Merry Christmas

In the spirit of Christmas, and by king's decree, here's a brief update from me.



I'm currently enjoying a vacation from the Philippines, back home in Melbourne for Christmas. The thing I notice and like the most about being back in Australia is the absence of roosters. My town in the Philippines is a lot like Zac's town in Norway, except it doesn't snow, it's never quiet, and, I wager, there are significantly more roosters.

It's been a big year establishing myself in the Philippines, completing my first volunteer assignment with the Youth Ambassadors program, and signing a second volunteer contract with the Red Cross. Over the past 12 or so months I have done some work promoting climate change adaptation and environmental protection; made good friends with my local colleagues and a motley crew of Australian and American volunteers; grown accustomed to being called "ma'amsir" by Filipinos (who struggle with gendered titles and pronouns); consumed a lot of MSG and fresh coconut juice; enjoyed countless weekend vacations in tropical island paradise; survived a super typhoon; and mastered the arts of text messaging and karaoke. While there are lots of challenges living and working in this part of the world, on the whole, life is good, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had to get to know this country and its people.

Julia and Amanda both paid visits this year, and in 2014 I am looking forward to showing Grant, Nick and Adam around. Join them if you can! In the meantime, I hope everyone enjoys a very merry Christmas, and a healthy and happy 2014.

Love Annika xx