It has been so lovely and so completely mind-blowing to have so many people supporting us as we attempt to get ourselves sorted and go and try our best at something crazy and new. So many people have made time for a chat and offer their support. Although WE are totally excited about this and want to talk about it all the time, we hadn't anticipated that people around us would actually want to hear about it all the time as well.

We had a preparation course in Melbourne last week which was fantastic - a great time to reflect on our motivations for getting out there and doing a volunteer stint, as well as a time to ponder what we might hope to achieve and how our effort fits into the global perspective. VSO - the organisation we are going with have continued to impress us with the quality and scope of the resources they provide. (If you're interested, check them out http://www.vso.org.uk/)

We're really looking forward to having Steve's Mum (Jennie) back from Indonesia this week, it will be our last time to spend a decent stint of time with her before we go. She heads back to Indonesia at the end of July and we fly out only a couple of weeks later. We will be sure to grill her further regarding cross-cultural living and poverty alleviation issues.

Justus seems to understand a little of what we're in for and seems quite excited about it all. I heard him waking up the other day saying Mongolia! and also heard him today practicing Namaig Justus gedeg (my name is Justus).

I'm sure there's still going to be a huge adjustment for us all when we finally arrive. Thankfully the weather will be quite warm in mid-August, so we will have some time to get prepared and gather supplies for the onslaught of cold. I'm sure glad that we're already used to Christchurch winters and we're not going there after living in Cairns all our lives.