Saturday updates... Last Saturday was a very good day indeed. In the morning I went diving for
mussels with some girls from the village in the Rewa river. It's one of the biggest rivers in Fiji and one of the least clean as well. I'm told bull sharks like to spawn in our part of the river but I won't believe it as long as I'm swimming in there. My nose got sunburned but now it went away. It felt really good to swim even though I didn't actually get any mussels. In the evening some of us went dancing with a bunch of the guys from the village. Let me say, dancing in Fiji with Fijians is a blast. There's no Madonna, but there is this "Damaged" song we heard somewhere around 5 times (between 3 clubs) that one night. "'Cause I'm damaged, so damaged, I don't know what to do. Said you'd never leave me said you'd always love me..." It's pretty terrible and great at the same time. Fijians are very touchy feely, which is odd because PDA is taboo.

This Saturday I'm recovering from a long night of yaqona drinking and trying to some stuff for my new place I'll be moving to next week. Check out the pictures on PHotobucket (if they work). Thanks for the package, Laura! Aunty Lani, I got your letter, too.

Pictures: top left, me in front of my host family's house. Top right, "Iron Chef Day" with my team and our meal: Satay peanut noodles Fiji style, veggies burgers, and enchiladas. My cheese withdrawal was semi-fulfilled. Bottom left, our village group doing a traditional meke dance about mongooses. Bottom right, me with the Sunday school class.

Brr!

That's right: Brrrrrrr. Who would have thought I'd say Fiji is cold! But it is, at least where I'll be living. All those jokes about me living in the bush? Yup. I will be. I'm in the jungle mountains of Fiji and it's chilly. I guess it warms up around October and gets hot but I actually need to buy a hat! People were dressed in winter boots, wool coats, hats, and scarves. Riding the bus- which has no closed windows- is the worst. But, I have the most amazing, spectacular view! It's beautiful in the mountains. My village is actually down in an open valley but surrounded by hills and trees. It's really big for a village. There's only one road in and two buses go through a day. It's really secluded. My house is cute, small but nice. I have a "caretaker" who owns the house and lives in her own house next door with her two sons. I met some really cool people there already, including this 50 year old single woman who has a son w/ a British businessman and speaks really wonderful English. When we were talking about church I told her I don't really go to church and she said, "That's okay my dear, that's okay" and was very okay about it. She's really tall and skinny and walks gracefully around in these men's old sport coats. There's this other old woman who's 68 and widowed and doesn't smoke or drink grog or eat meat and retired from the Ministry of Health. I call her Nana, which is ironic, especially because we sat and talked for a long time and it feels like I already have a grandmotherly figure in the village. She's really sassy and doesn't like to be bored or be idle. She likes her alone time and keeps her doors closed a lot. She says "frankly" a lot and doesn't care what the village thinks about her keeping her door closed. She doesn't like television and thinks the schools place too much emphasis on sports rather than education and reading.

But, I'm going to miss "Host village" and all the people I've met there.

I made my first political faux pas though, yesterday. We're not supposed to talk about politics, which I know and have been really good about, but then at our conference earlier in the week it came up that it's okay to talk about American political perspectives as long as you clarify you're speaking on your own behalf and not as a representative of the American government or Peace Corps. I thought I was reading the situation okay when I was asked who I think is going to win in November: Obama or McCain. Well, I wasn't too serious about it but I said, in Fijian, that I hope Obama wins. "And McCain?" "I don't really like him and I think if he wins the whole world is in trouble." "I like McCain. He's a war hero. Did you know that?" yeah. And? It ended there, but I just keep thinking about politics when I really don't want to. That's the message the world is getting: McCain is a war "hero" and that should determine who the president of one fo the most powerful countries in the world is. Uh, no. But I can just picture what is happening in the US right now, like what happened with Kerry and to a point with Gore: McCain's camp is going to be all negative and his supporters are going to throw out the "war hero" story over and over again as if that really means anything. Obama's going to play nice, play fair (which I like, really) and never stand up for himself. he's going to roll over and be the moderate, middle of the road guy who tows the party line. I hope this isn't happening. Why can't we as liberals, as self-entitled "Progressives," stand up for ourselves? We don't need a president who is middle of the road and bows to the other side! We need a president who isn't afraid to stick to what s/he believes. If the Right can do it, we can do it too.

Enough. I think I'll head back to my first village. I'll be changing my address when I head to N. in a couple weeks, but until then PC mail gets to PCVs. Hope everyone is well! Stay cool, eat some cheese for me, and let me know what's up!

"America Day"

In honor of Independence Day, I've put together a little quiz for you. Here are some songs w/ America in the song; let's see how many you can get:

"`Cause we`ll put a boot in your ass/It`s the American way/Hey Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list/And the Statue of Liberty started shakin her fist" TOBY KEITH- BLECH

"Some folks are born made to wave the flag,/Ooh, they're red, white and blue./And when the band plays "Hail to the chief",/Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,/It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son." CCR

"As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking/Is this land made for you and me?/Nobody living can ever stop me,/As I go walking that freedom highway;/Nobody living can ever make me turn back/This land was made for you and me." WOODY GUTHRIE

"Born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A." BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

"They're coming to America
Everytime that flags unfurled
They're coming to America
Got a dream to take them there
They're coming to America"
NEIL DIAMOND

"See the rain through a gaping wound/Pounding on the women and children/Who run/Into the arms/Of America"
JOHN MELLENCAMP?

"There's pride in every American heart/and it's time we stand and say:I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free"
LEE GREENWOOD. BLEEEEEEEEEEEEECH

"Living in America - hit me
Living in America - yeah,
I walk in and out
Living in America"
AEROSMITH?

"Counting the cars on the New Jersey turnpike/They've all gone to look for America/All gone to look for America, All gone to look for America" PAUL SIMON/ SIMON & GARFUNKEL

"Oh but ain't that America for you and me/Ain't that America somethin' to see baby/Ain't that America home of the free/Little pink houses for you and me " JOHN MELLENCAMP

"Bye bye Miss American pie, drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry" (TOO EASY, I know...) DON MCLEAN

"Oooh, whoa, everybody's dreaming big/Oooh, whoa, but everybody's just getting by/That's how it goes in everyday America" No idea

And, just for you...
"Well she was an American girl/Raised on promises/She couldn't help thinkin'/That there was a little more to life somewhere else/After all it was a great big world/With lots of places to run to"
TOM PETTY!

that was fun. Thanks, Morgan! Happy 4th of July. Yesterday we and found out our sites. Drum roll: I'm in a village 2 hours northwest of Suva, in the interior! it's a big village, about 400 people. My projects sound wonderful and I'm really excited to check it out next week! I am bummed that I'm not going to Vanua Levu (really really bummed) and that I won't get to see any other parts of the country. But, all in all it sounds really good.

I had a touch of stomach troubles but I'm feeling okay now. We just watched a local rugby game which was a lot of fun, and muddy as it rained again.

Every time I'm able to use the internet, I keep forgetting what I want to say so I'll leave it at this for now. Hope everyone's enjoying their barbecues and beers and sparklers!

coming soon: pictures

First order of business, the group has started a Photobucket site for all our pictures. Here is the address: http://photobucket.com/Fijifre6 I'm not sure how it works on your end, but I think you should be able to go there and look at pictures. Alas, nothing is posted... yet! Hopefully we can get some pics up there soon. I'm just as anxious to show my pictures as I'm sure you are to see them.

Second, thanks so much for the comments!! It's so wonderful to hear from people. kelsey, I totally appreciated the updates! The only news I get is about the Fiji 15s rugby team. I also eagerly await any and all packages, large and/or small! But I don't expect them because I know it's expensive and I still have a good two+ years to go here in Fiji.

What else. My nickname in the village is "Di Tela." "Tela" means tailor and "Di" is a shortened word for aunt or a sign of respect and chiefly position in the village. It's fun. Kids shout out my name as I'm walking around and call me stuff like Mommy Taylar. Friday we're finding out our site announcements and celebrating the 4th of July. Next week we go visit our sites then return to our villages for two more weeks. It's starting to go fast now!

Foods I've taken to liking are "rourou" which is the leaves of the dalo plant and sosopi, which in English I'm told is soupsop. It's this delicious fruit that is both sweet and sour at the same time and so utterly delicious I can't even describe it!

Once I get to my site I'll get a new address, so I'll keep you posted on that. I'll also get a mobile soon, too. Technology is amazing sometimes.

Fiji is full of a lot of paradoxes. The more I learn about the country, too, the harder the problems seem to be to solve. There aren't really a lot of resources here except for the natural ones and space is really limited so it's hard to start up industries, especially because the infrastructure also isn't really here. The investment in the country is all foreign and with an interim, not democratically elected government, it's hard for anything to be accomplished. I'm excited about what we'll be doing because we'll actually be working with people who will most benefit who aren't being heard or don't know where to go. A lot of the kids are sick (always with runny noses, coughs, etc) or have boils and scabies. Medical care is free is some areas but the tradition is so strong in the villages that they don't like to go. [Speaking of which, I have my first PC injury: a little heat rash spot on the inside of my left elbow. I have no idea how it happened.]

I'm really encouraged by the way PC goes about their work, but Training is a whole different story. It's pretty unorganized and we spend a lot of time waiting. We don't have any free days except Sundays and by then we're just tired and our families want to spend time with us. Balancing "American time" and organization with "Fiji Time" is a really hard place to be.

I think I'll stop there. If there are any questions, shout them out. I forget what I write.

Much love!!!!!