The Half Way Point...

Good morning or yandra sia!  In town early today – came on the 7 am boat to do some computer work, then J and the kiddos are meeting me later this morning to head to Chuck’s farm – he and his family have invited us to come stay the next two days for a visit and to celebrate his daughter Tia’s birthday.  Really looking forward to this chance to get to know Chuck and his family better, explore inland a bit more, and check out his sustainable farm.

Realized a few errors/omissions in my typing frenzy last week for the blog – I said the island made bio-diesel – ha/ha!  Not true – we use the pig manure to make bio-gas. It’s Chuck’s baby, as well as the bee hives.  The bee hives have not been successful – they vacate the hive within days of placing it – we need advice from the beekeepers out there.  Ideas on why this is happening?

Happy belated birthday to Rachael, and happy birthday next week to Jamie!  Hope your days are filled with laughs, hugs and joy.  Love you!

Sorry - no new photos uploaded this week.  It takes hours and hours - hoping to have some extra time in town on Wednesday before we catch the boat home to upload some.

It was a great week.  Here’s a bit of my journal writings from the week…

Monday, July 20, 2009

Today is our ½ way mark – been here 5 weeks, and 5 more to go.  It has gone so quickly…

Trip into town today – computer catch up time, some shopping.  Got to chat quite a while with my dear friend Blythe on Facebook – so grateful for that.  Bought some eye ointment for Jone’s eye – he has an infection that looks terrible.  Hope it works. Treated myself to a Blitz bar – heaven on a stick.  Toffee ice creams nestled in a crunchy chocolate shell – aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!  Three new arrivals today – one is an American woman, so that makes 2 other Americans besides ourselves on the island – the most since we’ve arrived!  Let the language dueling begin!  It is an ongoing joke on the island between the Americans and the English – they say they created the language, but we say we perfected it.  To be honest though, I actually prefer the way they speak it!  I love to watch the newcomers faces on the boat ride to the island – love to watch the amazement and emotion that comes across their faces as they take in the scenery and the reality of their adventure. 

Back on the island, the children greeted me at the shore as though I had been gone for a month, full of stories of the day’s excitement.  They retrieved the billibilli (bamboo fishing raft) that had washed up down the beach a few days earlier.  J pulled the bilibili while the kiddos wrote atop.  They saw a shark and a jellyfish on their journey.  The bilibili is in good shape, and Lucas is bursting to show it to Pupu so they can make it as good as new.  Ollie’s big news was that Jimmy and Mark made him a fishing/butterfly net from some sticks and an old mosquito net.  J finished drying the wash, brought it in, and put it away.  Yippee!  He also walked some other people through caring for the pigs, so he can take a break from that job for a while.

Shortly after returned, Chevonne and I grabbed some water, put on our trainers, and set out on a hike.  I offered to take her around the 4 Peaks since she will leave before there is another guided hike.  I love this hike and could do it everyday, which everyone else thinks is just crazy.   You work up a great sweat and use every muscle in your body to scale the rocky terrain and scramble over rocks, but the breeze at the top of each peak is soooo worth it.  The day before, Jenny and Lisa watched the kiddos for a bit so J and I could hike and chat alone, and it was amazing.  Great fun hiking with Chevonne – we had some wonderful conversation.  I love so much the mature and insightful perspectives of the young people who come through the island. 

Had to run the last bit back through the mangroves cuz the sun was setting.  J and Lucas had already left on the fishing trip when we got back, but Bethie did a good job of looking after Ollie until I got back.  After dinner, it was on with the sulu and and then onto the grog mat, where Ollie curled up on my lap and fell asleep.  Drank a few bilos but then felt queasy, as usual.  Grog makes my dinner want to come back – ick.  J and L returned from fishing, but caught nothing.

Left the grog mat around 10 (a VERY late night for us!) and then settled into to sleep, lulled by the beautiful music and voices of Jone, Oriah, and Antonio. 

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Cooolllld morning – J and the kids are behind me actually building a fire!  Cooler air blew in on a storm yesterday – after a stretch of windless, humid days, I welcome the feisty wind!  The Fijians hate it – all bundled up in their jackets, hats, scarves – to them it is freezing.  Last night was the most lovely night since we arrived - J and I snuggled up in long pants and long sleeve shirts, socks, and blankets and lay stargazing, listening to the wind in the coconut leaves and the sound of the coconuts falling to the ground, thump, thump, thump!  The sky was black and clear and the stars were twinkling by the millions.  We pointed out the constellations we knew and made up others.  The Fijian sky has inspired me to learn more about astronomy – the beauty and the mystery of the night sky is just overwhelming to me.   As the night wore on, we ended up singing our hearts out to any and every song that we could think of that we both knew the words to – completely off-key, I’m sure!  I slept so well – love when breeze blows through the bure – it was nice to need the warmth of a blanket and another body rather than sweat the whole night through.

Some very good friends left this morning – it is so sad to form friendships and attachments to wonderful people as they pass through and then have to see them leaving, knowing that most you will never see again, although email and Facebook does take the sting out of that a bit.  A few others left as week, so it was a big Isa Lei (the ceremony and song with which we send people on their way).

The funky tides are back – really, really low and high tides.  The Fijians say it happens with the new moon, once a month.  Ollie and I ventured to the far end of the island during low tide to explore tide pools yesterday.  It was AMAZING!  Ollie had it exactly right when he said it was just like looking in aquariums.  Bright, colorful, graceful fish, eels, stingrays, and crabs.  We tried our best to catch some fish with his new makeshift net, but succeeded in only catching a few.  They dart away so quickly to their coral hideaways!

Chuck is here, so Jimmy is deep into projects with him.  Ollie and Mana are up to whatever they do all day – running between the villages.  Lucas is consumed with a new book, and Bethie is helping Jenny, Lisa, and Clinton with cleaning and organizing the Chief’s bure.  I think I am going to spend the day working on my water conservation information board I am making, sit in on the language class after morning tea, then help lead a beach clean up this afternoon in the mangroves.

The war between us and the rats continue – J had to take up floorboards today to remove one that had eaten our lovely poison treats.  Although we keep NO food in our bure, these rats come at night and terrorize our bure – they’ve eaten some of the beads off of J’s prayer beads, the top of my hat, the tabua (whales tooth) carved for Ollie’s birthday by Jone.   Each day, the list grows longer – it is ON!

Beach clean up went well – because of poor systems for rubbish disposal/removal, so much of it ends up in the sea and then washes up in the mangroves.  Need to go back several more times before the job is done.  Lucas and Ollie came along and helped, providing us constant entertainment.  When we were done, we brought the rubbish back, where it was weighed and logged, then sorted through into landfill, recycling, and re-usables.   We are currently collecting plastic bottles to replace a pontoon that died a while back – we use the plastic bottles to float a wooden frame dock that will be anchored offshore for fishing, sunbathing, etc.  The data collected is used to help educate and inform, especially in Labasa, where most of the trash comes from.  During the clean up, Ollie surprised us all by showing us all a hidden cave where their were baby birds in nests attached to the ceiling – evidently he had been there before with one of the Fijians.  Lucas also found a gorgeous sea lobster, dead.  He brought back the carcass and Jone helped him take it apart and clean it – they are going to varnish it and wire it back together.  The colors and markings of this thing is amazing – nothing like anything I’ve ever seen before. 

Back to the village for tea – warm, honey glazed donuts.  Pure sin – I tried to resist, but failed.  Afterwards a few of us gathered with Jone to practice some Fijians songs, worked on perfecting the Isa Lei and started learning the ever popular and fun Goat Song, a grog mat favorite.  Bethie joined in the singing for a bit, then headed of to snorkel with Jenny and some others.  Then it was a sustainability meeting in the Hammocks with Chuck to discuss the water desalination device.  I chose to stay behind and continue a conversation with Jone – so much for us to learn through each other about our cultures.  We chatted about his birth, pros and cons of life in the US, about Fijian family life, and life in general.  I will miss Jone and his laugh, mischieviousness, and persectives.  He plans to visit us in the US – I hope he does.

Aside from the beach clean-up, I hardly saw the boys or J all day.  Everyone was busy with their own projects.  J had to move a bookshelf to get to the rat, so while he had it out he put a back on it, then spent the rest of the day working on the biogas project and making new recycling bins with Chuck.  Because there are no power tools, building projects take much longer!

The day is at it’s end – as I write I can hear the heartbeat of Vorovoro – the boys are pounding more grog.  It’s Oriah’s last night on the island before he returns to his chiefly duties in Ligu Levu tomorrow.   I will miss his singing on the grog mat.  Ollie is sleeping beside me and J and the kiddos are watching “Monsters vs. Aliens” on the laptop – one of the $3 movies from the many pirated DVD shops in Labasa – the only way to get movies here.  It cracks me up because when you pop the movie in, the name and phone number of the movie pirate scrolls across the screen as an advertisement!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Kini, the kitchen chef, taught Ollie how to hold one of the huge, hairy spiders today.  He carried it around and let it crawl all over him.  He claimed it as a pet and named it Bill.  That kid is fearless!

This morning, Lucas is hiking the 4 Peaks with some others, Ollie is off somewhere with Mana, and Bethie is helping Jenny move into her new living quarters – now that she took a staff position she gets to move out of the dormitory vale into her own private house.  Today is her first official day as Wavu.  Jenny (we are known as Jenny squared when we are together) has become such a special friend to our family – we were thrilled when she decided to apply for the Wavu position, which meant extending her stay until the end of our stay.  There was no doubt she would get the position – her outgoing, buoyant personality is a perfect fit for the job, as well as her enduring passion and enthusiasm for the project.

Hoping for a  bit of rain today, enough to get the waterfall flowing.  Really need to shower today, and would love a waterfall shower.

Written later in the day…

Lucas’ maiden voyage of the bilibili was a success!  He and Chez took it out fishing and actually caught a small fish that they used for bait to hook a larger one that broke their line.  He and Jimmy took it out again later but caught nothing – beginning to think that Jimmy is bad fishing luck!

Worked more on my info board – it’s all sketched out and ready for paint tomorrow.  Also outlined the text for another info board. 

B and I hiked to the end of the island to explore tide pools, because it is the time of the month when the tide goes waaaaay out.  Didn’t see anything as cool as when Ollie and I went the other day, but enjoyed our girl time, just the two of us. 

As I am writing this, we just got an emergency call from Chuck.  As he was boating home over rough seas, his motor hit something and bounced off and sank to the bottom of the sea.  Jone is heading to fetch him and his boat.  Glad for him he had a phone, and it had charge!  Looks like he is spending another night on Vorovoro with us!

Got my beads out today, and it attracted the Fjians like bees to honey, drawn to all the pretty shapes and colors they had not seen before.  We all beaded together for a couple hours – now everyone has a new piece of jewelry.  I love seeing my beads around their necks and on their ears – their gratitude and enthusiasm is truly heart warming.

Waiting, waiting, waiting now for dinner – we’ve been invited down to the Fijian village for dinner, but because it IS Fiji, time is just an abstract concept, despite rumbling tummies.  But like always, I know dinner will prove itself well worth the wait!

 

 

Au Lomani Iko!

Au lomani Iko means I love you!  Much love from us to you and your families - we are doing well, loving life here in Fiji, but we are all missing the smiles, hugs, and good times with all those we left on the other side of the ocean.   AU LOMANI IKO!!!!  

Probably going to be a short post this time, with no new photos.  Short on time.  Gonna type till someone comes to let me know that it's time to board the boat.   

The big event of this past week was a Lovo, which is a great big festive Fijian celebration - the Lovo specifically refers to the main dish prepared for the feast, which is a pig cooked in the ground - a hole is dug in the ground, the pig is wrapped in leaves and cooked 1.5 hours in the hole - there is more to it the cooking and preparation process, but I missed it this time around.  There will be another, bigger Lovo next month to celebrate the 3 year anniversary of the project, so I will have pics and more details about it then.   This Lovo was to celebrate the homecoming of 4 Fijian team members who traveled to London for a month to do some promotional work there.  Unless they are important political figures or Rugby players, few Fijians ever travel out of the country, let alone across the world.  This was a big deal.  They are taking a week off to reconnect with their families, but then they will be around to share their stories - Fijian stories are the best.  I love to hear them tell about the world from their perspective.  Upon first seeing a double-decker bus cruising down the street in London, one of the guys asked with alarm, "Why is that house moving???"   Lots of stories and laughs to be had around the grog mat next week, I'm sure.  I just have to make sure I sit next to someone who can translate well for me, because I have figured out that while I can learn enough Fijian to communicate crudely, the language is WAAAAAYYYYY too complicated to learn fluently - folks who have been here decades still haven't mastered it.  

We've been asked to explain more about what the project is about and what we are doing here, so I will try to do that before I get pulled away.  The project is called TribeWanted - we found it when we were searching for international volunteer opportunities that accommodated families.  We had no luck finding any family friendly volunteer opportunities abroad, but this project appealed to us on several levels.  1) It is in Fiji, a country we fell in love with 2 years ago and have wanted to spend more time exploring the land and the culture, 2) The focus is sustainable eco-tourism - something that has not yet been done, 3) Cultural immersion - living, working, playing with the indigenous Fijians of the area, 4) Cultural conservation - a focus on learning and preserving the cultural traditions of the area, 5) Providing a sustainable income for the indigenous Fijians - a very valuable thing - Fiji is a very poor country with limited income sources, 6) Share environmental awareness - Fiji is undereducated in terms of the negative impact traditional tourism and general daily life and business practices has on the environment and eco-systems.   The history of the project is that two young men from England had the idea of creating a sustainable eco-village, utilizing the internet to create a world-wide "tribe" where tribe members would work together online to hash out ideas and vote on important decisions regarding the creation of the village, before arranging to visit the island to experience the island and put their share of work into the creation of the dream.  The lease of the land to TribeWanted would be 3 years, enough time to create the infrastructure and the physical structures of the village, and then the established eco-village would be left to the Fijians as a source of sustainable income, while the project re-located to another location to begin again.  The goal of the eco-village would be all the things I stated above that appealed to us, as well as establishing a new niche in the eco-tourism that would promote sustainable practices.   Their search for the perfect location to lease led them to Vorovoro, where two years previous Tevita, a spiritual man from the island, had a prophecy that "The world would come to Vorovoro."  When the men from England approached the leaders of the island with this idea, an agreement on a 3 year lease was quickly agreed upon, and the project began.  Construction on the composting toliets began first, with traditional Fijian housing and cooking structures next.   All the planning and sweat came from project members and the Fijians - each learning from the other.  The nature of the project brings together like-minded individuals from all over the world united in a common desire to help the project to succeed, thus creating a tight community atmosphere, something we have loved ever so much since we have arrived.   Over the last three years, solar and wind power has been established, a dam has been attempted (and unfortunately failed, but still hopeful to work with some revision), huge progress has been made in growing enough food to sustain the needs of the project, elaborate water collection and distribution systems have been put in place, biodiesel system has been put into place, pigs and chicken housing created and animals purchased, water de-salination device created (not successful -needs work!), the compost toliets have been built and succeed in providing excellent compost for the fruit trees, a reed bed filtration system completed, an ongoing environmental club established at the local school, and loads of environmental education has been shared with the island community and beyond into the larger community of Labasa.   The Fijians offer lots of opportunities to learn from them - we forage with them, line and spear fish with them, build with them, join in their celebrations and festivals, and of course spend lots of time on the grog mat with them, where we probably learn the most of all!  I feel like I am forgetting a lot - trying to type fast before I have to go.  A unique aspect of the project is the cultural immersion - learning the culture by living it along side the Fijians.  Also unique is the shared work - the project is a sum of its parts - international and indigenous - and much pride is shared.  As the project has come up on it's 3 year anniversary and lease expiry, the Fijians have offered an extended lease of 5 years, so the project will continue in it's current location.  That the Fijians want us to stay is a huge compliment - they are pleased with the project and it's impact and respect to their environment and culture.  There have been other Tribewanted communities started elsewhere in the world - Peru, I think.  We love the project for all the reasons we have stated, as well as the chance to include our children in the creation of something that we believe in - they are included in every part,  the meetings, work, planning, etc.  Some of what we do is general upkeep - usually community housekeeping duties - things that must be done in a communal living situation - cleaning, organizing, helping in kitchen, etc.   There is continual maintenance of the existing projects, work to be done on projects in progress, and continual planning of future projects.   A major issue for the island right now is water - water is a big issue for all of Fiji.  In the dry season, a lot of island run out of fresh water, and given the amount of people who pass through Vorovoro, water is a bigger issue there.  With extremely limited supply choices in Fiji, and a limited budget, this problem is very tricky to solve.  My personal hope is that now that the project is moving out of it's infancy and has established it's viability, it will become more attractive to investors.  As of now, we use salt water for as many uses as we can, catch as much rain water as we can and then use it sparingly, using it for multiple purposes if we can, such as the final rinse water for dish washing doubles to water the gardens.  Showers are a luxury - when there is rain water available we put a bit into a bucket fitted with a shower head - I have mastered the art of bathing, shaving, and shampooing and conditioning my hair with about 2 liters of water.  Never would have thought that was possible before now!  When the fresh water is gone, we bathe in the sea.  Not my favorite though - the hair tends to dreadlock!  And amazingly enough, I have come to looove doing laundry by hand.  Being on the beach at high tide probably has a little to do with that!

A big plus to the project is the international community - we have made close friends with people from all over the world, some of those friendships I know will last a lifetime.  The atmosphere of the project is playful, inspiring, and a committed and loving community.  It has been an amazing experience for the kiddos - one that I think will shape their view of the world forever.  For Jimmy and I, we needed a break from our "old" life to sink into some new ways of being, to do some personal work that we found was difficult to do within the structure and routines of our life back home - this has been an incredible springboard for us into the next chapter of our lives.  While this seemed crazy to us when we first decided to go with it, we are glad we listened to our hearts.  When we listen, our hearts never steer us wrong.  

Lucky for me, the new arrivals' plane was late, so I got to type waaaay more than I thought I would!  Hope this explains a little bit more about what we are doing here.   You can also check it out on the web - www.tribewanted.com.

Till next week!  Hoping then I can share more pictures.  Much love from our family to yours!  Moce!

Bula sia!  Short blog post this week, put lots more pictures.  Check em out here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahillfamilyphotos/

We came in to Labasa and stayed in a hotel last night (hotel named North Pole – there’s some irony!) so Jimmy could get his ultimate souvenir, a Fijian tattoo.  Crazy, I know, but totally safe.    Not as professionally precise as his other tats, but authentically Fijian and very well done given the equipment available.  There are pictures on Flickr if you wanna check em out!  

Only a few minutes to update!  Highlights of the week:  On Thursday we celebrated Ollie’s 5^th birthday - what a fun day.  The fun, community spirit of the island made for a wonderful birthday – Ollie actually became shy when everyone sang to him at the morning meeting.  He was gifted with some wonderful, beautiful handmade gifts and was the recipient of endless hugs and tickles.  On Wednesday, Chuck (the sustainability manager) came back to the island after a week away on holiday.  It was good to see him again – we’ve become fast friends.  As the sun began to set, he offered to take us out spear fishing, so we left the kiddos in the care of our friends on the island and headed out to sea.   The reef off the coast of Vorovoro is the 3^rd largest in the world – it is amazing to be in the middle of the ocean and have the water so shallow!  We boated past the reef and then donned our snorkel gear and jumped in the blue, choppy sea, following Chuck as he shined his waterproof torch into the coral, looking for anything large enough to spear.  The evening ended up a bust as far as fishing went, but it was an amazing night in the boat, surrounded by the vast sea and a bright, luminescent, full moon.  Our first time alone since we arrived in Vorovoro – aaaah!   The next day, Chuck's wife Susie and their three Fijian adopted children joined us on the island for a couple days to help celebrate Ollie's birthday.  We are going to join them on their sustainable farm for a few days in a week or so.  

There were lots of other things worth mentioning this week – hikes, excursions, projects started and completed, jokes and games, new friends, the Rugby game we attended while in town (Rugby – now THAT is a violent sport, especially in person!!!!).  But time is short now, so I’ll have to let pictures tell some of the stories.  Much love to you all!  Till next week,

PHOTOS!

The connection here is simply too slow to upload photos so the blog, but I was able to manage to upload a few to Flickr.  Go here to see!  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cahillfamilyphotos/  The set is titled Vorovoro, FIJI.

Enjoy!

Have we really only been here for two weeks? It already feels like forever!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

So we’ve been here 2 full weeks now and I am beginning to relax and get out of my head a bit. Seems since we’ve been here I’ve been really enjoying myself, but being so much out of my element has made my mind go on overtime, whether it be figuring out the best way to do something unfamiliar (like doing our laundry in the sea, and getting it dry before one of the day’s inevitable showers comes along), organizing and reorganizing our new home so the things we need often can be accessed easily, or just simply thinking through the day’s activities.  It wasn’t until yesterday that I really realized how hard it’s been for me to let go and give in to relaxing moments.  I’ve been reflecting on that quite a bit this week – the contrast of life here and how relaxation/downtime is just integrated into the day versus back home where relaxation seems to come (at least for me) with a hefty guilty price tag.   I want to move past being a “human doing” and become a “human being” – and for me that requires that I get out of my head and into my heart.   Only then do I really feel fulfilled with whatever I’m doing, whether it’s work or play.  And it’s amazing how when I’m living from my heart how the line between work and play becomes blurred and the two integrate together.  Why is it as adults we take life so seriously?  I realize that I have so much to learn from how children move through their day, ever present in whatever moment they are in, seldom thinking or worrying about what needs done or what they could have/should have done better.   They never miss an opportunity to laugh or play, to sing or dance.   I am happiest when I live this way – how bout you?

 Life here has a wonderful rhythm that is comforting and secure, yet there are new things happening and new people to meet nearly every day.  On Monday, Wednesday, and Saturdays, we bid farewell to any members whose stay with us has come to an end, and welcome any new members who are arriving.  We’ve met some amazing and fascinating people from all over, although right now there are quite a few folks here from England.    It’s been so much fun learning each other’s variety of English – so many things that we say they find hilarious and vice versa!  Torch = flashlight, shattered = exhausted, jelly = Jello.  They though it was so strange that we were offering our children peanut butter and Jello sandwiches!  We joke that when we come home we will be speaking a strange combination of American/British English sprinkled with Fijian. 

The kids are doing great – the homesickness is becoming less and less as the days go by and they become more involved with the project.    Everyone here is ecstatic to have a family on the island – they go long periods of time without children on the island and everyone is loving having them around.  The kids’ enthusiasm and playfulness is contagious, which makes for lots of fun throughout the day.  Jim, the project manager, is a big kid at heart and the kids have loads of fun with him.  He made them a scavenger hunt this week to properly initiate them into his Hammock Society – a society dedicated to hosing down anyone seen running or exercising on the beach with water guns or water balloons.  Their motto is “Chill out, don’t work out”.   He has really taken Lucas under his wing – involving him in projects (and practical jokes!), swimming, chatting, and playing Nintendo DS – the kids were just thrilled to meet a grown up who owned his very own DS.  It elevated him to a whole new level of coolness that Jimmy and I can never hope of attaining.  It is hilarious to me to see Jim, Lucas, and Bethie with their video games, matching each other around the campfire, under the palm trees, on a remote Fijian island!   For Ollie, it is like he has been here his entire life – it is inspiring how easily he has adjusted.   The Fijians adore him – he roams freely between the villages, hanging out with everyone, helping whoever needs help.  He takes his work very seriously – he loves to feel useful.  The girls in the kitchen spoil him, and his friend Mana was here all week and the two were inseparable.   They spend a lot of time playing in the sea together – you can hear their laughter through the entire village.  He plays so hard during the day that he falls asleep most nights before we can get him to bed – just curls up on one of us and crashes.

We spent our time this week doing some of the usual – the trip into town, Tuesday was sevusevu day when Tui Mali comes to the island, lots of grog sessions, lots of Meke practice, lots of music and singing, games, snorkeling, hiking, lots of laundry, and general work around the village, like taking care of the pigs, cleaning up after meals, village clean up, etc.  More roofs were torn off and re-roofed, so there was more coconut weaving done.  Jimmy, along with a fella named Tim from England, built some nice shelves for the Ecotricity Hut.   Lucas, Pupu, and I made a trophy out of driftwood and a coconut shell to present to Amy for completing the Iron Maiden Challenge.   As I write this, she just completed the challenge (had to do it a few days late, due to the weather) and smashed the record previously set by a man – 2 hours, 10 minutes!  That is absolutely amazing.    

Jimmy and I have been getting up early and doing yoga together on the beach.  Sometimes some of the other members join us.  It is a wonderful way to start the day – watching the sun come up golden over the headland, soaking up the beauty and solitude of the beach.  I’m hoping to start running in the morning as well.   Wish me luck! (and motivation!!!!)  :o)

The highlight of the week was attending a church bazaar for a village on Mali on Friday.  We were invited to attend and perform our Meke, so there was lots of Meke practice throughout the week.  When Friday rolled around, we dressed up in our colorful Fijian best, loaded up in the boat (so many of us we had to make two trips), and headed to Mali.   None of us knew quite what to expect, but were excited to be invited for a Fijian celebration.  It turned out it was a true testament to the concept of Fiji time – we arrived promptly at 10 like we were instructed, did a brief sevusevu, which is customary anytime you come into another village, and then waited and waited and waited.  And waited.  And waited while the Fijians got ready for the bazaar.  We waited through tea time, and long after lunch time.  This was a real test for the kids, and fortunately our Fijian friends thought ahead about that and had a separate meal ready for the kids so they didn’t starve.  It was a long, hot, and humid wait.  When everything finally started, it was a lovely ceremony involving lots of prayer, singing, and grog drinking, all in Fijian of course. We got the low down from Jone, one of Fijian buddies, that the guest of honor was a man formerly from the village who now lived in the mainland, who had gifted the church with a large donation.  The most shocking part of the ceremony was when they brought out their gifts of appreciate for this man and his village, which were several lovely woven reed mats, a large amount of daro root, and a live pig tied to a stick.  The pig was distressing to the kids – they had it tied so tightly it’s feet were purple, and throughout the ceremony it kept squealing out in distress.  The Fijian people do not form attachments to animals at all – they just simply see them as food and do not treat them any differently that they would treat any other possession.  But it is a part of their culture, and the kids felt better knowing that soon the pig would be released to a new pen to be fattened up for a future celebration.   When the time for the Meke came around, we donned our banana leaf bracelets, lined up in the blazing sun, and Meke’d our hearts out.  We performed our Meke well, and received lots of laughs and applause.  The Fijians find it both humorous and respectful to see us trying our best at their dances.    When all of the ceremony was done, all that was left to do was to eat.  And what a feast they had prepared!  This was our first opportunity to attend a traditional Fijian feast.  They had a long, narrow cloth spread out on the floor that was filled with dishes of delicious and interesting looking food.   We sat on the floor on both sides of the cloth, served ourselves from the dishes, and ate with our fingers.  There were many dishes of various kinds of fish, caught by the women of the church.  There was lots of cassava, a staple of their diet and very similar to potato.  There was a paupau dish, an eggplant dish, watermelon, and lots of delicious juices.    We stuffed ourselves until we could eat no more, and then went back outside to the mat to enjoy the festive singing, while the kiddos joined all the children in playing and catching crabs.  We were meant to also go to the school that day, but the ceremony went on long past the time for the school trip, so we had to abandon that idea.  Sega na lega!   We finally headed toward the boat, hot, exhausted and full of good food.  I took some pictures that day, and can’t wait to check out how they turned out.

Last night we celebrated 4^th of July, Fiji style.  We could not find any fireworks in town, so we had to settle on the glow sticks that we brought with us from the US.  We passed out the glow sticks and played around with our glowing poi balls, and then were inspired to do some creative photography using the glow sticks and poi.   A bunch of us wrote VOROVORO and shot it with the camera at a slow shutter speed and it turned out really cool.  We did some other fun stuff too, like making Ollie into a snowman and Bethie into an angel.   As I write this, I am really hoping that I am able to upload some pictures tomorrow so I can share our creations with you!

That’s all for now.  I am dripping with sweat – it is a hot, steamy day with no breeze – much too hot to be inside snuggled up with a hot computer.   Off now to snorkel with the kiddos, and then take a refreshing bucket shower!  Much love from our family to yours!!!