It’s with a fair degree of mixed emotions that I arrived at Honiara domestic airport an hour before the flight was meant to leave. There was no one about and thankfully the taxi driver stayed around until some other people turned up. Waiting around in the dark gave me time to contemplate my last three weeks in Honiara. It had been such a busy time and a time in which many so many different experiences occurred. A friendship was established with another volunteer that was the foundation for my stay in Honiara and it was largely due to their goodwill that I had a place (or places) to call home for this period as well as someone to discuss and compare our respective volunteer assignments.
Another thought was at the forefront of my mind while standing in the dark listening to my Ipod (Talk Tonight by Oasis being the song of the moment). Near the end of my stay I met a very unique person. Now on my assignment there have been many interesting and unique people who have already passed my way in the few short months I have been here. Some you form strong connections with and others who you simply don’t connect with on any level whatsoever. But this individual rattled me a little, I wasn’t expecting to come to Honiara and leave feeling this way and to be honest the way I felt brought home (again) how far I was from other people who I most easily can connect with and who share similar cultural backgrounds. It reminded me (as if I really needed it) that a 2 year assignment in a remote location essentially means you are forced to resign yourself to the fact that even if you had the opportunity, it would be difficult (bordering on impossible) to sustain a relationship.
I also started to contemplate time, how much of your life will just pass you happily by and then you come to small specks in time that you wish you could slow down and make last longer. Before you know it those special moments pass you by and quickly become history. There were a number of times while in Honiara that I wished I could slow down, just so I could appreciate the moment more. Strangely enough I was aware at the very time these events were occurring that these experiences were unique to this time and place and may never come around again.
Flying back over Choiseul it was a sense calm that started to come over me knowing I was once again back in my beautiful and picturesque province. The thoughts and feelings provoked in Honiara will in time be resolved and I felt reassured by this. Flying from south to the north, right up the centre of the Island (not the usual route of planes flying in from Honiara) I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the virtually continuous rainforest covering the Island. We were flying low and you could almost see the (presumed extinct) Choiseul Crested Pigeon standing in the canopy of a rainforest tree as we flew over. I leaned over to the other ex-pat volunteer on the plane and said “Mate, the Choiseul Crested Pigeon it still exists, I’m sure of it”. My New Year’s prediction is the rediscovery of the Choiseul Crested Pigeon. It was good to be back in paradise.
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