Wan Smol Spel (Sort of...)

Well, I'm in Vila! And I did have two other blogs for you which I sent home on the USB stick, but you know my family (most of you) and you should also know how slack they can be about this type of thing so you're going to have to wait until I get home to check out my malekula and photo blogs - no insult meant you lazy slobs. :0)
Anyway! I've left Paama. Bec and I had to leave early, as soon as we could really, because we were having a bit of trouble with the local boys. For the last week we were there there were men trying to get into our house every night (you could hear them trying to open the windows), calling out my name and rushing to the toilet every time we had to go. For the last month before that they'd come every night and for the month before that they'd come every 2 or 3 nights. If you can believe it's possible, we did get used to it after a while but it was creepy and it was hard to work under those conditions (which I'm sure you'll understand).
Anyway! Apart from that Paama was good. We didn't feel very appreciated, being the sixth set of volunteers or something, we think that both the school and the village had gotten used to volunteers taking on their workloads for them. But anyway. Getting off that topic too. The kids were wonderful, the primary school was sad to see us go and made me feel like a million bucks on my last day (they're soooo cute!) and I felt like I made a difference there - so all in all, a fulfilling 4 months.
I'm currently in Vila staying with a Peace Corp called Julie who is great company. I'm also working with World Vision which is very fulfilling and I know I'm making a difference here as people keep saying thankyou for lightening a very heavy load and all the work I've done.
Bec was here for a week too and I know she enjoyed herself. She's currently lounging around on beaches with boyfriend Doug (nice guy) and in... three nights time... I'll be lounging around on beaches with Sally (Alley and Sarah) and I'm literally bursting with excitement!
But for now it's a desk and a computer screen for me. I've already helped to reformat the literacy work books for the rural literacy and numeracy project (teaching people over fifteen how to read and write), and the teach handbook for the same topic, so that it fits government standards and people who complete the course can be certified (this is all in bislama by the way). Then I went through what felt like hundreds of kastom stories writing activities, questions and practical tasks for each one. Then I fiddled around with other practical activity ideas and wrote a 'how to make a village newspaper' guide in bislama. Now I'm writing a mathematics workbook in bislama from scratch, translating an English reading test into bislama for VCC-001 and after that apparently I can help type up even more kastom stories or help with booklets for an 'education starts at home' project...
So I'm busy. :0) But I'm having fun and I'm gonna have one hell of a resume! :0)
Getting completely off that topic now. This is the plan for when Alley and Sarah get here:
-Explore Vila
-ride bikes around south Efate with beautiful beaches, blue holes, and great snorkelling
-Go to North Efate where we'll swim in hot springs, check out WWII junk, go to a huge cave by kayak full of chambers and boulders, swim in beautiful beaches, snorkel with giant fish, turtles, whales and dolphins (hopefully)
-Rent a scooter (woohoo) and go to Mele Cascade Falls, Klem's Hill Lookout and the Secret Garden (like a cultural museum)
-Go to the National Museum and the art gallery by the Lagoon
-Go shopping (have to, wouldn't be a holiday with two girls if there wasn't shopping)
-Go to Hideaway Island, which is where there is FANTASTIC snorkelling and an underwater post office
-Go on a glass bottom boat ride
-Have a melanesian massage
-Go to Erakor and Iririki Islands for lazing around and snorkelling (a lot of that, isn't there?)
I don't think I've missed anything... we'll be camping mostly but in Vila we'll be staying at the City Lodge Hotel (which is very nice, clean, cool and cheap), camping at BeachComber Resort which has 4 hot mineral swimming pools, a cold rock swimming pool and a restaurant with its own two swimming pools (this is where we'll be for Alley's birthday) and we'll spend one night at a really posh resort called BlueWater, in lagoonville. This resort has tonnes of swimming pools, one full of reef sharks (which you can swim with if you like - I think I'll pass) and one full of giant fish and turtles, which I'm defiantely swimming in.
It is going to be sooooo fun! Jealous? Then save your pennies and come over one day!!!! I'll give you tips on all the best islands to see. :0) Anyway. Here's a few pictures I found online of some of the things we'll see. Hope it inspires you to open your savings account because it's never too late to travel.
I miss you all sooooo much and I can't wait to tell you all about my fantastic holidays!
Love Jess xox :0)


One of the outdoor hot mineral pools at Beachcomber Resort


The hot mineral pool in the restaurant at Beachcomber Resort


One of the pools at BlueWater Resort... why am I only staying here one night? ... ... ... ... oh yea... I'm not a millionaire. :0)


Another view of the resort... how did anyone ever afford to build such a big resort??? How does anyone afford to stay there for prolonged periods of time? And I'm staying in the cheapest, scummiest of all rooms!


City Lodge. This place is actually really nice (and clean)despite being the second cheapest place in Vila.


Some of the coral you'll see at Hideaway Island - getting excited about your underwater camera now Sarah?


Eton Beach: We'll be camping here.


Siviri Beach: Another place we'll be camping (gorgeous, isn't it?)

Well! That's it for the photos, they were all I could find but don't worry I'll take much, much more before our trip is done. For those who are coming (Sarah and Alley) hope this gave you a taste of all the great stuff you can expect to find. For those who aren't, take solace in the fact that the weather here is really bad at the moment due to a cyclone... wet and muggy. Nice! :0)