back on the island

The day finally came that I was able to go back to Ambae. Phil and Katie were my travel buddies- they have to fly to Ambae and then hop a boat over to their island Maewo. We spent the 4 hour layover on Santo eagerly preparing to reunite with families and transition back into island life, which is quite different from Sydney life. Needless to say, we were all more than ready for the simple, beautiful lives we longed for in Australia. Once on Ambae, I followed a truck to Lolowai to give Mami Amina a hug and I was presented with a birthday cake and lavalava (sarong) from her and Uncle Glen. Unbelievable! That was the last thing I expected, but their kindness was far from a surprise. We shared the cake and I took the second half back to my site to share with my family. It was so, so nice seeing my parents! We swapped stories and laughed and sat together until the sun went down, enjoying each other’s company. I was once again reminded how grateful I am to have such a great host family.

Minus this and that, life has returned to normal-ish (what is, by the way, normal? it was never normal in the first place!) Being back on the island has been such a pleasure.  Since being back its seems as though the stars shine a little brighter, the ocean a deeper blue, the bush greener and more lush than before. I’m pretty sure my family is sick of hearing me gasp at the beauty of the sunset or ramble on about the immensity of the sea. What the word “awesome” is intended for. I can’t decide if this is a real thing- did the post-cyclone weather shift the hues or is it due to my now-understanding that these precious things can so quickly go away? It might just be my year two blues, knowing that the end of service is around the corner or a combination of all three. Whatever the cause, my heightened appreciation is making this experience that much richer.  I thought I loved this place before, but man! You don’t know what ya got til its almost gone, or something like that. The same challenges here still exist, but I’ve found a new sense of contentment that subdues them. There are plenty of new adventures taking place here and I’m so glad to be back.

There is replanting and rebuilding to do on Ambae, but comparatively, she’s not looking half bad. They quickly cleared the big trees that fell on the main road and communities have been working together to rebuild water catchments that broke during the storm. Other than that, Ambae is in pretty good shape to help the other islands. My school has been collecting food and sending it down to families and boarding schools in Port Vila. The cargo ships agreed to carry these things for free from all the islands on their routes that were able to share. The Lolowai harbor is the main stop for the ships on Ambae, but if you make a big bonfire on the coast, the ship will send a small boat to you and collect your freight. Some of my favorite nights have been sitting down at the saltwater cheering on the boat as it arrives to shore.

sending off some veggies

getting ready to replant some island cabbage