What a way to start!

I started my journey to PNG with a visit to Cooktown and as soon as I got off the plane at Cairns, I started sneezing and developed a cold! It was not much fun!

I had a good time with my friends in Cooktown and I bottle-fed on of their baby goats. My friends have very basic accommodation and I was sleeping on a mattress in the back of their ute.

By the time I left Australia, my cold had got much better. I just have a tickle in my throat now which makes me cough.

I am in Madang now where I will be for the next three months. I am sharing my room with another girl. The orientation course starts on Wednesday, so I have a couple of days to enjoy before all the work starts!

18 days to go!!

Wow, well it's only 18 days till I leave Melbourne!! It has come up really quick and I feel that there is still a lot to do before I leave!

Some of the things I still need to do include:

• Arrange insurance (travel and medical)
• Finalise signatures on my will and powers of attorney
• Book 1 night accomodation in Cairns and Madang
• Book a hire car to drive up to Cooktown
• Sort out how to send cargo to PNG
• Buy the following: air mattress, snorkel and goggles, lapel microphone, swimming shoes, and air/watertight cases
• Fill out some paperwork
• Print photos
• Pack my backpack
• Get my backpack fitted properly

My last shift at work is on 8th August, so hopefully after that I will have more time to do these things.

I went to the footy!

I went to the footy on Saturday 31st May to see Geelong play Carlton. I didn't have to pay as I went as a carer for a client with a disability. The client is an AFL member, so we were sitting in the AFL members' section. We had a good seat with plenty of leg room because we were in the wheelchair row. We were sitting right behind the interchange bench, so we had a good view. I had my camera with my Dad's zoom lens, so I was able to get some good photos, a few of which I have posted below. Geelong won the game, so I was happy to be at a match where my team won.

Trip to Geelong

I went to Barwon Heads/Geelong last week to speak at two meetings. On Thursday I went to Jirralingha Wildlife Sanctuary and shared with a Senior's group that was having an outing there. I had a good time meeting new people and looking at the animals.

Here are some pictures of the animals/birds:

A wallaby.

Lizards.













An emu.




Blue Kookaburra