Evacuation

Approximately 2 weeks ago, Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu. It was a Category 5 cyclone and it caused very serious damage to the Shepherds (where I used to live), Efate, Erromango, and Tanna. It caused less serious but still substantial damage to many other islands. The government estimates that more than half of the population has been affected by the storm. Food aid, water, and other relief supplies have gone out, but the situation is really still bad. Kids aren't in school. Health facilities and roads are damaged. The gardens in many parts of the country have been wiped out. It's bad.

Prior to the cyclone, all PCVs were evacuated to Sydney. It was an extremely stressful and exhausting experience. It looked like the cyclone would be bad enough that we might not be able to return to Vanuatu. We were all running around in circles, trying to figure out what we needed to have in Sydney, what we would need to take to America, and what we could leave behind. I sent some of the world's most dramatic texts and phone calls to everyone I knew on the islands, telling my family that I loved them and respected them and that they had to get ready for this cyclone. At the airport, staff were waving good-bye to us, and it felt like we were abandoning everyone in Vanuatu and running away. I understand why our office made the call, in the end, to evacuate us. But it was very hard to go while everyone else was staying behind.

Sydney was all right. It was a little strange because every group had a different dynamic. One of the trainees was referring to it as an "evacu-cation". Some of the current volunteers were very productive in trying to arrange training sessions, organize fundraising or awareness, or contact family. I was mopey/irritable all the time. I spent most of our time in Sydney walking in circles and doing things to not think about what was happening in Vanuatu.

There were some good things in Sydney. The opera house is really pretty. The zoo was nice. I went hiking and ate a lot of cheap sushi. Saw Chappie and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. It seemed like a fun place -- lots of festivals going on. I think I would like to go back to Australia, maybe to the country somewhere, but obviously in a different context. 

I'm so glad to be back in Vanuatu. I felt so much stress and anxiety in Sydney, and I felt like it was all lifted once I got back in country. Even though things aren't the way that they used to be, Vanuatu is still my home.