi Island. I’m going as part of a program called Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development, it’s an Australian Federal Government Program that is funded by AusAID. I’m flying there on Friday July 13th and I’m not exactly sure when I’ll be back.

My last day at work is on Friday July 6th and my last weekend in Adelaide until sometime next year is 7th/8th of July. For those of you that know me, come along to my leaving party on Saturday the 7th.

Keep your eyes on my website  and on my flickr pictures for updates.