TC Harold, isolation, and a quick departure

As if the fear of a COVID-19 outbreak in Vanuatu was not enough, a cyclone approached two weeks ago. A storm formed over the seas, gaining strength as it headed towards Vanuatu.

Initially classified as a Category 3, it seemed harmless. But two days before it was supposed to hit Vanuatu, it was clear that it had reached the strongest level (Category 5). Vanuatu experienced this strength five years ago with Cyclone Pam, which particularly devastated the main island of Efate, destroying 98% of the island. Precautions were quickly taken, with residents shuttering their windows, packing up outdoor furniture, and parking their cars in safety.

Fortunately, Efate, and therefore us, were not heavily affected. We experienced a strong storm, Merli crawled into bed with us, and the next morning there were coconuts, palm leaves, and fallen banana trees everywhere. Otherwise, everything was okay.

However, five islands in the northern part of the country felt the full force of the cyclone. Buildings were almost completely destroyed, and important infrastructure like small medical clinics was swept away. Reconstruction and the well-being of the people are now the focus for Vanuatu. Aid from abroad is being flown in to support them, but only with special permission to enter the country. The borders remain closed, which slows down the entire process as the government is afraid of bringing the virus into the country (so far, there have been no confirmed cases). NGOs and volunteers who had done valuable rebuilding work after Cyclone Pam had to leave the country due to the COVID-19 crisis and are now not allowed to return. Once again, the mentality of the islanders surprised us: calm and positive, they began the rebuilding effort and sent all available resources to the north.

A state of emergency remains in effect in Vanuatu after the cyclone. So, there hasn't been much change in our daily lives. The weather returned to normal, and we took advantage of the Easter weekend to go on a trip with our Spanish friends. With Alberto, Alexa, and their daughter Luna, we spent many hours of our free time together during this week. The small family arrived in Vanuatu in October last year, and we became friends after meeting Pepe. Among other things, we spent a night in a private bay in small villas, made sushi in the evening, and enjoyed the infinity pool.

We indulged in this luxury with the thought that our departure from the island could suddenly come. There were rumors that a charter plane from Germany would pick up stranded tourists from Tonga and Vanuatu. At first, it was hard to believe, but a few days later, the rumor was confirmed. We were already somewhat prepared for departure, but we didn't expect it to happen so quickly. Within a week, we sold the car, returned many borrowed baby items to friends, took care of paperwork, and informed our employers. Merli supported us in all the hustle and bustle, which was a great help. In the end, we gave much to our housekeeper Lewia, our nanny Lowra, and the gardener Alex, all of whom had become dear to us.

On Friday at 7 a.m., we met the other Europeans who wanted to leave at the airport. The German consul in Vanuatu proudly saw us off, and so 31 stranded Europeans were able to make their way home. The plane already had tourists from Tonga, some of whom were surprised by the cyclone and were all the happier to be going home. After a brief refueling in Brisbane, we landed in Sydney 6 hours later. There, we were picked up by the next German consul and taken to our gate through an empty airport. The next flight was a commercial flight from Sydney via Doha to Frankfurt. Qatar Airways is the only airline currently offering flights.

After 24 hours, we landed in Frankfurt, dashed to catch the train, which we unfortunately missed, relaxed for another 2 hours at the train station, arrived in Hamburg around 11 p.m., and finally reached Kathweg around 1 a.m. Whew... 45 hours without proper sleep.

In Hamburg, Merli parted ways with us and went to her shared apartment in Oldenburg to make full use of her quarantine time for her bachelor's thesis.

We are spending our quarantine on the second floor in Kronshagen. The large garden is particularly good for us, even though we are only allowed to approach the property line by a maximum of 1.5 meters.

We are incredibly grateful that we have arrived safely back home and have these two weeks to recover from jetlag and understand the changes. After that, we are very much looking forward to gradually seeing all our friends and settling into our new apartment.

We'll see about everything else. Planning still doesn't really work.