Visit to my new site!!!

My Fijian BURE!!!!

I am back from my site visit at my new village! It was an inspiring trip! My village is clean, well educated, so sweet and generous, and perfect for me! My bure is stunning and fitted with a queen size bed… for me, Queen Elizabeth the 2nd (Ili)! My Na, Ta, sister Kata, and brothers Tui and Suli are absolutely amazing. The sad part is the older two go to boarding school during the week because it is too difficult to transport them all by boat each day. I mean, starting in 1st grade they board Monday through Friday. That has to be so hard on the parents and children.

On to a happy note… my bure has a view of the cliffs of Jurassic Park (thanks Lydia, stole this one from you!). There is a large volcanic rock in the center of our bay with green vines blanketing its peak. At low tide you can walk right up to it and sit in the carved crevice around its edge. Looking out my bure door there is a view of cliffs, rolling grass hills, jungle, beach, and wide-open ocean. The palm trees lean into the sea as if they are reaching for more sunlight. Ok, ok, I will quit. But, literally, it is that amazing! Also, the village youth play rugby and netball at low tide in the bay. It is still a mystery how the shells do not tear up their feet.






The men collecting dead coral to make my foot path!











The men making my footpath.





The only funny thing in my village (which happens in most villages I presume) is that the chickens climb up into the trees at night, sometimes flying into them actually. At dawn, they somehow climb right back down and scavenge the land all day long. We have a few chickens and several chicks. Apparently our vuaka (pig) is pregnant as well! Money, money, money! I am working on getting a kitten and a duckling for my first three months at site since I will not be leaving over night during this time. My family also has a dog, Robin, which chases after crabs, devouring them with precision and a crunch.

On a side note, thank you so much Luisa for staying with me those first few nights, you taught me so much about the Ra dialect and the people of my village! I appreciate it sooo much and totally owe you some cheese dip and tortilla chips! Ok, on to our hike along the bay… so the children of the village led us on a hike and showed us these seeds that bear Fijian Almonds (tavola). I am so going to try and make almond butter (like peanut butter). Mmmm! We also saw a beautiful sea snake, a crab that I could have sworn was a rock and many, many cool shells!

My Na and Nana Levu also agreed to cook most of my meals, as long as I work on my projects and cook them some American meals. I am totally in heaven! My Nana Levu made buns one day and we all made up a chant “Bani, Honey, Yummy”! Lol, corny, I know, but we thought it was funny. With a two brothers, a sister, a nice boat, a very trusting Ta, a Na that loves to fish, hike, and socialize, and the scenery that is to die for, I could not ask for more! Oh, but there is more. The village wants me to start a kindergarten as well as extra income generating activities (hopefully through niu (coconuts), ibes (mats), iri (fans), and sasasasa (brooms). I feel like these are both perfect for my interests! There is a tabu (taboo) bit of reef right outside of my village where no one is allowed to fish or damage the reef. I have not had a chance to gunu (snorkel) it yet, but I know I will be pleasantly surprised! We eat fresh boiled fish with almost every lunch and dinner and veggies and fruits from the villages’ plantations. What a good life. My impression of Fijians is that they are very loving parents, hard-workers, generous, inviting, helpful, and trusting. They may live on Fijian time, but to work side-by-side with them is a blessing!


My brother Suli!!

Oh, and yesterday I received packages from Teresa Hosey, Aunt Lisa, and Sissy!
Thank you sooooo much for the kids' toys, dried fruit, CHOCOLATE, pictures, clothes, dryer sheets, etc! I am the most spoiled Peace Corps Volunteer ever! Thank you, thank you!