I was wondering before I left, when it would actually set in that I was moving to live in Vanuatu. So far it had all felt a bit detached and like it was happening to someone else. Perhaps this was due to my generally aloof nature, or due to the process all being pretty seamless, although with quite a few boxes to be ticked. I expected that it would click when I stepped off the plane and felt the rush of humid air and took in my new surroundings.
I was lucky to be invited by Engineers without Borders (EWB) to the 2018 Humanitarian Engineering conference the week before my departure to Vanuatu to join the Department of Water Resources (DoWR) in Luganville. This was especially good timing, given that the Director of the DoWR, Erickson Sammy, was a keynote speaker on the day. There was also a large focus on projects in Vanuatu, which gave me an exciting taste of what lay ahead of me.
An itinerary flew into my inbox this after, delivering the message that this was actually happening. I have had confirmation that I would be going on this adventure for a couple of months now, but always with the caveat that there might be some logistical or bureaucratic bump in the road that could derail the whole thing. Now it seems really real.
The last group discussion was held informally in the airport waiting lounge over a crafty beer. Optimism and excitement had prevailed over the prior emotions apprehension and uncertainty following a full four days of honest and open discourse. It would likely be the last time we would see each other face to face, but we were confident that we would keep in touch one assignment and share our stories.
