Blogs from Efate, Vanuatu, Oceania - page 3

Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands lying between New Caledonia and Fiji in the South Pacific. Port Vila is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. Situated on the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province, where the city population is around 38,000. Port Vila is the economic and commercial center of Vanuatu. Vanuatu was a another location for Survivor. The area occupied by Port Vila has been inhabited by Melanesian people for thousands of years. After 1887, the territory was jointly administered by the French and the British. This was formalized in 1906 as an Anglo-French condominium. During World War II, Port Vila was an American and Australian airbase. In 1987, a cyclone severely damaged the city. Another powerful earthquake in January 2002 caused extensive damage in the capital and surrounding ... read more

I flew with Air Vanuatu from Brisbane to the capital city called Port Vila in the republic of Vanuatu. Let me first tell you something about the country Vanuatu before talking about my first experiences. The country consists of around 80 islands and has a total population of around 210.000 people. It has a tropical climate and lies in the South Pacific region. The first settlements of the French and English started in the 18th century and in 1906 the Anglo-French Condominium of the new Hibreidess was created. That means that British and French nationals had equal rights and retained their home country’s citizenship. Local people were officially stateless. Vanuatu became independent eventually in 1980 and is a member of many international organisations like the U.N, the French league of nations and the Commenwealth. The main ... read more

Hello all! Yes, this one is coming to you live from Port Vila as we are back in the capital for training and heading back in about a week. Even though this will seem out of order as there are still blogs I have written and sent for my sister to post, I'll go ahead with a few little news and tidbits and trust you all to put them into context with the letters yet to come via snail mail. Coming back to "civilization" was quite a process. For weeks, we've been making lists, phone calls, and plans on how to best maximize our time and access to internet, groceries, and phone. We started about a week before on a tums regimen; twice a day to coat our stomachs for the meat and dairy that we ... read more

Today begins the last month of the year and many things are coming to an end. Among the list of wrap-ups is my time here in the South Pacific. Tomorrow I head back to the states with a short stop in Fiji for a couple of hours. I love flying East over the dateline because gaining a day always makes me feel so time efficient. I'll spend 22 hours in transit and still land 3-4 hours before I left. Back to the Future indeed. Last month in Australia was not as productive as I would have preferred. My dream was to walk out of the country with bags full of donation cash for Project MARC, and in-kind donations lined up for next year. This dream did not become a reality this time, but I'm hopeful for ... read more

Hello All! We're in the capital city of Port Vila for a few days before heading back to Maewo. It's been surprisingly hard to readjust to life in a hotel. Last night, our first night back, I woke up and couldn't not figure out where I was. I was cold and saw a weird light above me, that was surely the moon, and couldn't make out my mosquito net or dark walls that usually greet me when I wake up. I could only guess that I was sleeping outside and was just about to wonder where my stash of toilet paper was when I realized I was in a hotel room. Imagine my relief when I realized that toilet paper AND a toilet were less than ten feet away AND in the same house. Both Justin ... read more