We're back :)

After 4 months in beautiful Kiel, on Friday, November 8th, we made our way back to Vanuatu for the third time. This time, with three of us!

Pepe Hannes will now accompany our lives and we are extremely happy about this little worm. But this great responsibility also made us think hard about whether we want, can, and should make this trip. There were many factors in favor of it, such as a successful birth, a healthy and happy Pepe, and our confidence and courage.

So, 3 weeks after Pepe's birth, we pressed the button and after a phone call with the airline, we had reserved seats with cribs for both long-haul flights. That was pretty cool and gave us hope that the flight would be somewhat manageable.

The journey began after packed last days. Pepe already fell asleep on the car ride to Hamburg and only woke up on the plane. The first flight was 6 hours to Dubai. It was a night flight, so it was also time for Pepe to sleep. That went really well and we were able to doze off as well. However, it was not possible to sleep properly (I have never managed to do that on a plane).

Arriving in Dubai, we treated ourselves to a small breakfast, which turned out to be a fortune when converted back. Haha...Well, it felt good at that point and we wanted to be fit for the next 14 hours to Sydney.

Just in time for boarding, Pepe woke up from his sleep phase because it would have been time to get up in Germany gewesen. So we sat together with some other families and 4 other baby cribs at the front of the plane, and the other babies were wide awake too. 3 other couples also came from Germany and were on their way to New Zealand via Sydney. This seems to be a typical travel destination for parents who are on parental leave with their first child sind. So we kept ourselves afloat with nice conversations. Sleeping was out of the question because, besides the other children, Pepe also only got about 30-45 minutes of sleep at a time.

We arrived in Sydney completely exhausted. We picked up all our luggage, took a breath of fresh Sydney air at a pleasant 20 degrees, and then sat at the gate (we already knew the chill area near the Vanuatu gate and knew that we could stretch out there for quite a while :). Time passed by too quickly and we were back on the plane. This time, it was a fully booked small aircraft without cribs, with Pepe in our arms or occasionally on the fold-out table, for another 4 hours to Port Vila. That was the end of us.

Finally, we arrived at the Seachange Lodge, where we also spent 3 months a year ago and already knew the owner Ian, who also picked us up from the airport. We were lucky and were given the cottage with 2 bedrooms, and thanks to Debbie, we also had a rental car for the first 2 weeks. Debbie, the beach-volleyball president, takes care of everything for Michel, and due to the coaching course that Michel will be leading next week, we are being spoiled a bit.

Now we spent the first few days recovering from jet lag, getting used to 28 degrees, and looking for a house and a car. There is a wide range of options in a very high price category, which makes it difficult and requires careful consideration. We are very tempted by a pool, which makes it even more challenging, so we are discussing where to go. Michel likes to make quick decisions and doesn't pay much attention to money, while I need a little longer to think and calculate more carefully ;). To our surprise and joy, I have also been contacted by several patients since the first day. The word has spread that we are back in the country and the demand for a physiotherapist is as high as before. So, it could start again at any time. Yippee...

Pepe is doing great with all the activities, enjoying the warmth and only complaining at night when he is wide awake and doesn't want to sleep. He has also been affected by jet lag a bit.

In the meantime, we have already visited some friends and introduced them to Pepe. Everyone is completely in love and we are also happy that we were able to feel at home and settle in so quickly again. The time in Kiel seems like a long time ago and we miss the familiar faces from home. But soon, the first ones will already come to visit us :)