This place

I love Vanuatu so much. It’s funny; sometimes my friends and I joke that being at site is like being in prison, because you sit … and wait … but overall Vanuatu is an incredible, wonderful place. Confession time: I wasn’t that excited when I received my invitation. I thought: Vanuatu. Vanu-what? I didn’t really know where it was, I didn’t think that being in the South Pacific sounded that great … I could hit my old self over the head.

Living here, I put up with a certain amount of deprivation, but there’s so much that makes up for everything. I like the sunshine, I like the relaxed pace, I like how friendly everyone is, I like feeling like I’m doing good things and enjoying myself. I like how connected I feel to the community I live in. I just like it here. I think back to how I sometimes felt in college -- and it wasn't anything big, but I just felt so constrained. Everything was so regimented, there was no time for freedom or adventure. I'm glad I got the education that I did, but I get so much more satisfaction doing projects and working than I did studying. Doesn't everyone say that, though? I do miss feeling intellectually stimulated--I learned new things all the time at CMU, whereas here, I don't get quite the same amount of stuff. But I love it here and I don't want to leave quite yet. I love feeling like I am doing things that I can actually see. 

Which is good because ... I'm not leaving! That's all I can say for now.