Morning from rainy Cairns!

What did we expect - we're in the rainforest!! I (Olive) thought I'd add an "extra" blog post, in case our previous posts have given you the impression that all we do is travel and have fun. While we have done a lot of that in the past five months, we've also been doing a fair bit of work. Dan has been kept quite busy planning next steps - where do we go next, what do we see, how do we get there, where do we stay, etc etc. I, on the other hand, have been freed up from the work of surviving to focus on my research. I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to sit down and write until I can't any longer, without having to take time out to do laundry, make lunch, clean the house, etc. I managed to conduct numerous interviews, thanks to Skype, and acquire all the documents I needed to write much of my thesis. I generally work most mornings into the afternoon, unless we've planned a day outing or are flying out in the morning. Another project we are involved in is supporting our daughter Christina's work to improve infection control processes in African hospitals. We've completed all the required paperwork for our Grand Challenges Grant application and are hoping for a positive outcome. We are also engaged in assisting Christina in her preparation for her upcoming return to the Republic of the Congo, to provide education sessions for staff at four hospitals there. We've had a number of people step forward to offer translation services (teaching materials all need to be translated into French) when our translator suddenly dropped the work. All these things continue to bring us a sense of purpose, joy in life, and energy, to continue exploring this wonderful world we live in. While we regularly try to touch base with our family back home via FaceTime and Skype, this weekend we look forward to seeing some of them in person. We fly to Melbourne on Saturday morning to spend time with very good friends of Christina's as well as my sister Vi and her husband Peter.

Wishing you all well,
Olive (and Dan)