It's hard to believe just six years ago the pair were sitting side-by-side in a mud hut in the Ethiopian town of Alamata reluctantly tucking into the local delicacy – sheep's intestine.

That's where they first met while volunteering with VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) in northern Africa during what proved to be a life-changing experience for them both and, to mark the 50th anniversary of the international development charity, this week The Wee Paper spoke to the bride-to-be about her experiences there.

Susan grew up in Selkirk where she was a pupil at Knowepark Primary, and Selkirk High, before going to study physics and maths at St Andrews University.

"After university I wanted to go abroad," she said. "Not just to travel, but to live and work, and when VSO offered me a post in Ethiopia I thought it sounded great.

"When I got there, it wasn't easy to settle in. The hardest thing was not knowing the language which meant simple things like buying food at the market were really hard.

"But that's where I met Juliet, who had already been there for a year, and that really helped because she already knew everyone and helped me settle in."

As a physics teacher, Susan found conditions challenging, with classes of around 90, most of whom barely spoke English, and none of the resources teachers in the UK take for granted. But during her two years there Susan adapted and, as her grasp of the local language, Amharic, improved, she began to thoroughly enjoy herself.

Similarly, her taste buds learned to adapt and injera – a pancake-like bread eaten with everything – which had initially tasted bitter and "like eating carpet", soon became a favourite. Sheep's intestine and testicles, however, she never quite got used to.

In fact, she settled in so well, a short break back to Selkirk came as quite a culture shock, she said, but she put the trip home to good use.

"I put an ad in the paper asking for donations of toys for the kindergarten over there. There was an amazing response from people in Selkirk who gave so generously, and I took a lot of toys back with me which the kids absolutely loved. It was one of the highlights seeing their faces light up as they played with toy cars.

"I also took back hockey sticks and balls donated by Selkirk High School, which I used to set up a club for girls over there and that was amazing too, seeing how the girls' confidence grew over time through the hockey and classes."

Susan is now a physics teacher at a school near Bournemouth where the class sizes are smaller, most of the kids have a reasonable grasp of English and where sheep's intestine definitely doesn't feature on the menu.

But, she says, her experiences in Ethiopia will stay with her forever.

"The whole thing was an amazing experience and I'd definitely recommend it to others. The main thing is you learn to appreciate the little things in life, like having a choice of food and having hot water in the house.