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.