Nauru 2012

I quit my awful job on Tuesday last week and was at a loss at what to do next. The night after, on Wednesday, I heard that the Salvation Army urgently needed volunteers to do humanitarian work on Nauru, in Micronesia. Basically the Oz govt is sending the asylum seekers there instead of Australia, to stop them from coming to Oz and hanging around in detention centres... and also to stop them making the unsafe boat trips all the way to Oz.  But really to try and make another barrier between them and getting onto Oz soil...can I say that?  Especially after the recent drownings in Indonesia, there is a safety aspect there, anyway. They're planning to refurbish the buildings from the Howard-led government, however in the mean time they're setting up tents and setting up a refugee processing station there....and they need people to help. I applied, and found out, just 24 hours later, that i'm going and I was leaving 4 days later.

So after a full on medical check (had to pee in a jar...felt very football" I'M NOT ON STEROIDS" movie-esque) It';s been a weekend of waiting, wondering, doubting and finally, I heard back from her at 6pm today. Flights are booked, I leave tomorrow.  I'd almost convinced myself that i wasn't going, but when i finally talked ot her, she said that we almost weren't. Apparently issues with accommodation...either way, flights are booked! It's a bit of a 'see a need and fill it' situation, but we're helping a bit with processing, information, orientation, recreation, stuff like that. Five and a half (not sure how that works) 12 hour shifts, so it's going to be full on, but nice to know i'll have a day off to swim a little. Plus there's apparently one restaurant, so that's nice.

It's crazy and scary and very overwhelming, yet incredibly exciting. Such an amazing opportunity, plus they pay for flights, accom, food etc and i get paid for it, as well. Incredible. I'm not expecting a holiday, in fact the opposite but i'm excited. Nothing is really planned or sorted as it's all emergency and new, but hitting the ground running is a good way to be. Think it'll be a big, hard slap in the face reality check.

FACTS
Nauru has the most obese people in the world
90% unemployment
Giant land crabs
Amazing beaches
Lots of asylum seekers and tents
Will probably be in-tents
Hot all the time
Very little flora and fauna due to mining the crap out of the island then investing it badly
One of the bad investments was "Leonardo the musical"
I'm not kidding.

I'll be there in just over 24 hours after a quick stop off in Fiji.
Boom. Excite. Have a feeling it's going to be miserable and humbling and will take a lot out of me. But such a great chance to do something worthwhile.

Watch this space.