Olivia in Bougainville with VSA

Kia ora koutou!

Thank you all for such generosity - we are almost halfway to our target of $1000! I've also had some people being incredibly generous and donating to me personally as well. The donations on this page are going towards VSA, and will contribute to my assignment costs as well as the assignment costs of other volunteers; therefore donating privately to me has also been greatly appreciated as it assists me to do things like buy gear and pay for my wisdom teeth to come out, which needs to happen in order to me to get dental clearance before departure :(

I still don't have a departure date, as VSA would ideally like me to travel alongside Bryn, another volunteer heading to Buka, and that isn't likely to happen until the end of February. However, my visa has been approved and is taking up a huge, yellow page in my passport which is very exciting! I will be getting my medical clearance soon too, once I've had my final Hep B shots (OUCH). Once that is done, all I need to do is have my wisdom teeth removed, stock up on one year's worth of contact lenses, and pack up my entire life! Easy.

Hopefully I will have some dates and timelines soon. Until then, I will speculate and try to enjoy the time I have left with people. I'm both terrified and exhilarated...