Thursday, June 30, 2011

T minus 2 days

Who would believe that after months of preparations, emailing, and flight-booking, my day of departure would finally arrive?! I'm in the packing stage now, yet no matter how ahead of schedule I thought I was, I am still seem to be scrambling to pick up that last minute bottle of bug spray, throw in that last load of laundry, and send out those last few emails. In 48 hours I will be en route to Sydney and I am so excited to begin my journey! Through reading their blogs, I have been living vicariously through the other Smith Fellows and have been amazed by their unique, yet each enlightening, adventures.

As I write this, there are two piles of clothing sitting on the floor in my room -'winter' gear and summer attire. When I arrive in Sydney, it will technically be winter (though coming from the cold, wet winters of the northeast, it should feel more like spring!). However, the Solomon Islands are much more constant throughout the year, and it's expected to be more like the summer weather I will be leaving behind. The weather isn't the only difference, though. As Bishop Chris had told me earlier, the everyday lifestyle in Auki is much more laid-back than the bustling urban center of Sydney -even to the extent of closing down their main airport! I found out yesterday that the Gwanaru Airport in Auki is currently closed, which is said not to be so surprising considering how often flights going from island to island get cancelled. I'll say a prayer and keep my fingers crossed that it is back up and running by the time I leave Sydney but I've been told there is also an option to take a boat if necessary. Either way, this leg of the journey is promising to be an adventure!