Weekend at the beach.

First of all I wanted to say "Thank you"for your concerns about us during the Tsunami warning.  I'm sure you all heard that we are safe.

I was lucky enough to get a call from one of the wife's from Andrew's work or otherwise I wouldn't have even known it was happening.  Andrew was away and I couldn't get ahold of him.  So I called a friend, Louisa who told me the kids would be evacuated from the school up to the hill behind it.  She said if I went quickly then I could collect the kids.  So down the big hill I drove to drive 500 meters from the water to be with the kids.  I was pretty sure that we were safe because Honiara normally doesn't get hit by big waves, but I did keep an eye on the water to see if the water was going to get sucked out to sea before the big wave hit.  When I got there Alex was crying and said to me "Is the earth going to open up and swallow us?" and Elijah was cool as a cucumber recalling all the facts he knows about tsunami's.  At the end of the day they think it is a story they will be able to tell back at St. Agnes. As for me, it is a terrible feeling to think your children may be in danger.  Although I know the chances of it hitting were slim, I had a terrible pit in my stomach until I saw them. 

 After 6 weeks here, I don't have much new to report.  The kids have made some new friends and are getting invited over to their houses for plays.  After seeing other people's homes, I realise that most people come much more prepared than we did.  They have brought many more supplies from home; such as Wii's, kayaks, surf boards, toys, cooking gadgets, etc.....  Most people are staying much longer than we are but it does make our house look really empty when those kids come here.  Some of the families work for High Commissions or RAMSI and are well taken care of.  Big house with swimming pools, mod com's and entertaining space.  I'm not complaining because our house is fine for our family but when you want to have people over for dinner it is a tight squeeze. Because there is not much more to do on the weekends people tend to entertain a lot.  

On Sundays we go to the beach and meet some of the families that go to school with the kids.  They have a great time hanging out and take turns of the kayaks, surf boards and other beach equipment.  This weekend while snorkelling Andrew spotted some clown fish with 3 babies.  He told me they were quite aggressive but I dove down for a look anyway.  The adult fish decided I was a threat and started banging themselves into my mask.  They then did the same thing to Alex.  We took their warning and left them alone after that.  On the way home we stopped at one of the stalls on the side of the road for prawns and rice.  They serve them on a woven bamboo plate and they are not bad.  They also serve chicken and fish.  I have never heard of anyone getting sick from eating there but you will still have your expat's that refuse to eat anything that isn't cooked in a Western style sterile kitchen.  

I hope the picture and updates aren't getting too repetitive.  Please send me updates on what is happening in Melbourne. 

I took this picture for Patti.  Freshly painted virgin Mary's on the side of the road.  $25 Aus dollars if anyone wants to put in an order.  

The bell at Woodford school. 

Elijah and his new friend Ned. 

Alex with prawns from roadside stall.  About 5 minutes before this was take the ice cream truck had come and she had a chocolate cone. 

Woodford International School

Sorry for the delay in updating the Blog.  I had a sinus infection, a tummy bug and a rash all last week.  I think Andrew thought I hated it here but honestly I was having a hard time because I felt so bad.  Went to the doctor and got some antibiotics and I feel much better now.

The kids have started school and seem to have settled in.  Alex had a few days the first week that she didn't want to go.  She started island dancing tonight as an after school activity and is very excited about it.  Elijah will be doing Futsal which is a soccer program while he is here.  They will both start swimming lessons at one of the hotels next week and will probably do the kids sailing program at the Yacht club in April.  (don't be fooled by the term "yacht club" because it is nothing fancy)  It will cost us tons less for them to learn sailing here than it would in Melbourne, so we will take advantage of it.  Andrew and I might learn something too.  

School is suppose to start at 7:50 but it runs on “island time”.  Believe it or not you can actually get stuck in the traffic here and be quite late.  No one seems to care.  The school bell in the morning and afternoon are 3 drums being played by students. The kids think that is really cool. 

 I have been doing Yoga on Monday and Wednesday mornings.  Today we did it poolside at the nicest hotel in town and it was lovely to look over the water and hear the waves.  I am also looking into volunteering and helping with the Parents group at the school.  

I am going to see Ali Campbell this week. He was the lead singer from  UB40.  For those who don’t remember them, the big hit in the 80's was "Red Red Wine". It is a huge deal here because they love their Reggae. I am hoping that it is betel nut and alcohol free.  Otherwise it might get a little crazy. 

Andrew is working hard and will be leaving tommorrow to one of the remote islands for a couple of days. I hope the weather stays nice because last week there was heavy rain all week and flights and boats were cancelled.  If he gets stuck, we might not see him til next week. 

He is still running like a mad man.  I don't know how it does it in this heat but he did a short triathlon and came in 4th place.  He says he needs to work on his swimming but I give him credit for being out there. Besides swimming, I find it hard to to do much outdoor exercise unless it is first thing in the morning or after the sun goes down.  

I will try to take more pictures this week and update the Blog sooner next time.