Did you know that the Solomon Islands has on of the highest mobile data costs in the world? And as a volunteer, it’s pretty hard to maintain contact with the world, let alone to update this blog and share the wonderful photos I’ve been taking, and adventures I’ve been having. And then of course there’s the time factor, I am so busy with my current work (Inclusive Education in the Solomon Islands), but true, still maintaining a damned fine social life as well.
And Social is what the Solomons is. I will have smiled and/or talked to probably 10 people before I even arrive at work at 8am. In a day, multiples of this. On the street, ‘hey Annabelle!’, ‘hey wantok!’, ‘hey tambu!’ – (I’ll explain those terms another time…) good morning/afternoon, evening … Not a chance to be lonely here unless I locked myself in my room, which unfortunately I spent far too much of my life doing back at ‘home’. I thought I needed to live in my own space. I only now recognise how happy I am with friendly and open people around me.
With my Wantoks; View from my balcony; IE Workshops in Rennell
abelspace 
Wonderful to read that you’re so happy there Bellamy! This is good news indeed! I’m loving being in England, have managed to get myself a great spot in a fairly quiet but lovely studio. I’m tattooing alongside a very lovely Tongan man, Sini. His English wife Gemma runs the place and has a beauty salon on the ground floor. They are good hearted souls and I’m slowly but surely building a very nice client base and continuing to improve my skills everyday! Missing my girls and my Mama but learning to keep trekking along here.Hope your happy continues, sounds like you may have found your place in the world! Big hugs x
best wishes, Maya Malins+44 7565950400
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