Involvement Volunteers International Once again thank you so much for your support and encouragement. It was such a unique and wonderful experience for Nick and I. We were so well looked after by Lynne and Marysan and we will always be so grateful for their care and support which really went beyond what we could have expected.
Our experience at the school was everything I hoped it would be. These dear little souls who have so little somehow still possess a joy and generosity that is truly inspiring. I have actually put together a little package for the children I teach here in Bowral, where I show a few pictures and a little video as we try to work out why the secret to their happiness. Obviously material possessions isn’t the answer! I’ve had some wonderful discussions with a number of different classes in the school. I’ve even added a little section on my Stone Fish episode, a story which has now actually become a great source of amusement to some of my family and friends. Go figure?
The school environment was challenging, with so few resources, but we did the best we could and of course the teachers and students were so grateful for our efforts. Best of all they were really excited about us being there. I thought Lynne managed our timetable at the school really well and was sensitive to our needs and how we were progressing. Most days we would head home pretty exhausted, but with a feeling of great satisfaction.
The accommodation was comfortable and we always felt safe with the cold showers each morning really helping to put a spring in my step! Our food was cooked with much care and expertise and formed yet another important part of this unique experience.
The only suggestion I have is something Lynne mention during our second week. She had done some volunteer workout on a reef planting coral or something similar. I now forget the exact details, but it sounded fascinating! I wonder would it be possible to combine a couple of experiences on the one trip? Also on arrival into Vanuatu we needed documentation to prove we had return tickets. We hadn’t printed off the return tickets at that stage and with no internet I was lucky I had taken a screenshot of our booking which satisfied the customs officer. Jasmin had the same problem so it might be worth mentioning in the preamble. Apologies if it is already mentioned somewhere!
I took a bunch of photos and video of our trip. The best of those are non my FB page so please feel free to use any that might be useful to you. I’ll attach a couple here for you as well.
Once again thank you for all your help Lauren and of course congratulations on your award. For Nick and I this was an unforgettable experience and we are so grateful. I’m hoping we can do something similar again in the future.
Regards,
Mark
