PAD Part 24

Bamboo is a pretty common sight here, and is used for everything from preparing food to building materials for houses and benches

We're definitely feeling the effects of El Niño here. Even though it's supposedly the wet season, everything is dry and dusty. People who live next to roads get made at the dust kicked up by trucks that drive by, so this was one neighbors' solution. The sign says: "Sory, tumas das lo mifala". Or, in English: "Sorry, too much dust for us"

I'M AN ADULT

I went diving for fish one night with my brothers, and this was the haul we came back with. Considering the first time I tried shooting fish, I didn't catch any, I was pretty proud of the five I shot!

My dad's improvised shower

Welcome to Saratamata!

We got a call Saturday night from Katie, a volunteer on Maewo, asking if we were okay, because it looked like Manaro (the volcano on Ambae) was acting up. She called the office, and since it was the weekend and they couldn't get data from the Meteorology Office, they sent us to Maewo for a couple, just in case. We had a lovely couple of days, and headed back to Ambae on Tuesday, when given the all clear.

Sunset over Ambae

When we arrived back in Lolowai, we ran into this large group of white people. Seemed a noteworthy picture, as it's pretty rare for white people to come to Ambae. The man in the front middle is Doctor Jack, who lived here for 3 years back in the 90s. His daughter attended Ambaebulu (the school where Thomas works) for 1st and 2nd grade.

One of the two stores in town. This one people call Blackstone, or just "Dickson's store"

The kindie building, all cleaned up and ready for the new school year to start!

The meters are here, the power lines are up, and the houses for the generators are almost built. Electricity, here we come!

The Police Station on a Saturday

This mango tree is a pretty common hangout spot in town, because there's pretty much always a nice breeze. The boys asked me to bring my guitar, so I obliged, and we had a lovely singalong.