Go a Little Further

“Here’s the double-sized one,” said the clerk at the travel adventure store, “it fits comfortably over two people or two-sleeping bags.”

His gaze was directed at the spreader-type treated mosquito net for malaria-ridden countries.

“Um, but I’m only one person,” I pointed out with a laugh.

“Well, you never know. . .” he trailed off, suggestively grinning at me.

Parasites are sexier than malaria, I thought silently to myself before telling him, “We’re not allowed to fool around with anyone. It’s against the rules.”



Jo, a fellow traveler, whom I had only met an hour earlier, let out a laugh. (She later told me as we left the store, “You and I are definitely going to get along.”)

“Against the rules?” he said, stepping back a bit, “Whoa! Are you like, going with a Christian group or something?”

No, not quite.

In less than a week I’m departing on the first leg of my cross-Pacific journey. I’ll be spending six weeks volunteering in Vanuatu through Youth Challenge International, showering rarely, sweating frequently, sleeping on dirt floors in a room with up to 30 other people, under my oh-so-sexy black mosquito net, and eating meals of lentils and sanitized water.

To say the least, these are hardly the conditions where magic would be made under a mosquito net built for two.

In the coming weeks I’ll be detailing my packing dilemmas (oh- the excitement! But wait, there’s more!), my visit with Andrew in Vancouver, my journey to Sydney, and the details of the volunteer project I’ll be involved in, as they come. (However, I may not have access to electricity, let alone the Internet, so this blog will likely be updated sporadically, at best.) At the end of it all, I will be backpacking for three weeks throughout Queensland, relishing in the luxury of showering more frequently, sweating less, and sleeping in very glamorous bunkbeds surrounded by a mere 12 people.

Needless to say, I'm excited to leave.

Because sometimes, I think we all need to go a little further.*
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*The title on the banner of the blog is a Bislama phrase, the native language of Vanuatu.

A thanks goes out to Ryan for creating the blog for me! You have my endless adoration.

Also, thank you to everyone who has sponsored me on this project. You support is much appreciated!