Back to Kiribati

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This fortnightly blog has turned out to be anything but. My apologies for that. After mum died I really didn’t feel like blogging, had too many other things on my mind and then my computer died, leaving me computerless in Kiribati for about a month before I went back to New Zealand for a break.

I returned to New Zealand for an extended (six week) holiday at the beginning of June.  I really needed to go back, check on my family and more importantly on my father and ensure that everything was going okay with him. VSA were really, really good about it, as was MTC the organisation that I’m working for.

I really enjoyed being home, catching up with Julie, the kids, dad, and my friends. My brother popped over for a few days from Australia and spent some time with dad which he enjoyed. I also managed to get a few games of footy in for my football team and also make the most of the New Zealand winter, a fire every night, frosts in the morning, lovely. Oh winter how I missed thee!

So after six weeks back home I returned to Kiribati on Monday and was still a bit undecided about how I felt about returning. The longer I was home the more I enjoyed my old life and doing the things that had become part of my weekly routine over the past few years, time with my family, sports, hobbies- not to mention readily available fresh fruit and vegies! As a result, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to getting back to Kiribati but knowing dad is coping back home made it somewhat easier. I felt better about returning this time than I did just after mum died and once I got back on to the island it felt good to be back.

One of the first things I did once I’d unpacked the store of groceries I’ bought back with me (we leave with empty suitcases and return fully laden with supplies from home to tide us over till our next break) was bike down to Bairiki to organise data for the wifi and I must have had a dozen or more kids smiling, waving and saying hello as I biked past! A nice warm welcome back to the island. The little things you forget about and miss when back home. Popping out onto the oceanside reef for a bit of a swim to cool off, in the nice warm 28-29 degree water, was another bonus or the return after being bundled up against the winter weather the past few weeks.

So overall I’m feeling more settled and more focused than when I came back after mum’s funeral. I’m happy dad’s doing okay and so am looking forward to the next few weeks and months and the rest of my time in Kiribati.

An added bonus is that in a couple of months Julie is going to come out for a couple of weeks holiday as is my younger brother and his family so that is something to look forward to.

Craig

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