Well, I'm home. The whole leaving Fiji and returning to America thing was much more anticlimactic than expected. I enjoyed a warm shower this morning and real milk. I'm very tired and every time I close my eyes, I think I'm in Fiji. Maybe wishing?
America is fantastic, it's great. But Fiji also had some real goodness too. I will miss so much about it. So far I have missed the people, saying bula, tilo and moce; being driven everywhere at a very cheap price and everyone wanting to talk about Fiji all the time. I feel like I went on a mini mission and I want to tell everyone all about it but instead they ask "How was Fiji? Hot? Cool" and end the conversation. Come on! Don't you want to know about how I murdered a mouse? Or James walked around in just a towel, covering his nipples? Wouldn't you like for me to fill you in on the cultural differences between here and there and how the people are? Isn't it interesting that I had bed bugs and we had to climb trees to watch the hotties playing rugby?
No? Okay, yes, Fiji was very hot and I loved every minute.
Next subject.
Sad.
I guess I'll be posting pictures soon, since I should have been doing that um, every week for the last three months.
Moce!
-etta
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Gotta be quick.
The bus leaves in half an hour and I still need to run to the corner shop to get some of the cake that the sweet woman only bakes every two weeks. They are coveted and I requested them yesterday and saw them in the window today. No, I will not let that opportunity pass me by.
I officially have bed bugs. Disgusting, I know. The way to get rid of them is to leave my mattress out in the sun (vulnerable to dogs, roosters, mice, spiders, etc) and have the sun kill them all. Is it worth it? I do hate waking up itchy, it's somewhat of an inconvenience.
Last weekend, there were four girls in the house. We returned from our weekend vaca early so that we might enjoy having the house to ourselves. As I was getting ready for bed, I saw a giant spider in our back room. Giant. I called for the girls. It was big enough that when Courtney came in and saw it she yelled "tarantula!!". As we were plotting how we would murder it, we saw a cockroach the size of my pointer finger on the wall. A decision needed to be made. Would we go after the spider or the cockroach first? Because I was quite persistent, I won. The spider would go first. With much screaming, stomping and only a few tears brimming, Rachel Miles successfully killed him. And then hit him some more. We had to be sure.
By the time that was done, the cockroach was gone. We knew that that would happen. We proceeded with our regular bedtime routine. As I was brushing my teeth, I saw something in the drain. In pure X-Files style, the little antenna of the huge bug were twitching in the drain. I swallowed my toothpaste and once again, called for the team to assemble. We watched it crawl up out of the drain and into the sink. Courtney Lebaron took the win this time as she was the one to do the murdering.
My turn. Sunday morning, we were (still just us girls as no one had returned yet) preparing some lunch when I saw a small mouse run across the kitchen floor. Team assemble. He was a tricky one as he would run under the fridge, we moved the fridge, he would run out, we would scream, he would go back under. This routine lasted longer than any of us would have hoped. Finally, he came at me. Knowing how diseased and germy the little vermin was, I had to do it. It was done with a broom. With one quick whack, I stunned him. He twitched. Rachel hit him with the fly swatter. Blood was smeared on the floor. He twitched again. Stacie hit him with the other fly swatter. He finally let go. Turns out, we don't need the boys at our house. But then agani, I most definitely prefer them doing the dirty work over me. Naturally.
Yesterday I was in the village of Nadolodolo, visiting Assay and her newest baby, which she named Unanaisi Dana, after Dana, one of the volunteers earlier in the summer that she had been close with. Dana will be elated to hear that she has a namesake. As we talked with Assay, a toddler crawled into my lap. Of course I didn't know this child but as her sticky brown arms wrapped tightly around my neck, I became nastalgic for Fiji and I'm still here.
Two weeks from today, I am jumping on an airplane home. I have mixed feelings about it. I am so excited to have carpet, warm water, family and good food. But I will miss hitchhiking, the fantastic people, the sun, walking anywhere barefoot and living with these new friends.
I will be forever grateful to the many Fijians who have taught me, laughed with me and spent a lot of time laughing at me. I think I'll need to do a similar experience next summer.
Hope the cakes haven't been sold out, gotta peace!
loves
I officially have bed bugs. Disgusting, I know. The way to get rid of them is to leave my mattress out in the sun (vulnerable to dogs, roosters, mice, spiders, etc) and have the sun kill them all. Is it worth it? I do hate waking up itchy, it's somewhat of an inconvenience.
Last weekend, there were four girls in the house. We returned from our weekend vaca early so that we might enjoy having the house to ourselves. As I was getting ready for bed, I saw a giant spider in our back room. Giant. I called for the girls. It was big enough that when Courtney came in and saw it she yelled "tarantula!!". As we were plotting how we would murder it, we saw a cockroach the size of my pointer finger on the wall. A decision needed to be made. Would we go after the spider or the cockroach first? Because I was quite persistent, I won. The spider would go first. With much screaming, stomping and only a few tears brimming, Rachel Miles successfully killed him. And then hit him some more. We had to be sure.
By the time that was done, the cockroach was gone. We knew that that would happen. We proceeded with our regular bedtime routine. As I was brushing my teeth, I saw something in the drain. In pure X-Files style, the little antenna of the huge bug were twitching in the drain. I swallowed my toothpaste and once again, called for the team to assemble. We watched it crawl up out of the drain and into the sink. Courtney Lebaron took the win this time as she was the one to do the murdering.
My turn. Sunday morning, we were (still just us girls as no one had returned yet) preparing some lunch when I saw a small mouse run across the kitchen floor. Team assemble. He was a tricky one as he would run under the fridge, we moved the fridge, he would run out, we would scream, he would go back under. This routine lasted longer than any of us would have hoped. Finally, he came at me. Knowing how diseased and germy the little vermin was, I had to do it. It was done with a broom. With one quick whack, I stunned him. He twitched. Rachel hit him with the fly swatter. Blood was smeared on the floor. He twitched again. Stacie hit him with the other fly swatter. He finally let go. Turns out, we don't need the boys at our house. But then agani, I most definitely prefer them doing the dirty work over me. Naturally.
Yesterday I was in the village of Nadolodolo, visiting Assay and her newest baby, which she named Unanaisi Dana, after Dana, one of the volunteers earlier in the summer that she had been close with. Dana will be elated to hear that she has a namesake. As we talked with Assay, a toddler crawled into my lap. Of course I didn't know this child but as her sticky brown arms wrapped tightly around my neck, I became nastalgic for Fiji and I'm still here.
Two weeks from today, I am jumping on an airplane home. I have mixed feelings about it. I am so excited to have carpet, warm water, family and good food. But I will miss hitchhiking, the fantastic people, the sun, walking anywhere barefoot and living with these new friends.
I will be forever grateful to the many Fijians who have taught me, laughed with me and spent a lot of time laughing at me. I think I'll need to do a similar experience next summer.
Hope the cakes haven't been sold out, gotta peace!
loves
Thursday, July 29, 2010
mt victoria
I know that my last blog post stated that I was going to go to the beach. Well, I didn't. Instead, I decided to climb the highest mountain in Fiji. Wow. It's such a climb! And of course there were Fijian children doing it barefoot! Seriously, these people are so strong. It's almost ridiculous.
And. I was about to get into the shower the other night and went into my room to get something for it. So, I'm in my towel and I sit down on my bedroom floor and pull my suitcase out from under the bed (yes, I live out of a suitcase.). I open the flap and see that something moves inside. I jump up and run around the house, gathering the warriors that were about to battle the mouse in my suitcase. They come together with their respective weapons of two fly swatters and a broom and are ready for war. We pull the suitcase into the middle room of the house and the girls stand behind mattress pads in doorways to keep the little bugger from escaping. The boys flip open the suitcase lid? and after some broomstick prodding, the tiny guy jumps out and starts running. I'm positive that he was aware that he was nearing the end of his life. To all mice out there: the minute you show your little furry face in my suitcase is INDEED the last day you will live.
So baby Stuart is running around the room and the men are swatting at him, missing. The girls are all screaming and barely holding up our only duty of hanging onto the mattress pads as borders. In an act of complete defense as the mouse was coming directly at him, James took a swing. and hit. The fly swatter ended the life of the mini rodent. He was smaller than the palm of my hand. That is three dead mice killed by our men. Two at James' hand.
I'm currently at Bron's house. She's pretty awesome and she has internet. It's such a weird thing for me to be sitting on a couch playing on the internet. Too bad the timing is really sucky for all Americans and no one is online. Oh, Bron is an Australian here that does some volunteer work but mostly just hangs out with us and teaches us how Australians say aluminum, advertisement and skeletal. And that they call making out pashing (I'm bringing that to America). She just asked me to mention vegemite which is some disgusting spread that is her country's pride and she made me eat it on toast. It was interesting...and not in the best of ways.
Lastly, I got a package today. It caused me to do a dance in the house. American candy, CONTACTS, a country version of People magazine. Roonie, thanks thanks thanks!
And brother said I can play with his computer while he's on his mission. Brother, thanks thanks thanks!
Fiji is good. Only a few more weeks? I better get to work :)
And. I was about to get into the shower the other night and went into my room to get something for it. So, I'm in my towel and I sit down on my bedroom floor and pull my suitcase out from under the bed (yes, I live out of a suitcase.). I open the flap and see that something moves inside. I jump up and run around the house, gathering the warriors that were about to battle the mouse in my suitcase. They come together with their respective weapons of two fly swatters and a broom and are ready for war. We pull the suitcase into the middle room of the house and the girls stand behind mattress pads in doorways to keep the little bugger from escaping. The boys flip open the suitcase lid? and after some broomstick prodding, the tiny guy jumps out and starts running. I'm positive that he was aware that he was nearing the end of his life. To all mice out there: the minute you show your little furry face in my suitcase is INDEED the last day you will live.
So baby Stuart is running around the room and the men are swatting at him, missing. The girls are all screaming and barely holding up our only duty of hanging onto the mattress pads as borders. In an act of complete defense as the mouse was coming directly at him, James took a swing. and hit. The fly swatter ended the life of the mini rodent. He was smaller than the palm of my hand. That is three dead mice killed by our men. Two at James' hand.
I'm currently at Bron's house. She's pretty awesome and she has internet. It's such a weird thing for me to be sitting on a couch playing on the internet. Too bad the timing is really sucky for all Americans and no one is online. Oh, Bron is an Australian here that does some volunteer work but mostly just hangs out with us and teaches us how Australians say aluminum, advertisement and skeletal. And that they call making out pashing (I'm bringing that to America). She just asked me to mention vegemite which is some disgusting spread that is her country's pride and she made me eat it on toast. It was interesting...and not in the best of ways.
Lastly, I got a package today. It caused me to do a dance in the house. American candy, CONTACTS, a country version of People magazine. Roonie, thanks thanks thanks!
And brother said I can play with his computer while he's on his mission. Brother, thanks thanks thanks!
Fiji is good. Only a few more weeks? I better get to work :)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Two times...nasty.
The other day i was with this girl courtney (i apologize in advance because the shift button doesn't really work so nothing will be capitalized) and we were getting on the bus. we sat down and she had seated herself on the bench in front of me. i saw some green goop on her arm and asked her what it was. she freaked out when she realized that it was bird poop. nasty! so, she wiped it on the bar directly behind her. a few minutes later, there was a small fijian child talking to me. i put my hands on the bar in front of me to turn around and speak with her. the minute i put my hands on the bar, i realized that i had just placed my hand directly where courtney had wiped the bird poop. we laughed because it was disgusting and what are the chances? lots of purell and a good story to take home.
yesterday courtney and i were in lautoka and we were, for lack of better words, kinda lost. i decided that the best way to find our way back was to ask for directions. there were a few women across the street so we crossed and i began to ask them for directions. as they were answering me, i saw that courtney was acting weird. she wasn't participating in the conversation but rather, was turned away from us. how rude, right? i returned my full attention to the women that were trying to guide us home and placed my hand on a bus stop sign right near me. why did i do that? now i'm not so sure. but once again, the minute i put my hand on it, i knew something was wrong. i pulled my hand away and seeing what was on it, i quickly excused myself from the women and we began to walk away. a giant glob of snot was planted directly in my palm. someone threw down a huge lugee (sp?) on that post and the reason courtney wasnt talking to those women was because she had just gotten it on her hand and was silently freaking out. she got it off...by wiping it back onto the post. the post where i decided to grab just then.
nasty, eh?
i don't have too much exciting to say. i am going to the beach for the second time since i've been in fiji. wait, third. contrary to what it might seem, i am far from a beach. i am in a little town on the coast but not near any clean water or beaches. it's super hot and i'm excited to play in some water tomorrow.
i've decided that i'm too high maintenace for cold showers. i really thought i could do it but i can't. i've realized that i can boil two pots of water, sit on the floor of the shower and enjoy a little hot bath. worth it!
there was a spider the size of my palm in my bedroom yesterday. oh well. yes, this is me, saying that i don't mind that the spider is in my room. who have i become?! still, i hate them but i assure you, after seeing four mice in my kitchen in one day - a spider ain't much.
the people continue to be amazing and often times (sorry mom), we hitchhike instead of paying the expensive taxi fares. they're so nice and they love to drive us places just to talk to us. i saw a white baby yesterday and he had blond hair and bright blue eyes and looked at me and waved and called out "bula!". so funny.
i only have a month left and i'm already sad. don't get me wrong, i will be delighted to return to the warm water, people and the food but i will be sad to leave this place.
also, i gave my first book of mormon to a stranger the other day and it was great! cam, i'm excited for you! and i've decided that the worst thing in the world is a missed opportunity. can you think of anything worse?
all my love,
me
yesterday courtney and i were in lautoka and we were, for lack of better words, kinda lost. i decided that the best way to find our way back was to ask for directions. there were a few women across the street so we crossed and i began to ask them for directions. as they were answering me, i saw that courtney was acting weird. she wasn't participating in the conversation but rather, was turned away from us. how rude, right? i returned my full attention to the women that were trying to guide us home and placed my hand on a bus stop sign right near me. why did i do that? now i'm not so sure. but once again, the minute i put my hand on it, i knew something was wrong. i pulled my hand away and seeing what was on it, i quickly excused myself from the women and we began to walk away. a giant glob of snot was planted directly in my palm. someone threw down a huge lugee (sp?) on that post and the reason courtney wasnt talking to those women was because she had just gotten it on her hand and was silently freaking out. she got it off...by wiping it back onto the post. the post where i decided to grab just then.
nasty, eh?
i don't have too much exciting to say. i am going to the beach for the second time since i've been in fiji. wait, third. contrary to what it might seem, i am far from a beach. i am in a little town on the coast but not near any clean water or beaches. it's super hot and i'm excited to play in some water tomorrow.
i've decided that i'm too high maintenace for cold showers. i really thought i could do it but i can't. i've realized that i can boil two pots of water, sit on the floor of the shower and enjoy a little hot bath. worth it!
there was a spider the size of my palm in my bedroom yesterday. oh well. yes, this is me, saying that i don't mind that the spider is in my room. who have i become?! still, i hate them but i assure you, after seeing four mice in my kitchen in one day - a spider ain't much.
the people continue to be amazing and often times (sorry mom), we hitchhike instead of paying the expensive taxi fares. they're so nice and they love to drive us places just to talk to us. i saw a white baby yesterday and he had blond hair and bright blue eyes and looked at me and waved and called out "bula!". so funny.
i only have a month left and i'm already sad. don't get me wrong, i will be delighted to return to the warm water, people and the food but i will be sad to leave this place.
also, i gave my first book of mormon to a stranger the other day and it was great! cam, i'm excited for you! and i've decided that the worst thing in the world is a missed opportunity. can you think of anything worse?
all my love,
me
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The prisland
Big world, small church.
There is a city called Suva on the other side of the island. It's about five hours away from my town and it's where the LDS temple is located. About a month ago, a few people from our group went to Suva for the weekend to go to the temple and to just play (there is a hike that includes a rope swing into a large body of water at the end). They attended the ward there and were invited by a nice family to have lunch with them after. They went over to this HUGE house and found that the family had lived in the States for a few years. So, every time any of our group goes to visit Suva, there is a standing invitation for us to have lunch with this family. They're great.
We went last weekend and the family invited us to come hang out with them on their PRIVATE ISLAND. Um, okay. They were going because their nephew was being baptized. There were about thirty people (family and friends) on the whole island and they loved us! They called us the Americans and the kids especially loved us and they displayed that affection by throwing sand on us. Joke is on them, I am a snitch by blood and went and told their parents. They had to go to bed. We got to stay up and eat cookies and drink hot chocolate by the fire. :) Seriously, the kids loved us and they were really fun to be around when they weren't spraying white specs of sand on our heads and down our shirts.
Courtney and Caleb and myself walked around the beach on Saturday and found starfish. They are navy blue and huge! We decided to keep them. Court named hers Patrick (naturally) and I named mine Leluvia (that was the island that we were on) and we just call her Luvi. Sadly, both Patrick and Luvi smell pretty bad at this point in their lives. Also, having a pet starfish made me wonder about how these beings reproduce. I found it. And found it very interesting. Look it up if you also want to know.
The baptism was on Sunday and freakishly, there was a cyclone that day. The rain and wind was maniacal and it was hard to hear each other speak. But the baptism continued and seeing the little eight year old boy being baptized in the ocean by his father with the rain pounding on them...beautiful.
The women there loved us Americans and offered to take us shopping this weekend at the flea market and CostULess which is supposed to be similar to Costco. We are SO EXCITED! Janey and I are leaving tonight for the five hour bus ride so that I can go to the optometrist tomorrow morning. Yay for getting my eyes fixed!
We returned from Suva to Tavua and back to gardening! I have been frustrated with gardening the past week or so because I feel like people want me to just show up and do it for them. Our purpose is to help them help themselves, not to do handouts. So I have been reluctant to build gardens the past few days. That all changed yesterday when I went to my fave village of Vanuakula. These people are AMAZING. They literally do all of the work and just enjoy our company. Janey and I taught them to do a garden and helped them with two. Their village now has six and they are doing it all on their own. That's what we're striving for! I LOVE THEM! And Janey and Rachel and myself walked out of that village yesterday with handmade milk pops, bracelets, earrings and necklaces. I felt like royalty. They are so great.
About half done and yesterday I realized that I'm scared to return to America. I really am. I feel like I have a small understanding of what missionaries feel like. Small, I know.
There is a city called Suva on the other side of the island. It's about five hours away from my town and it's where the LDS temple is located. About a month ago, a few people from our group went to Suva for the weekend to go to the temple and to just play (there is a hike that includes a rope swing into a large body of water at the end). They attended the ward there and were invited by a nice family to have lunch with them after. They went over to this HUGE house and found that the family had lived in the States for a few years. So, every time any of our group goes to visit Suva, there is a standing invitation for us to have lunch with this family. They're great.
We went last weekend and the family invited us to come hang out with them on their PRIVATE ISLAND. Um, okay. They were going because their nephew was being baptized. There were about thirty people (family and friends) on the whole island and they loved us! They called us the Americans and the kids especially loved us and they displayed that affection by throwing sand on us. Joke is on them, I am a snitch by blood and went and told their parents. They had to go to bed. We got to stay up and eat cookies and drink hot chocolate by the fire. :) Seriously, the kids loved us and they were really fun to be around when they weren't spraying white specs of sand on our heads and down our shirts.
Courtney and Caleb and myself walked around the beach on Saturday and found starfish. They are navy blue and huge! We decided to keep them. Court named hers Patrick (naturally) and I named mine Leluvia (that was the island that we were on) and we just call her Luvi. Sadly, both Patrick and Luvi smell pretty bad at this point in their lives. Also, having a pet starfish made me wonder about how these beings reproduce. I found it. And found it very interesting. Look it up if you also want to know.
The baptism was on Sunday and freakishly, there was a cyclone that day. The rain and wind was maniacal and it was hard to hear each other speak. But the baptism continued and seeing the little eight year old boy being baptized in the ocean by his father with the rain pounding on them...beautiful.
The women there loved us Americans and offered to take us shopping this weekend at the flea market and CostULess which is supposed to be similar to Costco. We are SO EXCITED! Janey and I are leaving tonight for the five hour bus ride so that I can go to the optometrist tomorrow morning. Yay for getting my eyes fixed!
We returned from Suva to Tavua and back to gardening! I have been frustrated with gardening the past week or so because I feel like people want me to just show up and do it for them. Our purpose is to help them help themselves, not to do handouts. So I have been reluctant to build gardens the past few days. That all changed yesterday when I went to my fave village of Vanuakula. These people are AMAZING. They literally do all of the work and just enjoy our company. Janey and I taught them to do a garden and helped them with two. Their village now has six and they are doing it all on their own. That's what we're striving for! I LOVE THEM! And Janey and Rachel and myself walked out of that village yesterday with handmade milk pops, bracelets, earrings and necklaces. I felt like royalty. They are so great.
About half done and yesterday I realized that I'm scared to return to America. I really am. I feel like I have a small understanding of what missionaries feel like. Small, I know.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
pictures.
Monday, July 5, 2010
The good and the bad.
I have decided that the greatest thing about Fiji and the worst thing about Fiji is the same: the people are so happy. This is the greatest attribute of this country for obvious reasons. However, it's the worst because they are completely content with their way of life. Their children have scabies, they walk around barefoot, they often don't have clean water and the wives sit home while the men work - only during the sugarcane season. The children and adults have teeth that are literally rotting but they don't address it because they don't know, don't care, can't afford to.
This group of young, healthy, rich Americans comes to help them. We ask them what it is that they need most. What can we do to help you live a better life? And they want to just serve us cookies and juice and talk to us. Sure, build us a garden if that means you are going to come over and spend time with us. Do you like Fiji? It's hot here, eh? Want to marry a Fijian? Yes, yes and of course. But don't you want us to help you? We have money and resources and knowledge and capable, willing hands.
They are happy, they are content. I have sincerely never seen a happier people and never seen living conditions as sad as this. It's hard to help a poverty-stricken family, community, country when they don't see a need. They are grateful to be alive and to have loved ones and that's all they need.
I came here to teach them about the greatness of Western civilazation. I came here to educate them on how to better their lives. Maybe I'm the one learning the lesson. Fiji is helping me to really see and think. and sweat.
I can't remember if I have blogged about this before but I'll do it again if I have already. There really aren't any orphanages in Fiji. This is because this country is so family-oriented that if there is a child abandoned or in need, they are just taken in. Everyone belongs to someone. Not to go into a great deal of details but there is racial tension here between the Indians and the Fijians. A mixed marriage between the two races is uncommon and I've only met one family where that is the situation. Anyway, it's obvious. You are either in an Indian village or a Fijian village.
I was in a Fijian village the other day and I saw this little Indian girl running around. Ana. About ten years old, bright, smart, playful and of course, like all children in this country, beautiful. She called a very old Fijian woman her mother. Someone in our group talked to the mother and got the story. This little Ana's mom was single and very much alone and couldn't take care of her child. The older woman (Ana's adoptive mother) already had grown children but still took little Ana in. When the person in our group asked if that was hard, given the current situation between the two cultures, she responded with "I didn't see Indian or Fijian. I saw a child of God."
Beautiful.
I have been here for about a month. About seven people in our group are preparing to go home. I can't imagine going home within the next two weeks because finally, after a month, I'm really starting to feel like I belong. I am now used to the ugly stray dogs, to the damn roosters cockadoodling from 10 pm to 8 am and to the language barrier. One month down, two to go. I wish you could all see what I see. But I'll try my best to capture it through video and pictures.
This group of young, healthy, rich Americans comes to help them. We ask them what it is that they need most. What can we do to help you live a better life? And they want to just serve us cookies and juice and talk to us. Sure, build us a garden if that means you are going to come over and spend time with us. Do you like Fiji? It's hot here, eh? Want to marry a Fijian? Yes, yes and of course. But don't you want us to help you? We have money and resources and knowledge and capable, willing hands.
They are happy, they are content. I have sincerely never seen a happier people and never seen living conditions as sad as this. It's hard to help a poverty-stricken family, community, country when they don't see a need. They are grateful to be alive and to have loved ones and that's all they need.
I came here to teach them about the greatness of Western civilazation. I came here to educate them on how to better their lives. Maybe I'm the one learning the lesson. Fiji is helping me to really see and think. and sweat.
I can't remember if I have blogged about this before but I'll do it again if I have already. There really aren't any orphanages in Fiji. This is because this country is so family-oriented that if there is a child abandoned or in need, they are just taken in. Everyone belongs to someone. Not to go into a great deal of details but there is racial tension here between the Indians and the Fijians. A mixed marriage between the two races is uncommon and I've only met one family where that is the situation. Anyway, it's obvious. You are either in an Indian village or a Fijian village.
I was in a Fijian village the other day and I saw this little Indian girl running around. Ana. About ten years old, bright, smart, playful and of course, like all children in this country, beautiful. She called a very old Fijian woman her mother. Someone in our group talked to the mother and got the story. This little Ana's mom was single and very much alone and couldn't take care of her child. The older woman (Ana's adoptive mother) already had grown children but still took little Ana in. When the person in our group asked if that was hard, given the current situation between the two cultures, she responded with "I didn't see Indian or Fijian. I saw a child of God."
Beautiful.
I have been here for about a month. About seven people in our group are preparing to go home. I can't imagine going home within the next two weeks because finally, after a month, I'm really starting to feel like I belong. I am now used to the ugly stray dogs, to the damn roosters cockadoodling from 10 pm to 8 am and to the language barrier. One month down, two to go. I wish you could all see what I see. But I'll try my best to capture it through video and pictures.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Saying your prayers
I have pictures! Okay, Janey has pictures! But I'm in some! And I basically do the same things as she does so I have all the same shots. Go here!
http://janeytaylor.blogspot.com/
Yesterday we went to my very favorite village of Vanuakula. We spoke with my very favorite woman in all of Fiji, Vere. We were checking on her garden that we helped build last week, which looked good. Then we went over to her neighbor Lavenia's house to build her a garden. When we got there, she already had a beautiful frame set up with the darkest, richest soil all ready to go. This is rare because usually they need help building the frame and loading the soil. I asked her where she got it and she said that her husband did it all for her.
Let me tell you about this woman's husband: when we get there, he is in the kitchen preparing something for us to eat. And, he's watching the children. And since he is desiring to become a pastor, he doesn't smoke, drink or swear. And he allows his wife to go out clubbing at nights. He is the sweetest, most patient and giving man I think I've ever met. We all think she is lucky to have him and it's actually a common topic in my house.
So Lavenia reveals that her husband did all of this work for her. I asked her how she found such a husband because I wanted one. She said "I prayed for one". I asked her "oh? Is that what you did?" She laughed and responded "No, he prayed for me!"
Her sister then piped in and said "He prayed for a lazy wife?!" We all laughed so hard!
Later, Vere was showing me her plants and revealed that she had actually fed us with the crop from those plants last time we came! I said "wow, that's great!" and I turned around to my people and said "This is the eggplant she served us last time we came!" and then I whispered "which I didn't eat..." and I turned back around and Vere was close to my face and placed one finger under my chin and said half-kidding half-scolding "You didn't eat my food?!" It scared me so bad because I didn't know that she was that close to me! She of course was very sweet about it as I explained that I am a picky eater by nature and hate all things fish. I seriously love her. She is plump and quiet but she's funny.
One last thing that happened in that village was that Janey was introducing me to the new people as "heifer" because a. she thinks it's funny and 2. its really hard for them to say my name. So, she tells them it's heifer and because they think that's really my name and don't speak English well enough to know what it really means, they call me that. So she told Vere yesterday that she can call me heifer if she has a hard time pronouncing my name. I told Vere that she should NOT call me that because she is actually calling me a cow. She thought that was funny and told us that the Fijian name for cow is bulamacow. And now she calls me that. Knowing what it is. She's the best. Kinda.
Love it here. It's kata kata vaca levu and I love it.
http://janeytaylor.blogspot.com/
Yesterday we went to my very favorite village of Vanuakula. We spoke with my very favorite woman in all of Fiji, Vere. We were checking on her garden that we helped build last week, which looked good. Then we went over to her neighbor Lavenia's house to build her a garden. When we got there, she already had a beautiful frame set up with the darkest, richest soil all ready to go. This is rare because usually they need help building the frame and loading the soil. I asked her where she got it and she said that her husband did it all for her.
Let me tell you about this woman's husband: when we get there, he is in the kitchen preparing something for us to eat. And, he's watching the children. And since he is desiring to become a pastor, he doesn't smoke, drink or swear. And he allows his wife to go out clubbing at nights. He is the sweetest, most patient and giving man I think I've ever met. We all think she is lucky to have him and it's actually a common topic in my house.
So Lavenia reveals that her husband did all of this work for her. I asked her how she found such a husband because I wanted one. She said "I prayed for one". I asked her "oh? Is that what you did?" She laughed and responded "No, he prayed for me!"
Her sister then piped in and said "He prayed for a lazy wife?!" We all laughed so hard!
Later, Vere was showing me her plants and revealed that she had actually fed us with the crop from those plants last time we came! I said "wow, that's great!" and I turned around to my people and said "This is the eggplant she served us last time we came!" and then I whispered "which I didn't eat..." and I turned back around and Vere was close to my face and placed one finger under my chin and said half-kidding half-scolding "You didn't eat my food?!" It scared me so bad because I didn't know that she was that close to me! She of course was very sweet about it as I explained that I am a picky eater by nature and hate all things fish. I seriously love her. She is plump and quiet but she's funny.
One last thing that happened in that village was that Janey was introducing me to the new people as "heifer" because a. she thinks it's funny and 2. its really hard for them to say my name. So, she tells them it's heifer and because they think that's really my name and don't speak English well enough to know what it really means, they call me that. So she told Vere yesterday that she can call me heifer if she has a hard time pronouncing my name. I told Vere that she should NOT call me that because she is actually calling me a cow. She thought that was funny and told us that the Fijian name for cow is bulamacow. And now she calls me that. Knowing what it is. She's the best. Kinda.
Love it here. It's kata kata vaca levu and I love it.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Dead mouse
Also, I have a short story to tell. Remember how I said that there were mice in my house? Well, one of those mouse went into James' suitcase and ate a little bit of every one of his hidden granola bars. He had to throw out like twenty of them. The rage he was experiencing was almost humorous. He went into detail about how, WHEN (not if) he caught the mouse, he was going to break it's little legs and wear it's blood like war paint on his face. More details were given, not all need to be shared. So he set up this trap that involved a cinderblock falling onto the mouse. What happened? The cinderblock fell...on someone's foot. James' anger only increased as this small mouse seemed to be outsmarting him day after day.
One morning I awoke to Skyler, James' roommate, stating that the mouse was in their room. James yelled that he had been waiting all week for this. He and Skyler and Caleb made loud noises and yells for several minutes in their room. Then silence. Then cheers. James came out with the dead baby mouse on a fly swatter. With one swipe, he killed the little mouse. He grinned as he held it up for pictures. Told the mouse that he hoped it would burn in hell and as he threw it's carcass into the backyard, he yelled "tell all your mouse friends that you're dead!"
living with boys is as fun as I predicted. and they are clean.
One morning I awoke to Skyler, James' roommate, stating that the mouse was in their room. James yelled that he had been waiting all week for this. He and Skyler and Caleb made loud noises and yells for several minutes in their room. Then silence. Then cheers. James came out with the dead baby mouse on a fly swatter. With one swipe, he killed the little mouse. He grinned as he held it up for pictures. Told the mouse that he hoped it would burn in hell and as he threw it's carcass into the backyard, he yelled "tell all your mouse friends that you're dead!"
living with boys is as fun as I predicted. and they are clean.
Foods
Contrary to what I thought and mostly desired, I am not getting thinner on this trip. I am certainly becoming more...plump?
Here is what I eat: in the morning we have what are called scorns with butter, which is essentially cornbread. It's delicious. I also often eat boiled eggs, which my peers laugh at me for. Then we are force fed cookies (like Iago on Aladdin) and often really watered down juices by the people we serve. They are so gracious. Too bad I am never hungry and almost never enjoy the food.
Then we go to the fresh market where I have recently discovered the pineapple. For one Fijian dollar, they will slice up a whole pineapple for you right there. And it's delicious and you can eat it on the go, which we always need to. Also at the market we find bananas and oranges. Weird note about fruits here in Fiji: you want to eat them while they're green. Oranges and bananas are ripe when they're green. After green they become brown (and they do it FAST!) and then they are rotten. And the bananas are so good that we call them banana grenades, so much flavor in such a small thing!
For dinner, a Fijian woman Arietta cooks for us. She makes rice and roti (if we're lucky) and some sort of curry. That's pretty much every night. Some night the curry has tuna or another fish in it so I just eat rice for dinner. And sometimes she makes tomato chutney. Oh. My. Gosh. It's my fave. Although it's filled with onions and peppers and leaks bubbles of oil, I love it. Speaking of oil, they sell it in bags here. Gross, huh? And everything they make is super oily. I sweat oil.
I also eat a lot of peanut butter, cakes (they seriously know how to do it in Fiji) and fiber bars. I have yet to open my giant bottles of Pepto Bismal. Perhaps my stomach is stronger than I ever believed it to be.
So I'm being well fed but would certainly appreciate some trail mix or candy or whatever. Those things are not to be found around here. Also, there is no dairy here. Milk is the powdered kind and I have yet to see a cheese.
Fat and happy.
me.
Here is what I eat: in the morning we have what are called scorns with butter, which is essentially cornbread. It's delicious. I also often eat boiled eggs, which my peers laugh at me for. Then we are force fed cookies (like Iago on Aladdin) and often really watered down juices by the people we serve. They are so gracious. Too bad I am never hungry and almost never enjoy the food.
Then we go to the fresh market where I have recently discovered the pineapple. For one Fijian dollar, they will slice up a whole pineapple for you right there. And it's delicious and you can eat it on the go, which we always need to. Also at the market we find bananas and oranges. Weird note about fruits here in Fiji: you want to eat them while they're green. Oranges and bananas are ripe when they're green. After green they become brown (and they do it FAST!) and then they are rotten. And the bananas are so good that we call them banana grenades, so much flavor in such a small thing!
For dinner, a Fijian woman Arietta cooks for us. She makes rice and roti (if we're lucky) and some sort of curry. That's pretty much every night. Some night the curry has tuna or another fish in it so I just eat rice for dinner. And sometimes she makes tomato chutney. Oh. My. Gosh. It's my fave. Although it's filled with onions and peppers and leaks bubbles of oil, I love it. Speaking of oil, they sell it in bags here. Gross, huh? And everything they make is super oily. I sweat oil.
I also eat a lot of peanut butter, cakes (they seriously know how to do it in Fiji) and fiber bars. I have yet to open my giant bottles of Pepto Bismal. Perhaps my stomach is stronger than I ever believed it to be.
So I'm being well fed but would certainly appreciate some trail mix or candy or whatever. Those things are not to be found around here. Also, there is no dairy here. Milk is the powdered kind and I have yet to see a cheese.
Fat and happy.
me.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
A day in the life of
me. I feel like the great thing about being here is that every day is so different! But I'll give you the last day or so, to give you an understanding of what COULD happen while here. Once again, each day is super different.
Yesterday, Janey and I got up and went to the town of Dramasi to visit with an Indian lady (Urmelia) and her family and to help them build a garden. Because we are both relatively new to Fiji, we were a bit nervous about the traveling on our own. However, always ready for an adventure, we headed out! We rode the public buses (one of our FAVOURITE things to do because you are sitting and the windows are allowing a breeze from your sweaty body sticking to the pleather seats) and got off on a dirt road in Dramasi. Great, where do we go from there? An Indian man got off at the same stop and insisted that we go to his house and "rest" (super common here) for a while. We tried to politely decline but because of the language barrier - which is approximately 100% - he didn't understand and we ended up following him. He took us to his house and we sat on his porch, where we could see the road in case someone was going to come for us. His wife came out and served us juice (which happens everywhere we go...or it's cocoa or tea which I don't understand why they would drink that in this heat...) and stared at us. Palangi (white people) are super uncommon on this side of Fiji and people are often excited to see us. So, she watched us drink our juice. Janey and I tried to make conversation but the language barrier, as always, was too much and we were unsuccessful.
Finally, we called Urmelia and told her where we were. She yelled that that was far from her house and we shouldn't have gotten off the bus so early. Sorry? That's where the bus driver told us to get off! I handed the phone to our host and he spoke with her. He found out where she lived and agreed to walk us to her place. Before we went about our way, he chopped down two giant pieces of sugar cane for us. In case you don't know what sugar cane looks like, it's really similar looking to corn. It grows in tall green straws in rows. He grabbed his machete (they are everywhere. children literally run around with them in their hands) and hacked two down for us. They are what sugar is made of so they are kinda like giant candy canes. You just bite into it and suck and it's sugary water. I'm not in love with it but the Fijian people eat it all the time (which could account for their less than desirable teeth). So, Janey and I had these swords for sugar canes and were trying to eat them as we walked with this man on the dusty, hot road.
After about a mile uphill, he finally pointed out where we could go. He then gave us his phone number and told us to call him if we ever needed anything. The people here are so so nice!
We walked up the rest of the way and were greeted by Urmelia. She immediately took me into her arms and kissed me and called me her daughter. Her son brought out juice and cookies and we sat and ate. Though we were not hungry. Most of the time this is the case. After chatting for a while (understanding about 65% of what she was saying), we decided to get gardening. Urmelia did not want us to get burned so she put those large and in charge straw hats on our heads. Unfortunately for all involved, this put Janey and myself into a fit of giggles. I was trying to be professional as I explained to her the benefits of a square-foot garden and how we would plant it but as soon as I got myself under control, I would see Janey's pink face under that sun hat and start giggling again.
Then we built the garden. Her husband helped. Then they fed us gross food. Janey whispered that her mouth was on fire. I moved food about my plate as if I had tried it. Then she offered us coffee. No thanks. Really, we're full. Okay, thank you. The husband insisted we drink it. Normally this would be some sort of circumstance where I could stand out and say I don't drink coffee but no, they don't understand me. All they understand is how rude it is that we're just holding our cups. After several scoops of sugar, I managed a few sips. Uck.
Then Urmelia took an interest in Janey's age and realized that she would be the perfect bride for her son. She took her hand and led her into a back bedroom where she and her daughter-in-law stripped Janey to dress her in a sari. The best part of the whole day was when they were taking her clothes off and Janey begged to keep her shirt on. I turned around to get my camera and turned back to see that the shirt was off. Janey had lost that war. She was now their little doll (and future family member!) and they needed to dress her correctly. She was a good sport and went outside in her sari, posed with the family and declined to keep it as a gift. She then said that I wanted to try it on. Okay, I did. And they're beautiful. And I was disappointed to find out that the little dots that the Indian women wear on their foreheads are just for fashion. If you're married, you wear one. If you're not, you don't have to. And the jeweled ones are just to look nice. Here I was thinking that it was religious...
Then Janey and I hopped on the bus to come home. We got home and played Norwegataire and I won twice. Excellent. Since it gets dark at about 5 pm and we're not allowed outside after that, we play a lot of cards.
I fell asleep on Janey's bed while we all watched "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" and did not have restful sleep. I was in the fetal position at the bottom of her bed.
We got up and headed out to check on some of our gardens. That was just this morning. While we were there, the kids were getting out of kindy (kindergarten) and saw the palangi and came RUNNING at us! I have learned important Fijian words like run, climb, hi, bye, come and some of the children's songs (though I'm certain I'm singing them wrong) and that makes the kids love us! We played with them for probably longer than we should have and decided to head out and be productive for the rest of the day.
As we jumped into the carrier (pick up truck with a cover over the bed that charges you to take you places), the children were literally hanging on as we drove off. We all screamed good-bye at them so they would jump off. They eventually did. I wanted to take EVERY one of them home.
We went to do work at the Church. I climbed a tree and asked Janey if she would give me money to jump out. She said no, that it was too easy of a jump. I jumped. It was not too easy. I think my chin is bruising as we speak. or read?
After that? Pizza. Now the internet cafe and I need to leave to go do a garden in the village of Yasi Yasi. This probably wasn't near as entertaining for you to read as it was for me to experience but alas, here it is.
Loves!
me
Yesterday, Janey and I got up and went to the town of Dramasi to visit with an Indian lady (Urmelia) and her family and to help them build a garden. Because we are both relatively new to Fiji, we were a bit nervous about the traveling on our own. However, always ready for an adventure, we headed out! We rode the public buses (one of our FAVOURITE things to do because you are sitting and the windows are allowing a breeze from your sweaty body sticking to the pleather seats) and got off on a dirt road in Dramasi. Great, where do we go from there? An Indian man got off at the same stop and insisted that we go to his house and "rest" (super common here) for a while. We tried to politely decline but because of the language barrier - which is approximately 100% - he didn't understand and we ended up following him. He took us to his house and we sat on his porch, where we could see the road in case someone was going to come for us. His wife came out and served us juice (which happens everywhere we go...or it's cocoa or tea which I don't understand why they would drink that in this heat...) and stared at us. Palangi (white people) are super uncommon on this side of Fiji and people are often excited to see us. So, she watched us drink our juice. Janey and I tried to make conversation but the language barrier, as always, was too much and we were unsuccessful.
Finally, we called Urmelia and told her where we were. She yelled that that was far from her house and we shouldn't have gotten off the bus so early. Sorry? That's where the bus driver told us to get off! I handed the phone to our host and he spoke with her. He found out where she lived and agreed to walk us to her place. Before we went about our way, he chopped down two giant pieces of sugar cane for us. In case you don't know what sugar cane looks like, it's really similar looking to corn. It grows in tall green straws in rows. He grabbed his machete (they are everywhere. children literally run around with them in their hands) and hacked two down for us. They are what sugar is made of so they are kinda like giant candy canes. You just bite into it and suck and it's sugary water. I'm not in love with it but the Fijian people eat it all the time (which could account for their less than desirable teeth). So, Janey and I had these swords for sugar canes and were trying to eat them as we walked with this man on the dusty, hot road.
After about a mile uphill, he finally pointed out where we could go. He then gave us his phone number and told us to call him if we ever needed anything. The people here are so so nice!
We walked up the rest of the way and were greeted by Urmelia. She immediately took me into her arms and kissed me and called me her daughter. Her son brought out juice and cookies and we sat and ate. Though we were not hungry. Most of the time this is the case. After chatting for a while (understanding about 65% of what she was saying), we decided to get gardening. Urmelia did not want us to get burned so she put those large and in charge straw hats on our heads. Unfortunately for all involved, this put Janey and myself into a fit of giggles. I was trying to be professional as I explained to her the benefits of a square-foot garden and how we would plant it but as soon as I got myself under control, I would see Janey's pink face under that sun hat and start giggling again.
Then we built the garden. Her husband helped. Then they fed us gross food. Janey whispered that her mouth was on fire. I moved food about my plate as if I had tried it. Then she offered us coffee. No thanks. Really, we're full. Okay, thank you. The husband insisted we drink it. Normally this would be some sort of circumstance where I could stand out and say I don't drink coffee but no, they don't understand me. All they understand is how rude it is that we're just holding our cups. After several scoops of sugar, I managed a few sips. Uck.
Then Urmelia took an interest in Janey's age and realized that she would be the perfect bride for her son. She took her hand and led her into a back bedroom where she and her daughter-in-law stripped Janey to dress her in a sari. The best part of the whole day was when they were taking her clothes off and Janey begged to keep her shirt on. I turned around to get my camera and turned back to see that the shirt was off. Janey had lost that war. She was now their little doll (and future family member!) and they needed to dress her correctly. She was a good sport and went outside in her sari, posed with the family and declined to keep it as a gift. She then said that I wanted to try it on. Okay, I did. And they're beautiful. And I was disappointed to find out that the little dots that the Indian women wear on their foreheads are just for fashion. If you're married, you wear one. If you're not, you don't have to. And the jeweled ones are just to look nice. Here I was thinking that it was religious...
Then Janey and I hopped on the bus to come home. We got home and played Norwegataire and I won twice. Excellent. Since it gets dark at about 5 pm and we're not allowed outside after that, we play a lot of cards.
I fell asleep on Janey's bed while we all watched "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" and did not have restful sleep. I was in the fetal position at the bottom of her bed.
We got up and headed out to check on some of our gardens. That was just this morning. While we were there, the kids were getting out of kindy (kindergarten) and saw the palangi and came RUNNING at us! I have learned important Fijian words like run, climb, hi, bye, come and some of the children's songs (though I'm certain I'm singing them wrong) and that makes the kids love us! We played with them for probably longer than we should have and decided to head out and be productive for the rest of the day.
As we jumped into the carrier (pick up truck with a cover over the bed that charges you to take you places), the children were literally hanging on as we drove off. We all screamed good-bye at them so they would jump off. They eventually did. I wanted to take EVERY one of them home.
We went to do work at the Church. I climbed a tree and asked Janey if she would give me money to jump out. She said no, that it was too easy of a jump. I jumped. It was not too easy. I think my chin is bruising as we speak. or read?
After that? Pizza. Now the internet cafe and I need to leave to go do a garden in the village of Yasi Yasi. This probably wasn't near as entertaining for you to read as it was for me to experience but alas, here it is.
Loves!
me
Friday, June 18, 2010
Numbers
These are not all completely accurate numbers, though they are rough estimates and are pretty close to absolute truth:
2 live mice have been seen in my house
0 have been evacuated
1 stared at my roommate as she used the bathroom
19 dead frogs on my street (dried up)
2400 is the population of the town I'm living in
1 dead cockroach stuck in our screen door
24 living cockroaches attacking us per day (in the house)
2 missing deodorant sticks
100 percent love for the people
1 marriage proposal
2 times being asked out by a local
19 people living in my house (6 returned to America)
1 bathroom
1 fridge
0 complaints
0 washing machines
0 dishwashers
20 dollars we paid for a pizza
16 bug bits on my calves
3 schools I have visited
3 I have adored
195 times I have heard the song "Baby baby baby" by Justin Bieber
5 fans we have going in our house at all times
1 new favorite person that also will coincidentally be my roommate in the Fall
1 hair wrap on my head
5 days a week we work
2 days to play
1 week down
11 weeks to go
I love it here! I always think about how much I wish everyone I know could be experiencing these things. The people are the NICEST and they would do anything for you. Really. Oh Fijians.
2 live mice have been seen in my house
0 have been evacuated
1 stared at my roommate as she used the bathroom
19 dead frogs on my street (dried up)
2400 is the population of the town I'm living in
1 dead cockroach stuck in our screen door
24 living cockroaches attacking us per day (in the house)
2 missing deodorant sticks
100 percent love for the people
1 marriage proposal
2 times being asked out by a local
19 people living in my house (6 returned to America)
1 bathroom
1 fridge
0 complaints
0 washing machines
0 dishwashers
20 dollars we paid for a pizza
16 bug bits on my calves
3 schools I have visited
3 I have adored
195 times I have heard the song "Baby baby baby" by Justin Bieber
5 fans we have going in our house at all times
1 new favorite person that also will coincidentally be my roommate in the Fall
1 hair wrap on my head
5 days a week we work
2 days to play
1 week down
11 weeks to go
I love it here! I always think about how much I wish everyone I know could be experiencing these things. The people are the NICEST and they would do anything for you. Really. Oh Fijians.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Loving it!
Hey all,
Thanks so much again to those who contributed to help me get out here. I feel like you would be proud of the work I'm doing. I have been put as project lead over square foot gardening. That means that I travel from village to village with my new BFF (best Fiji friend) and co-lead Janey to teach the people how to tend gardens. I'm in a town called Tavua on the island of Viti Levu and Tavua is the second poorest town on the whole island. So, these people are so impoverished! Is that a work? My intelligence is deteriorating every day. Did I spell that right? Oh my gosh, I'm so dumb.
So, the people live in these homes with barely any water (let alone hot water) and basically no means to be self-sufficient. They are barefoot and their children walk around with torn up clothes and often nowhere to go. It's very communal so they all kinda raise each other's children. One great thing about the Fijian people (there are so many!) is that there is not an orphange. Why is this? Because when they see an abandoned child, they take it in as their own. Literally. Adoption is huge here and there are just villages with so many mothers and so many more children. And the kids? Oh my gosh, I want to bring them all home. They are BEAUTIFUL. Sadly I'm on an old-school computer and can't upload pictures but I promise that I already have a lot.
I lvoe the people and I love that Janey and I are teaching them that they can garden (we provide seeds) and either grow their own food or food to sell on the streets or in the market. And they are so happy to have us come teach them. I feel like other cultures might be stubborn or offended that people are coming to tell them how to live. But not the Fijians, they are happy to have us teach them what we know.
I love it here. It's hot as hell and that's okay. My hair is nappy and has only been washed twice. Sorry Ash.
Also, to those of you that I gave my phone number, I have to tell you something. We are about 18 hours ahead of you so think of that before you call me. :) Also, Saturdays and Sundays are a great time to reach me. Or after 6 pm my time.
I love you all and often wish that I had the people I loved with me so they could see all the wonderful things I am experiencing.
I'll be safe if you are too.
me
Thanks so much again to those who contributed to help me get out here. I feel like you would be proud of the work I'm doing. I have been put as project lead over square foot gardening. That means that I travel from village to village with my new BFF (best Fiji friend) and co-lead Janey to teach the people how to tend gardens. I'm in a town called Tavua on the island of Viti Levu and Tavua is the second poorest town on the whole island. So, these people are so impoverished! Is that a work? My intelligence is deteriorating every day. Did I spell that right? Oh my gosh, I'm so dumb.
So, the people live in these homes with barely any water (let alone hot water) and basically no means to be self-sufficient. They are barefoot and their children walk around with torn up clothes and often nowhere to go. It's very communal so they all kinda raise each other's children. One great thing about the Fijian people (there are so many!) is that there is not an orphange. Why is this? Because when they see an abandoned child, they take it in as their own. Literally. Adoption is huge here and there are just villages with so many mothers and so many more children. And the kids? Oh my gosh, I want to bring them all home. They are BEAUTIFUL. Sadly I'm on an old-school computer and can't upload pictures but I promise that I already have a lot.
I lvoe the people and I love that Janey and I are teaching them that they can garden (we provide seeds) and either grow their own food or food to sell on the streets or in the market. And they are so happy to have us come teach them. I feel like other cultures might be stubborn or offended that people are coming to tell them how to live. But not the Fijians, they are happy to have us teach them what we know.
I love it here. It's hot as hell and that's okay. My hair is nappy and has only been washed twice. Sorry Ash.
Also, to those of you that I gave my phone number, I have to tell you something. We are about 18 hours ahead of you so think of that before you call me. :) Also, Saturdays and Sundays are a great time to reach me. Or after 6 pm my time.
I love you all and often wish that I had the people I loved with me so they could see all the wonderful things I am experiencing.
I'll be safe if you are too.
me
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
I'm HEEEEERE!!!
It turns out that my phone access is relatively limited. This is no surprise but internet is definitely the easiest way to contact me. I'm currently sitting in a little booth in a hot hot room paying about 1.5 Fijian dollars per hour.
The flight to LAX was easy peasy. The flight from LAX to Nadi, Fiji was so long! Seriously. And the worst part was that by the time we got through security to fly internationally out of LAX, there were no restaurants. Therefore, I did not have one "last" American meal. Mak, we should have eaten. I was starving and I wanted to have a nasty hamburger and greasy fries before I wouldn't be allowed that benefit any longer. Too late. Bummer.
Anyway, flying to Fiji was a really long flight! We had little TVs in front of us but they didn't do much. I found myself in some sort of comatose state where I would watch fifteen minutes of a movie and then fall asleep. Wake up and eat something and then back to sleep. When they FINALLY turned on the cabin lights, my heart jumped for joy! Only to be shattered when they announced that they were just serving breakfast and we still had two and a half hours to go. But I was sitting next to this chick from Scotland with a sweet accent so it wasn't too bad.
When we landed (at 5 am, after 13 hours of flying) and walked outside, it literally took my breath away. Not because it was so beautiful (it was too dark to tell) but because I couldn't breathe! 73 degrees at 5 am and so humid that my arms felt sticky and I felt like I was inhaling straight from a humidifier.
I was with nine other girls from my program, some that I took to more than others. Fortunately for me, the ones I took to ended up being my roommates. Sweet. There are twenty five people in one house. With one bathroom. And no mirrors. ha ha. I am really roughing it! But I'm so excited!
They gave us about fifteen minutes to brush our teeth and put on sunscreen and we were out! The first place we visited was a hospital. I literally bit my bottom lip to avoid crying. It was so beautiful to see that in this hot, unsanitary and dirty place that the people were so welcoming and loving. Everyone yelled "bula!" at us, which means hello. I have already learned a few words and not to do some things (maybe I was scolded in public? maybe I've only been here about six hours? oh well). So many nice people in such a poverty stricken area. I guess that's how it goes though, huh?
We also went out to eat and just toured around the town. My feet are super swollen. I should never have made fun of my sister's pregnant feet because I'm sure mine are just as big. Embarrassing and painful. Sorry Ash. Beyond swollen feet, my legs are oily from some special sort of bug spray, my arms are greased with sweat and sunscreen and I'm happy. I already love it and am excited to work on projects!
Don't worry about me (cough Mom cough) because Fiji is safe! The town that we are living in was just given a crime-free award. We live next door to the missionaries and across the street from a police officer. Our street is basically full of government people. Too bad they can't outlaw BUGS! Word on the street is that cochroaches are around here. Yuck.
I have already eaten things I wouldn't normally in the U.S. such as salami, swiss cheese and onions. I guess this really is life-altering, eh?
Kim just chatted with me on gmail (my first outside contact) and wants to know about the house. It's one story and it's bright green. Four bedrooms. One for the boys (four boys) and three for the girls (twenty one girls). The bunk beds are placed inside that house like a jigsaw puzzle! The shower does not provide warm water and the toilet seems clean. So, no hole in the ground. Huzzah!
I love it love it love it and promise to be safe and smart. That's what everyone keeps saying to me. I don't know why...
ps. I think we're skydiving on Saturday!!! that's safe. and smart.
Love you all!
Thanks to Ambs and Mak for your emails and for both of you sending me self portraits. I knew I loved you fools for a reason.
Have fun you uncultured Americans!!! (just kidding)
me
The flight to LAX was easy peasy. The flight from LAX to Nadi, Fiji was so long! Seriously. And the worst part was that by the time we got through security to fly internationally out of LAX, there were no restaurants. Therefore, I did not have one "last" American meal. Mak, we should have eaten. I was starving and I wanted to have a nasty hamburger and greasy fries before I wouldn't be allowed that benefit any longer. Too late. Bummer.
Anyway, flying to Fiji was a really long flight! We had little TVs in front of us but they didn't do much. I found myself in some sort of comatose state where I would watch fifteen minutes of a movie and then fall asleep. Wake up and eat something and then back to sleep. When they FINALLY turned on the cabin lights, my heart jumped for joy! Only to be shattered when they announced that they were just serving breakfast and we still had two and a half hours to go. But I was sitting next to this chick from Scotland with a sweet accent so it wasn't too bad.
When we landed (at 5 am, after 13 hours of flying) and walked outside, it literally took my breath away. Not because it was so beautiful (it was too dark to tell) but because I couldn't breathe! 73 degrees at 5 am and so humid that my arms felt sticky and I felt like I was inhaling straight from a humidifier.
I was with nine other girls from my program, some that I took to more than others. Fortunately for me, the ones I took to ended up being my roommates. Sweet. There are twenty five people in one house. With one bathroom. And no mirrors. ha ha. I am really roughing it! But I'm so excited!
They gave us about fifteen minutes to brush our teeth and put on sunscreen and we were out! The first place we visited was a hospital. I literally bit my bottom lip to avoid crying. It was so beautiful to see that in this hot, unsanitary and dirty place that the people were so welcoming and loving. Everyone yelled "bula!" at us, which means hello. I have already learned a few words and not to do some things (maybe I was scolded in public? maybe I've only been here about six hours? oh well). So many nice people in such a poverty stricken area. I guess that's how it goes though, huh?
We also went out to eat and just toured around the town. My feet are super swollen. I should never have made fun of my sister's pregnant feet because I'm sure mine are just as big. Embarrassing and painful. Sorry Ash. Beyond swollen feet, my legs are oily from some special sort of bug spray, my arms are greased with sweat and sunscreen and I'm happy. I already love it and am excited to work on projects!
Don't worry about me (cough Mom cough) because Fiji is safe! The town that we are living in was just given a crime-free award. We live next door to the missionaries and across the street from a police officer. Our street is basically full of government people. Too bad they can't outlaw BUGS! Word on the street is that cochroaches are around here. Yuck.
I have already eaten things I wouldn't normally in the U.S. such as salami, swiss cheese and onions. I guess this really is life-altering, eh?
Kim just chatted with me on gmail (my first outside contact) and wants to know about the house. It's one story and it's bright green. Four bedrooms. One for the boys (four boys) and three for the girls (twenty one girls). The bunk beds are placed inside that house like a jigsaw puzzle! The shower does not provide warm water and the toilet seems clean. So, no hole in the ground. Huzzah!
I love it love it love it and promise to be safe and smart. That's what everyone keeps saying to me. I don't know why...
ps. I think we're skydiving on Saturday!!! that's safe. and smart.
Love you all!
Thanks to Ambs and Mak for your emails and for both of you sending me self portraits. I knew I loved you fools for a reason.
Have fun you uncultured Americans!!! (just kidding)
me
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Day after tomorrow.
Wow, this is really happening. Maybe I should finish packing?
I think I'm starting to become nervous..
I think I'm starting to become nervous..
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Approximately
120 hours from now, I will be getting on the airplane. Oh yeah, and I only have about eight skirts or dresses. This shouldn't be as hard as it is.
I'm getting EXCITED!
Once again, thanks so so much to all of you who donated to help make this possible.
These are my actual people there in Fiji, playing amongst the people. I'll be there in just a few days.
I'm getting EXCITED!
Once again, thanks so so much to all of you who donated to help make this possible.
These are my actual people there in Fiji, playing amongst the people. I'll be there in just a few days.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Today I bought
Two large bottles of Pepto Bismol
Fiber bars
Beef jerky
Fiber bars
Dried mangoes that taste like peppers
Tampons
and I paid off the rest of my trip. One week from today.
Fiber bars
Beef jerky
Fiber bars
Dried mangoes that taste like peppers
Tampons
and I paid off the rest of my trip. One week from today.
Monday, May 31, 2010
One Week
I leave next Tuesday. Here is my to-do list before I go:
Buy skirts
Buy iodine tablets
Buy fiber bars/American snacks
Get my tennis shoe from Jen
Move out of my house
Buy a swimsuit
Do my laundry
Send out my thank-you cards
Interview for a job
Freeze my Gold's Gym membership
Pay my bills before I go
Say goodbye to my CASA child
Get an ISIC card
Make up the trainings I missed
Check out with HELP
Go to the temple
Pack for Fiji
all that + 28 more hours of work. Can I do it? Perhaps I should have started earlier. I'm such a procrastinator. But like the great Ellen Degeneres says, "why do today what you could do tomorrow?"
I'm excited! And scared.
Buy skirts
Buy iodine tablets
Buy fiber bars/American snacks
Get my tennis shoe from Jen
Move out of my house
Buy a swimsuit
Do my laundry
Send out my thank-you cards
Interview for a job
Freeze my Gold's Gym membership
Pay my bills before I go
Say goodbye to my CASA child
Get an ISIC card
Make up the trainings I missed
Check out with HELP
Go to the temple
Pack for Fiji
all that + 28 more hours of work. Can I do it? Perhaps I should have started earlier. I'm such a procrastinator. But like the great Ellen Degeneres says, "why do today what you could do tomorrow?"
I'm excited! And scared.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Flight. bought.
JOHNSON/HEATHER SERVICE DATE FROM TO DEPART ARRIVE AIR PACIFIC 08JUN LOS ANGELES CA NADI 1130P 510A FJ 811 TUESDAY INTL NADI INTL 10JUN Q ECONOMY RESERVATION CONFIRMED AIR PACIFIC 24AUG NADI LOS ANGELES CA 1020P 140P FJ 810 TUESDAY NADI INTL INTL Q ECONOMY RESERVATION CONFIRMED
Long flight. Totally worth it already.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Mr. Duplain
My friend Devon Duplain served his mission in Fiji. We went out to dinner tonight to discuss the details/traditions/foods/etc. of Fiji.
Here are some things I learned:
Never touch their heads.
Always take your shoes off when entering a house.
Don't be loud; they are a quiet people.
And, the CRAZIEST one (though the touching of heads I thought was oddly interesting) is that you should not compliment people on things. Devon told me that one of two things will happen when you do that: they will either just give you the item or want to trade. He said that he lost so many shirts on his mission by telling someone he liked their shirt. The Fijian people are apparently in the culture of believing that all things are communal. I may or may not be a very territorial person so this might be a struggle for me.
25 days and praying that the funds will come in.
ps. 14.8%
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
11.8%
That's how much money I have actually put towards the trip. That means I have 88.2% left. I'm not nervous, donations are coming in from all around. Thanks so so much to everyone that has helped me so far!
My friend Jessica went last summer and is telling me all sorts of things that are getting me really excited! One of those, however, is not the fact that we have to wear skirts or dresses the whole time. She told me that the people of Fiji are reserved and modest so even when I'm building homes or doing gardening, I need to have a relatively long skirt on...yay?!
She also told me that the people in Fiji are so nice that I'll fall in love with them instantly. I hope so!
My friend Skyler is there already and has informed me that we don't have warm water. Ha ha, this summer is going to be an adventure indeed!
But I'm SO EXCITED!!!
My friend Jessica went last summer and is telling me all sorts of things that are getting me really excited! One of those, however, is not the fact that we have to wear skirts or dresses the whole time. She told me that the people of Fiji are reserved and modest so even when I'm building homes or doing gardening, I need to have a relatively long skirt on...yay?!
She also told me that the people in Fiji are so nice that I'll fall in love with them instantly. I hope so!
My friend Skyler is there already and has informed me that we don't have warm water. Ha ha, this summer is going to be an adventure indeed!
But I'm SO EXCITED!!!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Let's do this.
Hello family and friends!
First of all, thanks so so much to those who have donated!!! I will compile a list and put it on tomorrow. If you want to be on that list (and help me not to clean out my bank account to go volunteer out of the country), feel free to donate! Just go to the website and click on "Donate" and put my name in the subject line. Easy peasy.
I will be keeping this blog updated on my journey to the South Pacific, so be sure to check often!
My little sister Makenzie will no longer be able to make it which is very sad. Upon this revelation, knowing that I would be going to this strange place by myself and not having the funds to do so, I had a small but certain breakdown today. However, I want to do this. I'm going to do this.
As soon as I know how much money I have raised and what more I need, I'll post. So, keep checking! Also, when I get to the beautiful islands of Fiji, I will be posting pictures. So you can live vicariously through me. :)
"In 2010, our teams will return to Fiji for the second year, to live in a rural village and initiate development projects. There is a high level of poverty in Fiji which has become more desperate after recent natural disasters. Potential projects include: disaster relief, organic gardens, food drying, orphanages, business mentoring, microcredit, public health, HIV/AIDS awareness, and construction."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)