26 day work with one days rest and one spent in church, I am starting to wither. Colenso and I were on a neighbouring Island for almost two weeks. The journey was pretty dire as you may have read and my time there was very frustrating. I am missing my home in Sola, my solitude, my own personal space. I am very rarely at home now. I am nearly at breaking point.

Colenso and I share our usual room, a small bamboo natangora traditional house (where I struck a millipede with the wooden willy). We eat together, work together, sleep in the same room. I feel that she needs to know my whereabouts all the time and instructs me to carry out certain daily life tasks in a barking manner (i.e. washing my hands, toileting, eating ect) This is a personal behaviour trait of Colenso rather than the cultural norm.

Firstly the snoring is intense, I have high quality earplugs (£5 jobbies) and the snoring resonates right through them. Disturbed sleep is really not helping my mood. Secondly, culturally, you wash twice a day, so if this is not done it is frowned upon, so it’s a bucket wash with cold water and I just can’t seem to get my feet clean.

Every evening I am given taro, rice and cabbage and packet noodles, on one occasion an egg. There also seems to be plenty of fish but I try and avoid the reef fish as I worry about ciguatera (toxin ingested by fish causing sudden diarrhoea, vomiting and numbness to limbs, can be chronic).

Chalmydia Screening Crew

Chlamydia screening went ahead for seven days, unfortunately not as successful as the first screening, but that was to be expected. My role was to greet the clients, give them an over view of the research project, answer any questions then process all the samples. At last real patient contact! 

Clinic Valua Village

Nakamal in Valua where we held video for screening

Following on from the screening we ran a three day reproductive health workshop for yungfala under the age of 30 (due to the high rate on STI’s in the country for this the age range). My efforts to capacity build have been the biggest challenge. I am attempting to assist with the running of the workshop, rather than facilitate and allow two health professionals to take responsibility. Opening and closing ceremonies appear to be more important than sitting down and collectively discussing the content of the workshop. But at the end of the workshop I was proven wrong, everyone was open to discuss sex which is a very taboo topic and with some interesting games sent laughter down to the sea front! Both facilitators did very well which has boosted their confidence. All the participants put in so much effort in the closing ceremony. Firstly speeches, then prayers, then more speeches, then they sang to us hung flowers (salu salu) around our necks and presented a woven basket giving the analogy that the basket was filled with wisdom which has now been emptied into the minds of all participants there and to return soon!

The end of the week I was invited to drink tea with the head chief, I felt this was a real privilege. Everything was laid out neatly in his bungalow specifically for his guests, thermos of freshly picked lemon grass tea and bread. It was a real honour to be consulted on matters of the community with an emphasis on population growth, migration and tourism.

Back to Sola, luckily the sea was fairly calm for the return journey then one day to prepare before the next workshop!

Its hard work but I certainly feel that the work is being hugely appreciated.

(Note: Thank you very much for your letters you have sent, they are hugely appreciated, I shall reply as soon as I can. I have very limited internet use, allowing me to only put up my blog and no photographs due to dispute with my manager).

Colenso at 5am before the workshop looking out over Rah Island