Is it really Feb already??

Wow, it's been a fast month!

I've decided to each week introduce you to someone that we share our life with here in Fiji. This week is Jenny, or Bebe (pronounced bem-bay) as she goes by here. Bebe means butterfly, and it is a most suiting name for this colorful girl. She's from England, but lives in Spain (well, when she's not living in Fiji!) She came to the island as a tribe member one week after we arrived in June and was planning to stay for 3 weeks. Seven months later, she is still here - she took the position of Wavu (support staff), and then also filled in for my position Sept-Nov, until I arrived. She is currently working as our on island support staff, and has become a dear, dear friend. It was definitely not coincidence that put all of us on this island at the same time! She, Jimmy, and I share many of the same interests and beliefs - we are all never at a loss for something interesting to discuss. It really helps us all to support one another as well - we are all so much on the same page philosophically and spiritually. That' really so, so important when you are working as closely as we are. She's funny and energetic, insightful, sweet, hard working - known throughout the island for her prowess in the kitchen and innate knack for sensing when someone needs a cup of tea. The easy banter we have between us all keeps us laughing - a vital component to island life. She has easily become a part of our family. When her time to leave the island finally comes, it will be very hard letting her go. I can't imagine life on Vorovoro without Bebe!

Last week, Jimmy and I had a date night! Woo hoo! The first we’ve had since we arrived in Nov. We had a package that we needed to pick up in Savusavu, a lovely coastal town on the other side of Vanua Levu, so we left the kids here on the island in the good care of Bebe and treated ourselves to a night away. It is a 3 hour bus ride each way through the interior of Vanua Levu, and the scenery is breathtaking. As the bus wound its way through the lush forests, we tried to spot the waterfalls on the mountains we passed, and enjoyed the much, much cooler air of the mountains. When we arrived in Savusavu, we quickly picked up our package, hit the market for some simple, cheap foods - tinned fish, bread, pineapple, bananas, and chocolate (of course!!!), bought a few movies from the local pirate movie store (the only way to get movies here) and cozied up in an air conditioned (!!!!!!!) hotel room overlooking the harbor. Savusavu is well known for it’s beautiful landscape, but we decided to save sightseeing for another visit. Instead, we just relaxed and enjoyed the fresh showers, cool air conditioning, and the good company of each other. Very, very nice!

The glow of our mini-vacation didn’t last long though. Jimmy came down with tonsillitis not long after we got home. What started out as a bit of a sore throat quickly morphed into a full-blown infection that left his throat nearly swollen closed. He couldn’t talk or eat, and was in a great deal of pain. He tried a few Fijian remedies, but finally ended up at the doctor on Wednesday. She diagnosed him with tonsillitis, an abscessed tonsil, and a staph infection. Ick. So with some antibiotics in his system, he is now quickly on the mend. He was out and about working in the village yesterday, and went to town today. The Fijian illnesses here are really taking their toll on our immune systems these last few weeks. At home we are so rarely sick, and never sick enough to require medicine. Here’s to hoping that this is not a preview of how our entire year is going to be!