Wednesday, October 28, 2009

No Smoking Campaign - Not Sinking In

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Today I came to town prepared to stay the weekend at another Peace Corps volunteer’s house so I did not do much in town but relax and talk with Fijians. The Ra Women’s Arts and Crafts Show was in the center of town so I looked through their handicrafts and jams. I used to internet for a little while to post my last blog and talk to Mom on Skype. Checked the mail, got a really fun letter from my Bestie, Kate! Thank you for the fun stationary! Really, did not accomplish a lot today. Right now I am at the volunteer’s house and we are about to shoot fireworks for Diwali! Life is so easy!

Friday, October 16, 2009

This morning I went to town to talk to Kate on Skype! Yay! Kate! I am so glad I got to talk to you! We definitely should talk more often. Too much gets away from us when we don’t keep in touch! I am so proud of you and I am glad you are enjoying your new job!

Anyways, in town I ended up buying a 4 inch mattress. Mine was about 2 inches and just not enough. Luisa, John, Leslie, and John Caldera are canoeing to my village and staying the night next weekend so I thought a new mattress for them would be killing two birds with one stone! So, I got the thickest for the most affordable amount. Tomorrow is going to suck getting it on the bus, then on the boat, then up the village to my house. Good thing I have good friends here! The girls and I are going to cook pizza tonight so I was carrying a new machete, a rake, a double mattress, 2 kg flour, pineapples, tomatoes, onions, cheese, and my backpack with my computer, bread, butter, and several other items. What a pain! Anyways, tonight will be relaxing and tomorrow will be a fun day on the beach!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Going to John and Judy’s house today!

We got up at 6:00 AM to head to the ex-patriots, John and Judy Caldera, to go to Nanu-I-Ra Island. Upon arrival the tide was extremely low and we had to abort the boat to get up to the beach. I took a gander into the woods and found 4 ripe papayas which we devoured immediately. Then we walked around the coast looking for shells, snails, jellyfish and sea stars. Everyone but me went snorkeling, while I basted on the beach, getting gnarly sunburn. I slather myself in aloe just about every 3 hours trying to make sure it does not peel, but it surely hurts! Not sure how many times I am going to try to learn this lesson! Fiji is so much closer to the equator, so burning comes much quicker and more severe. Hmmm, thoughts for next time. Anyways, they enjoyed their snorkel then we ate some cookies, peanuts, crackers and peanut butter. I think every volunteer is living off of peanut butter by now. Lol. There is a lack for protein in most meals. We packed up around 1:30, headed to the house, where Judy had prepared chicken alfredo, curry with roti, coleslaw, and BANANA PUDDING! She is from Alabama, so of course it was absolutely AMAZING! I had two big servings! Then it was shower time (oh, the only place in Fiji that I get hot water). We headed out around 2:30 to catch me and Lydia’s boat back to our villages. By the time I got home it was dark, time to unpack my wet clothes and join the youth in their yaqona drinking. I think if I even drink one bilo in the next few weeks I will literally want to puke. I am so sick of dirty water that makes my tongue numb! No more please.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Thank goodness for the break this past weekend. I think I was at my wits end with the whole kindy thing and now I have a new light on the situation and a new plan. If there are any problems that arise between now and the end of the school year, they are not my problem! Simply because I tried to help them plan and if things do not work out it is not my fault. Anyways, Au sa woi. I am finished with that subject.
Today I went to Catholic church with family and of course read another few chapters of the Bible. I get caught up listening to the singing or watching the service more than reading. Whatever keeps me awake I guess!

After church two of the boys (plus everyone else in the village watching) cooked pizza. One of the boys cut the onions, tomatoes, pineapple, and shredded cheese, while another one helped roll the roti (tortillas). My tortillas always turn out looking like Texas instead of a circle. He did a much better job. So it was thick roti, with homemade spaghetti sauce, shredded pizza cheese, sautéed onions, and grilled pineapples. I know I always talk about food, but to Fijians cooking American food is so interesting! Good times, good food!

Later today, I discussed with the Vakatawas (preachers) about seminars that I can hold during youth camp week. This coming week the youth will be spending the night in the community hall and waking up at 4:00 AM for prayer service. Then from 6-8 they will be working the grounds, cleaning up the village. From 8-10 they have breakfast, bathe, change clothes, rest, then at 10 they go back up to the community hall to learn anything from their spiritual life to waste management. I will be holding a waste management seminar tomorrow and a no tobacco movement on Wednesday. Of course I am very excited since both of these topics are very important to me, the environment, and the villagers’ health! Tonight there was a meeting held between the preachers and the parents of the youth to discuss the events for the rest of the week. A lot will get done around the village this week! Yay!

Monday, October 19, 2009

I was supposed to hold the meeting at 2 PM today, but of course snorkeling became my first priority, oops. So I ended up holding the waste management seminar at 4 PM. It went extremely well. At first I taped a timeline on the wall ranging from 1 month to 1 million years. I had drawn different objects that are often tossed on the ground and asked each person with an object ‘how long they thought it would take for the object to become dirt’. There were many surprised people as well as many educated ones who knew exactly how long some of the things took. Can you believe a cigarette butt takes 40 years to disintegrate? An aluminum can, like Coca-Cola cans, take 200-500 years. Why do Americans like to drink cokes out of cans? And the stupid little plastic 6-pack ring holder takes 100 years. Wow! Enough about trash (rubbish here, influence of the Australians).

We did accomplish a lot today. I explained what we need to be burning, burying, composting, and recycling. Where we should dig new rubbish pits (at least 30 m from any water source). We established four different spots in the village to dig the pits and how to keep them covered. I explained that the water getting into the pits just causes pollution to seep into the ground, into the water table, and travels straight for the ocean. How the piggeries on the river are sending nitrates into the ocean, causing algae to grow, covering the reef and killing the coral. They understand, are excited to start picking up trash around the village, and separating! Success! The Turaga-ni-koro even had me walk around with him to make sure the spots we are digging the holes are appropriate for the environment. I actually think where we previously (like 5 years ago) had pit toilets are the best spots because the ground will be nice soil that can be used around the village, easy to dig because there won’t be any rocks, and in a good location off to the side of the village!

I also prepared for my no tobacco campaign for Wednesday. I have several large, nice-looking posters and plenty of brochures. Plus, there is a hotline in Fiji for those trying to quit and an organization willing to help me with resources as well as those people wanting to quit. I am focusing my talk on “tobacco” which hopefully will come across as ALL tobacco. Those who do not smoke cigarettes smoke Fijian tobacco called ‘suki’. I am concerned with both forms, but do not have any information on the suki. I am pretty sure they put pesticides on the plants while they are growing, but I know they do not add near as many chemicals. I should call the organization before I start the seminar. Anyways, I have made lots of posters and I think I just need an opening icebreaker. Other than that my enthusiasm will show!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

This morning I woke up, made French toast, hiked up the mountain to help the youth clean up the village, and then hopped on the boat with Na, Ta, and all the kids to head to the school to cook. We will be staying the night tonight so we can cook lunch, dinner, and breakfast. Yesterday when we went snorkeling the boys were spear fishing and caught over 100 fish. We smoked them last night and brought them to school today for lunch and dinner (plus bele - leafy green, tavioka, vudi - plantains, and breadfruit). I can’t believe you can feed over 100 kids, two meals each, for virtually free. Crazy! Anyways, we just finished cooking lunch, serving the kids, and now we are waiting for dinner time. I am planning on going to Lydia’s to stay the night so that I have a clean house and maybe some American food!

I guess I should mention, the Headmaster at the school needs a laptop. There is a diesel generator that runs most nights for 3 hours that he would be able to charge it on. There is also a photo copier/printer in the office in perfect condition that children’s reports and school related paperwork can be printed on. I am looking for a generous person, church, or organization that can donate one to the school and possibly one to my village. There are currently no computers along this stretch of peninsula and technology is an immediate need. Please contact me by email if anyone can help out. Thank you!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

So, last night I went to Lydia’s and spent the night. Nothing worth mentioning. This morning we helped a few men dig a new rubbish pit… near the ocean. Ta and Na picked me up around 9:30 AM and we headed back to the village. Stopping several times: once to fix someone’s generator, another time to drop off pre-mix, and another time to tell some fishing intruders that they had to leave our waters. By the time I made it home it was time to prepare for my No Smoking Campaign. I had several posters, fliers, brochures, handouts, and pictures, hoping to get the point across about the harmful side effects of tobacco. Well, they listened, but I do not think they really cared. Nicotine is just a habit too hard to quit. In the village, EVERYONE smokes around the grog bowl, so it is also a social peer pressure thing. Along with, they were brought up around parents and friends that smoked so it seems normal to them. I just hope that I touched one person to help them save years of their life. Anyways, the seminar went flawless until they wanted to know if Fijian Tobacco (Suki) was ok. I did not have a straight answer for them so they decided that white people’s tobacco is bad and Fijian’s tobacco is good. Hmmm. Not really what I wanted them to go home thinking, but oh well. Suki is definitely a little healthier than cigarettes, cheaper, and not imported, so the money stays within Fiji.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

John, Leslie, John Caldera, and Luisa came to my village today on their kayaks! It was so interesting to see them all at the same time in MY village! Yay! I really enjoyed their company and of course their food. Lol. Hey mom, I need some Mediterranean seasoning packets, I think they are Continental brand! You should try them too with some chicken and rice! Well, my visitors were exhausted so we just rested, cooked and went to bed early.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Kayak Krew left at 6:00 AM this morning so we all got up at 4:30 AM to prepare for their departure. They had to travel 13 kilometers today to see the next volunteer. Wow, they are troopers, and against the wind the entire time too. Blah. Someday I will get to go on one of those trips!

Anyways, today was a big youth day since the youth camp is coming to an end. They practiced their drama several times, had prayer sessions 3 times today and I pretty much did not see any of them all day. Quite boring.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Today the Kayak Krew is supposed to show up again on their way back to their respected villages and homes.

John, Leslie, John and Luisa came back around 3:00 PM! We pulled their boats onto shore, they showered, rested, did their isevusevu (give yaqona as a gift for hospitality and entry into the village), and started cooking. After eating and cleaning up we went to the community hall to shoot fireworks with the youth. It was short and sweet. We came back to my house and passed out early.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

The Kayak Krew left around 8:00 AM. They headed for Lydia’s village for a short visit and then planned to head back to their houses.

I slept a lot today. Went to church at 11:00 AM and at 3:00 PM. The 11:00 service was everyone in the village combined and the head preacher of our tikina (kinda like a county in a state - but a tikina of Fiji) came to preach. He was actually enjoyable as he was enthusiastic, brought posters, and kept all of the the children’s attention. Fiji needs more preachers like him! At the 3:00 service the youth did their drama. Siti (15 years old), who was Satan, wore my Nei Levu’s glasses from the 80s and a suit jacket over his head, leaning on a stick as he walked crouched over. It was very amusing!

So today was just filled with church and eating, plus a lot of grog drinking for the villagers after dark. I have decided that it is best for me to just sit with them while they drink and smoke. I do not want to partake in smoking or drinking water that is laced with a plant’s root. Not my cup of tea. I am also starting to feel left out sometimes, and quite literally, laughed at. I do not know a lot of Fijian still, as much as I try. There are no rules for how they form sentences. You just have to know how each sentence needs to be put together for it to make sense. So a lot of the time I know the vocabulary, but piecing it together is all wrong so they all laugh. I can’t be so sensitive. I should just laugh with them. But honestly, it just makes me want to be alone, or get bitchy towards them. I must find a coping strategy and quick. Sorry about my venting.

This is how I feel today.

Monday, October 26, 2009

So today is the monthly community meeting. I am supposed to be teaching waste management after the meeting, but who knows if that is actually going to happen. I am prepared for it in English, but not in Fijian. Ta says he will help me and no worries, but you know that sink that he started a month and a half ago. It was not finished when my guests came. Over the weekend I decided to jack it up myself so at least the water would drain out of the tub (‘sink’) and stop breeding mosquitoes. I worry about everything he tells me. First think this morning he was supposed to weed the yard, did that get done, no. The kindy is supposed to be safe and healthy for the kids before we start teaching. Well, the kindy starts tomorrow and nothing at all has been done. If the Health and Safety Inspection Organization came out to check the kindy before they register it, we will undertake some fines. The tap leaks, there is a slippery concrete hole under the water spout, the bathrooms are not up to the HSO’s standards, there is metal coming out of the windows of the kitchen, the community hall needs repairs, and there is no house, bathroom, shower, or kitchen for the kindergarten teacher. I just hope they get on top of it all before anything hinders the kindy for next year.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The Floating Bamboo


Picture from our trip to the reef on Monday, October 5, 2009.




Tuesday, September 29, 2009

All FRE-07’s Training. I also went back to my host village with all 5 of the volunteers that also trained there and had dinner and visited. I got to see my sister, Delana, who is moving to Vanuatu soon. Crazy!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Training - I got a lot out of today! We had small group sessions where we could pick the topic for each 30 minute interval. I learned about youth camps, youth groups in rural villages, waste management, footpaths, savings and credit clubs, etc. Good topics. I am also now planning on getting my village footpaths because Peace Corps made it sound so simple! Yay! I know the village needs them because of all of the rocks and mud, plus the eroding issue. We will probably raise the money over the wet season and begin installing around April.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Last night we were all invited to the country director’s house for a bbq. Oh my goodness, best food in Fiji and her house is beautiful! We had hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, salsa and chips, cake, Cadberry ice cream, fruit, and salads. Mmmm! After leaving, of course because we were all together in Suva, we went out to the bar. I danced and danced. For some reason I am not embarrassed to dance or sing in Fiji. I feel so free, only because I know nobody in Fiji cares and they enjoy it more just to see people being crazy. More gossip! Anyways, most favorite night in Fiji so far! About 35 or so of us went out together and we all had a great time. Can’t forget Monte’s competition with the flaming boy plus Graham deciding he could do the Cotton-Eye-Joe on the bar! Lol!

Today is all volunteer day and so everyone is in town for training. We were at the hotel all day at a conference with organizations from all over Fiji came to speak with us. There were about 20 tables set up with people ranging from Ministry of Fisheries to Colgate. It was very helpful and entertaining to go to each table, ask what they can do for me, and take all kinds of free stuff. Now getting it back to the village is going to be a pain in the butt. Oh well, tis Fiji.

Tonight I think we will hit up a few bars! Go figure!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Last night was fun, but the night before was soo much better. I ended up going home early because I was tired and sick of the smoky bar. Although, I ended up going to one bar until 6:00 for happy hour, then hit up a Chinese restaurant where we played a little Russian roulette with shots of beer, then ate an amazing Indian dinner next door to the Chinese restaurant, then headed to back to the club from the night before. Good times. I also learned that I love Indian food, at least at this restaurant. I went with three of the boys. We each ordered something and shared. Out of all four things I really loved them all! I have never liked Indian food before, but I guess that is because I had never really tried different dishes, just Curry. I still do not like Curry, blah!

Today I do not have to do anything, but shop! Hell yeah! Since I only have a boat going back to the village on Thursdays and Saturdays, so I get to hang out in Suva an extra day!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Yesterday I went all over town looking for the things I needed for work in the village. The main thing was vials to test the water in the village and in the settlements. I went to Live and Learn because they told me the day before that they would have some for me. I get there and they say that they are running low and to try Sopac or the World Health Organization. So I go in search of WHO and finally find someone with the vials. She hooked me up with like 15! I only need 7, so I am excited that she was so generous. I was able to give some out to a few volunteers too. They are H2S testers that will tell me if the drinking water is contaminated with poop (simply put). In town, I also spoke to the highest person in Suva about getting a Digicel tower near the village. I now have a phone number of the Chief Technician that can help me further. I now have a TFL land line so that I can be reached anytime! Number: +11-679-358-5581. Anyone is welcome to call me… but expect it to cost the same as any other long distance call to Fiji (just a little note for anyone sketch that may find my number). Also, for those volunteers that have already gotten an invite for May of next year, you are more than welcome to email me or call! The packing lists say not to bring fleece or jeans/pants… I personally recommend both.

Ok, sorry, got off subject.

Last night the volunteer couple living in Suva invited everyone that was staying the night to come over for a pot luck. We had so much fun cooking together, enjoying each other’s company, and playing dress up. It was hilarious! Julie and I cooked Pizza, we had a couple different veggie salads, potato salad, a Greek salad, and Root Beer floats for dessert (thanks to Brian and Sally)! A really good time!

Today, just hopped on a bus this morning, road to Namuaimada Village, and took a nap on the beach waiting for the rest of my village to come back from town so that we could hop on the boat back home. This was an all day affair!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Cleaned my house, gardened, unpacked, and relaxed. It is taboo to do anything on Sundays, so usually I just read and walk around.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Laundry. Lots of laundry. I went snorkeling with four other women in the village on the bilibili (a handmade raft out of bamboo). The raft was sooo scary! Lol. I could have sworn we would not all float on it, but amazingly we survived. One of the women, Mili, had never snorkeled before, again, a person living so close to these beautiful reefs who has never seen one underwater. She is from the interior and moved here about 4 years ago, and, as a side note, is married to our TuraganiKoro (voted chief). The first time she snorkeled she found oysters. She popped the first one open and began eating it raw. Blah! Although, the second one she opened contained two Pearls! Crazy!
The Pearls

Pearls are pretty rare in Fiji as far as I am told. She was sooo excited! Hopefully they get made into jewelry. The women were so much fun and we laughed just about the entire time. The reef was also absolutely beautiful. I have been very skeptical of our reefs around here since the first two were quite dead. This reef is directly in front of our village and it was so lively, colorful, and teeming with fish! Yay! I also finished “The Kite Runner”, time to go search for the movie!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Finished up my laundry. Wow, three weeks of clothes, it sucks to wash it all at once. One of the women and I walked around the coast to a nearby settlement looking for shells. The views are breathtaking around here. You should all be jealous!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Today I was invited to hop on the boat that was going out fishing for the feast. Do you remember the funeral we had a month and a half ago. Well, in Fijian culture they have a feast 10 days after the death of someone, and then the 50th day, and then the 100th day after their death. So today is the 50th and we must go fishing to catch food for the feast! There were about 8 women and 8 male youth on the boat. The women hung their lines off the side of the boat while the boys and I went snorkeling (I like to pretend we were just watching the fish, the boys were actually spear fishing – pictures below). The weather was chilly so I snorkeled as long as possible as it is warmer in the boat. You would not believe this though, but as I am snorkeling I spot a White-Tipped Reef Shark and snap a picture. I come up to the top of the water and tell a boy nearby that there was a shark right below him and I showed him the proof. Well, I go back to snorkeling, de de dee. About 15 minutes later I see two sharks circling each other about 10 feet away. Well, I decided I wanted a better picture so I start to swim towards them and I snap 5 pictures. What do you know, I get a little leery, decide to find the boys so that I am not the only target, and they have all gone back to the boat. What? They are in these waters everyday and they decide now to be scared. So, I decided in my best interest to head back too and become a bigger vessel. Boys… lol. Good snorkel all together. The boys caught lots of fish. It is amazing how they spear fish. It just takes a stretchy band and a metal pole. They have precise aiming and excellent skills underwater. I was totally amazed and now I am determined to learn!

At night I sat around with the boys while we smoked some of the fish. Told stories and then had a grog party at Tata Laisa’s house. Everyone was asking me questions about America. I answered things ranging from “Is there reef in America” to “Tell us about the twin towers that fell”. My favorite was “How many lanes are there on the street”. I explained about how cities are very different in size, but that in Atlanta where my sister lives there can be up to 16 lanes. Their eyes got huge and they gossiped about it for a while. I also did something I probably shouldn’t have… I told them that Lisa was related to Obama. Lol. It is just a test to see how long it takes to get back to her. The villages gossip a lot and pretty much everyone is related somehow… so they share information quite rapidly. We will see how long it takes for Lisa to ask me about it!

Anyways, the party was very enjoyable, my favorite night with Fijians so far. There were only 5 women at the grog session, but they were all my age and laughed the entire time (because I was calling the boys things that are usually not allowed, oh well). I went to bed at midnight… after drinking too many bilos of yaqona (coconut shells of kava).

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Went to town and talked to mom on Skype in the internet café. Within one hour there was an 8.3 earthquake in Vanuatu, a nearby country. Of course, Joe, the peace corps volunteer serving a third year, thought it was necessary to go to higher ground. I think he feels responsible for our well-being, which is not going over so well with the rest of us. Anyways, so I sat at this water treatment plant for about 2 hours. By the time the tsunami warning was canceled, all of the stores in town had closed. So, I got nothing accomplished, besides buying some tomatoes, carrots, bread, and cucumbers – the necessities, right?!

I hopped on a carrier at two o’clock, just to arrive at the docking point with the boats beached because of low tide. Wow, sat there for several hours waiting for the tide to come up. It came up within three hours, but then the waves were too big to head back to the village so we sat there another two hours. I called dad and Jessica and found out a lot of startling information!

My dad has quit his job again. No surprise. Although… my sister almost got married in Vegas last week. What?! She said she just knew he was the right one, within three hours? I am skeptical. I really hope that it works out for them. They are going to date for several months and she may be moving to California to live with him here pretty soon. He lives in Los Angeles and she is in Atlanta, so I am hoping they can work something out. Just a little bazaar! His name is Ryan and he is a small time actor and may be in the upcoming Iron Man 2! Pretty cool! He is also going to give the comedian career a try in the coming weeks. I bet he is a good guy. I cannot wait to get the pictures of their trip!

Friday, October 9, 2009

Hopped on the same boat as Wednesday and went to a nearby village, just to visit and meet the people. We docked the boat on a tiny strip of beach and headed into the forest. The village was about a 20 minute walk into the forest. Cute village, I like mine sooo much better (just like my waterfall). They now want a volunteer, but I am not sure if Peace Corps is willing to put another one in this area. Eight is plenty in my opinion. It was a short visit, then we headed to the beautiful beach around the peninsula to collect hermit crabs for fishing, bananas, and papaya. Then we were off to the reef for fishing – I slept. Lol, the fish just don’t like my hook and I am not patient enough, just like in America going fishing with Justin.

At night I went to the bachelor pad of the village and played my ipod on their radio. Oh my goodness, it was music to my ears. The two sets of speakers that I brought from America do not work… they get this weird static sound. So I have not been able to listen to my music very often. Listening to it on their radio was a good release!


Old fishing method... fish trap of rocks.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Wow, today was a day full of exercise. I walked to Lisa’s village, with is an 8 km hike up and over a few mountains, one of which is quite large. My village rugby team had taken the lead so I was on my own. I caught up with a few boys from a nearby village about halfway so the second half of the hike was bearable. So, we went to Lisa’s village for a huge sports day. There were 32 scrimages between 16 different rugby teams. My team lost all three games, but I did not care, they still played their best. I was responsible for the juice (lol, watergirl) and the photography. I visited with a lot of people from other villages and watched Lisa play net ball – the lamest combination of basketball and ultimate Frisbee – with no net. Why do they call it net ball? So stupid! Anyways, those are the two most popular sports here in Fiji – rugby and net ball. The games which lasted from 8 AM to 5 PM, but I began my journey back to the village around 4 PM to arrive before nightfall. I hired a car to take me up to the top of the mountain. Why a car I will never know. It ran out of benzene less than half way up so I paid the entire fare and had to walk most of the way. Urg! It was sooo hot that I became delirious. I took several breaks and sat on a cliff overlooking my village, the sea, and the surrounding mountains. Why am I so lucky? Oh, and of course I had a big chunk of Dove dark chocolate in my backpack that I thoroughly enjoyed melted. The sun was going down so I began the treacherous hike back down the mountain to home.

Rugby Team

Upon arrival, the village was having a party for some visitors. I took a shower, put on my party best, and headed to the grog circle. The smoke was engulfing so I did not stay long. Just listening to a few songs is enough anyways, they only know about 8 different ones and so they play the same song over and over.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

I did not sleep well, I woke up with the worst headache, only on the right side, between my eye and my ear. What does this mean? I assume it is because I did not drink enough water yesterday, but I sweated a ton. So, water overload today. Easier said than done. Our water went dry last night before I went to bed and it is still dry this morning. Considering it is a Sunday, I doubt that anyone will go up the mountain to see what is wrong. Oh Fiji.

I visited the Methodist church this morning and really enjoyed it. There were two different stories told: one from Jeremiah and the other from Luke. Three different people spoke and they actually told me the hymns so that I could sing along. Methodist in Fiji is quite similar to Catholic though. Anyways, after church a lot of people came over to view my pictures from America. It was so good for them to see the people that mean so much to me because the villagers feel closer to me now as well. People are just now starting to warm up to me and feel comfortable coming to my house. Thank goodness.


Oh, while people were visiting me there was a 25 year old boy that said “your cat has asthma or something”. I laughed trying to figure out what he meant. Then I realized he meant her purring. He had never heard a cat purr!? So, I told him that it was normal and that all cats purr when they are happy. Lol. Isalei (how sad).

Monday, October 12, 2009


Today is Fiji Day! Not a lot of celebrating though. I guess they only celebrate the holidays in the cities. Rural areas just do not go to school. Of which apparently my families’ kids are skipping school again this entire week. I do not know how to get through to Ta that education is extremely important, especially in a third world country where it will take an education to do anything outside of the village. Oh well, I guess this week instead of a headache, gas costs too much. Excuses…


So, today for Fiji day I decided to clean up the seawall. My village has been throwing trash over the hill onto the beach between the land and the mangroves. So at high tide the trash is swept onto the seawall creating a nasty mess. Marica, one little girl, and I cleaned up the area, separating burn materials from bury. They caught on very quickly so I think teaching the village should come pretty easily. I also found out that since I mentioned us starting up the youth group again that there will be a meeting on Wednesday for the youth group! Yes! Progress with just a few words! I know that through the youth group (aged 16-35) I can teach the village a lot about waste management and community service. My village is amazing!

Last night I went over to the bachelor pad and hung out with the boys. No drinking, just talking, so it was my kind of entertainment! I fed them tuna and crackers, a very common combination here in Fiji. I usually do peanut butter/jelly, they do tuna in oil.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Today I had a women’s club meeting at 10:00 am. We decided to have a fundraising event in November for new pots for the community kitchen. In December we will have another fundraising event for the church. I will also go to the youth group meeting tomorrow to find out when the village will have a waste management seminar (held by me) and pick up the trash around the village and beach.

I accomplished a lot today by just walking around the village and finding all of the trash holes. There are five in all and two of them are perfect spots for new pits. Hopefully sometime in the next two weeks we will dig new holes and learn how to properly dispose of trash. I am pretty excited that the task came easily! I also made examples for my timeline of how long it takes for trash to disintegrate. Can you believe it takes that long! More on this later.


My family at the watering hole. When Buka started the fire and melted the pipe we had no water for a few days, so this is where we went to collect fresh water!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

UnDeRwAtEr

Sorry I do not have a blog for this week... but I do have a few pictures!


Spearfishing


ME!


White-tipped Reef Shark! I saw three yesterday!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

The Passing Days

Thursday, September 17, 2009

I did not go to town today because it took me 4 days to get back to my village this week. I feel guilty that I have not been in the village for the past 6 days, so, I decided to stay behind and vei’alanoa (tell stories). I got up extra early this morning, did several loads of laundry, washed all of my dishes, gave Mogli a bath and covered him in flea powder.

Then I went up to catch a cell phone signal at the bulubulu (burial site). On my way back down the mountain I stopped to visit my Bubu Moli! She gave me some cocoa and bread with butter to take back to my house to eat today and tomorrow. What a wonderful woman! I love my Bubu Moli! She is also the one that announced in one of our community meetings that the village should bring me food and that I like fruit, prawns, and fish. Lol! Go Bubu! She is a preacher in a city, but is planning on retiring soon to come back and live in the village.Yay! She is the sister of the head of the mataqali that we buried a few weeks ago. I really think I would have like him! Their family is amazing!

The rest of the day I spent reading, relaxing, playing UNO with the kids (because of course it was not important enough for them to go to school this week either), and cooking. Oh, but I did go down to the house in the tidal zone at high tide to check out the chances of their house flooding. Ummm, they want to rebuild the sea wall higher with concrete, but I am so afraid of sea walls because of the destruction to the nearby habitats. I am trying to find another solution, maybe just building another mini sea wall close to their house. Not sure yet.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Today was spent packing for my two weeks away from site. I will be leaving tomorrow for Kara’s house. Lydia, Lisa, Kara, John, Leslie, Natalie, and I are going to get together for dinner. On Sunday Lydia and I are traveling to Lautoka to help Sarah teach Special Needs children to read!

The coolest thing happened today! We had our Women’s Club soli for the Kindergarten! The women got into two groups: one of the women born in the village and the other were women who married into the village! They had an all out war against each other to see who could donate the most money. The price for the soli was $10 each, but most women gave more. We collected over $800, of which I really hope goes to the teacher’s house, shower, bathroom, and kitchen. Sisi deserves the best! The women’s club was also having written song contests against each other. They each wrote their own song about the village of which I hope to get my hands on when I get back to post the Fijian and the translations in English. Fun times!

Also during the soli (fundraising event) the men of the men cooked dinner for all of the women! This is very rare in Fiji as the men hardly ever cook. The ibe ni kana (tablecloth) was laid out, the plates handed out, and the food was devoured and shared by all. The children had their own table and took three shifts for them all to get to eat. Lots of kids in my village!

We also need to pull together some random junk to make into a playground: like a wood teeter-tauter, some tires for swings, games, and handmade blocks. She has good ideas so I am sure this part will not be a problem.

One thing that I am concerned about is that the village wants to open the kindy as soon as I get back. Not leaving any time to receive the donations, buy new supplies, finish the teacher’s quarters, supply a salary, etc. I really wish the committee would just be patient for me so that we don’t start it out with a failure. They are pretty determined though… very anxious! We will see what all has happened during these two weeks that I will be gone.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Hopped on the boat at 6:00 AM this morning and headed to the main road. Took a bus to Kara’s village and then walked to the nearest store for some ice cream! Man was it a hot day. On our way back to her village we took a path off the side of the road to Kara’s waterfall and rock jumping spot. Mine is soooo much better… but I’m not bragging or anything! ;) Then we came back to the village, relaxed, waited on John, Leslie, Natalie, and Lisa to show up and began cooking a super delicious meal of spaghetti and garlic toast. After dinner they took off and we watched a movie… of course I fell asleep within ten minutes.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Woke up, cooked French toast, watched the new Harry Potter movie, and then headed out on the bus for Lautoka. The bus stopped in Rakiraki so we checked the mail and I found a slip for a package from dad that I needed to sign for. Well, I was headed to Lautoka so I decided to just take care of it in person! The bus ride along the coast was beautiful. The scenery changed from cliffs along the coast like my village, to rolling hills that look like Oklahoma. The city of Lautoka is quaint and warming. I felt at home there with sidewalks, parks, schools, a nice market, a movie theatre 4, and other white people. We stopped in at Sarah’s house and immediately went for a 7 km run. Wow, ok, I didn’t go for a 7 km run, more like a 5 km run, then a lazy walk. I am so out of shape… getting better every day though. After the rest of the volunteers arrived we made chili! With ground beef! So much better than chili from home, sorry mom, you know I was never a big fan. We are going to bed at a decent hour so that we can get up early and head to market for breakfast food. So, goodnight!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Got up at 6:30 AM to find out that the market does not open until 8:00 AM. Finished my book: The Witch of Portobello. We walked to market and bought lots of fruits (shared with Lydia – we are good at shopping together)! We also ran the other two errands that I needed to run, the post office and customs. So, at the Lautoka post office Lydia and I got to sign for our packages and see what was inside as the Quarantine and Customs Agent searched for anything prohibited. They were quite entertaining! The Quarantine guy just danced and sang while the quarantine guy tried to be serious. Lol, good times, had to be there. I received a package from dad!!! It had lots of cat toys, snickers energy bars, Graham Crackers, M&Ms, and lots of stuff for the kindy. I left it at the post office though since I am traveling around so much. They are sending it to Rakiraki for me so that when I get back I can pick it up closer to home! Yay! Thanks dad!

We got back to the house just in time to hop in a cab and go to the Sunshine Special School to start setting up for Literacy Camp/Library Week. We had a meeting with the teachers and volunteers and began preparing the rooms and the arts and crafts for tomorrow. So much to do and I still have no idea how to teach my lesson tomorrow. I guess I have some studying to do tonight.

September 22, 2009

Last night we spent a lot of time cutting out fish, scales, making flash cards, and going over what we were going to teach today. I am in the rhyming room where I will read “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” by Dr. Seuss. I am pretty excited about it! We visited with most of the children yesterday while they were on break and at lunch and I can see some challenges for today. I will write later to let you know how it went.

Whew, glad to be home. The children are such a wide range of specialness. I remember on Sunday I asked Sarah “Just how special are these children”? She didn’t have an answer for me at the time. It became more of a joke than a real question. I know now why I didn’t get a straight answer. They can be severely special needs such as not speaking any English and not listening to commands to very smart and should probably attend a regular public primary school. The Class 7 and 8 were really quite bright and great helpers. Most of the children are great at drawing and love to have fun! We had 8 groups that would switch to a different room every 30 minutes. So, I taught 8 different groups how to rhyme!

I had several frustrations today, but pushed through them as if I was not bothered. I have learned a lot of patience since I have graduated from college. Between raising a newborn to applying for Peace Corps, and now dealing with a different culture, I do not let a lot bother me. I think that after I leave Peace Corps I will learn even more about myself and what this experience has taught me. More than I will ever be able to access I am sure. How lucky I am!

Anyways, the children loved my room! I first explained to them what a rhyme was, then I asked them to help me name a word that rhymed with “fish”, or “can”, or “cat”. Some of the classes knew what I meant right off the bat and others I had to coax it out of them or give them the answers. Then I read “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” by Dr. Seuss. Then went back and explained a few examples from the book. I asked for a few words from the class and then had the children come up with the rhyming words. After that they were asked to make a sentence out of some of their new words, producing a rhyme. Went well with most classes! At the end of the day I feel like I accomplished something wonderful and I am glad that I volunteered to help although, I still walked to town to get an ice cream, go figure. Tomorrow is another day like today… Whew.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

We had to be at the school at 8:00 AM this morning for a teacher debriefing, of which none of them showed up for… so we started preparing for the day of teaching. Today my room was called “Underwater Adventure”. Last night everyone helped out drawing and coloring a long poster to hang on the wall of one of the classrooms and I drew pictures all over the chalkboard on the other side of the room. My assignment was to take the kids on an underwater adventure and tell them about the animals on the wall, read them a book, and let them write and draw what they saw. So, I decided to take them on a “boat ride and snorkel”! They stood outside the classroom as I asked them if they felt the boat rocking, they played along: swaying to the “big” waves. Then I told them I was feeling sick and that we should get into the water. We all put on our imaginary mask and fins and dove into the water. We swam around the room seeing the octopus, the coral reef, the treasure chest, a seahorse, a jellyfish and then a shark! I would scream when I saw the shark and start swimming faster. They all really got into it and were swimming around the room as fast as they could, screaming and happy. Then I would quite them down and ask them to take a seat. It is amazing how Fijians follow the leader so much and do not use their own imagination. I will teach them creativity! So, then I read them “Commotion in the Ocean” which taught them about the different animals around the room (of course throwing in some facts and sounds wherever I felt necessary)! They were given an underwater journal where they were given the opportunity to draw anything they wished. This was another hard concept. They are used to always begin told what to draw, and having the opportunity to free-draw took them a while to understand. After they began drawing their pictures they showed their talents! I was proud!

I just got back from going to dinner with all of the volunteers and one of the volunteer’s dads from America. We ate at a nice hotel restaurant and he paid for everyone’s meal! So nice! I had a vegetarian lasagna which was quite nice and then a Magnum dark chocolate ice cream bar for desert. Yummy meal! Time for bed, tomorrow is another teaching day!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Got up early again this morning to be at the school at 8:00 AM to prepare the rooms. Today over half of the school is going to sports day and so we will only have 5 groups and 6 rooms. My room is the “I Spy” room where I teach them how to play and then we make an attempt at the game. I must say, we had the littler ones today and they were not at the age yet to understand how to spell words, what rhymes with what, or even “I spy something yellow”. So there was a lot improvisation going on in my room! I usually had the children follow the leader since the two days before I noticed that they are very good at copying what others do. So we turned into cats, dogs, fish, horses, cows, snakes, sharks, frogs, etc. The class 1 through class 4 kids loved it! Although the day was shorter, I felt like a lot more work went into trying to teach a lesson that was not the appropriate skill or age level as well as a lesson that was not properly planned. I learned a lot through the experience and have a better idea of how to teach things at my district school. Possibly even a one week camp like this one!

I am just about to head out and catch a bus to Sigatoka to stay with another volunteer, Sean. I decided that since I only have boats on Thursday and Saturday and I needed to stay at the school on Thursday it would be more convenient for me to visit another volunteer between my work exchange and Peace Corps training near Nausori. So, I chose Sean! He always said I could visit and I know he is near lots of things to do, so off I go!

Well, I decided to take a minibus from Lautoka to Sigatoka because I knew it would be faster and more comfortable. I met lots of crazy people on the minibus and was happy about my decision. When I reached Sean we headed on into his village and hung out in his pad. He has a pretty nice little house with two bedrooms, kitchen/dining room, outside toilet, and a porch. He is also just a 15 minute walk to the Shangrila Fijian Hotel. So tomorrow I think we are headed over there! We are about to watch Love Actually. Hopefully I can stay up through it.

Friday, September 25, 2009

We got up this morning and cooked some fried tomatoes with toast. It was so good. I have never been one to cook with tomatoes, but Sean has shown me a whole new world of cooking! Last night for dinner we had breakfast crackers with a fresh basil leaf, a slice of cheese, and a slice of tomato. Really good! Another volunteer, Jeremy showed up around 9:00. We packed up our stuff and headed to the hotel. It was a beautiful walk through the woods to the hotel entrance and as we crossed the causeway I immediately saw all kinds of fish, so I was stoked for the snorkel trip! The hotel is huge and beautiful! I got to see the Environmental center they are working on, soon to open. It was adorable with a lot of good education information for hotel guests. The hotel is already green, but they are taking the right steps to making it greener!

So, on our snorkel we saw one lobster, one sea snake, two eels, one was a giant moray, three lionfish, four giant clams, five Moorish idols, and lots of coral, fish, and seaweed. The lagoon is perfect for families to snorkel and a great outlet for divers. He has a great set-up here in Fiji. Although, I am just as happy about being so remote and part of a family-like village. Fiji is so small yet everyone has such different experiences.

After our snorkel we took showers at the environmental center and then started walking home. We came up on a Putt-Putt!! I HAD to play! I explained to the cashier that we were volunteers helping villages for two years and he said we could play for free! YES! So I came in second, playing against Sean and Jeremy. We came back to Sean’s and made homemade spaghetti from scratch. I didn’t know it was possible. Lol. My cooking skills suck.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

So, the spaghetti was delicious, and then we were going to watch Pulp Fiction, but I passed out too early. This morning I woke up at 5:30 AM and studied the world map and the Fiji map on the wall. There are so many places in this world to discover and explore! Good thing I have my whole life ahead of me (Yes mom, your saying). I made French toast this morning and we had coconut, papaya, and bananas with it. Then Sean, Jeremy, and I headed to Sigatoka to shop and use the internet. We ended up eating lunch at a new restaurant that opened 5 days ago. They used to sell pirated dvds, but since Fiji is cracking down on that (won’t last more than a month), they opened a restaurant. I ordered a steak burger expecting a hamburger and I got sliced roast beef on sandwich bread with tomato and lettuce. Surprisingly, the meat was amazing and it was a really good burger! They also gave us a free Indian appetizer, which was too spicy for my taste, but such a nice gesture!

After lunch we bought a huge tub of cookies n’ cream ice cream and took it to Jeremy’s to devour. Mmmm, made my stomach hurt. So, off to the Sand Dunes National Park for a two-hour hike. We walked around on a trail through grasslands and sand dunes and then along the beach. There were magnificent waves and lots of rocks washing up on the shore. I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful day. Jeremy and Sean were very entertaining too. Sean almost killed himself running down a steep dune… I have pictures to prove it! We hitch-hiked back to Sean’s, made eggplant curry with cous cous, and now I need a shower. So sorry about the long blog.

I made videos and have taken lots of pictures of these experiences, but for some reason my computer does not want to read my memory card. So all of the pictures are blocked and may not ever make it off the memory card. Sorry to all.

Tomorrow we are headed towards Suva. We are actually going up to Nausori to visit our training villages that we left 9 weeks ago. They are as excited to see us as we are to see them! Cannot wait! We will also be meeting up with all of the other FRE-07 Peace Corps Volunteers. SO reunion time! I will type more later. Shower!