tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-282956852012-02-16T17:06:19.857-05:00Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.comBlogger561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-61212910872793824182009-12-23T08:56:00.017-05:002010-03-11T01:00:31.844-05:00

October 23, 2008.After spending four wonderful days on the island of Phu Quoc, a near deserted place close (in theory) to the Cambodian border, we reluctantly abandoned our beach paradise and boarded a ferry towards Rach Gia on the mainland. It went smoothly; we were surprised. At Rach Gia we crammed into a sweaty minibus and rode with our knees hugging our sweaty chests (and if I am doing this

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-48698286003034323792009-11-20T20:59:00.009-05:002010-02-23T19:16:34.944-05:00

October 6, 2008. Dear friends,I have not learned to say hello in Vietnamese. This is because everything about Vietnam frustrates me save for the delicious pho that I eat at least once every day. After a successful tour of Halong Bay - we managed to make it through before an enormous typhoon ripped through the northern part of the country, killing 41 people and forcing the port to close, we

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-15186594408034694162009-10-20T23:28:00.011-04:002009-12-23T08:45:28.970-05:00

And again. September 27, 2008. As if one water-oriented disaster wasn't enough, after Vang Vieng we headed to Vientiane, the laziest capital city in the world, and after discovering that there wasn't much to do there other than eat, we signed up for a 1 day river kayaking excursion, not realizing that the "grade 1 rapids" were in fact really moderately sized tsunamis. Our hungover guides assured

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-56601020176513153332009-09-30T06:39:00.011-04:002009-10-20T23:26:47.990-04:00

September 16, 2008.After a night in a border town which vaguely resembled the South East Asian version of small town USA, we crossed the border into Laos, and embarked on a 2 day trip down the Mekong to Luang Prabang, where we spent 6 days jumping off waterfalls, missing sunsets, drinking Lao Lao whisky, and adopting local wildlife, notably a pink plastic swan named Hans whom I felt it necessary

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-6460813211404374802009-09-29T06:27:00.007-04:002009-09-29T08:34:44.591-04:00

September 6, 2008. I came up to Chiang Mai, in the heart of Northern Thailand via 13 hour bus - the trains have stopped running due to the worsening civil unrest. The bus driver assured me that once the vehicle was running, the bathroom would be unlocked - I've never believed in magic, and have endured many an Asian bus ride on busses with locked toilets, avoiding laughter and sometimes

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-14643424456888361132009-08-15T21:32:00.007-04:002009-08-16T18:32:51.843-04:00

August 27, 2008: Asia, Round TwoWhen our plane arrived at Hong Kong on Saturday, the airport was closed, the result of heavy traffic due to typhoon-induced delays, and complete insanity. We were re-routed to Taipei, the last place I thought I'd see again so soon. I left Canada looking for something on this trip, though I can't tell you what it was, and as I watched the sparkling lights of

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-21556509411751617762009-08-15T21:30:00.001-04:002009-08-15T21:32:24.374-04:00

I guess you could say I am what they call a false beginner. At the rate I'm going, it'll be forever before that long awaited best-seller finally hits the shelves...Off we go. 

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-85157705173448494262009-02-21T11:36:00.009-05:002009-02-21T13:20:05.529-05:00

I was confronted last night with an important question. "Why do you like to travel so much?" Hmm.  I like to travel. Everyone knows that. I've been around the world in eighty days, and then some. Ok, maybe not eighty days. But why? I like to learn new languages, and I'm good at it. I like to stare at strange people and strange things, which, as it turns out, I do quite well in my own country as

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-19848610292297955652008-08-31T02:25:00.002-04:002008-08-31T02:32:30.985-04:00

...and stuck in the city due to mass anti-government protests.-Shop.-Gorge on street food.-Visit temples.-Make friends with Israelis, because there are arguably more Israelis in Thailand than Thai people.-Visit some more temples.-Swim in the pool at a hotel that is not yours.-Sweat.-Drink ice cold alcohol out of buckets, despite warnings about ice in tropical countries. Damned Hepatitis.-Wander

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-69138091717732575252008-07-21T22:38:00.008-04:002008-07-22T00:44:45.730-04:00

April 6, 2008.On music: This weekend was a long weekend in honor of Tomb Sweeping Day, otherwise known as Taiwanese spring break, otherwise known as Spring Scream, Taiwan's biggest (only) outdoor music festival, which is marked by the descent of Taiwanese and foreign youth alike upon Kenting and its surroundings in a frenzy of music, alcohol, drugs and not very much clothing. I had hoped for body

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-9494887535231692652008-07-16T14:17:00.011-04:002008-07-17T01:04:33.956-04:00

I called my best friend yesterday and asked her if she'd like to join me for dinner and some early evening shopping. "How do you plan on shopping," she said, "stores here close at 5!" This notion confused me, as do many other things about being home, such as the fact that I can drink the tap water and flush the TP.  I've been home for roughly a week. It's cold here, both literally and

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-74478609607299905742008-07-13T21:12:00.002-04:002008-07-13T21:37:19.309-04:00

Guilted by Alan's accusation that I haven't updated my blog in eons, (justifiably, because he's likely the only one who reads it anyway) I have decided to try and cram my last five months in Taiwan into as few words as possible and am committing the next few days of my glorious unemployment to this task, or at least the next few minutes. I arrived back in Canada about three days ago and am

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-24875348641233804122008-02-28T00:23:00.001-05:002008-03-03T11:35:34.263-05:00

We decided last week to take advantage of our Chinese New Year holiday to explore some of the sights of Taiwan. I'll try to summarize best I can but this might be a longish post that you might not finish, but I'm going to write it anyway because I know there are at least 1 or 2 that will. For those who do make it to the end, I will reveal to you the meaning of life.Part 1: TaipeiWe left Kaohsiung

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-45898352163128976282008-02-16T03:49:00.000-05:002008-02-20T03:51:35.078-05:00

At the risk of sounding like a big block of cheese - perhaps of the brie variety; baked even, by Jane Park maybe... - I think yesterday may have been the day that I became a good teacher. I don't know why and I don't know how, but I thought that I should record the sentiment before it is lost and I go back to screaming at children.

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1854505803046741272008-01-12T00:48:00.001-05:002008-06-24T23:39:30.547-04:00

What would you do if you found a stranger sleeping on a mat outside a bar? First, you'd probably try and put him in a cab. Upon realization that said stranger had no money, no identification, and no idea where he lived or was staying, would you feed him to the wolves?In most cases, the answer would be yes. My mother taught me never to talk to strangers. In North American culture we have been

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-66821610439894423982007-12-27T23:32:00.001-05:002007-12-31T02:56:03.292-05:00

Christmas has always been a strange time of year for me. Being that I'm Jewish, when I was a kid and even my Jewish best friend got to celebrate Christmas with her mom's side of the family, I always found December 25th cold, lonely, and boring. It was like a happy made for tv movie; everyone around me was starring in it, and I was the production assistant who brought sandwiches and cookies to the

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-31503970150579010132007-12-16T11:30:00.001-05:002007-12-23T22:50:42.375-05:00

Oh, how I miss you, my pretty pink phone,Without you by my side I'm so very alone.I never intended for you to get hurt when you were in the back pocketOf my very small skirt.It took me a minute to know you were goneWhen I emerged from the taxi and it was past dawn.No alarm clock, no stopwatch, no texting, no calls.No one to talk with, I'm climbing the walls.A week without contact can make one go

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-81215375231748407932007-12-10T03:17:00.000-05:002007-12-10T09:29:10.820-05:00

Answers to some questions about my life courtesy of my Auntie Margie. Feel free to add questions, and I will try and come up with mildly interesting answers.1. Have you made a Taiwanese friend?Most of my friends are Canadian - there are so many Canadians in Taiwan and I think the majority of them congregate in Kaohsiung. There's even a neighborhood called Little Canada. Having said this, I have

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-36693455125491691572007-12-02T11:11:00.001-05:002007-12-02T11:13:51.756-05:00

So, in case we hadn't figured this out already, I am almost, if not completely, computer illiterate. I am trying to find a way to integrate pictures into my posts in a cohesive kind of way but am not quite there yet. I can't even figure out how to insert a photo into my profile. So, having said this, if anyone wants to help me, you know where I am. This post is supposed to mildly excuse why my

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-37710434456450795362007-11-11T03:17:00.005-05:002008-06-24T23:37:24.265-04:00

I cannot drive a scooter yet. This is lame.I don't know how to ride a bike. This is also lame. Last but not least, my car driving abilities leave something to be desired, and while I do have my boating license, that isn't going to help me much here. The chosen mode of transportation is the zippy little scooter. I am terrified of it. Everything about it makes me ache inside. I am horrified of what

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-54717565245448727612007-11-07T12:30:00.000-05:002007-12-02T11:10:37.229-05:00

Kenting, November 2007.We work 6 days a week. This might sound horrifying, but in all essence, it's not that bad, save for the fact that it makes exploring Taiwan a wee bit difficult. For the most part, one needs a few days to really make a little trip worth it - the word "express" in "express bus" is often deceiving.This being the case, we decided anyway to head to Kenting (pronounced KenDING)

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-59685333271675816502007-10-28T07:29:00.000-04:002007-10-28T07:31:15.057-04:00

Saturday, October 6, 2007 – I don’t know what Day it is anymore – time to stop counting. So much for my commitment of writing every day. Things have drastically improved in Kaohsiung – it’s amazing how much of a difference a solid group of friends and a new apartment can make in one’s life. We now live with a Costa Rican named Keylor in a brand new apartment at the corner of MeiShu 2nd E. Road

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-34921199751335363932007-10-21T00:20:00.001-04:002007-10-21T01:12:49.015-04:00

September 26, 2007I suppose it’s a good thing that I haven’t written anything in three days, even though I plan to practice writing every day while I’m here. It means I have had other things to do. We have been apartment hunting and trying to get ourselves in order. We still need phones, and scooters, but are close-ish to apartmental success. We may move into Tye and Antoinette’s apartment in the

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-12476795187106673802007-10-17T00:19:00.000-04:002007-10-17T00:20:21.523-04:00

Things are better now that we are in Kaohsiung. I’m still not entirely sure that this is where I want to be, but I am much more inclined to give it a chance here – one more day in Taipei and I surely would have been fighting my way to the front of the ticket line to get a flight home. We took the bus here on Friday and found our way to Kojen school 1, which is where I’ll be working – Rachel will

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-16870848895680217462007-10-15T03:11:00.000-04:002007-10-15T03:12:59.410-04:00

Day 6I cried until I passed out, and then I tried as hard as I could to not get up as long as possible. I was just dreading this birthday. So I finally got up, received my gift of two Kit Kat bars from Rachel, and got ready to go observe our first class, which was the way in which Kojen had decided I was to spend the night of my birthday. Why we couldn’t have observed a class in Kaohsiung, or

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-21895490384837528262007-10-15T03:07:00.000-04:002007-10-15T03:10:39.642-04:00

We had our first experience with the Taiwanese medical infrastructure today and our first introduction to Kojen. We headed to the head office for 10:30, and were escorted to the hospital by Alison, one of Kojen’s Taiwanese staff members. From the outside, the hospital was one of the nicest buildings we’ve seen so far. The inside felt more like a people processing machine than a place where people

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-87227505606019532752007-10-10T08:06:00.000-04:002007-10-10T08:14:34.720-04:00

Day 4 I woke up this morning at 5 am – granted, I’d already been asleep for 9 and a half hours, but it was still no hour to be up at. “What am I doing here?” I thought to myself, for at least a half hour, before falling asleep again. My alarm woke me at 8:30, and I woke Rachel, only for us both to find stickies from Brett on our doors that read, “There is a note on the table. Read it.” It turns

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-64417533530582749142007-10-06T03:58:00.000-04:002007-10-06T04:03:56.360-04:00

Days 1, 2, and 3It’s strange to think that I left home almost three days ago – I’m not quite sure what has happened in the interim. We left Buffalo on Saturday afternoon and after a brief chain-smoke in the Cleveland airport, hopped a flight to Los Angeles. In LA we had a 6 hour layover, the majority of which we spent in the food court staring at the departures screen, on which our flight was not

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1165529059332350832006-12-07T16:34:00.000-05:002007-01-26T17:19:40.253-05:00

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.JO- LambubuCanada(This is me, clearly.)CYNTHIA - EmuaCanadaMC - LalindaCanadaSAMUEL - LambubuVanuatuShowing off his Boy Scout uniform.IVEN - LambubuVanuatuShown here with Ingrid, the chicken I tried (and failed) to save from her fate as supper.TIM - LalindaAustralia "Tim Van Rock: This is your Present."LUCY - LalindaAustraliaLucy (left), shown here

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1165450820077907472006-12-06T19:02:00.000-05:002006-12-12T12:43:03.810-05:00

This is where I stopped writing in my journal, living solely in the moment rather than trying to make ways to remember them - that's kind of what journals are for, I guess, I've never kept one before.The moment we stepped off the plane in Vila we were confronted with the reality that we had less than 48 hours left in Vanuatu. We had reports to type up, de-briefings to partake in, and souvenirs to

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1165272404859352032006-12-04T17:13:00.000-05:002006-12-04T17:50:15.376-05:00

We're at the "airport" right now in Norsup - I put airport in quotations because it's not what you'd imagine an airport to look like, even on a remote island. When the trucks pulled up, I looked around. "Are we stopping here?" I asked Edline, who had accompanied us to say goodbye. "This is the airport," she said sadly - sad both because she had become very attached to many of us, and possibly

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1163381850219400072006-11-12T20:29:00.000-05:002006-12-12T12:53:59.656-05:00

Another one...To the tune of, wait for it..."Bad Moon Rising."I see a bad moon risingI see trouble on the wayDon't go out tonight, it's bound not to be alrightThere's a bad moon on the riseI see hurricanes and lightningI see volcanoes straight aheadDon't go out tonight, it's bound notto be alrightThere's a bad moon on the riseI see rats sleeping on my bugnetI hear them chew my underwearDon't go

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1163208206873986392006-11-10T20:13:00.000-05:002006-11-10T20:23:26.886-05:00

(To the tune of something Dave made up)Olsem wanem, mi askem yuYu ansa hemi stretMi askem yu, yu go long wea Yu ansa, mi go long walkabout... CHORUS: Brotha, fire, FIRE!Numbawan, numbatwo, FIRE!Yu no climb up hemi tabu, mi kan no kasem yuSista yu keep two feet on the groundOlsem wanem, mi askem yuYu se no harem gudMi drink tumas kava mo mi danis wetem ladies all night long...*CHORUS*Olsem wanem,

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1163111905021676862006-11-09T17:16:00.000-05:002006-11-20T17:55:29.613-05:00

Last night we wrote a song for Kalo Robbie entitled "Brotha, Fire (The Crazy Song) ft. Kalo Robbie" because in the past five weeks our lyric writing skills have improved tremendously. We thought it would be nice to sing it for everyone to get some smiles, because everyone is pretty depressed that we're out of here soon. Liesa then thought it would be a good idea to go GET Kalo and the others,

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1163042860524662342006-11-08T22:18:00.000-05:002006-12-12T12:42:34.513-05:00

Yesterday was our "last day" in Lambubu, but of course, it really wasn't. During the day, we packed, said goodbyes (which we've said again, and again, and will probably say at least two more times) and then we had a wonderful surprise - Dora invited us to share a meal at her house across the street. They have been such amazing neighbors!! She made us three cakes (because she knows we like her

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1163042270043533602006-11-08T22:01:00.000-05:002006-12-12T12:42:17.276-05:00

Yesterday was independence day. A big deal in a country that's only been self-governed for 26 years! Not too much was going on in a day (a soccer field can only be so full in a community of 200 people, the majority of whom were resting from the previous night's festivities in order to make sure they were in shape for the night to come..) After dinner, we joined the crowd at the field, me having

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1162507506961051762006-11-02T17:22:00.000-05:002006-11-21T18:00:30.193-05:00

The past couple of days have been full of ups and downs, moments where I'm in love with everything and moments when I feel like this was the worst thing I ever could have done. Wednesday, I was at work, and Dave came pummeling down the road. "JO! I NEED JO!" he was yelling, "Come now!" he said, grabbing my arm and dragging me (albeit not so reluctantly) away from my sanding responsibilities. "

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1162505855307793212006-11-02T17:05:00.000-05:002006-11-22T19:08:09.880-05:00

Today me, Liesa, Becs, Dave and Nicole helped with Children's day (why don't we have Children's Day in Canada?! Geez Louise!) First there was a parade (which started 2 hours late, of course - but we waited excitedly on the side of the road until it started nonetheless, we couldn't resist the temptation to walk down the road singing songs we didn't know while a non-existant crowd of onlookers

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1162140605684674592006-10-29T11:40:00.000-05:002006-11-22T19:18:43.443-05:00

Today was kindy day and our presentation day...finally. We went to church in Amelatin in the morning, and it was a beautiful experience. Afterwards we had the kids parade down from the church to the kindy, where we had some speeches organized and the kids modestly presented their song. The whole community ate together at the kindy, and everyone got to look (and play) with the new toys.Kindy isn't

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1159991204996147992006-10-04T15:40:00.000-04:002006-10-04T15:46:45.016-04:00

Today: More sickness. Wanting to go home. Please please please someone empty the mucus from my head and make me stop coughing up green crap. I don't think I'm cut out for this.Yesterday:-Met EU guy Andy from Australia, who Liesa and Tara seem to have fallen in love with.-The one and only poisonous Vanuatu bug tried to take a chunk out of Jess. We'll call this: THE MILLIPEDE INCIDENT. We have

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1159990801928799332006-10-04T15:29:00.000-04:002006-11-24T17:38:39.303-05:00

Today, Jess and I didn't go to our host families, because we're both feeling quite ill and didn't think we could hack the trek up and down what is now dubbed Jessica Hill.*Jess and I climbing up the notorious hill, clad in island dresses, baskets of fruit in hand. It's harder than it looks.Yesterday we did go to Larevet, and saw the man eating caves. (The caves don't eat the men. Men eat (ate)

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1159366391162233132006-09-27T10:09:00.000-04:002006-11-24T17:32:32.563-05:00

Yesterday:-Jess dropped a big pile of timber on my fingers.-My island crush asked me my name.-I heard a pig being slaughtered.-I realized the irony of the fact that this whole island is a cocoa plantation but there is no chocolate anywhere.Today I've been feeling a little hostile towards everything - I'm just getting frustrated with how much seems to be expected of us yet how little we're given

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1159366128693383792006-09-27T09:53:00.000-04:002006-11-26T17:04:55.533-05:00

Yesterday we worked on the kindy project again. Mildly less frustrating than last week, mildly being the key word. We got to the kindy all pumped and ready to build some bush toys, and found out that the committee had not gotten us the materials that we had been under the impression that they would provide. Edline told us that the materials hadn't come, and so I asked her if they just hadn't come

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1158951042660028832006-09-22T14:49:00.000-04:002006-09-22T14:50:42.660-04:00

Two worst fears realized last night: 1) A boat apparently sank off Epi 2 nights ago, with 42 people on board; 2) Tara was so sick with all the symptoms of malaria, but she seems to be better today. All I want is to make it home alive...is this too much to ask??

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1158950919365233642006-09-22T14:39:00.000-04:002006-11-26T12:08:05.320-05:00

Yesterday we met our host families. The idea behind the host family is more for the community to be able to situate us within their environment - so we are so and so's daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, dog, etc.My father, Lui, is the chief of Larevet. My mother's name is Tulsi, and I have 2 sisters, Meli and Melissa, and 4 brothers, Ben and Jack (in absentia) and Shilon and Moses. Ben is in Vila,

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1158690860259825182006-09-19T14:24:00.000-04:002006-11-26T17:02:24.710-05:00

Today was a bit of a frustrating day. I'm tired and in need of some down time, some time alone without my group and without being watched at every given moment. It was mine, Nicole and Rose's small project day, so we met our counterparts and tried to get started, but I'm finding it very hard. The language barrier is an issue right now, and we don't seem to have much direction. We hiked up to the

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1158679628267961242006-09-19T11:23:00.000-04:002006-09-19T11:27:08.266-04:00

Today, we mixed 120 bags of cement with sand and coral to make concrete, and filled in the foundation of the building. The men at the worksite are incredible, as is the community. I learned today that at least for many of the smaller children, we are the first white people they've seen - maybe that explains why some of them scream and run away whenever they see us.This evening we went to the

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1158679160519715102006-09-19T11:12:00.000-04:002006-11-29T21:23:40.470-05:00

Yesterday we sat down with our Lambubu counterparts to talk about the project(s) for the first time. I think I'd always thought that being on a "development project" would be different than this: more organized, clear, efficient - I'm starting to realize that my expensive post-secondary education fostered a whole crapload of unrealistic ideas and expectations. I was a little worried and annoyed

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1158346469239886482006-09-15T14:48:00.000-04:002006-11-29T21:22:12.703-05:00

Malekula, here we come.The wharf dropped us off at the wharf in Litz Litz (I have no clue how that's spelled) around 4:30 - we unloaded, made sure we had each and every one of our boxes (wouldn't want to forget that rice or that rice!) and then three trucks took us in our gear over the mountain to Lambubu. Children waved to us from the side of the road, and the dust rapidly became encrusted in

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1158345913898639092006-09-15T14:37:00.000-04:002006-11-29T21:41:40.666-05:00

When we saw the boat that would take us to Ambrym and then to Malekula, I had a hard time coming to terms with the idea that we would a) fit on it and b) not sink and become shark bait. We've been on the boat a day now, cramped, seasick, but I think we might be almost there...the Lalinda group was dropped off two hours ago, so we can't be too far away now. Anne is no longer shitting her pants,

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1157996711811900372006-09-11T13:37:00.000-04:002006-11-30T17:21:36.846-05:00

Every day is getting better and better. Yesterday we started our training, and also had our first taste of Vanuatu kava. It tastes kind of like a mix between peppery mud and a carrot that you pull out of the ground and eat without washing the dirt off first (not that I do that regularly) This island beverage makes your tongue and mouth very numb, which is strange; however, I believe there is more

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1157996060348147162006-09-11T13:29:00.000-04:002006-11-30T17:14:28.803-05:00

Welkam long Port Vila!Vanuatu is beautiful. More beautiful than anything I could have ever imagined - I can't believe that I am on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I feel so small. After a short, friendly flight, we were greeted at the airport by Joel and Nik, and brought back to the Scout Hall (Scat Hole?) - not nearly as frightening as anticipated, but still quite rugged. Toilet

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1155440647033915322006-08-12T23:37:00.000-04:002006-08-12T23:44:07.046-04:00

It's been ages since I've tried my hand at this but that's because it's a really hard thing to do when you're traveling and busy and lying on beaches and taking overnight buses and meeting new friends and then some...it's even harder when you have no electricity or running water, let alone internet access.In short, Vanuatu was an incredible experience, both wonderful and horrible at the same time

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1151046263210448362006-06-23T02:54:00.000-04:002006-06-23T03:04:23.220-04:00

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1151044846069036302006-06-23T02:28:00.000-04:002006-06-23T02:40:46.080-04:00

So I'm here.Sydney is lovely...but it is, as expected, a generic western city. I've seen the Opera house, the Harbour Bridge (had a nice Middle Eastern man and his mail-order bride take a picture of me in front of it), the Taronga Zoo, Manly Beach, the bar...but the highlight of my trip so far has definately been my trip up to Katoomba. I met up with Becca last weekend and we decided to head up

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28295685.post-1150380985184171572006-06-15T10:09:00.000-04:002006-06-15T10:16:25.196-04:00

So, last Friday, my life became mayhem - and today things are about to become far mayhem-ier (this is my space and I therefore reserve the right to make up words as I do so choose, and for those of you who have ever played scrabble with me you know I like to do this, and always get away with it. I should write a dictionary of Jo words and Joanna-isms - maybe later.) Anyway, I just spent two weeks

Johttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17211163982048941603noreply@blogger.com3