Bula Sia everyone!
Well, the storm has passed, and the sun has come back, and WOW! Our beautiful island has been beaten about by Thomas(Tomasi), and it will be some time before all of the trees and beautiful plants regain their full beauty. Our island family weathered wonderfully, and we all said a big MOCE!(Mow-they) to Tomasi as he blew off! There were some tense moments, but it already seems so far away, as the smiles are big, the bilos are full, and the chainsaw can be heard from each of the four peaks!
Many thanks to all who were holding us close in their hearts, and we miss everyone very much!
until next time.....
Friday, March 19, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Cyclone Tomas
At this point, it looks like we will definitely be suffering a direct hit from Cyclone Tomas in the next 24 hours. The experts predict it will be a category 4 cyclone by the time it arrives, which is massive. The winds have already picked up, and the air feels like the rain is not far behind. Everyone is busy doing what they can to prepare the village and the island while they can.
i am taking comfort in the fact in the people of Vorovoro and nearby Mali Island have lived here for generations and through countless cyclones and storms and have never suffered major catastrophe. The villages are built right on the water's edge, and always weather the storms. I've heard it said that the reef that surrounds us acts as a protective barrier. When I asked Francis, the island matriarch, if her family ever left the island when a cyclone was coming, she just laughed and laughed. "No no no. We just stay right here on the island!" she replied. I've decided when Grandma Francis starts to worry, that's when i will worry.
So for now, we will just keep preparing - packing, nailing tarps, trimming trees, securing anything that can be secured. We may head into the mainland with the tribe members to weather the storm at Tui Mali's (Vorovoro and Mali's chief) mainland home, but we are still sorting that out. Please don't worry about us (that means you, Jackye, Jodie, and Mom!!!) and keep all of Fiji in your prayers over the next couple of days.
I will update this blog as soon as I possibly can after the storm.
Loloma Levu!
i am taking comfort in the fact in the people of Vorovoro and nearby Mali Island have lived here for generations and through countless cyclones and storms and have never suffered major catastrophe. The villages are built right on the water's edge, and always weather the storms. I've heard it said that the reef that surrounds us acts as a protective barrier. When I asked Francis, the island matriarch, if her family ever left the island when a cyclone was coming, she just laughed and laughed. "No no no. We just stay right here on the island!" she replied. I've decided when Grandma Francis starts to worry, that's when i will worry.
So for now, we will just keep preparing - packing, nailing tarps, trimming trees, securing anything that can be secured. We may head into the mainland with the tribe members to weather the storm at Tui Mali's (Vorovoro and Mali's chief) mainland home, but we are still sorting that out. Please don't worry about us (that means you, Jackye, Jodie, and Mom!!!) and keep all of Fiji in your prayers over the next couple of days.
I will update this blog as soon as I possibly can after the storm.
Loloma Levu!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Just groovin' right along...
First off - Cyclone Tomas is headed our way. I just read an update that says it looks like we could be in for a direct hit, or a tropical depression in Vanuatu might pull the cyclone off course and we will just get residual effects. Either way, we will be okay, but are likely to me in for some very nasty weather. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and I will update as soon as I can!
So the days have melted into weeks and despite my best intentions, I haven’t written a decent blog update in quite some time. Time has a way of getting away from one here without leaving clues. And then, of course, there is the subject of a reliable internet connection - that’s always the wild card in whether a blog or photo will actually make it online!
Since arriving back from Suva, life has been blessedly uneventful. Jimmy’s recovery was slow, but now he is back to 100%. Fiji continues to test our immune systems (mostly Jimmy & the kids – not me! Knock wood…) – each week seems to bring a new mild ailment. Colds, runny tummies, mild fevers, rashes – nothing serious, but enough to be uncomfortable. I joke that we just cannot have all 5 of us well for more than two days in a row. Living in a foreign country closely within a transient community is just a veritable mixing pot of new and exciting germs and viruses unbeknownst to our bodies!
We feel like we are in the groove of our positions now, and feeling good about what we bring to the job and the project. The days move along smoothly, work gets done, kids get schooled, with plenty of time for conversation and laughs sprinkled throughout. We are never truly off the clock while on the island – at any moment we can be (and are) pulled away to answer questions, take care of a problem or situation, answer a phone call, attend a meeting, or attend a function where we understand not one word of what is said. The kids have had step up to a whole new level of patience and independence! But we have acclimated to this way of life, and despite being “on” all the time, we really enjoy our life here and the pace of life that is Fiji. We still have plenty on our daily “To Do” lists - life here certainly isn’t all beach and hammocks! The days are full of jobs waiting to be done. But gone is the overscheduled, frantic, time-is-a-vortex-and-is-sucking-me-in pace of our “old” life. Here, life has a rhythm that has allowed us to slowly find our own inner rhythm. Living outside, surrounded by spectacular beauty at every turn, it does something to change a person inside. I wonder sometimes how I can ever go back to living in a house again, with my spaces confined by walls and fences, where I never see the sun rise or set, and where the sounds of motorcycles and police sirens lull me to sleep instead of the waves, breezes, and the occasional (or not so occasional!!) screech of bats that are my lullabies now.
Living in community - eating, cooking, working, sharing, playing, side by side with others - feels natural to me, like how it is supposed to be. This project and this island attract amazing people - so many incredible connections have I been blessed to make! Conversations, exchanges, experiences that affirm me, grow me, stretch me, nurture me. And despite the transient nature of these special connections, I am not as sad as I thought I would be at having to say so many goodbyes. I think that is because I now have a deeper understanding of how we all weave in and out of each other’s lives, each adding our own unique thread to the fabric, making it stronger and more colorful than it was before.
As our days tumble into each other, each day resembling the one before but yet different, I am grateful for this time in this place. All the events and changes in our lives leading up to us being here are affirmed for me by how right it feels to be here. But at the same time, when our time here is done and it is time to turn our thoughts back to home, I know we will be ready. We will be ready to step back into our lives, into our home, into the arms of the people we love and miss so much. We have an amazing life waiting at home for us. Our time here is but an intermission, an interlude, a pause. And what comes next? Don’t know. And don’t need to know. There is so much freedom in that!
All I know is life will continue to unfold, probably in ways we can’t yet imagine, and though we will likely come to places where we are confused and scared, I know we will always be able to discern our path if we just remember how to listen. Life truly is a journey, and DAMN!!!!! It feels really good to be living it!
So our holiday off the island last week was wonderful in every way. On Wednesday we boarded the crowded bus for the 3 hour trek to Savusavu, then spent the next 3 days reading, playing, exploring, boulder hopping, playing in the hot springs, and kayaking before heading back home to the island on Sunday. It felt strange to be in a proper house - things like window screens, hot running water, ceiling fans were such a novelty! But we adjusted quickly and enjoyed every minute. Really wanted to share some pics from our holiday, but internet just isn't willing to do that for me today. I WILL get some uploaded to Flickr one way or another later this week. Big kudos to our boss and friend Ben for posting us his camera to use while we wait for the insurance to sort through replacing ours!
Loloma levu! (much love)
So the days have melted into weeks and despite my best intentions, I haven’t written a decent blog update in quite some time. Time has a way of getting away from one here without leaving clues. And then, of course, there is the subject of a reliable internet connection - that’s always the wild card in whether a blog or photo will actually make it online!
Since arriving back from Suva, life has been blessedly uneventful. Jimmy’s recovery was slow, but now he is back to 100%. Fiji continues to test our immune systems (mostly Jimmy & the kids – not me! Knock wood…) – each week seems to bring a new mild ailment. Colds, runny tummies, mild fevers, rashes – nothing serious, but enough to be uncomfortable. I joke that we just cannot have all 5 of us well for more than two days in a row. Living in a foreign country closely within a transient community is just a veritable mixing pot of new and exciting germs and viruses unbeknownst to our bodies!
We feel like we are in the groove of our positions now, and feeling good about what we bring to the job and the project. The days move along smoothly, work gets done, kids get schooled, with plenty of time for conversation and laughs sprinkled throughout. We are never truly off the clock while on the island – at any moment we can be (and are) pulled away to answer questions, take care of a problem or situation, answer a phone call, attend a meeting, or attend a function where we understand not one word of what is said. The kids have had step up to a whole new level of patience and independence! But we have acclimated to this way of life, and despite being “on” all the time, we really enjoy our life here and the pace of life that is Fiji. We still have plenty on our daily “To Do” lists - life here certainly isn’t all beach and hammocks! The days are full of jobs waiting to be done. But gone is the overscheduled, frantic, time-is-a-vortex-and-is-sucking-me-in pace of our “old” life. Here, life has a rhythm that has allowed us to slowly find our own inner rhythm. Living outside, surrounded by spectacular beauty at every turn, it does something to change a person inside. I wonder sometimes how I can ever go back to living in a house again, with my spaces confined by walls and fences, where I never see the sun rise or set, and where the sounds of motorcycles and police sirens lull me to sleep instead of the waves, breezes, and the occasional (or not so occasional!!) screech of bats that are my lullabies now.
Living in community - eating, cooking, working, sharing, playing, side by side with others - feels natural to me, like how it is supposed to be. This project and this island attract amazing people - so many incredible connections have I been blessed to make! Conversations, exchanges, experiences that affirm me, grow me, stretch me, nurture me. And despite the transient nature of these special connections, I am not as sad as I thought I would be at having to say so many goodbyes. I think that is because I now have a deeper understanding of how we all weave in and out of each other’s lives, each adding our own unique thread to the fabric, making it stronger and more colorful than it was before.
As our days tumble into each other, each day resembling the one before but yet different, I am grateful for this time in this place. All the events and changes in our lives leading up to us being here are affirmed for me by how right it feels to be here. But at the same time, when our time here is done and it is time to turn our thoughts back to home, I know we will be ready. We will be ready to step back into our lives, into our home, into the arms of the people we love and miss so much. We have an amazing life waiting at home for us. Our time here is but an intermission, an interlude, a pause. And what comes next? Don’t know. And don’t need to know. There is so much freedom in that!
All I know is life will continue to unfold, probably in ways we can’t yet imagine, and though we will likely come to places where we are confused and scared, I know we will always be able to discern our path if we just remember how to listen. Life truly is a journey, and DAMN!!!!! It feels really good to be living it!
So our holiday off the island last week was wonderful in every way. On Wednesday we boarded the crowded bus for the 3 hour trek to Savusavu, then spent the next 3 days reading, playing, exploring, boulder hopping, playing in the hot springs, and kayaking before heading back home to the island on Sunday. It felt strange to be in a proper house - things like window screens, hot running water, ceiling fans were such a novelty! But we adjusted quickly and enjoyed every minute. Really wanted to share some pics from our holiday, but internet just isn't willing to do that for me today. I WILL get some uploaded to Flickr one way or another later this week. Big kudos to our boss and friend Ben for posting us his camera to use while we wait for the insurance to sort through replacing ours!
Loloma levu! (much love)
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