Ganz normaler Alltag und rein ins neue Abenteuer...

Since my last post about my beginnings at work and readjusting in Port Vila, another 3 weeks have passed and Michel has already embarked on his next adventure.

This time he started in Thailand and Vietnam. After that, he will continue to Darwin, where I will visit him for a few days, and then he and the two girls will go to China again as a grand finale.

During these 5 weeks, I have a lot of time for my patients, who have increased significantly (about 25 this week). I will try to maintain our new contacts and use the time for research, paperwork, and relaxation.

So everyday life sets in, which Michel and I have already enjoyed together for 3 weeks. Due to the great work we are doing, we are often on the go and little routines are forming. Every morning we have a papaya, frozen banana, ginger, lime smoothie with porridge, and if we're early, we take a dip in the pool. Then I usually have 1-4 patients and Michel has his first training session with the top 3 women - Miller, Tini, and Hendriette. Around 12 o'clock, we usually have lunch together at Michel's favorite restaurant, 'Kung Fu Noodles.' It's a hit here in Port Vila. Super affordable and fresh and delicious. The menu is always the same, and gourmet Michel doesn't mind at all. We always have: fried organic beef with a large serving of rice and an egg on top, plus a scoop of vegetable stir-fried egg. Sometimes we also get a spring roll with minced meat. We share this huge portion because the sauce from the beef dish is simply amazing, and the caramelized onions in it surpass my veggie dish by far. Then, across the street, we have ice cream from the local factory, which is also pretty good. We alternate between the clown, a large scoop of vanilla ice cream with chocolate coating, or a narrow popsicle as a small portion. If we have more time, we also go to the nearby resort with a pool from time to time. There we can recharge for the afternoon of work.

By 5:30/6 pm, Michel usually trains the younger female athletes who have to run home before it gets dark. From 6:30 pm, there is a yoga class at the nearby Yoga Association, and during that time, Michel trains in the room above, which is the most popular fitness studio in town. Top-notch. In the evening, we cook something light and relax in bed by 9 pm, completely, I mean completely, exhausted. It must be the heat because we don't actually overwork ourselves...

Or is it also the little being growing in my belly that is starting to make itself known? We are now in the fifth month, and so far, everything is going well, except for the fatigue... We are very excited to see what the future holds.

If our everyday life was interrupted, it was because it was Cruise Ship Day or our quad had to go for inspection.

Cruise Ship Day was very special for the locals, as 6000 passengers were expected, and the entire city center was closed off. I had the day off because no one wanted to make appointments in the traffic or even watch the spectacle themselves. In the end, there were only about 1000 tourists, but there were 10000 locals in the city, singing, dancing, selling homemade goods, and looking around. We strolled along the harbor for about 10 minutes at noon and then quickly disappeared indoors because it was another scorching day with temperatures of 36 degrees, and there wasn't much new to discover for us.

The story with the quad is actually better told by Michel, but I was there at the inspection, and it was actually a highlight. After about 30 minutes of waiting in line with cars, buses, and quads from A to Z, we finally had our turn, and one of the young mechanics hopped on our quad. Loudly, he raced up and down a ramp, drove forward and backward, braked hard, made sharp turns, and then zoomed into the garage, where the lights were calmly tested. This happened with every vehicle, which was pretty funny. In our quad, one mini bulb was actually not working. They sent us to the Chinese shop next door, where they installed a new bulb for the equivalent of 60 cents. So we could go back to the inspection (I was already at work by then). After another long wait, it was Michel's turn, and the nice guy just said, 'Sorry, we ran out of stickers, so please come back tomorrow.' Well... that's how it goes with stickers or sometimes in restaurants: 'sorry, we ran out of fruits,' and you're surrounded by papaya trees. Somehow quite endearing.

The next day, we were lucky, and the stickers were back in stock, so we could pay the fees at the traffic department and cruise through Port Vila with peace of mind. Or so we thought...

Unfortunately, the already worn-out tires, which had still passed the inspection, gave in, and two days later we stood by the side of the road with flat tires and a nearly empty tank, just looking at each other. Since I had to rush back to work, I left Michel behind, and he puttered to the nearest Chinese workshop, where we at least got quick service. I was relieved that I wasn't there 😅

Since we needed new tires anyway, we were actually quite happy about this incident.

In addition to work, we have also met some new people and spent the weekends with different groups. Slowly but surely, we are making many connections, and there is a clear French community and an Australian/New Zealand community. They are completely different, and it is very exciting to get to know many of them better.

Language-wise, we are trying to pick up more Bislama, and through work, I can understand it better and better. However, since everyone at my workplace in the hospital only speaks French, and I also have some French-speaking patients, it would be really cool to get into it. I'm now diligently learning with an app. Let's see how long that lasts...

Yes, everything is running smoothly, and now it will be interesting to see how the girls in Thailand are doing. Fingers crossed, and Lukem yu (See you soon)!