Snippets! Been out and about so decided that as today is the first day in the VSO office I would send some BLOGS. We may need to tidy the system up so any feedback would be helpful as to me it looks as if we've not updated since we first arrived! So some random bits and pieces and then a more detailed diary. Been here nearly 5 weeks and it feels so "normal". UK seems a life time away. We can get just about everything here from every fruit and veg that...

Time flies and we've been a bit busy to get writing! Anyway here's a quick up date on what we've been up to. Again photos to follow after a slight technical hitch! I [Una] have been out with a VSO colleague to three Primary Schools around the Province. Really interesting to be "in the bush" and see how well kept these Primary Schools are. The children do it themselves. Tiny little ones carrying bush knives are common! Both us also went out to visit tw...

Spent most our our first week since our orientation in the VSO office trying to read and understand all the different syllabi. The VSO Resource centre is very near home so we may just walk there in future to work. Spent our first weekend on our own which has been great. Meals outside on our little table has been lovely although this morning it was too hot even at 8am. Had our fair share of rain this week but then you can't have green grass without it! Outside ou...

Friday 27 February was our first real day! Began to start looking at the syllabi and Teacher's Guides for the new curriculum. We also did some shopping. What I like is that you can walk around and no-one bothers you and everyone is happy to greet you. No dogs around to follow you either! So we took ourselves back to Madang Lodge [our hotel] and had a swim. When colleagues came to the Lodge that eveing they told us that friends had been to the office to look for ...

The second week of our In Country training concentrated on the cultural differences and was extremely helpful as was the language training. Just so much to learn so as not to offend. For instance, no eye contact when soemone is speaking to you, especially the opposite sex so one has to keep averting your eyes. So difficlut when we think that the person isn't listening if they aren't looking at you! One young woman who did a session has lived here for 8 years aft...