Fiji Gratitude #29

I am grateful for beautiful Fijian voices, joined in effortless harmony, that are my lullaby so very often...
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Fiji Gratitude # 30

I am grateful for vibrant rainbows, so amazingly colorful that they look painted in the sky, that I can see entirely from beginning to end. Though many times I've been tempted, I've yet to swim out to the end of the rainbow and claim the pot 'o gold I know is waiting for me...
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Fiji Gratitude #31

I am grateful for cool, breezy nights after hot, humid days. There are few things that I enjoy more than lying in my bed at the end of a sticky hot day, feeling the cool rushes of the breeze wash over me as I listen to it dance in the coconut leaves outside. Aaaah!
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Fiji gratitude #32

I am grateful for the frequent sounds of laughter and joking that erupt throughout the village everyday - such good medicine! Reminds me to take pause and keep it light - life is not to be taken seriously!
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Fiji Gratitude #33

The countdown till we leave Fiji for home has commenced... One month left! In honor of the amazing experience of living here for one year, I'm going to post a daily countdown of gratitude...

Fiji Gratitude #33 - I am grateful for learning to let go. Everyday what I do & accomplish, when I come & go, what I eat, when (if!) I use electricity, where (if!) I shower, when I have clean clothes, when I rest & when I work are determined outside of me. I'm at the mercy of tides, sun, rain, wind, cultural etiquette, internet cafes, supply boats, & Fiji time. I truly control only 1 thing - whether I smile or whether or frown!
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Whales spotted!

Last month we had a some amazing surprise visitors! One quiet morning, as we were all going about our morning duties, a tribe member who was exploring the far end of the island heard a massive splash. When he looked up toward the sea, he saw a whale breaching a small ways offshore. He quickly got the attention of everyone else on the island, and we gathered on the beach, sharing a pair of binoculars to get a better look.
What we saw was a massive whale accompanied by a much smaller baby whale. Several of us were eager to get a closer look, so with Pupu Epeli at the engine, we climbed into the boat and set off in the direction of the whales. I thought the Fijians would be nonchalant about it - I figured they had all probably seen many whales in their life and this was old news. But Kini and Sikipa were just excited as us "kai palagi", and piled in the boat with their little boys, Api and Ju.

As we got closer to the whales, Pupu slowed his speed. Periodically they would dive and then come up in a new place, so we all had to keep a sharp watch out for any sign. When they would surface, we would creep in that direction. They didn't seem bothered by us, but wanted to keep us at a cautious distance. Even so, we were able to come within about 30 feet or so. The most impressive sight was when the mother whale dove - her tail completely came up out of the water before she disappeared.

Pupu said we needed to chase her outside the reef - if she stayed inside, she could become trapped when the tide went out. So we slowly moved in her direction, prodding her to go toward the channel that would lead her back out to deep water.

We thought we had been successful, but later that afternoon they were spotted again, inside the reef. At that point, we figured maybe she was injured and taking refuge from sharks inside the reef. But come the next morning, there was no sign of them - they had moved on.

I'm not very good at estimating sizes, but other people have said the mother whale was about 60 feet long. We have no way of identifying them on the island, but my guess is a sperm whale.

When we started this year long adventure, I made a secret wish to see a sea turtle, dolphins, and a whale. And now I've seen all three! Feeling like a very lucky girl!
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Loooong Overdue Update

This a bit of an experiment - I think I've found a way to update this blog from my email account on the Blackberry. If so, it will make it SO much easier to update this blog on a regular basis, so fingers crossed that it works!

We are all doing great - the simplicity of life here suits us very well. We head back to the states in 2 months and are getting *very* excited to see everyone we've missed so much again. I wonder what it will be like, being back. So many things to adjust to. Little things, like wearing shoes, living indoors, and having a big house to keep clean again. Big things, like the winter cold, lots of obligations and demands on our time, adjusting back American culture. Soooo looking forward to long visits with friends over coffee and chocolate, visiting family and sharing our experiences and hearing about theirs, seeing my great-niece Kristina who was so small when we left, and meeting my new niece Grace who was born whilst we were gone. Can't wait!

So, Ollie is still Ollie - always on the move, more Fijian than American. These last few months has been a lot different though, because his best friend Poi, whom he was with everyday from sun up to sun down, went away to live with an auntie and start school. So Ollie has been a bit lost without him. But, this means we see him more now, and he has grown closer than ever with Bethie and Lucas. He still fishes at every opportunity, and usually catches more than anyone else. It always brings a smile to my face when as I'm going about my day and happen to glance toward the sea, and see him poised with a spear, silently stalking something only he can see in the water. He's definitely an island boy, through and through! He's very much into school though, and begs for it even when we are taking a break! He's started a small business on the island selling snacks - he buys them with his own money in town and then sells them for a bit more on the grog mat, when everyone is feeling a bit snackish. He is so serious about it - it's amazing listening to him talk about profits and and buying strategy - he totally gets it. He has saved over $50 now - he says he wants to buy a DS when he gets home - I'm trying to convince him to take us on holiday. ;-)

Bethie is ever the social butterfly and mama - she is quick to befriend every new person who comes to the island, and keeping all the little ones around safe and happy (including Ollie, much to his dislike!). She sings constantly - she is never happier than when she has her ipod in and can sing along with her favorite tunes. As of lately she has been getting more and more compliments on her singing, and I can see she really loves that. I just wish people would stop telling her also that she should be an actress on the Disney channel - not a career I'm willing to support right now!!! :-). She misses her friends - homesickness has really begun to hit her lately. She looooves to receive letters from home - really makes her week. She wishes she had a best girlfriend here - but bounces back so quickly. One moment, a bit teary and homesick, the next, laughing and herding the toddlers. She really likes time alone with just me or Jimmy, taking a walk and chatting. I do too!

Lucas is very content - he has a best friend who lives on the mainland whom he sees at least one afternoon a week. His friend is from Australia and is living in Fiji for two years while his parents work for Save the Children. They are both Pokemon crazed - I swear when they are together, it is like listening to a foreign language! He is excited to see his friends when we go home, but is really sad about leaving Joe (his friend) - he worries he will be lonely. He has matured so much this year, physically and emotionally. In some ways, he is like a different kid - more mellow and much slower to anger. But still intense in everything he does, and always making somebody laugh! He has a small business as well, doing a few tribe members' dishes at each meal. He's very clever about it - he usually gets away with being paid for doing nothing by challenging someone who is not a paying customer to play him games of "rock, paper, scissors" at the end of each meal - winner does a set of dishes. He does this again and again (and usually wins) until he plays all the dishes away. But sometimes it backfires and he ends up with 20+ plates and cups! Bit worried about where this love of gambling could be headed... :-)

We live in an international community within a Fijian community and meet many, manypeople, and so many people have taken jimmy or I aside to comment on how well behaved, mature, or smart they observe the kids to be. I'm so very proud of the people they are growing into!

Jimmy and I are good - we are very busy in our jobs, and it is very challenging sometimes living where we work, but the cool thing about our life here is that everything we do, we love doing it. Very different from jobs we've had where the "fun and enjoyment" doesn't kick in until we've clocked out. The simplicity of our lives have allowed us to become closer as a couple and a family - we really like who we have become. And we really like doing work that is fulfilling and meaningful as a family. We are very blessed.

Will post more updates this week, sharing some talanoa (stories) about some things that have happened over the last couple months. Till then...

Jenny
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