I am currently loving the following things in my life...

.running barefoot with my students on the dirt track behind the school.

."autumn" in Fiji...i.e. breezy mornings, hot afternoons, and cool nights.

.Radio Fiji Gold--they play the best mix to jam to while shelving library books.

.daily curry lunches with my co-workers.

.a set date for the library opening...and progress that means it will actual open on the day we set.

.story time...I mean seriously, who doesn't love children's books?

.The ability to run before 5pm and not die of heat exhaustion.

.A new coffee shop in town that actually knows how to make a cappuccino.

.The fact that my work days are at max 5 hours long.

.All the crystal light Keondra brought me back for my birthday.

.pineapples.

.coffee on my porch overlooking the mountains.

.my newly found acceptance of the notion that I don't know what's coming next...and that this may be a good thing.

.the ridiculous one liners my students throw at me daily (for example: "Miss Sarah if I come visit you in America, can we visit that fat lady with the crown and torch? [referring to the statue of liberty")

.the fact that my days basically depend on the sun.

.dance parties to anything lady gaga.

.waterfalls.

.Reading the Life of Pi.

.Mint Chocolate Ice cream...new to the Lautoka "MHs".

.being present.

Almost exactly two years ago I received my invitation to Peace Corps service in Fiji. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and re-reading the invitation to make sure I’d read correctly, Mandy and I immediately proceeded to goggle “Fiji” as I honestly knew nothing about the country except that it was in the middle of the ocean and rich people vacationed there. The health promotion/youth development project sounded like a good opportunity for professional growth, and Fiji seemed like a grand place to spend the next two years integrating into a community and culture different from my own. I knew accepting the invitation would bring challenges…but it was as though I thought I was standing in line to get on the American Eagle when I was actually in line for Raging Bull, and once you’re buckled in there’s no stopping. This post isn’t to concentrate on the challenges though, because that would take away from the intense joy I feel at this point in my service, and the strange bittersweet feeling that is beginning to emerge as I begin to think about packing anything that hasn’t molded, faded significantly from the sun, or been eaten by ants and head back to a land I once called home, though “home” is also a strange term to use because I’m not really sure where home is anymore…or if it’s even a place. Perhaps it is instead a feeling that can experienced anywhere through a connectedness with the people and experiences at that moment in time. This week, while spending most of my days rocking out to “sexy chick(yes, they replace b**** with chick on FM96)” and “noqu lewa” on the radio while labeling library books at the school, I was able to also spend time observing. I observed the teachers and the students and the classrooms and the energy and all of the things that I’ve been actively involved in for the last year. Removing myself from the action, I was able to identify some really incredible things. For instance, in the low level classroom there are children’s names in big block letters taped to the desks and a teacher is overheard saying “it’s ok if you don’t do it right, the most important thing is that you try…” This may seem like a normal classroom to you, but in Fiji this is a classroom whose teacher’s entire attitude toward education and her children has changed. Where before they would be chastised for calling out “B” when they should have said “C,” children are being encouraged to process information on their own terms. Another class is outside waving their arms in the air like tree branches in the wind. They are in a science lesson about weather. last year the same lesson was taught while they sat at their desks and copied sentences off the board, not actively involved in their own learning processes. In the pre-voctational classroom, the girls were learning how to draw a map so that next week they can make one of Lautoka & identify services they may need to access as adults. Every girl confidently stood up to explain the map of her own house—nevermind that they were unproportional or unreadable by the untrained eye—every single one explained in great detail—proving that living with Downe Syndrome, retardation, and other disabilities don’t have to prevent a person from being unable to learn and participate in her own development. Another discovery—there were no children aimlessly running around outside of their classrooms, and no teachers wandering away from their students, in every classroom, both were actively involved in the learning process—a beautiful, beautiful sight. I have been facilitating professional development workshops focused on literacy with the teachers—this week we identified new ways of teaching phonics and dug into a new box of donations from Century Oaks School teachers—thanks mom!. Typically the teachers, just as most in America would do, leave right after the session at 4, as it is an hour over the time they usually get paid. This week they were still there when I finally left at 5, photocopying like crazy and getting really excited about teaching in new ways—non formal education helps the students retain information, but it also makes their jobs more fun! I breathe in. sigh. swallow the lump that forms in my throat when I think about leaving these people who are not only my co-workers and students, but friends and family, and recognize this is exactly where I am supposed to be at this particular moment in time and I feel home. I think about all the sweat and tears—literal sweat and literal tears, mind you—and can honestly say that these small changes, the ones that may never be put into numbers on an annual report or recognized by Peace Corps administration, are the reason I filled out an application almost three years ago.

“Miss Sarah, can you really make those…what’s this?...umm…..snowmen? can you really make the snowmen out of snow in your country?” "yes, I love making snowmen..." "Miss Sarah? what is snow?" It’s summer break here as the holidays approach & school is out for two months. The last year has been a flurry of unexpected events and challenges that have landed me at a place where my name is Miss Sarah…which the kids love to yell even when they have nothing to say to proceed it. This little school has been my community within the city, and where I’ve finally felt like I could call this place home and the people my true friends & “family.” Living in a city here comes with some great perks (like consistent access to cheese, a swimming pool, and resources for work) as well as unique challenges. When I moved to Lautoka, it was difficult to not blend in amongst the ex-pats and tourists. It doesn’t help that I live in one of the safer neighborhoods here, which is also coincidentally the middle to upper class suburbs of the city. It took a while before my coworkers and other locals realized I was here to be a part of their community and not the exclusive one amongst other Europeans in town. It took more work on my end to get invites for dinner or a night out—while the village is full of its own unique challenges, it would be a rare occurrence if any of them had an issue being invited over for dinner. I’m glad to report that my friends and coworkers finally feel comfortable stopping by my house for a few drinks, invite me to local events, and check in on me to make sure that I’m not getting lonely in my flat. I am living in an incredibly paradoxical world where time stands still while moving at the speed of light. Some days move slower than molasses in a Canadian winter and then the calendar turns to December and I’m left a little overwhelmed with the feeling that time is moving all too quickly and that before I know it I’ll be on a plane back to America & this time it won’t just be for a short visit. Let me give you a look into the last month of my life… my how it’s flown… The students at our school participated in a junior Paralympics sports tournament in the capital city against other special needs schools. We boarded a crowded bus and camped out at a school there for three days going to the national stadium each day to play sports and participate in track & field events. At the end of the days, we returned to “camp” to eat dinner & prepare for the next day. The boys dominated the field playing rugby & soccer while the girls looked on…until Miss Sarah started running laps around the boys who are notorious for leaving the girls out of everything. Pretty soon the girls were all running laps around the boys, who, amused by this sudden change in gender roles screamed “lako! lako! (Go! go!) and cheered us on around each corner. I’m proud of my students who returned to Lautoka with more medals than I could count. It was also fun to see the students and staff outside of the school context and I had some great one on one chats with a few of the older girls who I have formed a bit of a sisterly bond with.

Thanksgiving, as you all know, is also when we Americans celebrate Thanksgiving…and celebrate we did. The volunteers on my island all convened in Suva for a delicious feast complete with all the essentials—sub chicken for turkey. After dinner we rested before heading out to the nearest dance floor to work off all those Thanksgiving kilos. I contributed Apple pies & raviolis to the dinner…one of the apple pies went to the teachers the day before. They loved it! A few took the recipe, and one of the teachers declared that this year for Christmas she would make apple pie AND pumpkin pie that I supplied her the recipe for. It’s great to see people get excited about trying new things here, and since my love for cooking & baking has grown here, it’s one of my favorite things to exchange recipes. My next endeavor is to cook kakoda correctly (fish cooked by rubbing salt on it, then covered in coconut milk, coriander, onions…) mmmm it’s delicious. At the school we finished the world map mural—and though it was a bit chaotic—the kids managed to pull of a world culture fair to display newfound knowledge on various countries around the world & served food based on recipes from those cultures. The two students studying Argentina was very happy to discover the delicious nature of quesadillas that they are determined to bring to their dinner tables at home.

My family visits in two weeks…I’m very excited to take a real vacation to Taveuni—the Garden Island. I haven’t been in vacation in-country for a long time…I’m about ready to discover some new places in this country before my time runs out! If I don’t write before the new year, Happy Holidays!

So I've been really terrible at keeping you guys at home up to date on life here in Fiji. I've been really busy, so here's a photo montage to give you a brief idea...

The week I got back to Fiji was Sugar Festival...the annual "County Fair" type event in Lautoka.

There were dance competitions. a parade

and Sugar Queens of all sorts...including a night for transgender queens. Miss Rotuma was my favorite.

The next week we had a literacy camp at the school. A few other volunteers came to help, and though a bit chaotic (like most projects are) it was fun and a huge hit with the students & teachers.

We made silly sentences,

and bookmarks amongst other things.

The last day everyone got an award for participating. They were very excited about said awards, and some still carry them around...which is incredible because typically if you give them a piece of paper it's gone by lunch time.

We started the world map mural! Next week we start painting the countries in :)

We celebrated Fiji Day (Fiji's Independence Day)...

The kids put on a skit & sang the national anthem way out of tune...

and I decided I needed a weekend off, so I went snorkeling near Steve's village.

I went on a treasure hunt under the water and found this. I also explored an abandoned hotel...but those pictures are not for the public as most of the writing on the wall is explicit in nature.

I went to one of the squatter settlements nearby to do some composting & backyard squarefoot gardening workshops with my colleagues...

The community was very proud of their model makeshift compost

and square foot gardening is underway...first up, capsicum & Tomatoes

There was a "Race Against Poverty" in Lautoka, sort of like the Amazing Race except the clues all led to stakeholders in poverty alleviation in the area. I serves as the photographer/official hydrater of all participants. They were probably sick of me telling them "drink water!"

Next we celebrated Diwali...the Indian festival of lights. It's when Lord Raam is said to have returned from exile, and it is a celebration of his reunion with Sita Raam.

Everyone dressed in their best Sarees & Cameez

Jessie & I lit our Diwali candles & put them in the front to burn at night.

We went for some delicious curry & sweets at a local friend's place

After the race & Diwali festivities, a few of us decided to rest in Nadi Bay.

And that pretty much sums it up.

Happy Belated Diwali!!!

P.S. here's a glimpse into my daily life. and yes, they really are this nuts, even when there's not a camera in front of them.

video compliments of Amy. This was her group of crazy children during our literacy fetsival.

Since being here, I’ve become much more aware of what it means to have come from a consumerist society—a society of people that can’t get enough of bigger, better, newer, and shinier. Millions upon millions of dollars are spent on advertising alone. I haven’t done any formal research or anything, but if I were to guess I’ll bet we could feed a nation of starving people just using all the money we spend marketing products most of us don’t actually need…and if we did we could just go to the supermarket & find them. No offense to you all whom I love dearly at home, but checking facebook these days just makes me nervous to go back to that consumer world I came from. Every five minutes a new status update tells me that so and so has a new i-pod, that someone’s partner proposed & now they have a really expensive ring on their finger which no doubt will be posted in its own photo album where everyone will ooo and ahhh over the huge rock, that someone’s phone is broken—God forbid you not be able to communicate with them for the day it takes to fix it….you get the picture. Now I can’t point any fingers because I too come from this world…a world where half the fun of the Superbowl is the commercials, where buying a few cups of Starbucks a week is normal, and where last season’s clothes are sent to Village Discount because they’re no longer good enough to wear. I just hope I don’t fall back into this love of material things…and I probably won’t be as big of a waster of money as I used to be….but the temptation to fit in has remained with me—whether here in Fiji or back in America, and in America to fit in is to consume.

To contrast America…let me give you a few of my favorite examples that describe the simpler way of life lived here. Commercials here probably cost about $50 to make. Seriously, they just go to someone’s kitchen & film them cooking up some chow noodles (similar to ramen) and then put a low budget jingle to it. No fancy technology, no woman in a bikini eating a seductive bowl of noodles….just an ordinary mom in a sulu stirring a pot. As far as clothing goes…I can walk out of my house wearing a bright pink sulu (piece of cloth) tied around my waste, an orange Illini t-shirt, and old flip flops…and no one would give me a second look. No one would look me up & down & then turn to their friend and quietly talk about how my shirt didn’t match my skirt or how flipflops were SO last season….in fact I have gotten a few “URO!”s (the equivolent of Sexy! or Healthy!) in that exact outfit. I don’t seem to need much here, I don’t have a craving for bigger or better…I mean a good beer would be nice, and a dress without bleach stains might be a good addition to the wardrobe…but I honestly don’t feel that desire to have the latest version of the i-phone, or a bunch of accessories that only match one outfit, or thirty pairs of shoes (and you all know how much I love shoes)…I don’t want much here…I’m content with having enough, and I hope that attitude crosses cultures when I get back to America.

Now a look into my life over the last month (minus 4th of July…those will be up soon!)

On this particular day it was probably about 80* outside...brrr! Winter has arrived!

My herbs are growing! Fresh basil, thyme, rosemary & oregano...mmm mmm delicious :)

This is what the steam that feeds right into the ocean looked like before the community clean-up.

Clearing twisties wrappers out of the bushes.

Two little helpers ready to take on the leaves.

The kids each colored a letter during art class the week prior.

The boys decided to surprise us with a dance they made up during recess. Hilarious.

I've honestly never seen him so into anything in my life. I have discovered the way to his heart is through pop music & dancing.

They made up a rap about the school. He wants to be like "Chris Brown." isa.

blue eyes. One of my favorite kids ever.

Well, as you can tell from the last year of stories I've told...nothing in Fiji is ever certain...

I started out working with FRIEND, and still am a bit...but I've finally found my niche here. I'm working at a school for kids with special needs. I'm assisting them develop a P.E. program & an art program. Two to three days a week I call the following photos "work." The teachers & I just completed a workshop on developing P.E. for students with special needs...and everyone is excited to start making a curriculum & involving all the kids, which from what I've been told, wasn't the case before.

I'm also developing an art curriculum...I'm like the neighborhood garbage collector right now...anytime I see someone throwing away a plastic bottle, egg carton, or anything else that could possibly be transformed into an art project , I fly through the air like superwoman to save it from the rubbish. I have rediscovered my love for arts & crafts though, I get excited when I practice them at home...speaking of, please don't spend money on postage, but I'll be home in August & if you wanted to donate some construction paper, crayons, powder paint, markers, or glue we could really use it. Once the art program is up & running we'll ask parents to give $1-2/year to fund it, but first we need to show them why art is so important in their children's development.

And finally, we also really need a library at the school. The kids have very few books to read & learn from...and most of their learning involves repeating the same things every day... a lack of resources makes it difficult to encourage creativity in thoughts & actions, improved literacy, or comprehension. Not only this, but the teachers don't have great resources to reference on the special needs of their students & intervention strategies. I'd love to get a library up & running before I leave...I'm looking for options of how to get this done, if anyone knows of organizations that would fund something like this, let me know!

That's it for now, hope you're enjoying summer back home...we're just now moving into winter...80 degrees, brrrrr!Some of the kids on a Friday game day....they're a handful, but they sure do make me laugh!

Some of the kids during our water break....

This is my yaca (yah-the). Names mean a lot in Fiji, your last name determines your clan, and can show which position you have in society. It's an honor to have someone named after you, in fact I think in the training villages there are a couple new little ones that were named after Peace Corps Volunteers. You also have a special connection with those who share the same name with you, they are your yaca...and this is mine...her name is Sera but I address her as yaca.

One reason I love kids...you say 'everyone hop like frogs...' and they do, no questions asked, and no worries about how ridiculous they might look.

Ok, so the cone is supposed to be on the ground, but this is a creative "thinking outside of the box" use of one, so I approve.

If you were wondering what type of challenges both local stakeholders as well as foreign volunteers face when approaching HIV/AIDS awareness....this would be a big one.

I have nothing else to say on this topic for now....but you can look forward to a response soon I'm sure.

First of all, sorry for the extra hassle of needing to sign in anytime you visit this site. Because of the interim governments removal of the freedom of speech, right to assemble, and abrogation of the constitution, and accusations that the government is monitoring new sites, blogs, and even organization’s e-mails in some instances; this is an extra precaution to make sure I don’t tick off the prime minister & get kicked out of the country—I’m pretty sure Peace Corps wouldn’t appreciate that.

The last month has been mildly busy with lots of paperwork, grant writing, and curriculum planning that you all really don’t want to read about.

My new place finally feels like a home after my roommate and I decorated it, added curtains, planted a garden, and have done our best to make it not feel like a prison cell of blue cinder blocks. We live on a little compound with four flats…and our neighbors just had a baby! I’m really excited to hold the little bundle of joy often, and I’m trying to re-learn the Hindi I haven’t really been using since moving to the city so I can make friends with the mother who speaks very little English.

The new group of volunteers comes in less than a month. It’s feeling very surreal knowing that a year ago I was in a similar place of frantic packing, a whirlwind of activities trying to fit everyone into my every-waning schedule, constant confusion & questions about what Fiji would be like, and attempting to prepare myself for the two years that lie ahead of me. If I could go back in time I would only pack half of what I did and fill the rest of the space with good tea & coffee, graham crackers, fruit leather, and a coffee press. I would have quit work more than a few weeks in advance to spend adequate time with all the people whose lives I would not be a direct part of in the two years to come, gone to a few more Cubs games, and taken more photos that would soon plaster the cinder blocks I have for walls. I would have written down my questions instead of letting them whirl like a cyclone through my head, and I would have stopped trying to prepare myself and focused on the here & now because no one can adequately prepare themselves for two years of Peace Corps service. Even though the available work goes in waves here, and occasionally I’ve been ready to throw in the towel and jump on the next plane to America, a year in I can recognize that I have done a lot of growing in my personal life, become much more capable of entertaining myself without tv, friends in the room next door, or constant internet access, learned how to cook with limited resources (you all would be wow-ed at my ability to cook sans-microwave), gained more patience than I ever thought possible, and taken my spirituality out of the western box it was wrapped in.

This next year might fly by…part of me hopes it does because I really miss the company of close friends, working in non-profits who really have their stuff together, and tacos. On the other hand, I hope to soak in every moment—every mundane detail of life here—knowing that when I arrive home the slow pace I once complained about, the simplicity I moaned about, and the hot weather I curse daily as I sweat on my way to work—will be things I wish I could return to after experiencing American life once again.

Today I can finally say, after almost a year in country, that I have some sort of direction and am actually doing some work with my counterparts. In this post I have included some photos, compliments of Maya, from our scuba adventures...which have been awesome breaks from really busy weeks.

At FRIEND, I've been working on getting awareness campaigns, and youth development events off the ground. By May we hope to hold the first Lautoka Poetry Slam--there is one in Suva monthly at USP, and we're hoping to provide the same opportunity for people in the west. The staff here brainstormed a great idea to motivate youth and provide them an opportunity to gain leadership skills and experience. I'm currently working on a proposal for a youth leadership retreat over December holiday that would focus on youth leadership in the community. This proposal should be finished mid-April, and hopefully posted to start raising funds by May.

Other than that I've been doing things like working on upgrading our website, designing awareness factsheets on health and environment issues, and doing staff capacity building during our daily morning trainings.

Now that work has picked up, the time here is flying by...I can barely believe it's been almost a year...and I foresee the next one going by even faster.

fan coral.

Shark dive. They may look scary, but they are beautiful creatures.

Happy Holi everyone!

We celebrated this Indian festival last week with colored dye & music. The office staff went most of the day with colors on our faces & clothing...and we were visited by some men from a local temple that sang some songs for us. Later in the day the youth theatre group performed in a settlement where they had been celebrating holi all day. Everyone was covered in dye & their spirits were high when we arrived to perform the "Birds & Bats" play.

What is Holi?

Well, In some parts of India, specially in Bengal and Orissa, Holi Purnima is also celebrated as the birthday of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (A.D. 1486-1533).

However, the literal meaning of the word 'Holi' is 'burning'. There are various legends to explain the meaning of this word, most prominent of all is the legend associated with demon king Hiranyakashyap.

Hiranyakashyap wanted everybody in his kingdom to worship only him but to his great disappointment, his son, Prahlad became an ardent devotee of Lord Naarayana. Hiaranyakashyap commanded his sister, Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap. Holika had a boon whereby she could enter fire without any damage on herself. However, she was not aware that the boon worked only when she enters the fire alone. As a result she paid a price for her sinister desires, while Prahlad was saved by the grace of the god for his extreme devotion.

The festival, therefore, celebrates the victory of good over evil and also the triumph of devotion. Legend of Lord Krishna is also associated with play with colors as the Lord started the tradition of play with colours by applying colour on his beloved Radha and other gopis. Gradually, the play gained popularity with the people and became a tradition.There are also a few other legends associated with the festival - like the legend of Shiva and Kaamadeva and those of Ogress Dhundhi and Pootana.

All depict triumph of good over evil - lending a philosophy to the festival. (http://www.holifestival.org/history-of-holi.html)

The colors are meant for pure enjoyment, a celebration of joy and goodness. And of course, my favorite part of most Indian holidays...we got to eat Indian sweets all day long. It's celebrated by Hindus & non-Hindus alike, and a feeling of brotherhood & unity despite religious, socio-economic, and personal differences is celebrated.

I hope to one day celebrate the holiday in India where it originates!

Thandai (A thick beverage consumed during holidays)

Ingredients:

250 gms sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 litre milk

10 almonds, soaked in water and peeled

6 pepper corns

4 cardamoms, crushed

2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)

1 tsp khus essence (poppy seeds)

Few ice cubes, crushed

Method:Grind well the peeled almonds, cardamom and fennel seeds to a fine paste and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Strain the mixture well. Take crushed ice cubes in a glass till half and fill the rest with the above mixture. Serve garnished with rose petals. Makes for 12 glasses Preparation time: 5-10 minutes

This week I went to another volunteer's (Steve's) village to do an HIV/AIDS & other STI workshop with his recently formed youth group. In typical Fijian fashion, it was postponed from Thursday to Friday due to a church session that went two hours past when it was supposed to...but eventually we did have the workshop, and I was incredibly impressed by the way the youth interacted and took seriously the issue.

You see friends, in this culture talking about sex is taboo, so usually the first thirty minutes of any workshop having to do with anything remotely related to sex is a bunch of giggling and uncomfortable twitching...occassionally some comments about how I, the facilitator should practice condom use on one of the male participants. His youth group was completely opposite. From the beginning they were interested, asked intelligent questions, and took part in all activities.

Around the grog bowl we discussed things like what HIV stands for (the first guess for "H" was homosexual" so we cleared up that myth on the spot, discussing that HIV happens to everyone and in Fiji of the 300 reported cases, less than 10 are the result of homosexual relationships), how it's transmitted, what the risk is in various sexual activities as well as the villager tattooing that is a cultural norm here, how we can tell if someone has it (FYI, you can't. testing.testing.testing people), and how to prevent it.

I realized at the end how much I take confidential health care in America for granted. The biggest concern for the youth in getting condoms is that the health center they would normally get them at is the employment center for others in the village as well as relatives and as soon as they accessed this free service, the entire village would know. They plan on talking further about how to confidentially access condoms...the most viable option seems like when they take a trip to Suva two hours away they will go to the adolescent reproductive health center there because they can be assured of confidentiality.

Next week is a busy one, the youth theatre group at FRIEND begins performances, my roomate moves in, and I go on several dives over the weekend...

I’ve been in Lautoka for about a month now, and it is a much better fit for me than my previous assignment. I’m working with FRIEND (Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises ‘N Development) in the programs department mainly focusing on the programs for at risk youth. We’re currently wrapping up training for a peer education theatre group that will now be going out into communities doing a play about relationship between races in Fiji and the history of how it has gotten to where it is. They’ll then engage their audiences in discussion around this topic. We’ll also be doing a youth employment workshop soon that will hopefully provide at risk youth an opportunity to gain self esteem and understand job skills such as resume writing, interviewing, and customer service. The hope is that this type of participatory workshop would empower the youth to pursue jobs they are interested in instead of continuing in victim mode of always needing to rely on others to survive. I’m hoping to implement some informal way for youth to access services at FRIEND since the workshops require a big chunk of time and only allow for a small number of participants at a time. There is another youth volunteer coming to the organization in March, so once she gets here it will be more clear what my longer term role here will be.

I moved into my new home last week, and am waiting for the Australian volunteer to move in with me in March. I also brought my puppy home with me this past weekend, whose name is Maggi. One of the other volunteers saved her for me from a litter under his house, and she and I had an interesting 2 hour trip back up to her new home. I packed the poor furball into my backpack, travelled with her through town, got on a bus, and then arrived to Lautoka which has much more hustle & bustle than her birthplace…she’s still adjusting to the sound of cars & people, as well as not being able to run into the woods whenever she pleases.

I see a lot of the next group of Peace Corps Fiji volunteers have been perusing the current volunteer’s posts. To those of you arriving in May I would say don’t stress too much on your packing. You can get any basic thing like toiletries and clothing here. Of course, bring some of your own…things you just can’t live without while here, but you can find village appropriate wear at the second hand Australian shops around. Think about what it is you really love to do at home…or something you’d like to do while here and use your packing room for that instead. I wish I would have brought more art material, more books, and snorkel gear to begin with (I had it sent from home after I arrived). I was wondering about internet access and phones—contact with people at home before I left. You can rest assured that even those deep into the rural areas have phones they got here, and have access to e-mail fairly regularly (I may stand corrected, but I believe all volunteers can access internet at least once a month…). Have fun in your last three months at home, we look forward to meeting you at Nadi International Airport very soon!

"What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task."-President Barack Obama

Today I awoke at 4:00 am to watch the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States. I was with a couple other volunteers who also sacraficed sleep to celebrate at the same time as evryone back home as Barack Obama took the oath and became the president who will lead our country for the next 4....(8?)....years. It was a beautiful occassion, and regardless of your own political views, I think we can all agree that today was a monumental day in history. Today marks a day of gradual political change as our leadership transitions to someone with fresh ideas, and energy to move our country forward both domestically and worldwide. I'm excited to see the way foreign relations transform, how social welfare programs evolve, and how we begin to attack the huge economic deficit our country is currently in. For those of you who believe that American politics only affect Americans, I can say without a doubt that even many of the locals in this tiny island in the pacific have made the American election personal to them. Many have been asking questions about who the next presidnt will be, and almost everyone I've spoken with has been excited to see President Obama take office.

Today also marks the day I have been given an official assignment. I've been without work or a permanent home for 2 months as the office worked on developing a new assignment for me. I'll be moving to Lautoka on Monday to do youth development & support with an organization that focuses on alleviating poverty and empowering communities to gain the skills they want/need to support themselves and their families. I'm not sure of all the details, but I'll be sure to fill you in once I am.

As many of you may have seen from the news, Fiji has been experiencing lots of tropical storms and much of the island has flooded. Last I heard, these floods caused about 35 million dollars of damage...not including the damage to private property. There are still plenty of evacuation centers up and running for teh families who had to evacuate and now have no home to go back to due to the floods and landslides. All of the volunteers are safe and most are going back to their homes this weekend.

I'll let you all know when I finally get re-assigend somewhere...but I know some of you were worried and sent e-mails asking what was going on, so I thought I'd let you know. We're all good, but there will be a lot of work to do to reconstruct all that was samaged including homes, businesses, crops, and villages. You can see photos and get news from the link to Fiji Times on the right.

Bahut Dhanbaad for your concern.

I miss you all dearly.

S

Now, if these photos don't make you want to drop a grand or two to come visit me...well that's another sure sign that ya'll are living in the middle of a recession.

We spent one night at a nice hotel in Nadi...it was kind of a shock to my system with comfortable beds and air conditioning and water pressure I had forgotten existed, and breakfast buffet with real bacon...I almost felt guilty staying there.

At the Beach House where we stayed the majority of the trip.

Our hike up to the Sigatoka sand dunes...

Just a small tenth of the dunes. And beautiful weather I might add.

"This country doesn't take a bad picture..." even when the sky is full of ominous clouds.

We took the trek to a waterfall that belongs to Steve's village.

Mom had her first taste of a Fijian coconut...she was also awed by our ability to open it so easily...

...a couple whacks with a machete will do the trick.

her village experience...a tame one by our standards--But now she can testify that life in Fiji isn't just a vacation in paradise. It's hard work, I promise.

Sayin' good-bye at the airport. Now it's your turn to visit.

Hello again friends!

It’s been awhile since I’ve written you anything substantial…sorry about that! The past month has been a flurry of rearranging and moving around. I’m now on the second half of my vacation…my mom finally arrived! I can’t explain how wonderful it is to have someone who knows me so well be here face to face. It’s been over seven months now since I left the land of familiarity for where I am today…and while I’ve made great friends here, some of whom I am counting on having in my life after these two years are over…it’s a breath of fresh air to have someone from home here in this new home of mine.

The last couple of weeks have made me realize how easy it is to get comfortable someplace…and to lose the sense of awe and wonder we have when we’re experiencing something for the very first time. I had forgotten to really breathe in the beauty of the place that I currently live for a while there. It was really refreshing to visit friends on Vanua Levu—the big north island. I spent a few nights with friends at Hannah’s site. She lives in the interior of Vanua Levu…and has an absolutely amazing view of the coast from her house on a hill. We tried to capture it in photos…but these only give you a 1/100th of feeling you get when you’re up on that hill a short walk through “the bush” to the ocean.

The first night there was spent around the tanoa bowl (kava bowl) in a local village. We talanoed (told stories) with some of the young ladies and guys there…and Christa finally got a Fijian name…Teresa…we have yet to figure out where that sprung from. The next day was spent exploring the ocean after a walk through the forest.

After Hannah’s village we were on our way to Savusavu. This is one of the two towns in Vanua Levu. We spent a ton of time snorkeling in a coral reef right off of the coast. Friends, I am now in love with the ocean…I may never be able to live far from it again. It’s a whole new world down there…I don’t know what Ariel was complaining about because it would be awesome to live in a castle under the sea. One of my new favorite animals is the cuddle fish…they look like squid and change colors and travel in big schools...they’re just fantastic. Amongst the other sea creatures I was awed by were huge multi-colored clams, a bright pink sea cucumber, and of course all of the brightly colored coral. As if I don’t have it good enough living on a tropical island with amazing views of the land pretty much daily, I have now discovered a view even more awesome. Christa has some photos on an underwater camera…I’ll try to kereakere (borrow…forever…) some of them for your enjoyment once she gets them put onto a disk.

This Christmas was definitely different than the snow covered ones I’m used to back home…but it was refreshing. Of course, I missed my friends and family…and the traditions I’ve taken part in for as long as I can remember like baking Christmas cookies, ice skating in Chicago, walking down Michigan Avenue when the little white lights line the streets, and singing Silent Night on Christmas Eve at church, but this Christmas was free of the materialism and chaos of malls and shopping and consumers running around like chickens with their head cut off trying to get whatever new gadget is out on the market that their kid just can’t possibly live without. Instead, I had a simple Christmas with good friends and awe-inspiring exploration. Christa, Leslie, Hannah and I went to mass at a beautiful stone catholic church right on the coast. It was the first Fijian service I’ve gone to where the pastor’s tone was joyful instead of threatening…and their singing of familiar songs in an unfamiliar language was beautiful. After church we headed to Becky & Dana’s (volunteers that live in town) who graciously shared lovo (traditional Fijian food cooked in an underground oven) given to them by their neighbors. We listened to an audio version of the Grinch and then we headed to the beach where we partook in said snorkeling. We ended the night with a good meal and hit the sack early exhausted from the sun. Yes, this Christmas will be one to remember, not because of anything I got from a store, but because of the memories created with good friends and the renewed sense of awe in the simple complexities created under the sea.

Merry Christmas everyone…and may your New Year be a celebration of whatever adventure life took you on in 2008…and a renewed sense of awe and wonder for 2009.

And now…a tribute to the two ladies that we missed a ton because they were in the snow with ya’ll at home…Alisi and Kendalicious…I hope both of you had fantastic Christmas’s with family…but know that you are especially missed & I wish you were here snorkeling with us!

isa.

I've been away from Navua for a little over three weeks now...and finally the peace corps has decided there are no houses that meet the correct safety criteria there, so I will be removed from site and reassigned. Now this is great because I wasn't doing work there that really fit with any of my passions or aligned with my skills. However, they also told me it may be a while before they find a new spot for me so I should hang tight over the holidays and wait for programming staff to aid in developing a new site for me. After my official vacation ends in January, I'll most likely still be without a home or community, so perhaps I'll visit other volunteers at their sites & complete some work exchange.

Tomorrow I will go to one of my favorite lewa's (Amy's) village to take part in some composting and sweet mangrove planting....and then pretty much I get to hang out with her in her village for about a week.

After the village expedition I'm off to the north island for some fun in the sun. I'll be travelling with Christa & Leslie to a small island off of Labasa...and then down to celebrate Christmas in Savusavu. New Years will be celebrated with my mom :) on the coral coast near Sigatoka.

For now I'm just enjoying what will be about 2 months of down time, and exploring the hidden crevices of this beautiful island. Pictures are sure to follow the next few weeks, so stay posted!

After an unfortunately eventful weekend in Navua, I am currently displaced. Some local guys tried to break in to my house and so Peace Corps has decided it's an unsafe house for a volunteer, and have sent me to stay with Christa until they find me another.

I am incredibly frustrated, and disheartened right now...but hopefully everything will work out.

Also,

I'm not big on this blogging trend...I'd much rather snail mail you all...but seeing as this is free & empowers you--the reader to decide whether you want to read about my life in the Feej...I've transitioned from mass e-mails to posting on here...

The sister of the bride blessing the groom.

Sarees and Jewelry

My neighbor...5 going on 30.

Nacho! (translation: Dance!)

The sounds of loud Indian men singing along with great fervor (though a bit off tune probably due to a long yaqona session) to an Indian favorite vibrates through the walls of my mint green home, and the smell of fish still lingers from my dinner with La and Waqa. It’s taken me about a month to take everything in before I could find time to stop looking around and write about it. It’s surreal to think that this place has finally become home to me. I belong here. As I lay in bed a film reel of all the scenes I have been a part of in the last three months rolls through my head. Getting off the plane I was ecstatic…and yet not fully aware of what I just walked into. I boarded a plane in the LAX airport amidst the hustle and bustle of urban American life and stepped off the plane with an immediate stickiness to my skin into the quiet nighttime Fijian air. Weighed down by luggage I wasn’t quite sure I needed and thoughts that refused to let me get a good night of sleep for several weeks prior to arrival, I plopped into bed relieved to finally begin my adventure as a peace corps volunteer. Fast forward to meeting my host family. Despite the week of training to “prepare” us for life with our new families, the moment I entered that house a lump formed in my throat and the ability to speak in my usually boisterous voice was suddenly gone. As I fumbled around for words to say…trying to remember the few phrases Mahen jii taught us to brighten the mood I think something along the lines of “namas…raam…kaa…hi, I’m Sarah” came out. I would soon be branded with a new identity “Swastika” and expected to roll out perfectly round roti, spend my day in doors like a good Indian woman, and sit Indian style (which has now taken on a whole new meaning) for hours worth of pooja. Homestay is the most challenging and rewarding experience a person can go through. While mine was less than desirable, living in such close quarters with a family who is speaking a completely foreign language, cooking foods with spices you had no idea even existed, and existing in a family with much different roles and expectations than what one is used to at home really helps one to see more clearly the many similarities between the two cultures. The differences become much less important and the ability to share an overlap in culture—the love of dance, the telling of stories & jokes, mourning the loss of a loved one and celebrating the joining of two in love—the recognizition of our common humanity is what makes homestay so wonderful. The reel moves quickly like an old black and white film paired with instrumental music….with scenes of Esta gleefully sticking playdoh to my forehead, Anna washing my muddy feet after an intense Frisbee game, Kakii laughing with me over the grog bowl, and Auntie Mela calling me over for tea. Of course training also entailed a lot of interaction with our local trainers, all of whom I would soon grow to view as peers and some adopted members of my new Fijian family. There were late night talanoa sessions, and dance parties. My group of 32 American Peace Corps volunteers would ask our naïve, laughable questions and the locals would smile politely remembering what they were told about the nature of a new peace corps volunteer, and gracefully answer, hoping that one day soon their hard work would pay off. Without the patience of Kini, La, Dee, JT, karoka, and Mahen helping us through every faux pau and misinterpretation of a Fijian attitude or behavior…or Mesu & Isoa who humbly taught a bunch of self righteous, know it all college graduates from the U.S. about work in Fiji…or Tukai who appeared miraculously anytime we stepped out into the pouring rain afraid we’d have to walk the distance to training…or Asaeli & Joe who put up with every comment, question, concern, or request we had…one of the 32 of us would have been back on a plane to America, but instead here we are…one month into our volunteer service. Each one of us has a different story, and each one of us will experience Fiji in a slightly different way…but each one of us can proudly say that on July 24th we swore in as a Peace Corps volunteer.

-August, 2008

November 9, 2008

I'd first like to address the fact that Barack Obama is officially our president elect...and one day if I have children I can say " I was at a bar on a beach in Fiji with fellow Peace Corps volunteers watching the excitement in Grant Park on a tv the day Barack Obama made history." I wish I could have been amidst al the excitement at home, but celebrating as a peace corps volunteer in Fiji was pretty good too.

Some of you may have noticed that this update is a little late...sorry about that, it's been a busy one. I started off the month with a week of training that happens once a year with all of the volunteers. It was great to see everyone, to share ideas on how to get projects off the ground, and to be reminded that there 31 other people who are going through similar situations and challenges.

After training, we had a few days off, so I was running what many would consider a youth hostil from my flat in Navua. Mattresses covered the floors for a few days and a bunch of us spent numerous hours on the beach snorkeling, catching some rays, and kayaking. Fiji really is a beautiful country--I can't wait until I get to travel a bit more north to do some diving in the reefs.

The World Women's Craft fair was a lot of fun. I started off the week on a 4 hours bus ride with just women...and just like anywhere in the world, when you subtract men from the equation the result is one large singing and dance fest. During the two days of festivities it was great to see the women get excited explaining how they had made their crafts to all the tourists. The women from Navua brought quilts and mats they had made. One of the ladies also makes chutneys and snacks that she sold out of the first day because they're so delicious. Some of the other volunteers were there with their local women's groups selling bags, mat, chutneys, and honey. I bought some honey bottled in an old jam jar & I have to say, it is way better than that stuff we buy in America that comes in a plastic squeezable bear.

One exciting thing to happen in the world of health here was the arrival of a donation of HPV vaccines. There is a limited amount, so the health department decided to vaccinate all girls between the ages of 9 and 13. I took a two day trip with some of the nurses into the interior to hit all the schools inside the mountain last week. It was my first time to see all of the villages in my disctrict, most of which are hidden inside of very green mountainous areas, with few resources within any reasonable distance for walking--especially in the sweltering summer heat. The cultural taboo against talking about sexual and reproductive health was definitely a challenge though. Several of the villages completely rejected the vaccine, and several took some convincing because they were unaware of anything related to cervical health. Less than 10% of women here ever have a pap smear, and cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer among women in the country. Most of the time, women don't know they have it until it is so far progressed that there is no way to cure it. We're hoping that by introducing this vaccine, and getting women talking about the virus, more will recognize the importance of taking care of their health.

November is the launch of women's fitness classes which I will be teaching until a few more women in the community feel confident enough to lead them. The dietician and I also made news with our Saturday day camp that is running for three weekends this month & ends next week. Using information collected during the school health team's routine checkups, it was found that about 1 in 4 kids here are overweight or obese. We invited those shown as obese to the day camp where the kids participate in sports, swimming, and nutrition classes. We're hoping that at the completion of the camp, the kids will be aware of more games they can play that don't necessarily require them to join the limited number of sports teams around, and be able to use locally grown foods to create healthy menus for themselves and their families.

The holidays are approaching, and I know I'll be missing home a lot more than usual because of it....fortuately I've created a small family away from home amongst the other volunteers as well as the people in my town. While I'm cooking up some homemade raviolis for the other volunteers, know that I am thinking of you all at home and hope yours is blessed with family, good food, and a good snow.

September 19, 2008

“Woman found sleeping under a bush.” That was the news-breaking story on Fiji One News this week. The news anchor went on to tell the horrific details of the story, “a woman in her 60’s who is thought to suffer from a mental illness was found sleeping under a bush. Authorities are unsure of her identity of origin. Police are requesting any information on her identity from friends or family.”

Such is the culture of community. I’m in a country that has limited access to resources—and yet no one goes hungry and no one is homeless. Everyone has a village to go home to, or a family to care for them when they can’t care for themselves. A person can’t go hungry because if I have something to eat—even if it’s just one apple—and you don’t, we share it. Coming from a land of plenty with still plenty of unnamed, unnoticed, uncared for community members sleeping under bushes and next to garbage cans and under overpasses; this headline worthy news reminds me how far I am from the U.S. of A. One of the men in a nearby village asked me recently, “is it true that there are people in your country that live on the street and are hungry? I saw it on a movie, but I wasn’t sure if it was true.” So I replied yes, as a movie reel of faces & names & stories of all the homeless men, women, and youth I have so loved working with in America scrolled through my memory. He looked at me with perplexed eyes and then with a wary smile said, “I think your country needs you more than we do.”

I’ve been living in my flat in Navua for almost two months now. Sometimes the days go by really slowly, and yet time seems to just fly by. I can’t believe I’ve already been gone for a third of a year. I’m just starting to do some community project planning with a squatter settlement that borders town. After having informal chats, teas, and late night kava drinking sessions, we had a community meeting last week. At the beginning of the meeting as the taraqanikoro (“mayor” of the village) formally welcomed me into the community, he told me to call him “Ta” which means dad…suddenly, there was a quite eruption of unrest circling the room and all the men started talking to each other in Fijian way past my level of understanding. After a few minutes of this, the taraqanikoro turned to me and said…you will call all of us ta because we all regard you as our daughter. Family ties here are really important—there’s a different Fijian word for all sorts of relatives depending on what side of the family they fall. So to decide my village family of origin was an important task for them…apparently they couldn’t decide how to make things fair , so I now have about 28 Fijian "Ta"s In this particular village, they are currently proposing a plan to upgrade their toilet facilities, which are currently mostly pit toilets. If you aren’t familiar with this term it’s essentially a hole dug in the ground & a breeding ground for dengue fever carrying mosquitos amongst a wealth of other diseases…and the smell under the hot Fijian sun is putrid. That’s just one of the projects underway, hopefully soon some longer term projects will emerge. Like I’ve said in a previous e-mail non-communicable diseases…especially diabetes…is really prevalent here. So, the nurses are trying to get in shape & live more active lifestyles in an extremely sedentary community. We’ll be starting women’s fitness classes soon, which is unheard of here in Fiji…I can’t wait to see all the middle aged women workin’ it during aerobics which is what they’ve decided we should do along with fitness yoga & kickboxing.

I’ve really become a part of the community here, I’ve even joined the women’s soccer team in town. No, I didn’t play soccer in America. Yes, I am absolutely terrible. But they insisted I join them, so for the sake of trying new things, deepening relationships with the other women on the team, and staying fit…here goes nothing. I’m also learning how to tie-die, sew, and weave mats from a women’s group that does handicrafts for income generation. We have a big “World women’s craft fair” in Suva in October, it will be pretty cool to see all of their handcrafted quilts, curtains, mats, etc. on display since they just started this form of income generation. I’m hoping by the time I leave in 2 years I will have completed my quilt (one that would take Alesi, one of the women in the group, just a couple of weeks to complete J ). I have so much fun with the women here. The older ladies are always trying to dress me in sarees, and tell me stories about their own daughters, many of whom have moved overseas to America, New Zealand, or Australia. The girls my age are fabulous—we have so much fun with dance parties, curry nights, and sand volleyball. It would be much harder for me to be here if it weren’t for the good local friends I’ve made.

I promise I’ll be taking my camera out of its case again soon, so look for some new photos of life in Fiji coming to an inbox near you.

That’s all from this end of the world…I miss you all…and I might be miles away, but I’m right there with you cheering for my two Chicago loves…the Cubs & da Bears!

August 20, 2008

Namaste!

A lot has happened since I last wrote you all. I have officially sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer, moved to my new site, set up my flat, and begun to make my way to as many houses as possible to drink kava, eat delicious curry, and talanoa (sit around telling stories). The town I’m living in is diverse with a good mix of both indigenous Fijians, and Indofijians. My Hindi language skill is slowly becoming conversational, and the roti I roll are becoming more and more round. I’ve had the strangest mix of emotions as I’ve been settling in. I’m ecstatic, nervous, confident, & unsure. The people of Fiji are so welcoming, it’s hard to not feel at home here…and yet I am definitely missing those of you who make home what it is in America.

Most weekdays I wake up to the sunrising over the river with mountains in the backdrop. I make myself some tea and sit on the front porch processing the previous day and taking in the beauty of it all. I put on one of my five knee length skirts & polo shirts & head to the health centre I’m attached to and drink tea with the nurses, dietician, and peer educator. Work here takes on a whole new meaning from what I’ve ever known it to be. We definitely move on island time…and when someone says they’ll do something today it will maybe be finished by next week…maybe. This isn’t to say that the people here are lazy, or unmotivated, they simply lack a sense of urgency—especially around work related issues. So when I say I drink tea at work…I mean, I drink tea for work…probably a couple hours. I then make my way out into the community talking to the old ladies at the market selling pumpkins, bananas, chile peppers, and curry, or the community leaders such as the principals of the schools or police officers sitting around talanoaing. Right now my prime responsibility is to begin to understand the community—how it works, who it’s made up of, what resources & assets it already has, and what it would like to be networked to, who goes where when, etc. This will help me later on in my service because I’ll be able to assess the community needs by actually knowing and talking with the community. After walking around I come back and have lunch, maybe play a game of volleyball with the nurses who are all trying to be a good example to the NCD pronc community by exercising regularly. After a long day of what we in Fiji call work, I head home and go for a run along the river. Occassionally my new 12 year old buddy Selina comes with me—she wants to run track this summer (it’s winter here right now…), so we do our ab work out & stretching & head out for the 5 kilometers ahead of us. Finally, I make my way to someone’s house for dinner. I’ve only cooked a few meals for myself in the last few weeks, because everyone is so inviting & I’m constantly being invited over for dinner. The people here are extremely communal and family oriented. They have a difficult time understanding how I can even function living on my own in a flat…so I’m well taken care of and adopted by several different families in town.

This past weekend I started my backyard garden…one would think this was an easy task, but my neighbors came out with some gardening tools and asked “are you from the city?...it looks like it…” They were well intentioned in this honest remark an they helped me dig up the grass that probably would have taken another few days for me to remove in less than an hour. I hope to have some beans, watermelon, cabbage & tomatoes along with oregano and basil sometime in the near future. I went to firewalking ceremonies at the Hindi temple just down the road from my home. All week the firewalkers have woken up before sunrise to cleanse themselves in the river, beat their huge drums, and offer sacrifices at the alter. They completed the week of fasting and prayer with a Saturday night ceremony complete with traditional costume, dancing, and music. At midnight they lit a huge pile of wood that would burn until 4pm the next day when all that is left are burning embers. At the Sunday ceremony they prepare themselves by again praying and offering sacrifices, piercing their bodies numerous times, and eventually walking across the bed of hot ashes. I’m still learning about all of the traditions & beliefs of the Hindi people (and if any of you have accurate info. on this practice let me know), so I won’t try to analyze the reasoning behind all of these traditions. I’m currently trying to take everything in and understand as best I can, the culture and traditions that are so deeply embedded into the history and stories of the people here. This weekend also marks the first time I’ve seen a beach like the ones we see in postcards. For those of you doubting that I was even writing you from the beautiful island of Fiji, it’s true there are wonderful beaches here. I traveled up the coral coast and while I haven’t done any snorkeling yet, I hope to do so with some volunteers near my site that know all about marine life.

So currently, I’m in the middle of a campaign that is going on in conjuction with Hibiscus, a festival in Suva. Along with local stakeholders in the field of adolescent reproductive health, I’m participating in youth utreach focused on HIV/AIDS awareness. The total number of reported cases in Fiji is 271. The estimate for the actual number is between 2000-3000. In a country with a small population, that’s a scary number of people who have the virus and don’t know. Because of the lack of education, the traditionally taboo nature of discussing sexual health, and culture that is so relaxed it doesn’t often visit a doctor until something has to be amputated or it becomes apparently life threatening, STIs—including HIV/AIDS have spread without people knowing they were even at risk. It’s really encouraging to see some action being taken and organization around getting the information disseminated into communities. I’m learning a lot from all of the local peer educators (those trained in adolescent reproductive health outreach within the ministry of health), as well as talking to people at the festival. It’s giving me a good idea of the urgency and necessity for this globally erupting pandemic to be addressed.

I’m learning a lot about myself, and my own perceptions about the world while being here. I often find myself reevaluating the way in which I’ve approached both global and local issues. I have definitely been in a period of healthy unrest as I reconstruct my worldview based on the values, beauty, and culture found here. I could not possibly give you all a concise or complete recognition of this restructuring at this point in my service…but when I figure it out I’ll let you know J

Hopefully many of you have seen the photos I posted onto the wonderful world of facebook…and if you haven’t let me know so I can send you the link to the albums. Take care & please keep me updated on life back at home. I love to hear all about it, especially for those of us who just graduated & are now getting “grown up jobs” and setting out on our own. Island life gives me plenty of time to download your e-mails to my laptop & read them like bedtime stories at night.

May you all find some time in your week to live like the islanders—breathing in deeply the fragrance of life,

Week 1:

Our first week in Fiji, my entirely quirky Peace Corps Team of 32 stayed in Bungalows at a boarding school. We had meetings all day, but played ultimate Frisbee on every break. We also watched a lot of rugby at all hours of the night since the Fiji team was playing a tournament in Europe. It was beginning to feel a lot like summer camp when all that could be heard at night were the echoes of guitars being played in the moonlight, young men making up stupid games that somehow become funny like “how many words can you make sound Hillbilly” led by our favorite southern volunteer Heath, and “uh-oh-uhoooh uh-oh-uhooooh uh-uh-uhooooh the right stuff” blaring from a bungalow nearby.

The honeymoon is over though, and we’ve been placed in different villages near Nasauri. I was one of the few placed in an Indo-Fijian settlement close to the city called Visama. This means I will most likely be placed in an urban Hindistani (a combination of Hindi & Fijian) speaking community. I’m staying with the Prakash family for the next 8 weeks, and they have lovingly given me the Hindi name “Swastika” which in their culture is a religious symbol that means “peace.” I attempted to persuade them to award me a different name, but Swastika I remain. They even drew me the sign and told me I would be able to brag about my name to friends at home because it comes with a symbol attached. Since I had only met them 2 hours before this, I did not inform them of the alternate meaning of this symbol, though I plan to do so sometime in the future when it will be humorous and not embarrassing to them. I live with a maatajii aur pitajii (mom & dad), two girls ages 16 and 17, and a 19 year old boy. They are a very nice family, and fortunately all have a great sense of humor since my cultural sensitivity and language pronunciation still need some work.

The settlement is full of friendly people who are always inviting me and the other 5 that live in the settlement in for tea and cookies. I have made it a rule to leave my house 30 minutes ahead of schedule in order to make time for people who may stop me on the way. I’ve already been invited to several weddings, and attended one last weekend. Fortunately, here in the settlement women don’t drink grog (some of you may know it as kava or yaqona) often, so I am mostly free from the narcotic-like mud water, which I consumed many bowls a night while in our training camp. This is not to say the men don’t down it here. In fact, another volunteer lives with a couple who run a night time Drive-up grog business. Just flash your brights, and they deliver the goods.

I am quickly becoming acclimated to the culture here. My hands and feet are covered in henna complements of my “Cousin” Sima, who lives next door; I eat curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner; and when someone tells me we will be picked up at 1:00, I bring a book and wait for them to arrive between 12:30 and 2:00. There are, of course, challenges due to the combination of culture shock and information overload. My Chicago accent makes it quite difficult to pronounce the subtle accents of Hindi, my saucy, independent spirit is still learning a quieter approach to life, and I have yet to love cold showers. I am finding it ironic and yet not surprising, that a country known for it’s beautiful get away resorts is a third world country with an abundance of poverty and inaccessibility to resources and education. I actually have yet to see the ocean, and for those of you who joked about me going on a tropical vacation for a couple years, trust me when I say there is more to the islands than pina coladas and cabana boys fanning you on beautiful white sand beaches. Being here for two years will be an adventure, and I am looking forward to each moment along the way.

Namaste.

Sarah

P.S. At night it gets to about 70* Fahrenheit here. The locals bundle up in fleece, wool socks, and knit hats. If this is winter, I think I will learn to love the cold showers when summer arrives.