Rachel Roo

Hello everyone J So...I’m now in Africa! I’ve been slow (again!) with photos and updates because I’ve been behind with my Uni course, sorry! In my last update we were getting ready to leave Brisbane… in typical style it was pretty hectic which was good in a way because it stopped me from getting too emotional… L Tuesday 1st May - BRISBANE to MELBOURNE (Australia) and then onto DOHA (Qatar) We finished packing in the morning, not easy! I’d sent a lot home and to New Zealand but still had far too much. The challenge was packing for cold and warm climates (both in Uganda and back in Melbourne and New Zealand) and I wasn’t 100% sure on appropriate dress for Uganda – would vest tops be ok or would it need to be T-shirts? Gem ... read more

Hello everyone J Wow, I’ve had a busy couple of months! It’s mainly been pretty boring, just work and Uni but there have been some exciting events so I’ll try and make this update as exciting as possible. I’m also going to try and keep it upbeat because at this moment I’m feeling very upset about leaving Brisbane because it is now imminent. I am pretending it is not happening…! But on the plus side it means that I’m getting closer to seeing everyone at home! J March was really really busy at work (still the backpacker travel agency). I worked 9 ½ hour days with an hour for lunch which I know isn’t a really long day but I rarely got out on time and even if I did the earliest I’d get home was ... read more

G’day! I hope you are all well. To all my friends and family at home…I love and miss you so much! I haven’t written recently as I haven’t really had much to write. I’ve mainly been working and my routine stays the same so it’d be a bit boring if I wrote too often. But I think it’s time to update you on January and February in Brisbane and I’ve finally found the time to upload some pictures to go with it. I’ve been working at the backpacker travel agency and have been working quite long hours which with travel time has meant not a lot of time at home. I really enjoy, I like the company and my manager and love talking to people about their trips and planning them for them. If it’s quiet ... read more

Hey all! Hope you’re enjoying the new year so far…it must be pretty cold and dark in the UK right about now! It’s an actual heat wave here in Brisbane, so so hot it’s not even enjoyable! I’m looking outside at the blue sky and sunshine and really wanting to go out there, but it’s too hot! Anyway…let me tell you about our New Years Eve road trip to Sydney in the trusty Mildred…would she make it?!!! Thursday 29th December 2011 - Brisbane to (somewhere onthe way) Sydney I woke up very dehydrated again! I had the day off so took Drew to work in New Farm and drove Mildred back by myself, was very proud of myself as I didn’t get lost! I spent the day getting ready for our trip to Sydney, Hannah and ... read more

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you’re all good and had a great Christmas? We had a nice time in Brisbane; I was very very very homesick and missing home a lot! I still wanted to experience a sunny Christmas but wished everyone from home could be here. I was also a little concerned that we wouldn’t get a sunny Christmas, as the rain leading up to Christmas Day was so terrible (cloudy, windy and rainy!)… BRISBANE, Australia Thursday 22nd December 2011 I was up really late and it took a while to get going (I’m always sooooooooo dehydrated, takes a while to come around). Drew and I did some chores (juice for Mildred, Christmas presents and my new camera!) and then went back to watch some Buffy and Whale Wars whilst doing some cleaning (me) and ... read more

G’day all!! I’d just arrived in Brisbane in my last update and was about to be reunited with Drew, who I hoped was waiting for me the other side of Australian immigration and customs even though my flight was an hour early (would he have thought to check the times…?!). Firstly I’ve got to say how much I miss home. I am so terribly homesick…Mum, Dad, Maff, Em, Gem, Geo, Cazzler, Joanne, Vix, Katie, Louli, Laura and so many other people I wish you were here! I really need some cuddles from home! I’m lucky I have Drew and Hannah here from home to give me a hug when needed! Secondly, there will unfortunately be no pictures to accompany this update because 3 nights ago (19th December) my camera was lost/stolen, so all my lovely pictures ... read more

Bula Bula everyone! In my last update I’d just arrived in Fiji at 5.30am…so let me tell you what I got up to whilst I was there… well, what I can tell you of what we got up to…what goes on at The Beachouse stays at the The Beachouse… ;) FIJI – Thursday 17th November 2011 I’d lost a day on the plane. I left Los Angeles at 9.30pm on Tuesday 15th November 2011 and after a 10 or so hour flight arrived in Fiji on Thursday 17th November 2011. Bit random. As I’d managed to sleep so much on the plane it was just like having a night’s sleep and I didn’t feel too much of the jet lag. We entered Nadi airport to the sounds of singing, a lovely local band was playing for ... read more

Hey all! It’s time for me to write you another update…in between writing my CV/resume and getting organised in Australia… New York to LOS ANGELES – Sunday 13th November 2011 The American Airlines flight from New York JFK airport to Los Angeles LAX airport was jam packed full or people (they had free Wi-Fi on board which I meant to take advantage of but didn’t). I was sat next to the window (so I got a good night time view of New York as we took off) next to a really nice girl from LA who lived in Santa Monica, where I was going to be staying. We had a good chat about things to do (and places to avoid!) and I was glad to have her there as we had really bad turbulence and it ... read more

Hey all! Another rainy day in Fiji…so another update for you! This time it’s all about my visit to the lovely Kristen Ragazzo! I met Kristen in Thailand and did a trip through Laos to Vietnam with her, we clicked instantly and became ‘best friends forever’ (that is official, we made a contract!) I went over to Ireland in February whilst Kristen was there with her family (it’s a shame I didn’t get to see her parents Janice and Tony…Uncle Felix I’ll get to you one day!) and as I was in the area I just had to pop out of the city to see her! Kristen is perhaps best known for her ‘Seeing the World - One Dance at a Time’ video (if you haven’t seen it you should check it out. It’s BRILLIANT courtesy ... read more

Hey all! It has been TIPPING with rain in Fiji for 2 days straight now so I’m getting time to catch up on photos and the like. In my first update of this trip I left you on my way from New York to Canada… NEW YORK, the USA to TORONTO, Canada – Tuesday 8th November 2011 At the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York I had a little wait before getting on the bus to Newark, which was surprisingly quick! I was not a fan of Newark airport, there is no space around the check in area (apparently they’ve just improved it!) so everyone queuing for flights were in the way of people trying to get through to their check in desk, not easy with loads of bags, as most people going on a ... read more